Chapter 13: Trouble
As the carriage rolled past, her amber eyes scanned the crowd—and for the briefest moment, met Noah's.
A smile flashed across her face, followed by something like amusement. She raised one eyebrow fractionally, the ghost of a smile touching her lips.
Then the unthinkable happened.
The princess stood up, one delicate hand raising in a gesture that might as well have been a thunderclap.
The carriage stopped.
Guards snapped to attention like puppets yanked by invisible strings. The crowd gasped in collective shock. Noah's stomach dropped faster than a cultivator with broken meridians.
This can't be good.
Armored men descended upon the crowd, clearing a path with ruthless efficiency. One particularly zealous guard shoved Noah so hard he nearly toppled into a fruit stand.
"Move!"
Meanwhile, the princess descended from her carriage with the grace of a predator. Her robes barely touched the marble steps as her amber eyes remained on Noah with laser-like intensity.
'Yeah, I'm not going to wait for her to come to me. I'll become a target for all the people who hate the crown.'