RLQ - Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Using Me as Bait
A second before the warhorses would have crossed paths, Dalton shifted his lance tip.
The next moment, Prince Arthur's lance struck him.
Dalton fell backward from his warhorse onto the ground. Prince Arthur was slightly less skilled than him but still a formidable opponent—damn it! He hoped that heartless woman was watching. He had held back for her, but her future husband's brother clearly wanted him dead!
Dalton heard the sound of his bones hitting metal, and his head struck the ground hard.
The smell of blood surged, and the scent of rust filled his nostrils.
The sun hung high in the sky, and the edges of his armor grew hot. He pushed open his visor, his vision filled with countless dazzling bright spots. Prince Arthur's warhorse galloped past him, the iron hooves kicking up dust that covered him. He heard the cheers of the crowd, infinitely louder than when he had won.
Bloodline, surname.
What a satisfying spectacle. His eleven consecutive victories paved the way for Prince Arthur's glory, the arrogant commoner defeated by the hand of the noble prince.
He pressed his hands against the ground and sat up, enduring the dizziness as he raised his head.
The crowd's cheers paused for a moment.
Through the dust, the Queen descended from the high platform, walking towards him. Dalton couldn't see her expression, only the hem of her vibrant red dress rising and falling in the dust. Her features were blurred in the light and wind. In the midst of the blood, Dalton smelled the fragrance of midsummer roses... His hands still had some strength, so he struggled to stand up.
Clop, clop, clop.
The sound of rapid hooves turned back.
Prince Arthur took off his helmet, his golden hair flying in the wind. His face was flushed from the intense battle, and his hair was slightly disheveled. But all the ladies and noblewomen in the stands couldn't help but cheer for him, shouting his name.
He reined in his horse on Adele's path and dismounted.
The next moment, the clamor reached a fever pitch.
In the dust of the arena, Prince Arthur knelt on one knee.
Dalton's gloved fingers dug deep into the hard ground. His face was hidden in the shadow of his helmet's visor as he watched the silver-armored prince and the queen who had been walking towards him.
The wind carried Prince Arthur's voice.
Dalton licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes gradually turning cold.
Prince Arthur gazed mesmerized at the Queen standing in the fierce wind and dust. Behind her was the forest of iron lances at the edge of the jousting field, pointing towards the sky. Her dress billowed in the wind, like a battle standard suddenly unfurled. A woman... a woman standing in a world of armor and swords, her expression unwavering.
Vaguely, Prince Arthur felt a premonition.
—About what was truly suitable for the Queen of Roland, what was her most perfect side.
A chaotic era, conspiracies, bloodshed, and the Queen who walked through it all.
"Allow me, with the courage granted by the laurel crown, and in the presence of the gods," Prince Arthur held his sword in his right hand and rested his left hand on his knee, "to make a request to you, the noblest and most perfect goddess of victory in this world—I beg you, I beg you with your mercy and compassion to grant the plea of a suitor driven mad by you, please bestow upon him the grace of eternal companionship."
In the stands, the Rute Empire Count's face gradually turned ashen.
He leaned over and spoke to his attendant beside him: "Did you hear clearly in whose name he is proposing to the Queen?"
The attendant dared not answer.
"Scandal... damn it."
The Rute Empire Count almost fainted. Gods above! They were here to propose on behalf of the Emperor, not Prince Arthur! Everyone knew he was His Majesty's representative, not his own!
"...In the name of my King, Orsis Melville."
The Count let out a long sigh of relief, leaning back in his chair, sweat instantly soaking his entire body.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, Prince Arthur hadn't forgotten his identity and duty... It was just a young man's infatuation, he knew what he was supposed to do. The Count comforted himself this way.
But a sense of unease lingered.
Adele looked at Prince Arthur, who was kneeling before her, reluctantly adding that last sentence.
Under everyone's gaze, she finally revealed a smile and extended her hand towards Prince Arthur.
Prince Arthur clasped it tightly, pressing a long kiss upon it.
Behind them, Dalton sat on his knees in the dust, not getting up, his hand, still oozing blood, resting casually on his knee. He watched this scene without blinking—the sun was shining brightly, and the handsome prince had won the fair lady for his brother.
Fucking brilliant.
After a moment of silence, everyone rose and applauded.
The applause was thunderous. Prince Arthur stood up and reverently placed the victorious rose crown upon the Queen's head.
"Your beauty is breathtaking."
He whispered as he kissed her cheek—if he were proposing for himself, he would have kissed her soft lips. But as the oath stated, he was proposing on behalf of his royal brother, the Emperor whom everyone considered young and promising.
