432 The Fugitive Who Disappeared
Selma Payne’s POV:
Poisoned wine!
It was poisoned wine that was targeted at Aldrich alone.
In an instant, it was as if a thousand tons of boiling lava had been poured into my body. The intense pain spread from every inch of my heart to my entire body and blood. It had the power of sulfuric acid that corroded my bones, destroying my defenses.
Aldrich…
No, no…
I couldn’t help but tremble because I realized everything the Crown Prince said was true. I could even guess who had poisoned Aldrich – the lackeys of Azazel or Leviathan, those lunatics who believed in demons. Even if they hadn’t done it themselves, this couldn’t have been separated from them. That was why the Crown Prince knew everything in detail.
Aldrich…
“Selma, keep your spirits up. Don’t be fooled by him!” Eve’s angry shout brought my scattered soul back to its original place. “He’s just a lunatic. How much can a lunatic say? It won’t be too late to ask the truth after he’s been brought to justice.”
As she said this, she glanced at the elves at the side. She meant I shouldn’t easily show my fear in front of outsiders. They were allies now, but who knew how long this precarious relationship would last after everything was over?
“… You’re right.”
I forced myself to calm down and not think about scenes I didn’t want to see. Instead, I turned all my uneasiness and discomfort into anger and swept it toward the first Prince.
“You’ve lost your last chance to defend yourself.” Feeling the transformation of my body, I heard my voice so cold that it could drop ice shards. “Now, no matter what stupid words you say, ‘I’m confused’ or ‘I’m controlled’, it’s useless.
The Crown Prince continued to look at me in disdain. A second later, I immediately jumped away from my original position. A thick and sharp tree root was stuck there like a sharp sword. If I were even a second late, I would have been skewered.
“Then, come at me,” he said with a malicious smile. “Let’s see whose side fate is on.”
In an instant, it was as if two balls of flames had exploded and collided. No one had the upper hand in the first wave of confrontation. The shock wave had instead destroyed the palace even more.
“Please stay away, be careful not to get injured!” Eve led the embarrassed elves to retreat to an open and safe area, and several elves volunteered to stay.
“This is the elves’ business. We can’t just stand by and watch such a sc*m appear in our family.” The Great Elder sighed heavily, and faint green patterns gradually appeared on his skin. “Besides, how can the host escape while the guest suffers? We know our strength is not enough to compete with Her Highness, but please let us at least help her a little.”
Eve didn’t insist and left with the more seriously injured elves.
“Sigh, what an evil creature… What vile creature…” The Great Elder sighed. The patterns on his skin became more and more complicated. In the end, his voice had a hint of a gentle female voice. “Since you’re my brother’s descendant, let me, this unprofessional granduncle, teach you what the immensity of heaven and earth is.”
The demonic fragment had strengthened the Crown Prince, and even I found it challenging to catch up to him. He knew what New Flow was capable of, so he guarded him tightly, not letting any of the men get close to him. He kept using the broken bricks to form a protective layer around himself. New Flow could only absorb energy and was helpless against ordinary construction waste. He could only push it away again and again.
“Looks like you’re only so-so after all.”
My arm was accidentally cut by the roots of the plants that shot out. Although it healed in a second and disappeared, the Crown Prince still arrogantly began to mock me, “I’m starting to doubt the authenticity of the information. Is it not those trash who exaggerated your ability to cover up their incompetence?”
“What do you know? All sacrifices are necessary! Those lowly and useless commoners are just the soil under the goddess’ feet. Sooner or later, they will return to the arms of nature. Since that’s the case, why didn’t they come and make some contributions to my cause before they died? There are as many lowlifes as there are ants. It doesn’t matter if we lose a few. There will be more babies born sooner or later!” The Crown Prince refuted me.
“So you were the one who let Locke, Kafka, and the others go.” I questioned in a deep voice, “Where did you hide them? Don’t you know how evil they are? Don’t you care about the safety of your people? Do you still want to be the King of the elves with such an awareness?”
I knew it was useless to talk to him. This madman had already lost his mind to power.
Just as I was about to launch another attack, a loud noise suddenly came from the other side of the palace. The remaining part of the palace that was relatively intact had also collapsed. Immediately after, Dorothy’s anxious voice rang in my ears, “Selma, I’ve found Locke and the others. They’re on the other side of the palace!”
I suddenly turned around and met the Crown Prince’s eyes, filled with malice. “Look, these wild dogs can’t stand being nagged at. The little princess was thinking about them, and they came. What a coincidence, right?”