Helena ignored Jane and immediately turned to the king, acting coquettishly."Your Majesty, you know about my equestrian skills."George, with his strikingly handsome face, glanced at Jane with indifference."Helena's riding skills far surpass those of others. Wendy, you're overthinking this."Jane, on the other hand, appeared more at ease."In that case, Lady Helena doesn't need to participate in the selection. In ten days, she can directly take part in the polo match."Helena was displeased. She had been honing her equestrian skills to please the king, not to compete in some polo match."Your Majesty, I refuse!"Jane's attitude was firm."Then it can only happen after the polo match!""You…" Helena was left speechless, turning to the king for support.-Outside the royal study, Lily approached Jane as soon as she emerged."Your Majesty, are you alright?"Jane remained composed."Add Lady Helena to the polo match roster."Lily was surprised."Your Majesty, how did you
Jane rarely rode horses and most often stayed on the sidelines to observe. As the day's practice was about to conclude, Richard arrived at the royal stable."Greetings, Your Majesty."Typically, Richard would come with the king. Jane instinctively glanced behind him but did not see the tyrant king."Today, it's just me." Richard smiled, exuding a gentle warmth like spring rain.Jane nodded in response and shifted her gaze to the distance—toward the concubines riding horses.She assumed Richard would leave after exchanging pleasantries, but instead, he stood beside her and began chatting."Your Majesty has gone to great lengths. If needed, I can persuade the king to visit the royal stable more often."Lily, standing nearby, was visibly surprised. Richard didn't seem to be joking—his crescent-shaped eyes carried the same mildness as always."That won't be necessary." Jane bluntly declined without even turning to look at him.Richard appeared momentarily taken aback but quickly r
After days of training, the polo match commenced as scheduled.George sat in the center of the viewing platform with the queen dowager on his right, and the others seated in succession.Richard, ever genial, remarked, "This is the first polo match held in the harem. The queen has truly put in a lot of effort."As he spoke, he frequently glanced at George.George, cold as ice, replied, "Indeed, it's unprecedented. Compared to the virtuous queens of the Foster family throughout history, this is certainly a first."Everyone present could hear the king's discontent toward the queen.To ease the tension, Dina smiled kindly and offered praise. "The queen has a keen mind; this polo match is sure to be extraordinary."George frowned slightly, clearly disagreeing with her remark.Richard refrained from commenting further, silently picking up his glass and taking a sip of wine.The other concubines had little interest in the polo match; they only wished to be closer to the king. Yet, ev
The polo match commenced, and the participating concubines entered the arena on horseback, dressed in riding attire.Dina spoke, feigning casual observation."It's great to be young. They all look so different from their usual selves—less like concubines of the harem and more like female generals!"Laurel bowed slightly and echoed her sentiment."With Your Majesty embodying virtue and the king ruling with wisdom, this palace naturally nurtures such vitality."George glanced at the field but, given the distance, couldn't discern who was who. His strikingly handsome face remained expressionless."Mom, it's one thing for you to make a joke," he said. "But for the past century, Nidora has never had a female general."Richard raised his cup."Under the king's divine blessing, the lands of Nidora flourish. I believe it won't be long before a female general arises in Nidora—someone who will expand our borders and dominate the central plains."George lifted his cup, and the two exchan
Helena scored repeatedly, and as she rode past Jane, she pulled the reins to a stop."Your Majesty," Helena sneered, "is there no one left in your team who can put up a fight?"Jane's expression remained composed, giving no response.Helena wasn't willing to let it drop. She lowered her voice and taunted, "I know what you're trying to do—propping up Josephine to steal the king's favor, hoping to divert his attention."But really, Wendy, you're such a pathetic queen! You've invested so much in Josephine, yet here she is, crushed beneath my feet. And soon, you'll be the same, groveling at my mercy—just like your mother did that day..."Jane's brows furrowed slightly.Noticing the subtle change, Helena smirked in triumph. "What? You didn't know? After you were abducted, your dear mother came to beg me for mercy. Whatever I commanded, she obeyed—she even knelt to put my shoes on! She was far more sensible than you'll ever be."Jane's grip on the reins tightened, her knuckles turni
The concubines reacted with excitement in the stands. They assumed the intense struggle between Helena and Josephine was over a ball, stretching their necks to see who would prevail, unaware that both their horses had gone mad.Sharp screams echoed in the air.Moments later, someone was thrown violently off a horse...Helena had barely realized something was wrong with her horse before she fell, everything happening quickly within a few seconds.There was no time to regain control.As she tumbled, terror consumed her. Below her were the sharp, jagged rocks. Her face!She instinctively tried to shield it, but after several violent rolls, a deep gash marred her cheek.With a sickening crack, her left arm twisted unnaturally, broken.Helena screamed in agony.Her face, her arm! 'Why? Why did this happen?' she thought. Josephine was supposed to fall, not her.The searing pain coursing through her body was unbearable. Who had done this to her? The lilac scent on her was faint—just
