TGS - Chapter 91
Chapter 91: Completely Off Track
Lotus turned the street corner.
Ahead was a pitch-black narrow road. During the day, it was at most quiet and deserted. At night, it was shrouded in darkness and silence. Out of the most primal fear of the dark, people always tried to avoid walking this way.
This wasn't the required route back to the Princess's residence, but it was indeed a shortcut.
The lady-in-waiting probably wanted to get back sooner; choosing this route wasn't strange.
The stalker behind her hesitated for a moment, then chose to follow silently.
Two meters, one meter.
He approached cautiously and swiftly, until the distance was close enough to launch a surprise attack.
The target walking ahead was oblivious. The stalker's eyes hardened. He raised his scabbard and swung it fiercely at the pre-calculated spot—
With a loud clang, the scabbard fell.
The attacker, trembling, reached for his chest, his eyes bulging.
But soon, he couldn't even manage that small movement. Dark red blood spots from ruptured blood vessels instantly covered his entire body. The attacker staggered two steps and collapsed to the ground.
In his final moments of vision, he saw Lotus turn her head halfway, her delicate brows slightly raised, her expression looking somewhat surprised.
What was this lady-in-waiting surprised about?
The attacker would never know.
Lotus: "..."
She stood in place, looking down. At her feet lay a corpse that had died a bizarre death.
Whose man was this, attempting an assassination right off the bat?
Lotus then noticed the scabbard that had fallen to the ground and had a sudden realization. It seemed the other party's original intention wasn't assassination, but more likely to knock out and abduct this suspicious character by the Princess's side—that is, herself.
However, the rules judged it as an attack on a deity. The power of the River Goddess backlashed, causing the attacker's blood vessels to rupture, leading to an inexplicable death.
It seemed that even if the opponent had no killing intent and the attack wasn't fatal, the rules would still treat it all the same.
Lotus sighed softly, a little troubled.
The fish had taken the bait, which was cause for celebration;
The fish had poisoned itself to death, hmm...
Leaving such a bizarrely dead corpse here was too improper. It had to be dealt with first.
After only a brief hesitation, familiar footsteps echoed from the depths of the alley behind her. The heels of leather boots tapped against the stone path, light and crisp.
Alyuin walked toward her, moving from the darkness to the slightly brighter mouth of the alley. The moonlight fell on her deep and magnificent features, gradually bringing them into focus.
Lotus said gently, "Alyuin, what are you doing here?"
She seemed to casually take a step to the side, perfectly blocking the body of the attacker lying on the ground.
"I guessed it would be here, so I thought I'd come take a look." Alyuin gave her a slight smile, walked calmly to the side of the corpse, glanced at it casually, and said in an ordinary tone, "I'll handle it."
Lotus: "No need, I'll clean up."
To avoid arousing suspicion in others, the state of the attacker's corpse could not be seen by anyone.
After confirming there were no items on the body that could reveal his identity, Lotus used her divine power to clean up the scene. Then, as if nothing had happened, she asked, "Shall we go back now?"
Alyuin's smile widened, the corners of her eyes lifting bewitchingly. "Mm."
The two walked side by side out of the dim alley and back onto the wide street bathed in the silver moonlight. There was almost no one around now; the world was tranquil, the moonlight clear and gentle.
"You guessed that person would make a move here. Did you also guess who sent him?"
"I can't be certain yet, but I'm leaning toward that group of old geezers."
At the mention of the Stubborn Faction, the Princess's smile faded.
"Horst is very patient. He would wait and watch for longer, and push other factions out to test the waters. But the Stubborn Faction can't wait, so they'd rather make a move early to get a result."
So they targeted Lotus.
Based on over a month of observation, the Stubborn Faction probably believed that Lotus had taken the place of the Princess's family, becoming a soft spot she truly cared about. And she happened to look very easy to deal with—perfect for capturing to threaten, entice, and restrain the Princess.
The former was close to the truth; the latter was completely wrong.
Acting on this completely erroneous conclusion, the Stubborn Faction took their chance. The consequences were predictable.
I'd really love to see their faces when they hear the attacker has vanished without a trace.
Nevertheless, the Stubborn Faction's act of targeting Lotus still made Alyuin very unhappy.
She slowly stretched her knuckles and said lightly, "After this failure, they should at least realize you are not easy to deal with. Their future actions should either be more restrained or more intense."
Lotus seemed to have a thought.
"Not necessarily."
Alyuin: "Why do you say that?"
Lotus said matter-of-factly, "Because you were there too."
There would always be someone watching from a distance to see if the operation was successful. Seeing the target and the Princess emerge side by side while the attacker was nowhere to be found, they would inevitably attribute the failure to Alyuin.
Thinking deeper, how did the Princess get there? Could there be a leak from within? Was she prepared in advance? The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed. It might even refresh their impression of the Princess, making them see her as unfathomable.
Alyuin: "..."
It could be considered achieving the goal in a roundabout way.
And that was indeed the case.
On the other side, the old man leading the Stubborn Faction received the report from his subordinate. The hand holding his teacup trembled abruptly, spilling half the tea.
He ignored the mess on the table, his graying eyebrows knitted together.
