novelraw Chapter 92
Chapter 92
Volume 2: Caged Bird
92~ Strange Movements~
"Your Highness, Your Highness, why did you come out on your own?"
"I just came out to take a look around. Just a look."
The little Princess said flatly.
Indeed, she had just come out to take a look, and incidentally to re-observe the structure of the entire Imperial City.
Ever since the Pet Contract had been mostly abolished, her movements within the Imperial City were completely unrestricted. This feeling of freedom was something she hadn't experienced at all in nearly half a year!
That's right, she had already been in the Scarlet Phoenix Nation for almost half a year. Unlike before, now both her status and position had undergone earth-shattering changes...
Of course, this was for others. As for her status and position with the Empress, it felt like they'd just given her a better-sounding title. In reality, it was all more or less the same, she just had a bit more so-called "freedom."
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress is already waiting for you."
"Waiting for me for what?"
Sure enough, as soon as the Empress was mentioned, Princess Mo's expression immediately turned cold...
She didn't understand why. Princess Mo had already agreed in front of everyone to become Her Majesty the Empress's Imperial Consort, yet she was still angry at Her Majesty the Empress.
If she didn't like it, why did she agree at the time?
The little maid Xiyan thought naively.
"Her Majesty only asked me to call Your Highness back, she didn't say what she wanted Your Highness to do."
"Then let's go back."
The little Princess stood up from the stone bench.
"...I don't have any energy left. Carry me back on your back."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The little maid Xiyan very actively crouched down, waiting for the little Princess to climb onto her back.
Before long, the two small frames were tightly pressed together, separated by only two layers of clothing.
Wow, Princess Mo is completely pressed up against me again...
Previously when carrying her, she was too nervous to feel anything, but now that they'd spent so much time together, her courage had grown. Now every time she carried the little Princess, she would carefully feel the sensation of being pressed against by the little Princess.
Although Princess Mo had some curves, the curves weren't very pronounced. It could only be said that it was somewhat difficult to tell while wearing clothes, but it would be clearer if the clothes were removed.
"Xiyan? Xiyan?"
The little Princess called out twice.
"Ah? Yes, Your Highness? What is it, Your Highness?"
"Shouldn't you put me down now..."
The little Princess pointed at the bedchamber ahead.
Only when reminded like this did Xiyan suddenly react. She hurriedly put her down and apologized several times.
Originally, she should have put her down when they reached the palace, but today this little maid seemed to have forgotten and carried her all the way to the entrance of the bedchamber. Along the way, those maids and guards who saw the two of them like this all cast strange looks.
However, she didn't take it to heart. She purely assumed that Xiyan had accidentally forgotten, or didn't want her to get tired so she carried her all the way in. It was just hard on her being stared at by all kinds of gazes along the way.
After being put down, the little Princess straightened her skirt and collar, pushed open the bedchamber door, and walked in. Xiyan obediently waited outside the door.
"Mo, how was today?"
The little Princess looked at her somewhat speechlessly with a sideways glance.
Don't you already know how my day was? Why ask when you already know!
Although the contract had been mostly abolished, the Empress could still use other means to obtain her status, such as her mood and what she had been doing.
If it weren't for Glaze Nation, she would never have agreed to the condition of obediently staying by the Empress's side.
"Then let's get straight to the point. The Eighteen Alliance Nations have started making big moves, they're reassembling their forces."
"Get to the point."
The little Princess said somewhat impatiently.
"Come sit with me, Mo."
"...Hurry up and get to the point!"
The little Princess didn't comply. After the contract was gone, she had hardly given the Empress even one pleasant look, and the Empress seemed to have gotten used to it.
Then she was forcibly embraced in the Empress's arms. After several futile struggles, she had no choice but to give up struggling and let the Empress hold her like this.
Anyway, she'd have to let her go in a moment. When the Empress returned to the Council Hall to review memorials, she could regain her "freedom" again.
"The direction the Eighteen Alliance Nations are marching their assembled army this time isn't Glaze Nation, but north of Northern Radiance Nation."
North of Northern Radiance Nation... wouldn't that be the extreme cold regions?
Well, that's what this world called it. In reality... to put it more simply, it was actually high-latitude, high-cold regions where almost no humans survived.
But what were the Eighteen Alliance Nations assembling their army to go there for?
"According to the information I've gathered, a new Lord of Extreme Cold has been born there. If nothing unexpected happens, they're assembling the army to go subjugate it."
"The newly born Lord of Extreme Cold isn't very strong right now, a single Great Archmage could subjugate it."
Dispatching the army was mainly to escort that Great Archmage along the way. After all, no matter how strong one was, they would encounter magical beasts or wild animals and such along the way that would also require consuming stamina and magic power to deal with. By the time they faced the Lord of Extreme Cold, they wouldn't be in peak condition. With an army, they could ensure that the Great Archmage could subjugate the Lord of Extreme Cold in peak condition.
"So, what does this have to do with me?"
What did the Eighteen Alliance Nations heading north to subjugate the Lord of Extreme Cold have to do with her? It's not like they were heading south to attack Glaze Nation!
"Of course it's related. Doesn't Mo know that the magic core of the Lord of Extreme Cold can cultivate a Great Archmage?"
There was such a thing? That absurd?
The little Princess fell into thought. She really didn't know that the magic core of the Lord of Extreme Cold had this function. It wasn't that she hadn't done her homework thoroughly, but there truly were no books that recorded it, nor had anyone given her this information.
She suddenly remembered that a certain book recorded the legendary life of the Empress of the Scarlet Phoenix Nation, which included a record of the Empress single-handedly subjugating the Lord of Extreme Cold.
"In other words, once the Eighteen Alliance Nations succeed in their subjugation, the current situation will be completely broken. Now does Mo understand?"
"..."
Of course she understood, but the problem was, what use was it for the Empress to tell her? Could it be they wanted to send out troops to stop them? That was extremely unrealistic and impossible to achieve.
The army of the Eighteen Alliance Nations was heading north, while the Scarlet Phoenix Nation and Glaze Nation were located in the south. Wanting to dispatch troops to intercept them was simply impossible. No matter how you looked at it, it was impossible to stop!
The method of taking the sea route seemed feasible, but then another problem arose. The Scarlet Phoenix Nation only had two Great Archmages in existence. The Empress couldn't casually go out, at most she could disappear for a few days. She couldn't personally lead troops on a distant expedition, and she still had to ensure the operation of the Scarlet Phoenix Nation within the Imperial Palace! Previously going to Glaze Nation in person was because she only needed to stay for a short time, at most half a month. If it exceeded that time, the Empress would also bring her back directly.
The other Great Archmage ensured the safety within the Scarlet Phoenix Nation's borders, at most operating within the Scarlet Phoenix Nation's territory.
There was another problem: although no agreement had been signed on the surface, all countries wouldn't casually dispatch Great Archmage-level combat power into warfare. The deterrent power of a Great Archmage was no less than the deterrent power of nuclear weapons from her previous life, and like nuclear weapons, there were also restrictions... After all, mages with Great Archmage-level combat power didn't exist only in the Scarlet Phoenix Nation.