Chapter 14 Assassination Attempt
"Milord, the letter from Lady Maria has arrived", the butler said.
"Bring it to me"
Count Gyalcakes opens the letter and starts reading it. In there, it is written that Maria is planning to slowly poison Riz to death under the disguise of sickness just like how she did to his mother.
Yes, assassination is the most common and popular way to eliminate your enemies in medieval times. Hemlock, arsenic and aconite are among the popular poisons that can be used stealthily.
However, the count thought it was too slow. Now the northern countries are starting to move, and if the preparations are not made, he will miss the chance when the war broke out.
Therefore, the count decided to make another plan without Maria's knowledge. He decided to do it in the quickest way. The consequence can be discussed later on.
Gyalcakes has an advantage in every way, whether its population, territorial size, wealth or the number of cities.
Be it in peacetime or wartime, there is no need to fear Bideford at all.
'No matter how dotes you are on your child, as a lord you need to think about your fief first. Once that kid died, you have no choice but to choose Robert.'
That's what Count Gyalcakes thought. In the end, Robert will succeed and become a perfect puppet for him. He is confident in that.
....
Riz is at the northeast of the town, handling the matter of four field systems since morning. He attached great importance to this project. History has proven that the agricultural revolution can change the fate of a nation.
On top of that, he also personally surveys the location of where the water channel for irrigation will be built.
The farmer is doubtful of Riz but didn't say anything.
After all, he is a noble. They still value their life. However, if this plan fails, they probably have nothing to harvest.
Riz assures them that if his plan is not working, he will compensate them with food.
"He won't lie, right?", whispered one of the farmers to his friend.
"I don't think so. I heard from people in the workshop that he is a pretty good boss. Their wages increased last month", his friend replied.
After finishing his explanation to the farmer, he and Charlotte proceed to meet with Goban, the blacksmith that helps Arnold with his paper machine project.
Goban's work is top-notch and he has proven his ability.
While walking in a busy street near the square, someone is there waiting for Riz's arrival. The assassin learns Riz's behaviour pattern. The assassin learns that whenever Riz is in town, he will definitely visit his workshop.
The assassin makes a plan to assassinate Riz at the square. All the escape routes have been determined. The assassin has no doubt that the plan will succeed.
Once the assassin locates Riz's position, the assassin blends in the crowd and slowly approaches Riz from the front.
Charlotte is walking beside Riz like she always does. Her eyes are always wandering around, making sure there's no problem.
Initially, she didn't notice anything weird. However, in a split second, she saw a man swinging something shining at Riz's chest.
She immediately pushes Riz to the side. She didn't have time to reach her weapon and directly blocked the dagger with her arm.
The assassin clicked his tongue indicating he was frustrated that his mission failed. He quickly retracted his dagger and fled the scene.
The people there are shocked by the event that happened before them. They quickly run away from the square as far as they can.
Although the wound is not deep, Charlotte still bleeds.
The knights in charge of peacekeeping at the square are surprised to witness this incident. They never expected that someone would attempt an assassination on the lord's son.
This is in the middle of Bideford town. If the assassination turns to be successful right under their nose, only death would be their biggest mercy.
"What are you doing!! get the young master to the safe place", Charlotte shouts harshly.
Both knights and Riz recover their senses.
All of this happens so fast.
"You, you, you and you. Come and follow me. We need to catch the assassin", Charlotte orders the knights.
The knights quickly followed Charlotte's order. They didn't complain about anything despite being ordered by a 14-year-old girl.
Her status is much higher than a mere knight.
The assassin who couldn't kill Riz fled to the south. He saw Charlotte and the knights chasing him not far behind.
....
While Charlotte is chasing the assassin, the knight brings Riz back to the mansion and immediately tells Richard what has happened.
Richard was so enraged to the point his face turns red. He immediately called William Geoffrey, the House of Ryntum's head knight.
"The assassin needs to be captured alive and Charlotte alone is not enough to do that. She needs help. William, you go and assemble the troop to assist her"
"As you wish, milord".
Riz wants to go since he is worried about Charlotte. He was held by his father.
"You stay. You're not helpful even if you go. Don't worry about Charlotte."
"But..."
"Don't be deceived by her sunny smiles. She's far stronger than you think."
....
Givry Forest...
Charlotte right now is like a tigress who is chasing her prey. She really pissed off right now.
One, it is because someone tries to assassinate her lord. Second, her negligence led her lord into a near-death situation. It hurt her pride so much.
The assassin on the other hand is in the predicament. He really underestimated this teenage girl.
"Damn it, I know that the boy is being guarded by one girl. I never thought she was this skilful."
Charlotte's eyes never left the assassin.
"All of you spread out. We are going to encircle him. Don't lose sight of your colleague beside you", she ordered.
The knights spread out according to her order. Two on her left and two on her right.
Not too far, not too close.
From the sky, the position of Charlotte and the knights are shaped like a 'C'.
"Shit", the assassin who sees these instinctively curses. He knows what she's trying to do.
Charlotte is trying to lead the assassin out of the forest. She knows the forest better than the assassin. At this time, she was glad that she followed the young master to the forest months ago.
After an hour of twists and turns, they successfully led him to the edge of the forest.
At this time, both sides are slowly getting exhausted. It is noon now, they are sweating profusely. Charlotte is the most tired one. Her injuries are not been properly treated yet.
Leaving with no choice, the assassin rushed out of the forest.
"He finally left the forest", She sighed. Running and turning left and right on the uneven ground has consumed a lot of her energy.
....
On the outside of the forest, William has the knight encircle and guard all the possible exit points of the forest.
He knows that Charlotte is probably chasing the assassin. Sooner or later they will get out of the forest.
"When someone gets out of the forest, make sure to restrain them. Failure will not be tolerated.", ordered William.
Everybody knows the consequence of failing this mission.
Ten minutes passed, and they see a silhouette of people emerge from the east side of the forest. They clearly see five persons chasing one man and quickly make an encirclement around him.
"Damn it", said the assassin. He has clearly been encircled with no way out. "Since that's the case...".
Before he could do anything, Charlotte rush from the back and kick the back of his knee. She then grabs his neck and pushes him to the ground. She pins the assassin to the ground. She forcefully opens his mouth and stuffed a cloth inside it. She will not leave any chance for the assassin to commit suicide.
The assassin was quickly apprehended by the knight.