Night fell upon the Royal Capital once again, and the banquet hosted by Lucia commenced. Inside the main hall, amidst a lavish spread of delicacies, guests stood in clusters, wine in hand, engaged in low-toned conversation.
The most prominent figures at the gathering were the First Prince and the Minister of Internal Affairs. Lucia was currently engrossed in conversation with Grand Duke Porken.
"Grand Duke Porken, welcome to tonight's banquet," Lucia said, his face wearing an expansive smile.
"The honor is mine, Your Highness," The Grand Duke replied, his mustache twitching as a strange light flickered in his eyes.
"And where is Viscount Daniel? He is, after all, the guest of honor tonight," Lucia said, scanning the room. Viscount Daniel was Porken's eldest son, his future heir, and the man intended to marry Lucy.
"He went to attend to a private, urgent matter," The Grand Duke said smoothly. He had just seen his son slip away with a maid; undoubtedly, the boy was up to no good, and as a father, he had to provide cover.
"As long as he's here," Lucia replied with a hypocritical smile. He knew exactly what Daniel was doing, but he needed Porken's support. Had it been anyone else daring to behave so crudely in the palace, Lucia would have already ordered their hands removed.
"Your Highness, those two old relics—Kerrac and the Great Knight—don't seem to be giving you any face at all," Porken remarked, taking a sip of wine. His eyes were full of craftiness.
"Haha... they must be preoccupied with matters that prevent them from attending," Lucia forced a smile. No matter how much fury boiled beneath the surface, he had to suppress it for now.
"Perhaps. Though I heard that tonight, Benson took his son to visit Kerrac," Porken added casually. Benson was the Great Knight, the man who commanded the majority of the king's knights—though by now, more than half of that force had shifted their loyalty to the First Prince.
"What?" Lucia's expression finally broke. The veins on his forehead pulsed as he struggled to maintain his composure. He summoned a maid. "Go. Invite Princess Lucy to the banquet. Tell her that if she attends, her dear friend Euphy will be permitted to enter the palace tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Highness," The maid bowed and hurried off.
"Grand Duke Porken, I have some administrative matters to attend to. Please excuse me for a moment," Lucia said with another hollow smile before turning to leave.
"Interesting," Porken murmured, watching Lucia's back. "Keep fighting... it would be best if you all killed each other."
*
The moon was hidden behind a thick shroud of dark clouds. No one noticed the figures gliding silently across the night sky.
"I won't go!" Lucy shouted indignantly, her eyes glaring at the maids before her.
"Your Highness, the First Prince is already waiting for you in the main hall," The maid said with a troubled expression.
"Then let him wait," Lucy said coldly.
"Your Highness... the Prince gave orders. If you attend the banquet, your friend Euphy will be allowed into the palace tomorrow to keep you company," The maid added quickly.
"He... how dare he..." Lucy's face turned deathly pale. This was a blatant threat. The palace wasn't a place just anyone could enter, especially the friend of a prisoner. The subtext was clear: if she didn't cooperate, Euphy would be dragged into the palace, and once inside, she would be at his mercy.
The maids lowered their heads, afraid to speak. Lucy might be a prisoner, but she was still a princess; she could have them executed with a word.
"Fine. Let's go," Lucy said helplessly, standing up and heading for the door.
"Your Highness, you must change your clothes!" The maids cried out.
"No. I'm going like this," Lucy snapped. She refused to dress up for this farce. She pushed open the door and stepped out.
Tramp, tramp, tramp...
Immediately, a dozen knights surrounded her, keeping her in a tight formation that left no room for escape. Lucy looked at the flickering candlelight held by the guards. After tonight, she would lose everything.
"I wonder how Catherine is doing," Lucy whispered with a tragic smile. "I used to lecture her about her situation... and yet, have I ever truly escaped my own fate?"
Whish! Whish! Whish!
Suddenly, the sound of air being sliced echoed from above.
"Enemy attack! Argh—!"
"Protect Her Highness!" The knights immediately closed ranks around Lucy.
"They're here to kill me?" Lucy was stunned. She hadn't offended anyone powerful enough to strike inside the palace.
"AAAGH!!"
Knights began to drop one by one. Within seconds, only two or three of the original dozen remained. They couldn't even see their attackers, and terror began to take hold.
"Stay alert! Reinforcements are coming!" One knight screamed.
Thwip!
An arrow buried itself in the knight's throat.
Whoosh... whoosh...
The sound of powerful wings beating the air filled the silence. Before the last two knights could react, they were sent flying, their chests pierced by long spears.
"This..." Lucy stood frozen in shock. In less than twenty seconds, an entire squad of elite knights had been wiped out.
Step... step...
The candles had been extinguished. As footsteps approached through the darkness, Lucy's eyes widened, and she instinctively backed away.
"Quickly! Enemies are here! Save the Princess!"
"Assassins! Lock down the entire palace!"
Shouts erupted in the distance. Torches were bobbing toward them; the rest of the guard was closing in.
In the gloom, Lucy finally saw her rescuers. Figures with wings appeared before her, looking at her with curiosity.
"You... who are you?" Lucy stammered. She recognized them as birdkin—the first she had ever seen in person, though Jones had told her stories about them.
"We are here on the orders of Lord Lucas to rescue you," Rhea said coolly.
"Lord Lucas?" Lucy's mouth hung open. This was an utterly unexpected miracle.
"I'm here," Jones's voice emerged from the shadows. The blades on her fingertips were dripping with fresh blood. She had just finished off the few knights who had tried to flee to ensure their movements remained secret.
"Jones!" Lucy cried out in relief.
"We have to leave," Rhea said, scanning the dark perimeter. The torches were getting closer.
"Yes, let's go now!" Lucy shouted, a smile finally breaking through her despair. Because of one man, her destiny was about to shift.
"Hold on." Rhea spread her wings, scooped Lucy up in her arms, and took flight into the night sky.
The rescue mission that had been planned all day was now half-complete.
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