Chapter 98. The Fiancées Arrive, Preparations to Head to the Western Frontier
Over the next several days, the Kroll Kingdom, Kadiya Kingdom, and Dragon Kingdom settled every detail of the marriage alliance with astonishing efficiency, and the contract was signed before the Altar of the Gods.
When that faint, half-perceptible gaze descended upon the contract from across the void, William was shaken to the core.
He had always believed that “gods” were nothing more than legends of the continent. Only at this moment did he truly realize that those ancient faiths were no illusion.
With the contract set, the escort processions accompanying the three princesses soon arrived at the Royal Capital of Kroll.
The Sixth Princess and the Eleventh Princess of Dragon Kingdom arrived with an immense dowry procession.
The accompanying Knight Order alone numbered three thousand men, while gold, silver, jewels, grain, and military supplies filled two hundred wagons to the brim. There were even dozens of royal family members in the party that escorted them, and the display was grand indeed.
By comparison, the escort from Kadiya Kingdom looked especially shabby.
The First Princess, Selena, did not even have half a Knight Order guarding her side. Her dowry amounted to only a few dozen chests, and the one leading the escort was merely a distantly related prince.
The handover ceremony had barely ended when that prince left in a hurry with his attendants without saying a single word to Selena, as though staying even a moment longer would have been a burden.
Such a stark contrast sparked endless discussion among the people of the Royal Capital, yet no one noticed the fleeting calm in Selena’s eyes.
She understood very well that the fact she had managed to set foot on Kroll soil alive was already the result of repeated deliberation by Kadiya’s royal family.
As early as the time when several princesses met with one incident after another, Kadiya’s royal family had already wanted to execute her once and for all. The only reason they had not dared act was the safeguard Selena had prepared for herself: a Legendary Professional assassin.
Although Kadiya’s Legendary Powerhouses had attempted to capture that mysterious assassin, they failed time and again.
That assassin was a Professional, and the methods they used were strange and elusive. Even when surrounded by several Legendary Combatants, they could still withdraw with ease.
Though the matter was troublesome, no one dared disturb the Domain-level Ancestors over it.
Those old monsters had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs and devoted themselves to secluded cultivation. If they were disturbed by such a “minor matter” and chose to assign blame afterward, no one would be able to bear the consequences.
Left with no alternative, the royal family ultimately had no choice but to approach Selena again and propose a bargain.
They would allow her to go to the Kroll Kingdom for the marriage alliance. In exchange, that Legendary assassin would do one thing for the royal family, and the royal family would also promise never to implicate her maternal clan again.
Only after consulting that Elf assassin did Selena finally agree.
For reasons unknown, that Elf assassin had once been hunted by a giant dragon. By a stroke of fortune, Selena had saved the assassin’s life, and the assassin had remained by her side ever since to repay that debt.
At that moment, William looked calmly at the three princesses before him as Prince Kande said softly beside him, “Little William, everyone has been received. Let us head back.”
William nodded and led his people as they turned toward the royal palace.
After entering the palace, he personally led the carriages carrying the three princesses to the palaces that had already been prepared for them.
Prince Kande remained behind to deal with the accompanying knights and the dowry treasures, registering each item one by one.
Zoe followed behind William. Looking at the three carriages, each decorated in a different style, she could not help curling her lip in disdain. Clearly, she had little fondness for this marriage alliance steeped in calculation.
Before long, the three princesses were escorted into the three side palaces beside William’s own residence.
Once they had been settled in, William turned to leave. At that moment, Selena’s voice came from behind him.
“Your Highness the Fourth Prince.”
William stopped and turned to look at her.
Selena gave a slight bow, her tone calm yet carrying a trace of certainty.
“Please rest assured. I will behave myself and wait until you come of age.”
William’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he slowly spoke.
“I have long heard of what you are capable of.”
His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.
“As long as you behave yourself, you will get what you want.”
After saying that, he did not speak again and simply turned to leave.
Zoe and the young man in black robes immediately followed behind him, leaving Selena and the other two princesses standing before the palace gates, each wearing a different expression.
The Sixth Princess and Eleventh Princess of Dragon Kingdom exchanged a glance, and a trace of wariness flashed through their eyes. They feared Selena’s reputation, and at the same time, each secretly regarded the other as a rival.
As for Selena, she watched William’s departing back, and the calm in her eyes was gradually replaced by more complicated emotions.
Three days later, Kroll II officially issued a decree appointing the Fourth Prince, William, as commander-in-chief of the western campaign. He was to lead the Royal Ninth Legion to the Western Frontier, take command of all the legions stationed there, and launch a punitive campaign against the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom.
To the outside world, the Kroll Kingdom declared that the First Prince had already been brutally murdered by the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom and that this shame had to be avenged.
When the news spread, the First Prince in the Silver Oakleaf royal palace had wanted to come forward personally to explain the truth. A letter in his own hand was even sent out in an effort to prove that he was still alive.
But the Kroll Kingdom turned a deaf ear. Not only did they publicly destroy his letter, they also released a statement.
“This man is absolutely not the First Prince of our kingdom. He is nothing more than a puppet fabricated by Silver Oakleaf. The true First Prince of the Kroll Kingdom was long ago tortured to death in their prison.”
Though such a statement was overbearing, it directly silenced all voices of doubt.
After all, how could the Kroll Kingdom possibly fail to recognize its own First Prince? He was the son of the King of Kroll.
Odyssey V of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom was so furious that he smashed the vase beside his throne, yet there was nothing he could do.
The Kroll Kingdom had plainly decided to use “revenge” as its pretext for war. Even if the First Prince stood before them alive, they could still dismiss him with claims that he had been controlled or replaced by a puppet.
“A pack of shameless wretches.”
Odyssey V growled as he looked toward the Second Prince, Madelai.
“Send word to the Reinhardt Kingdom at once. They are to honor the alliance and dispatch a great army to reinforce the border.”
Madelai bowed and accepted the order, but inwardly he sneered.
Was the First Prince’s current plight not also the result of his own secret manipulation?
He simply had not expected the Kroll Kingdom to be so utterly ruthless that they would even use the life of their own flesh and blood as a political tool.
Meanwhile, in the Royal Capital of Kroll, William looked at the conclusion in the military report that the First Prince was dead, and not the slightest ripple appeared in his eyes.
He knew very well that this was nothing more than the pretext his royal father had found for war, a pretext that could both rouse the army’s morale and reduce opposition to the coming conflict.