After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

What Heidi said was true.

After the previous incident, no one would want to or dare to come here to cause trouble.

But full acceptance of mixed-race people remains a distant goal.

Therefore, the business of this store is far from being good enough to allow people to eat for free.

However, Anna shook her head.

"Just now, I heard my sister say that she came to Tafia to seek help, right?"

"No...well, yes."

Heidi nodded obediently.

The smile on Anna's face became more and more dazzling:

"This may sound strange, but... well, this city has been very good to me and my companions, so I like it very much!"

"So, uh, if possible, I hope that everyone who comes to this city can get what they want and leave with a smile... Hehe, do I take myself a little too seriously when I say that?"

Heidi was stunned.

Love it here.

Recalling the terrible things she had witnessed in other noble territories before, the princess didn't even know what expression to put on.

The ideal situation does not completely exist, but it is statistically very small.

It's not something that can be laughed at out loud.

After a while of hesitation, she finally smiled and shook her head:

"No, nothing happened. I think it's amazing."

"Hmm... hehe~"

The little girl smiled frankly.

Before she knew it, the cup was empty. Anna saw this and asked:

"There are other flavors as well, and they're also samples. Do you want to try them?"

"This is too... no, okay, this is too troublesome."

If the palace attendants saw me eating this junk food, I would definitely be scolded for a long time.

But what the heck.

After all these days, I finally get some positive feedback, but I can't even allow myself to indulge myself?

Anna ran back to the kitchen and soon came to the table with a few cups.

"This one has a coffee flavor, and this one has a freshly made berry flavor. Adults think it's a bit sour, but I quite like it..."

Heidi nodded.

"Well, this one then."

"Okay, I'll try another one too."

After saying that, he handed a cup to Heidi, picked up one for himself, scooped out a big piece and prepared to put it in his mouth.

Heidi, on the other hand, took the cup of the red mixture and looked at it.

Just like the previous one, the texture is rough. It is called a berry, but it is probably just a wild fruit from the mountains. You probably can't expect it to taste good.

But it's quite fresh.

Besides being a first time, Heidi, with her superhuman senses as a brave warrior, also detected a familiar scent, a faint one, like the fragrance of some flower...

Familiar?

Flowery scent?

"...!?"

Certain memories suddenly came back to her, shattering Heidi's good mood in an instant and making her blood seem to freeze in an instant.

“Don’t touch!!!”

Without thinking too much, Heidi raised her hand and yanked the cup and spoon out of Anna's hand.

The spoon fell to the ground with a clink, and the cup hit the wall directly, and the contents inside spread out, red like blood.

Anna was naturally shocked.

"Sister, this is..."

"Tsk——"

Heidi didn't bother to say anything. She reached out and grabbed the other person's wrist, pulled her behind her, and used her body to block her.

Almost at this moment, several darts flew out from the shadows of the restaurant with a sound of breaking through the air, and attacked Heidi's body directly.

Unfortunately, the moment it hit her, it fell to the ground with sparks flying.

Nothing works.

But as a declaration of war, it does pass.

"This little trick won't work on me. Humph, are the Duke's men only capable of such despicable tactics? Is this all they are capable of?"

Heidi looked in the direction of the hidden weapon and said coldly:

"As Heidi Arte, the First Princess of the Arte Kingdom and the God's Chosen Hero, I hereby order you to come out and face me!"

Chapter 44 Someone Has to Pay the Price

Following Heidi's roar, a distorted and blurry figure suddenly emerged from the shadows of the originally empty restaurant, and then reconstructed quickly like slime.

Soon, several mysterious men in black coats, black hats, and twisted, hideous dog-shaped masks stood there.

This scene made Heidi frown.

"The Shadow Technique? Who are you guys?"

Stealth, as the name suggests, is a technique used for stealth.

Low-level stealth techniques can allow people to hide in the shadows in the dark night, leaving only a vague human outline, making it even more difficult to be discovered.

And a guy who can completely hide his body with just a little shadow in broad daylight like he is doing now can be considered a top master among those who have mastered the art of stealth.

And there are so many guys like this.

In response to Heidi's question, the person who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and nodded respectfully to Heidi:

"Hello, Princess. You can call us the Black Hounds. We work for a certain important person."

