In fact, Afifah is feeling a little depressed because of a series of recent events.
The matter of her sister, and the disturbing atmosphere in the palace - especially today. It is obviously an annual celebration, but I don't know if it is because of her sister that her father does not allow her to participate.
It was very busy outside, but she could only walk alone into this quiet forest. Originally I just wanted to relax, but I didn't expect that a sneaky figure suddenly appeared from behind a tree not far away.
"Who is there!"
This frightened the little princess. There was no one around, and because she was in a bad mood, she didn't bring any attendants with her. If there were any bad guys, she didn't think she could handle the assassins who dared to sneak into the palace.
Afifah's first reaction was to meet an assassin - after all, the Penelope family has had many opponents among the princes and nobles in recent years. She subconsciously took a step back, ready to shout.
But Fang Yu quickly pulled off his headscarf and spoke first: "It's me, Miss Afifa."
So Afifah opened her mouth wide and swallowed the sound back into her stomach at the last moment. In the darkness, her eyes were bright and she asked in disbelief: "Captain Ed?"
Fang Yu nodded quickly and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the other party still recognized him.
He was also worried that the other party would pretend not to know him because of the last conflict with them; he didn't even have to pretend, he looked so sneaky and he didn't look like a good person.
Afifah looked around carefully with a look of 'why are you so bold' in her eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then asked in a low voice: "Are you here to see my sister?"
Fang Yu felt something in his heart. It seemed that the rumors outside were true. The eldest princess was indeed under house arrest.
Otherwise, the other party would not ask this question.
He nodded again.
Afifah was silent for a moment, but soon she seemed to have made up her mind. "I'll take you to see her."
Fang Yu couldn't help but feel happy. Of course he understands - his plan is actually somewhat unreasonable. Although the outer area of the palace has been clearly inspected, the forbidden palace is still blank. How easy is it to find the place where the eldest princess is confined?
And if the perimeter of the palace is so tightly guarded, how can it be relaxed inside the forbidden palace? As long as there is an oversight or a little bit of bad luck, something will go wrong and it may cause big trouble. But this celebration was a rare opportunity after all, and he couldn't give up. Even if he didn't find the eldest princess in the end, he would at least have to go around the palace for a field trip to facilitate his next action.
To put it bluntly, tonight's actions were somewhat forced.
But he didn't expect that he would meet an acquaintance as soon as he entered. In such a large palace, the number of people he knew, including the eldest princess, was only two or three, so the one-in-a-thousand chance that he bumped into him should be considered a stroke of luck.
Afifah looked at him with a complicated expression and whispered: "Put on the headscarf, don't talk, and you just pretend to be my attendant. My sister is at the other end of the palace. We have to go through here. Fortunately, tonight There aren’t many people.”
Fang Yu nodded to express his understanding.
He looked at the little princess again, and couldn't help but think of another Afifa he had seen.
Of course, when it comes to cuteness, Afifah is much cuter. The last time this little princess got along with the Seven Seas Brigade was actually not pleasant, but probably because of her sister's affairs, she didn't have the heart to care about it - of course, there may be Luo Yu's factors involved.
Fang Plover thought.
He asked in a low voice: "Afifah, are the rumors about Her Royal Highness the Princess true?"
Afifah nodded hesitantly.
She sighed and lowered her voice and said: "I don't know what my sister did to make my father unhappy, but after she was ordered to return to the palace, she was given a grounding order. Except for my father, she Apart from the few people around Wang and my sister, not many people know about it, but how do you know?"
"We were entrusted by the eldest princess to help her with some things." Fang Yu replied.
Although he actually got the news from Bishop Faris, of course he couldn't involve the Marlan Temple, so he could only answer this question in an evasive manner.
Fortunately, Afifah didn't seem to care too much. "Oh, I know that."
She shook her head slightly again: "Okay, actually I don't care what you are doing, but I think my sister should be sensible. I guess...she should want to see you now, but you can't be in the palace. Staying here for too long——"
Fang Yu was slightly startled, realizing that the little princess didn't know what her sister was investigating. But he nodded immediately, because he didn't plan to stay here for too long.
But Afifah had something further in mind.
The other party said that she was working for her sister - she did know this. Her sister had also written to her before, and the letter mentioned that she was in contact with the Seven Seas Brigade. And Afifah understood that the reason why her sister mentioned it like this was because of her previous relationship with the Seven Seas Brigade, and her sister always respected her opinions.
But she's no fool.
Even in Istania, selectors are common, and the royal family often deals with selectors from the Adventurer's Guild, but the relationship between the two is nothing more than an employer-employee relationship. The relationship is just an employment relationship. Will the other party risk his life and sneak into the palace to meet his employer?
This is too far-fetched.
After she eliminated those incredible possibilities, there was only one possibility left. Although she had heard some rumors in the past, although this was nothing to a princess in Istania. , are there fewer such things among nobles?
It really is that kind of relationship.
