Chapter 135: The Grand Prince’s Fiancée
After easily defeating Horn, Qin Chu had proven his strength. Wadsworth no longer arranged for guards to follow him around the Imperial City, but there were still many guards at the residence.
When they saw the Hero appear, they all stood up straight, but their curious gazes couldn’t help but fall on Karen. These two Heroes were both strange.
The First Hero would occasionally pick up some random people, and the Second Hero was the same, even stranger than the First. He had just brought back a giantess, and now he brought back another girl.
But this girl was filthy all over. Could she be a beggar from somewhere?
The guards’ scrutinizing and suspicious gazes frightened Karen. She had experienced such looks many times, filled with disdain, disgust, and rejection. She subconsciously wanted to get closer to Qin Chu, but she felt that she was too dirty and worried about soiling the Hero’s clothes. Her small body curled up into a ball.
Qin Chu glanced at Karen, then turned his gaze to the guards at the door, “Remember, from today onwards, Karen will be living here. I will be going out sometimes, and you must protect her. If anything happens to Karen, I will inform Wadsworth of your negligence.”
The guards originally looked down on Karen, but upon hearing these words, they immediately put away their contempt. If the Hero complained to His Majesty about their negligence, they wouldn’t be able to keep their heads.
“Alright, Karen, don’t be afraid.”
Qin Chu patted Karen’s small head, comforting her.
Karen peeked out from beside Qin Chu, nodding in a daze.
The luxurious residence before her shocked Karen greatly. In her memory, a so-called house was just a small, low, dark, and damp room with a bunk bed, where the whole family huddled together.
The houses were made of wood or adobe, and they would leak on rainy days. Cockroaches, other small insects, and rats were common sights in their home.
A sour, musty smell permeated the air.
But here, it was completely different.
The entire residence was exceptionally clean and tidy. The smooth stone slabs were polished to a shine, even reflecting her own figure. The spacious courtyard was decorated with rockeries, flowing water, and a garden.
The air wasn’t filled with a sour, decaying smell, but with the pleasant fragrance of flowers.
The tall attic was a magnificence that Karen couldn’t describe. In her small mind, there was only one impression: this place should be big enough for several thousand people to live in, right?
Karen had only one feeling: could she really live in this place? The magnificence here and her own ragged and dirty appearance were a stark contrast. She didn’t even dare to take a step, afraid of soiling the smooth stone slabs with her feet.
Karen knew that nobles and she were from two completely different worlds, but this was the first time she realized how exaggerated the gap could be.
In the courtyard, there was also a very beautiful older sister wearing a light, black and white dress, a very tall and equally beautiful older sister, and an older sister in red armor who looked a little scary…
Hearing the commotion at the door, the three of them walked over.
Angelica was at the front, practically jogging, but still maintaining the etiquette of a maid.
She was the only maid in this residence, and almost all matters, big or small, were handled by her personally.
“Master, you’re back,” Angelica bowed slightly and smiled sweetly, her gaze falling on Karen, “Who is this little sister?”
Karen was scared, but she was also sensitive. She could sense that there was no disgust or disdain in this beautiful older sister’s eyes, unlike the others.
This made Karen subconsciously develop a favorable impression of Angelica.
“Karen! She will also be living here from today onwards.”
“Angelica, take Karen to take a bath, and then prepare some food for her,” Qin Chu said, “Don’t prepare too much, just enough for her to be 80% full. Otherwise, her body won’t be able to handle it.”
Karen had been starving for too long.
If he gave her enough food, she would continue to eat desperately due to her ingrained hunger, until her stomach burst.
Angelica nodded obediently, not minding Karen’s dirtiness, and walked over to take her small hand, “Let’s go, Sister Karen, I’ll take you there.”
Although Karen liked Angelica, being separated from Qin Chu still made her a little scared. She looked at him pitifully, as if begging him to go with her.
Qin Chu could only touch his nose and apologize for this request. There were some things he really couldn’t do.
“Be good, go. Angelica is a good older sister, she won’t bully you,” Qin Chu patted Karen’s small head, comforting her.
Karen bit her lip and followed Angelica.
