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Linda also prepared her attack magic, focusing her gaze, "Little sister, please give up your resistance. We are helpless and must do our utmost."
With the Royal Knights making their move, the soldiers naturally no longer entangled. As they retreated, Mengdie stood alone in the center of the hall. Her clothing was torn in several places, her chest heaving as a sign of her disordered breathing. Sweat had soaked through her undershirt, and a light, fragrant scent wafted around her. She observed her surroundings, trying to keep up with the situation. Slowly, she stepped backward, her mind desperately thinking of a strategy. It was then... she saw the most unexpected person, standing at the end of a corridor, waving at her!
Duke?!
"Haah—!!!!!"
Just as Mengdie caught a glimpse of the Duke, a royal knight with an axe roared and charged at her! Mengdie, startled, mustered all her strength in her legs and narrowly dodged the axe's downward swing. The marble floor beneath her was less fortunate, being split open by the axe.
Run!!!
Facing the members of the Royal Knights, dealing with any one of them would be difficult, let alone several at once. It was an unwise move. However, her purpose wasn't to fight. Staying here was meaningless; it was better to leave and head to the treasury.
Decision made, Mengdie crouched and dashed towards the crowd. The nobles were unfazed by her approach, but when they saw the axe-wielding knight follow, their composure vanished.
The crowd fell into chaos, and Mengdie's figure disappeared from the sight of the axe-wielding knight and all the Royal Knights! Seeing her vanish, Sisco and Linda, who actually didn't want to be her enemies, were the first to dispel their magic. The other knights also relaxed their battle stances.
"Aiya, good luck!"
While Aiya and Nia, the sisters, clung to each other, panicked and hiding in a corner of the banquet hall, a pleasant voice reached their ears. But when they regained their senses and looked around, they only saw the axe-wielding knight, angrily searching for Mengdie in the crowd, and the sound of a door gently closing in the nearby corridor.
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"Catch her! Catch that woman!!!" The old king ignored the chaos, adamant about capturing Mengdie. His order only increased the panic in the hall. The royal knight, gasping for air, roared and rampaged through the hall.
The chief steward's lips curled into a cold smile as he slowly approached the furious old king and whispered in his ear. Instantly, the raging king became as docile as a sheep, looking at his younger brother with trusting eyes, exhaling deeply.
"Yes, you're right. How can we let a little woman ruin the great affairs of the state. Zhen, give the order, no more pursuit. We must start tonight's selection ball as soon as possible."
Thus, the farce came to an end. In no time, the banquet hall returned to normalcy, with soothing waltz music, delicious food, and lively dance steps resuming the evening's festivities.
Mengdie hid around a corner of a corridor not far from the banquet hall, finally breathing a sigh of relief after confirming no one was following her.
"Ah, I think I made too much of a scene."
Only after leaving did Mengdie realize she had gone too far. She gave an apologetic smile to the Duke, then said—
"Please apologize to Edward for me. I feel a bit guilty for hitting him. But this doesn't mean I forgive him for stealing my stuff. Even if I can't get it back today, I will find a way to retrieve it in the future."
The Duke chuckled, his aged face beaming with satisfaction: "Look at you, Miss Mengdie. I should be thanking you today."
"Thank me? What do you mean?"
The Duke smiled mysteriously and said, "Miss Mengdie, have you ever wondered why I helped you? You must find my actions quite irrational, don't you?"
Mengdie shook her head, walking alongside the Duke with a serene smile, "Whatever seems irrational to me, Uncle Duke, must have a rational reason for you. If you're interested, could you tell me about it?"
"Hehehe, what a sensible young lady," the old man's face lit up with a smile. "Honestly, if it weren't for this reason, I really would wish for a young lady like you to become the next queen of our nation..."
The Duke should not have said that. Hearing this, Mengdie's smile instantly froze, replaced by a cold gaze.
Seeing Mengdie's expression, the Duke could only cough awkwardly and change the subject: "To be honest, today's queen selection was decided long ago. It's the third princess of the neighboring Luwell Empire."
Mengdie was shocked and stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong, Miss Mengdie?"
"Duke, what did you just say? Does that mean the queen for tonight has already been preselected, and everyone else had no chance at all?!"
The Duke smiled apologetically: "Yes. The Luwell Empire's territory is three times larger than ours, and their magical technology is much more advanced. If it weren't for the chief steward... oh, the old man always standing next to the king. He's the king's younger brother, and Dika is his only son. If the chief steward hadn't proposed a marriage alliance with the Luwell Empire, our nation might have been conquered by them a year ago."
Mengdie's expression darkened.
"So, when Miss Mengdie appeared, I was really worried. If tonight, at the ball, Prince Edward was captivated by your beauty and publicly rejected the Luwell Empire's third princess to propose to you, things could have become quite troublesome. A wrong move might have led to war. With our current strength, resisting the invasion of the Luwell Empire would be extremely difficult."
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