Chapter 144: Headshot
Shaye was very, very unhappy!
Anastasia was an exceptional woman. Shaye could sense that she possessed a talent no less than Candice’s. When Qin Chu was momentarily stunned by her, Shaye’s mood immediately soured.
Her lips bit Qin Chu’s ear, venting her dissatisfaction.
Unfortunately, Shaye’s lips were soft, and even if she really bit down, it wouldn’t hurt, even making Qin Chu feel quite comfortable… Of course, Qin Chu wouldn’t be foolish enough to say that he was completely fine. Instead, he pretended to grimace in pain. Otherwise, if he really angered Shaye, a bite from her silver teeth wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.
Ekaterina and Violet were also ready.
They had also received invitations… After all, one was the Crimson Valkyrie, and the other was nominally Wadsworth’s cousin. Both were exceptionally powerful experts, and no one dared to ignore them.
Ekaterina changed into a fiery red dress, as enchanting as a blooming crimson rose. Violet wore a blue-gray dress, probably conjured by her own magic.
Although her attire was simple, her natural beauty still shone through.
Qin Chu took the opportunity to stand up, temporarily escaping from the grumbling Shaye, “It seems everyone is ready. We should probably set off.”
The vines in the residence’s garden were neatly trimmed, and under the moonlight, the pond below the rockery reflected bits of starlight. Four figures in armor stood quietly in the courtyard, their long shadows stretching across the ground.
They were Anastasia’s four guards.
When they saw their princess, the four guards’ eyes brightened with pride. Their princess was so outstanding, so beautiful.
Like the brightest star in the sky!
The four guards took a deep breath, then walked up to Qin Chu and knelt on one knee almost simultaneously, “Hero, our princess… We entrust her to you.”
They were just guards, not qualified to attend the banquet, not even qualified to get close.
In this empire filled with arrogance and decay, after experiencing the assassination attempt and the humiliation and mockery at the city gate, they couldn’t trust anyone in the empire except Qin Chu, the Hero.
Unable to attend the banquet, they could only ask Qin Chu to take care of their princess and not let her be wronged.
Knights protecting a flower.
This was originally the job of Grand Prince Lance, her fiancé, but now they could only ask another man. It was truly ironic.
Their loyalty and concern moved Anastasia.
Qin Chu smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to take care of Princess Anastasia.”
After Qin Chu agreed, the four guards finally felt slightly relieved.
A luxurious carriage was already waiting at the door. For nobles, even family members would take separate carriages to attend such important banquets. Otherwise, it would make people think they were poor and couldn’t even afford to hire carriages.
But Qin Chu didn’t care about that. One carriage was enough for four people… If he didn’t want to appear too unconventional, Qin Chu would even prefer to walk slowly, just to relax…
There were so many rules in high society that it was suffocating. But for nobles, they meticulously adhered to this so-called etiquette, because it was a way to show off their status, position, and wealth.
This was a banquet held to welcome the princess consort, and it was almost equivalent to publicly declaring that Grand Prince Lance was the next emperor. It held a completely different meaning from ordinary banquets.
Even Wadsworth wouldn’t neglect it, and many important figures would attend. Ordinary nobles could be greeted by servants, but some special and important figures had to be greeted by the Grand Prince personally, or even by Wadsworth himself. Otherwise, it would make them feel disrespected.
Most of the nobles had already arrived, but Princess Anastasia hadn’t appeared yet, which made Wadsworth a little anxious.
A mocking smile appeared on Lance’s face. That woman should be busy dressing up, right? Or maybe she was already ready and rushing here?
Thinking of Anastasia rushing to the banquet in her torn dress, Lance couldn’t help but want to laugh. This stupid woman didn’t even know her place. She still wanted to be the princess consort?
Was she even qualified?
No one was allowed to disturb him and Loseweisse, no one.
Come to think of it, he didn’t seem to have told Anastasia where the banquet was being held. Could that stupid woman not even find the place?
Lance became happier and happier.
At this moment, with the sound of horse hooves, a carriage appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall. The luxurious carriage symbolized a noble status. The coachman lifted the curtain, and a figure emerged from inside. It was the Hero.
The anxiety on Wadsworth’s face instantly dissipated, replaced by a hearty smile. He glared at his useless son, then quickly walked towards Qin Chu.
No matter how unhappy the Grand Prince was, he could only suppress it and follow behind his father.
But before they could reach the carriage, Qin Chu suddenly extended an arm in front of it. Then, a small hand, covered in a red silk glove, rested on Qin Chu’s shoulder. A fiery red rose bloomed in the moonlight. It was Ekaterina, the Crimson Valkyrie.
Then came Violet, Wadsworth’s so-called cousin.
It wasn’t strange for these two to appear with Qin Chu, after all, they all lived in his residence… But what surprised Wadsworth and the Grand Prince was that after these two got off the carriage, Qin Chu didn’t leave, still maintaining his gentlemanly posture.