Boom!Helena felt like her head had exploded.'No pain medicine? Stitches without anesthesia? Were these quacks trying to kill her with pain? And what was this zynthium extract?'Medicine for headaches… Could it be Wendy? Yes, it was Wendy's fault!The royal physician knelt before George, seeking his decision."Your Majesty, if we delay any longer, Lady Helena will lose too much blood, and her life will be in danger."George's brow furrowed deeply as his gaze fixed on Helena."Stitch her up!""No! Your Majesty…" Tears streamed from Helena's eyes, mixing with the blood on her face.The chief physician instructed the others, "Hold Her Highness down! Don't let her move!"As the physician approached with needle and thread, Helena let out a piercing scream."Stay away! Aah—!"Soon, the tent was filled with the sounds of agonized wails, so harrowing that those outside felt their hair stand on end.The cries carried far and wide.At that moment, Dina was visiting Wendy, checki
The royal physicians were busy stitching Helena's wounds when George summoned Jane to the adjacent tent.Inside, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. Steven stood by in a silent and deferential manner.The polo match had been cut short due to Helena's serious injury, and as the host of the event, the queen was inevitably held accountable.Jane entered, her expression calm and composed, and performed a curtsey."Your Majesty," she said in a steady voice.George exuded an icy aura, so chilling it seemed to transform the bright spring day into the dead of winter. Helena's anguished cries pierced the air from the neighboring tent.The king's face was stormy, his furrowed brow resembling an impenetrable mountain range."Kneel!" His voice was cold, sharp with fury, and his dark eyes were like a fathomless abyss.Without hesitation, Jane lifted her dress and knelt gracefully. Lily, following her mistress's lead, quickly knelt as well, trembling slightly.The king's gaze bore into
The box contained the onyxite horse.Jane was puzzled. Why would George send her this?Steven placed the box holding the onyxite down, recalling how perplexed he had been when the king ordered him to deliver the stone to the forbidden palace. Though rewards from the king were always considered acts of favor, gifting a mere stone seemed rather baffling.At first, he had thought it was because Wendy was skilled in riding and fond of horses, so the king had given her this horse-shaped stone.Then the king had remarked in a deep voice, "The queen's temperament is just like this stone, stubborn and unyielding."Of course, Steven dared not relay a single word of that to Wendy. Instead, he simply smiled and said, "Queen Wendy, King George is thinking of you."Even without knowing the reason behind it, Jane accepted the onyxite. After all, it was a token of Conan's regard for his master.-At the Chief Gatekeeper's residence, Jocelyn locked herself in her room, her expression dark and
"Conan, it's been a few days since we last met. How have you been?" Jocelyn asked first with concern.Conan didn't want to resent her, but recalling the hurtful words she had spoken that day, it was difficult to face her with the same admiration he once had."Thank you for your concern, Commander," he replied courteously. "I'm doing well."He had wanted to tell her his mother was dead. That she had perished in agony from hunger and illness.But before he could, she asked, "How did you come to know Henry?"Conan casually made up a lie. "It's just a matter of chance."Jocelyn felt relieved. It seemed he still didn't know Jane's true identity. And Jane, most likely, wouldn't tell him to keep him from being entangled in the matter.She made a pained expression and got to the point."Conan, the reason I refused to take you as my apprentice that day was that I couldn't bear to see you sent to the battlefield to die. Your father and I were good friends. I still can't get over his deat
When asked who his master was, Conan looked at Jocelyn. Jocelyn was also looking at him, smiling. But he just stared at her without saying a word.Was the boy afraid she would refuse? To encourage him, Jocelyn took the initiative."Go ahead and say it, young man," she said. "You've made such a great contribution. No matter who it is, they would be willing to take you as their disciple."For the onyxite mine, she could reluctantly accept him as her disciple. She could always find an opportunity to get rid of him later.Conan nodded at her, as if he had caught her hint.Then, he opened his mouth and said, "My master is Henry, also known as Shadow Phantom."The moment those words fell, the hall went dead silent.Jocelyn stood frozen, feeling as if the blood in her veins had turned to ice.'Henry? Jane?'That had to be a lie.Hadn't Jane been in the forbidden palace all this time? When did she take Conan as her disciple? This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Conan should have be
