RLQ - Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Femme Fatale
“Did you know?”
The ticking of the clock in the inner chamber was jarring, a reminder that time had not stopped. Dalton spoke, his tone so gloomy it made the maids in the room tremble.
“In Roland, people generally believe that those with red eyes are heartless and ungrateful.”
Adele's parents were both exceptionally beautiful. Her father, King Edmon III, was nicknamed "The Handsome," while her mother was called "The Rose of Kailailey." Adele inherited her eye color from her mother, and unfortunately—her mother suffered from rumors that "red eyes foretell misfortune" throughout her life after marrying into Roland, and ultimately died because of them.
“I only know that General Dalton is unbeatable at the gambling table.”
Adele's voice was sweet.
In the candlelight, the crown on her head lent her beauty an unusual quality. No ambitious man could fail to think of conquering such a noble beauty.
In a sense, possessing her meant possessing the Roland Empire.
Dalton withdrew his flintlock pistol, raised it towards the dome painted with the Holy Spirit saving the world, and pulled the trigger. Amidst the deafening gunshot, soldiers from outside swarmed in.
Amidst the maids' screams, Dalton smiled and blew away the acrid, bluish-gray smoke from the muzzle.
“Where are our carriages?”
He turned and asked his adjutant.
The carriages were parked in the west royal stables, twenty in total.
Dalton had bribed the Knight Commander in advance, which was why he could enter the palace earlier than the nobles. Under the muzzles of the guns, the maids, wearing the Queen's clothes and veiled hats covering their faces, boarded different carriages and set off in different directions. Before getting into the carriage, Madam Kelly looked back at her mistress with red-rimmed eyes.
The Queen gave her a reassuring smile, then got into the same carriage as the dangerous officer.
“Follow the White River.”
Dalton ordered the coachman.
The carriage sped through one cold, narrow street after another. The architecture of the Roland capital had a classical style, with high walls built of massive stones, balconies shaped like fortifications, and towering chimneys standing like a forest of spears against the night sky. The coachman followed Dalton's orders, keeping as close to the White River as possible.
Adele closely watched the movements outside the carriage.
The most difficult hurdle was passed; the next step was to successfully reach the Day Palace. This journey wouldn't remain peaceful for long; others who had participated in this uprising would soon discover her escape and Dalton's betrayal. She could only hope that Dalton's position in the future "thirty years of chaos" wasn't achieved out of thin air.
“Stop, who goes there?”
In the darkness, the shouts became particularly clear.
To ensure nothing went wrong, the rebels had set up roadblocks at important intersections. Guards stood behind the barriers, vigilantly aiming their crossbows at the rapidly approaching carriage.
The carriage stopped before the sharp wooden barrier.
Adele's breath hitched for a moment. She looked up at Dalton sitting opposite her.
Outside the carriage.
“Knights of St. Nade,” the coachman reported the name of the army under Dalton's command and displayed the emblem. “We are going to assist the other lords.”
Two guards stepped forward. One held a torch, and the other took the emblem from the coachman to examine it. Hearing the name "Knights of St. Nade," the guard holding the torch immediately frowned, as if hearing something utterly repulsive.
This was not surprising.
The New God Sect revered the Holy Spirit "St. Nade," whom the Old God Sect did not recognize, and had formed a knightly order in His name, belonging to the New God faction. However, in the eyes of some Old God followers, this army was not even worthy of being called a "knightly order."
“Open the curtains, inspection.”
The guard holding the torch stopped his companion who was about to let them pass, and tapped the carriage window with the tip of his crossbow, his tone heavily threatening.
“Do the important figures of Roland recruit any kind of idiotic riffraff?” The curtain was pulled back, revealing Dalton's face, hated by Old God followers, behind the glass window.
Illuminated by the torchlight, his face was full of coldness.
The guard held up the torch. Through the window, the seat opposite Dalton was empty, and there was no one else beside him.
Inside the carriage, Dalton's left hand was hidden from the light, covering the Queen's lips—Adele was curled up like a cat on Dalton's side of the seat. Because the space was small, she had to lie mostly across Dalton's lap. He had taken off his black cloak and covered her tightly.
This way, looking in from the window, there was indeed only one person.
Beneath his palm were lips as soft and warm as flower petals, and the woman's perfume-scented body pressed tightly against him. As the guard's inspection time lengthened, the breathing hitting his hand became more rapid.
“I will ask your master if he needs a recommendation for subordinates who can work more quickly.”
Dalton tapped the glass impatiently with his finger, making a sound like a woodpecker pecking hard wood.
The guard was startled and stepped back.
