The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

Having successfully persuaded the fourth prince, Morian quickly left some instructions, telling him to inform the butler Paul of the latest information, before hurriedly leaving to make final preparations.

After leaving Eric's room, Morian hurried toward his own room on the west side, his mind racing as he considered a solution.

Since the ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow morning, we must formulate a new plan within the limited time available.

Moreover, it was a plan to help both of them escape at the same time.

Before that, there is one more thing to do: retrieve the "Key of Caius" that was previously placed there.

This magical item, capable of opening passages, could very well play a crucial role at a critical moment.

As he pondered this, Morian returned to his room, immediately locking the door and drawing all the curtains shut.

He then stood in the center of the room, closed his eyes, and took seven steps forward according to the ritual he knew by heart.

In an instant, a sense of disorientation and muttering arose in his ears, but he had already adapted to such an intensity of discomfort.

As the seventh step was taken, unsurprisingly, the boundless containment space with eight doors appeared before him.

With a clear goal in mind, Morian walked straight to the ground next to the gray door, where the silver "Key of Caius" lay.

Reaching out to pick it up, one could see that the surface of the silver key was now covered with a grayish-white halo, and even the spiritual fluctuations of the key itself carried an aura of "ending".

Success! Morian was secretly delighted. In this way, when using the Key of Chaos, it would be difficult for others to detect it due to the interference of the Grey Heaven position.

He was about to put the key away when he suddenly noticed something different, and the source of this difference was the key in his hand.

Has a mutation occurred?

Morian quickly used his spiritual senses to investigate, and the results were somewhat surprising.

Having been corrupted by "Grey Paradise," this key seems to have... evolved?

Previously, with coordinates established, a long-distance crossing could only be done by one person.

However, the evolved "Key of Chaos" can now pass through several people at once!

He had only hoped that the key, once imbued with an aura, would better conceal spatial fluctuations, but unexpectedly, it increased the passage's capacity.

This is undoubtedly a good thing for the upcoming operations... no, it's a godsend!

No matter how surprised I was, there was no time to examine it closely at that moment.

After carefully putting away the key, Morian quickly exited the containment space following the steps.

The fresh air of the real world filled my nostrils, and the afternoon sun still shone brightly, reminding me that time was running out.

Back in his room, Morian immediately went to his desk, spread out some stationery, picked up his pen, and prepared to write an urgent letter to send to Charlotte, who was naturally in charge of the inside job.

He first informed the other party that the situation had changed, wrote down the number of people fleeing and the changes to the plan, and then asked Charlotte to prepare a reliable car and park it discreetly on the main road of Bet City. At that time, he would use the "Key of Caius" to open a passage directly, and drive Eric and the other two to the port of the neighboring city to take a ferry to the Kingdom of Arcandia.

To ensure precise location, he also sent the key with the letter, instructing Charlotte to send the key back to him with her reply, so that he could open a passage at any time using the car's location as a coordinate.

After carefully checking the contents to make sure nothing was missing, I folded the letter and sealed it.

"I still need to finalize the details of the plan with Paul..." Morian whispered.

After carefully lining it with a soft cloth, he placed the Key of Caius inside and put it together with the letter in a thick envelope, ready to be mailed at any time.

When they found Paul again, he was deep in thought about several documents in his office. When he saw someone come in, he immediately put down what he was holding.

Morian got straight to the point, explaining his plan in a very fast-paced manner, revealing his intention to evacuate using the key passage and drive to a neighboring city, and asking him to inform Diana.

The necessary identification documents and tickets were naturally arranged by the other party.

Paul listened intently, his grey eyes darting around, and he nodded slightly from time to time to show that he understood.

After explaining the necessary matters, Morian returned to his room to retrieve the envelope and headed to the post office to mail an urgent letter, pondering where he might have fallen short.

The upcoming operation still carries considerable risks, but the necessary preparations must still be made.

……

The following morning, at the White Rose Palace Square.

The dazzling morning light had just spread to every corner when a sense of oppressive noise had already spread across the central ceremonial square.

The square was now a solemn and crowded scene, with a dense crowd forming a semi-circle around it.

On the outermost perimeter were low-ranking guards responsible for dispersing onlookers who were not interested in the matter. Even those who were just near White Rose Street would be immediately driven away.

At the very front, lined up in a square formation, stood the thousand royal knights of the White Rose. Their armor and weapons gleamed coldly, and they stood in three neat rows in the center of the square.