Hearing that someone was offering onyxite, George looked at Jocelyn.Jocelyn instinctively responded, "Your Majesty, the people at the Armory Bureau all say that onyxite has long been mined out. It's impossible."George had no patience to listen further and directly summoned the young man into the hall.A trace of gloom flickered in Jocelyn's eyes. She would see for herself whether this onyxite was real or not.Moments later, the young man was led inside.The moment she saw him, Jocelyn's expression changed abruptly in shock. Why was it Conan?Conan was also surprised to see Jocelyn here. However, Henry's instructions took priority. He respectfully bowed before the king."Your Majesty, I, Conan Carter, have come to present to you this onyxite."George summoned the people from the Armory Bureau to the palace, instructing them to examine whether the onyxite in the young man's possession was genuine.After thorough verification, the conclusion was unanimous."Your Majesty, this
Onyxite was an impossible find, yet now it was before Jane's very eyes."This is onyxite. How did you get it?" she asked immediately.Conan looked intrigued. "Master, do you know about onyxite too?" Three years ago, when I first met Commander Morris, I heard her discussing onyxite with my father. She seemed quite fond of it. She even took notes on it in her books."I have a good memory, so I remembered it."My hometown, Lime Valley, is surrounded by mountains. In my free time, I searched everywhere. A year ago, I finally found onyxite. That's why I chose it as my offering to Commander Morris for when I became her apprentice. But that was before she rejected me."Three years ago, Jane had already wanted to develop a new type of rifle. At the time, she had determined that the key was in insulation. The best material for insulation was none other than the black iron refined from onyxite.Who would have thought a child would overhear and, by pure chance, actually find it for her?Ja
Conan's lips were cracked, and his voice was unusually hoarse. Jane met his gaze and saw the murderous look in his eyes."I was paying respects to my ancestors and happened to pass by," she explained.Due to prolonged hunger, Conan's hands trembled as he picked up the offerings and returned them to her."Take them away! My mother doesn't need these!"Jane ignored his resistance. She carried a sword at her waist. With a swift motion, she drew it from its sheath. With a few rapid slashes, a nearby tree was carved into a wooden slab the size of a gravestone.Conan watched the scene unfold. His expression was completely blank.Jane placed the wooden slab on the ground and asked him, "What was your mother's surname?"Conan suddenly reacted, looking at her in surprise.Jane's tone was calm and even, without a trace of condescension or pity. "With a gravestone, she won't become a wandering ghost."Conan let out a cold scoff. "I don't believe in that."Jane spoke as if joking, "Even
Conan reacted quickly. He barely dodged Jocelyn's first strike.Jocelyn didn't stop there and launched a series of attacks at him.Conan had been on a long and hard journey, exhausted and starving. In this moment, he barely had any strength left. Yet, even in this state, he managed to evade Jocelyn and even found opportunities to counterattack.Jocelyn's expression darkened. This kid was even stronger than she had expected.She feinted an attack at his lower body, and just as he moved to counter, she suddenly shifted behind him and delivered a sharp kick to the back of his knee.Conan's knee buckled, and he dropped to the ground on it.Jocelyn immediately locked her arm around his throat from behind. His head was forced back, mouth wide open, gasping for air.Jocelyn didn't let go. She tightened her grip more and more. Conan's face turned a bluish-purple.Sensing something was wrong, Keira immediately shouted in alarm. "Commander Morris!"Only then did Jocelyn release him, tho
"There are three in total. I haven't really seen the other two," the vegetable vendor gasped, blood trickling from his lips.'Haven't really seen' meant he had seen them.Jane pressed on. "Describe them.""One has a mole on his face. The other likes to gamble and is a habitual thief. He's skinny and has a square face. Please, have mercy! I've told you everything I know!"Jane lifted his chin with the tip of her dagger. "Why do you all follow Jocelyn's orders?"The vendor was pale from blood loss. His voice was weak."We're all wanted men. Outlaws. If we don't obey her, she'll hand us over to the authorities. But if we do, she gives us gold. She also poisoned us. She gives us the antidote on schedule. Otherwise, we die. "Now that I've betrayed her, there's no way I'll survive. I beg you. Make it quick."Jane's gaze was cold. "Fine."With a swift motion, she slit his throat.For a wanted criminal of his stature, death was probably mercy enough.She sheathed her dagger and ste
Wallace was badly injured. When he woke up and saw Jane, he immediately knew he was safe. His upper body was covered in bandages, and his face was pale."Com-"He noticed someone else in the room and quickly corrected himself. "Master."Jane, still wearing the same silver mask, turned to look at him.The doctor was giving her instructions on how to care for the injury. She listened, memorized them, then paid the fee and personally escorted the doctor out.Moments later, when she returned, she saw Wallace trying to sit up."Don't move!" she ordered immediately. Did he not realize how badly he was hurt?Wallace obediently laid back down. He grimaced with a wry smile."Master, I'm tough. It's nothing."He was lying. He still remembered the pain of those knives stabbing into him. It hurt like hell!"Master, that vegetable vendor–""He's been caught," Jane interrupted.Wallace was about to speak again when a young man suddenly barged into the room."Vice Leader! That vegetable