Super Righteous Player
Chapter 410 - 407 Henry VIII_1

Chapter 410: Chapter 407 Henry VIII_1

Under Kafney’s guidance, the two of them encountered no obstructions on their way.

This actually surprised Annan somewhat.

"...Why is the palace so quiet?"

He looked back at Kafney and asked with some curiosity, "Is it always like this?"

"Of course not... And there are a lot more people today than usual."

Kafney whispered.

She looked somewhat uneasy... as if she regretted bringing Annan here.

Common sense dictated that, even with Princess Kafney herself leading the way, Annan, a stranger who had not been announced, should at least have been stopped and interrogated, and might even have been captured by the guards.

And Kafney was not Crown Princess Elizabeth after all.

Elizabeth, being the presumed heir to the throne, was virtuous, talented, and well-regarded. If she brought a stranger into the palace, it was indeed possible that the guards chose to turn a blind eye—at least a good number of them were her own people.

After all, she came from a military background.

Many guards had been promoted from her direct subordinates and a significant number had risen to become officers and captains.

By contrast, Kafney was the exact opposite—although she constantly spoke of becoming the queen, no one really believed her.

This actually made sense.

After all, before Kafney met Annan, her high degree of erosion had caused her to be in a constant state of confusion and madness, not very lucid mentally.

It was also for this reason that Dream Stealer Denton had not been able to fully grasp Kafney’s heart—because he himself was worried that upon entering the depths of Kafney’s memories, his own soul might become tainted.

Even though Kafney had not become a true demon yet... she was genuinely mad.

Even Prince No. 4 himself occasionally experienced a strong sense of fear when making eye contact with Kafney.

And ordinary people just by making eye contact with her would feel chills down their spine, muscle twitches, and a strong sense of nausea due to fear. There had even been cases of individuals with weak willpower wetting themselves out of fright...

It was as if they were being targeted by a monster.

Under these circumstances, it was only natural for people to fear, avoid, and even hate Kafney. Prince No. 4, manipulated like a puppet, was also unable to help Kafney... he too was afraid of his own daughter.

It was only after spending more time with Annan that her mind had gradually begun to clear.

Meanwhile, Philip still kept damaging and disrupting Kafney’s relationships.

But today, everyone they encountered was behaving properly, not even glancing sideways. The guards standing to the side had even polished their armor and weapons until they gleamed.

"...I see."

Annan quickly caught on, gently took Kafney’s hand, and comforted her, "Don’t panic, I’ve understood now."

It must have been Earl Nolan who reported to King Henry VIII about Annan’s imminent visit to the palace.

After all, they had been staying at Earl Geraint’s house these past few days. And Earl Geraint’s most important duty was to relay critical intelligence directly to King Henry VIII.

Although Annan didn’t say anything, Kafney immediately believed him.

She breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down, nodding slightly.

But Annan’s expression became slightly more serious.

If King Henry VIII already knew of his identity...

He was no longer visiting as Kafney’s friend to meet her grandfather...

—but as the future successor to Winter, the soon-to-be Duke of Winter, meeting directly with King Noah.

Annan swiftly collected himself and after passing through the vestibule, he directly entered the second floor of the main hall via the spiral staircase on the west side.

The first floor of the main hall was the banquet hall Annan had seen when he was a child visiting Noah. From the railing on the second floor, one could look down—I even saw the spot where I had burst Philip’s head.

Of course, in the actual timeline, Annan hadn’t done such a thing... but that didn’t stop a sudden surge of excitement and nostalgia from rising in his heart upon seeing that spot.

It was the thrill of "Ah, I recognize this place."

It was like the feeling after playing a game at Abi’s house, when traveling abroad and feeling "I’ve been here in a past life," or suddenly wanting to climb rooftops.

Annan followed Kafney, progressing clockwise along the corridor.

The second-floor of the main hall was a circular corridor that could allow six or seven people to walk shoulder to shoulder, with a wall adorned with numerous portraits to the left and an openwork railing to the right. There were eight directions in this passage, spaced at forty-five-degree intervals. Viewed from directly above, it looked like a splendid sun emblem.

What was intriguing about the design was that every nineteen steps, one would see a tall, robust, fully armed guard on duty. First on the left side, then on the right, and then on the left again.

But at each entrance leading to the interior, there were no guards blocking the way. And there would always be a guard right next to the railing on the right side, looking inside.

What surprised Annan the most was...

When these guards saw Annan, they all silently clenched their fists and gently tapped their chests, bowing their heads.

—This was a salute unique to the Winterfolk.

If they could speak at this moment, they probably would have added, "Grandmother loves you, my brother."

Just looking at this scene made Kafney clasp Annan’s hand nervously.

"...I, I didn’t know about this..."

She explained to Annan in a low voice.

Annan shook his head slightly, signaling her not to panic.

He completely understood Kafney’s meaning—Kafney meant that she had not reported Annan’s identity in advance.

But the situation was now very clear.

It was probably not just Henry VIII who knew Annan’s identity... it seemed this matter had become common knowledge just within the day.

If even the guards knew, then the Crown Princess and Prince Philip must already be aware.

Why would Henry VIII reveal his own identity?

If they had planned to stir up something harmful to Annan... then they definitely couldn’t have disclosed Annan’s identity. Being detrimental to him without knowing his identity and doing so after knowing are two different concepts.

Of course, the knowledge here was not about whether they genuinely knew or not.

—It was about external evidence, whether it could show that they "already knew."

They circled the western corridor and, after passing three corridors, they walked into the northernmost entrance.

The end of the corridor led to the King’s quarters—first the study, and beyond that was the bedroom.

And when Annan and Kafney entered Henry VIII’s study, they finally saw the "supposedly nearly dead" King.

But upon seeing him, Annan was immediately taken aback.

That black short hair, those dark red pupils like dried bloodstains... Henry VIII looked much like the fourth prince, aged by a decade or so.

They were nearly identical to each other.

And he was indeed too young—far younger than Annan had imagined.

He appeared to be just in his early fifties... If not explicitly stated, one might even think he was the older brother of the fourth prince.

...Is this someone whom everyone thought was "about to die"?