As time goes by, the sun gradually hangs high in the sky.
A little later than planned, the princess's motorcade arrived at the first town after leaving the royal capital at noon.
Just as An expected, although the gate of the town was open, there were soldiers in armor coming and going. There was no one in civilian attire, and the atmosphere was serious and tense.
Seeing the princess's motorcade approaching from a distance, a man dressed as a palace official immediately turned around and ran back. When the motorcade approached the gate, a man in civilian attire walked out behind a middle-aged nobleman with a tense face.
"Welcome to Your Royal Highness, the Princess of the Empire!" The middle-aged nobles and civil servants simultaneously performed the aristocratic etiquette of the Kingdom and said respectfully.
Liliana lifted the car curtain and smiled at them.
As the princess of the empire, and as she was just passing by, she did not need to get off the carriage to communicate with the two men. The nobles of the two kingdoms naturally knew these etiquette rules, so after paying tribute to the princess, their attention turned to the princess' spokesperson.
Leonhardt jumped off his horse, walked up to the two of them and said, "I'm passing by on my way home, sorry to bother you."
"No, it's an honor for me to have the princess pass by here twice." The middle-aged noble's words were very polite, but his tone was a little stiff.
"His Majesty specifically ordered to take care of everything on the princess's journey. This is our duty." The civil servant's condition was better, but still a little unnatural.
The Imperial Princess was attacked in the Kingdom's capital. Although it was hard to say who the target of the attacker was, the mere fact that the Imperial Princess was affected by this incident was already a thorny diplomatic issue.
King Carion was very worried about this matter. He didn't want the princess to encounter another difficulty on the way back, so he sent someone out in advance to arrange things on the way.
As for the results...
Since he had anticipated what would happen in the town in advance, in Leonhardt's eyes, the unnatural behavior of the two people was equivalent to having it written on their faces.
The middle-aged nobleman did not deliberately hide what happened in the town. After the two of them introduced the convoy into the town, Leonhardt saw that there were still no pedestrians on the road, and there were only security forces on the streets who were waiting solemnly.
He asked naturally: "What happened in the city? Why is the security so tight?"
The middle-aged noble's face froze, and after a moment he said bitterly: "To be honest, since the night three days ago, many cases have occurred in the town. Although my police chief has tried his best to investigate, the murderer has not been arrested yet. Bring him to justice. Now, my subjects are in panic. I asked them to stop all work outside the city and stay at home with peace of mind, waiting for the end of the case."
The civil servant who came from the royal capital on the side was afraid that Leonhardt would be angry, so he hurriedly said: "Lord Willit has not slept for several days in order to catch the murderer. The moment before everyone arrived, Lord Willit was talking to his men. Discuss the case..."
Leonhardt noticed that the middle-aged nobleman's muscles were unnaturally tight and his eyes were sunken, as if he had not had a good rest for several days.
Thanks to the fact that this town is the territory of the Willett family, other nobles who are worried about their family property would probably cover up the situation in the town at all costs, betting that the princess will not be in danger.
He is worthy of being a member of the Willett family.
He did not say that he loved the people as his own sons, nor did he act shamelessly to protect his own honor by putting ignorant others in danger.
However, even the lords began to directly participate in the investigation of the case...
Leonhardt did not think that the Lord Willit in front of him was putting on a show in front of the imperial princess, because the negative effects of doing so far outweighed the benefits.
That may only be if the case is really serious!
The middle-aged nobleman, who had not rested for several days and had become a little slow in thinking, suddenly realized that Leonhardt had not spoken for a long time, so he quickly said: "Don't worry, I sealed off the entire territory the day after the case occurred, and no one left the city. There have been subsequent cases, and the murderer must be in the town! I will have the security forces escort the convoy thirty miles outside the town, so that the safety of Her Royal Highness will not be compromised."
The middle-aged nobleman knew well the importance of the safety of the Imperial Princess, and also knew that King Carion hoped that the Imperial Princess would be in a good mood on the way home, so he did not hesitate to use the already short manpower in the hope that the Imperial convoy could leave with satisfaction.
It's not that he doesn't care about the case, but he has more than enough intentions but not enough power, so he can only choose the lesser of the two.
After the middle-aged nobleman finished speaking, the security officer with a tired look stepped forward to salute Leonhart, which was obviously arranged in advance.
"No, you misunderstood. If Her Royal Highness is in danger, it will be my fault!" Leonhart straightened his back and then looked at the middle-aged noble. "I'm just surprised that the case in the city has become so serious. To what extent?"
