Chapter 82 Cressida is Forced to Show Her Skills
Miguel's palace was bustling with activity today, probably because it was Anthony's birthday.
Quite a few powerful and influential people had come. Cressida entered through the back door.
She couldn't appear in the front courtyard, to avoid outsiders seeing her close association with Miguel.
She was led by one of Miguel's trusted guards toward the outer study.
As she passed through the corridor, several servants carrying bundle after bundle of fireworks walked past her.
Cressida glanced at them twice before looking away.
At the study.
Guard James White said expressionlessly, "Please wait here, Ms. Hamilton. His Highness Miguel is entertaining guests up front and will bring the Little Duke over in a bit."
Cressida nodded at him. "Thank you. On my way here, I saw servants carrying fireworks. Are they for celebrating the Little Duke's birthday?"
James: "Yes, fireworks will be set off after dusk."
With that, he excused himself and left, closing the door behind him.
Cressida felt puzzled.
Had fireworks nowadays all been improved?
When the servants carrying fireworks passed by her earlier, she had keenly smelled a strong scent of saltpeter.
Cressida practiced martial arts, so her five senses were sharp. She had also dealt with gunpowder and cannons on the battlefield, making her especially familiar with this smell.
If she remembered correctly, ordinary fireworks wouldn't have such a heavy saltpeter smell.
Only gunpowder required that much saltpeter.
She was worried about one thing—would setting off fireworks with such explosive power cause problems?
Suddenly, Cressida's head shot up as she recalled something from her past life.
When she was confined to the courtyard, one day she suddenly heard that Patrick had attended the funeral of a young nobleman.
At the time, she casually asked why and only learned it was an accidental death by explosion.
But Cressida hadn't asked in detail who had been killed.
In all of Emerald City, many dukes had children—Miguel wasn't the only one with children.
However, if she narrowed the scope, among all of Doyle's sons, only Miguel had a child.
What if the one killed in her past life happened to be Anthony?
She calculated the timing—it was exactly this time period before the Regatta Festival.
Cressida immediately pulled open the door and called softly outside, "James?"
No response.
The entire outer study courtyard was empty.
With many distinguished guests in the front courtyard today, most of the servants had probably gone to help.
Cressida hesitated. Should she wait in the outer study until Miguel came, then remind him about the gunpowder problem?
Because James had said the fireworks wouldn't be set off until evening.
But then she thought again—if the young nobleman who was killed was truly Anthony, then he must have been mischievous and accidentally touched the fireworks early.
So the time he was killed might not be in the evening.
If Cressida went to the front courtyard now, she risked being exposed.
She closed her eyes, pondered for a moment, then immediately made her decision.
Indecisiveness had never been part of her character. She weighed the pros and cons and chose the path most advantageous to herself.
She left the outer study.
Anthony's death would actually have no impact on her, but for Miguel, the blow would be enormous.
Now in the palace, voices supporting Marshall and Yosef were growing louder, but everyone understood the importance of having an heir.
In her past life, Miguel had defeated Marshall and Yosef but still couldn't become the country's heir because people in the palace kept saying that someone without a wife or child, someone whose bloodline was dying out, couldn't convince the masses as heir.
Anthony was the biological grandson of the former Queen Autumn and Doyle's first grandson!
Anthony's existence was enough to make other factions feel threatened.
Moreover, although Miguel appeared not to compete now, his military power was growing.
After Cameron's death in battle, Miguel had temporarily taken over Cameron's army—this couldn't be ignored.
Someone wanted to kill Miguel's child to strike a blow at this critical moment.
Cressida had to protect Anthony.
Fortunately, she had been to the Prince's palace many times before. Although it was at night, she still knew how to get to the front courtyard.
The banquet was being held in the front hall. Cressida walked along the corridor, looking around as she went.
A few servants did pass by, mistaking Cressida for a lost guest and kindly pointing her in the right direction.
As she approached the front hall, she gradually heard noisy voices mixed with conversation and laughter.
Cressida leaped up, using the roof to hide herself, and lay flat.
Her eyes scanned around, clearly seeing about fifty guests in the front courtyard.
Marshall and Joseph were both there, along with several princes in prince's clothing but with unfamiliar faces—one of them should be Yosef.
Miguel was nowhere to be seen. Cressida looked around but couldn't find him.
She searched intently for Anthony.
Finally, in an area separated from the front courtyard by a wall, she spotted him.
He was playing with several children around his age, with maids standing nearby.
Cressida frowned.
Because she saw two servants carrying over a bundle of gunpowder as thick as a tree trunk.
Anthony was patting his chest beside them, proudly saying something.
This was bad—he was really going to set off fireworks here.
Cressida immediately flipped down from the eaves.
Yosef, who was talking with Joseph, suddenly paused and looked up toward the nearby eaves.
He saw nothing.
Joseph asked, "What's wrong?"
He also looked in the direction of Yosef's gaze.
Yosef just smiled. "Nothing, I saw wrong."
Joseph seemed a bit impatient and glanced at the crowd around them.
"Where did Miguel go now?"
Cressida had already pressed against the wall and quickly circled around to the narrow courtyard where Anthony was.
At that moment, Anthony was already holding a torch in his hand.
The maids had pulled the other children to huddle in the corner, waiting to watch him set off fireworks.
"Little Duke!" Cressida shouted.
At the same time, she threw a fallen leaf she had picked up.
This was a skill only she possessed.
That seemingly light leaf flew like a hidden weapon and struck the torch.
The torch quickly fell to the ground.
Cressida had already run to Anthony's side and kicked the torch away with her foot.
Anthony looked up at her, his small face showing delight.
"Ms...." No, Miguel didn't allow him to call Cressida that in public.
He clapped his hands, jumping up and down. "That was amazing just now! How can a leaf knock away a stone?"
Cressida had no time to explain. She frowned. "You dare set off fireworks by yourself?"
Anthony pouted. "I've set off firecrackers before."
"That's different!"
Cressida was about to continue speaking when suddenly she heard the sound of an arrow breaking through the air.
As it approached her, it carried burning flames that reflected in Cressida's eyes.
Without thinking, Cressida grabbed Anthony and dodged to the side. Using the momentum, she seized the burning arrow and threw it out in one swift turn.
The maids screamed, pointing at the roof. "There's an assassin!"
Cressida raised her cold eyes, imposing and fierce.
She locked eyes with the black-clad figure on the roof.
The assassin raised his bow again and shot at her.
At the same time, another fire arrow came from somewhere unknown.
This time, it was aimed at the gunpowder.
There were two assassins!
Cressida held Anthony and did an agile backflip. When she looked up again, the pebbles she had picked up flew like hidden arrows straight toward the assassin on the roof.
The other party seemed not to expect her to fight back with pebbles. Caught off guard, he was hit in the shoulder.
Cressida heard a sound and looked back. The fire arrow had already lodged in the fireworks.
She couldn't worry about anything else and shouted at the maids, "Run!"
She had just taken Anthony a short distance away when a massive explosion erupted behind them.
In an instant, the ground shook and debris flew everywhere.
A cloud of smoke filled the air.