The guards, a few from the Second Guard unit, stopped shortly after halting their pursuit, and then, shockingly, all turned to face Caroline from behind, their expressions blank, their eyes vacant!

Caroline flinched, completely unprepared for her own guards to march toward her, and couldn't help but scream, "Kill her! Quickly, kill her, or I’ll have you all—"

Her voice cut off abruptly as she witnessed a scene that stunned her: her guards had raised their feet high, adopting a posture as if preparing to shoot a goal directly at her!

"Y-you, what are you doing?" Caroline realized something was terribly wrong at that moment. The expressions on the guards clearly indicated one thing: they no longer recognized their princess. They looked utterly controlled, as if manipulated by an outside force.

No sooner had the question left her lips than the guards answered with action.

One of them delivered a fierce, straight kick to Caroline's thigh, sending her spinning across the ground. Before Caroline could even cry out, the other guards joined the assault.

Though the battle energy had vanished from these guards, they were naturally large and robust men. There was no way Caroline, a pampered daughter of nobility, could withstand them. She screamed continuously in pain, but as time went on, her cries devolved into stifled grunts, suggesting she lacked the strength to shout anymore!

A group beating—there was no denying it was a group beating! And the victim was the Princess. The assailants were her own sworn guards. The entire situation was bizarre and utterly unacceptable!

At this point, Douglas and his companions were completely dumbfounded. They couldn't fathom what possessed these guards to turn on their mistress. What could possibly be the reason?

If this were an act, their movements were far too realistic. In mere moments, Caroline on the ground was bruised, swollen, and barely recognizable as human. If this was acting, they were far too committed!

Could all of this be the doing of the little Princess Robin?

When they looked back at Robin, their gazes held nothing but shock—she could control the actions of others so casually? This was truly terrifying!

What was that black mist from before?

Yet, what struck them as even more chilling was Robin's current expression: utterly calm and indifferent. Watching the brutally beaten Caroline on the ground, she displayed not a shred of compassion. What kind of mindset did one need to possess such detachment?

Looking at Caroline now, she had clearly fainted. Under Robin's mental command, the attacking guards had ceased their actions and stood quietly to the side.

Finally stopped? Douglas and the others wiped the sweat beading on their foreheads. Even though Robin had only targeted Caroline and her retinue, they, as bystanders, felt their hearts pound with fear.

Now they began to worry about Caroline’s condition. Had she actually been beaten to death? How would they manage the aftermath? Would the people from the "Nanyugong" Palace come looking for trouble? Would this escalate into open conflict between the Southern and Eastern Palaces?

Given Caroline's current state, a simple cover-up seemed impossible. The "Dongyue Palace" and "Nanyugong" Palace were already at odds; could this incident become the fuse that ignites the war between the two factions?

If Palace Mistress Paji learned of this, would she be enraged?

One pressing question followed another, giving Douglas a massive headache the more he considered it! Alas, little Princess Robin certainly knew how to stir up trouble. She had only just stepped out, and already she had created such a huge mess. What would the future hold?

Caroline’s few servants had already fled in panic, clearly heading back to report the incident. If they didn't leave soon, Palace Mistress Brenda might personally arrive with a large contingent of experts to lock down the area, which would create immense trouble!

With this thought, Douglas felt an urge to persuade Robin to leave immediately, letting Palace Mistress Paji handle the subsequent fallout. But just as he opened his mouth, he froze!

It wasn't for any other reason than that he saw Robin casting a healing spell on Caroline, and then watched as Caroline’s extensive wounds visibly began to close at a rate he could see with his naked eye!

"This... what kind of magic is this?" Douglas thought, feeling utterly lost. He had seen healing magic before, but never one with such an astonishing speed of recovery!

Aside from her slightly disheveled clothes, all of Caroline's injuries had vanished. She slowly began to regain consciousness. The moment she opened her eyes and saw Robin, Caroline instinctively shrieked, then immediately stopped.

Huh? Why am I fine? Didn't I just get... why is there nothing wrong now? Was that just a hallucination?

Seeing her wounds gone and feeling none of the bone-deep pain she remembered, a sense of unreality washed over her! If Robin hadn't been standing right there, she would have dismissed the entire ordeal as a dream!

When Douglas saw Caroline stand up from the ground, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed little Princess Robin had already figured out a solution. This way, even if Palace Mistress Brenda arrived, she wouldn't dare cause them serious trouble, as Caroline was unharmed. Thus, the potential war between the two Palaces could be averted.