The various members of the royal family and high-ranking officials stood in the middle of the crowd, whispering among themselves, as if anticipating the good show that was about to unfold.

As the second prince, Raymond naturally stood on the side of the crowd, in a prominent front position, accompanied by his confidants.

Today he was dressed in a black and gold suit, his blond hair was neatly combed, and a faint smile was on his handsome face. His gaze was fixed on the palace entrance in the distance, and he seemed quite confident in his control of the situation.

Meanwhile, Eric was still in his dormitory making final preparations.

In this quiet room, every second felt incredibly long, because the distant clamor coming from outside the door could be faintly heard, making the atmosphere tense and suffocating.

Eric simply closed his eyes to rest, appearing calm and unperturbed as the ceremony approached.

He wore his favorite blue suit jacket as if he were going out normally, with a white shirt underneath, as if he were heading not to the center of a ceremony, but to an invited ball.

Suddenly, the air in the room began to twist violently.

At first, it was just a few points of light appearing, then the starlight flowed and quickly formed the outline of the passage.

It was a "door" woven from starlight!

The next second, two figures stepped out quickly from within, namely Morian and the recovered Diana.

Diana was wearing a light shirt and trousers, her long, snow-white hair neatly tied back. As soon as she stepped out the door, her beautiful eyes, filled with panic, quickly scanned the entire room.

Upon seeing the weakened Eric, she immediately rushed out and embraced him, her eyes flashing with undisguised heartache.

"Eric! I've come to get you," Diana called softly.

This proud and strongest female knight, under today's special circumstances, even forgot all etiquette and her own identity, and excitedly called out the fourth prince's real name.

"This is my knight."

Eric smiled at her, a thousand words stuck in his throat, but in the end, they all turned into a short compliment.

Seemingly feeling that this wasn't enough, he reached out and ruffled Diana's hair to comfort her.

After taking a deep breath, Eric turned his gaze to Morian, who was holding the keys, and said from the bottom of his heart:

"Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Thias."

"Yes, time is of the essence, we must leave now." Morian nodded slightly and said succinctly.

The ceremony is already in the preparation stage, and every second spent at the White Rose Palace could introduce another variable.

If those powerful figures from the royal family were to be summoned, perhaps none of them would be able to leave.

Eric nodded and quickly got up from the sofa, but as soon as he grabbed the armrest, his body swayed and he was about to fall.

Clearly, by now, his physical condition has deteriorated considerably.

Seeing this, Diana immediately stepped forward and silently supported his arm and shoulder. The warmth from his fingertips made Eric pause slightly, and then he turned around and held her hand in return.

The three quickly arrived at the empty corridor, where the sounds of the ceremonial guards coming from the square became much clearer.

Morian's eyes narrowed, and he immediately grasped the Key of Caius, preparing to open a passage to the vicinity of the car.

The moment the key was swung, the starlight that had just appeared was suppressed by an invisible force and immediately dissipated into the air.

The space... is sealed off?!

Morian couldn't help but open his eyes slightly. With his affinity for space, he could sense that the entire space of the White Rose Palace was sealed off by some kind of force, but he had been able to come here without any hindrance.

Clearly, this was a trap to lure them in, and they fell right into it.

Clap! Clap! Clap! A series of applause rang out.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

From the shadows of the long corridor ahead, a tall figure slowly emerged—it was Levim Cons, the commander of the Royal Guard Division!

He was still wearing his crisp dark military uniform, with no surprise on his face, as if he had already anticipated their escape plan.

"Your Highness, be careful!" Upon seeing this, Diana immediately shielded Eric behind her, ready to summon the "Guardian Knight" armor at any moment.

Even though she was considered the most talented young knight, she wasn't very confident that she could defeat this experienced commander.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Levim shook his head with regret, his serious face revealing no emotion.

"Your actions are not as secretive as you think. I advise Prince Eric to move to the square himself and carry out the final ceremony."

His tone was not anxious at all, because with the space already sealed off, even if these people managed to escape from his grasp, they would not be able to leave under the watchful eyes of thousands of knights outside the square.

"Sir, please help His Highness leave." Diana's eyes suddenly sharpened, intending to use herself to cover their escape.

Just then, Morian suddenly reached out and gently shielded Diana.

He took a step forward, his gaze falling on Levim, and said in an extremely calm tone:

"No, I'll stop him. You guys find another opportunity to leave first."