“Ekaterina, Violet…” Qin Chu looked at the other two, “I’m planning to leave the city tomorrow…”
“Leaving the city again right after returning? Will those old geezers agree?” Violet raised an eyebrow, showing no respect for Wadsworth, Augustus, and the others in her words.
Even Ekaterina looked at Violet in surprise. Her own temper was already bad enough, but this lady was even more exaggerated. Even she, the Crimson Valkyrie, had never directly addressed those people as “old geezers.”
“It’s okay, at worst, they’ll just arrange for experts to follow me. Besides, I’m not going far, just a few dozen kilometers, to find some real Demon Beasts to practice with.”
The easiest way to quickly increase his strength was still to absorb the power of Demon Beasts through the Devourer.
Qin Chu slightly regretted dealing with those thirteen assassins so easily just now. If he had used the Devourer, he should have been able to absorb a good amount of power, right? Of course, this regret only lasted for a brief moment. Qin Chu quickly stopped caring.
At least, he was in a good mood.
Money couldn’t buy happiness.
“If it’s just that, and with experts accompanying you, I think Wadsworth should agree,” Ekaterina said after thinking for a moment. After all, Qin Chu now had a certain level of combat power, and the restrictions on him weren’t as strict as before.
Qin Chu rested his chin on his hand, pondering, “Let me think. If the information I have is correct, there’s a Demon Beast nest called Conrad about 80 kilometers north of the Imperial City. It’s said that the depths of the cave are directly connected to the abyss. Although the Empire has sent troops to clear it many times, Demon Beasts still keep appearing.”
There were many Demon Beast nests in the Heavenly Continent.
These Demon Beast nests seemed to be directly connected to the abyss, with Demon Beasts constantly emerging from them. Each Demon Beast nest was a place that humans had to pay close attention to. Conrad was the closest one to the Imperial City. It was said to have been discovered by a knight named Conrad, and it was full of Demon Beasts that looked like furry worms.
“A Grand Mage from the army once used powerful magic to flatten the Demon Beast nest, but it was quickly dug through by the Demon Beasts again. I think that place is very suitable, perfect for honing my combat skills.”
Actually, it was a place with an endless supply of experience packs for him to devour.
“I’d better contact Wadsworth, Augustus, Saint Monique, and the others first… Otherwise, if I sneak out on my own, those old geezers will definitely nag me again.”
As he spoke, Qin Chu silently chanted Wadsworth’s name in his heart, picturing his appearance. To be honest, imagining this guy’s appearance wasn’t a pleasant thing.
But there was no helping it. It was like dialing a phone number on Earth. Chanting the other person’s name and imagining their appearance was a necessary step for Information Magic.
Although Wadsworth was a warrior, he was also a very low-level mage, only able to use low-level magic like small fireballs and Information Magic. This was something everyone in the Auville Empire knew.
Soon, Wadsworth’s voice came from Qin Chu’s ear. Qin Chu briefly explained his plan to him.
But before he could finish, he was rudely interrupted by Wadsworth, “Brother Qin, I say, you’re not really being provoked by my useless son, are you? Don’t take his words seriously, just treat them as farts…”
Well, Wadsworth’s way of speaking was really crude. Just from his speech, it was hard to imagine that this guy was the Emperor.
But it had to be said that this crude way of speaking, in a way, easily won people’s favor.
Qin Chu felt a headache and had to rub his forehead, explaining patiently. After a long time of persuasion, Wadsworth finally reluctantly agreed.
It was the same with Saint Monique and Augustus.
As for the fact that he could use Information Magic, Qin Chu didn’t care. After all, he had already met Athena, and he had Angelica by his side. Learning to use Information Magic wasn’t unimaginable.
Qin Chu wasted a lot of time persuading these three old geezers. When he finally finished, Karen, led by Angelica, also came out. She was wearing one of Angelica’s shirts, which was obviously too big for her. The hem of the shirt almost reached her knees, ill-fitting.
But Karen was very happy with the clothes on her body. The delicate fabric was something she had never worn before, and it felt very comfortable against her skin.
It must have been a very difficult task to clean Karen. Angelica’s face showed visible fatigue.
