Chapter 100: New Trouble

“I heard you were exceptionally heroic during yesterday’s incident… Lord Viscount Connalyvis. I truly feel sorry for your enemies.” The young princess smiled as she took her seat, though somewhat against etiquette, she did not sit below her elder brother, but directly beside her fiancé.

The young man habitually touched his nose, but this action could not hide the awkward expression on his face. Anyone could see that Her Highness the Princess was not praising him at all. During the assassination attempt, he had indeed performed quite well. Before switching places with the prince, he had also rescued the princess from the encirclement of three attackers. One could say he was the hero who caused the entire assassination plan to fail. However, if she was referring to the events of that assassination attempt, the two parties involved certainly did not need to use the word “heard”… Therefore, she was obviously referring to last night’s… incident.

“There’s no need to put on such an aloof expression, you know. I was also protected by you during this incident. I remember an Eastern saying: if you receive a drop of water as a kindness, you should repay it with the entire water of Lake Baikal.” The smile on the princess’s face grew even sweeter. Anyone seeing her appearance at this moment would believe she was a polite, elegant, and dignified princess. They might even be conquered and captivated by the noble aura she displayed.

However, Constantine’s pupils contracted because the hand she had hidden under the table had unexpectedly attacked his leg. It touched and left in an instant, but the pain was enough for Constantine to determine that a blue-black bruise had definitely appeared on his body. Her Highness the Princess now clearly understood that she was no match for this fiancé on the open battlefield, so she wisely adopted a more practical method.

At the other end of the long table, two nobles, one old and one young, wore identical smiles. Although it looked like a helpless expression, Constantine was sure the glee in their eyes was absolutely that of someone watching a good show, taking pleasure in his misfortune.

Constantine once again cursed the demon who had taken a fancy to him in his heart. No matter which world, no matter which era, no matter what cultural system… certain traits of women… this species were innate and would never change. Then the young man made countless resolutions in his heart: if he got the chance, he would definitely… do that to that girl first, then kill her, then do it again, then kill her again… But for now, it seemed he could only think about it in his heart.

So the young man could only force himself to calm down and focus on dealing with the breakfast before him, as if the simple bread and cheese contained the supreme deliciousness bestowed by the Three Gods of Light. However, he still had to spare one hand to subtly block the attacks coming from under the table… and this was clearly not very effective. Sharp, stabbing pains kept coming from the most tender spots, making him miserable.

Fortunately, this torment finally ended when the prince spoke. Although that was after the time of two hourglass markings.

“Your Highnesses, Lord Viscount Connalyvis… Please forgive me for bringing up this topic again. I deeply regret that such an unpleasant incident occurred during this hunting trip…” The old prince picked up his napkin, elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth, stood up, and spoke in a grave tone: “I wish to petition His Majesty to reduce the Oriel family’s fief in the province of Maulti, and return it to His Majesty, as compensation for the problems caused by my inadequate security measures this time…”

“Your Highness, you are too serious. Although I do not know the true situation regarding this incident, I can also affirm that you had nothing to do with it…” The prince seemed startled by the prince’s sudden move. He quickly stood up, stopping the old man from continuing this topic: “As a member of the royal family, I have witnessed similar attacks many times before, but none have ever been on such a scale as this one. Therefore, this is not your fault…”

Constantine frowned. He had no interest in these mutual declarations of loyalty between monarch and subject, but the prince’s next words piqued his interest a little: “My people have carefully investigated those assassins. Although no survivors were left from this incident, some clues have been found among the equipment they left behind… The magic marks on those heavy crossbows were erased by some method, but not very cleanly, leaving behind some remnants.”

“So, elder brother, you already know who exactly planned this operation? Tell me, I must make those who dared to attack me pay the price!”

Whether intentional or not? The prince said a little too much, so Princess Reya’s attention was immediately drawn over. The little princess, proud of her sword skills, gritted her teeth, temporarily forgetting to torment her fiancé. At this moment, the old prince also spoke: “Your Highness, if you permit, I hope the warriors of the Oriel family can also participate in the pursuit of these murderers… to strive for a chance to redeem our lost honor.”

