Chapter 187 Seen by Joseph, Embracing Miguel’s Carriage?

Chapter 187 Seen by Joseph, Embracing Miguel’s Carriage?

The army hadn't finished passing when Cressida turned and pushed through the crowd to leave.

Emma and Verity hurried after her.

She hadn't meant to draw attention today, but by tomorrow it would be all over the city, with more speculation to follow.

She had tipped off Marshall about her improvements to the musket, but hadn't given him the formula. Casey had just let it slip, so Marshall and the others would surely find out now.

Not that it mattered much — they would have figured it out sooner or later. After all, Deputy Commander Foster had crushed the remaining enemy forces using the improved muskets, which hit harder and shot farther. That kind of thing couldn't stay hidden. Marshall and the rest would eventually piece together that Cressida had helped Miguel.

Miguel had said their relationship needed to gradually come to light, rather than just trying to keep it buried. In the whirlpool of Emerald City, there were no walls without cracks.

In the crowd, Joseph spotted Cressida's figure moving away and immediately followed.

He thought to himself that Emily had a point — within the Blade of Victory, Cameron's reputation still carried weight, and people looked at Cressida as if they were seeing General Hamilton himself. That made Cressida genuinely valuable.

Besides, he wanted to corner her and have it out with her. He still hadn't gotten over that business with her leading the Royal Huntsman's horse last time.

Cressida turned down a quiet side street where a carriage sat waiting. James stood beside the horses.

The moment he saw her, James bowed. "Ms. Cressida Hamilton, Prince Miguel is waiting for you."

He lifted the curtain to reveal the hem of Miguel's robes — purple and gold, with black boots, cold and still. His hand rested on his knee, a jade thumb ring on his finger.

Cressida gave a small nod, then turned to Emma and Verity. "Wait for me at the end of the street. I'll meet up with you shortly."

The two of them left without a word.

She stepped into the carriage. Miguel sat with his hair bound by a silver crown, a black cloak draped over his robes.

"Did you like the surprise?" he asked.

Cressida thought for a moment. "Prince Miguel had Casey return to Emerald City as a surprise for me?"

"I didn't call him back. It was my father's idea — he wants to break up the Blade of Victory's power, have Casey split off with his own troops and receive a separate reward."

After Miguel said this, Cressida fell quiet, her brows drawing together in thought.

Doyle didn't trust anyone enough to hand the Blade of Victory over to them outright. And since they were too unified, he'd rather just break them apart and let each faction lead their own men.

Miguel had read his father's thinking perfectly.

"So I arranged for Casey to come back. He's your man — I figured you'd want to speak with him privately."

Cressida said nothing.

Miguel's voice dropped. "The Blade of Victory will be split into three forces. Chris and Casey will each lead one, and the third will be under my command. My father has made up his mind. You can't stop it."

Cressida lifted her dark eyes.

"I know it's hard to go against the King's will. But I've been thinking — if I stepped forward myself and offered to lead the Blade of Victory, would the King agree?"

"How do you dare think like that? That's far too bold." Miguel's brow furrowed slightly.

Cressida nodded. "I know it won't be easy. But Cassie Foster's situation gave me hope. She has her father's favor and openly followed Deputy Commander Foster to the battlefield. She took part in the fighting this time and apparently earned some credit. Will the King reward her with a military title? If he does, that means there's hope for me too."

Miguel studied her with his sharp, cool eyes and said nothing for a long moment.

Then he spoke. "I don't want to discourage you, but Cassie Foster didn't fight on the battlefield."

Cressida blinked.

"But they said she rode out with the army and fought."

"She rode with the troops, yes, but she didn't fight. She wasn't even allowed near the battlefield. You've been a commander — you know the rules. Having a woman fight in the ranks is a serious offense."

Cressida went quiet.

She knew that, of course. It was why she had never admitted her own identity. If not for the fear that deceiving the King was too grave a crime, why would she have hidden it this long?

Miguel's tone was flat. "If Cassie Foster gets any reward at all, that's already something. A military title? Even if you came forward and revealed who you really are, that might not be enough — let alone her."

Seeing a shadow cross Cressida's face, Miguel paused, and when he spoke again his voice carried a quiet note of reassurance.

"When the time comes, I'll acknowledge what you've done."

Cressida looked up, about to respond, when James's voice came from outside: "Greetings, Prince Joseph."

Joseph's voice followed right after. "What are you doing here? Is Miguel in there too?"

Miguel glanced at Cressida and said in a low, measured voice, "He's going to lift the curtain. Come here — lean into me."

Cressida's eyes flickered with a trace of resistance. She wasn't thrilled about it, but she couldn't afford to be seen by Joseph right now, so she went along with it.

She moved to Miguel's side, pulled him toward her, and tucked his head against her shoulder.

Miguel stared at her. "…I said you lean into me."

Cressida immediately let go of him, flustered in a way she rarely felt. "Prince Miguel should have been clearer about that!"

She'd never done anything like this before — how was she supposed to know? And besides, why were they even hiding from Joseph? Couldn't James just knock him out?

The next moment, Joseph called out "Miguel" and threw open the curtain.

But before he could, Miguel had already wrapped his cloak around Cressida and pulled her into his arms.

Cressida's face was pressed against his chest. She heard Joseph's voice cut off abruptly, as if he'd frozen.

"Miguel…" Joseph said, puzzled, peering inside. All he could make out was a head of dark hair — no hairpins, no jewelry.

Quite plain.

"What do you want?" Miguel's voice was cold.

"Miguel, have you seen Cressida?" Joseph asked. "I need to have a word with her about something."

"No," Miguel said, expression unchanged. "Now get lost."

Joseph made a sound of acknowledgment. Before dropping the curtain, he took one last look at the woman in Miguel's arms.

Cressida was about to sit up — but Joseph suddenly doubled back.

The instant he lifted the curtain again, Miguel pressed his hand against the small of her back and held her in place.

The cloak slipped down an inch, revealing her smooth forehead.

Joseph, completely oblivious, asked, "Miguel, did you hear that Yosef is back in Emerald City?"

He looked like he was about to climb into the carriage and settle in for a proper conversation.