CHAPTER 121
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation."
It was Philip's aide.
"I have urgent news."
Why would the aide?
Philip, puzzled, stepped outside the drawing room, only to find that Madden had already arrived.
But it didn't seem that the aide had called him to announce Madden's arrival.
The aide's expression looked uneasy.
"What is it?"
"The Marquis of Bloomberg is rampaging through the palace!"
Philip's face hardened.
"The Marquis?"
Could he have come to fetch Lady Elsner?
"The test for the crown princess qualification hasn't ended yet. Why is the Marquis here?"
"It might be because of magic!"
Madden, who had been listening, spoke up.
"Didn't we cast a spell using the remaining blood to hinder the Marquis' tracking?"
Before the selected candidates arrived, Madden had cast a spell on the Empress's Palace for this very event.
But why?
"The spell was designed to make Lady Elsner undetectable once the test started."
Madden's voice was urgent.
"Why is that a problem?"
"In the situation where it's known that Lady Elsner is in the palace, her undetectable status must have driven the Marquis to come!"
Such... Philip frowned.
"Does that mean the Marquis has already figured out our plan?"
"Otherwise, there'd be no reason for the Marquis to suddenly storm in. Why is he looking for her when the test isn't over yet...?"
Philip grew more serious at the sight of Madden's distressed expression.
If he found out about their ploy, Lewis wouldn't just let it slide!
Their plan was only to mess things up a bit, but things had gone awry.
Philip glanced uncomfortably at the drawing room where Selina was.
"This situation is escalating more than I anticipated."
* * *
Where on earth are we going?
I was in a carriage leaving the palace.
It would have been fine if it were a carriage heading to the Duke's estate, but unfortunately, this was Philip's carriage.
They had put me in the carriage without any explanation.
I didn't want to get in...
"We're going somewhere together. Please get in."
"Where are we going? Why do I have to-"
"Get in while I'm asking nicely."
Sir Shuster appeared out of nowhere, threatening me, leaving me no choice.
He was fiddling with his sword hilt as if he was about to draw it.
How can a knight be so petty against an unarmed person!
I don't know where they're taking me after leaving the palace.
The magic ring still seemed unwilling to show any abilities.
Marquis, this ring is defective.
I shed tears inwardly, looking at the ring.
"Your Majesty, you haven't told me where we're going..."
"We're going to Tolke."
"Tolke? It's a three-hour carriage ride from the capital!"
"I've cast an acceleration spell on the carriage, so it won't take long."
"Why are we going there?"
"Why do you think?"
How should I know?
"Are you trying to avoid something?"
Philip didn't answer, but I could immediately tell.
"You're trying to avoid running into the Marquis, aren't you?"
I reluctantly got into the carriage at the Crown Prince's Palace because I had no other choice.
But honestly, it would be absurd to keep pretending not to notice something strange, right?
So, I said it outright.
"Yes, I heard the Marquis is coming. That's why I'm taking you with me."
Philip seemed to have no intention of pretending anymore either.
"You're running away from the Marquis?"
"Running away?"
Philip frowned at my words.
"No royalty runs away from a subordinate."
Then is this a hostage kidnapping?
I thought for a moment before speaking.
"I don't understand why you're doing this."
Philip looked at me silently.
"Trying to harm the Marquis by making a magical stone with Count Madden, persuading me to betray the Marquis."
I listed Philip's misdeeds one by one.
"And now, calling me to the Crown Princess selection, you won't even let me leave."
Oh, come to think of it, this is so unfair. Why are you doing this to me?
"What can you possibly gain from this?"
I'm really curious if there's anything he can gain from this.
I didn't expect Philip to answer, but unexpectedly, he spoke.
"I know about your relationship with the Marquis."
"What?"
He gestured toward my hand.
"The Marquis receives help from you through physical contact."
Wow, now he's revealing this too.
I tried to deny it.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"There's no use pretending. I already know everything."
And I know you only partially understand it. I verified it myself by shadowing your informant.
"Shall I guess? If separated from you, the Marquis would be in great trouble."
"Well... it's not like the Marquis can't go about his daily life without me."
He lived just fine before we met.