That's why he wears that annoying dog mask.

Heidi snorted disdainfully:

"What big shot? He's just one of those three bastards from the Duke's Alliance. Don't you want to kill me? Then come at me!"

The juice that had just been secretly mixed into the pudding was from a flower called the red death flower.

It is highly toxic and has almost no odor, but once consumed, there is no cure, and the incubation period can be as long as several days, so it is often used as a prop in political assassinations.

Heidi knew the smell so well because she had found it in her drinks or food countless times over the past few years.

And Her Royal Highness is now extremely angry.

It was not only because of the poison, but also because of the location and method used by these people to poison her - within about 0.2 seconds after she discovered the poison, she subconsciously thought that the poison was put there by the little girl in front of her.

Because of this, he hesitated for a moment and almost failed to save Anna.

Heidi was furious that the only happy thing in these damn days had been tarnished in this way.

The leader of the black hounds just shook his head:

"I would like to apologize for my disrespectful behavior just now, but it was because your Highness's Divine Protection of the Brave was too difficult to deal with, so I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

"Tsk——"

"However, since things have become like this, according to our master's instructions, we should have a good chat with you."

Facing Heidi's anger, the leading man said this in a calm voice.

And Heidi just responded with a sneer:

"Chat? It's already killing me, what else is there to talk about?"

The man bowed again:

"Please forgive me, this is also the fault of Your Highness the Princess."

"……what?"

"Right now, the situation in the capital is extremely critical. Residents are exposed to the threat of plague and monsters and could die at any time. This is exactly when they need a backbone. Your Highness actually left the capital without permission under such circumstances. Don't you think this is extremely irresponsible?"

What is "putting the blame on someone else"? This is "putting the blame on someone else".

Heidi was so angry that she was about to smoke:

"If you hadn't sealed off the capital, how could things have turned out like this!?"

"That's wrong. My master and his allies simply want to stop the spread of the blood plague. That's why they set up a defense line outside the royal capital. There's absolutely no other intention."

Heidi used to think that Leah's level of shamelessness was the pinnacle.

But she was wrong.

These guys are... Heidi couldn't find a suitable adjective within the scope allowed by her family education.

She didn't plan to say any more nonsense, so she bent down slightly and stretched out her hand.

Then, suddenly attack.

He immediately pushed the guy who was standing in front of him and making noises against the wall.

However, at this time, the other party still showed no fear.

Even the face hidden under the mask laughed softly:

"What? Princess, do you want to kill us?"

"What else?!"

"Your Highness, it should be possible, but what difference does it make? Killing us will save the residents of the capital? Will it save Your Highness's family?"

"you--"

Just a few words completely broke Heidi's defenses, and she was even petrified for a moment, at a loss.

Seeing that his words had taken effect, the other party immediately became proud and said:

"Also, what about the brave Lord Aize? As far as we know, you met with Lord Aize last night and discussed it. But judging by your behavior today, Lord Aize probably didn't agree to help you, right?"

"Come to think of it. Over the past two years, your exploitation of Lord Aize has become quite well-known throughout the aristocratic community. Now that things have come to this, why would he still help you?"

"So, Your Highness, is there any other option now? Isn't cooperating with us and my master the best option for Your Highness?"

These words hit the point that Heidi was struggling with just now.

Maybe they came up with this because they heard what I just said.

But no matter what, under the current circumstances, such a proposal is not something Heidi can just laugh off.

Her lips turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye, and she asked tremblingly:

"Cooperation...what exactly is it?"

"We will take you back to the capital. Of course, considering your highness's strength, we must cut off your arms for safety. It's no big deal for a hero; they will regenerate in a few days after this is done."

"Then, you will use this escape as an excuse to formally abdicate. Pass the royal succession to my master's family."

"As soon as the imperial edict is issued, my master promises to immediately send the army into the capital to eradicate the epidemic and quell the situation. As for you, whether you want to continue to be a hero or find a place to enjoy the rest of your life, it doesn't matter. My master will ensure that everything goes smoothly for you from now on!"

As far as the proposal is concerned, there is really nothing new.

But as mentioned before, given Aize's uncertain attitude, this is indeed the best option from a rational perspective.