Vol 3. Chapter 74: The Mysterious Black-Robed Man
At the center of Sky Dome stood a towering mountain, and halfway up that mountain, extending all the way to its summit, was the imperial palace of the Snow Night Empire.
As the opening time of the coronation ceremony drew closer, the roads leading to the imperial palace were opened as well. The citizens of Sky Dome who had passed the screening and were fortunate enough to obtain the right to participate immediately showed expressions of wild joy, excitedly streaming toward the imperial palace at the top of the mountain in an endless procession.
As for the citizens who had not obtained the right to participate, they could only remain regretfully at the foot of the mountain.
Even so, they did not lose their enthusiasm. At the foot of the mountain and throughout the city, they continued holding a series of celebrations filled with laughter and cheer.
With the influx of these ordinary citizens, the vast Dragon Dance Square at the front of the imperial palace, which was also the main venue for the coronation ceremony, immediately became packed with people. The cheers and shouts of the masses soared into the heavens. For ordinary citizens, they might never have an opportunity to step inside the imperial palace even once in their entire lives.
Yet now, not only were they fortunate enough to come here and see it for themselves, they could also witness the coronation of the new emperor and the beginning of a new era for the Snow Night Empire. How could the people possibly not be excited?
If the members of the Royal Knights had not been working hard to maintain order, these citizens, whose excitement had already reached its peak, might have charged straight onto the magnificent ceremonial platform in the middle of the square...
At the front of the crowd, in the positions closest to the ceremonial platform, sat delegations representing various countries and powerful factions. Although the ceremony had yet to begin, dozens of delegations had already taken their seats. As the representatives of these great powers entered and waves of invisible pressure spread outward, the boiling crowd quieted considerably.
After all, the terrifying auras emanating from these people exerted tremendous pressure on the ordinary citizens, preventing them from cheering as freely and unrestrainedly as before...
And entering alongside the delegations of the various great powers was our Miss Mengxi...
"Hu~"
Surrounded by a gentle silver-white glow, Miss Mengxi, dressed in platinum-colored robes resembling those of a nun, instantly flashed into the VIP seating area at the front beneath the dumbfounded gazes of countless people.
The appearance of the Child of Destiny caused both the noisy citizens nearby and the whispering envoys of the various factions to reveal astonished expressions as they stared intently at the incomparably beautiful silver-haired girl.
They marveled at the girl's dazzling figure beneath the sunlight.
Her sacred-looking attire, paired with Mengxi's goddess-like beauty and her naturally untouchable aura, instantly blossomed into an indescribably holy beauty. Together with the sunlight behind her, she seemed to transform into an exquisite painting.
Some people with weaker mental fortitude simply froze in place, unable to recover for a long time. As for those citizens who believed in the Asumos Church, as well as some of the faction representatives, the moment they saw Mengxi appear, they could not help but feel the urge to kneel and worship her...
Naturally, Miss Mengxi noticed the reactions of the people around her.
If Archbishop Nick had not requested that she use her appearance to attract as many new believers as possible within the Snow Night Empire, Mengxi really would have planned to come wearing a mask. Although wearing a mask on such an occasion would mean showing disrespect toward the Snow Night Empire's new emperor, considering the new emperor's character, Mengxi could absolutely have worn one without the slightest psychological burden.
"Sigh, this is a little annoying..."
Mengxi could not help muttering softly.
The gazes coming from every direction, filled with all kinds of complicated desires and thoughts, made Mengxi extremely uncomfortable.
However,
right now, Miss Mengxi had no intention of paying attention to such matters.
After entering Dragon Dance Square and arriving at the VIP seats, Mengxi immediately began searching for the seats belonging to the Black Rose Family, trying to find that familiar black-haired figure.
Find Sister Yumo and stay beside her! Make sure that bastard Xue Tianao doesn't get any crooked ideas during the coronation ceremony!
Of course,
the more important reason was that
they had not seen each other for half a day.
'I miss Sister Yumo so much~'
I want to hug Sister and rub against her~
I want to replenish some of Sister's energy~
Hm?
Peh, peh, peh! What am I thinking?!
Sure enough, ever since I read that book, I've been getting stranger and stranger...
Realizing that her thoughts had become somewhat peculiar, Mengxi hurriedly shook her head wildly, trying to calm herself down. After shaking her head, Mengxi pursed her lips with complicated feelings and attempted to steady her heart.
After all, when she met Sister Yumo later, she still needed to play the role of an obedient little sister. She absolutely could not accidentally...
reveal some strange thoughts.
That might scare Sister Yumo away~
After calming herself down, Mengxi ignored the countless gazes around her that were filled with various emotions. She slowly released the Holy Aura within her and, with those lively and beautiful pale-purple eyes, began searching through the VIP seats for the Black Rose Family and Sister Yumo's figure.
However,
although she found where the Black Rose Family was seated, Mengxi did not see the figure she had been longing for day and night.
For a moment, a lonely expression gradually surfaced on the silver-haired girl's face, and Miss Mengxi could not help biting her lip.
'Sister Yumo? She didn't come today? Is she still so angry about last night that she doesn't want to attend Xue Tianao's coronation ceremony at all?'
