"Lady Ligeia, I have some personal business... I was wondering if I could leave things here to you for a moment."
Thinking of the time for her appointment tonight, Dominica glanced at the bright moon in the sky.
It was already past ten o'clock. If she didn't go soon, there was no telling what Kiran might do.
"Hmm? Something's up? Is it a problem? Do you need help?"
Ligeia was sitting on the frame of the Saint's Carriage, a small table set beside her with the fragrance of tea wafting through the air.
"It is not necessary. It is just some private business."
"Mhm~ It's no problem on my end. Go ahead, go ahead."
Ligeia didn't mind at all. After all, Dominica's strength was only around level forty.
With her power being relatively low, her presence or absence didn't make much of a difference, especially since Dominica had been working so hard to take care of Luo Li these past few days.
It was fine for her to take an occasional break.
"Thank you, Lady Ligeia."
Dominica's rigid nature had seemingly never changed. She followed every instruction to the letter.
Whether one called it simplicity or stubbornness, that was simply Dominica's personality.
Ligeia nodded slightly with a smile on her face.
Only after confirming that Ligeia would not leave did Dominica turn around and give a few more instructions to the Praetorian Knights.
Then, she mounted her white horse and turned to gallop straight toward the foot of the mountains to the east.
Calling it the foot of the mountains was a bit of an exaggeration; it was actually just a small hill, barely a hundred meters high.
On this vast land, there was almost no complex terrain with significant elevation changes.
What few rises there were consisted of hills similar to this one.
There were no majestic peaks that pierced the clouds.
Galloping all the way, Dominica arrived before eleven o'clock.
As expected, the cautious Kiran had not arrived at the appointed time, but had instead reached the spot even earlier than Dominica.
When she saw Kiran's white horse resting in the grass, Dominica knew he was already there.
"I'm here."
As soon as Dominica spoke, a figure flashed out from behind a nearby rock.
It was indeed the Guardian Knight Kiran, who had made the appointment during the day.
However, the current Kiran lacked any of the aggression he had shown earlier. He stepped forward with a face full of respect.
With a solemn gaze, he approached Dominica and knelt on one knee.
"Guardian Knight Kiran greets Your Highness. May you be at peace."
Dominica's brow tightened. She didn't even dismount, simply speaking in a flat tone.
"I am no longer the princess you speak of. Now, I am a Brave Knight of the Kingdom of the Moon, Dominica."
But Kiran acted as if he hadn't heard her.
"Princess, I thought you were dead. I never imagined..."
"Knight Kiran!!"
Dominica's brow furrowed as she looked down at the man.
"There is no princess here, only a Brave Knight named Dominica!"
Hearing these words from his princess's mouth, Kiran's heart felt a dull ache.
"Princess, please come back with me! This time, I will not let anyone threaten you!"
"Knight Kiran, I am warning you. There is no princess here, only Dominica!"
Dominica's face darkened as she looked at Kiran, the man who had practically watched her grow up since she was a child.
Her heart didn't feel good either.
But at this point... things had reached a stage where she had no chance of ever going back.
The Kingdom of Flame was no longer her home.
"Princess, the King's actions were indeed wrong. I did not know you were still alive. If I had known, I would never have..."
"Kiran... those matters no longer concern me."
"But Princess! You are the true heir to the Kingdom of Flame! You hold the formal decree of appointment from the previous King! If only you return, the Kingdom of Flame..."
"Uncle Kiran!!"
Dominica's sudden, sharp shout forced Kiran to swallow the rest of his words.
He looked up at the girl before him, his heart filled with shock.
"Princess, you admit it?!"
"Uncle Kiran... it's already too late. Everything is too late. The Kingdom of Flame is no longer my home."
Seeing Kiran's persistence, Dominica knew that continuing to be stubborn was meaningless.
Since that was the case, it was better to speak candidly.
She leaped down from her horse.
Coming before Kiran, she reached out with both hands to help him up.
A trace of tenderness finally appeared on Dominica's face.
It was a flicker of familial warmth that only appeared after seeing a loved one.
"Uncle Kiran, he has already ascended the throne. I cannot go back. Please do not force me anymore, alright?"
Kiran froze. He raised his hand, wanting to touch the princess before him, but seeing the determination in Dominica's eyes, he could only let out a long sigh.
"Sigh..."
The situation in the Kingdom of Flame was more complicated than others imagined.
The Eldest Princess standing before him was the true heir to the Kingdom of Flame.
However... on the night the previous King died, a major event occurred.
Someone had usurped the throne!
Although the Holy Church did not have direct administrative jurisdiction over the Kingdom of Flame, the Holy Church itself was located within Freedom City, the capital.
Prince Dominic had somehow managed to persuade Anna Saint Uriel, and he had actually borrowed troops from her.
The world was turned upside down in a single night.
No one knew exactly what had happened that night.
But the final result was... the Eldest Princess disappeared, and Prince Dominic ascended the throne.
Meanwhile, the Saintess of Flame became a frequent guest at the royal palace.
The knights had not wanted to acknowledge it, but the previous King had only left behind two children.
One was the Eldest Princess, Dominica, and the other was Prince Dominic.
With the previous King having just passed away and the Eldest Princess nowhere to be found, the ministers and knights could not allow the throne to remain vacant, no matter how they felt.
Thus, Dominic Burns successfully became the new King of the Kingdom of Flame.
As for the Eldest Princess... no one ever saw her again.
Until today.
Kiran had long assumed that the Eldest Princess, whose martial arts he had personally taught, had followed the late King into the afterlife.
He never expected that during this expedition... he would actually see the princess.
This had shocked him immensely!
He could not understand why the princess would suddenly appear in this place.
Beyond the joy and surprise, he was even more confused about what had actually happened that night.
Why did the princess disappear? Why was the prince able to sway the Saintess?
It had all happened too fast—so fast that none of the knights had time to react.
Now, his princess was standing right in front of him, alive and well.
No matter what, he could not give up this opportunity.
"Your Highness, what exactly happened that night? How did you end up here?"
Kiran's eyes were full of questions.
"Uncle Kiran, you should stop asking."
Dominica shook her head, not wanting to say more.
Kiran wanted to press further, but he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the military camp in the distance!
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