Chapter 45: The Knight and the Princess
By noon the next day, Su Xiao, having fully recovered his mental state, left the Iron Hand residence with Bubu Wang and Amu, heading straight for a certain direction within the royal capital.
The purpose of Su Xiao's trip was to meet a princess, and that princess was Alisa Herbert, the name the old king had written down.
Su Xiao wasn't sure what was so special about Alisa Herbert, but the old king wouldn't have chosen this princess without reason. Therefore, he decided to probe a bit.
According to intelligence provided by the Second Princess, although Alisa Herbert was the old king's offspring, she hadn't participated in this power struggle. One reason was that she was relatively young, and another was that she held no real power in her hands.
Although the Second Princess had failed in this power struggle, she wasn't the type to stay quiet. She didn't dare to seize power for now, so she could only keep a low profile and start secretly developing her underworld forces. The Second Princess, who originally straddled both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds, was now turning completely towards the dark side.
The Third Prince naturally knew what the Second Princess was doing, but he had no time to deal with her now. Compared to the Second Princess, he valued royal authority more. Or rather, he already had a way to deal with the Second Princess.
Su Xiao had already completed his main mission, so he wouldn't meddle in the power struggles anymore. He would devote all his energy to what lay beneath the throne.
Walking along the streets of the royal capital, Su Xiao kept pondering one thing: why had the old king chosen Alisa Herbert?
About half an hour later, Su Xiao arrived at Alisa Herbert's residence. It was a house that wasn't luxurious but was quite spacious.
The courtyard in front of the residence wasn't large, but it was filled with flowers and plants, clearly well-tended.
If there was any difference between Alisa Herbert and the other princes or princesses, it was that the 20-year-old didn't have a fief. Instead, she lived within the royal capital, leading a very peaceful life. This was both Alisa Herbert's own wish and something the old king had approved.
An extremely peculiar floral scent wafted over. Su Xiao traced the source of the fragrance and saw a flower bud resembling a rose, except it was entirely blue.
A gentle breeze blew, and blue pollen drifted through the air.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked.
"Poisonous?"
Su Xiao understood Bubu Wang's meaning—that flower was poisonous. He stepped forward, plucked a petal, and sniffed it. Indeed, this thing was highly toxic.
A princess who cultivated poisonous flowers in front of her home didn't seem like a kind-hearted person at all.
"This is private property. What business do you have here?"
A male voice came from above. After the clatter of armor, a man in silver armor leaped down from atop a civilian house.
The man landed silently, yet he left two deep footprints. He was around 30 years old, with a small goatee on his chin and a sword hanging at his waist. It wasn't some fancy rapier but a heavy knight's sword. Judging by the weighted ball at the end of the hilt, this sword weighed at least 100 jin.
Princess Alisa Herbert wasn't found; instead, a guard blocked the way. But Su Xiao wasn't disappointed. Instead, he looked the guard up and down.
"I'm here to see Alisa Herbert. Have her come see me."
When Su Xiao saw this guard, he vaguely guessed the old king's intention. This guard… was very strong.
"Sir Iron Hand, Her Highness the Princess is resting."
The guard slightly bowed to Su Xiao, his eyes showing nothing but hostility. He knew one thing clearly: Iron Hand's visit meant nothing good.
"That has nothing to do with whether she's resting. She must come see me. I want to see her alive, or I'll see her dead."
Su Xiao wasn't here to request an audience with Alisa Herbert. He intended to borrow her, so to speak. Please don't misunderstand—he just wanted to take Alisa Herbert beneath the throne.
"Her Highness the Princess… is resting and is not available to receive guests for now."
The guard took a deep breath. He knew what the consequences of saying this would be, but this was his mission: to protect Princess Alisa Herbert, to keep all evil things away from her, even at the cost of his own life. He was Alisa Herbert's guardian, her knight—Goss.
Three pairs of eyes fixed on Knight Goss. At that moment, Goss felt a malice he had never experienced before, a malice nearly turning into substance.
Cold sweat trickled down Goss's temples. He wasn't afraid, but he was worried about one thing: whether he could protect Alisa Herbert's safety.
Su Xiao looked with interest at the knight blocking his path. This guy's aura was very strong. Although Su Xiao was confident he could kill him, it wouldn't be an easy task.
By now, Su Xiao had become interested in this princess named Alisa Herbert. A princess with no power or influence, protected by such a strong Holy Warrior—it didn't add up.
Seeing this "knight," Su Xiao seemed to already see a powerful cannon fodder.
"What a generous gift."
Su Xiao muttered. The knight named Goss furrowed his brow, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
"Are you trying to defy the king?"
Su Xiao's words made Goss feel even more uneasy.
"Of course not. But here, you cannot represent the king. His Majesty once commanded me to protect Princess Alisa with my life."
Goss was also aware of the current situation in the royal capital. The old king had just abdicated, and the new king had yet to take full power, causing royal authority to become blurred.
If Su Xiao produced the old king's token or letter, Goss could refuse on the grounds that the old king had abdicated. As for the new king's token or letter, he could use the old king to suppress Su Xiao.
Su Xiao pulled a golden lion pendant and a letter from his bosom.
"The old king or the new king—which one do you choose?"
The golden lion pendant in Su Xiao's hand represented the old king, and the letter represented the new king. This was a death trap.
"This…"
Goss's mouth opened and closed. In the end, he was just a Holy Warrior carrying out secret orders. At most, he dared to exploit loopholes; he would never dare to defy royal authority.
Goss's thoughts at that moment were: What exactly happened within the royal family? Why did Iron Hand wield such immense power?
Outsiders naturally didn't know about the upheaval within the royal family. Now that the old king was dead and the new king was rapidly consolidating power, sacrificing a sister to stabilize Su Xiao was something the Third Prince wouldn't even blink at.
As long as Su Xiao didn't touch military power or finances, even if Su Xiao got a princess pregnant, the Third Prince wouldn't say a word. Instead, he would grant Su Xiao a small fief and use this opportunity to strip Su Xiao of his Iron Hand position, then bestow a powerless official title.
The Third Prince maintained a policy of live and let live with Su Xiao. A single Holy Warrior trying to block Su Xiao? Don't be ridiculous. Even if Su Xiao killed him on the spot, the matter wouldn't escalate. Someone would even come to collect the body.
Su Xiao naturally wouldn't make a move now, because he needed to know Alisa Herbert's personality. If Alisa Herbert had a relatively soft personality, then this Holy Warrior would be cannon fodder—cannon fodder to clear the path beneath the throne. This was the old king's parting gift.
"Sir… please, come… inside."
Goss spoke word by word, his attitude far from good. Su Xiao didn't care at all. He wouldn't get angry at a dead man; that would be foolish.