“Sister, watch out!” Ella feigned panic and screamed, grabbing Eileen’s hand as if to pull her away, but in reality, she cleverly maneuvered Eileen right into the charging path of the raging demon bear!
The massive bear paw, covered in bone spikes and reeking of blood, slammed down on Eileen with terrifying speed!
Eileen’s pupils contracted sharply. Back in the Holy Capital, her transformation into the Holy Forsaken Queen had left her magic in an extremely depleted state. These past few days, she hadn’t recovered at all and couldn’t even activate the Miraclemancer’s effects!
“Eileen—!”
Two shouts rang out almost simultaneously!
A figure shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, reckless and resolute, lunging from the side and forcefully pushing Eileen away!
Thunk!
The sickening sound of claws piercing flesh made teeth ache!
Veil used her back to block the demon bear’s gigantic claws that could shatter rocks! Her golden uniform was instantly stained with blood. She groaned softly, collapsing forward, her face turning deathly pale.
At the exact same moment, a blazing crimson magical sword beam tore through the night sky like lightning, shooting precisely from Frederica’s hand and piercing the demon bear’s skull in an instant! The massive beast’s body crashed heavily to the ground!
“Veil!” Eileen staggered from the impact, and as she steadied herself, the scene before her eyes left her mind blank!
She instinctively lunged forward, holding Veil’s wavering body. Her fingers felt warm and sticky.
Seeing the terrifying, bone-deep wound on Veil’s back and the rapidly spreading bloodstains, Eileen’s heart felt gripped by an icy hand, overwhelmed by a torrent of complex emotions—shock, confusion, guilt… and a reluctant pang of pain she wouldn’t admit.
Veil leaned against Eileen’s chest, the intense pain causing cold sweat to break out and her breathing to quicken, yet her eyes remained fixed on Eileen. On her pale face, she forced a faint smile, weak but tinged with satisfaction: “You… you finally… are willing… to speak to me…”
Eileen opened her mouth, but her throat felt blocked, not a single word came out.
She could only hold Veil tightly, staring at the glaring scarlet wound, her heart in turmoil.
Ella stood not far off, watching Veil being supported by Eileen, watching Frederica instantly slay the demon bear. Her expression froze, then darkened with deep anger and frustration!
Damn it! How could this happen?! That fool Veil! She actually… really threw herself in front?!
And Frederica… her reaction was way too fast! This was nothing like the script Ella had anticipated! Instead of letting her sister expose their “hypocrisy,” Veil had played the role of the self-sacrificing savior?! Ella’s smile turned pale with rage, but to the outside world, it only looked like the marquis’s daughter was scared by an assassin.
At this moment, the elite Imperial soldiers guarding the banquet finally noticed the commotion and charged in. Serena and others on duty outside rushed in as well, quickly subduing several black-clad figures attempting to attack in the chaos.
The disorder was soon brought under control, assassins were restrained, and the remaining monsters were slain.
The shaken kingdom nobles regained their senses and immediately turned their accusations toward the Empire:
“Despicable! This is the Empire’s conspiracy!”
“Assassination! Frederica, do you want to tear up the treaty?!”
“We demand an explanation!”
The Empire nobles counterattacked fiercely, plunging the scene into utter chaos, a war of words breaking out.
Eileen’s heart sank deeply. Seeing the ice-cold murderous intent crystallizing in Frederica’s eyes, she knew the fragile peace they had finally achieved was on the verge of being utterly shattered by this sudden attack!
The kingdom nobles’ accusations were like throwing oil on the fire!
At this critical moment, Veil, supported by Eileen, clenched her teeth against the agony and shouted with all her might:
“Silence!”
Her voice was hoarse but carried undeniable authority, instantly overpowering the noisy accusations.
All eyes focused on the injured crown princess.
“Cough cough…” Veil spat out a mouthful of blood, her face even paler, but her gaze swept sharply over the enraged kingdom nobles. “Are you blind?! Who were the assassins and monsters attacking?! Our own people! This is obviously the work of those… who wish to sow chaos! Their goal is to destroy the peace talks between the Empire and the Kingdom, to make us slaughter each other! We… absolutely cannot be deceived! We cannot fall into the enemy’s trap!”
