mtlumby2d Chapter 512 Not now
Chapter 512 Not now
"Meow!"
The familiar, which had been floating above King George's head, listening to his endless scolding but only busy washing its own face, suddenly sensed the master's surging murderous intent. After stretching in the air, it let out a shrill scream and suddenly pounced down!
—What’s that sound?!
King George had already been frightened by everything in the city. When he heard the strange noise, he screamed and fell to the ground. But at this moment, a bright green light suddenly lit up on the wall of the palace!
"Oh!"
The green light struck the small creature in mid-air, sending it flying. Catherine finally recovered, sprinting a few steps to catch her familiar! It was about to reveal its suddenly swelled fangs and claws, but Catherine held it in her arms.
"...What is this!" King George was simply using anger to cover up his fear, so he kept talking. At this moment, he was suddenly frightened by the yellow cat that jumped out, and the horror and suspicion on his face could not be hidden.
"Cat...? Why bring such a thing in!" He was ashamed and hated for his actions, and stood up quickly, so fast that the waiter had no time to come forward to help him.
Catherine's heart was no less shaken than King George's. The surging wood elemental aura in the room felt both familiar and unfamiliar to her. The intricate runes, like gnarled tree roots, dug deep into the wall, a complexity she had never even seen before. They were enigmatic, imbued with powerful energy, distorting the surrounding air. As soon as the familiar's attack ceased, they vanished, concealing themselves beneath the wallpaper.
...A magic circle? Was it...a magic circle protecting the king? Catherine recalled the strange stories of Highgarden that Margaret had reported to her before, and gradually regained her sanity amidst her anger. She firmly held down the familiar that wanted to solve her troubles - not now.
"It's a magical pet, a care assignment from the school, and it's a little disobedient." Catherine lowered her head. Her hands and feet were cold, and only the kitten in her arms gave her warmth.
The ginger kitten sensed that Catherine's emotions had calmed down, so it also calmed down, just looking at her with its round green eyes.
"You're the Crown Prince! How can you imitate Kanyon and have fun with these things all day long?"
Catherine raised her head and looked at him with her grey eyes. Those eyes were so bright that King George saw the shadows of many blood relatives in them. He shuddered and immediately regretted his careless words about Canyon.
The room fell into an awkward silence for a moment. The two people, each with their own ulterior motives, were unwilling to reveal more secrets through words.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty—"
The silence was ended by the noise from the other side of the corridor. Some clergymen shouted before they even saw the king, but they quickly shut up after turning the corner and seeing the princess standing there.
Seeing their panicked expressions, King George's brows twitched. King George knew better than anyone where they were from, but -
He looked at the princess—
"You must find out the cause of this riot! You should know how to deal with those who led the riot!" King George was eager to get his niece away.
Catherine turned around and walked towards the corner where the white robes came from without hesitation for a second.
She didn't even need to pay attention to guess what news they brought. It was broad daylight, but Catherine felt that the palace was gloomy and terrifying. The arched corridors were like the gaping mouth of hell, grinning as if to swallow her.
She walked on in a daze until someone came over and supported her elbow.
"Your Highness, are you all right?" It was Margaret. She had been waiting for the princess outside the palace for a long time and now looked at Catherine with concern. "You look very unwell... Has His Majesty questioned you?"
It was not until she was supported by someone that Catherine realized that her whole body was trembling, which scared both herself and Margaret.
She gritted her teeth and walked towards the carriage with Margaret, not wanting to reveal any flaws in front of the palace and be observed by others.
This made Margaret even more worried. They had already anticipated the King's subsequent harsh criticisms and anger. She thought that the princess could handle it easily, but looking at her current appearance, it was obviously not the case.
Margaret didn't know what Catherine had seen beneath the temple. She had only learned that several temples had suddenly caught fire, and the people who had volunteered to put out the fire had first seen branches sprouting from the stone slabs in the open space in front of the temple. No one knew why a short tree had strangely grown there. They only saw that the tree's branches were covered with skulls, the most prominent of which was Bishop Harris, the kind-looking man who often cured the faithful!
He died with his eyes open. The branch penetrated his broken neck and extended out of his horrified mouth, hanging there like a lantern for everyone to see.
Margaret could certainly guess that this must be related to today's actions, but such violent and arrogant means were not like Her Royal Highness's style. She wanted to ask, but she was also keenly aware that now was not the time, as Her Royal Highness was in a bad mood.
"Where is Kirk?" Catherine finally broke the silence after getting into the carriage and asked about the whereabouts of her men.
"People should be evacuated in the east of the city. Do you want to see him now?" Margaret asked softly.
"No..." Catherine's heartstrings, which had been tense all the way, suddenly broke at this moment. She lowered her head and covered her face with her hands, her voice muffled, "Please tell Kirk to take care of the follow-up matters and make sure everyone is safely handled..."
Margaret was secretly surprised. She had thought Her Royal Highness would do it herself...
"I must, I must..." She heard Catherine's voice become choked, and her hunched shoulders looked so helpless, "I must send a letter to my mother immediately..."
After sending Lariel and Canion out of the city, several teachers from Gloria came to pick them up, but Phoebe glanced at Canion and stopped Catherine who turned around.
"Catherine!" Phoebe's face was no longer as nonchalant as usual. She and Cynthia were colleagues and the same clan. Before she was blinded by love, they were close friends. She looked at the little girl in front of her who was obviously panicked but strong and calm, with pity in her eyes.
"Write to your mother as soon as possible." Phoebe softened her tone.
"...I don't understand what you mean." Catherine's face turned pale. She stared evasively at the half-frozen Canion being stuffed into the carriage. He was still breathing. Didn't the female elf save his life?
"I know Cynthia... If she can't see her child off to his final journey, she will regret it for the rest of her life." Catherine looked overly stimulated and at a loss, as if she was on the verge of collapse. Phoebe walked up to her, held her head, and recited a spell to calm her mind.
"I will try my best to keep him alive for a few more days..." After reciting the spell, Phoebe touched Catherine's little face again. Her judgment was the same as those of the lizard people. The child's life source had been drained out, and it was obviously beyond saving.
"Hurry up." Phoebe instructed again solemnly, turned around, mounted her broom and went to chase the carriage.
"-I have to write a letter to my mother." In Margaret's carriage, Catherine repeated mechanically again. She seemed unaware that her face was already covered with tears.