As they both fought to free themselves from the chain that suddenly emerged, they both simultaneously exclaimed, "Sir Walter! What do you mean by this?"
Walter nonchalantly, close in on them and said, "Prince Albert and Miss Sierra Whitmore, please mind your manners."
Sierra replied as she used shadow magic (as this spell doesn't require caster's mana) to free herself from the chains. "What gives you the right to call me by name? Are you Histon Kingdom's people trying to provoke a war with The Moon Temple?"
"Your Highness, you are not the Witch Queen yet; you have two more years before you turn twenty-one and ascend to the throne of the Witch Queen." "So, please calm down. We Histon Kingdom people don't aim to cause any issues for The Moon Temple. I trust you share that sentiment." Walter sighed.
"You hypocrites, while claiming not to want to offend The Moon Temple, you harass one of our people. Are you treating us like nothing?" Sierra yelled.
Walter took a deep sigh!
"I apologize to you on behalf of the Kingdom, Your Highness. I will personally look into the matter and provide you with a satisfactory explanation. And I assure you that whoever started today's conflict will not get away with it easily." Walter said before turning to face Albert, who was still clutched by chains.
"I'm hoping Prince Albert is aware of the mess he's created here, especially after casting that life-threatening spell in the castle. You already know how worried and displeased Your Majesty will be with you if he discovers how carelessly you used that spell." As he retrieved the artifact he had used on Albert, Walter stated.
As gaining his composure and understanding of the size of the mess they had created, Albert closed his eyes for a moment took a deep sigh, and said with his head bowed, "I sincerely regret whatever inconvenience my rash actions and lack of judgment have caused you, Sir Walter, and everyone presents here."
"N-No! It wasn't your fault; instead of causing us any hardship, Your Highness handled the issue with class and endangered your life to save ours. I support your morality and selflessness. That wretched half-demon is to fault for everything that happened, not any ineptitude on your part. He, who also summoned those metal spikes, was the menace to everyone's safety here. even provoking Queen Sierra and Your Majesty to confront each other." A middle-aged man with red hair exclaimed as he emerged from the group of nobles.
"Yes, the Atwood family can attest to how cunning, clever, and manipulative that demon bastard can be when he uses deception, unfair methods, or arguments to gain an advantage." As he followed his father, Austen Atwood said.
About how long they would have to endure this nightmare, Alice and Eleanora were rather astonished by this development.
"I, the family's head, Nicolas Atwood, formally requests Your Highness to punish that demon bastard for jeopardizing our life by employing such dangerous sorcery." He stood next to Prince and faced the crowd, gesturing in favor of his demand as he requested.
Murmur!, Murmur!
After Nicolas Atwood's declaration, the crowd immediately began to talk, as it was a big matter for one of the Kingdom's most influential noble families to publicly support a Prince, even before the contest for the crown prince was declared officially.
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Between the crowd of nobles, "Father, that demon bastard just cast a spell of an intermediate level. How is that even possible?" When Austen noticed that Triston was surrounded by the metal spikes he had called, he became terrified.
"What type of treasure does he obtain in that prison to grow so quickly, considering the amount of growth in just two months?" Nicolas paused to think.
"What should I do right now, Father? I'll be in a dual with him in a few months, and the rate at which he's growing makes me nervous." While he awaited his father's response, Austen spoke.
"Indeed, such speed is unheard of. I think we need to close his chapter right away, or else he'll pose the largest threat to our future plans." With a determined expression, Nicolas said.
Nicolas was about to step in when Sierra's voice rang out, prompting him to abandon his plan and wait for an opening.
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Everyone in the crowd began to back Nicolas Atwood a short while later with various end goals in mind; after all, in this jungle of pompous nobility, it was everyone for themselves.
Sierra clenched her wrist and yelled, "You treacherous nobility," but someone interrupted her before she could finish.
"Your highness, there is no reason for you to defend this demon bastard, he was already positioned to face his end, since he has consented to have a dual with me," Austen responded with a smug expression.
"In a few months, he would have died anyhow. Don't trouble your esteemed self with such trivial stuff, please." Austen went on.
Sierra was going to lash out at the brat for his obnoxious behavior, but she is intrigued and stopped when she hears clapping and laughter echoing down the hallway.
CLAP!, CLAP!
Aarav clapped and laughed loudly enough for everyone in the hall to hear as he sat down on the chair.
"You bastard, how dare you?" Austen gets enraged as he tried to attack Triston but was stopped by The Moon Temple servants, who came with Sierra.
"Triston Barrington, what do you mean by this impudence?" Albert interjected as he saw things getting out of hand.
"Can't you see, I'm praising that father and son performance," Aarav added with a scornful expression.
Except for Walter and Sierra, who were standing there casually, everyone is startled by his abrupt change in behavior.
Philip's eyes started to shine with anticipation.