Capítulo 23: The deception of the third prince
"Alice, what do you mean by this? Stop your wanton behavior!"
Irina could no longer bear the scrutiny of so many strange looks. She suddenly stood up, her teary eyes full of grievance and resentment, staring fixedly at Alice. "You have repeatedly slandered me maliciously. I know that perhaps you have some misunderstandings about me and the third prince, but why do you have to keep pressing me so hard and refuse to let it go?"
Irina's plain white mage's long dress fluttered gently in the wind. The glistening tears in her eyes seemed about to spill out. Her appearance, which was a mixture of delicacy and stubbornness, was like a flower swaying in the wind but refusing to break. If there were a brave knight here, he might be touched by her pitiful and charming state and be inspired to show his chivalry and compassion.
However -
There were only noble ladies present here. And as a highly talented mage of the Augustan Empire, Irina was showing such a weak and helpless posture at this moment. The noblewomen around couldn't help but feel a little disgust and disdain in their hearts. The magnificent palace where they were located was called the Shining Star Palace, which was one of the symbols of power and glory of the Augustan Empire. Its architectural style combined the mysterious Gothic spires and the gorgeous Baroque decorations, and every corner exuded an air of majesty and luxury.
Lilia, who was sitting at the banquet, quickly glanced at Irina and then immediately fixed her gaze on Alice. Her eyes were full of doubts and inquiries.
"Am I pressing you hard?" Alice asked with a feigned look of surprise, raising her eyebrows. Then she turned her eyes to the Queen Mother, who was sitting in the first place and wearing a dark red magnificent magic brocade long dress. "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, do you think what I said is pressing her hard?"
The Queen Mother frowned slightly when she heard this. A flash of barely perceptible anger quickly passed through her deep eyes.
"Irina, stop making a fuss and sit down." The Queen Mother's voice was low and majestic, like a magic command that could not be disobeyed.
Irina's hands hidden under the long sleeves quietly clenched into fists. Looking at Alice's pretended innocent and pure appearance, a strong murderous intent surged like an undercurrent beneath her drooping eyelids.
Alice, you despicable bitch! You deserve to fall into the endless abyss!
Irina suppressed the anger in her heart, slowly lowered her head, and pretended to be obedient and sat back in her seat.
The Queen Mother's beautiful eyes moved gently and cleverly changed the topic. "The daughter of the Sullivan Family, Julie, didn't show up today. I heard that it was because you beat Julie in front of the magnificent bronze gate of the Shining Star Palace?"
Alice nodded calmly and replied, "That's right, Your Majesty the Queen Mother."
"Alice, don't you plan to explain this?" The Queen Mother's tone unconsciously rose, and the sense of majesty became even stronger.
Alice curled the corners of her mouth with a meaningful smile. "It was just an ordinary magic skill sparring between me and her. If such a trifle has to trouble Your Majesty the Queen Mother to worry about, then Alice can't afford it. I'm afraid it would be a great disrespect to Your Majesty the Queen Mother!"
"In the past, Julie often invited me, who was regarded as a waste, to spar. The only difference is that this time I was lucky enough to win, and she lost."
Before the Queen Mother could respond, Alice seemed to be suddenly hit by a pleasant surprise and asked with an expectant look on her face, "Could it be that Your Majesty the Queen Mother wants to praise and reward me because of my unexpected victory this time?"
Many of the ladies present were startled by her sudden words. The Queen Mother's previous question, which clearly carried a tone of reprimand, how could it have completely changed its meaning in Alice's mouth?
Alice's preemptive move was like a delicate magic trap, firmly trapping the Queen Mother.
At this moment, if the Queen Mother wanted to reprimand, it would inevitably seem unkind; if she didn't reward, she was afraid of being criticized.
If it weren't for the fact that Alice's grandfather, who was regarded as a waste, was a famous magister, the Queen Mother might have already been unable to restrain herself and ordered Alice to be expelled from the Shining Star Palace!
It should be known that Alva, that old fellow, was notoriously protective of his descendants!
Moreover, it seemed that His Majesty the King paid special attention to this Alice. Otherwise, why would he specially ask to prepare an extra invitation for her to this grand banquet?
The Queen Mother's face was as gloomy as water. She had no choice but to reluctantly order the attendants to prepare a reward to commend Alice for her "achievement" of defeating Julie for the first time.
Alice accepted a deep blue and mysterious deep-sea night pearl with a smile on her face. The light of the pearl flowed in her palm, seemingly interacting with the slyness in her eyes.
This matter was temporarily put aside.
The night was as black as ink, slowly dyeing the entire Shining Star Palace. The dinner of the Grand Flower Banquet also opened in this mysterious night with a magnificent curtain. Countless court maids in exquisite uniforms shuttled among the seats, serving plates of steaming and fragrant delicious dishes, as well as all kinds of exquisitely beautiful desserts and fruits that seemed to be enchanted with a sweet magic.
The Queen Mother stayed at the banquet for about an hour and then gracefully got up and left under the respectful escort of everyone.
Only a group of noble ladies were left in the banquet hall. Some were chatting in low voices in groups of three or two, and some were sitting alone, lost in thought.
Alice was always like an isolated island, sitting alone in the corner and enjoying the dinner.