Veil’s words were like cold water, dampening some of the kingdom nobles’ fury.
They calmed down and thought it over rationally—it was true. The attackers mainly targeted the kingdom side, which didn’t serve the Empire’s interest in breaking off relations.
Could it… really be a third party?
“The Crown Princess is right!” A noble quickly responded, nodding in agreement. “This is a provocation!”
“We cannot be fooled! Peace talks are hard won!”
The murderous intent in Frederica’s eyes slowly faded. She looked deeply at Veil, who was barely holding on to speak, then glanced at Eileen, whose expression was complicated, and finally said nothing more.
The priests hurried forward and carefully lifted the severely wounded Veil onto a stretcher.
Before being carried away, Veil cast a last, profound glance at Eileen, filled with countless unspoken emotions.
Eileen watched the stretcher disappear toward the side exit, her heart overwhelmed with mixed feelings. As it vanished from sight, she finally whispered softly, barely audible to herself:
“…Take care.”
The figure on the stretcher seemed to pause ever so slightly.
*****
The next morning, the massive iron gate of Maria Fortress slowly lifted amidst the heavy grinding of the winch.
The Imperial army formed ranks like a dark tide of steel, lining up before the fortress. Banners fluttered sharply in the biting cold wind, ready to embark on their triumphant journey home.
Below the fortress walls, a crowd packed the area to send them off. Surprisingly, most were border civilians from the occupied territories of the Kingdom.
When the splendid carriage adorned with the Empire’s golden lion emblem, drawn by four pure white horses under heavy guard, slowly passed through the fortress gates, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
“Hail the Savior of the Nation!”
“Long live Miss Eileen!”
“Thank you for bringing us peace!”
The border folk waved their arms, shouting Eileen’s name.
Frederica’s propaganda had evidently been extremely effective. To these border civilians, long suffering from war and genuinely grateful for Eileen’s mercy, she had been crafted into a tragic hero who sacrificed herself for peace.
They revered her and admired her.
Inside the carriage, Eileen leaned against the soft velvet seat.
She still wore the ice-blue sash symbolizing the “Savior of the Nation,” but now it felt especially heavy.
She lifted a corner of the thick window curtain and looked out at the cheering crowd in the snow, at Maria Fortress—the last gateway to her homeland—growing smaller in the distance, her gaze complicated and hard to decipher.
Those cheers surged like a tide but carried an intangible sense of distance.
Roswither and Regiliv stood at the forefront of the farewell crowd, waving at her from afar.
Eileen had heard that after the Holy Capital stabilized, Bishop Eisenhart had become the new Pope, Roswither the Saintess, and Regiliv the Knight Commander, all aiming to revive the scarred land.
“Eileen, look! So many people! They’re all here to see you off, including Reeve and Roswither,” Serena said excitedly, pointing outside with a radiant smile.
She didn’t care about Kingdom or Empire distinctions. If anything, she felt freer in the Empire, considering all that had happened.
Helga sat beside Eileen, clutching a thick grimoire, frowning deeply and murmuring incantations, fully immersed in theoretical calculations about the modified specimens in the Holy Capital’s underground.
Lillisa was like a silent statue. When Eileen gave no orders, she remained quiet.
Maid Lela knelt quietly on a cushion in the corner, moving soundlessly only when the sash on Eileen’s chest slipped slightly from the carriage’s bumps. She would then carefully and precisely adjust it back into place.
She was an Imperial native, and this trip was simply a return to her homeland.
The wheels creaked monotonously as they rolled over the thick snow-covered road.
Outside, the Imperial army’s synchronized footsteps and the clanging of armor rang out sharply.
Eileen withdrew her gaze, leaned back in her seat, and slowly closed her eyes.
Her long silver lashes cast faint shadows on her pale cheeks.
The contours of her Kingdom homeland, and the figures bidding farewell, gradually faded into the distance…