Euphemia sensed something off in Rulu's tone and couldn't help but glance at him with a puzzled look. "Mr. Qin, why would you think that way? Have you been through something before?"
Rulu steadied himself and suppressed the anger within, saying, "It's nothing. I was just saying it casually. If you don't like what I just said, Lord Euphemia, just pretend I never said anything."
"You can call me by my name directly — you don't have to keep calling me 'Lord.'" Euphemia said softly, her tone a little strange.
"Why would I do that?"
Euphemia didn't answer him. She gazed at Rulu's face and slowly said, "Could you take off your glasses and let me see your face clearly?"
Rulu unconsciously adjusted his comically oversized black-framed glasses. He turned his face away, avoiding Euphemia's gaze, and said awkwardly, "This… I'm afraid that's not possible. I'm used to wearing glasses, and I don't like people staring at my face."
"Not even for just a moment?"
"That's right."
"Is that so — then you still hate me." Euphemia said softly. She turned her face away and stopped staring at him.
"Hate you? Why would I hate you?" Rulu said, puzzled. For some reason, an ominous feeling began to stir in his heart.
Euphemia lowered her head and murmured, as if talking to herself, "I used to have a friend. He was smarter than anyone, more capable than anyone, and had more than anyone could ever have. You could say he was the luckiest person in the world. But because of an accident, he lost everything he had. After that accident, I was terrified. I didn't dare face him, didn't dare say a single word to him. I only wanted to stay as far away as possible. I never offered him any help, never comforted him, never saw him again. Looking back now, I truly feel so guilty. I really want to say sorry to him, and hope he doesn't hate me."
"Euphemia… why are you telling me all this?" Rulu's face showed a look of panic. His instincts told him something was very wrong — Euphemia had very likely already figured out who he was, and his identity might have already been exposed.
"Because… because you are…" Euphemia said haltingly, slowly turning her gaze toward Rulu. He felt more and more that something was wrong. He thought to himself: if Euphemia really spoke his secret aloud, what should he do — flee immediately, or find a way to make her stay silent?
A loud *boom* rang out in the distance. A violent explosion had gone off somewhere near the camp, followed by several sharp *whooshing* sounds cutting through the air. With those sounds came a cry of pain from nearby, as if someone had been struck and wounded.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! We're under attack!" a soldier standing guard on a nearby elevated platform shouted loudly. With a *whoosh*, three orange-red fireballs materialized out of thin air and hurtled toward the platform. One fireball struck the soldier squarely in the chest. The soldier let out a panicked cry, frantically beating at the flames on his chest, and leaped down from the platform.
More loud, piercing sounds erupted near the camp — the thud of heavy objects falling, the sharp whistling of arrows slicing through the air, the crackling roar of fire. More screams and battle cries echoed from all around. The once-silent forest came alive at that moment, a storm of chaotic sounds reverberating through the darkness.
"What's happening? What's going on?!" Euphemia looked around in alarm, shaken by the sudden chaos. In her fright, she forgot entirely what she had been saying to Rulu moments before.
"Those are the sounds of traps and mechanisms being triggered. It must be Princess Meiyu's people launching an attack." Rulu said gravely. At that moment, the Suzaku Guard Captain and the others were jolted awake by the commotion. They rushed out from where they had been resting and hurried to Euphemia's side.
"Lord Euphemia, please stay behind me. Whatever happens, do not leave my side." The Suzaku Guard Captain pulled Euphemia behind him. He and several other soldiers formed a human wall, surrounding Euphemia on all sides to protect her.
"What's going on — is it Princess Meiyu's forces attacking?" Kallen and C.C. also rushed over. Kallen held a spear in her right hand and a wooden shield in her left, scanning the surroundings as she spoke quickly.
"It should be them." Rulu said. "From now on, Kallen, you and C.C. stay by my side at all times and await my orders."
The battle had begun. A barrage of fireballs and arrows appeared to the east of the camp, flying toward Euphemia's encampment. Fireballs slammed into the area around the camp, setting the fences and buildings alight. Several soldiers failed to dodge the fireballs and arrows in time and were struck, falling to the ground.
"The enemy is launching a ranged assault — everyone find cover quickly!" the Suzaku Guard Captain shouted. He and several other soldiers escorted Euphemia to the back of a wooden cabin, while the others scattered to find large objects nearby for cover against the fireballs and arrows.
After a short while, the volley of fireballs and arrows ceased. The Suzaku Guard Captain called out toward the east: "Who are you people? Why are you attacking us?"
No one answered. He called out again: "I know you are Princess Meiyu's people. What exactly do you want? Are you truly declaring war on our Lord Euphemia?"
At that moment, a man's voice rang out from the eastern side of the camp: "You captured and brutally killed three of Princess Meiyu's subordinates in broad daylight today. We are here to avenge them and seek justice."
"Nonsense." the Suzaku Guard Captain retorted loudly. "Those people you had captured were released long ago — we never killed anyone."
"Hmph — you killed them and still want to deny it. Attack!" the man's voice commanded. With those words, seven or eight figures vaulted over the camp's perimeter fence and charged toward the center of the camp.
However, the camp was riddled with traps and mechanisms. The intruders had barely taken a few steps inside before the traps were triggered. Some fell into deep pits lined with spikes, their bodies riddled with wounds. Others were ensnared by rope nets packed with sharp spines — the more they struggled, the deeper the spines dug in. Those who managed to avoid the traps were met with arrows and fireballs from the soldiers inside the camp. Caught between the traps and the soldiers' assault, the invaders suffered heavy losses and retreated in utter disarray.