After all, Miss Jojo's identity was unknown, and even Miss Tiran's brain circuits couldn't catch up.

"No, no, what I meant was, the Minister of Foreign Affairs' residence you mentioned is actually my home." Jojo awkwardly touched her nose.

"...So, you are Jojo?" Tiran's expression suddenly became interesting. When she visited the Joestar mansion, she saw a middle-aged man who seemed refined and amiable outwardly but was speaking harshly to his subordinates. It turned out his daughter had gone missing, and it happened in the chaotic and dangerous place of the royal palace.

Of course, what the princess cared more about than that was the magical names of Miss Jojo and her father. Don't tell me you happen to have some kind of ability like a Stand? If not, I could change my name to Zeppeli and then teach you the breathing technique to see if you can develop ripples.

"Phew, as long as my parents are safe... Oh, so my father is helping the Eastern Army and... Lord Xiangling?" After learning that her family was unharmed, Jojo realized what it meant for the Eastern Army to protect their mansion.

"Well, sort of," Tiran vaguely responded. She had only seen so much, and everything else was under Xiangling's command. As for how much preparation the princess had made, no one knew.

But so far, it was not easy to dispatch so many soldiers of the Eastern Army into the city through means like merchant groups, travelers, and security escorts, so what they had achieved was impressive.

It was just a pity that the situation came too soon. Otherwise, as Xiangling had predicted, she could have deceived a few talented students from the Gai Xia Tian Nan branch, which she temporarily managed, to work for her. The useful combat abilities like Zilan Mo Yi and Mimi were still on their way.

"Anyway, for now, I have somewhere to go. I'll slip away first."

"Wait, wait a minute!" Jojo quickly reached out and grabbed the hem of Tiran's shirt, letting out an embarrassed chuckle, "Um, could you take me with you?"

"...Huh?"

"There's actually a special reason... If my parents are okay, I'd better return later. I don't want to be locked up again..." Jojo mumbled nervously.

When Jojo noticed Tiran's strange look, she shivered and quickly raised her voice, standing straight, "Actually, Lord Xiangling is my idol! In this situation, I hope to be of help! It's definitely not because I sneaked into the palace when I was locked up and stumbled upon this big event, fearing my dad would scold me!"

You just said it out loud...

"How about you go with them?" After hesitating for a moment, Tiran still did not agree, pointing to the departing Eastern Army. After all, her current actions were not part of any plan, and bringing along one more person could likely cause more trouble.

"If possible, please let me follow you!"

Jojo's eyes sparkled with excitement. Now that she wasn't worried about her family, her strong curiosity overwhelmed her concerns about the current situation.

"Ah, well, it's up to you. But let's get this straight, if we really encounter any trouble, I might not be able to protect you." Tiran shrugged, took a few steps towards the courtyard, then stopped, "By the way, do you know how to get to where Hoshiken lives?"

"Hoshiken?" Jojo was puzzled. Another person looking for Hoshiken? Isn't she the national priestess who rarely appears unless it's a significant occasion? Why are there suddenly so many visitors?

"You don't know? Well, I'll go look for it myself then. I heard it's quite conspicuous."

"No, no, I do know the location of the Priestess Tower. I just didn't expect foreigners to want to meet with Hoshiken."

"Foreigner?" Tiran caught onto this key word, his tone suddenly rising by two degrees as he firmly grasped Jojo's shoulders, "Have you seen Aya?"

"Huh? You... know her?"

…

Outside the western walls of the Imperial City and Luojing, the fighting continued to rage, but the chaos within the city had slightly subsided as the battle on both ends calmed down. Even the old wolf, who had been ordered by Xiang Liang to sow chaos in the city, couldn't help but feel a pang of fear upon hearing about the attacks on the external city walls and the direction of the palace. Rumors always spread the fastest, especially with the proclamation from Xiang Ji during the palace attack, the rumors about the "Second Prince plotting rebellion" had already taken shape in the city. Some imaginative individuals had even come up with various versions, speculating on the details, and those with connections and analytical skills had pieced together some plausible scenarios. There were also some far-fetched versions, like the First Prince not being the Emperor's biological son and having an affair with the Empress, which led to the Second Prince's rebellion because he was in love with his nominal sister, Princess Xiang Ling... and strangely, the more exaggerated version seemed to have more traction.