The middle-aged nobleman was stunned for a moment before he realized that it was the civil servant's kind help that exposed him.
The lord with a strong military aura glared at the civil servant, luckily he had specifically told him in advance not to let the princess and her entourage know the true situation of the case.
The civil servant smiled bitterly and said: "Lord Willett, with all due respect, with the level of alert you have set, you cannot hide it."
The middle-aged noble was unconvinced and wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Leonhardt: "Lord Willit, you better tell me, maybe I can still... I am better prepared in advance."
Leonhardt stopped in time to say "help".
With his status and the current situation, if he helps the nobles of the kingdom solve the case, regardless of success or failure, it will be an embarrassing thing for the kingdom.
Even if you really want to help, you can't say it openly.
The middle-aged noble hesitated for a while, and then, prompted by the civil official's eyes, he nodded. He glanced at the carriage where the princess was sitting, moved closer to Leonhardt, and whispered: "Please come with me a few more steps. The details will not be heard by the princess."
Leonhardt realized the seriousness and nodded seriously.
The three of them put some distance away from the carriage Liliana was riding in. It was the civil servant who spoke first: "Lord Leonhardt, this matter is rather strange. I suspect..."
He hesitated for a moment and did not continue.
The imperial princess was attacked in the kingdom's capital, and another bizarre case occurred on her way back. These were supposed to be two unrelated cases. The civil servant didn't feel much at first, but over the past few days, while he was in a state of thinking, he inadvertently noticed the commonality between these two major incidents - both cases had an imperial influence. The princess is one of those who experienced it!
Could it be that the two cases were instigated by the same person, both trying to harm the princess of the empire?
This idea has no basis and is a bit far-fetched and unbelievable when you think about it carefully. Therefore, the civil servant did not mention it in the third letter sent back to the royal capital yesterday morning. Now he hesitates when he plans to tell Leonhardt.
If all this is just his imagination, saying it easily may bring disaster!
Seeing that the civil servant didn't say anything, the middle-aged noble looked at him with confusion and dissatisfaction.
Leonhardt, who was clear-minded, helped the civil servant change the subject and said, "Let's talk about the case itself."
After giving Leonhart a thoughtful look, the civil servant continued:
"...Shortly after discussing with you, His Majesty issued an order for me to take care of everything along the way. I set out very early to complete it and returned here four days ago, waiting to accompany you and taking care of the chores on the road - -This is also His Majesty’s order.”
"On the night when the report and standby documents were handed back to the royal capital through the hands of Lord Willit, the first case occurred."
"Because it was related to the return journey of the princess, I went to the scene with Lord Willit... It was a vicious case!" The civil servant frowned and covered his mouth, which was a typical sign of physical discomfort. "Someone took a large number of animal carcasses that had been recently cut up. Abandoned randomly in the busy market that was about to disperse. According to eyewitnesses, many were thrown in the air, many people's clothes were stained with blood, and there was great chaos in the market."
"Unfortunately, although there are many witnesses, no one has actually seen the clear appearance of the abandoned person. Most of the descriptions are unclear and inconsistent."
"The Sheriff initially determined that multiple people had committed such egregious behavior, and the investigation direction was tentatively set to include surrounding investigation..."
"However, in the early hours of the next morning, the same incident occurred at the other end of town, and since then there have been several more in different locations further away."
"The news of the case was broadcast at an alarming speed. By noon the next day, everyone in the city knew about the vicious incident that occurred in the city."
"In the following days, the severity of the case gradually escalated, and the animal carcasses became larger and larger. Even yesterday morning..."
The civil official looked unbearable, and the middle-aged noble said on his behalf: "There are injured townspeople."
Click——
"install?!"
There was a slight noise in the carriage the princess was riding in, followed by a scream.
The middle-aged nobles and civil servants immediately looked over nervously.
"It doesn't matter." The muscles on Leonhardt's face hidden by the mask were twisted, and his fists clenched.
"But……"
"No problem!!"
The middle-aged noble was startled by Leonhart's momentum and did not dare to respond easily.
Seeing this, Leonhardt slowly loosened his clenched fists, calmed his tone and said: "...It's okay, it's just that the carriage has been running for a long time and is a bit old. It will be replaced when it returns to the imperial capital."
The civil servant looked at the carriage and then at Leonhardt, and he was sure of something.