If that's the case,
why don't I leave too? This coronation ceremony isn't interesting anyway. It's nothing more than a boring formality.
Considering that Xue Tianao might inevitably come pester her during the coronation ceremony, Mengxi also began considering leaving. Departing from the venue and going to the Black Rose Family's residence to find Sister Yumo might be a pretty good choice.
As for the Asumos Church needing representatives present? Archbishop Nick and Sister Bai should be enough.
But,
'Speaking of which... who is he?'
Carefully looking at the group of imposing and extraordinary Black Rose Family members dressed entirely in black not far away, Mengxi narrowed her eyes slightly.
To be precise, Mengxi was not looking at those Black Rose Family knights, but at the unknown figure protected among them, silently drinking tea while leaning against his chair.
He seemed to be a man?
However, he wore a long black robe, and the hood concealed his face, preventing Mengxi from determining his identity.
Judging from the attitudes of the black-armored knights around him, however, that man's status within the Black Rose Family was undoubtedly extraordinary. It felt as though his position was comparable to Sister Yumo's.
More importantly, although the man was not releasing any power and Mengxi could not determine his actual strength, she could vaguely sense a trace of danger coming from him.
It was incomparably cold,
like facing a bottomless black abyss, causing Mengxi to immediately feel an invisible pressure.
'Just who exactly is this man?'
...
...
Meanwhile, there was another person who had similarly noticed the existence of this unknown man.
At this moment, a gray-haired, middle-aged man dressed in a dashing cloak and blue-and-white military uniform slowly walked toward the foot of the ceremonial platform.
The middle-aged man had an imposing physique and dignified features. His eyes gleamed like cold stars, while his thick brows looked as though they had been painted with ink. A long saber adorned with a red ribbon swayed behind him, giving him an overwhelmingly heroic and martial presence.
And this man was none other than the Grand General protecting the Snow Night Empire—Luokefei.
After arriving at Dragon Dance Square, the Grand General responsible for security and defensive preparations immediately focused his attention on the members of the Black Rose Family.
Just like Mengxi, his target was that black-haired girl.
However, his purpose was completely different from Mengxi's.
Last night,
his daughter Olivia had rushed into his room in tears and told him about the outrageous actions of the Black Rose Family's Young Lady...
...
After hearing his daughter's words, Luokefei had fallen into a rare silence.
After all, the Child of Destiny having one of his balls destroyed with a single kick was truly difficult to believe.
At the same time, it was also something extremely difficult to accept.
The emperor of an empire could not be a eunuch.
And for the sake of his daughter's happiness, her husband could not be incapable of performing that function either.
The Snow Night Empire and the Sadik Empire had already been on bad terms to begin with, and Luokefei himself disliked people from the Sadik Empire. The instant he received this news, the fury inside Luokefei burned uncontrollably.
Had Olivia not stopped him in time, and had he not needed to consider the important matter of the coronation, Luokefei might already have led the Royal Knights and Imperial Guards to arrest the members of the Black Rose Family last night on the charge of attempting to assassinate the emperor.
Although he had not acted,
Luokefei's gaze toward the Black Rose Family was already filled with hostility, and a chilling darkness filled his ice-blue eyes.
Furthermore,
according to Olivia, that Miss Yu of the Black Rose Family was practically overflowing with seductive charm. She had seduced and tempted His Majesty Xue Tianao so thoroughly that even after she had busted one of his balls, His Majesty had not immediately ordered anyone to deal with her.
Luokefei had agreed to help Xue Tianao overthrow the former emperor's rule.
On one hand, it was for the sake of the people's lives. After all, the former emperor truly had not been particularly capable, and under his rule, the Snow Night Empire's national strength had weakened with each passing day.
On the other hand,
it was because of his daughter's request.
As a father who doted excessively on his daughter, Luokefei had chosen to stand on Xue Tianao's side for the sake of his daughter's happiness, leading his troops in helping him defeat the imperial loyalists.
In any case, compared with the former emperor, choosing the more 'wise' Xue Tianao, who was also the Child of Destiny, seemed like a decision with no downside no matter how he looked at it.
Luokefei knew about Xue Tianao's feelings toward Mengxi.
Therefore, his ideal future was for Olivia to obtain the position of Imperial Consort.
However,
judging from Olivia's description last night, if His Majesty truly had his soul stolen by that woman, then perhaps his daughter would not even be able to keep the position of Imperial Consort...
At this thought,
Luokefei could not help clenching both fists. A chilling killing intent emerged around him, directly causing the soldiers near the Grand General to tremble uncontrollably.
Yu Black Rose, a woman from the Sadik Empire, had not only severely injured His Majesty, but was now threatening his daughter's position as well?!
This woman...
must die!
But,
the relationship between the Snow Night Empire and the Sadik Empire was already extremely tense. If he truly eliminated the Black Rose Family's Young Lady, it might cause an outright conflict with the Sadik Empire.
And those who would suffer in the end...
would still be the people.
'Sigh...'
Thinking of this, Luokefei could not help letting out a long sigh.