But even so, it was the most effective force in Erouine. The old nobles' intelligence system was riddled with holes and could not withstand a single blow from it.
Who, then, could make Valhalla appear blind?
And it might not be just that.
Because she understood that it was the Royal Faction behind this meeting. Even if the local nobles were determined to break off relations with the royal family, even if they could hide from the royal family's spies, the inextricable connections between them could not be completely hidden from the higher-ups of the Royal Faction.
Unless.
Someone had purposely blindfolded the eyes of others, creating an artificial illusion behind the carefully concealed truth.
"Someone betrayed us," Princess Gryphine also understood everything. She bit her lips tightly, and a trace of pain flashed across her face, "When we went to Randner, at least one of the courtiers in charge of communicating and coordinating with the local nobles hid the most crucial information from us and betrayed us …"
The princess clenched her fists tightly, because she had almost guessed the person's name.
That was the elder she once trusted the most, the teacher and senior in her eyes, and the example of the nobles in Erouine whom she had always admired the most. She almost did not want to say that name, because it would hurt all her fantasies and memories of the kingdom's past.
"Maybe it's not necessarily that person," Amandina instantly understood what she meant, and softly comforted her, "Your Highness, you must muster up your courage at this time."
Although Amandina herself did not quite believe this comfort. Both Makarov and Count Audine had the opportunity to come into contact with the inside story, but in comparison, that person was closer to the heart of the royal court.
And after the All For One movement in Manowell, Oberwei personally wrote a letter to say that the Duke of Grinoires and the southern army's movements were all normal.
Now, this letter seemed to have become the bloody handprint on the evidence of the crime.
But this handprint may have already strangled the Erouine royal family today.
Her Royal Highness stood up. She felt a little suffocated. There were many local nobles and participants gathered in Magitan City. How many of these people were rebels or at least sympathizers of the rebels? She shuddered just thinking about it. Did the other party already know that the messenger from Anthony had arrived in Graypine Castle? Perhaps they had already secretly sent people to monitor the manor.
Amandina seemed to have realized the severity of the situation. She cautiously looked out of the arched window at the side of the hall and whispered, "We have to find a way to move to a safe place. Fortunately, Lady Brunhilda's camp is not far from here, and there are trustworthy White Lion Guards in the castle."
Gryphine shook her head. There were too few White Lion Guards in the city. They mainly relied on the guards in the castle, but these guards might not be reliable at this time. She asked, "Can you find a way to contact Ms. Brunhilde?"
"There's a messaging crystal." Freya immediately removed the white lion brooch from her chest, but when she turned it over, her expression changed. On the other side of the silver brooch, there was a dark red gem embedded in it. At that moment, it was dull, as though it had lost its effectiveness.
"Someone blocked the magic network in this area!"
Amandina and Gryphine's expressions changed at the same time. The other party had already made a move, and the matter of the messenger could not be hidden. It was normal for there to be a potential informant in the castle, but it also meant that their current situation was very dangerous.
"We have to leave this place immediately." Amandina made a prompt decision.
"But the secret passageway might not be safe either. The secret passageway in Castle Graypine is meant for external enemies. If the local nobles are also against us, this secret passageway might not be usable." Freya replied cautiously.
"We have another way," Gryphine had completely recovered by now. She thought for a moment and said, "In fact, most castles have more than one secret passage. Graypine Castle used to be the property of Count Randner, but it was built by the previous count. In the era when Randner's territory was close to the royal family, my father came here a few times. Because of a coincidence, he found out about a secret passage that only the Randner family knows about. This secret passage leads to the Misty Forest."
At this point, the princess could not help but blush. Amandina and Freya happened to hear about the love affair between Oberg the Seventh and Count Randner when he was young. It was obvious that this secret passage was the bridge between the two of them. However, Amandina and Erouine's War Goddess did not say anything and pretended that they did not understand the meaning behind it.
