Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

Chapter 173

"Lord Stein! Have you lost your mind!" Adelaide yelled but stopped when she realized she was no longer in the stony service hallway.

She looked around in a state of disarray. The scene had unfolded with stunning swiftness. One moment, she found herself in the dimly lit service hallway of the Ivory Palace, and the next, she stood bewildered at the palace entrance, all the way at the opposite end of the expanse she had been in earlier.

'Did he send me here?' Adelaide furrowed her brows.

For reasons unknown, Archmage Richard Stein had appeared before them and seized hold of Angelica while they were leaving to board a carriage. He teleported her out of the palace when she tried to intervene, despite being fully aware that teleportation was forbidden inside imperial grounds.

As far as Adelaide knew, there were no possibilities for either of them to have met each other. Both were equally elusive in the social realm, with one living far away and the other despising any form of social interaction.

Even Adelaide had only seen Richard a handful of times. The latest being a year ago when the Archmage made a surprise appearance at the foundation ball with a lady in his arms. It had been the talk of the capital to see the misanthropic Archmage dance in the Imperial Ball with grace.

Still, that does not justify his rude actions. However ill-mannered the Archmage may be, it was barbaric of him to forcefully pull a lady by the arms like a miscreant. 

Based on the way he scowled at Angelica, it was clear that whatever intentions he had toward her were far from goodwill.

What could be the reason for his discourteous actions? Adelaide shuddered. Just as she was about to dash back into the palace, a familiar voice caught her attention, halting her in her tracks.

"Lady Norton?"

Adelaide turned in the direction of the voice. When she caught sight of the young man in the official uniform of the Imperial Knights, a wave of relief washed over her.

"Lord Hermann" She let out a sigh of relief.

The young man's dark red hair, strikingly similar to Adelaide's, swayed gently in the breeze, and his clear coral eyes shimmered with a sense of reassurance as he spoke.

"Why does the lady seem so agitated?"

Alexander Herrmann, the Commander of the Imperial Knights, approached her with a smile.

Amid the confusion, Adelaide had almost forgotten why she had stayed behind in the Ivory Palace after the tea party concluded in the first place. If not for it, she would have never run into Angelica and would have spent weeks worrying about her well-being.

"Lady Norton? Are you alright?"

Seeing that Adelaide was not responding to him, Alexander peered into her face. Her gaze was unfocused as she glanced back and forth between the Ivory Palace and him.

"I..." Adelaide hesitated, torn between the urge to run back inside the palace and explain the situation to Alexander.

Then Adelaide recalled how the Archmage had sent her away with a flick of his fingers. He was indeed one of the most powerful mages on the continent of Elan.

She looked up at Alexander with a determined countenance. Alexander led the Imperial Knights. Certainly, if there was anyone who would prove helpful if she were to confront the Archmage, it would be him.

Adelaide was just about to talk when a dark, looming shadow fell over them, interrupting her.

"!"