Until the end of the dinner was approaching, a court maid quietly approached her, then slightly bent down and said in a voice as soft as the night breeze blowing over flower petals, "Miss Alice, His Highness the Third Prince invites you to meet in the west chamber of the South Hall. The South Hall is one of the many palace buildings in the Shining Star Palace. Its style is simple and elegant, surrounded by a quiet magic garden and a gurgling crystal stream."
"Oh?" Alice's eyes were like lively elves, skipping nimbly on the maid. Her bright red lips curved up slightly, with a half-smile.
"In that case, let's go. I haven't seen Prince Arthur for a long time."
The maid secretly showed a look of contempt and disgust where Alice couldn't see, but still piled up false and happy words on her lips. "Actually, His Highness the Third Prince misses Miss Alice very much. Miss Alice, please come with me."
"Okay." Alice readily agreed without hesitation.
Rose, who was beside her, was extremely anxious and nervously grabbed Alice's hand. "Miss, don't go. That third prince is not a good person."
The maid immediately frowned and scolded harshly, "You lowly little maid, how dare you speak ill of His Highness the Third Prince..."
'Slap —'
Alice waved her hand quickly like lightning. The crisp sound of a slap instantly exploded in the air, attracting the attention of the ladies around.
Alice still smiled charmingly as if nothing had happened. "Oh, I'm really sorry. Maybe it was a slip of the hand. Let's go."
The ladies around heard this and looked at Alice with even more strange and bewildered eyes.
A slip of the hand? Could she slap someone so loudly?
After all, it was just a little maid. With their noble status, they naturally didn't bother to argue with Alice. Moreover, Alice had been acting mysteriously recently, as if she was covered by a mysterious magic.
No one knew how long the effect of that mysterious magic potion she took would last.
When the effect of the potion disappeared, she might still be the one who could be bullied at will!
At this moment, the maid tightly covered her swollen left cheek. The burning pain was like a sharp needle stabbing into the skin.
The maid's eyes were filled with surging hatred, like a raging magic storm. She happened to see a hint given by a woman in a white dress in the distance and then hurriedly suppressed all her emotions.
The maid lowered her head and said with a slightly trembling voice, "Miss Alice, please."
"Mm." Alice turned around and gave Rose a reassuring look, like a warm magic shield protecting Rose's heart.
The night was getting darker, like a huge black satin tightly wrapping the Shining Star Palace. Alice and Rose followed the maid, turning left and right in the winding and deep corridors of the palace, as if they were shuttling through a maze. Finally, they came to the door of the west chamber of the South Hall. The maid said softly, "Miss Alice, please. His Highness the Third Prince is waiting for you inside."
Alice nodded slightly, took a few steps forward gracefully, and then 敏锐地察觉到 that the maid behind her grabbed Rose's arm. She only heard the maid say, "His Highness the Third Prince is only waiting for Miss Alice. All other irrelevant people are not allowed to enter!"
Rose was extremely anxious. She was determined not to let her young lady go into danger alone. The west chamber was dim and without light, as if it hid countless unknown dangers and evil magics. If something happened to the young lady, she would never be able to atone for it even if she died ten thousand times.
Rose struggled hard, trying to break free from the maid's restraint. At this time, she heard Alice's familiar and cold voice like an ice pick piercing through the darkness. "Rose, you wait at the door. I'll be back soon. Don't worry."
"Miss..." Rose was full of hesitation and uneasiness, and her voice carried a hint of crying.
"Be obedient." Alice's voice was firm and could not be refuted.
Rose had no choice but to reply, "Yes, Miss. If there is any sign of trouble, you must call Rose immediately."
Alice nodded and then stepped into the west chamber.
The moment Alice stepped into the west chamber, the heavy door seemed to be controlled by an evil dark magic and slammed shut. The room was immediately filled with a thick and pungent strange fragrance, like a cloud of fog, trying to erode people's minds.
Alice was extremely vigilant. She quickly covered her nose and mouth with her slender hand. At the same time, her other hand was like a flexible magic paintbrush, gently touching a mysterious acupoint on her chest, as if drawing a magic rune to protect herself.
In the hazy light, a huge figure on the bed quickly sat up like a ghost. The figure was like a small hill. Alice secretly guessed that this must be a stupid, vulgar, and fat man.
"Beauty~ Come into my arms quickly and share this endless pleasure with me!"
The fat man with a big head and big ears rushed towards Alice like a hungry monster. A magic charm with a mysterious rune shining brightly suddenly appeared in Alice's palm. She flicked it gently, and the charm shot out like an arrow leaving the bow.
'Bang' There was a loud noise, and the charm accurately hit the fat man's body.
'Whoosh'
In an instant, the charm burst into a raging fire. The flames were like an angry fire dragon, instantly engulfing the man.
"Ah...ah..."
"Help!!!"
The fat man was burned by the fire and struggled in pain, jumping around like a crazy trapped beast in the room. The shrill screams pierced the night sky.
Alice saw this and curled the corners of her mouth with a sarcastic smile. Such a clumsy and inferior plot, how dare you show it off in front of me?
Suddenly -
There were messy footsteps, exclamations, and discussions coming from outside.
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, my maid has just reported that someone is having a secret rendezvous in the west chamber of the South Hall!"
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