Fermian never expected to be captured. It was a disgrace. He couldn't just sit there and wait to die, nor could he become their blood sample. He had to find a way to escape.
Just as he was thinking this, two people quietly approached.
"Who's there?" Fermian tensed, but he heard the sound of a door opening. Moments later, the door swung open.
"Princess, hurry up. We need to leave before anyone notices. Otherwise, that scary man will dissect us," it was clear that Liu A'dou had once again scared the little girl.
"What? Princess?" Fermian was stunned.
"Yes, I am the first princess of the Vers Empire, Asseylum Vers Allusia," said the short-haired girl.
"Impossible! The princess was assassinated by those vile Earthlings. We came here to take revenge," Fermian said.
It seemed there was no choice but to show his true form. Asseylum clasped her hands together, and then a light radiated from her chest. A beautiful, snow-white princess in a luxurious white gown with golden, flowing hair appeared in the cell.
"It really is the princess," Fermian immediately knelt. "I failed to protect you, princess. I almost caused you harm. I deserve to die."
"Asseylum, we should leave here first," she said.
Fermian looked terrified. "I never thought I would not only fail to protect the princess, but that she would have to save me. Damn, I deserve to die a thousand times."
"You can die later, after we escape," said the little maid, Ederleza. "Quick, let's go. They'll find us soon."
"Right, princess, let's go!" Fermian immediately resumed his proud knightly stance, his face cold and proud. "The shame of today will surely be repaid a thousand times."
The Diou Calion was now en route to Yang Lucheng, stopping to resupply. It gave them the perfect opportunity to escape.
"Bad news, the prisoners in the cell have escaped." Yun Zi, who had been delivering food, rushed over anxiously, but the major and the lieutenant waved their hands, signaling that everything was fine.
Yun Zi was confused and secretly told Ina Han about the situation. Ina Han responded, "They let the prisoners escape on purpose. He also knows the princess escaped with them." That's good. Staying on the Diou Calion was not safe because the Chinese aboard were not exactly friendly with Martians. Plus, their control over Martian technology might be due to the Martians' blood. Earlier, he saw someone draw a lot of blood from the prisoners.
But there was one thing he didn't understand. Why had they suddenly stopped for resupply? With the speed of the Diou Calion, they didn't need to stop mid-journey, and the guards had suddenly disappeared, as if they were deliberately letting them go. Could one of the three women be a spy? Otherwise, letting the prisoners escape was pointless.
But that couldn't be right, Ina Han thought. For the first time, he couldn't figure it out. He hadn't expected that Liu A'dou had disguised himself as Fermian and escaped with the princess. Liu A'dou's acting was amazing, even playing a woman flawlessly.
Liu A'dou had originally planned to disguise as the princess, but he didn't know what the princess looked like. Plus, the princess had a little maid with her, which made things complicated. So, he switched to Fermian.
The little maid drove, heading straight for Yang Lucheng.
"The Diou Calion hasn't departed!" Ina Han said expressionlessly.
"What?" The male lead's sister asked, confused. "What do you mean it hasn't departed?"
"If it was just a resupply, it should have been completed long ago, but the Diou Calion is still in place. What is it waiting for?" The male lead had already sensed something was off, but didn't expect this answer.
"Maybe they are still discussing how to attack Yang Lucheng," Xue said worriedly. "This battle is very dangerous. It's basically suicide. Brother, you shouldn't participate. You'll be safer on the Diou Calion."
"I know, Xue Jie." However, Ina Han knew this battle wouldn't be so simple. He suddenly realized that he hadn't seen the driver of the red KG7 all day. Could he be hiding in the vehicle? That couldn't be the case. The vehicle was too small for someone to hide in.
But why couldn't he calm his heart?
"Your driving skills are amazing," Fermian, disguised as Liu A'dou, complimented.
"It's nothing. I can drive any kind of machine," the little maid said proudly.
Throughout the journey, Liu A'dou kept his words to a minimum, wanting to avoid revealing any prior connection with the princess. He didn't want to give himself away.
The princess, however, asked, "How are they using Martian technology?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it probably has something to do with our blood. After I was captured, they drew a lot of blood from me. Those vile Earthlings are basically beasts, vampires."
"What are vampires?" the princess asked.
Liu A'dou cursed himself for talking too much. "They're monsters from Mars that drink human blood."
The princess nodded, half understanding.
"But how did you end up mixing with these Earthlings?" Liu A'dou pressed, trying to get her to talk more. This would make him feel safer.
The princess explained everything, from using a decoy to saving people.
Liu A'dou listened as the princess described how the protagonist, Ina Han, had turned the tide and found the Aldnoah shield's gap using seawater. He couldn't help but admire the boy's intelligence. Truly a genius.
The Martian count, Kuruto, who had landed in Japan's Yang Lucheng, was a handsome guy with dazzling golden hair, but he despised Earthlings and was an ardent racist, believing Mars was superior. He was also a loyal royalist who had hosted the princess before her assassination attempt. He believed the princess was targeted because he hadn't convinced her to abandon her visit. He intended to use Earthlings' blood as a tribute to the princess and seize their resources.
Of course, due to his desire for a noble cause, he had to land in resource-poor Japan, unlike the other three Yang Luchengs, which had chosen Europe, the Middle East, and China. However, the unlucky guy who landed in China was already dealt with by Liu A'dou.
"Princess, I need you to stand up. We must make sure the count confirms your identity, or we might be treated like Earth cockroaches."
The princess wasn't used to hearing Fermian refer to Earthlings as cockroaches. The Earthlings she knew were quite decent. But this was all the influence of Count Kuruto. Though he maintained his composure in front of the princess, he never hid his contempt and indifference toward Earthlings in private. He even considered them lower than pigs and dogs.
Now, he was torturing the Earth boy, Srayn. Srayn, the child of a scientist, had lived on Mars his whole life but was considered a lowly Earthling because he was born on Earth. Kuruto considered himself his master.
Not long ago, Srayn had stolen a transport ship and gone to Seed Island. But the situation had completely changed. He didn't see anything and only found the wreckage of Martian mechas. When he searched the island for the princess, he was captured by the Martians. Kuruto interrogated him harshly, wanting to know why he had gone to Seed Island.
Srayn had met the princess before and confirmed that she was with an orange mecha, which was why he had gone to Seed Island. He didn't expect that they had already left in the Diou Calion, so he arrived too late.
Since Srayn knew that the assassination of the princess was carried out by Martians, he didn't trust any Martians. Even though Kuruto tortured him, he refused to speak, all to protect the princess. He would never reveal that the princess was still alive until he knew who was behind the assassination. Doing so would only put her in danger.
In the prison, the story of the handsome uncle and the young boy without clothes became more intense.