“This… although it is quite impolite to say so, I think this incident will likely require the great assistance of Lord Connalyvis… no, the Connallyvis Family…” The Crown Prince now showed a troubled expression, turning his gaze to Constantine.

“Your Highness.” This expression gave Constantine a not-so-good premonition, but he still bowed respectfully and replied: “As a subject, it is only natural to serve the Empire.”

“It’s like this. Among the heavy crossbows used by this group of assassins, there were… several. The residual magic marks on them appear… somewhat similar to the marks of the Connallyvis Family. Therefore, if possible, we hope Lord Connalyvis can assist in investigating the flow of these weapons… Also, regarding those barbarians, among the Empire’s many families, your family is the most familiar with these beings.” After a pause, Prince Geraldine spoke, his deliberately casual tone faltering a few times. However, the changed wording could not hide the impact of this news on Constantine!

Heavy crossbows were strictly controlled military weapons by the state. The nobles who could possess them were few. In fact, even the Oriel family, responsible for the nation’s weapon forging, did not have permission to make such weapons. But the Connallyvis Family was definitely one of the families in the Empire that owned the most of these weapons!

Of course, one or two heavy crossbows did not prove much. Heavy crossbows with erased magic marks were always favorites of smugglers and assassins. Although the Empire adopted strict laws to prevent this, the several-fold profits still attracted some criminals. And it was also a very common occurrence for ill-intentioned villains to steal heavy crossbows bearing a certain family’s magic mark and use them for shady operations.

But combined with the earlier issue of the barbarians, these matters became much more serious.

Constantine understood the other’s meaning clearly. To plan this assassination attempt, at least three conditions were needed… First, the ability to find enough barbarian warriors and a spellcaster who was not a mage. Second, the ability to easily produce dozens of heavy crossbows. Third, possession of detailed intelligence about this operation. And also the ability to place disguised assassins into the action team. This required at least the political influence of a major family. And especially if they had their own specialized similar organization, it would undoubtedly be even easier.

We must admit, the conditions needed by the mastermind behind this plot were actually simple and clear, they could be summarized in just three sentences. However, satisfying all three simultaneously was not an easy task. It required a great deal of manpower, material resources, financial power, and a special family status. Undoubtedly, within the Phoenix Empire, the families that could most easily meet these conditions could be counted on one hand… Well, to put it simply, in reality, only one was most suitable.

Now these fragmented issues seemed to point to an answer. But Constantine did not believe this answer was correct.

What was revealed here was simply too much, too obvious. Anyone with a bit of brains should be able to guess the problem. Heavy crossbows could be forged or bought. Barbarians could be selected from slaves transported from the Empire’s Western Frontier inland, or hired from some foreign mercenary groups. As for having detailed knowledge of the Crown Prince’s movements, including who was around him, and even being able to insert a few assassins, there were even more groups with such influence.

And most importantly, if it was the Connallyvis Family that planned all this, there was no suitable motive.

Merely killing an Empire’s Crown Prince, besides causing some turmoil, held no meaning at all. Given that Emperor’s skill, probably within a few days, the ripples from this event would be smoothed over. Apart from bringing about further hostility between the two families, it would have no substantive impact on the situation.

Understanding was one thing, but Constantine also knew there was no need to argue now… At this level, all empires adopted the method Constantine remembered from his past life’s internet supervision, the so-called presumption of guilt (if you cannot prove innocence, you are guilty). Even though he had indeed rescued the two main assassination targets and was also one of the parties involved in this incident, this obviously could not completely clear the Connallyvis Family of the suspicion it bore from this event.

Empty words were useless. To clear suspicion, one must find solid evidence.

Of course, there was still some positive direction in these words. At least revealing this news to him could be considered a bit of compensation from His Highness for saving his life—although it might not be of much use, it still showed an attitude. This prince still held him in high regard.

“Regretfully, my hope of hosting a grand hunting party has come to nothing. Your Highnesses, Lord Connalyvis, I have summoned a team of loyal and brave knights from Hayton. They will escort you back to a safe place. Of course, if needed, I can also contact the mages from the Mage Tower and ask them to escort you back…” At this point, all matters that could be discussed were apparently concluded. The prince announced with some regret.

