Chapter 235 - 225: One Warning, One Trouble, One Note
Chapter 235: Chapter 225: One Warning, One Trouble, One Note
’Hah... and this is only the first stop...’
Inside the luxurious carriage, Cecilia Benest, dressed in resplendent attire, wore a look of utter exhaustion on her lovely, perfect face.
She had just concluded all her speaking tour engagements in Roco Town and had been sitting for less than two minutes.
According to her schedule, in five minutes she had to attend a banquet hosted by the Lord of Roco Town. After the banquet, she would have to organize her retinue to depart overnight and reach the next town before morning.
Her schedule was suffocatingly tight.
Yet, an itinerary of this intensity was merely the "appetizer" in her grand plan for the royal selection ceremony.
Although she was well aware that she would never be the one to ultimately ascend the throne, she still couldn’t stop.
’If I want to wrest more bargaining chips from my brothers and sisters... I have to do this...’
’For my mother... and for myself...’
The young Princess silently told herself this, rallying her Spirit somewhat.
However, before she could take a sip of tea to soothe her Spirit, her loyal steward’s voice came from outside the carriage.
"Your Highness, it’s time for your makeup to be touched up."
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work, Land."
With a soft rustle, the makeup team deftly boarded the carriage, tools in hand. The Seventh Princess of the Harvia Empire, known as the "White Swan," resumed her usual flawless composure and cooperated with their ministrations.
She also used this interval to listen to intelligence reports on the movements of her brothers and sisters.
"Your Highness, for the first stop of his speaking tour, Second Prince Harvey chose White River City, in the territory of Duke Visarion."
A middle-aged woman in a black robe had appeared in the carriage at some point. She held a stack of scrolls covered in fine, dense script, and her voice was hoarse yet clear.
"On the very day of his arrival, Prince Harvey held a grand tournament and a charity banquet. The event was reportedly an extravagant affair, attracting many local nobles and wealthy merchants."
Cecilia’s long eyelashes fluttered, but she did not open her eyes. Her lips merely pursed in a barely perceptible line.
’Choosing the Visarion family was to be expected.’
Her second brother, Harvey, had always known how to use glitz and glamour to attract attention and flaunt his importance.
While Duke Visarion himself wouldn’t be swayed, the same could not be said for the old-guard nobles who flocked to his banner.
"As for Third Princess Belina..."
The woman in black’s tone remained steady, but Cecilia detected the faintest pause. This prompted her to finally open her blue eyes, as clear as a lake, and fix her gaze on her intelligence chief.
"Princess Belina’s first speaking tour stop is Gray Rock Castle. That’s the main base of the Gray Blade Knight Order, the core of her Power."
"Reportedly, Princess Belina has drastically streamlined her advisory council, retaining only a few confidants with military or political expertise, along with a symbolic representative from her maternal clan. This militaristic style has attracted many individual Knights from smaller, scattered families to voluntarily seek her out and pledge their allegiance."
Cecilia’s heart sank a little.
She knew that this older sister of hers was famously decisive and had a strong following among the young Knights of the realm. Still, she hadn’t expected Belina to be so brazenly self-centered as to disregard the honor of their mother’s clan.
But she also knew that Belina could dare to do so because of the power she wielded.
Her personal Power, at the Great Knight Level, combined with the Gray Blade Knight Order at her side, was enough for her to ignore any dirty tricks and proceed with her plans openly and honorably, displaying her might. She herself was a symbol of Power.
"...I understand."
Cecilia’s voice remained gentle, but a flicker of resignation passed through the depths of her eyes.
’My second brother is weaving an opulent web, while my third sister is honing her blade. One is working the elites, the other is building a grassroots following. They both have their own strategies and plans.’
’And I, the "White Swan," must shuttle between countless carefully arranged banquets and podiums, using charm and promises to painstakingly gather what meager chips I can...’
"Your Highness, it is time."
Land’s reminder was perfectly timed, coming the very second the makeup team finished their work.
Cecilia opened her eyes. The person in the mirror before her was radiant, not a hint of weariness to be seen.
"Mm."
She murmured in assent and rose gracefully.
The hem of her heavy formal gown swept across the carriage’s carpeted floor. Taking the arm Land respectfully offered, she descended from the lavish four-wheeled carriage with impeccable grace.
The night wind carried the unique chill of Roco Town, a blend of cooking smoke and the scent of the distant forest. It washed over her face, refreshing her Spirit.
Ahead, a smaller, more nimble gilt carriage used for short-distance travel was waiting. The coachman and attendant Knights stood solemnly at either side.
In the brief interval of switching from one carriage to the other, just as Cecilia planted her feet firmly on the ground and was about to step toward the smaller carriage—
"SHREEEE—!"
A shrill, piercing whistle—a sound no human could possibly make—tore through the relative tranquility of the night!
It was followed by the startled and furious shouts of the Knights on the perimeter of the retinue, which erupted like a crack of thunder:
"Ambush! Watch out for assassins!"
"Protect Her Highness—!!"
Cecilia’s heart plummeted, though not from a fear of death. She was well aware of the dangers on the path to the throne. Since leaving the Imperial Capital, every precaution had been taken: her form-fitting inner armor, the protection of Land and the Shadow Guards lurking in unseen corners, and even the multiple overt and covert checkpoints along her route were all part of a pre-arranged security plan.
However, when that piercing whistle truly ripped through the calm night, and a chilling killing intent enveloped her as if it were a physical thing, her body’s instinctive reaction still caused her pupils to contract as a thin layer of cold sweat instantly beaded on her back.