Chapter 137 Fate Takes a Turn, Yet Only She—Only Eleanor Reigns...
Unlike the wolf pack that came to steal the meat, Attila's group was very restrained.
She remained inactive for a long time, only rushing to hold a grand funeral for Agun and the Queen.
Attila, wearing a golden crown, had a somber expression and walked with a brisk pace.
The nobles who had been whispering quickly lowered their heads when they saw her face, pretending nothing had happened.
Oh.
Attila didn't bother arguing with them; she knew what they would say.
Damn Ophelia... that unreliable woman did such a shoddy job!
The plan was for Aguno to die suddenly during the hunt, preferably by falling off a cliff. Then, with a wildfire, who would know if she was poisoned?
Unfortunately, the dosage of the poison was not controlled properly, and it caused her to have an attack at the banquet!
Let him die, but he's dragged Mom down with him...
Attila's teeth were grinding together; now everyone knew she was a patricide! Alissa and Princess Andra were also watching her intently, clearly unafraid of her playing ball.
She walked to the front of the tent, suddenly flung open the curtain, and growled angrily at the person inside, "What have you done? You've caused me so much trouble!"
The person sitting cross-legged on the cushion numbly twisted their body.
Her back was pitifully thin, and beneath her long robe was a heavy iron chain.
Attila hurried over but didn't dare get close, so she just stood at the door, baring her teeth.
Ophelia chuckled at this sight and said weakly, "Your Highness, please don't be wary of me... Didn't you take the medicine and the person away?"
"Call me Your Majesty!"
Attila bit her lip in frustration, casually touching the crooked golden crown on her head, and asked impatiently, "Now that things have come to this, what else do you have to say? If I'm finished, you won't survive either."
"Your Majesty, you don't even know how to ask for help."
Ophelia frowned and sighed. Looking at Attila's clenched fists and ashen face, she wasn't feeling much better herself.
They bet on the wrong horse.
Attila dares to get angry? She's so angry she can't sleep!
Several years ago, she came to Hetuya full of excitement, hoping to climb to a high position and avenge her previous humiliation. Little did she expect that this eldest princess of Hetuya was completely unreliable.
When things are going smoothly, he's incredibly courteous and respectful, and he's always humble and subservient in front of Aguno.
As a result of that tiny accident, even the skin on their body couldn't hold them together.
However, when Attila got really angry and took a step forward towards her with her fists clenched, Ophelia still smiled sincerely and covered her lips with her sleeve.
"Your Majesty, please don't be anxious. We are now two fish on the same rope. I am the one who most wants you to sit on the throne... The most important thing now is to keep Hetuya in check and not let your good sister stir up trouble."
"Of course I know that! Can you poison that Andra?"
This is exactly what Attila is anxious about.
If she were an only child, she wouldn't be afraid, but neither Alisa nor Andra are easy to deal with, so what could she do!
Ophelia nearly rolled her eyes when she heard Attila's ridiculous words.
She sneered coldly, "Give me back all the pharmacists and give me a few dozen more people, and I can help you deal with Alisa."
"What good is Alisa! I'm talking about Andra!"
Attila scratched her hair in frustration.
She never took Alisa seriously. The problem was that Andra—that brat—had been incredibly strong since childhood, and in recent years, having been with the so-called Princess of Divine Revelation, who knows how strong she was.
Moreover, she had a secret worry.
Andra fawns over Eleanor next door all day long. She's heard that the princess of Norlana is blessed by the gods and can defeat the weak adult in front of her at the age of ten. She even killed the legendary dragon with Andra a while ago.
Attila only believed half of the rumors, but even half of them were terrifying.
If Andra were to shamelessly fawn over the princess, and the two of them were to fight each other without any regard for morality, she didn't think she was tougher than a dragon.
Her only way out right now is to kill Andra first, so that she will have leverage to sit down and negotiate with the tribal leaders and even Princess Norana. Otherwise, she will only leave Andra with the reputation of "eliminating the villain for the greater good".
Seeing Attila's anxious and uncertain expression, Ophelia's anger flared even more.
She climbed onto the princess's arm and said sarcastically, "You made me your queen too hastily, otherwise you might have been able to hand me over to Andra so she could be poisoned!"
"You!" Attila's face flushed red. She knew that her move was underhanded, but this guy had drunk the secret medicine and did not have a large power base. How could he become her queen?
...Although becoming queen was not Ophelia's goal, she wanted to be crowned a queen.
Hmph, that won't do either. How can the Nolana people become the leaders of Hetuya?
Attila didn't regret kicking someone when they were down; she only regretted acting too quickly and not getting the person in front of her to continue to help her with all her might.
Seeing Attila's gloomy face, Ophelia said softly, "Alright, there is a way. My sister likes things to be fair and square. If you can win over the nobles, she probably won't be so forceful with you."
“But…that’s only a temporary solution.” Attila still wanted to find a permanent solution.
Ophelia rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "That depends on your skills. I've heard that Hetuya has a tradition of the Wolf King's duel, so you'll have to defeat Andra at least one-on-one."