After being cleaned, Karen looked even smaller, her eyes deeply sunken, her malnourished body unable to fill out the clothes. Her light brown hair, even after being washed, looked like a bird’s nest, its quality clearly very poor.
She was also wearing comfortable shoes for the first time, although the shoes were also too big.
“I’ll go prepare some easily digestible food for her,” Angelica smiled gently and went to prepare Karen’s food.
During this time, Karen subconsciously huddled next to Qin Chu like a kitten, her small hand holding his, unwilling to let go.
The food Angelica prepared for Karen was porridge. Although there were more delicious foods in the residence, it was clearly not suitable for Karen right now. She needed something easily digestible.
Even though it was just plain porridge, Karen’s eyes still sparkled, and she devoured it without caring that it was hot.
It had been a long, long time since she had eaten a proper meal.
“Angelica, take Karen to get a haircut tomorrow, and buy her a few sets of fitting clothes,” Qin Chu glanced at Karen and instructed.
Angelica nodded.
“Also, I’m going out tomorrow and will be back in the evening.”
A look of reluctance appeared in the maid’s eyes.
But she obediently understood that her master had important things to do, and she wouldn’t be a burden to him. However, not being able to stay with her master still made Angelica feel a little lonely.
“So, can you come to my room tonight?”
Angelica’s eyes lit up.
And beside them, a flash of jealousy appeared in Ekaterina’s eyes.
…
Meanwhile, in the Grand Prince’s residence, a figure was pacing back and forth, anxiety clearly visible on his face.
“Why haven’t they returned yet? They should be back by now,” the man muttered continuously.
He had arranged for thirteen assassins to assassinate the Hero, and there was still no news. This made him feel irritated.
After all, that was the Hero. If the assassination attempt was exposed, he would definitely be sent to the guillotine.
None of those thirteen assassins could be left alive. After they returned, they all had to be executed.
As for the Grand Prince, whom Wadsworth had referred to as someone whose words could be treated as farts, he didn’t seem anxious at all. He sat quietly on the soft sofa, holding a newspaper in his hand. The news about Count Rupert’s wife having a tryst with her lover and being caught red-handed by the Count seemed to amuse Lance, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Seeing the figure pacing back and forth in front of him, Lance seemed a little impatient. He put down the newspaper. After the previous humiliation, everyone thought that Lance would definitely explode…
But in reality, Lance was much calmer than they had imagined.
Although he did smash some things, he quickly controlled his emotions. His behavior was even more composed and noble than before.
His aura became more elegant and charming.
“My dear Lord Lindberg, could you please sit down and rest for a while? Watching you pace back and forth in front of me makes my legs feel tired,” Lance said, spreading his hands helplessly.
The man named Lindberg looked at the relaxed Lance and felt a little speechless, “Your Highness, those people haven’t returned yet, what if…”
“What if they were killed by the Hero? What if the Hero knows that I’m the mastermind behind this?”
“Please, we’re all adults, let’s be mature,” Lance gently rubbed his forehead.
“Even if the Hero knows, so what?”
“The current Hero doesn’t have the ability to fall out with my father yet, so why should we care?”
After a pause, Lance continued, “I wasn’t really in favor of the assassination plan. It’s better for him to be alive, so I can personally break his neck…”
Only when he spoke of the Hero would Lance’s eyes be filled with uncontainable malice.
“For me now, the most troublesome thing isn’t that Hero Qin Chu, but my fiancée. Do you understand?”
Lance’s gaze was fixed on the wall beside him, where a portrait hung.
The portrait depicted a graceful and elegant lady, her icy blue hair cascading down her back, her eyes, as cold as ice, revealing tranquility and gentleness.
However, a dart was stuck in the portrait.
Lindberg frowned slightly, “The princess of the Ice Duchy, Anastasia!”
“That’s right, it’s that woman. She’s coming to the Imperial City. If nothing unexpected happens, she will pass through Conrad tomorrow morning and arrive at the Imperial City in the afternoon.”
“I hate this woman, just like I hate my mother!”
“My dear Lord Lindberg, do you understand what I mean?”
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