Aeldara's casual greeting, "We meet again," struck like an invisible ice wall, instantly silencing the cacophony at the city gate.
The color drained from Prince Alex's face, inch by inch, spreading from his earlobes down his neck until his skin turned a deathly, greenish-white.
The azure light in his eyes abruptly collapsed, leaving only raw terror.
I'm done for!
She's definitely here to arrest me!
Father King's harebrained peace plan hasn't even materialized yet, and I'm about to become the Human Kingdom's first captured prince?
No!
I can't be caught!
I am the Prince of the Human Kingdom!
A torrent of desperate thoughts exploded in his mind, a bone-chilling sensation instantly flooding his limbs. His body stiffened, completely out of his control.
Aww, look at our little Prince's face! He's so scared his soul almost flew out!
Lin Qingyue watched the scene unfold with amusement, her internal snarky commentary already flooding her mental screen.
Is that all? Such a weak constitution!
With such little courage, you dared to steal the Queen's black history album? Did Ms. Liang give you the guts?
To be fair, Commander Aeldara's entrance was truly imposing.
Without uttering a word, her mere presence felt like the arrival of a final BOSS. Even I'd be shaking in my boots.
City Lord Carlos's wrinkled old face instantly tightened into a sheet of sun-dried leather.
He glanced at Alex, whose face was ashen as death, then at Aeldara, her expression impassive and her body radiating a chilling aura. A foreboding premonition surged through his mind.
Having lived for decades and seen countless people, he recognized the Third Prince's cowering demeanor—like a mouse cornered by a cat—as evidence of a colossal blunder.
"Commander Aeldara," Carlos stepped forward, subtly positioning himself between Aeldara and Alex. His tone remained respectful, yet carried an undercurrent of caution.
"His Highness the Prince was merely passing through. I wasn't aware you... were acquainted with him?"
Aeldara didn't even spare the old City Lord a glance. Her gaze pierced straight over Carlos's shoulder, locking onto the cowering figure behind him with unwavering intensity.
Under the piercing gaze of those crimson eyes, Alex felt like a lamb caught in the coils of a giant python, every inch of his skin screaming in terror.
The sheer terror overwhelmed his last shred of reason.
Alex's voice suddenly shot up, distorted into a piercing shriek:
"What... what do you want?! This is the territory of the Human Kingdom! I am a prince! If you dare lay a hand on me, it will be an act of war against our kingdom!"
As he shrieked, Alex instinctively cowered backward, desperately seeking refuge behind the Royal Guards whose palms were sweating as profusely as his own.
His words immediately stirred the surrounding human soldiers and officers into a frenzy, their hands instinctively tightening around their weapons.
The hostility that had just begun to recede now surged back with renewed force.
They might be grateful for the Elves' assistance, but they would never tolerate an outsider threatening their prince on their own soil.
In an instant, the fragile alliance that had just been forged had plummeted to freezing point.
Lin Xiyue frowned, leaning close to her sister to whisper, "Sis, is this guy out of his mind?"
"The Commander didn't even say a word, and he just blew up like that! Isn't he practically announcing that he's hiding something?"
"Shh," Lin Qingyue hissed, making a silencing gesture. Her eyes, however, shone with an unsettling brightness, like a weasel who'd just sniffed out a juicy scandal.
"Don't speak. The real show's just getting started. The more this Prince jumps around now, the more spectacular the spectacle will be later."
Aeldara remained utterly unfazed by Alex's tirade, completely ignoring the sudden tension that gripped the surrounding human soldiers. She simply gazed at him calmly, as if appreciating a clumsy performance by a jester on a stage.
Only when Alex had shouted himself breathless did she finally speak again. Her voice, though soft, cut through the entire gate area with crystalline clarity, silencing all the surrounding clamor.
"I have some questions I wish to ask Your Highness," she said, her tone as casual as if she were asking for directions. Yet, combined with the deathly chill radiating from her Obsidian Heavy Armor, each word fell on Alex's ears with the weight of Judgment.
"I... I have nothing to say to you!" Alex stammered, his neck stiffening in stubborn defiance.
"Is that so?"
A barely perceptible upward twitch curled the corners of Aeldara's lips—not a smile, but a harbinger of frost coalescing.
