Chapter 29: Unexpected Allies and Lingering Doubts

“Princess, you must leave quickly! The enemy is upon us.”

Amidst a dense stone forest, several figures clad in coarse linen cloaks glanced out with panicked expressions.

“Surrender and live!”

“Lay down your arms now!”

Such shouts continuously echoed from outside, reaching their ears. A man knelt on one knee, fervently pleading with a beautiful woman to withdraw from their current location.

“No, I absolutely cannot leave. If we go from here, they’ll never find us.”

The woman in the linen cloak was Daisy. The relentless shouts of the enemies outside left her feeling increasingly unsettled.

Though Larry had successfully diverted a portion of the Royal Army’s attention elsewhere, it did not mean the king’s forces in Sege Highland had entirely abandoned their search.

Consequently, they had captured one of Daisy’s trusted retainers. This retainer, having relaxed their vigilance against the Royal Army due to Larry’s diversion, had been spotted acting suspiciously during an outing to procure supplies. Under severe interrogation, they had betrayed Daisy and the others.

This was precisely how they had fallen into such a perilous situation. The enemy’s encirclement tightened with each passing moment, and her retainer had been urging Daisy to flee since the very beginning.

Yet, Daisy remained stubbornly insistent on staying here.

“Even if the people you’re waiting for arrive, seeing our current predicament, how could they possibly still come to meet you?”

Daisy’s retainer, witnessing her unwavering obstinacy, couldn’t help but raise their voice slightly.

“If it’s them, then our current predicament won’t be a predicament at all!”

“But what if they don’t come?!”

Daisy retorted, her voice tinged with frustration. “Then I’ve already reached my limit! If they don’t arrive, I’ll never be able to uncover the truth and exact my revenge!”

“Princess…”

The retainer, seeing Daisy so agitated for the first time, was left utterly speechless.

Just then, the clamor of surrender calls and the chaotic footsteps outside, which had been constant, suddenly ceased. The eerie silence that followed was like a scene ripped from a horror film.

Everyone within the stone forest exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what had transpired outside. Daisy, however, seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

“Come, let’s go out.”

With a cautious tone, the retainer advised, “Princess, it would be wise to be careful. Let’s send someone out to scout first.”

Daisy hesitated for a moment before replying, “Alright.”

“No need. We’ll come in directly.”

At that moment, a voice drifted in, and then two beautiful young women entered. Their striking features were quite astonishing, but Daisy’s reaction was one of pure exhilaration.

She shrugged off her retainer and rushed forward, embracing Meixia tightly. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as her voice trembled. “When I heard about that mission, I knew you two would come.”

Meixia gently stroked Daisy’s head. “You’ve been through so much these past few days, Daisy. It’s alright, we’re here now.”

Meanwhile, Ellis observed Daisy, who had shed all traces of her princely dignity and pride, now appearing utterly forlorn and disheveled. It was evident that the recent period had subjected her to immense suffering.

Her body had grown somewhat gaunt, her complexion no longer possessed its former radiance, and her clothing and accessories were soiled and disarrayed. One had to remember that the old Daisy had been a meticulous individual.

Ellis sighed with a touch of emotion. “It hasn’t been easy, has it, Daisy?”

“This is…”

Daisy looked at Ellis with a hint of confusion. While Ellis felt somewhat familiar, Daisy was certain she had never met this woman before.

“Hello, my name is Ellis. I’m Ellis’s younger sister. My brother and Meixia have often spoken of you, and you truly are an exceptional woman.”

Having rehearsed this meeting with Daisy countless times in her mind, Ellis’s movements and expressions appeared perfectly natural. Daisy was momentarily stunned by Ellis’s confident and familiar demeanor, then she grasped Ellis’s outstretched hand.

“H-hello. Where are Larry and Ellis?”

“Larry has gone to other places to help you divert the attention of these armies. You must have heard about that, right?”

“Yes, I heard rumors of my whereabouts being discovered elsewhere. So that was Larry’s doing! He’s still as reliable as ever.”

