Chapter 1110: Chapter 271: As You Wish, Marquis
"Sir, please show some respect, this is the Flame Temple." Princess Magdalene forcefully withdrew her hand, frowning as she looked at the middle-aged man. His face was pale, with dark circles under his eyes hinting at a purplish-black hue, giving an impression of excess in wine and women. He wore exquisitely woven clothing, clearly of noble origin, but his steps were unsteady, his gaze wandering, and he hadn’t even buttoned his collar, exposing his pallid, skeletal clavicle and ribs, giving the first impression of a debauched rake oblivious to decency in the midst of the nightlife.
When Brand walked out from the quiet room, this was exactly what he saw—
In fact, with a sweeping glance, he understood what had happened—Marquis Youxi, a cousin of Oberg the Seventh, and the illegitimate child of the previous King. He was quite a bit younger than the deceased Oberg the Seventh, and though he had his own fief, his status was quite delicate. Hence, he indulged in luxury and debauchery every day, heedless and unrestrained. It was rumored that he fancied himself as charming, having affairs with many ladies in the upper echelons of the nobility, earning himself a notoriously bad reputation among the nobles. However, he was close to Prince Luike, the brother of the King’s Crown Prince, and received the support of the current matron of the Xifah Family, so ordinary nobles couldn’t do much against him.
Although it was unclear why the Marquis was here, Brand could more or less guess the nature of the matter as long as the Marquis was present. At this moment, Marquis Youxi was the first to notice him, turning his head like a venomous snake. "I assume you are the possessor of those two beautiful ladies, sir. Might you consider transferring them to me?"
"Foul language!" Despite her excellent upbringing, Princess Magdalene could not restrain herself in such circumstances. However, her chest rose and fell slightly, evidencing her anger as she couldn’t help but interrupt, "This is a holy hallmark, the spirits of the ancestors watch over us from the Dome; please mind your behavior, sir!" The Nun Princess clenched her fists tightly, wondering how such a dubious character had managed to mingle into this holy temple.
"Princess Magdalene, perhaps you should not concern yourself with others just yet. Do you know who I am?" Marquis Youxi replied with a smirk, "I am the uncle of this Kingdom’s future King; surely you’ve heard my name. I’ve long admired your esteemed name. Now that I’ve met you, you indeed live up to your reputation. I must have you, no matter the cost."
Princess Magdalene bit her silver teeth tightly. Having received education from the Holy Temple since childhood, she was gentle and quiet, and had only interacted with courteous and erudite scholars. She had never encountered such shameless people before. She trembled with anger, but did not know how to retaliate effectively. At this moment, Brand finally interjected:
"Forgive me for not understanding, sir, but may I ask where my two maids are at the moment?" He glanced around but did not see Antitina or Qian, and considering the Marquis’s reputation, he felt an ominous premonition.
"Oh, they dared to speak out of turn against me, so I instructed one of my men to teach them a lesson. But rest assured, sir, I would never harm a fair lady’s life. It’s just that the little red-haired beauty was impertinent, and Kagbo accidentally wounded her. But it hardly matters, for soon you will be transferring them to me, and as a noble, educating your maids is only right and proper." Marquis Youxi said nonchalantly, as if he hadn’t ordered the attack and it was Brand who was in the wrong.
"Sir, there’s no need to worry. Your companions are injured, but I have already ordered someone to take them down for treatment—ah!" Princess Magdalene couldn’t help but scream before finishing her sentence. She saw a flash of silver fly past Marquis Youxi’s cheek—it was a silver dagger. The Marquis never dreamed Brand would act so quickly, not even the guards behind him had time to react before a streak of blood appeared on his face.
The middle-aged man screamed miserably, drawing a sharp breath. Momentarily forgetting to be furious, he clutched his bleeding face and shouted hoarsely, "You dare to ambush a noble, you dare to violate the Holy Temple’s Law Code!"