…

“Your Highness, do you truly believe this incident was plotted by the Connallyvis Family?” Watching the servants lead Constantine out of the dining hall, Prince Oriel suddenly spoke in a low voice, inquiring of the Crown Prince.

“My dear grand-uncle, if someone told me this was planned by His Grace Duke Connalyvis… then I would have every reason to believe that poor fellow was mad.” The prince answered with a cold laugh. “Why launch the attack here? Why weren’t we attacked by some extremely skilled assassin, but rather by a whole mercenary group making such a big show? Since it’s an assassination, it should be as certain as possible. I know there are many methods. A poison laced with a curse, an arrow from the shadows, are enough to take a person’s life. Since they had such detailed knowledge of our movements, why use a band of mercenaries to add uncertainty to the entire operation?”

“This operation appeared swift, precise, and bold, and almost completely successful. But actually, it should be said this was a mistaken murder at a wrong time, in a wrong place. All of this is completely illogical!” After throwing out a series of ‘whys’, the prince paused, then smiled: “If it were me, to kill someone, I would use the most bizarre method to let the target die in their sleep. This method would leave no trace. And sending an army as if to dismantle the target’s house is simply ridiculous… You tear down half the house, but the person you want to kill gets away, and in the end, your own force gets completely buried by the reinforcements rushing in. What’s the point?”

“The result of the assassination itself should be only one part of the objective. Another part lies in the impact of this event.” The old man’s lips curled into a smile. He gently stroked the cane in his hand, his fingers moving as if playing a lute: “According to His Majesty’s nature, he would thoroughly investigate such a matter that bullies his own family. Then the problems arising from it would likely cause some huge upheavals.”

“However, I do not wish for this incident to have too great an impact. At least, it should not affect him.” The expression of the Phoenix Crown Prince suddenly turned serious.

…

The carriage moved forward on the bumpy road. Constantine slightly narrowed his eyes. His blurred gaze did not seem to focus on one place… somewhat like admiring the scenery along the way, and also seeming to circle around the elf sitting opposite.

The environment did not seem much different from before coming to Oriel Manor. But after experiencing those events, the state of mind of the two was clearly quite different. Even though the duke’s daughter was now obediently sitting with his second brother in another carriage, the relationship between the two still remained at a freezing point—to be precise, it was the Blood Elf lady maintaining that fully armed posture unilaterally.

She had now changed into a brand new dress. The well-fitted cut accentuated her graceful figure even more. But flashes of cold light could be seen everywhere on the beautiful garment. Her icy face was like a rose with metal thorns.

“Still resenting me, right?” Constantine suddenly chuckled and spoke.

“A noble pig like you, the things you can think of are just those few. This lady has long been prepared… It’s nothing great! I’m used to it!” The elf responded coldly. But the last half of her sentence carried a faint trace of a sob. She herself did not notice.

“Really? Judging from those cries, I thought it was someone’s first time? It seems I don’t need to feel any pity at all.” Looking at that reddened face filled with shame and anger, Constantine whispered coldly in a voice just loud enough for the other to hear.

Then he suddenly raised his head and spoke teasingly: “Leaving aside skills in bed, what I’m more curious about is that your performance in certain aspects still seems rather inexperienced…”

“You bastard!”

The elf’s fierce expression instantly turned somewhat awkward. The boast she had made was now irretrievable. Nirwen could only blush fiercely, biting her lip hard. Then, the next moment, she suddenly lunged at him! She pressed her lips fiercely against the young man’s!

Actually, it was less like a kiss and more like a bite!

The elf clawed at the young man’s neck, looking as if she wanted to strangle him… But Constantine’s response was gentle. After a tender suck, he used his tongue to gently part. With his tongue pushing against her teeth, he entwined with her somewhat hesitant fragrant tongue, making the elf involuntarily emit soft moans. This was a deep kiss so long both almost ran out of breath. The young man’s mind gradually began to go numb, his hand naturally reaching for the elf’s soft parts. The elf’s slender body trembled slightly, but in the end, she did not resist again. And on Constantine’s side, although this was not the first time, perhaps influenced by the environment somehow, the young man’s fingers trembled slightly. He applied a little pressure, feeling the slightly firm texture under his fingertips.