"From here, we walk."
Lilian Voss's soft whisper in Ilucia's ear brought the dazed noblewoman back to reality.
Ilucia gathered her thoughts, preventing herself from stammering due to shock. "I…are we in the wrong place? This is…"
"The Palace." Lilian's reply remained concise, without the slightest fluctuation.
No sooner had she spoken than Lilian emerged from the shadows, holding an emblem, which she handed to the Royal Guards at the Royal Gate.
Upon seeing the emblem, the Royal Guards solemnly took it and pressed it into a small indentation on the wall behind them.
A blue Arcane inscription appeared in the void. After reading it thoroughly, the Royal Guards removed the emblem and returned it to Lilian.
At the same time, he gestured to his colleagues behind him, and the well-trained guards immediately opened the gate, clearing a path.
"Let's go."
After the authentication was complete, Lilian led the still-dazed Ilucia inside the Palace Gate, while the guards responsible for supervising Ilucia showed no reaction, waiting quietly outside.
After the two entered, the solid wood and iron gate behind them closed with a heavy thud. Ilucia and Lilian walked one after another, the sunlight casting distinct lines of light and shadow on the arched ceiling of the corridor.
"Is the King summoning us?" Ilucia was both puzzled and shocked. This was the Lordaeron Palace, possibly the residence of the most powerful person in all of human civilization!
And Lilian had entered here with just an emblem? Were those Royal Guards not afraid of imposters?
"No," Lilian replied.
After denying Ilucia's assumption, Lilian fell silent, and Ilucia also lowered her head without a word—if Terenas, the King, wasn't summoning her, then within the entire Palace, there was only one person left who could dispatch the Secret Intelligence Agency.
Arthas Menethil!
Hailed as Lordaeron's most perfect Prince Arthas, its most ideal heir, a Paladin of the Silver Hand, the bane of Ogres, the founder of the Secret Intelligence Agency, the leader of the First Legion, the dream of countless Lordaeron maidens… ahem!
All sorts of titles and halos were the first reactions anyone had upon hearing the name Arthas. Many great nobles of Lordaeron went to great lengths just to meet this Prince Arthas, for they knew that the future of Lordaeron, and even all of humanity, might rest in his hands.
But when it came to Ilucia personally meeting this Prince Arthas, all that remained in her heart was endless nervousness and panic!
Leaving aside all other titles and halos, Arthas had one identity that she feared and dreaded the most: Arthas was perhaps one of the strongest Paladins currently in the Silver Hand!
Arthas, being bestowed with such a title, was clearly not due to his status as a Prince Arthas, for all Paladins of the Silver Hand held this young Prince Arthas in high esteem, saying that he had reached a realm in the path of Holy Light that many could never achieve in their lifetime.
And as someone who spent her days with necromancers, plotting unspeakable schemes, Ilucia facing Arthas was simply the worst, most difficult situation.
She was very worried that the traces on her body would expose the dark conspiracy of the Barov Family, and if it were truly discovered, her fate would be completely sealed!
Thinking of this, Ilucia even wanted to run away.
But the one leading her was an assassin, and one of extremely refined skill. Lilian's ability to disappear without a trace right under Ilucia's nose had already proven her capabilities.
Not to mention, in her brief daze, she had already been led into the heavily guarded Lordaeron Palace. To get out of here, unless she was one of Dalaran's top teleportation Archmages, she would likely be shot down by arrows before she could even take two steps.
Of course, all of this was merely Ilucia's conjecture—what she didn't know was that even a Dalaran Archmage, once inside Lordaeron Palace, couldn't leave by means of teleportation.
This was because the Secret Intelligence Agency had long since set up a barrier around the Palace. Without permission, unless all the magic crystals serving as nodes were simultaneously destroyed, even if Antonidas came to the Palace, he wouldn't be able to teleport.
Fortunately, Ilucia's rudimentary magic skills prevented her from making any rash moves. Now, she had only two choices: escape now and be intercepted by Lilian or shot dead by arrows; or go to meet Prince Arthas Arthas, and still have a chance to fight for a sliver of hope…
While her mind raced with wild thoughts, she had already followed Lilian to the side hall where Arthas usually lived and worked.
Looking at the magnificent hall, Ilucia's steps faltered slightly, unsure whether to go in or retreat.
"Please hurry, Miss Ilucia."
Seeing Ilucia standing still like an idiot, Lilian waited for a moment before urging her on.
In the eyes of this girl, who had been recruited into the Secret Intelligence Agency at a very young age, wasting the Prince Arthas's time was an unforgivable offense.
However, this time she had received a prior reminder from her superior not to push too hard. If not for that, Lilian might have brought Ilucia to Arthas last night.
"Ah… sorry." Ilucia quickly responded, but as she spoke, she couldn't help but feel a little deflated.
She had put a lot of thought and effort into not falling into a passive position before the Secret Intelligence Agency, but the pressure of facing Arthas made all her previous preparations go to waste…
Times have changed… The Barov Family was no longer the dominant force it once was, able to even stand as equals with the King. And, Ilucia thought, even the Barov Family of old, facing the current Arthas, could they have been so flawless?
Soon, Ilucia was led to the Prince Arthas's study. During this not-so-long walk, one thing made Ilucia extremely puzzled.
She seemed… not to have seen a single guard, apart from the old attendant at the door who relayed messages. It seemed that the entire Prince Arthas's courtyard had no armed guards wearing armor or carrying spears or swords.
The sole attendant knocked on Arthas's door. He cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Your Highness, Miss Ilucia of the Barov Family requests an audience."
"Hmm, come in."