Amandina coughed lightly and said to Freya: "Freya, go and gather the White Lion Guards. Gather as many people as you can, but there's no need to take any risks. Don't think that you can get everyone out of here by chance. As for the others in the castle, you don't have to inform them. Tell them that the princess wants to gather the Royal Faction and the nobles. Tell them that she has something to announce — "
"I understand."
"I'll go and destroy the documents and letters." Amandina replied: "Apart from the parts that must be taken away, the rest must be burned on the spot."
"Let me help you, Miss Amandina."
Gryphine sighed softly. She suddenly felt weak and powerless. This feeling was similar to the despair she felt when she was betrayed in Ampere Seale. But this time, at least she had someone by her side to rely on.
However, she could not help but wonder if the Knight who saved her and Erouine time and time again was as brilliant and dazzling as he appeared to be.
Amandina looked at her and shook her head: "First, you have to sort out your emotions. You can't be in this state right now. Also, you have to put on some makeup. Your Elven features are too obvious. Do you know how to put on makeup, Your Highness?"
"A little."
Amandina shook her head: "I'll let my maid help you. She's someone I brought from Tónigel. She's a reliable person."
Gryphine could only nod.
Ever since Count Randner's death, the huge family had fallen apart. Their immediate family members were either imprisoned or hanged by the Royal Faction in the name of rebellion. It took Gryphine some time to find the entrance to the secret passage in the count's study. It was obvious that the princess' father did not mention much about it.
The entrance to the secret passage was in the wall behind the fireplace. The fireplace was cleverly designed to be movable. Once it was opened, it revealed a dark entrance behind it.
Gryphine was certain that the passage had not been opened since that era because it represented a disgraceful history for the Randner family. When she saw the thick layer of dust and cobwebs at the entrance, she knew that her guess was correct.
However, standing in front of the entrance, the princess felt a moment of absent-mindedness. She thought that perhaps decades ago, her father had also stepped into this pitch-black staircase when he was young. A father and a daughter, at two different times and with two different emotions, stepped into the same secret passage. It gave her a sense of dislocation in time.
Today, this secret passage was still the same, but to Erouine, things had changed. Those who belonged to the past left the stage one by one, and their lives ended.
This included her father, Erouine's father, Oberg the Seventh.
At that moment, she recalled her childhood. She recalled the series of events that happened after she left Corvado. It was as if it was just yesterday.
"Will there be a day when I will leave this world, father?"
When Gryphine took that step, such a thought appeared in her mind.
Apart from Amandina and Freya, there were a total of seventeen people accompanying them. One of them was Amandina's maid, while the rest were the Knights of the White Lion Squad. Originally, there should have been more people, but the rebels seemed to be aware of their intentions and started a riot in Graypine Castle in advance. After a fierce battle, they defeated the guards in the castle, and there were only a few people left, and almost all of them were injured.
"Is this secret passage really safe?" Amandina suddenly asked in the darkness.
"Only a few people in the Randner family know about it," Gryphine paused for a moment before continuing, "Regardless of whether this passage is safe or not, this is our only choice."
"If I knew this would happen, I would've let Lady Brunhilda and the others stay in the castle." Freya replied with a hint of frustration.
"Unless you want them to be exposed to the world," Gryphine forced a smile, "Mister Brando won't agree to it. Besides, Lady Brunhilda and the others are indeed a little special."
There was silence in the darkness.
The Buddhists only spoke a few words to ease the uneasiness between them, but the ladies soon stopped talking to each other. Only the sound of chaotic footsteps could be heard.
The passage was a flight of stairs that led downwards. The Knights used gems that emitted a cold light to illuminate the stairs. Soon, they found themselves in a natural cave. Fortunately, the terrain here was not too complicated. The underground water of Castle Graypine seemed to be stored under the karst cave. In the darkness, there were large pools of water. Stalactites rose from the pools and densely covered the ceiling of the cave.
The cave was as rumored to lead straight to the north, and there were traces of man-made carvings along the way. Gryphine breathed a sigh of relief. Her father did not tell her about the anecdotes of his youth, and she was only able to determine the location of this place through fragments of words. She was afraid that her judgment would be wrong, but fortunately, everything was developing in a good direction.
… …
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