This made Wadsworth and the Grand Prince frown. Was there anyone else?
Could it be Angelica?
Although the Hero doted on Angelica very much, she was just a maid and wasn’t qualified to attend such a banquet.
Soon, they saw a slender arm, covered in a white lace glove, gently resting on Qin Chu’s arm. Even through the silk fabric, they could feel the delicate, snow-like skin beneath it.
A figure in pure white emerged from the carriage.
A fitting dress accentuated her graceful figure, pure yet charming, seductive but not revealing.
Everyone’s gaze was drawn to this beautiful figure. The moment she appeared, she was destined to be the most dazzling flower at the banquet.
However, Wadsworth and the Grand Prince’s faces instantly darkened.
Because they recognized this figure in white.
It was Anastasia.
It was the Grand Prince’s fiancée.
It was the future princess consort, the future queen.
Why did Anastasia appear with Qin Chu?
Instantly, some of the nobles who saw this scene couldn’t help but whisper, after all, putting aside other aspects, the Hero’s reputation in terms of relationships with women had always been criticized.
The Grand Prince’s face instantly became extremely malicious. That damned bastard Qin Chu was humiliating him in public again.
His eyes were spitting fire, as if he wanted to rush up and burn Qin Chu to ashes.
And that shameless woman Anastasia, didn’t she know her place? As his fiancée, right before their wedding, she was actually with another man. Where did that leave his face as her fiancé?
What kind of behavior was this?
Originally, the Grand Prince wanted to humiliate Anastasia, so that she would leave on her own and not interfere with his relationship with Loseweisse. But he didn’t expect that before he could humiliate her, he was the one who lost face.
His teeth gnashed together, and his body trembled violently.
Wadsworth was still composed. Although he was also filled with anger, he could control it. Taking a deep breath, his face quickly returned to normal, and he greeted them with a hearty laugh, “Brother Qin, you’re finally here. I thought you wouldn’t give me face and wouldn’t attend my son’s fiancée’s banquet…”
“How could that be…” Qin Chu also chuckled, “I can disrespect anyone, but not you, brother.”
“Brother, for your sake, I’ve put in a lot of effort,” Qin Chu patted Wadsworth’s shoulder lightly and said meaningfully.
These words made Wadsworth’s eyes narrow slightly, but he knew this wasn’t the time to talk. He gave the Grand Prince behind him a look, and Lance, suppressing his urge to explode, came over to greet Anastasia.
With the arrival of Qin Chu and Anastasia, the banquet finally began.
Accompanied by classical and elegant music that Qin Chu couldn’t appreciate at all, people mingled, enjoying the wine and pastries.
For these nobles, the banquet was a good opportunity to build their network. They gathered in small groups, whispering to each other. Lance also took Anastasia to greet one noble after another.
As for Qin Chu, he was pulled aside by Wadsworth.
“Brother Qin, what’s going on? Why did you appear with my future daughter-in-law? You didn’t do anything to Anastasia, did you?” Wadsworth asked with vigilance.
This could almost be considered a royal scandal.
“How could that be? Am I that kind of person?” Qin Chu said indignantly.
“Aren’t you?” Wadsworth retorted without giving him any face.
Qin Chu sighed helplessly. He took a sip of his wine and then slowly said, “Brother, I took in Anastasia out of consideration for you, sacrificing my own reputation. Don’t wrong a good person.”
“Princess Anastasia was attacked by assassins when she passed by the Conrad Demon Beast Nest. Morton should have already told you about this, right?”
Wadsworth nodded. He naturally knew about it, and he even knew who those assassins belonged to… Damn it, they wanted to blow up the Demon Beast nest and blame Anastasia’s death on the Demon Beasts, but they didn’t expect to blow up the Hero as well, and even kill dozens of elite members of the Royal Knights. It was a considerable loss.
“Then do you know how Miss Anastasia was treated when she arrived in the Imperial City, weary from her journey?”
“Because of the assassination attempt, Miss Anastasia looked a little disheveled, and she was mocked by the nobles at the city gate because of this. Lance just watched his fiancée being humiliated and did nothing…”
Wadsworth frowned and didn’t say anything.
“He didn’t even shake hands or hug Anastasia. He just told her about her accommodation at Sunset Manor and left.”
“Do you know what kind of place Sunset Manor is? It’s a cheap inn in the commoner district, with over thirty rooms on each floor, sharing a common toilet… Your Majesty, is this how you treat a princess from another country?”
Wadsworth’s breathing became rapid, and his face darkened. He really didn’t know about these things. To humiliate a princess from another country to this extent, even Wadsworth felt it was too much.
That idiot Lance…
Moreover, this was different from the information he had received… Wadsworth’s gaze turned dangerous. Some of his informants seemed to have been infiltrated by his son.
