CHAPTER 72: ALICE IN THE WESTERN EMPIRE 2

(Third Person POV)

"I will now list the crimes committed by this vile criminal."

Alice raised her right hand and extended her index finger as she began listing the crimes.

"First, this man kidnaps children from their families and raises them as his soldiers."

Prince Lucas’s face twitched slightly upon hearing those words, but he quickly returned to his calm demeanor.

Alice noticed the shift in his expression and raised her second finger.

"Second, he abducted countless women to satisfy his filthy desires, forcing them into a miserable life where they wished for death."

Tiran turned his gaze to Alice, his eyes questioning after hearing her words.

"Third, he sparked a war within his empire that lasted over ten years, and he did so with the help of a vile organization."

Prince Lucas stood up from his seat, his eyes wide from shock, staring at Alice warily.

"You..."

"Fourth, this cursed man killed his older brother for the sake of power, just so he could rule the Western Empire."

SWOOSH!

As soon as Alice finished her words, a sharp sound of an arrow being fired echoed — aimed directly at her.

Tiran swiftly raised his hand and caught the arrow just inches from Alice’s head.

Alice turned her head to the right and took a deep breath, the tension evident in her body as she realized how close to death she had been if not for Tiran.

"You... Who told you all of this? How do you know these things?!"

Prince Lucas was stunned, watching as Alice exposed all the secrets he had desperately tried to keep hidden.

"How I know doesn’t matter. What matters is... what should we do with you? What do you think, Uncle Tiran?"

Tiran didn’t answer her question. Instead, he turned his gaze to the right side of the room, as if watching someone.

"You, come out. I already know you’re there."

As soon as Tiran said those words, the space near them began to crack and distort. Out stepped a man whose entire body was covered in garments and a green mask covered his face.

"As expected of Tiran Valdrik. Even with my perfect concealment, you still found me."

His voice was strange, clearly modified to prevent anyone from recognizing it.

"Who are you?"

Tiran rose from the couch and stood face to face with the masked man.

The man lifted his head to meet Tiran’s eyes due to the height difference and began speaking.

"Oh, how rude of me. How could I forget to introduce myself?"

He stepped back elegantly and bowed, placing one hand on his shoulder.

"I can’t tell you my real name, but you may call me... The Green one."

Green particles began to rise from his body, and a beautifully crafted green bow formed in his hand.

He pulled back the string, gathering the wind around it into a glowing green arrow.

Seeing this, Tiran immediately unsheathed his sword and stood ready, eyeing Green cautiously.

"You two have no right to fight here. This is the Western Empire. You cannot do as you please."

Prince Lucas raised his voice, trying to stop the confrontation. He knew full well how disastrous a fight with Tiran would be.

"Oh? No right, you say? You’re mistaken, Your Highness."

It wasn’t Tiran who answered, but Alice, who was still lounging calmly on the couch.

"What do you mean?"

Prince Lucas looked at her, confused by her words.

"Dear prince, once I finish my mission here, the Western Empire will be annexed by the Empire of Tirshtain. So we’re eliminating pests now, before they cause trouble later."

A gentle smile formed on Alice’s face, one that made the prince feel foolish for ever thinking she was just an innocent girl.

"You want to annex the Western Empire to the Northern Empire? Don’t make me laugh. The Court will never agree to such madness. This is impossible!"

There was a confident smile on Prince Lucas’s face, which made Alice tilt her head in mild amusement.

"Are you stupid? Of course the Court won’t agree. So what?"

"What do you mean, ’so what’? If you do this, the entire world will turn against you! You’ll never know peace again!"

Alice rested her chin on her hand, looking at the prince before giving her answer.

"Do you really think we care about something as trivial as the Court? If they oppose us, we’ll crush them before they make their move. Simple as that."

Prince Lucas’s eyes widened in disbelief. From his perspective, her words were beyond absurd.

"Do you realize what you’re saying? This is insane! You’ll face the strongest man in the world. You’ll never win."

"Talking to you is making me dumber," Alice said, clearly annoyed. "Uncle Tiran, let’s finish them off quickly, please."

Her face showed clear boredom as she shifted her gaze from the prince to Tiran.

