Chapter 263 - 255: You Want to Marry Me That Much?
Chapter 263 - 255: You Want to Marry Me That Much?
Two figures stood facing each other under the silvery moonlight. The ground around them was a wreck, as if a hurricane had torn through.
"Only those who protect the weak can be called strong. You are not one of them."
A tyrannical wave of Power surged forth once more. The man dodged it ungracefully, utterly shaken.
’This girl’s level is lower than mine, but her explosive Strength is far too formidable. The force contained within her Power is the most terrifying I have ever encountered.’
If she could maintain this explosive output, they would likely both end up severely wounded.
"Your Excellency, we can’t seem to settle this right now. How about we compete again during the Ancient Martial Arts Convention?"
The man was the first to retract his domain of Power, withdrawing from the combat zone.
The Power emanating from Aurora Sinclair gradually subsided. Her gaze was cold. "Where do you rank in the Western Continent?"
The man froze, apparently contemplating his own rank.
"The strong are confident. You are not one of them."
"..."
The man gave her a helpless look.
’This girl really holds a grudge!’
***
Meanwhile, Aiden Morgan successfully infiltrated the Royal Palace and found the severely wounded Donovan Lockwood.
His hair was now streaked with white and his spirit was broken, as if he were being tormented by something.
Upon seeing Aiden Morgan, he asked weakly, "Are you from the Black Wolves?"
Aiden Morgan nodded.
"There’s a pressure-sensitive alarm here. It will go off the moment I leave."
Just then, Martha, who had been following them, suddenly drew close to Aiden Morgan, her voice laced with a certain allure.
"I can help you, but afterward, Commander, you must marry me."
Aiden Morgan’s expression flickered as he turned to look her over. Her eyes lacked their usual docile obedience and held a strange, glinting light.
"So? It’s a great deal."
Martha winked at him. Her lovely features were all the more stunning under the moonlight.
Aiden Morgan felt a wave of exasperation. While Princess Martha was one of the few adult, unmarried princesses in the Royal Family, he was much too old for her. He could be her father.
Martha took two more steps, pressing herself almost completely against Aiden Morgan’s body. "Well, Commander?" she whispered.
Suddenly—
Aiden Morgan wrapped an arm around her waist, lowered his head close to her face, and said, "You want to marry me that badly?"
The warm, unfamiliar scent of him made Martha’s expression stiffen. Her body instinctively recoiled.
The corner of Aiden Morgan’s mouth curved up as he slowly let go. "You should marry someone you actually like."
Martha shuddered. A flicker of resolve crossed her eyes as she hooked her arms around his neck. "I was just... startled..."
Aiden Morgan froze.
"Should I give you two some privacy?" a hoarse voice suddenly interjected, tinged with amusement.
The two of them had completely forgotten there was someone else there.
Aiden Morgan firmly pried her arms away. Looking flustered, he said, "Let’s forget about the marriage proposal. But if you want to leave this place, I can help you."
His brow was furrowed, his eyes holding an all-seeing gaze.
Martha froze, staring at him dumbfounded.
Aiden Morgan rubbed his face in resignation. "I overheard you talking to your handmaiden. In exchange for your freedom, I’m taking him."
’He recalled the listening devices Silas Morgan, worried about a Royal Family plot, had secretly planted on the princesses.’
’And he’d happened to overhear this very princess’s "grand pronouncements" about escaping the Masovian Royal Family.’
Martha suddenly burst into tears, covering her mouth as she wept silently. "Thank you..."
***
「One hour later.」
A deafening alarm suddenly blared through the Royal Palace of Masovia.
The man facing off against Aurora Sinclair’s expression changed dramatically. He shot her a dark glance.
Then he shot off toward the Royal Palace at incredible speed.
By the time he arrived back at the Royal Palace, he learned that the Martial King whom Carter had captured a few days prior had been rescued.
In the great hall of the Royal Palace.
Martha knelt on the floor, trembling, while Carter sat on the throne, seething with rage.
"*Sob*... Father, they knocked me out! I don’t know what happened after that."
"Useless! Didn’t you get a clear look at their faces?" Carter roared.
Martha lay weakly on the floor, whimpering. "They were wearing black masks..."
"What else?"
Martha trembled, shrinking in on herself fearfully. "I think... I saw a tattoo."
"What kind of tattoo?"
"It was... shaped like a bear..."
"The White Bears?" Carter exploded with fury.
’Karon was closest with the White Bear Mercenaries back then. They set up the Eastern Highlands together. Could the underground lab be them too?’
