Chapter 1069 The Man Behind the Iron Helmet (1)

Buzz!

A small flame appeared in the air and slowly grew bigger. Soon, Phoenix stepped out of it.

She looked stunning in a red gown that reached her ankles. She was tall with a well-proportioned figure, and a red crown rested on her head.

She looked at Cassiopeia with a complicated expression.

"I’m sorry. I just stood by and watched everything happen without doing anything."

Cassiopeia smiled and shook her head.

"It’s okay."

Phoenix walked up to her and stopped right in front of her. She glanced down and saw Draco’s body lying on the ground, his head cut off.

Her expression turned serious.

"When did you find out Draco was a traitor?" she asked.

"From the start," Cassiopeia replied casually. "Well, to be exact, two days after we left the imperial palace."

A complicated look crossed her face, and she struggled to hide her feelings.

***

A few days ago...

"Do you need my help, Your Highness?"

Cassiopeia bowed her head toward Elina.

Elina didn’t answer. She simply stood with her back to Cassiopeia, remaining silent.

Cassiopeia didn’t press her and waited patiently. A few minutes later, Elina finally spoke.

"If one of the Constellation Mages turned out to be a traitor, what would you do?"

Cassiopeia was caught off guard by the question. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

After a long silence, she finally answered.

"Orion would deal with the traitor. They would be sentenced to death!"

"What if Orion weren’t here?"

Cassiopeia took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Then I’d carry out the sentence myself, Your Highness. It’s my responsibility."

Elina nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. She then turned to face Cassiopeia, who looked a little uneasy.

"There’s a traitor among the Seven Constellation Mages."

Cassiopeia froze. Her breathing, which had been steady just moments ago, suddenly grew uneven.

Still, she’d already suspected something like this might happen. Elina wouldn’t have brought up a traitor without a good reason.

After taking a moment to compose herself, Cassiopeia finally asked, "If I may ask, who is it, Your Highness?"

Elina closed her eyes for a few seconds before answering.

"Draco."

"D-Draco...!?"

Cassiopeia’s eyes widened at the mention of that name.

"I-Impossible! There’s no way he would—"

"That’s the truth," Elina interrupted calmly. "Do you know about the destruction of Kalbar City?"

Cassiopeia fell silent for a moment before nodding heavily.

"I do. The culprit was an unknown Celestial Mage."

Elina smiled faintly.

"What if I told you that Draco was the culprit?"

"Draco was the culprit!?"

Cassiopeia was taken aback. She couldn’t believe Draco was the traitor.

After all, she knew him very well.

The magic used by that mysterious Celestial Mage was incredibly destructive. From what she knew of Draco’s abilities, there was no way he could have done something like that.

"Do you have any proof?"

"I don’t have any proof."

Elina’s answer eased some of Cassiopeia’s tension.

But before she could fully relax, Elina continued.

"However, I got this information from Concubine Melinda before we left."

"Concubine Melinda?"

Cassiopeia was at a loss for words.

An image of Melinda flashed through her mind. The woman had been unusually quiet, as though she had lost all her emotions.

"I don’t want to believe it either," Elina continued. "But she didn’t seem to be lying. So, I want you to keep a close eye on Draco. If possible, don’t tell Phoenix about this. There’s no guarantee she won’t tell Draco about my suspicions. After all, the two of them are quite close."

Cassiopeia lowered her head, clenching both fists.

Elina didn’t try to make Cassiopeia accept the truth right away. She stayed quiet and gave her some time to process everything.

About five minutes later, Cassiopeia finally calmed down and straightened up.

"I’ll carry out your orders."

Elina nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you."

***

"Something like that."

Cassiopeia let out a small sigh.

Phoenix narrowed her eyes, a complicated expression crossing her face. She hadn’t expected there to be such a story behind everything.

"Don’t you trust me, Cassiopeia?"

Cassiopeia flinched and quickly shook her head.

"It’s not like that, Phoenix. Don’t get the wrong idea. Those were Her Highness Elina’s orders, and I..."

Her voice trailed off. She could no longer bring herself to lie.

The truth was, she didn’t fully trust Phoenix.

Ever since learning that Draco might be a traitor, Cassiopeia had been unable to shake off her fear.

She was afraid that if her suspicions turned out to be true, Draco wouldn’t be the only traitor. Phoenix might be one as well.

Seeing Cassiopeia fall silent, Phoenix smiled bitterly.

"It’s okay. I understand how you feel."

Her words eased Cassiopeia’s guilt, like a breath of fresh air.

"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry," Phoenix continued gently. "But if I were in your shoes, I’d keep it a secret too until the truth came out. Thank you, Cassiopeia. You did the right thing."

Tears welled up in the corners of Cassiopeia’s eyes.

She had prepared herself for Phoenix’s anger and disappointment. She was even ready to accept whatever punishment came her way.

But things turned out differently than she had expected. Phoenix understood her situation and even praised her for doing her job well.

It was the complete opposite of what Cassiopeia had feared all along.

"By the way, what are we going to do about Draco?" Phoenix asked.

Cassiopeia wiped away her tears and slowly regained her composure.

"I need to report this to Orion. Can you look after Princess Elina and the others while I’m gone?"

Phoenix smiled.

"Leave it to me."

...

Clang!

The two swords clashed with a loud metallic ring.

Elina gritted her teeth and shoved the tall man backward before lunging forward and swinging her sword down at him.

"Got you!"

The man watched her attack with an indifferent expression. With a swift motion, he raised his sword and parried the blow.

Elina was stunned. Before she could react, the man grabbed her left arm and slammed her to the ground.

"Argh!" Elina groaned in pain.

The man raised his sword and swung at her.

Elina quickly rolled to the side, barely dodging the attack.

But the man wasn’t done yet.

As she tried to get away, he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground.

"Argh!"

Elina struggled to break free, but his grip was too strong.

Her face turned red as she desperately kicked at his stomach.

The man didn’t say anything. He simply raised his sword again.

Elina’s eyes widened in fear.

’Am I going to die?’

Whoosh!

An arrow suddenly flew through the air and hit him right in the right eye.

He screamed in pain, loosening his grip on Elina.

Taking the chance, Elina broke free and dropped to the ground.

She quickly backed away, holding her aching neck.

Once she was far enough away, she turned around and gasped for air. If that arrow hadn’t hit him just in time, she would’ve been dead.

Elina looked up and saw the man screaming as he pulled the arrow out of his eye.

Blood ran down his face. His right eye looked like it was badly damaged.

The man then slowly took off his helmet.

The moment she saw his face, Elina’s eyes widened in horror.

"You... Aldric...!?"