A rabbit, having found carrot leaves in a forest forty miles from Vidona, was just about to feast when a black shadow suddenly streaked past ahead. The gust of wind it created nearly swept the rabbit away.
Once it steadied itself and stared blankly forward, it discovered that the carrot leaves were gone, leaving behind only faint wheel tracks.
That black shadow was a black leather carriage, enchanted with magic. Under the spell of its driver, it was now hurtling forward at a speed barely discernible to the naked eye.
Even so, a few beads of sweat still trickled down the driver’s forehead.
“My lord! She’s caught up!”
“Continue driving the carriage to the nearest city.”
“Yes!”
Orl glanced at the unconscious Celia inside the carriage, then calmly pulled open the carriage door and stepped out.
The person pursuing them was the Silverbloom Sword Princess. His task was to intercept her, allowing the servant to drive Celia away.
In the past, he might not have dared to do so. After all, the Silverbloom Sword Princess was once the strongest human, and even if her strength had waned, it was likely still at the eighth-tier. He would have been no match for her.
However, after the recent beast tide, he discovered she was only a seventh-tier combatant, posing no significant threat to him.
He, Orl, was a seventh-tier powerhouse of the Demon Race, and he had remained at this rank for decades. If they truly fought, it was uncertain who would emerge victorious, especially since he only needed to stall the Silverbloom Sword Princess.
Leaning elegantly on his staff, he dismounted the carriage and stood his ground, awaiting the Silverbloom Sword Princess.
Soon, Dorothy, having spotted him, folded her wings and landed beside him.
“Where is Celia?” she asked.
“She is the heir to the Fiona family; that much will never change,” Orl said, spreading his hands before chuckling. “You may call me despicable, but for the sake of Young Lady Celia, I will not alter my decision.”
Breaking one’s word was a grave blemish on one’s character, yet Orl cared little. His eyes held only Celia.
As long as he could take her away and prevent her from becoming a Hero, any infamy he bore was irrelevant.
Dorothy fell silent. She stroked the back of her right hand, and after a long period of contemplation, she whispered, “Did Sophia ask you to look after Celia?”
Upon hearing the name Sophia, Orl’s pupils constricted, and he instinctively tightened his grip on his staff.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Leaves drifted down from the trees in the windless forest, and a chilling tension settled between them.
Sophia was the Demon King’s name. In Orl’s eyes, if the Silverbloom Sword Princess could guess that the Demon King had entrusted Celia to his care, it meant she knew their true identities as members of the Demon Race.
Celia being a Demon Race princess would certainly no longer be a secret. No wonder Dorothy had chosen to become her instructor; it was all a calculated scheme!
He had been too careless.
Now, he could only pray that this Hero had not yet harmed the Princess. Otherwise, if she were to threaten him or His Majesty the Demon King with the Princess, the consequences would be unimaginable!
“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Orl. Tell me, why doesn’t Sophia look after Celia herself? Shouldn’t she be a Demon Race princess? Why is she the young lady of the Fiona family?”
Each question hammered against Orl’s mind. He had believed their Demon Race identities were well-hidden, only to find they had been seen through long ago.
Clutching his staff tightly, powerful demonic energy began to surge within him. Whether he could succeed or not, he would stake everything to kill the Silverbloom Sword Princess before him.
She knew too much.
Dorothy saw through his intentions. She remained silent, simply raising her right hand to reveal the black demonic crest on its back.
At the sight of the demonic crest, Orl first froze, then his eyes widened, his face etched with disbelief.
Each demonic crest of the Demon Race was unique. He had seen this crest before, and he could sense the power of the Demon King Sophia contained within it.
“Your… Your Majesty, the Queen Consort?!”
A demonic crest could perhaps be faked, but the power of Demon King Sophia could not. The Silverbloom Sword Princess before him was none other than the Demon Race’s Queen Consort, who had been missing for over a decade!
It was no wonder that Orl, despite his age, was so utterly shocked. The affair of the Demon King and Queen Consort was known throughout the Demon Race, yet the Queen Consort’s identity had always remained a mystery.
Aside from the Demon King and the palace maids, no one had ever personally seen the Queen Consort. Only her demonic crest had been circulated from the royal palace.
She was like a delicate canary, locked away in the deep palace by the Demon King, meticulously cherished.
Her mystique sparked the curiosity of countless demons, but anyone who sought to unveil the Queen Consort’s face would only incur the Demon King’s wrath.
It was a truth universally acknowledged among the Demon Race that the Demon King deeply loved his Queen Consort. Regrettably, the Queen Consort later mysteriously disappeared, and the Demon King sank into a deep melancholy.
Who could have imagined that he, Orl, would encounter Her Majesty the Queen Consort here today?!
And that Her Majesty the Queen Consort was actually the former strongest human Hero, the Silverbloom Sword Princess?!
“Orl greets Her Majesty the Queen Consort!”
With this realization, he dropped to one knee, bowing respectfully to Dorothy.
The Silverbloom Sword Princess was their Queen Consort, which meant Princess Celia was her biological daughter. No wonder she had been so attentive to her.
It had all been a misunderstanding.
“So, can that carriage be stopped now?” Dorothy asked softly, lowering her right hand and looking down at him.
“Yes.”
The moment he spoke, his figure vanished instantly.
Meanwhile, the servant still driving the carriage suddenly heard Orl’s command to halt. Without hesitation, he immediately brought the carriage to a stop.
Yet, he was deeply confused. The original plan was for Lord Orl to intercept the Silverbloom Sword Princess while he drove the Princess far away. Why would Lord Orl tell him to stop?
Could it be that he failed to defeat the Silverbloom Sword Princess and was instead threatened by her?
But the Silverbloom Sword Princess was only at the seventh-tier, wasn’t she? He didn’t believe she could defeat Lord Orl so quickly.
Harboring these doubts, he soon saw Orl arrive, followed by the Silverbloom Sword Princess.
The atmosphere between them was somewhat peculiar, but it no longer seemed hostile. For some reason, he felt that Lord Orl was different now, much like when he faced His Majesty the Demon King—far more respectful.
‘It must be my imagination,’ he thought.
“Why are you standing there? Hurry and greet Her Majesty the Queen Consort!” Orl snapped, his brow furrowing.
The servant’s heart jolted. Upon hearing the words “Queen Consort,” he hesitated for a moment, thinking he had misheard.
But then, when his gaze fell upon the demonic crest on the Silverbloom Sword Princess’s hand, he finally understood why Lord Orl was displaying such profound respect.
This Silverbloom Sword Princess was their Queen Consort!
Scrambling down from the front of the carriage, he dropped to one knee, lowering his head. “I greet Her Majesty the Queen Consort!”
Dorothy merely gave him a fleeting glance before withdrawing her gaze. She then pulled open the door of the black leather carriage and stepped inside.
****