"Guards—"
"Hold on—"
The moment Martha heard that voice, her heart leaped into her throat. Her body began to tremble as an immense pressure bore down on her.
The man walked up to Martha and looked down at her. "What did you do this afternoon?"
Beads of sweat covered Martha’s forehead. Huddled on the floor, her teeth chattering, she stammered, "I... I passed... the Black Wolves’... Commander... a... a note..."
Carter’s expression changed drastically. He strode over and demanded, "What did you give him?"
"A... a crumpled note... I... I want to marry him..." Martha replied fearfully.
"Is that so?" The man’s voice grew heavier.
Martha felt as if an invisible hand were squeezing her throat. Her face turned crimson as she struggled to breathe.
"Fa...ther... I really... do want to... marry... him..."
Carter frowned and called out to the man, "Saint, she doesn’t know about that place."
The pressure finally vanished. Martha went limp, collapsing to the floor and gasping for breath. She coughed violently, looking at Carter with tears of grievance in her eyes.
"Father, I was attacked in the rear garden... which is very close... to the Saint’s chambers..."
The man glanced at the woman by his feet and snorted.
Carter was instantly displeased. ’Something this major happened at the Royal Palace, and he’s only just now rushing back. And the first thing he does is interrogate my daughter without even knowing the facts. He clearly has no respect for the Royal Family.’
"Saint, where were you just now?" Carter’s expression darkened.
The man gave him an indifferent look. "My duty is to Masovia, not the Royal Family..."
With that, he flicked his sleeves and departed.
Carter’s face turned livid with rage. He clenched his fists and ordered the surrounding Royal Guard, "Lock down Oasis One immediately! Find them!"
***
Meanwhile, Aiden Morgan and his team successfully left Oasis One, stopping at their rendezvous point with Aurora Sinclair.
Beta Morgan glanced at his watch, looking worried.
Aurora Sinclair was already over half an hour late.
"She’s here," Alvin Morgan said calmly, glancing at his own wrist.
"Here?" Beta Morgan looked at the tracker on his watch. The red dot representing Aurora Sinclair’s position hadn’t appeared.
Alvin Morgan glanced at him. "You can’t see her."
The Morgan brothers: ...
Under the bright moonlight, a figure swept down the hillside like an elf.
Accompanied by a chorus of howls, a pack of desert wolves raced behind her.
Everyone’s faces fell as they quickly raised their weapons.
’This girl is going to be the death of us.’
’Where did she manage to provoke so many desert wolves?’
These were one of Masovia’s most ferocious creatures.
Their pack fighting ability was off the charts; the mercenaries here would rather provoke a bear than encounter a pack of desert wolves.
"Don’t shoot!"
Aurora Sinclair’s clear, cold voice carried from the distance, piercing the air as it grew closer.
Beta Morgan raised his binoculars and sucked in a sharp breath.
’That crazy girl is actually riding a desert Wolf King over here.’
’No wonder the pack is running after her.’
To everyone’s astonishment, Aurora Sinclair stopped about fifty meters away, still mounted on the wolf.
She even leaned down and patted the Wolf King on the head, an act of breathtaking audacity.
Then, Aurora Sinclair turned and shouted to them, "Is there any meat in the vehicles?"
Everyone: ...
The Black Wolf Mercenaries pulled two crates of lamb chops from a trunk and carried them over, trembling with trepidation.
Aurora Sinclair seemed to say to the Wolf King, "Blackie, this is your reward. I’m leaving now..."
As if reluctant to see her go, the Wolf King licked her hand a couple of times. Then it straightened its body, its tail lifting slightly, and let out a long howl.
AWOOOO—
The sound was especially eerie under the moonlit sky. The chorus of dozens of wolves, rising and falling in long, echoing howls, instantly intimidated the Royal Guard unit rushing toward their position.
"Sir, there’s a pack of desert wolves up ahead..." An Imperial Guard’s voice trembled, fear naked in his eyes.
The officer next to him immediately ordered his men to turn back, shouting, "No suspicious individuals in this direction!"
Under the cover of the desert wolves, the Black Wolves’ convoy successfully broke through the Royal Guard’s encirclement.
In the vehicle, Beta Morgan asked Aurora Sinclair with an expression of pure reverence, "What’s it like to ride a Wolf King?"
Aurora Sinclair thought for a moment. "Same as riding Whitlock."
Beta Morgan: ...
Alvin Morgan suddenly coughed softly.
As if remembering something, Aurora said a bit awkwardly, "The Snow Wolf King of the Kaelan Mountains..."
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