"Sir, you don't need to go to such lengths for us!" Diana said quickly, her blue eyes filled with anxiety.

She didn't want to see anyone sacrifice themselves for this.

Although Eric was being supported, his stubborn gaze conveyed the same meaning.

This gentleman has already done enough for them; there's no need for him to risk his life fighting an enemy beyond his capabilities.

Morian shook his head, his relaxed voice clearly reaching their ears:

"The reason I chose to stay is because I have a unique way to escape, and this secret must never be known to others. With you here, it's harder for me to leave."

After a slight pause, he suddenly turned around and faced Eric, who was pale-faced but had anxious eyes.

Morian raised his hand, not as a polite gesture, but as a friend would do, and gently punched Eric in the chest with his fist.

"Do you remember?"

Morian looked at him, and a sudden, exaggerated smile curved his lips:

"Consider this a promise between men. I will escort you out. Now it's time for me to fulfill that promise."

Upon hearing these words, Eric's pupils contracted slightly, and a surge of warm heat seemed to flow from the spot on his chest where he had been struck.

Only now did he fully understand how heavy that promise was.

But what immediately welled up in my heart was a strong sense of reluctance to part with it, as well as gratitude.

Of course he knew that Morian didn't have any secret escape methods; it was all just a pretext to urge the two of them to leave as soon as possible.

...Mr. Thias, this favor is far too precious...

Despite feeling immense gratitude, Diana could only suppress her emotions.

She bowed deeply to Morian to express her respect, then without hesitation, she helped Eric up and quickly left towards the back corridor.

Watching the two suddenly leave, Levim wasn't in a hurry to chase after them. Instead, he shook his head slightly and coldly said:

"A foolish choice."

Immediately afterwards, a deep purple light burst forth from his pupils.

……

After getting away from Levim's location, Diana helped Eric walk quickly. The cold corridor was deserted, with only the distant noise echoing in the background.

At this moment, Eric's body was weaker than it appeared. He had only been out for a short while when his breathing became alarmingly heavy, and his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, as if he might lose consciousness at any moment.

"Hang in there, Eric, we're almost there." Diana hurriedly looked at the person beside her, wanting to call out to him, but her voice trembled slightly.

arrive?

Where else could they go? Was there any chance of escaping? Even Diana herself didn't know the answer to that question.

All paths in the White Rose Palace were blocked by spatial barriers, except for one main road.

This main road, which happens to lead to the central square, seems to have been deliberately left for them by the enemy.

In other words, the only way to get out is to break through from the front.

Soon, the two approached the only exit, less than a few dozen meters away.

The light, a symbol of freedom, shone through the door, appearing so dazzling yet so unattainable in the dimly lit corridor.

From this vantage point, one could even hear a thunderous roar of ceremonial procession suddenly erupting from the direction of the plaza in front.

That was the sound wave formed by countless people.

Inside, there was ceremonial music, solemn declarations, and a tidal wave of shouts and condemnations!

The voice was so loud that it seemed as if the entire kingdom was speaking out in unison, demanding "dedication" and "sacrifice."

They demanded that she hand over the person she loved.

Just a few steps from the light at the door, Diana abruptly stopped. She knew very well what she and her companion were about to face.

The door ahead didn't seem to lead to freedom, but rather to an even larger prison.

Just then, Eric's gentle yet soft voice sounded from the side:

"Diana, are we at our wits' end...?"

His voice was so soft that it was impossible to tell whether he was consciously asking the question.

Upon hearing this, Diana quickly lowered her head, looking into her beloved's eyes, which were filled with weariness yet still clear.

Suddenly, a mix of bitterness and resentment welled up in my heart.

What followed was an even more resolute determination.

She tightened her grip on Eric's arm, feeling his warmth, then whispered in his ear with a gentle smile:

"Don't be nervous... My princess, do you remember our favorite book?"

"Let's just pretend this is the final ending of 'Emily's Love'."

Upon hearing those words, Eric struggled to open his eyes and chuckled hoarsely:

"But that story was cut short... We don't know if the knight rescued his princess at the end of the story."

Diana shook her head and stared directly into Eric's eyes, a smile slowly blooming on her beautiful yet melancholic face.

The smile no longer held its former imposing air; instead, it carried a beautiful resolve, like a white rose blooming for the last time at the end of winter.

"Then we'll finish the story."

"Then let's witness it for ourselves..."