Welcome Folks,
I had to say the author really planned this chapter. After reading this one, I couldn't contain my curiosity, and binge read the entire story. Well Anna's Pov, which will come later in the arc, were also like oil which fueled my burning curiosity.
Anyways, Enjoy the chapter~
[]~(￣▽￣)~*
–Aninsar
I was enjoying lunch in the cafeteria with Anna and the others when Amy and the Crown Prince Co. came in.
"Anastasia Clynel von Ramslett, you will fulfil your responsibilities as a noblewoman, okay?"
The crown prince then handed Anna a written order stamped with the jade seal.
The order read as follows.
"Anastasia Clynel von Ramslett is ordered to marry the Est Imperial Magic Division Commander, Günther Wernherr."
Anna rolls her eyes when she sees it.
"Wha! Your Highness, such an order is unacceptable."
Naturally, Anna protested, but the Crown Prince was acting innocent. No, he has a black smile on his face, as if he knew everything.
"As long as the jade seal is affixed, this is a royal order. If you refuse this, you and the Duke of Ramslett will be traitors in the eyes of the world."
"Gu~tsu"
Amy looked at us with a triumphant expression on her face.
Did she perhaps doesn't care about anything anymore and has only thought about ruining us?
"Take Lady Anastasia to the Royal Palace"
"Ha!. Then, please accompany me."
"Wait!"
I intervened with the knights who were trying to take Anna away and stopped them.
"Anna-sama!"
Margaret, who was with her, glared at the Crown Prince, and Isabella was dazed and wondering what to do.
"Calm down, Allen. I don't think my father would have approved of this. You need to inform him first. Also, Margaret and Isabella, you need to tell everyone what just happened here."
"Ugh, I-I understand."
Then, when I was handed the order from Anna and withdrew, she got surrounded by the knights brought by the Crown Prince.
Amy gently approached me and whispered in a low voice.
"That's too bad, isn't it? But you're not even a mob, so don't do things you're not worthy of. The Villainess is destined to be raped into a mess and then turned into a weapon, you know?"
When I heard that, I lost my temper and put my hand on my sword, but Anna stopped me.
"Allen, I'm fine. Believe me."
"Kuh"
I couldn't do anything but watch as Anna boarded the carriage surrounded by knights.
＊＊＊＊
I headed straight for the Duke's royal residence in a great hurry.
"Oh? Allen-san?"
"It's an emergency! I need to see the Duke now! Anastasia-sama is!"
"My Lady!?"
The time spent being stopped by the gatekeeper was frustrating. However, the meeting with the Duke was soon granted.
"What's the matter? What happened?"
"As expected, the Duke doesn't know! It's Anna-sama! The Crown Prince ordered Anna-sama with a decree bearing the jade seal to marry the Commander of the Imperial Magicians of the Est Empire! And so she was taken by the Crown Prince's knights."
"What!? I don't remember agreeing to any of that!"
I handed the order to the Duke and immediately left my seat to go after Anna.
"I'm going to kick those knight's asses right now and get Anna back."
I was about to run off, but the Duke stopped me.
"Wait! This jade seal is real. And if you're here, then Anna told you to come to me, didn't she? Then I understand how you feel, so calm down. Even though she board a royal carriage, she is supposed to be taken to the royal palace first. There's no way she'd be taken to the empire right away without any preparation."
I send a resentful glance at the Duke, who refuses to allow me to sortie.
"I'll check the order with His Majesty first. It's not too late to talk. Besides, if they're out of town, we can always get them back by sealing the border."
"…"
"Just stay here. Okay?"
"…"
After saying that, the Duke hurriedly got into the carriage…
＊＊＊＊
And it was not until several hours later that the Duke returned.
First of all, the king said that he did not give such an order and did not know about it. And the Crown Prince himself refused to testify and said that he had done nothing illegal. However, many students saw that the Crown Prince gave this to Anna and ordered her to do it.
On the other hand, it was true that Anna had been approached regarding this matter. It was at the stage of consulting with the Duke about it.
In short, the crown prince may have forged the order.
And the carriage in which Anna was tricked into riding with the help of the Crown Prince, did not go to the royal palace, but instead went straight out of the east gate. As soon as it left the east gate, the carriage sped off at a high speed, which left a lasting impression on the gatekeeper.
"This shit!"
"Wait! Allen-kun!"
"It's too late to move! What kind of father are you if you don't put your daughter's safety first!"
With Blood rushing to my head, I lost my temper. I shouted abuse at the Duke and ran out of the Duke's residence. I can hear the duke calling out to me, but I ignore him.
If something happens to Anna, I can't repent even if I regret it!
I hurried through the gate and launched the Buitor.
I fly as low as I can over the highway, not caring that Buitor's existence will be revealed.
Everything else was trivial compared to Anna's safety.
Gliding many times faster than the carriages, I overtook one after another, and in less than an hour, I had caught up with the carriage of that time.
Then I dropped Buitor off a few kilometers away, and in full gear, I intercepted the carriage.
They kidnapped Anna, the duchess, with a fake order. At this point, they are treated like bandits, so even if I kill them, I will not get accused.
A few moments later, a carriage passes right in front of the bushes where I'm hiding. I shot a bullet targeting the coachman.
The coachman collapsed with a single blow, and the knights who were escorting the carriage were startled by the sound, and their horses went wild, unable to respond immediately. I shot ammunition at such knights one after another.
And when there was no more resistance, I checked the inside of the carriage.
But the carriage was empty, and no matter how hard I searched, my precious woman was not there.
It was only here that I realized I had fallen for a decoy.