"Hahaha, of course, little Alice. I’ll finish this quickly so we can continue our work."

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Three arrows flew at lightning speed toward Tiran, who raised his sword and blocked them effortlessly.

"Oh, so you really want to fight me. Very well, here I come!"

Tiran stomped the ground and launched himself at Green, swinging his massive sword.

But before the sword could strike, the space around Green warped, and he vanished.

BOOM!

Tiran’s sword smashed through the palace wall, sending debris flying and exposing the city outside.

Through the hole in the wall, Green could be seen standing on a nearby rooftop, his bow armed with several new arrows.

"Hahaha! This is going to be fun. Let’s go!"

Tiran leapt out through the hole, charging toward Green.

Back in the room, only Alice remained calmly seated on the couch, while Prince Lucas held his head in pain.

"Why? Why? I’ve been planning this for years, and you just show up and ruin everything. Why now? Damn it..."

Alice watched him with a soft smile that irritated him greatly.

"You look happy, don’t you?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I be, when everything is going exactly as planned?"

Alice stood up from the couch and walked toward the broken wall, watching Tiran chase after Green across the rooftops.

"You know, when Lax first asked me to do this, I was skeptical. I wondered why he chose me specifically."

She looked down at her hand, a soft smile growing on her face.

"I’m inexperienced, not strong like Riana, or skilled like Elena who’s good at everything. I’ve always felt beneath them."

Alice clenched her fist tightly, criticizing herself.

"But now... I understand why he sent me here."

Her body relaxed as she released her fist, gazing up with a warm smile.

"I’m not beneath them... I’m just different. They couldn’t do what I’m doing now, and I couldn’t do what they do. That’s life. Everyone has their role... and this is mine."

Prince Lucas stood from the couch and joined her, a smile creeping across his face.

"You’re right. Everyone has their role. And I know mine very well. Guards, come in!"

He shouted toward the door, prompting the guards to rush into the room.

They surrounded Alice, eyeing her cautiously.

"You made a grave mistake leaving your bodyguard. Now you’ll suffer the consequences of your overconfidence."

His smile widened as he saw Alice’s nervous reaction to the guards.

"Everything has changed now. I won’t back down. This is your fault for making me stand on my feet again."

"If you do anything to me, I swear my fiancé won’t let you get away with it!"

Alice was visibly shaken, her voice trembling as the guards surrounded her.

"Oh? And where is your fiancé now? I don’t see him anywhere. He let you come here, knowing the danger. Maybe you should rethink your trust in him."

Alice’s eyes widened in shock, bringing visible joy to the prince.

"Guards, restrain her."

The guards grabbed her arms and struck her knees, forcing her to kneel on the ground.

"Agh! My legs... it hurts!"

Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.

"Hahaha, this is only the beginning. You—give me your dagger."

One of the guards stepped forward and handed him the blade.

"Wait! What are you going to do? Don’t be reckless, Prince. You’ll regret this. Don’t—!"

SLAP!

The prince slapped her across the face, leaving a red mark.

"You... You hit me? Not even my father ever dared to slap me. I swear, I’ll kill you for this!"

Alice shouted in fury, holding her cheek as the heat from the slap lingered.

"You really are a foolish girl. Look around before making empty threats. Your stupidity brought you here."

He unsheathed the dagger, revealing its razor-sharp edge.

"Please... don’t do this. I beg you..."

"Hahaha... yes, that look... how refreshing."

The prince laughed and approached, gripping the dagger tightly.

"Send my regards to my older brother. I’ll be seeing him soon."

STAB!

He plunged the dagger deep into her heart. Her eyes widened as she vomited blood.

"Blegh..."

He stepped away, avoiding her blood, and the guards released her, letting her fall to the ground.

"Lax... I’m sorry. I guess I failed my mission..."

Those were the last words she spoke before closing her eyes — or so Prince Lucas believed.

From Alice’s perspective, she was still lounging on the couch, staring out the broken wall.

She turned her gaze toward the prince, who stood there with a strange expression on his face.

"Hahaha... Die, you cursed girl. This is your fault for challenging me."

"I’m honestly curious to see what he’s seeing right now."

Those were Alice’s words as she watched the prince like he was a fool, amused by his bizarre behavior.