Chapter 214

A smoky purple hue emerges on the horizon, night is about to fall, and the roses throughout the city are unknowingly tinged with a deep purple.

The blond man sat atop the wall, twirling a metal rose in his hand, a tender smile playing on his lips, but the coldness in his eyes revealed his true emotions.

Until the lights came on at the small weaving workshop at the far end of the street corner.

He had just leaped down from the high wall when he glanced at the system time—

18:44.

He knocked on the door of the small weaving workshop.

The door was slowly opened from the inside.

Alcipe flashed his signature smile. "Good evening, beautiful lady. I would like to commission a rose dress."

He handed a vibrant, fresh rose to the old woman in front of him.

The old woman was about eighty years old, with gray hair and wrinkles all over her face. However, the strange eyes on this ordinary-looking Eastern old woman's face were quite beautiful.

The left eye is deep sea blue, and the right eye is amber.

The old woman did not accept the rose.

"Come and pick it up in three days." Her voice was as unpleasant as the harsh sound of a rusty spinning wheel.

Alcipe asked in confusion, "Don't we need to take measurements?"

The old woman ignored him and slowly but forcefully tried to close the door.

Just as the door was about to close, Alcipe magically produced a letter, blocking the doorway.

“Beautiful lady, I was just joking with you. Perhaps you could look at the signature on this letter before deciding whether to kick me out.”

The old woman's gaze fell on the name on the letter, and her hand, which was resting on the door, suddenly trembled.

A moment later, she snatched the letter from Alcipe's hand and clutched it tightly in her palm.

Alcipe straightened up and looked at her with a smile.

The old woman's eyes gradually lost their coldness and turned gentle. She opened the door and invited Alcipe into the house.

"Who are you?"

The hoarse voice asking the question was irritating, but Alcipe still wore a gentle smile.

"Don't you already know? I am Her Highness..."

The old woman interrupted him, "Alright! I understand."

The bright moon hangs high outside the window, and the deep purple roses, like brocade woven from the thick night, sway their waists under the stars.

The moonlight shone on her face, and her aged eyes were full of gentleness and kindness.

She gently stroked the name on the letter, and just as she was about to open it, Alcipe stopped her, saying, "I think my time may not be long."

After speaking, Alcipe glanced at the moonlight, then sighed softly, "I think you understand."

The old woman looked up, her gentle demeanor instantly turning cold, the probing in her eyes intensifying, making the entire little house feel eerily cold.

Alcipe, however, seemed oblivious to anything amiss.

“As you know, Her Highness will be retiring soon, and I need to go back too. Time is of the essence; Her Highness wants to know exactly what happened back then,” he said ambiguously.

The old woman stared at him for a long time, and as the small house gradually warmed up, her heterochromatic eyes finally spoke with a touch of reminiscence:

"After the death of the late queen, the king went on a trip to clear his mind and fell in love at first sight with the queen, who was visiting the capital. The mystery of the East and the queen's beauty quickly captivated the king, and he soon married her."

"When the current Crown Prince was five years old, the Queen gave birth to Princess. However, Princess was born with congenital deficiencies and suffered from heart disease for many years. There is an ancient remedy in the Queen's hometown that can cure Princess's heart disease."

The old woman stroked the name on the letter, "So after His Highness's full moon celebration, the Queen led a troop of soldiers to her hometown, but..."

"But the Queen died on her way back to the capital as night fell, and the little princess also lost her mother. The king was devastated upon hearing the news, and from then on, the princess lost the king's protection!"

She looked at Alcipe, her eyes filled with resentment as if she had thought of something. "So you must kill the Crown Prince! In half a month, the Crown Prince must not be allowed to succeed to the throne, otherwise Her Highness will never be able to leave the castle again!"

Al Schipe's eyes showed a moment of regret; he couldn't understand the connection between the two events.

He quickly composed himself. "So that's how it is! But... what does this have to do with the Crown Prince?"

The resentment in the old woman's eyes vanished. She stood up and coldly saw her guest off, saying, "It's time, Sir Knight, you should go back now."

Alcipe raised an eyebrow, wanting to ask more, but changed his mind when he saw the letter in the old woman's hand.

He gave a graceful knightly salute, then bid farewell and left.

As soon as I stepped out the door, a system notification sounded in my ear.

[Ding! Congratulations to player Alsipe for obtaining a crucial clue—the events of that year.]

[Reward: 500 points, A-grade item Agate Bracelet, Princess's coordinates.]

Inside the room, the old woman with heterochromia opened the letter, but the letter vanished completely from her hand!

Her originally kind face was instantly filled with malice as the letter disappeared!

"How dare you use her to deceive me!"

The bright moon was suddenly obscured by thick dark clouds, and the moonlight became dim!

Alcipe's figure had long since disappeared down the street, but his leisurely stroll became sluggish when the system notification sounded.

[S-rank disguise item has been destroyed]

[The textile grandma's favorability towards you has decreased by 100!]

[The castle princess's initial favorability towards you has decreased by 50!]

He glanced at the "favorability rating" section—

Princess's favorability: -50

"It's not a quest NPC, but the main storyline guide." He frowned, then looked in the direction of Rose Castle.

The Rose Castle is mysterious and eerie, shrouded in purple roses.

The princess, whom everyone was thinking about, was standing by the window gazing at the moonlight.

When Landric looked at the girl by the window, his blue eyes were even gentler than during the day.

He took off the cloak embroidered with the crown prince's emblem and draped it over the girl from behind, blocking the night wind from her.

"The night breeze is too cool, A-Wu, you need to take care of yourself." He gently instructed her, his eyes filled with doting affection and helplessness.

The girl turned around and smiled sweetly at him, "Yes, thank you, Brother Wang."

Landric suppressed the darkness in his eyes, and stood beside Lingwu with a smile.

"Brother Wang, will you really keep your word?" Ling Wu stared at him intently, her eyes sharp, not missing any emotion he might reveal.

Then Landric paused for a moment, as if receiving a memory, before quickly recovering and resuming his usual doting smile towards her.

"Of course it's true. To you, Brother Wang, A-Wu is the most precious red jade, the most dazzling gem. You would never lie to A-Wu."

He seemed to be expressing his core thoughts, or perhaps it was a heartfelt and unwavering vow.

I just don't know if he's an NPC or someone else entirely.

Until the bright moon was swallowed by dark clouds, Lingwu turned around and drank the potion.

The bitter taste of the medicine made the girl's delicate face even paler. She frowned slightly but did not show any negative emotions. Instead, she quickly looked at Landric with a smile.

Good night, Brother Wang.

They're so well-behaved it's heartbreaking.

Landric resisted the urge to rub her, and after concealing the darkness in his eyes, he whispered gently:

Goodnight, Awu.

The door was closed, and the girl quickly fell asleep.

Landric, who had just left, pushed open the door and entered again, the tenderness in his eyes seeming to melt the heart of his sister, who shared his blood.