The brief sentence suddenly made Ilucia nervous. She fumbled to adjust her attire. The attendant beside her watched, smiling as he whispered, "No need to be so nervous, Miss Barov. The Prince Arthas is very kind to people."
Ilucia's face flushed slightly upon hearing the old attendant's words. She didn't know why, but ever since entering the Palace, she felt like a child, somewhat at a loss.
The noblewoman subtly nodded, trying her best not to show her timidity. After the attendant opened the door for her, he smiled at Lilian, who was standing by the door, and said, "Miss Voss, long time no see. Would you like to rest for a while?"
"No, it's fine. I'll just wait here." Lilian blinked, even deliberately raising her voice slightly to emphasize her intention.
The old attendant walked away with a knowing smile. He had seen Lilian many times; she was considered a very special individual within the Secret Intelligence Agency in relation to the Prince Arthas. The old attendant still regarded her as the child she once was.
Seeing the old attendant leave, Lilian let out a soft breath, then concentrated, drawing upon her strength, and vanished into thin air. She was accustomed to hiding in the shadows, unobserved by others.
Inside the room, Arthas stopped writing, looked up at Ilucia, and smiled, "Miss Ilucia, long time no see."
"Long… long time no see…" Ilucia was somewhat bewildered but still instinctively responded.
But as the words left her mouth, she suddenly realized that she had never met this Prince Arthas before. Why would he use such a greeting?
Yet, when she saw Arthas still smiling, completely unchanged, Ilucia herself felt dizzy: Had she really met this Prince Arthas before?
No… surely not… She and Arthas were of similar age. If they had truly met, she would definitely remember.
Even if it was during her infancy, before she had clear memories, her parents would surely have told her. For a declining noble family, this was a resource not to be overlooked.
"Please, make yourself comfortable, Miss Ilucia. Would you like any refreshments? I'll have Albert bring them."
Albert was the surname of the old attendant outside the door. He had watched Arthas grow up, and after Arthas came of age, he continued to serve his master with unwavering loyalty.
"You are too kind," Ilucia smiled shyly, looking like a harmless noblewoman. "I am a guest by invitation, so it's better if you decide."
"Oh? Then I'll have Albert prepare some juice or milk at his discretion," Arthas said. "I won't waste time with pleasantries. Let's get straight to the point. The situation lately isn't very good."
The situation isn't very good?
Ilucia felt as if she had been struck by a sudden realization. She even wondered if Arthas had noticed something amiss about her from the moment she entered.
"As the heir to the Barov Family, you must be very familiar with the situation in Alterac, correct?" Arthas stood up from his seat and walked to the window. He looked at the sunny garden below, where birds chirped and flowers bloomed, and asked Ilucia.
Alterac? Why would the Prince Arthas of Lordaeron ask about a defunct nation?
Ilucia truly didn't know what there was left to care about in Alterac. If there had been some value before the "Prestor Incident," now, Alterac was nothing more than a pile of ruins and a group of lingering "ghosts."
Oh, almost forgot, and those smelly Ogres on the ruins' stones and timber.
But since this was Arthas's question, Ilucia could only follow his lead. In any case, it was better than talking about the Barov Family itself.
"Your Highness, Alterac is now just a pile of rubble and a large group of annoying Ogres. The war has left this land scarred," Ilucia answered truthfully. This was indeed all that remained of Alterac.
As for those lingering Alterac nobles… Ilucia saw no need to incur the displeasure of the Lordaeron Royal Family.
"Yes, a once glorious nation, just like that, vanished in the flames of war. However…" Arthas turned and looked at Ilucia, "What I want to ask you is not this, but… what can the Barov Family do for Alterac?"
What can the Barov Family do for Alterac?!
If she hadn't detected a serious tone in Arthas's voice, Ilucia would have thought Arthas was mocking her.
The last thing the Barov Family did for Alterac was to give it a push when the kingdom stood on the edge of a cliff—but at that time, the Barov Family never imagined that while Alterac fell off the cliff, they themselves were entangled with the same threads of fate as Alterac.
The Goddess of Fate played a cruel joke. After the war ended, the Barov Family, like Alterac years ago, was pushed off a cliff.
And the descendant of one of those masterminds was now standing before her, asking her questions?
A nameless fire ignited within Ilucia, but she couldn't directly lash out. She could only say, "Your Highness, the Barov Family is no longer the Barov Family of old… The last thing we did, and could do, for Alterac, was to ensure it received its due punishment after betraying humanity."
"Aiden's foolishness and shortsightedness were indeed punished, that's true. The heirs of the Perenolde Family are either ambitious but undeserving hotheads, or timid and indecisive cowards," Arthas chuckled. "The people of Alterac are not at fault. Should they also be implicated because of this?"
"This…" Ilucia didn't know why Arthas suddenly started talking about the people of Alterac, which made her temporarily unsure where to continue.
"Alterac's capital indeed became a ruin, but the people of Alterac did not perish in the war, and only they are the only choice to rebuild this kingdom.
However, no matter how resilient and industrious the people are, they need a leader to help them emerge from the shadows of the past.
Now, what I want to ask is, does the Barov Family have the ability and responsibility to lead the people of Alterac to rebuild their nation and capital?"
Arthas's series of words left Ilucia completely bewildered: Was he asking if the Barov Family had the ability to return to Alterac?
Ilucia looked at Arthas with some disbelief. "Your Highness, what are you saying? I don't quite understand."
Did she not understand? Arthas's words couldn't have been clearer. His meaning was practically undisguised—Alterac needed a new King. Did the Barov Family want to put someone forward to be that King?