Chapter 102
Chapter 99: The True Face
“But…!”
Charlotte seemed to want to struggle, her beautiful black legs kicking around as if she was about to fall.
Roy had no choice but to smack her, shouting, “They’re our guards, here to protect us! If we get caught or hurt, their sacrifices will be in vain!”
Those cultists weren’t as powerful as real extraordinary beings, but they were still quite troublesome, far beyond what ordinary knight guards could handle. In the chaos, Lisa and the black-and-white maids alone couldn’t ensure their safety.
Upon hearing this, Charlotte finally settled down.
Though she settled down a bit too much.
“…You can put me down now.”
Roy complied, but for some reason, her gaze was filled with deep resentment.
Charlotte bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, a look of shame and anger on her face, as if she had suffered a huge injustice.
She understood the reasoning behind everything; why did he have to smack her butt earlier?!
“What do they want? Any clues?” Roy asked.
Charlotte shook her head, pouting, “Aren’t cultists all crazy?”
“Crazy, but not without reason. They must have some kind of goal.”
As they spoke, they didn’t forget to hurry away.
Roy knew their true form: dragon scales that were impervious to blades, claws that could shred steel.
【Cult of the Evil Dragon】.
In the original story where Charlotte was involved, “bad boy Roy” eventually joined the 【Cult of the Evil Dragon】 and fell into a half-human, half-dragon creature.
Gathering so many cultists at once wasn’t easy for the 【Cult of the Evil Dragon】, and attacking the royal family would undoubtedly provoke the wrath of the Lionheart King.
Roy couldn’t understand why the 【Cult of the Evil Dragon】 would go to such extremes.
The two hadn’t run far when they suddenly saw several figures emerge from the forest.
Shiny silver armor with fiery patterns, the hallmark of the kingdom’s knights!
“Your Highness! Lord Roy! What happened?!”
“We’re knights on patrol! We heard noises and came right over!”
Charlotte’s face lit up with joy as she hurriedly said, “We encountered a cult attack! The guards are to the west, quickly gather reinforcements!”
“Understood! Please follow us!”
Charlotte let out a sigh of relief and was about to step towards the knights when Roy yanked her back.
Confused, she turned around to find Roy staring at the knights with unmistakable wariness.
Roy adopted a cold tone befitting someone in authority and questioned, “You heard noises and came, huh?”
The leading knight replied without hesitation, “Yes! We were nearby, so…”
“So you were nearby, but didn’t notice that over there, it’s a complete mess, and instead, you’re blocking us here?”
After Roy said this, Charlotte felt a chill down her spine and quickly backed away, glaring at the knights, ordering, “Answer his questions!”
“Uh… My Lords! Is now the time to discuss this?!” The knight looked anxious, sweat dripping from his forehead, and stepped toward them.
Roy wasted no time; he conjured a sword and swung it, pointing the blade at the knight.
The knight dared not approach any closer, looking awkwardly confused, tension evident in his eyes, but there was no fear to be found.
“As a patrol soldier, you’re pretty brave. Ignoring my and the princess’s orders, staying calm even with a sword pointed at you,” Roy joked.
The soldier’s gaze dimmed, his lips quivering as if weighing his words carefully.
“And, as a soldier who has patrolled for a long time, your armor is a bit too clean, don’t you think?” Roy swept his gaze over the armor that was caked in dirt.
Such temporary deception might fool inexperienced soldiers, but Roy had learned military knowledge from Karl.
Patrol soldiers’ armor should show signs of years of grime and wear, appearing quite worn.
When pointed out by Roy, the knight finally dropped his act, his face darkening, and he raised his hand.
At the signal, the other knights quickly formed a semicircle, closing in!
“Roy Ainbrad, sometimes being too smart isn’t a good thing,” a voice emerged from the shadows of the forest.
With short, fiery-red hair and sharp eyes, there was an icy killing intent, along with a haughty and disdainful expression that seemed to look down on ants.
The second prince of the Lionheart Kingdom, Leo Reinhardt!
Charlotte’s pupils dilated, her face pale, in disbelief: “How, how could this be…”
Roy’s heart sank but wasn’t overly surprised.
“So it’s you after all.”
“Leo! What the hell is going on?!” Charlotte glared at Leo, anxiously seeking answers.
Leo sighed with a hint of pity in his eyes as he looked at Charlotte: “I warned you not to trust him.”
“Roy Ainbrad is colluding with the 【Cult of the Evil Dragon】 to kidnap you, and look at you, you even walked right into it.”
“Liza and those loyal knights who sacrificed themselves to protect you, their deaths are on your head,” Leo said, his gaze cold as ghost flames, cruelly mocking her.
This bastard was quite skilled at turning the tables, truly worthy of being a prince.
At first hearing this, even Roy was almost convinced.
However, he felt no worry now, calm and composed.
His bond with Charlotte was no longer something a clever line could shake.
This reaction caused Leo to furrow his brow slightly.
After recovering from her initial shock, Charlotte lowered her gaze and said, “Stop joking.”
Leo was taken aback, about to explain, but was met with Charlotte’s angry retort: “Stop joking!”
“What benefit do you gain from framing Roy?!”
The red-haired princess stepped forward, flames of crimson erupting around her, an intimidating presence!
The knights all retreated in shock, none daring to advance recklessly!
If they truly harmed the princess, who could take responsibility for that?
Facing Charlotte’s question, Leo’s expression sank.
He had an ominous premonition when he learned that Charlotte was looking for Roy.
The plan from last night didn’t just not affect their relationship; how did it end up making them even closer?!
With tension rising, those cultists were no pushovers, and Leo allowed them to take action.
He hadn’t intended to reveal himself.
But one misstep after another.
Roy’s reaction was far from what a pampered young master would have; not only did he escape alone, but he also brought Charlotte with him!
Roy’s wariness wasn’t naive like his peers, as he saw through the knight’s trap with just a few words!
Most importantly, he didn’t know what Roy had poured into Charlotte’s ears, making his own royal sister trust him so much that his appearance was futile!
And his plan had already been seen through.
If previously Leo only thought about removing the “son of the 【Iron Blood】 Marquis” for the future rebellion, at this moment, he felt a genuine danger emanating from Roy!
If Roy inherited the Ainbrad family, he might become more troublesome than the 【Iron Blood】 Marquis, and he had to be removed as soon as possible!
Just then, Roy spoke, tearing down Leo’s last fig leaf.
“Your Highness, let me answer that for you.”
“Blocking me and Charlotte from getting close, using the girl in the green dress to sow discord, and colluding with the cult to set up this attack…”
Roy chuckled, looking at Leo’s pale face and revealing the darkest ambitions buried in his heart: “It seems you’re quite insecure about the throne.”
