He flinched.
"She's over here..." the voice fades as it whispers in his ears.
"I'm over here..." The calming comfort of Princess Mureden's whisper, calling for someone whoever there is behind the door is unearthly strange.
Much more to Sir Philip, it is all ghostly.
"Your Queen..." The voice echoed through the walls of the walkway Sir Philip is standing at. He is not frightened nor curdled his blood. He is rather curious.
This mystery, he is curious.
"She's over here..." again the voice of a gentle evil.
What he heard led him to the gigantic bronze-casted double door right beside him.
Without delay, he twisted the knob open and unveils a lady multiple steps away from him, dressed in a white gem adornment bodice layered with a burnt umber shade overskirt half opened that flows down to the ground and full open fur trimmed sleeves.
Her luxurious spiraled dark hair is braided long through her back, dropping a few strands in her pale cheeks.
Sir Philip, unbothered by the sight in front of him, roamed his eyes in the room and saw how suspiciously empty it is.
He tightened his grip on the sword he drew from his scabbard before entering the back gate.
He looked at this lady in front of him with a wrathful gaze. She dared entered the halls of this kingdom alone.
If all these attacks in Acairè did not happen, this lady would in nowhere near deadly to him.
Indeed, as Sir Philip thought, this harmless-looking lady is not harmless at all — not even a single trace.
"Your Queen is over here." She said now in a tone deeper than just a few seconds ago in such a fading smile.
He wrinkled his forehead and let out a light smirk. "You're not my queen," he said almost comically to the ominous lady.
Even if she takes the throne, he will never be a knight of this tyrant in front of him. Sir Philip is too righteous to do so. He'd rather lose his rank and privileges as a first knight.
"Oh, not me above aboard sire." She moves sideways and revealed a body laying on the floor senseless, cheeks touching the ground and hand slightly above her head and the other, closer to her face.
In a heartbeat, Sir Philip sprinted towards the helpless body of the Queen not minding the presence of Princess Mureden slightly blocking his way.
She even smirked as her shoulders were pushed against his.
He kneeled on the ground and shifted the Queen's back to face down. He saw how her arms were unscratched and the rest of her body seems fine. What did this lady do to her Queen?
He looked at the Queen's face and aside from her divine beauty, her eyes were slightly red and swollen.
He could even see her royal birthmark that was supposed to be hidden in the fabric of her sleeves.
Being in so much agony seeing the Queen in her state, clearly, he does not know what to do.
He does not understand what kind of warfare this has gotten into, as much as he tried suppressing it, he couldn't be frightened anymore. This lady is putting misery in Shaoghal.
"Amusing isn't it?" Princess Mureden said in such a lively innocent gaze.
Sir Philip composed himself and stood facing her.
"... Being a woman I mean. If I were a man, you would've already pierced your sword right through me... Such chivalry you're showing me. I'm a woman and I don't have any sword or dagger with me. A noble knight can never point a sword at me." She walked closer to him locked in his gaze, taunting him. "I am rather flattered."
She smiled and reached for the wound at the side of his chest plate and dug her fingers into his flesh.
In writhing pain, he groaned and took a step back. He slightly bent his body and placed his hand on his wound trying to withstand the pain.
Such boldness he sees in her.
All the sting and throbbing pain came back to him he withstood earlier making his stance weaken once again.
He took a step back and strikes his sword with no success in injuring the Princess, she smirked.
"You come here already when you're dying. Why? To protect your queen?" not for a second she wants to end his life right away. It's rather fun for her.
He strikes diagonally and is still being dodged.
The Princess beguiled knowing this wounded knight who has been enduring the pain is so weak that she nonchalantly just swings her body backward to avoid just being scratched.
Everything, from the fires, the queen, and this knight, has brought the princess glee. Indeed, all according to her long-desired victory.
"Why are you doing this?" He said as he finally stopped stroking his sword helplessly knowing his strength is betraying him.
"You didn't even ask for my name, rude... but why wouldn't I?" she smiled so cheerfully like hell is heaven for her.
Sir Philip got even more confused about this menacing lady when he heard her laughing malevolently after smiling so innocently.
Where did the demeanor he saw a while ago have gone?
This twisted intruder is very formidable.