"You will be the Queen of the Rute Empire."
"Orsis? Or perhaps..." Adele also lowered her voice, her face still bearing that perfect, moving smile, "you?"
Prince Arthur smiled without speaking.
Then, Adele pushed him away and turned to give instructions to the officials who were approaching.
Dalton had somehow stood up as if nothing had happened. The corner of his lip had been cut when he fell from the horse, stained with blood. As the Queen passed him, she quietly said, "Thank you."
She truly lived up to being a monarch trained by the Heinrich family.
His adjutant asked if he wanted to rest first—Prince Arthur's last strike had shown no mercy.
Dalton shook his head, refusing.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching Prince Arthur turn to speak to Adele in the crowd, and suddenly revealed a mocking smile.
The way this Prince Arthur looked at her wasn't like looking at a future sister-in-law, but like looking at his own wife.
"Let's go."
Dalton said unhurriedly. The humiliating defeat just now seemed to have had little effect on him. This was his most terrifying quality—all the humiliation he suffered only made him stronger.
"We're going to talk to that Rute Count."
The adjutant was startled by his tone.
The last time Dalton spoke in that tone was during the Spiritual War.
When he first joined the war, Dalton wasn't particularly prominent in the New God Sect. What made him stand out was a battle that seemed certain death to any normal person. The Old God Sect's army outnumbered his by ten times, and no one thought he would survive. Even those in the same New God faction didn't send reinforcements.
But it was during that battle that Dalton slit the throat of the noble who had previously stolen his military achievements.
"Remember, if you ever fancy a woman," Dalton said casually, tapping the adjutant's shoulder with his lance, "never fancy one with thorns and poison."
Otherwise, you'll go mad.
"What exactly are you trying to do? Should I go find a sculptor for you right away? To carve your tombstone?" Heinrich was furious, barely able to maintain his noble composure, his words rapid and urgent. "First the brown bear, then the belladonna. Are you still not sober enough? How many people want your life right now?"
"Calm down, Mr. Heinrich."
Adele carefully read the scriptures revered by the Old God Sect.
She sat behind the pure white window curtains, the book resting on her clasped knees. She wore a smaller, lighter crown, silver vines framing the central gem, a style somewhat similar to another one she had worn as a princess. There was no trace of the shyness expected of a young woman who had just become engaged on her face.
Agreeing to the proposal was, for her, merely signing a contract that was necessary at a specific time.
"Isn't this our plan?"
She asked.
After Prince Arthur successfully proposed on behalf of the Rute Emperor, the entire Roland court quickly mobilized for it.
The Rute Emperor himself would only arrive in Roland for the engagement ceremony. Until then, Prince Arthur would substitute for the celebratory activities. To announce to the people of Roland that their Queen was finally getting married, the Privy Council decided to hold a grand celebration on the day of the Queen's coronation.
Of course, this was just the surface reason.
Adele's true purpose was to use this opportunity to lure out the remaining dangerous forces of the Old God Sect and wipe them out. Her acceptance of the Rute Emperor's proposal, in the eyes of some church officials, was equivalent to her being determined to replace the Old God with the New God. The Temple Knights, hidden in the shadows, could no longer remain indifferent.
However, the previous belladonna and "treason" incidents had made these people vigilant.
During this time, no matter how much the Queen provoked them, they remained dormant.
The proposal celebration would be their opportunity to act.
To ensure the Queen's safety, they formulated a series of detailed measures before the celebration. Dalton and Heinrich, for once, agreed—the parade segment of the traditional celebration must be canceled.
During a parade, the Queen was too close to the public, so close it would be a field day for assassins.
"They aren't fools," Adele said calmly. "A ball is too targeted; even if they were stupid, they'd know what we're trying to do. Only a parade—we know the risks, and they know them too. Only this will make them act. If that's the case, then I will do it. I will be the bait."
Her tone was resolute.
Heinrich couldn't find a reason to refute her. Finally, he slumped down, gritting his teeth and saying, "Can you guarantee your own safety? Who will guarantee your safety?"
"I will."
The door was pushed open abruptly. The person interrupting their normal conversation leaned against the doorframe, wearing the conspicuous rose made of gold and rubies on his shoulder.
Dalton held his lance and knocked on the door.
He had a smile on his face, but the smile didn't reach his eyes at all.
"Excuse me, Minister Heinrich," he said. "This is now time for a private moment with Her Majesty the Queen."
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