But, after all, he is the chosen one...
Thinking of this, Afifah turned around and gave Fang Plover a strange look. The latter was slightly startled when he looked at her, and he had no idea what her look meant.
However, Afifah didn't speak again, and he was too embarrassed to ask any more questions, so the two of them could only walk one after another in silence.
But just as he thought, with this little princess leading the way, the journey was extremely smooth. Most of the guards in the palace were transferred outside to maintain order, and the rest were just some servants. How could these servants doubt that Princess Afifah would bring an outsider into the inner palace?
The two of them only asked a few questions about the guards there when they entered the place where the eldest princess was confined, but Afifah said that she came to see her sister, and the other party let them in without any obstruction.
Outside the main hall, Afifah stopped and said, "My sister is inside. You can go in and find her alone."
"Why don't you go in together?" Fang Yu was a little surprised when he heard this.
Afifah blushed and said angrily: "What should I do in there?"
Fang Yu was stunned, and then he realized that the other party wanted to stay here to show off for him, but why was Hao Duanrui blushing?
He didn't think too much, but he couldn't help but think of his previous misunderstanding with the little princess, and what he saw later in Istania was that this place did have a strict hierarchy. Although this does not mean that the other party's idea is right, it really cannot be said that the fault lies with the little princess.
Rather, it should be said that this is the case in Istania itself. It will take time for such a trend to change imperceptibly in this place.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but apologize: "What happened before..."
"snort."
Afifah snorted slightly and frowned to interrupt him.
But after a pause, she asked in a soft voice: "...By the way, is Luo Yu okay?"
Fang Yu didn't expect that the little princess would still remember this matter, and couldn't help but smile to herself. Then he mentioned that Luo Yu was not in Questac at the moment, which made the little princess couldn't help but show a look of disappointment on her face. .
…
Entering the main hall, because she was under house arrest, it seemed that not many people were left around the princess.
Or perhaps Afifah had known this for a long time, and when leading him in, he automatically avoided the eyesights left by the Sand King Babartan.
All in all, Fang Plover didn't meet any servants when he entered the main hall. He walked through the main hall and corridors and came to a courtyard at the back. Until he saw the eldest princess, she was admiring flowers alone in the courtyard.
The celebration outside the palace seems to have begun, and the noisy sound can be heard faintly from a distance, until it reaches the depths of the forbidden palace - looking in that direction, you can also see the faint light of fire. The eldest princess, dressed in plain clothes, stood under a corridor, staring at a cluster of plain square flowers in the courtyard in a daze.
The clusters of snow-white flowers reflect the silvery moon, and together with the moon-white corridor under the trees, and the girl in the corridor, they form a unique picture. Her Royal Highness the Princess turned around when she heard the noise, and saw Fang Plover walking out from under the sparse shadow of the Sufang tree. She was slightly startled, and her beautiful eyes lit up slightly:
"Mr. Ed, why are you here?"
Fang Yu looked around and said honestly: "Afifa brought me here."
The other party pondered for a moment and then responded: "Mr. Ed is here for his friends, right?"
Fang Yu couldn't help but marvel when he heard this - although his purpose of coming may not be difficult to guess, but the other party is in a difficult situation, but his thoughts are not affected at all, and he still grasps the center of the problem so quickly. This is A place that made him sigh. If it were anyone else, he would probably lament how he sneaked into this place or how he met Afifah, right?
If the response is a little slower, you might even ask him this question proactively.
But the other party had no such intention at all, and even showed the same keen insight as when he first met them.
Fang Yu did not deny it and nodded.
Her Royal Highness the Princess said: "Thank you."
"Why do you say that?" Fang Yu was stunned for a moment: "Don't you, the eldest princess, know your purpose of coming?"
The eldest princess smiled slightly: "Mr. Ed sneaked into the palace for his companions, I know that. But he left Bein to fulfill his duties and obligations, right?"
Fang Yu was really surprised.
"How did Her Royal Highness know that I was in Bein?"
"Let's talk about the Seven Seas Brigade first," the other party smiled and said, "Mr. Ed is definitely not more concerned about me, right?"
Fang Yu was silent, but he didn't deny it either.
The eldest princess then slowly recounted everything that had happened before:
"I was ordered by my father to return to Questac, and since Mr. Ed disappeared because of my commission, I thought I should shoulder this responsibility."
"More importantly, I don't know what the mystics' position is, and whether they will attack Mr. Ed's companions again, so I don't dare to leave the others in Tansnir. Father ordered the arrival When the time came, I had no choice but to bring Mr. Ed’s companions back to Questac.”
Fang Yu also didn't expect that the Seven Seas Brigade was not forced to come to Questac with Her Royal Highness the Princess, but she brought them back on her own initiative.
However, the other party's reasons were reasonable, and he couldn't raise any objections for the moment. After thinking for a while, he just asked: "Then where are they now?"