“Your Majesty, do you want your future daughter-in-law to live in such a filthy place, sharing a toilet with dozens of commoners…”
“And the assassination attempt might not end so easily, so I could only temporarily take Anastasia in at my residence… What else could I do? Send her to the Holy See or the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess?”
Wadsworth took a deep breath. Fortunately, Qin Chu didn’t send Anastasia to the Church.
The Emperor’s daughter-in-law seeking refuge with the Church, that would be a complete loss of face for the royal family.
“So, I could only bring Anastasia to my residence. Otherwise, if the princess of the Ice Duchy died in a cheap inn because of the Grand Prince’s negligence, what do you think would happen if word of this reached the Ice Duchy?”
Wadsworth’s face was grim, and he glanced at Lance in the distance, his dislike for his son growing stronger and stronger. The idea of changing his heir became more and more prominent in his mind.
If the empire was handed over to such an impulsive and reckless descendant, its destruction could be foreseen.
The banquet went on for a while. Lance had finished greeting the nobles with Anastasia. Because of her upbringing, Anastasia behaved gracefully and appropriately, not losing her composure in front of anyone. After that, Lance left Anastasia and went to drink with a group of noble ladies.
This made Anastasia feel aggrieved, but she was intelligent. She knew the Grand Prince’s dislike for her was partly because of Loseweisse and partly because of Qin Chu.
She hadn’t been able to avoid suspicion, but she had no other choice.
Anastasia felt that a thick layer of misunderstanding stood between her and the Grand Prince…
But her personality also had the boldness characteristic of women from the Ice Duchy.
Misunderstandings could be resolved.
She took a breath and walked gracefully towards Lance, “Your Highness Lance, I have something to say to you. Could you please come with me over there…?”
Lance was impatient and frowned, pretending not to hear her.
The beautiful ladies around Lance looked at him with suspicion, then the corners of their lips curled up into mocking smiles. They glanced at Anastasia triumphantly, then surrounded Lance even more enthusiastically, their revealing dresses showcasing their ample skin, a typical display of imperial fashion.
What made Anastasia even more upset was that Lance’s hand had even started to slide down a lady’s waist.
Her body trembled slightly, but she still endured it, “Your Highness Lance, it’s about the Hero. I just want to tell you that there’s nothing between Qin Chu and me…”
The Hero, Qin Chu?
Why did she have to hear that disgusting name again?
The anger that had been accumulating in his chest for too long finally exploded when he heard the words “Hero” and “Qin Chu.” Lance’s face instantly became extremely distorted.
Slap…
The next second, a crisp sound echoed through the banquet hall.
Silence spread.
All eyes subconsciously turned towards the source of the sound. They saw Lance glaring at his fiancée, the princess of the Ice Duchy, his twisted face like that of a beast.
That ferocious and cruel aura even made the noble ladies who were originally surrounding Lance feel a little scared, and they subconsciously backed away.
Anastasia stood there motionless, one hand gently touching her face. She could feel her cheek burning, a stinging pain…
Lance had hit her hard.
She couldn’t put her hand down, it would let others see her swollen cheek.
Her icy blue eyes stared at her future husband with disbelief, her body trembling slightly.
Hiss…
Wadsworth’s vision went black, and he almost fainted.
That idiot Lance.
He was making him lose all face in this public setting. Seeing that Lance seemed to want to hit her again, Wadsworth wanted to rush up and beat this good-for-nothing son, but… he couldn’t.
There were already many rumors outside about discord within the royal family.
Many of his sons had already started to have their own agendas, and many nobles were restless.
Just reprimanding his son was fine, but he was worried that Lance’s defiance would completely enrage him. Once the internal conflicts within the royal family were completely exposed, it might even cause unrest throughout the empire.
Qin Chu’s expression was also extremely gloomy. He could feel the rage building up inside Anthea, almost to the point of explosion.
He drained his wine glass:
“Brother, you can’t do it, let me help you… But I might be a bit rough.”
“It’s okay, just leave him alive,” Wadsworth said in a hoarse voice. At this moment, he had completely removed Lance from the list of heirs in his heart.
Anastasia didn’t cry. She just silently looked at the Grand Prince, her eyelids lowered slightly. She didn’t know how she felt, perhaps colder than the Ice Duchy.
She was almost frozen.
“Your Highness Lance… Please allow me to finish…”
“Shut up… Shameless thing…” Lance growled in a low voice, raising his right hand again.
Just as his arm fell, about to hit Anastasia on the other cheek, his wrist was suddenly grabbed with a snap. He turned his fierce, wolf-like eyes to the side and saw that it was Qin Chu who had stopped him.
“Lance, stop hitting her…”
Lance smiled sinisterly, his lips curled up like a madman as he looked at Anastasia, “Shameless thing, look, your lover has come to save you. Are you touched…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Qin Chu suddenly exploded, grabbing a bottle of red wine from a nearby shelf and swinging it with his right hand.
Crack!
The thick, hard wine bottle exploded on Lance’s forehead!
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