Daisy’s gentle expression clearly indicated that her feelings for him still lingered. Seeing this, Ellis shook her head with a resigned sigh. ‘That man will absolutely never fall for any of you,’ she thought.

“Not really. In the end, it didn’t achieve the intended effect, leaving you in the predicament you just faced.”

Daisy shook her head. “No, it did work. We were the ones who were careless, which led to these problems. Larry isn’t to blame. But let’s not dwell on that, Ellis. May I call you that?”

“Of course, please do!”

Ellis nodded brightly, her smile radiating warmth.

“Is your brother with Larry right now?”

“No, he has some other matters to attend to, so he’s separated from us for now.”

Daisy remarked with a hint of surprise, “That’s rare. He and Larry are always inseparable. I even suspected they might be…”

Ellis’s face stiffened. As someone experienced in such matters, she immediately understood Daisy’s implication. Taking a deep breath, Ellis maintained her composure.

“Based on my understanding of them, they are absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not what you’re thinking, Daisy. I’ll say it three times because it’s important.”

Seeing Ellis’s earnestness, Daisy was somewhat taken aback. She nodded, understanding the gravity of the statement without fully grasping its implications.

Seeing Daisy’s cooperation, Ellis offered a satisfied smile. “Alright, this isn’t the place for us to talk. Let’s find somewhere safer.”

“Oh, and the people outside…”

“They’ve all been taken care of.”

Noticing Daisy’s expression, Ellis clarified, “We’ve only temporarily incapacitated them. They haven’t confirmed your true identity anyway. We’ll rendezvous with Larry later, so there’s no need to eliminate them.”

Daisy breathed a sigh of relief, then scrutinized Ellis from head to toe before finally saying, “I see. That’s good.”

Even though these were the enemies who had captured them, they were merely following orders. Daisy had no desire to harm those who were simply being exploited. Moreover, seeing Ellis’s casual demeanor, her strength was likely not much weaker than her brother’s.

Along the way, Daisy quietly conversed with Meixia.

“When I mentioned Larry and Ellis’s relationship earlier, Ellis seemed quite agitated. Is she a brother complex?”

“No, Ellis has a wonderful personality, completely unlike her scheming and annoying older brother.”

Meixia shook her head. “However, Ellis is Larry’s fiancée, and they are mutually in love, so she might have been a bit agitated… But what exactly was she agitated about? Daisy, weren’t you just saying that Larry and Ellis have a good relationship?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Daisy didn’t want to tarnish Meixia’s pure heart, and Meixia’s previous words had a greater impact on her. “I’ve never heard Larry mention that he has a fiancée.”

“I haven’t heard him mention it either, but Larry rarely talks about his personal life with us, so it’s normal not to have heard about it.”

“Indeed. We’ve never truly entered his inner world.”

Daisy felt a pang of melancholy. Seeing this, Meixia offered comfort. “I was also quite disappointed when I first heard the news, but I’ve moved past it now because there’s simply no chance. Larry and Ellis are completely different from us.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s like, hmm…”

Meixia racked her brain, finally figuring out how to explain it. “It’s like Larry and Ellis, where outsiders want to reach them but always seem to fall just a little short. Ellis truly stands alongside them. At first, I didn’t believe it and had many doubts, but eventually, I had no choice but to accept it. It’s similar to when we first gathered, and we didn’t believe Larry could be such close friends with Ellis, but in the end, we had to accept that fact.”

“I never imagined it had reached such a level.”

Hearing Meixia’s explanation, Daisy could only set aside her doubts. She truly hadn’t expected there to be a second person who could stand so close to Larry. And for that person to be his fiancée meant she could never win, no matter what.

‘Indeed, was Larry always the most impossible option from beginning to end?’ she wondered. However, she desperately needed their strength now. If they were S-rank adventurers, they should be able to easily overthrow a government like Danga’s.

Since she couldn’t win Larry’s affection, she would have to settle for the next best thing. As long as she could reclaim everything her parents had lost and uncover the truth, she was willing to make any sacrifice, no matter how great.