"This concerns the magical tomes belonging to Her Majesty the Elf Queen. Your Highness, are you certain you have nothing to say?"
The Elf Queen!
Magical tomes!
These words, spoken with the weight of a thousand pounds, sent a shockwave through the minds of everyone present.
Not only Alex, but even Old City Lord Carlos's expression changed drastically.
He whipped his head around, his gaze piercing Alex with a mix of shock and accusation.
Could this Prince actually have dared to steal the Elven Race's core secrets?
This isn't just a matter of trouble... this is an act of war!
The last trace of color drained from Alex's face.
Just as I thought! This woman came here specifically to capture me!
Jackpot! The Commander just dropped the motherlode right from the start! Lin Qingyue mentally cheered for Aeldara.
She's nailed the gravity of the situation, leaving this brat nowhere to weasel his way out. Stealing royal secrets! His princely status has now become his heaviest chain.
"Since Your Highness believes there's nothing to discuss," Aeldara's gaze slowly swept over the growing crowd.
Curiosity, suspicion, and confusion in their eyes coalesced into palpable pressure, layering itself upon Alex like crushing weights.
"Then we'll address this here."
She paused, offering him one last chance.
"Or, we could find a quieter place to talk privately."
"Your Highness, the choice is yours."
Alex's gaze darted frantically away from Aeldara's face, instinctively seeking a lifeline.
He looked at Old City Lord Carlos, who stood before him, his hand gripping the sword hilt so tightly that his knuckles were white.
Behind him, the exhausted but loyal soldiers still raised their weapons after the bloody battle.
Loyal, brave.
But... weak.
His gaze involuntarily drifted back to Aeldara.
Her Obsidian Heavy Armor seemed to devour light, and the chilling aura of death that surrounded her made his teeth chatter.
He recalled the scene he had witnessed on the city walls—the Black Armored Knight Order had cleaved through the Undead Army like a hot knife through butter, and this woman, with a single sword strike, had leveled the undead's command center to rubble.
Could City Lord Carlos protect him?
The answer was no.
Resisting would only result in Aeldara cutting him down on the spot. The human soldiers couldn't stop her, and they certainly wouldn't dare try.
His threat to "declare war on the Human Kingdom" sounded as hollow as a joke in the face of such overwhelming power.
The instinct for survival overwhelmed all else.
Alex finally understood he had only two choices: "Resist and die now" or "Confess and perhaps live."
His lips trembled as he finally forced out a few words through gritted teeth, his voice dry and hoarse like a worn-out bellows.
"...Find a place... to talk... alone."
The moment these words left his lips, a wave of suppressed gasps rippled through the crowd.
Oh, Your Highness's little brain is working fast today.
He quickly analyzed the power disparity between us and the enemy. Conclusion: we're utter trash in combat. Surrender or die.
Lin Qingyue silently commented in her mind.
Survival instinct trumps dignity. Very pragmatic. I like it.
City Lord Carlos cast a deep, lingering glance at Alex, unable to conceal the disappointment in his eyes.
With a long sigh, he turned and bowed to Aeldara once more, his posture even lower than before.
"Commander Aeldara, the City Lord's Mansion has a quiet council chamber. Please follow me."
He knew the gravity of the situation had far exceeded his imagination. This prince had likely stumbled into catastrophic trouble, and he, along with all of Rock City, had been swept into this terrifying storm.
Aeldara nodded, retracting her terrifying aura. She turned to the knights behind her and ordered, "Rest in place. Maintain vigilance."
"Yes, Commander!"
The knights responded in perfect unison, their voices ringing like clashing steel.
With long strides, she followed Carlos toward the City Lord's Mansion.
Lin Qingyue and her three companions immediately fell in step behind.
As they passed the petrified Alex, Lin Qingyue could still hear the clacking of his teeth.
Tsk tsk tsk, this is going to be quite a show, Lin Qingyue thought with amusement. I wonder just how much juicy information this Prince will spill.
The group navigated through streets crowded with wounded soldiers and refugees, under the scrutiny of countless complex gazes, until they reached the relatively intact City Lord's Mansion.
The heavy wooden doors slammed shut behind them, sealing out all the clamor and prying eyes.