At that time, the clearing of the library's ruins was still in progress. After all the envoys from other countries had already left, the
Holy Maiden asked her men to surround the library of the Starry Palace. Harper had excellent martial arts skills so they needed
to be on their guard. No matter if she was dead or alive, they wouldn't let her leave the South Kingdom with the Holy Article.
Meanwhile, Harper was still trapped under the ruins. Although the spiritual power protected her, she wouldn't be able to hold on
for a long time. So she was trying really hard to find a way out while the people outside continued to clear the ruins. Finally, she
used the spiritual power to find a weak spot with the intention of forcing her way out.
In the meantime, the twelve secret guards had been hiding in the dark. They had sent the news the day the library collapsed.
Two days had passed, but they hadn't heard back yet. They didn't dare to take any action. They could only wait for the rescue
from Lance.
During this time, the Birch Pass was being controlled by Luther. Its terrain was easy to defend but extremely hard to attack.
When Francis rushed back to the Birch Pass to meet Luther, the whole pass became a barrier, effectively blocking the Black Flag
Army.
"Your Highness, the Black Flag Army has already gathered outside the border. It's very likely that Prince Matthew is already with
the army by now." In fact, Luther was a little worried. Matthew's Black Flag Army had invincible power and influence. Even if the
Birch Pass was gifted with a natural barrier, it wouldn't hold back the army for a long time. If Matthew were to push too hard, the
common people in the Birch Pass would certainly be in danger.
Francis crumpled the note that contained the news which he had just received. With a flash of pain in his eyes, he then
commanded, "Spread the news that the library of the South Kingdom collapsed and Princess Harper hasn't come out from the
ruins."
"Your Highness, is this the right time to concern yourself about Princess Harper?" Luther asked. The astonishment was apparent
on his face.
"All Matthew ever talks about is how he loves her the most, right? I just want to see if he will abandon his three hundred
thousand soldiers and go straight to the South Kingdom for Harper's sake. Can't you see? If he wants to reach the South
Kingdom, he needs to pass by the Birch Pass first. The more worried and anxious he is, the more likely he's going to act
recklessly and if we're lucky, he's going to make the biggest mistake of his life."
Luther immediately understood what Francis was planning to do. So he ordered his men to spread the news that Princess
Harper was buried under the library and nobody knew whether she was still alive. Although he didn't know whether Matthew had
received the news, they could still disturb the morale of the Black Flag Army's soldiers.
Meanwhile, at the military camp of the Black Flag Army, Shawn looked very serious. They had just received the news that
something terrible happened to Harper. The news had already been spread everywhere in the Birch Pass. And now, Matthew
was on the edge of losing his mind, so Shawn was worried that the prince would be unable to control himself any longer, and
decide to do something rash and impulsive which he might regret later on.
After taking a deep breath, Shawn turned to Matthew and said, "Your Highness, just go to the South Kingdom. I can stay here
and manage the army until you're back with Her Highness."
Matthew didn't respond or move. He had left the twelve secret guards in the South Kingdom to protect Harper. It was the only
reason why he had been able to leave her in there. But what he didn't expect was for her to be buried under the library. At that
moment, there were a lot of questions on his mind. 'What happened? Was the library's collapse an accident or a plot against us?
And if it was a plot indeed, who was behind it?'
"Your Highness?" Shawn tried once again but Matthew remained silent. Because of that, Shawn was becoming more and more
anxious so he tried to comfort Matthew. "God will bless Her Highness. She's going to be fine."
"Bring me the distribution map. Raise the tent and ask the generals of the army to come here to discuss the matters at hand."
Unexpectedly, Matthew was calm when he spoke.
Joshua noticed that Matthew looked rather unwell but his tone was extremely calm. He stretched out his hand to poke Barry. "Is
His Highness becoming desperate because what happened to Her Highness is causing a huge impact on him?"
Barry rolled his eyes at that. "What he's doing right now is turning grief into motivation. He's preparing to attack Prince Francis!"
Joshua folded his arms on top of his chest and replied, "Prince Francis was brought up in the Imperial Palace. So he has a
narrow perception about everything. I don't think he knows what kind of person our prince is. By the way, I haven't seen our
princess yet even though she's the commander of the Black Flag Army. I can't wait to see what kind of woman can make our
prince weak in the knees."
"A woman who stands shoulder to shoulder with His Highness," Barry said while his eyes gleamed.
"Really? So even if she's by herself in the South Kingdom, she can protect herself and get out of danger?" Joshua asked while
raising his brows.
Barry was speechless. What should he say? Could he say yes? If their princess was waiting for them to save her... With these
thoughts in mind, Barry shook his head. Harper was definitely not a woman who would just sit still and wait for her death. She
was good at fighting back with so much rigor. Moreover, she was not a helpless woman anymore. However, the only problem
was that the library collapsed and she was buried under the ruins. No matter how powerful and empowered she was, it was
inevitable that she was going to get hurt.
"Joshua, we need to attack the Birch Pass before the sun sets tomorrow! Although His Highness is very calm right now, I know
that he's just trying to contain himself. If anything happens to Her Highness, the consequences will be unbearable for us," Barry
suddenly stated.
Upon hearing that, Joshua turned to look at Matthew who was discussing with Shawn about the strategies of their impending
attack. The other generals were standing around them while listening to him. Even though Matthew looked very calm, Joshua
could sense his uneasiness. After all, they had experienced a lot of difficulties as comrades for many years. So he knew that the
more worried and terrified Matthew was, the calmer he looked.
"Relay my command: prepare to attack the city!" At Matthew's word, the generals of every troop left with the order.
"Let me take the lead. I heard Luther's an excellent general. Fighting against him is going to be a wish coming true for me."
Shawn asked for permission.
"Okay."
Meanwhile at the other side of the war, Luther had a serious expression on his face. He had been looking at the army as they
assembled outside of the city. While listening to the bugle playing the offensive tune, Luther said, "Prince Matthew is quite
worried about Princess Harper. He is determined to force a siege."