The whole world knew of the emperor’s affection for Princess Alice. To barge into the imperial procession seeking a doctor at this moment was practically courting death. Unfortunately, Ryan Bennett had no idea about any of this... He thought it was just some wealthy family marrying off their daughter.

“What do we do?” The attendants looked at each other in dismay.

“We’re leaving!” Carl gritted his teeth. Although he desperately wanted to take revenge on Ryan Bennett himself, it was clearly impossible now. Oh well, crashing into the procession seeking a doctor would definitely get him beheaded. It was just a pity about that beautiful elf girl.

Unwillingly licking his lips, the baron felt a surge of wicked fire in his heart and turned to walk toward the brothel.

“Seize him at once!”

At this moment, Ryan Bennett was in an extremely dangerous situation. A group of fully armed knights had surrounded him, swords drawn, bows at the ready. Seeing the cold gleam of their lances, the young man began to sense that something was wrong... Was this not a wedding procession?

Vaguely, Ryan Bennett realized he had made a huge mistake!

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around, and their discussions drifted into his ears:

“Heavens, he actually dared to crash into the procession seeking a doctor for the princess!”

“Doesn’t he know that’s a beheading offense?”

“Poor guy.”

...

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Ryan Bennett’s forehead. From the crowd’s chatter, he more or less pieced together what had happened. Damn, how could he be so unlucky? Now... things were really bad.

“Sir!”

The knights surrounding him parted to form a path. A middle-aged man dressed as a noble rode up to the front. He gave Ryan Bennett a cold glance. “Take him away and punish him for disrespecting the royal family.”

Earl Royce was in a foul mood. Her Highness the princess had been bedridden for half a month already. During this time, the emperor’s temper had been extremely volatile, and several nobles had already been stripped of their titles over minor matters. As the chief steward of the palace, he was walking on eggshells, constantly on edge.

And just recently, the emperor had entrusted him with the task of seeking famous doctors for the princess. This was a thankless and arduous job. Even His Holiness the Pope was powerless against the princess’s illness—where was he supposed to find some miracle doctor?

The emperor had only given him three days. Perhaps in three days, he would no longer be a count, stripped of his title for failing in his duties. Thinking of this, Royce felt utterly miserable.

“Wait!” A voice called out: “I can cure the princess.”

Royce was overjoyed and turned around, only to find that the speaker was the reckless young man. He was momentarily stunned and frowned. “What did you say?”

“I said I can cure the princess.”

At this point, Ryan Bennett had no choice but to go all in. Joking aside, disrespecting the royal family was a capital offense in the Middle Ages—he had no desire to die young. So he lied, claiming he could cure the princess, hoping to buy some time and figure out a way to escape later.

The count’s eyes were full of suspicion. After all, Ryan Bennett didn’t look like a famous doctor at all. In people’s minds, highly skilled physicians were usually white-haired elders, and this youth was clearly no more than twenty...

Was he just trying to escape punishment by making things up?

“Really, I’m not lying.” Ryan Bennett put on a sincere face and began spinning his tale. “My master is a renowned doctor living in seclusion. I’ve followed him up the mountains to gather herbs since I was a child. What happened just now was just a misunderstanding. In fact, I came to the imperial capital to treat the princess...”

The count’s expression was complicated. To be honest, he didn’t believe Ryan Bennett’s story. But... the emperor had only given him three days, and today was the final deadline. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse. With nothing left to lose, he decided to try anything that might work. Finally, he nodded. “Release him!”

“You really are a doctor?”

“Yes.” Ryan Bennett nodded. At this point, he could only brazen it out.

“And she is...” The count pointed at the elf girl slumped on the young man’s back.

“She’s my assistant.” As the saying goes, when you have too many lice, you stop itching; when you owe too many debts, you stop worrying; and when you tell too many lies, you stop blushing.

“Assistant?” The count’s expression was a bit odd, but at this moment, he had no time to investigate further. He ordered the two of them to be taken back to the palace. However, their treatment was now vastly different. From prisoners, they had suddenly become “famous doctors” summoned to treat the princess. At least until their lie was exposed, they would be treated well. The two were invited into a carriage, with knights clearing the way ahead and following behind. Of course, whether the guards were there to protect them or to prevent their escape was debatable.

But in any case, they were safe for now.

“I... I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for dragging you into this.”

A soft, pleasant voice reached his ears. Turning around, he saw the elf girl’s face full of guilt. Ryan Bennett shook his head. “It’s not your fault. It’s that damn baron’s shamelessness—he’s the one to blame. One day, I’ll make him pay.”

Chapter 11: The Imperial Palace

“Thank you!”

Emily Brooks nervously fiddled with the hem of her clothes. She had grown up in the Green Sea Forest, and this was her first time coming to the empire with her brother to do business. She never expected to encounter something like this. Thinking back on the recent danger, her heart was filled with gratitude toward Ryan Bennett. If not for him, she would have been snatched away by that brazen baron.