"At least our direction is correct," another person consoled himself. "For the Princess to go rescue her alone, one can imagine the importance of that lady-in-waiting to her. If we can get her in our grasp, our chances of winning will increase."
The old man was silent for a long while before saying abruptly, "No."
"What's wrong?"
"—You said, how did the Princess manage to get there in time?"
The members of the Stubborn Faction looked at each other, all showing expressions of horror.
The old man said decisively, "Investigate! Check everyone in your households who knew about this. I'm afraid the Princess has long been wary of us, and has even bought off an informant. We need to conduct a thorough investigation."
The Stubborn Faction all agreed it was necessary.
They immediately returned to their respective homes to conduct a full investigation. Panic and chaos ensued throughout their residences.
In the end, they did find a few suspicious guards and servants. After repeated interrogations yielded nothing conclusive, they simply eliminated them all to be done with it.
When they gathered again, the old man was finally relieved, feeling that there would be no more mishaps.
"Proceed with the next step. The Princess can't guard her teacher every moment of the day. We'll find an opportunity to strike."
The Stubborn Faction was full of confidence.
Meanwhile, Horst in the royal palace: "..."
What was wrong with these old men? Why were they suddenly bored enough to thoroughly investigate their own residences, pulling out all the moles he had planted?
The nerve!
He felt this wouldn't do. Losing the personnel he had arranged had greatly diminished his sense of security.
But if he were to plant new people, he wouldn't find an opportunity in the short term.
Horst sat on the throne, his head bowed in thought, maintaining a very majestic posture even though he was alone.
To be honest, the throne was very uncomfortable.
The seat, which couldn't be covered with soft cushions, was extremely hard. The backrest was covered in reliefs, and the crown-shaped golden leaves at the top were engraved with the names of past kings, making it incredibly uncomfortable to lean against. Sitting on it for a long time was an ordeal—yet Horst just loved to stay on the throne.
This was his pleasure.
However, ever since Alyuin returned to the royal city, this throne hadn't been so comfortable. It wasn't quite like sitting on pins and needles, but it was enough to make one uneasy.
Just like the names on the throne, Alyuin's very existence made Horst restless.
Horst knew why.
Because his claim to the throne was illegitimate, because his position was unstable.
But so what?
He had been able to kill her parents, so naturally, he could kill her too. He just had to wait a while longer, until the Princess had lost her final value. Then she could go and see his royal brother.
At that time, he would replace this old throne with a brand new, unblemished golden one. "Horst" would be the first name engraved upon it.
Horst returned from his reverie.
He was once again faced with the predicament of all his moles in the Stubborn Faction's residences having been removed.
Horst angrily cursed in Solancian slang, then consoled himself that his remaining intelligence network was still sufficient.
It just meant the information would be a little delayed. In any case, he didn't need to rush to make a move now. He reckoned those old men couldn't pull off anything beyond expectations anyway.
No need to rush, no need to worry.
No matter what, he was the king of Solancia!
For the next few days, there was no movement from the Stubborn Faction.
Lotus almost thought they were going to give up, and even felt a bit regretful about it.
But as it turned out, the Stubborn Faction lived up to their name. Having decided on the path of threatening the Princess through her lady-in-waiting, they were determined to see it through to the bitter end, vowing to achieve their goal.
On a dark and windy night, a pipe for soporific smoke was stealthily and silently extended into Lotus's window.
A pale white smoke filled the sealed room. The attacker, crouching outside the window, waited a while. Feeling the drug had taken effect, he climbed in through the window.
He had just steadied himself when he looked up.
Lotus was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at him calmly.
The attacker was startled. His fear turned to malice, and he grabbed his weapon and charged forward.
Lotus: "Wai—"
The attack registered, the rule took effect.
The attacker followed in his predecessor's footsteps, lying on the ground as a desiccated corpse, drained of all blood.
Lotus pressed her temples and got up helplessly to clean up the mess.
This attacker had, in a way, tested the security vulnerabilities of the Princess's residence. Alyuin gathered everyone for an overhaul the very next day. With the enthusiastic cooperation of the head maidservant, the residence became as secure as a fortress.
The Stubborn Faction did not stop there. They thought perhaps the lady-in-waiting had escaped because she lived too close to the Princess.
So a third wave of attackers followed, this time sending three people at once.
Lotus's rule-based backlash took care of two of them, leaving one alive, who was handed over to Alyuin's people for interrogation.
Lotus didn't ask what information the Princess pried from his mouth, only that Alyuin's arrangements had progressed further.
Meanwhile, the Stubborn Faction's abduction plan continued.
The situation was not optimistic. The men they sent were all lost without a trace. The most bizarre part was that, without exception, none of them left a body behind. The Stubborn Faction had no idea if they were dead or alive.
After several attempts, the Stubborn Faction had lost considerable strength and finally quieted down.
Watching Lotus stroll about openly every day, the old man gritted his teeth.
"We've all been deceived by appearances."
How could this lady-in-waiting named Lorja be easy to deal with?
No wonder the Princess calls her 'teacher'. An ordinary lady-in-waiting couldn't do this. She must be a follower left to the Princess by Selina
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