"Don't worry," the eldest princess said again: "My father's target is just me. I asked Achilles to place them in the city, and there is no concern about their safety. But Mr. Ed's companions are not all in Ques Tucker, Tansnier also has some manpower left.”
She paused for a moment: "This is because the Seven Seas Traveler is still in that place. Mr. Ed's companion proposed to leave someone to guard it. After weighing the pros and cons, I agreed."
"The ones left behind are Mr. Paladin from Lotao and an elf lady. I blocked off the shipyard before I left. If they don't leave the shipyard, there will be no problem with their safety."
Fang Yu heard that the people left behind should be Miss Attila and the big cat man. If these two people stayed in Tansnir, it would not be a big problem. What's more, he probably understood at this moment that the Mystic's target was not the Seven Seas Brigade. With the reliability of Miss Attila and the big cat man, there was no problem at all in staying in Tansnir.
But everyone else should have arrived at Questac, so the person in charge here...
At this time, the eldest princess also spoke again: "Although I am under house arrest in the palace, I am not completely cut off from the outside world. I occasionally learn about your people through Achilles. Now in the royal capital, mainly The person in charge is your ship officer, her name is Sylvide, right? She is really a capable person."
"In fact, it was all due to her outstanding ability. The day after Mr. Ed disappeared, we figured out the relationship between the matter and the mystics and found out their movements. Therefore, we guessed that Mr. Ed We might be in Bein. If it hadn't been for the sudden sandstorm, we might have already started rescue work."
Speaking of this, she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"...It's just that Mr. Ed is just as Miss Sylvide said, Bein can't keep you at all."
"Sylvid, did she really say that?" Fang Yu was stunned. He didn't expect that the ship officer would believe him so much, so he subconsciously asked.
But as soon as he said it, he realized that he was asking this question too eagerly. When he looked up, he saw the eldest princess's eyes were teasing, and she couldn't help but blush slightly.
Fortunately, there was nothing to hide about his relationship with Sylvester. Thinking of this, he became thick-skinned again.
"So are they all in the city at the moment?"
Fang Yu couldn't help but ask again.
When he asked this question, he was speechless for a while. It turned out that everyone was safe, and those so-called dangers did not exist at all. It was a good thing that he had worried about it for so long. Moreover, this so-called infiltration plan seemed to be purely unnecessary, and he took such a big risk for it that it almost caused a 'diplomatic dispute'.
As a result, everyone was not in the palace at all.
But then he thought about it, Questak was so big, and if he hadn't found the eldest princess, he wouldn't have known where the others were unless he waited for the communication to be restored. But this goes back to the original point of the question - how could he know so much when communication was not restored?
In this case, it seems necessary to sneak into the palace.
In response to his question, the eldest princess only nodded slightly. "After Mr. Ed leaves, I will ask Achilles to take you to that place."
Fang Plover breathed a sigh of relief.
It was as if a big stone that had been weighing on his heart for the past few days had completely fallen to the ground at this moment.
After relaxing, he also realized that he seemed to have been only concerned about the Seven Seas Troupe - although he did say that he only came for this reason when he sneaked into the palace, but considering the current situation of the princess, he seemed to It doesn't seem like a good idea to just turn around and leave like that?
After all, the other party was kind and reasonable and had helped them so much. Although the two parties had an employment relationship, bringing people from the Seven Seas Brigade to Questac was completely outside the scope of the other party's obligations.
What's more important is that Fang Plover has not forgotten that the Seven Seas Traveler is still in the Wang family's shipyard.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask: "...Does Her Highness the Princess also know about Bein?"
Listened to this question.
The eldest princess fell silent for the first time.
After a while, she nodded gently.
"Your Majesty, does your Highness know why?" Fang Yu then asked - this was actually one of the questions in his mind. Although Bishop Faris did tell him some 'inside information', even if Babartan, the King of Sand, wanted to resurrect the princess in a whimsical way, how could this be inconsistent with what his eldest daughter was doing?
He knew very well that the commission given to them by the eldest princess was to investigate the whereabouts of the murderer who attacked his mother. Wasn't this also in line with the expectations of the Sand King? Even if blind followers may be involved, for this reason alone, Babartan, the King of Sand, ordered his eldest daughter to be banned.
This reason is too far-fetched.
And based on what he saw in Bein, it was obvious that the mystic and Count Numan had a careful plan. It was obvious that the conflict between the eldest princess and the Sand King Barbartan did not form in a short period of time - that is to say , even without them. The Sand King Babartan may also order the eldest princess to return to Questak at this time.
This is a little weird.
Obviously they couldn't understand the motivation of King of Sand Babartan to act like this, just because there was a missing information link between them.
Although he has gathered a lot of information from various aspects, among these fragments of information, it is obvious that there is still a lack of the more critical ones so that these clues can be connected together.
"I didn't know much about it originally," the eldest princess said slowly after hearing his question: "But since the news from Bein came back, I may have guessed something..."
…
Miaoshuwu