"Princess." Slaine finally let out a sigh of relief seeing the princess safe, but he still couldn't relax. "Princess, this assassination wasn't planned by Earthlings. It was arranged by Martians."
"How dare you! You lowly Earthling, stop spreading lies!" the little loli Eddelrittuo jumped up and shouted. "It was clearly those despicable Earthlings who sent someone to assassinate the princess!" She deeply despised Earthlings.
"Eddelrittuo," the princess stopped the loli's outburst. Even after hearing Slaine's words, she wasn't fully convinced. Honestly, the princess's intelligence was average at best. Born into royalty, she had no real political instinct. Her head was filled with one thought—peace. Peace and more peace. For the sake of peace, she wouldn't even mind selling all of Mars.
From the Earthling's point of view, she was basically another Gandhi or Mandela. For her ideals, the Martian people had to give up their technological and military advantages and stoop to be equal with Earth. All for the princess's dream of peace.
"Slaine, do you have any proof?" the princess asked.
"Torlan has confessed everything. But he's just a pawn. The real mastermind is still hiding nearby. That's why, Your Highness, you're still not safe."
The princess easily believed Slaine. But she had no idea what to do next. The current situation was a pro-royalist assassination meant to create a war excuse. She had no military power and truly didn't know what to do. In the end, she said, "Let's inform Count Kurutoe about this."
She chose to trust the royalists.
"But Torlan is one of his knights. The count isn't trustworthy," Slaine said. "No matter what, Princess Asseylum, I will protect you." He was quick to pledge loyalty, but it was meaningless. Without someone in power backing them, they weren't getting back to Mars.
At that moment, Yanglu City suddenly went dark.
"What happened?" the princess asked in concern.
"Don't worry, Princess. I'm here," Slaine said manfully, standing in front of her. But nothing happened. After about a minute, the lights came back on.
The Martians gathered in the conference room looked around in confusion. Wasn't the count supposed to make an announcement? Why hadn't he shown up yet?
Just as the tension was rising, their count finally arrived—fashionably late. The blond, handsome man strolled to the stage, cane tucked under one arm, head held high.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some very bad news." His commanding gaze swept the room, silencing the crowd. "We have been abandoned."
What did that mean? Countless eyes showed confusion.
"We've been abandoned by all the orbital knights. Abandoned by Mars."
No way! The confusion only deepened.
"We all once swore loyalty to the princess. But Her Highness has been cast aside. The other orbital knights secretly plotted the assassination attempt. This is blatant rebellion. When the princess told me, I didn't believe it. I even suspected that our great princess was lying. But then I found out—the traitors really are among the orbital knights. They want to replace the royal family. And we, the few who remain loyal, have been isolated and cast out. I ask you—do you accept this?"
The news was too shocking, beyond what they could handle. It meant they were now a lone boat adrift in a stormy sea—the last loyalists of Mars.
That's right. The count was actually Liu A'dou in disguise. "Do you accept this?"
"No! No!" Finally, someone shouted.
Liu A'dou nodded. "Alright. Cut off all contact with the other orbital knights. From now on, we are the princess's last stronghold. Also, open the hatch—her guests are arriving."
Once contact was severed, Liu A'dou became the absolute ruler of Yanglu City. As for the real count, the psychological blow had left him ruined—he'd probably spend the rest of his life in a daze. The Earthlings he had always looked down on suddenly being able to use Martian tech was too much to handle. Not coughing up three liters of blood already made him unusually tough, but he was done. He might be alive, but he had no will left to do anything.
So Liu A'dou swaggered over and welcomed the Deucalion into Yanglu City. The Martians hadn't expected the princess's "guests" to be Earthlings and were clearly uneasy. But Liu A'dou, as the count, declared, "These Earthlings were moved by Her Highness's noble spirit. Their defection is a symbol of the royal family's glorious light, a sign that the princess has inspired the masses. Her Highness is a person above others, with charisma that touches both Mars and Earth alike."
It was all complete nonsense. He had Her Highness under house arrest under the excuse of "protection," yet he still ruled Yanglu City in her name.
Liu A'dou didn't show up personally. Even though it was his signal that allowed the ship in, the Earthlings looked around at the Martians, fully on guard, feeling like they had walked into a lion's den. The beautiful colonel and the young major were both tense.
But when Liu A'dou stepped forward and gave them a quick wink, they got it—he had taken on a new identity. The Earthling had become the count of Yanglu City.
Brilliant move. Not a single bullet fired, and they had taken over the whole of Yanglu City, Martians and all—none of them the wiser.
"You all need to get along. Everyone here serves Her Highness the Princess, understand?" Liu A'dou said. "Anyone loyal to the princess is our friend. We're in a tight spot, so we must unite every possible ally. In Yanglu City, there are no Martians or Earthlings—only people of the princess. Got it?"
Only then did the Martians begin to lower their guard toward the Earthlings. Still, some of them were confused. The count used to treat Slaine—who was loyal to the princess—pretty harshly. Always yelling, even hitting him. Now he was being so nice to these Earthlings? Had the situation really gotten that desperate? Were they seriously joining forces with Earthlings now?
At least there was no conflict. That was a win. Liu A'dou nodded in satisfaction.
Inaho picked up on the signs. This count was probably one of theirs. No one else would be acting like this. The Martians around him must've been tricked. Most likely, he'd used the princess's fate to convince them—or guilt-trip them—into accepting Earthlings. Honestly, the tactic was impressive. Much more effective than using guns and bombs. This fake count had to be Liu A'dou, the pilot of the red mech.
Liu A'dou also noticed Inaho's calm expression, like he'd figured it all out. 'As expected of this top student. His IQ's gotta be at least 200.'
Once everything was in place, Liu A'dou knew the orbital knights would soon sense something was wrong. If they found out the princess was still alive, they'd attack to finish the job. Better to strike first. With a perfect excuse—avenging the princess.
"Activate Yanglu City! Time to clear Her Highness's name and take revenge. The orbital knights who tried to assassinate the princess will pay the price!"
"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"
"For Princess Asseylum! For the First Princess!"