"...That's natural!"
Attila shrugged off Ophelia in annoyance, lifted the tent flap, and walked outside.
A sky full of stars fills my eyes, but my heart feels icy cold.
...
The next morning, Attila led his royal tent westward.
There was no other way; that area had many lush pastures.
She's currently busy garnering the leaders' support, fearing the Royal Guard might side with the more orthodox Andra. That brat is not only powerful, but also has Princess Nolana as his backer; he's not to be underestimated.
"I've heard that Hetuya has a tradition of wolf king battles. Can you beat your little sister?"
Ophelia's mocking expression floated in his mind, while Attila proudly straightened her body, facing the sun: Of course!
"Your Majesty! No, no, we have spotted traces of cavalry ahead!"
The smile on Attila's face vanished as soon as the cavalryman spoke.
She personally went to the site of the traces to investigate:
Whether it's good news or bad news is unclear, but among the numerous hoofprints, there were very few traces of baggage carts.
Did Andra abandon his supplies and pursue with all his might? Or was he using the supplies and a portion of his forces to create a diversion?
Attila quickly looked up, but there were no suspicious eagles hovering in the sky.
The grasslands are vast, extremely vast. Unless you pass by a lake or a fixed pasture, or have an inside man to help you, it's very difficult to know the other side's movements.
Since Andra has passed through here, he will probably ambush me by the lake.
But she may have follow-up troops. The royal tent is a big target, and even if she changes direction temporarily, she can easily be captured.
Attila concentrated for a moment, then, with a glint in her eyes, ordered, "We will also split up and use the royal tents to cover the warriors of the royal court."
"this..."
"Don't panic, if they can do it, why can't I?" She smiled confidently, smoothly dividing the cavalry into several small teams, and then leading the majority of the men toward the grassland.
Against a warrior of Andra's caliber, simply seeking survival is tantamount to seeking death.
The wind whipped Attila's fiery hair as she squinted and surveyed the surroundings: the grasslands were vast, but Andra must have a force lying in ambush at the edge of the lake.
She could, conversely, set a trap at the head of the inevitable route, perhaps severely damaging Andra. Even if things failed, she could lead this light cavalry in a swift breakout, hoping for a future advantage—
Snap.
The sound of the horse's hooves hitting the ground was a little off.
More importantly, the saddle beneath Attila thumped.
Where do these sunken earthen slopes come from on a plain?!
Even though each of them had spent a fortune on smuggled Norlana horse harnesses, it was the same. If it weren't for the stirrups securing her feet, that slope alone would have thrown her off!
Andra—she predicted her own prediction?!
"Gentlemen, relay my order! Retreat!"
Attila immediately shouted, without even betting on whether there were still traps in front or to the left and right, she directly ordered the front row to become the back row and retreat at full speed!
Knock knock, knock knock.
Not far away, the clear sound of war drums echoed from all four directions.
This was an attempt to cover up the truth, but there were many bushes and trees near the oasis, making it difficult to say exactly how many people were on the other side.
Even now, Attila is able to maintain the team's morale thanks to his usual bravery and popularity.
But then a figure... two figures appeared before everyone's eyes.
The Hetuya people always valued gold and red, because it was the color of royalty, as noble and radiant as the sun.
But Attila first saw that patch of black that had absorbed countless rays of light.
Eleanor, the princess of Norlana, the goddess of wisdom and enlightenment.
She had pieced together the image of this princess from the words of many people, and concluded from various rumors and facts that "she is very strong".
A thousand words are not as good as a single meeting.
With just one glance, the hairs on Attila's skin stood on end.
The other person didn't shout or yell, didn't frown or show anger or seriousness, and was even... smiling.
It turns out that the princess of Norlana had a delicate and gentle face.
She was so beautiful that if she appeared in any other setting, Attila might have been unable to resist going up to her, professing his love, and inviting her to spend the night together.
But she was holding a sword.
Upon realizing this, Attila believed that not only she, but also her adjutants were trembling slightly.
Eleanor...this terrible enemy is approaching them fully armed.
The princess was naturally followed by a large cavalry force. They could all see Andra beside her and hear the booming war drums and the clattering hooves of horses.
Yet only she—only Eleanor occupied all her attention and energy.
"call--"
For some reason, my blood started to boil.
Attila rarely experiences this truly exhilarating feeling.
She had experienced an instinctive tremor when facing her mother as a child, and she had a similar feeling when she met Eva, who personally led a tour of "the beautiful scenery of the frontier," on the border a couple of years ago.
She had assumed that Andra was the one who could give her that feeling.
Clang—
Attila drew his sword abruptly, pointing the tip of the long blade far ahead.
"Your Highness Eleanor."
A fierce fighting spirit ignited in her eyes: "In the name of the King of Hetuya, I challenge you to a duel to the death!"
"Hmph." Andra snorted coldly.
Who do you think you are, King Hetuya, and what gives you the right to challenge my Eleanor?
The moment she spurred her horse forward, the princess smiled smugly and said, "Alright, I agree."
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