For a moment, a dead silence fell over the hallway.
Watching the dagger thrust downward, everyone felt utterly at a loss.
One heir to a great nation's throne publicly attacking the heir of another was, if not unprecedented, extraordinarily rare.
What were they supposed to do?
Was it appropriate for clergy to intervene in worldly disputes? Should they help? And if so, who?
Clang.
The dagger struck down violently. Yet just a few centimeters from Prince Louis, it was as if it hit a soft bubble. The air visibly distorted as an invisible barrier buckled inward and then bounced back like a spring, flinging both the dagger and Princess Sophia backward.
【Authority: Water, Ability: Bubble】
The Archbishop, deep and serene like the sea, merely blew a breath from afar, and a seemingly delicate bubble had warded off all danger for the young prince. At the same time, the Archbishop of the Lord of the Earth raised his hand and pressed down gently against the empty air in front of him, murmuring softly, “Fear not, my child. The Lord favors you.”
In the next instant, Prince Louis—who had been twenty to thirty meters away—strangely reappeared directly before the Archbishop. The Archbishop's hand rested neatly on the young prince's head, stroking it gently. The entire sequence unfolded with flawless precision, as though rehearsed countless times.
【Authority: Earth, Ability: Transfer】
In the presence of so many powerhouses, it was clearly impossible for Princess Sophia to harm young Prince Louis. The situation seemed far from hopeless, yet Lynch could not bring himself to feel any relief. He knew Sophia was in deep trouble now—and he wouldn't fare much better either.
No matter the underlying reason or conspiracy, and regardless of whether the assassination succeeded, the mere act itself made the situation irremediable.
To carry out such an act right in front of the high-ranking church officials, the onlookers representing various nations, and the guards dispatched by Lande's factions... he could easily guess what would happen next without even thinking.
Committing an assault before the eyes of the entire world gave King Carlos VII of the Kingdom of Friedman more than enough reason to initiate full-scale war. A conflict between the two hegemonies of Middle Earth would inevitably bring catastrophic consequences.
As for Sophia herself, the advantages she had built up were completely ruined. Having brought such dire dishonor upon the royal family and Lande, her chances of ascending the throne were entirely extinguished.
For Lande as a whole, the tension between royal authority and civil rights—which had eased slightly thanks to Sophia's presence—would inevitably rekindle with her exit. Not only would all previous efforts come to naught, but after this sudden turn of events, the conflict might escalate even more severely.
To make matters worse, Lynch had played right into bringing this about.
He was the one who heard the fluttering wings of an insect, walked straight into the trap, and raised suspicions about the prince's safety. Then the maid's scream conveniently corroborated his fears, drawing the attention of the church dignitaries and foreign delegates—and leading them right here, pushing the situation into an unmanageable abyss.
Any explanation would ring hollow now. A smooth, favorable situation had ended in defeat just like that—unless...
Perhaps they could only pray for a miracle, though this world was hardly one to believe in miracles.
The two Archbishops easily saved Prince Louis. Seeing this, the assailant, Princess Sophia, roughly shoved aside the maid inside Prince Louis's room and bolted inward. The suite featured massive floor-to-ceiling windows leading to a balcony; although it was on the fifth floor, there were countless ways for her to escape from there.
If she fled, her guilt would be firmly sealed, and even jumping into the Lande River wouldn't wash away the crime.
Lynch knew he couldn't let her escape, but he was too far away to give chase in time.
Meanwhile, none of the powerhouses whose strength far surpassed ordinary understanding moved a finger.
The person before them was no commoner; she was the Eldest Princess of Lande. Regardless of what she had done, she still represented the dignity of the royal house. For an outsider to attack her would be no different from her attacking Louis—a public humiliation of the royal family that would inevitably breed hostility, even if carried out without malice.
Thus, no one intervened. Everyone simply watched from afar as Princess Sophia rushed toward the open doorway, silently weighing their next move.
Yet just as the curtain was falling and the conspiracy behind the scenes was about to succeed, a crisp voice rang out from behind the crowd:
“Stop right there.”
The woman's voice was exceptionally piercing, echoing down the entire corridor. It drew everyone's attention—even Princess Sophia, who was sprinting toward the door to make her escape, could not help but glance back.
And so, everyone witnessed an utterly bizarre sight.
Accompanied by Mrs. Nightingale, another Princess Sophia was catching up from behind. Though she walked at a hurried pace, she maintained a dignified expression and an elegant posture. This stood in stark contrast to the rough manner in which the previous Sophia had shoved the maid, making the difference blatantly clear to everyone at a glance.
“Who dares to be so insolent as to impersonate me and attack my nephew? This is an open provocation against both Lande and Friedman. Whoever you are, are you prepared to bear the wrath of both our kingdoms?”
Her demeanor radiated majesty and nobility, though in the brief moment her gaze locked with Lynch's, the two exchanged a cheeky look.
Hmm?
An uproar instantly erupted in the hallway. Everyone's eyes darted back and forth between the two princesses, who shared the exact same face and differed only in attire.
What was going on? One of them was an imposter?
One was out of breath from walking quickly, yet maintained an elegant and dignified posture that seemed etched into her very bones. The other was disheveled and crude, devoid of any aristocratic poise.
When there was only one, nobody had realized it, but now that they were side by side, the anomalies were immediately obvious.
The first Princess Sophia, who was already near the floor-to-ceiling window, subconsciously blurted out, “How is that possible? Weren't you in...”
Her voice was faint and cut off abruptly, but knowing it could never escape the ears of the powerhouses present, she instantly accelerated and slammed into the thick floor-to-ceiling window, bursting through amid the shattering of glass.
Unfortunately, their earlier indifference and hesitation had only been because she was a princess. Now that she had likely lost that identity, she had to face a group of mid-tier and high-tier powerhouses who realized they had been fooled and manipulated—and were burning with rage.
Did she really think she could escape after crossing them?
The moment she shattered the glass and leapt into midair, several potted plants by the window suddenly came alive.
The tiny potted plants stretched their branches, instantly expanding into massive, towering trees. Countless branches surged forward, catching up to the fake princess mid-flight and wrapping tightly around her, trapping her suspended in the air.
Yet the moment she was bound, the fake princess did something truly shocking.
She exploded on the spot.
The blast severed every branch entangling her. As blood and flesh splattered in all directions, a dark shadow surged forth from within her body.
It was an insect larger than a human, resembling a giant wasp. Its body was covered in scales dripping with mucus, and its massive compound eyes gleamed with a chilling, eerie light.
The moment the insect appeared, it let out a piercing screech, spread its wings, and flew off into the night sky.
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