Chapter 66: A New Chapter? The Order About to Be Reorganized
"Third Princess, your na is Yileta Kelake, right?"
"Just call Yileta."
In the back garden of the Third Princess’s Blue Crystal Palace, I leisurely sipped afternoon tea, looking at the vast palace filled with nothing but maids besides her.
I felt sowhat curious about this princess whom Yiwen spoke highly of.
"It’s strange that I’m alone in my palace, right? My mother took my elder brother back to our holand to seek refuge long ago, leaving to deal with this ss."
Yileta had grown accustod to these so-called responsibilities and duties, as well as the self-interested favoritism and concern from her mother and brother.
But this ti, their abandonnt seed to have matured her overnight, making her far more silent.
"The scar on your face…"
"No need to worry. With this, at least they wouldn’t force into so marriage alliance. If they were soft-hearted, they might even have let stay peacefully in the palace and live the life of a pampered noble lady."
Yileta casually popped a grape into her mouth, only to find her small bowl empty after groping around.
She waved at Yiwen, pointing to the pastries nearby.
Yiwen looked at her with exasperation.
"Ugh, I was locked in that storage room for hours, nearly fell asleep, so tired and stuffy. Finally, soone rescued , but a certain soone was still flirting with her little lady…"
"Here, take it. Eat your food and shut up obediently."
"What little lady? I want to hear about it too…"
"You eat too!"
Watching the two bicker, Yileta faintly smiled, but beneath her forced cheer, she remained haunted by the morning’s conversation, though the sweetness of the pastries gradually dulled it.
"Yileta, your brother and I will return to the Morris Kingdom to lay low for a while. You had to keep your father stable and ensure they didn’t jeopardize your brother’s safety."
The refined princess consort patted Yileta’s shoulder, seemingly unconcerned about her body, which had only just recovered from exhaustion and fatigue, or the glaring scar.
"Yes, Mother."
Yileta maintained a docile smile.
The Second Prince walked over, glanced at her, and offered a cold word of concern, though his gaze lingered entirely on the blemish marring her once-smooth face.
"Your face… you should have covered it with sothing. I don’t know where you fell this ti, but it looked rather unsightly like this."
"Yes, Elder Brother."
At that mont, Yileta snapped back to reality.
Yiwen was forking a piece of small cake toward my mouth.
I pushed it away with both hands but reluctantly ate it with a begrudging expression.
"Why did you always give the stuff you didn’t like…"
Oh well, at least those two weren’t around to bother us.
It seed the three of us were all in the sa pitiful boat, Yileta consoled herself.
"Sixth Princess Yiwen, His Grace, the Grand Duke of Saito’s, was waiting outside."
A maid suddenly entered.
Yiwen nodded to the other two and followed the maid out.
Outside, the Grand Duke and Kyle stood quietly waiting at the gate.
"Uncle Kyle, and… Grandfather."
"Yiwen, we had so matters to discuss with you. It was inconvenient here. You ca back to the mansion with us first."
Yiwen nodded, turning to call , who was still drinking tea, but Kyle stopped her, shaking his head helplessly.
Yiwen understood the aning in his eyes and reluctantly left with them.
As the maid was about to close the gate, an uninvited guest suddenly reached out to stop her, then walked into the palace on their own despite the maid’s warnings.
Arriving at the Grand Duke’s temporary residence, Kyle gestured for Yiwen to sit.
"We asked you to co alone today to tell you about what happened next."
After Yiwen and I were rescued, upon hearing the account from Eryus’s National Teacher Kavita, the enraged Grand Duke of Saito’s stord into the palace wielding a greatsword.
"Interestingly, the Emperor seed to have reverted to that harmonious lord-and-vassal act with the Duke. Though the Duke had beco the empire’s strongest force in reality, on the surface, the Emperor still sat high on the throne."
Kyle observed that the Emperor’s expression didn’t seem threatened or controlled; it was more like a compromise after a standoff.
The Emperor seed to have held so leverage the Duke feared, which made the Duke, who could have usurped the throne outright, temporarily abandon the idea.
"Because of you, your grandfather and I both felt your current situation was dangerous. After all, you witnessed the Duke’s atrocities firsthand. Staying here would inevitably have put you in his sights."
Kyle glanced at the Grand Duke, who nodded solemnly.
"So we planned to take you back to the Saito’s Empire for a while under the pretext of a family visit, to avoid the Duke’s spies for now. Otherwise, leaving you here alone wasn’t reassuring."
"What about Loka? Why did you have to tell this alone? I couldn’t possibly have left her behind and run away."
The two exchanged a glance, shaking their heads helplessly.
Kyle was silent for a mont, then took a pristine parchnt from the table behind him.
"This was why I asked you to co alone."
"Loka Alva, originally the Duke’s daughter, actually colluded with the false Duke, plotting to kill the Emperor and his heirs. The false Duke had already been executed, but this person was still at large."
"Once discovered, dead or alive, a substantial reward was guaranteed."
Kavita waved the wanted poster with my portrait in front of , eyeing my silence with curiosity.
Yileta, standing nearby, quickly dismissed the maid, urging us to finish our conversation before shutting the door and leaving.
"There was no helping it. Your existence was still too dangerous for the Duke. Though they hadn’t made a move yet, trouble was likely coming your way soon."
My expression was grave, but Kavita maintained his usual nonchalant deanor, as if he wanted to gauge my thoughts.
I stood up and took the wanted poster.
"If that was the case, I couldn’t stay here for long. But what about Yiwen?"
"She had the Grand Duke of Saito’s protecting her, so she shouldn’t have faced any major issues. But if you stayed by her side, it would have made it harder for the Grand Duke to keep her safe. In fact, you might have dragged her down with you."
Kavita nodded unsparingly, confirming my concerns.
"Loka was wanted?"
Yiwen looked at the death-or-alive bounty in disbelief.
Kyle nodded, hesitating slightly before revealing their plan.
"Your father and the Emperor’s standoff forced them to deal with the other assassins and masterminds threatening you first. But within a few days at most, they would have co after Loka. Staying by her side would have been dangerous for you. Were you sure—"
"If she didn’t leave, I wouldn’t have left either. I told you, my life was already tied to hers. She was mine, and her life was mine too."
Seeing Yiwen’s unwavering expression, the two exchanged another glance, smiling as if it were only natural.
"We knew you’d say that…"
"But instead of you wandering the world aimlessly, I had a better proposal."
Kavita revealed an enigmatic expression…
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