Little Princess Robin’s move was brilliant. It served to punish Caroline while leaving no concrete evidence behind—truly achieving two goals with one stone! Just as Douglas believed the matter had concluded satisfactorily, he failed to realize this was merely the prelude to what was to come.

Robin healing Caroline was not a sign of forgiveness; on the contrary, it meant she intended to torment her even more effectively! The real show had just begun; how could she allow it to end so quickly!

Robin would not stop until she was satisfied! Caroline had only just begun to experience "pain." She was still far from realizing a fate worse than death!

Caroline now had no desire to waste any more time with Robin; more accurately, she had lost the nerve. Regardless of whether the recent events were real or illusory, Caroline never wanted to endure them again. Her only wish now was to leave this place immediately. As the saying went, the green hills remain, and the clear water flows on; there will be plenty of opportunities for revenge later—she wouldn't dwell on this moment!

So, Caroline turned to leave. But just as she took a step, the guards manipulated by Robin blocked her path.

At that moment, Robin’s icy voice cut through the air: "Trying to leave? Did I grant you permission?"

She had quoted a sentence Caroline herself had used earlier.

Caroline truly dared not move another step. Fear contorted her face as she stared at Robin. She deeply regretted provoking this little devil in the first place; now, she couldn't even escape!

"W-what do you want?" Genuine terror made Caroline's voice tremble.

Robin remained silent, staring straight at her, her gaze like two sharp steel knives piercing Caroline's heart!

The ambient temperature instantly plummeted below freezing. Douglas, who had just begun to relax, felt his tension return tenfold.

"Little Princess Robin, perhaps we should return..." Douglas tried to interject, but a single look from Robin forced the rest of his words back down his throat!

Although her gaze wasn't overtly fierce, it was incredibly sharp, seeming to pierce directly into one's soul! Though Douglas was only subjected to it for an instant, that one look sent a cold sweat down his back!

When Robin turned her gaze back to Caroline, Caroline was already muttering a magical incantation. Judging by her tone, it sounded like the chant for the "Levitation Spell"!

It seemed she finally realized she was a mage!

That was Caroline's thinking: if she could just escape into the sky using the "Levitation Spell," she would be safe. Then she could fly straight back to the "Nanyugong" Palace, unafraid of anything!

Her chanting was extremely quiet and cautious, but it still did not escape Robin's notice.

Although Robin knew her trick, she made no move to stop her, simply watching, as if waiting for her to complete the magic.

To escape from Robin’s clutches, one would have to wait for a toad to grow hair—it was the stuff of daydreamers!

However, Caroline did not see it that way. She was completely focused on casting the "Levitation Spell," her most proficient piece of magic.

The spell was nearing completion, finally finished! Caroline's face lit up with joy, and elemental wind suddenly gathered around her body, followed by a familiar force lifting her up.

Caroline knew she had finally escaped danger. With her mind relaxing, she couldn't help but glare fiercely at Robin—a look clearly conveying, We’ll settle this later!

Then, aiming herself in a direction, she flew away, resembling a piece of garbage bag tossed by the wind.

Robin looked up at the now self-satisfied Caroline, her expression akin to watching a jester flaunt cheap trinkets!

Just as Caroline’s figure grew distant, Robin’s delicate, small hand reached out, pointing directly toward the direction Caroline was flying.

Caroline, meanwhile, was happily soaring, occasionally glancing back. Just then, the most unexpected thing happened.

An invisible, powerful force suddenly struck her. Before she could react, she was propelled backward in flight!

By the time she regained her senses, she was suspended just a meter away from Robin!

At that moment, Caroline was utterly stunned. Eyes wide, mouth agape, she couldn't utter a single sound.

"Did I grant you permission to leave?" Robin’s voice echoed again.

.

Inside the Nanyugong Palace.

Palace Mistress Brenda was enjoying a massage from her handmaidens when hurried footsteps sounded from outside, followed by a voice drawn out in anxiety:

"Report!"

The voice sounded extremely urgent, yet the speaker dared not barge in.

"Enter and report!" Brenda said, unhurriedly.

A servant stumbled through the entrance—it was the same servant who had been attending Caroline earlier!

"What is the matter that you are so flustered?" Brenda asked in a voice full of authority.

"Re-reporting to the Palace Mistress, disaster! The Little—the Little Princess has been assaulted!!" For more stories, please log in to [URL/Platform Name], find more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading! F