Chapter 286
The Askar delegation had been ambushed, and casualties were unknown.
Jessica and Garbisch rushed straight to the palace.
The Askar delegation was quartered in Radiant Palace near the palace gates. Though technically within the imperial grounds, the area was heavily guarded.
Yet, even in that heavily fortified place, they were ambushed unbelievably.
By the time Jessica and Garbisch arrived, Radiant Palace was still engulfed in a sea of raging flames.
Someone was already directing the firefighting efforts.
Jessica and Garbisch rushed over. Jessica urgently asked, “What’s going on?”
Leon had only just arrived himself, yet he wasted no time. He immediately mobilized all the Eagle Troops to help fight the fire, with even Magnus and Shawn hard at work.
“I heard explosions inside, and then the fire just spiraled out of control,” Leon said. As soon as he finished his words, he spotted someone, quickly stepped forward, and caught him. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
To his astonishment, the person he caught was none other than Malik.
“Prince Malik!” Garbisch and Jessica hurried over. Jessica glanced around anxiously but couldn’t see Elsie. She asked urgently, “Prince Malik, where’s
Princess Elsie?”
Malik was still dazed and disoriented. He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his mind, but the fog in his consciousness refused to lift.
Jessica immediately took hold of Malik’s wrist to check his pulse.
“Jessica!” Leon called out, frowning.
“He…” Jessica glanced at Leon.
Leon shook his head, cutting her off before she could say more. With a decisive wave of his hand, he ordered, “Guards! Escort Prince Malik to his quarters and summon the royal physicians at once.”
“Right away, Miss Jessica!” said Jessica.
As Malik was being helped away, his voice hoarse and broken as he said, “Elsie… save her…”
Jessica tried to charge forward, but Leon abruptly seized her wrist. “The assassins might still have a thunder grenade,” he warned urgently. “We don’t know where they’re hiding yet.”
Jessica whispered, “Prince Malik has been drugged. The assassins are hiding in the Radiant Palace. Princess Elsie is still inside. She might have been drugged, too. If we don’t go in now, she’ll be in grave danger.”
Leon pulled her behind him, his eyes fixed on the raging inferno ahead. “This isn’t your fight,” he said firmly. “Eagle Troops are sweeping the perimeter for hostiles. Until we’ve cleared the area, anyone who goes in will be walking straight into danger.”
“But she’s my friend!”
Leon warned, “Listen, they might have a thunder grenade. It is devastating. Even with your martial arts skills, you wouldn’t kind of firepower.”
a chance against that
Leon tightened his grip on her wrist, refusing to let her move an inch. “What’s more,” he said, “we still haven’t confirmed if Princess Elsie is inside.
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Chapter 286
Charging inside recklessly will only get more people hurt.”
Jessica struggled to break free from Leon’s grip, but couldn’t. Instinctively, her gaze lifted to his face.
Though his face was hidden behind the mask, the gravity and intensity of his expression were unmistakable.
It wasn’t that Leon didn’t care about Elsie. He was simply maintaining perfect composure, without a trace of recklessness.
Jessica stared into the raging inferno. Somehow, the flames before her eyes blurred together with those from nine years ago. She finally saw it clearly this time. The boy charged through the flames, risking his life to move the burning beam pinning her down.
He scooped her up and desperately ran for safety, shielding her with his own body as burning debris rained down upon him.
Without a care for anything else, he bent down and shielded her in his arms, taking on every danger alone.
She still remembered. When they fought through the flames, he threw his arm in front of her, shielding her from harm. With sheer force, he pushed aside every burning beam in their way, determined not to let a single spark touch her.
Jessica’s heart clenched. Her gaze dropped to his arm. Then, all of a sudden, she grabbed his sleeve and yanked it up.
AD