Dalton's ability to establish himself among the nobility as a commoner wasn't just because of the New God Sect's support; he himself was notoriously ruthless. There was no guarantee he wouldn't just shoot them in the face if he got angry.
The guard moved the wooden barrier, the coachman cracked the whip, and the horses surged forward.
“Wait.”
The sound of hooves chased from behind, and the guard immediately stopped letting them pass. Several knights in armor, led by a noble, arrived. The noble wore a cloak, his face hidden beneath the hood.
In the darkness, Adele's body suddenly stiffened. The moment she heard the voice, she immediately recognized who was chasing them—
Otto Heinrich.
The Minister of State she had personally appointed, the man who had been her mentor since she was eight years old, the man she had once respected and loved like a father.
“Nice getup, my lord.”
Dalton opened the carriage window, resting his elbow on the iron frame. His eyes narrowed slightly, a blade-like coldness faintly visible at the corners.
Heinrich was in his thirties, tall and slender, with meticulously slicked-back hair, gray eyes, and slightly thin, sharp lips, though his elegant posture and demeanor always managed to conceal this well. Heinrich rode his horse, circled the carriage, and asked from above, “General, you entered the palace, why are you here now?”
Dalton clearly felt the Queen's breath stop for a moment when Heinrich spoke, her hands instinctively gripping his clothes tightly.
Oh, women... Dalton thought indifferently. Women's hearts are the softest; they always foolishly and naively give away their trust, only to be heartbroken when betrayal comes. He applied a little more pressure with his hand, lest the Queen, suffering from painful betrayal, let out a fatal cry.
There was no cry, no tears.
Adele had already tasted the pain of betrayal in her previous life. That pain and anger had stripped away all her remaining innocence and kindness within a single month. Only hatred, like snake venom, surged through her veins.
Teaching her to be ruthless, teaching her to be like a snake, like a scorpion.
Adele closed her eyes, the words of Deuteronomy silently rolling on her tongue.
—If I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. [1]
—I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders. [2]
“The Queen escaped through a secret passage,” Dalton said mockingly. “Isn't the most likely exit under your control? If I don't hurry, will you leave me any benefits?”
“In that case, please step out, Mr. Dalton. We need to search.”
Heinrich frowned. Dalton's reason was impeccable, but he instinctively felt something was wrong.
“Alright, you troublesome nobles.” Dalton said lazily.
A knight dismounted and went to open the carriage door.
The moment the knight's hand touched the door, Dalton drew his pistol.
The gunshot was deafening. Heinrich's warhorse neighed and fell to the ground. Heinrich was agile enough to roll off the horse in a very undignified manner; otherwise, it would have been his head, not the horse's, that was blown open. The other knights' warhorses were startled by the gunshot and bolted, neighing aimlessly.
“Third checkpoint.”
Dalton ordered the coachman.
Amidst the chaos, the coachman seized the opportunity to crack the whip, and the carriage sped away.
Along the way, the coachman strictly followed Dalton's orders, keeping as close to the White River as possible. At this point, the third checkpoint set up by the riverbank was not far from them. As the carriage approached the checkpoint, accompanied by the sound of rushing water, a light barge quickly emerged from the shadows of the buildings along the White River.
This was originally the escape route Dalton had prepared for himself. If the rebellion went poorly, or if the nobles wanted to get rid of him along the way, he would retreat from here. Now, it played a more crucial role than expected.
Dalton jumped out of the carriage, holding the Queen.
Adele glanced back. A troop of cavalry was rapidly approaching, led by none other than her dear mentor.
Her back hit the hard deck of the boat. Adele didn't bother to complain and immediately rolled over to lie flat in the bottom of the boat. As soon as she did so, she heard the "swish" of arrows flying overhead. Dalton was pressed against the other side of the boat. Adele heard him curse a string of highly improper words.
Well cursed.
The brave oarsmen rowed hard. The boat cut through all the twisted, strange dark shapes on the water, quickly heading towards the opposite bank. By the time the pursuers arrived, the barge had already docked. Some of Dalton's men were stationed here, and the torches on both sides illuminated the river surface, making it shimmer like gold.
Dalton's strong hand pulled her elbow, and Adele jumped ashore from the barge. She turned back.
Heinrich raised his pistol, aiming at the Queen who had just stepped onto the land on the other side of the river.
The moment he was about to pull the trigger, his former student suddenly turned her head, and their gazes met across the river. In the torchlight, the face of the silver-haired Queen was exceptionally clear—he had personally witnessed that face blossom like a rosebud, gradually shedding its childishness and becoming incomparably beautiful.
Heinrich's finger on the trigger paused.
Author's Note: [1][2] Deuteronomy 32:41-42
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