But it was not completely unthinkable. Princess Xiuying and Ming were the emperor's favored children. He loved them dearly and this was something that everyone knew. Therefore, many of the officers were overjoyed. If they could get Lord Korogin and Sir Winstin in return, that would be a massive gain! It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were trading in dirt for gold! And yet there were a few dark faces amongst the crowd.
General Illion was an obvious one. He was a man who always looked ahead, trying to understand the bigger picture. The emperor ruled from above, but he did not have absolute authority. Much like the Alzar Kingdom, where the Royal Assembly handled daily affairs and the Royal Family handled the most important decisions, the Xingyuu Empire was the same. The emperor could not decide things haphazardly, especially if it acted against the empire's best interests. Even if he loved his daughters with all his might, he could not throw the empire to the wayside. Otherwise, what would the position of emperor mean anymore? So, General Illion wondered if it was all a trap, but even if it was, then the princesses would be the first to face the kingdom's wrath.
Freon also wore an unsightly expression. It was no longer a secret that the army sent to siege Yongtein was General Gordon's and his sister was one of the Ten Dawns participating. After General Illion told everything to Elizabeth, she told her friends. General Gordon's army was like a sacrificial pawn in this massive game known as war. It was a stupidly dangerous mission, bordering on insanity, that gambled every card the kingdom had. If they won, the benefits would be unimaginable. Consequently, if they lost, then the losses would be acceptable. In other words, to the kingdom, Nassandra's life was akin to a number on a paper. No one gave a damn about her!
His fury was peaking and if he could, then he would strangle the madman who forced his sister into this himself! She was a child! By all accounts, children of her age would be happily living out their childhood, far away from the frontlines of the war. However, because she had an abnormally great Arcanic Potential, she was forced to abandon all that. She had to fight in this insane war! General Gordon was kind enough to spare her from murder, but Lord Korogin was different. He held nothing back. With how everything turned out, it would not surprise him if Nassandra was…
Elizabeth was still irritated that General Illion kept her in the dark, but she did not remain fixated on that. She understood that he disliked her and that was fine. She disliked him as well. However, none of that mattered in the end. If she could save Lord Korogin, then that would be fine. Furthermore, Princess Xiuying and Ming would be directly returned to the empire where they belonged. Elizabeth saw no problems with this. Of course, General Illion was most afraid of this. Her headstrong nature was dangerous. His life and the lives of the army were unimportant; however, she could not be harmed. The position of heir apparent was simply that important.
Before she could say anything, General Illion spoke up and said, "The fleet will be split into two. One fleet will head back directly to the Alzar Kingdom with Princess Elizabeth. The other will proceed with the negotiations for Lord Korogin. Are you satisfied with these arrangements, Your Highness?"
"What!" Elizabeth shouted. "What are you saying?"
"Your Highness, there is a high chance that this may be a trap. We can hold the negotiations in your steed. There is no need for you to do anything," Sir Lorenzo urged, flashing a gaze at his brother.
Benedict smiled wryly. He also agreed that it was too dangerous to continue. Although it was a stretch to call him cowardly, he was someone who disliked conflict. War was frightening. It reaped lives and futures without care, destroying everything it touched. Look at how they struggled to survive in the Xingyuu Empire, their lives were risked many times over. They would have died were it not for the many sacrifices along the way. And if a battle broke out in the following negotiations, it would be on a massive scale. If something happened to Elizabeth then, he would die from regret.
"Please, Elizabeth, listen to my brother. He's right. It might become very dangerous here on out. We've handled our part already. Let's leave it up to them."
Shirley came over to Elizabeth's side and said, "Let's head back to the Alzar Kingdom, alright?"
As Elizabeth was debating it, the messenger smirked and took something else out of his satchel. The second it appeared, everyone's gaze flickered with indescribably cold light. Covered in dried blood with a festering stench, he tossed a mutilated limb onto the deck with zero respect. In an instant, all the soldiers' killing intent soared high, alerting the other fleet ships nearby. In fact, most of them unsheathed their weapons, prepared to lunge forward and slice the messenger into a million pieces. Despite not knowing the owner of the arm, there was no doubt that it belonged to an Alzar soldier. Otherwise, what would be the point? It was clearly a slap to all their faces!
Upon seeing it, Elizabeth got an ominous feeling and her heart raced faster. The grotesque nature aside, she could sense a faint familiarity from the arm. Of course, that was all she got. Her expression could not be any uglier than the commanders, officers, or General Illion. Nobility would typically have a signet ring on their hand as a symbol of their heritage and influence. Every family had an iconic sigil that represented them. For example, the Hawken Household had a hawk as theirs. Similarly, the Highguard Household had a simple shield. The signet ring before them in the shape of an illustrious shield was clearly Lord Korogin Highguard's! In other words, it was his severed arm here!