Bab 15: The Thing I Will Never Dread
Just like the team sent to deal with Iliana, the assassins in Daphne's quarters were a combination of maids and eunuchs that either directly worked for the Holy Consort or belonged to her faction.
They numbered twelve in total, with ten high-level True Knights and two Grand Knight court ladies. The reason for such a formidable lineup was Daphne's skilled entourage.
Imperial consorts were allowed to possess six personal attendants that could be handpicked from their families, so house Kracht had chosen six loyal ninth step True Knight ladies to protect her. Those women all came from lesser houses subordinate to the Kracht. But unfortunately, they weren't able to detect the sneak attack carried on by Else's priest.
Since then, they had dutifully taken care of the comatose Daphne. Little did they expect that after all those silent years, they would meet a full-blown assassination attempt.
The twelve emerged from the shadows with no warning and immediately shot toward them. They fought hard to repel the assailants but were quickly suppressed and repelled by the Grand Knights leading them.
"Why? How young lady has already been comatose for more than a decade and did nothing to offend the Holy Consort so why must you be so ruthless toward her?!"
Roared one of the attendants with indignity. In the past, her relationship with Daphne was the best, and she always blamed herself for not having been able to protect her.
But to her outrage, the Grand Knight pair burst into laughter.
"If you want to blame someone, blame count Wolfgang for being unruly. He actually castrated his son to remove his succession rights and managed to obtain an imperial decree to not only legitimize that bastard daughter of his but also make her heir to his estates! Since he doesn't care about your lives, why should we?"
Count Wolfgang only had two children. His son Alex born of his legal wife and his daughter Iliana born of his beloved concubine. While men were not allowed to have more than one wife, nobles held the right to possess concubines should they desire to. The higher their nobility title was, the more concubines they could have. But only rarely would they actually go through with it.
The reason was simple. Their wives were no pushovers. To maintain the loftiness of their noble blood and forge alliances, noble males only married highborn ladies. Those ladies often came from houses on the same level and thus possessed significant backgrounds.
Taking a concubine was not only an insult to them, but it was also an insult to their houses. More than one noble had been threatened with divorce for entertaining the thought of a concubine. Thus, only those mighty lords could genuinely afford to do so. At the peak of the Transcendent Knight Rank, Wolfgang Kracht was one of the most powerful Uradel counts, but even he could not do such a thing without consequences.
The day he brought in Iliana's mother was the day his wife left him to join the Holy Flame Church as a priestess.
Since then, Alex had always resented him and sought to oppose him in any possible ways. Thus, when Else's agents approached him with the promise of helping him take over his father's estates before due time, he readily joined her faction. Not knowing that his father had been monitoring his every move and recording his misdeeds.
But no one had expected, that three days ago, Count Wolfgang would walk into court, kneel in front in front of the emperor and say.
"I Wolfgang Kracht only have one daughter whom I love dearly. But for two decades she has been in your majesty's care, and I've not been able to see her ever since. Now my only wish is that your majesty grants me the right to legitimize her so that I can add her to the family registry. On account of all my contributions on the battlefield, I hope your majesty will agree!"
He was not only a powerful noble but also a mighty general with many contributions, and it was rumored that he would soon break through the Semi-Holy Knight rank and be promoted to the position of margrave!
Taking into consideration the fact that he had never asked for anything, the Holy Emperor granted his request which caused Alex to fly into rage and vehemently curse his father in public!
In retaliation, Count Wolfgang beat him into a bloody pulp and crushed his balls to the shock of all the present nobles! He then announced that his daughter would be his heir and returned to his mansion.
And it would seem that act caused the incensed Holy Consort to order the execution of Iliana and Daphne.
"How could this be…?"
The attendant didn't believe that Count Wolfgang would go so far as to destroy his only male descendant. Wasn't that no different than proclaiming his will to challenge Else to the end?
"I also want to know why. But with that move, he made it clear that he cared not for your lives. That being the case, you can die!"
The court lady bellowed and shot toward the maid with her brandished sword. But at that time…
"HALT!"
…a voice thundered from behind, and she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Who?"
And alongside the gathered individuals, she turned toward its origin and was surprised to see Iliana who should on all account be dead standing with a breathtakingly handsome black-haired youth by her side.
"Yo, you really are an idiot. In the middle of your attack, someone says "halt," and you actually stop?"
Said Konrad with a disappointed elder's tone.
And immediately, black lines crept on all the gathered individuals' foreheads.
"Kill them!"
"Lady Iliana? Why are you here?"
The attendants weren't relieved. On the contrary, their hearts were full of apprehension. With the present lineup, there was nothing Iliana alone could do to tip the scales. She could only follow them to the underworld. As for that pretty boy, …he seemed to fit the "too handsome to be reliable" type.
The ten high-level True Knights shot toward the duo at close to the speed of sound. But seeing their incoming forms, Konrad was unafraid. He extended his right hand and muttered.
"Ecstasy Clouds."
Pink colored clouds rose from his fingertips and shot toward the assailants. The eunuchs among them felt nothing, but the remaining five ladies immediately dropped limp onto the ground with their pupils dilated.
The cloud then spread toward the Grand Knight court ladies, and they too soon collapsed in the very same fashion.
"What the hell is going on?"
Seeing their companions and leaders collapsing without any form of damage or resistance, the eunuchs were too shocked to carry on with their attacks. Meanwhile, Daphne's attendants were taken aback.
"Hahahaha!"
The downed women then began giggling and wriggling on the ground with their faces showcasing soaring euphoria, causing even more confusion within the gathered individuals/
"A wise man once said that there was nothing more dreadful than a woman's fury. I disagree. If there is anything in this world I will never dread, it is a woman's fury."
Konrad complacently said and caused Iliana's forehead to further crease.
He then pounced onto the eunuchs at close to twice the speed of sound.
*BAM* *BAM* *BAM *BAM* BAM*
And sent them crashing into the opposite walls with a violent series of punches.
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