"I don't understand why you dislike the Marquis so much. What did the Marquis ever do to you?"
"He hasn't done anything wrong?"
Philip replied coldly.
"His very existence is a threat to the royal family. Do you really not see it?"
"His existence...?"
Why? Yaniels has no interest in him.
Even now, Yaniels is just annoyed because Philip keeps provoking him, not the other way around.
But Philip seemed to think otherwise.
"He has always disregarded the royal family. You must know how he looks at me."
He looked at him as a troublesome nuisance, but so what?
"If someone with such power looks down on the royal family, its authority will be further undermined."
I sensed not just hostility but also an inferiority complex towards Lewis.
He was trying to eliminate Lewis out of fear that his powerful presence would threaten his position.
"..."
I finally understood the mystery I had been pondering.
The reason why Philip kept provoking Lewis, unlike in the original story.
In the original story, Philip never tried to mess with Lewis, who was even his romantic rival...
Come to think of it, in the original story, Lewis wasn't as threatening to Philip.
Of course, early on in the original story, Lewis was indeed the strongest mage in the world!
But he traded noise for magic power with Charlotte's help. And he left the capital, wishing for Charlotte's happiness.
In other words, there was no need to plot against Lewis since he conveniently exited the stage on his own.
Why scheme against someone who would leave on their own?
The Philip sitting across from me now seemed willing to do anything to eliminate Lewis.
"I will strengthen the royal authority. Even if it means removing those who stand in my way."
He was revealing his intentions outright.
'How can I stop this...?'
While I was contemplating, the carriage came to a halt.
Sir Shuster's voice was heard from outside.
"Your Majesty. The carriage wheels are stuck in the mud. We need to stop for a while to fix it."
"The carriage?"
Philip got off the carriage first and looked around.
"Davio region."
Davio?
The Davio region is mostly mountainous.
While it has beautiful scenery, it's one of the unfortunate regions threatened by landslides during heavy rain.
"We need to get the carriage out. Please step out for a moment."
Pretending to be kind. If that’s the case, you shouldn't have kidnapped me in the first place!
I pretended not to see Philip's outstretched hand and stepped out of the carriage.
Thud.
The metal part connecting the horse and the carriage broke.
Simultaneously, the carriage, now separated from the horse, floated in the air.
"The carriage...?"
Everyone was dumbfounded and stared in confusion as the carriage suddenly fell towards Philip.
"Your Majesty!"
Crash!
It wasn't just dropped; it seemed to have been thrown with force.
The carriage, now smashed to pieces, hit the ground with great force.
If Sir Shuster hadn't thrown himself in the way, Philip would have been crushed by the carriage.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
"What is this...!"
Philip, barely avoiding a fall, looked around in astonishment.
At that moment, one of the knights shouted.
"It's the Tower Master!"
Following the knight's gaze, I saw Lewis blocking our path.
"Marquis!"
Though not close, just seeing him made my heart race.
'Lewis...!'
It's been so long since I last saw him. The day's events made my emotions surge.
I tried to run towards him, but Philip grabbed me.
"Ah!"
"Did he chase us?"
Even with Lewis's appearance, he had no intention of letting me go.
Philip, holding my shoulder with one hand, asked Madden.
"How long can you hold out against the Marquis if you use offensive magic?"
You're going to use offensive magic against Lewis?!
"We need Count Madden's help. The knights won't be able to handle him anyway."
After a moment of hesitation, Madden looked at me and made a decision.
"With Lady Elsner here... I'll give it a try."
Such cowardice...
"Do you think the Marquis will just let you?"
Lewis won't be weakened by taking a hostage.
You're greatly underestimating Lewis right now!
I'd bet all my little treasures on Lewis not losing.
After all, Lewis won't lose!
The knights positioned themselves around Philip, and Madden prepared to attack Lewis from the front.
Boom! Crash!
Madden began casting offensive spells.
Fortunately, Lewis easily deflected them.
Breaking through the attacks, Lewis steadily advanced.
"He's breaking every attack."
Philip's voice, already strained, grew even more so as the battle progressed.
It was clear that this was a losing battle, and Philip was growing increasingly desperate.
"Give up now. It's a fight you can't win!"
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