“Grand General Rhys, I have only one son. I cannot leave him behind and return to Oakvale alone. I implore you to show mercy!” Eloise bowed deeply.
At that crucial moment, she had cast aside all concerns for her pride.
The sole focus was on extracting Austin from the raging inferno, a sacrifice she deemed worthwhile even if it meant surrendering her own life.
“If Your Highness does not wish to return to Oakvale, you can stay here,” Julius said indifferently.
He went on, “I can find a beautiful place in West Lucozia for both of you to spend the rest of your lives carefree. How about that?”
“If you become the Prince of West Lucozia, it might not be appropriate for us to stay here. It would be better if you allowed us to return to Oakvale. That way, everyone would be happy,” she suggested.
“There’s nothing inappropriate about it. Austin is my nephew,” he said with a faint smile.
He added, “So, having him assist me in West Lucozia is normal. If he performs well, he might even be rewarded with higher ranks and titles, enjoying endless prosperity and wealth.”
“Grand General Rhys, I beg you, please spare us, mother and son, for the sake of His Highness!” Eloise suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud, surprising everyone.
No one expected the dignified Princess of West Lucozia to kneel and plead for mercy.
“Your Highness! What are you doing? Please get up!” Wyatt’s face turned pale as he ordered attendants to help, but Eloise pushed them away.
On the other hand, Julius wore a smirk, finding the scene somewhat amusing. The once high and mighty princess was kneeling before him, begging for mercy.
“Mom!” Suddenly, Austin rushed out. Seeing his mother forced to kneel at the door, his eyes turned red with fury.
“Julius! You scum! How dare you humiliate my mother? Today, I’m going all out against you!” he roared and charged forward with his sword.
“Austin! Stop!” Her face turned pale. She wanted to reach out and stop him, but it was too late. Austin, merging seamlessly with his sword, launched a formidable strike toward Julius, accompanied by a gust of wind.
Despite the assault, Julius stood unfazed with his hands behind his back as if he didn’t consider Austin a threat.
“Hmph! A bit presumptuous, aren’t you?”
At that moment, Elijah, on the left, suddenly took action. His spear picked up, thrusting forward with one hand. Without any visible strength or fancy moves, he simply hit Austin’s sword.
There was a loud explosion, and Austin was directly sent flying more than 30 feet away. His sword fell to the ground with a clatter.
The tremendous impact made him retreat seven or eight steps before barely stabilizing himself. A trace of blood slowly flowed from his nose.
Although Austin had reached the level of a Grandmaster Martial Artist, he was still far behind Elijah, who was close to the rank of an Ultimate Grandmaster. Just a simple thrust caused Austin to be injured.
“Austin! Are you okay?” Eloise hurriedly approached and commanded the castle’s Draken Guardians to protect her son.
“It’s just a minor injury, nothing serious.” Austin wiped the blood from his nose. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging blood.
He glared fiercely at Elijah and said, ” Elijah, my father treated you generously. Why are you working for Julius?”