Of course, the main characters inside and outside the palace were unaware that they were unwittingly starring in a prime-time palace melodrama and suspenseful war of the year in the market square rumors. Everyone was on edge.

The palace guards were still resisting the city guards' attack, but their situation was dire. Meanwhile, Xiang Ji and his forces were separated from Luojing by the strong city defenses. Trapped in the palace, he was anxious. On the other hand, his brother was also in a tight spot. The fierce attack on the outer city walls forced him to order Li Yu to lead a portion of the troops back to the wall, delaying the progress of the palace attack.

"Never mind that, blast open that gate!"

Initially feeling confident in his preparations, Xiang Liang, who had planned for a perfect takeover of the palace, now found himself disregarding the risks to win. It was just a door, but if he let his pride get in the way and wasted time here, leading to a complete failure, he would regret it deeply.

With a command issued, several soldiers with net bags rushed towards the gate, each bag containing shiny black orbs roughly the size of volleyballs.

"Thunderfire Orbs! Stop them!"

There were also experts in the Dao arts among the palace guards on the city walls, who immediately recognized the danger and prepared to intercept. However, at that same moment, another volley of arrows from the city guards rained down, instantly turning the dozen guards trying to use short crossbows to counter into pincushions before they fell helplessly, unable to even lift their heads.

The unluckiest were the guards who had been sent earlier to withstand the battering ram attacks on the city gates. They only realized that the attacks had suddenly stopped and then heard the chaos erupting above.

Boom!

A violent explosion tore the Imperial City gate to pieces as if it were paper, flinging the guards holding up the gate through the opening, with wood splinters, door panels, bricks, and limbs leaving a terrifying radial pattern on the paved plaza behind.

The deafening roar and shockwave swept out immediately, even the city guards who initiated the attack couldn't help but feel the weight of it all. After all, the gruesome pieces subjected to such terrifying force had been their comrades not long ago, perhaps even friends they had shared a drink with.

But they were all soldiers, and even on this less than honorable battlefield, there was only one thing they could do now.

"Advance, seize the palace."

The officer raised his voice and shouted the command to the entire army.

The city guards marched in a neat formation, stepping forward towards the palace, its walls covered in black ash from the explosion.

...

"Miss Tiran, Miss Tiran, what is Aya to you?"

In the labyrinthine corridors of the palace, Tiran and Jojo walked one after the other. Jojo, after hesitating for a while, couldn't contain his curiosity and asked.

Aya had never disclosed her specific background to Jojo, and she had never mentioned anything about Tiran. But when she saw Aya's reaction upon hearing the news of Tiran marrying the prince, she felt that their relationship was not simple.

Hmm... the princess of the Western Continent, the heroine of East Land, and a mysterious ranger (Aya in Jojo's eyes) – it felt like the premise of a novel.

"... Forget about that, how did you meet Aya?"

Tiran raised an eyebrow and asked.

Something was wrong. It shouldn't have been the normal script where Aya was helpless, trapped by Yuan, and then miraculously rescued by herself, rendering him devoted to her. Why was he flirting with other girls?!

"Well, I had some trouble and Aya helped me out of it..."

Jojo, forgetting his original question, started to explain while Tiran silently took mental notes. So, Aya, you took the initiative to help – were you trying to be the hero and win over the girls all along?

"Later, I got knocked out and Aya defeated that thug... Well, it's a bit embarrassing. I vowed to be chivalrous, but Aya ended up saving me twice."

"And he even stayed by my side in the room while I was unconscious..."

Crack!

"Miss Tiran?"

Seeing Tiran suddenly stop in her tracks, the ground beneath her feet inexplicably shattered. Jojo instinctively stepped back, sensing a hint of resentment from Tiran.

"That stupid dragon—no, did Aya take advantage of you while you were unconscious?!"

Tiran abruptly turned around, gripping Jojo's shoulders tightly, shaking him urgently.

"Uh, what are you talking about, Miss Tiran? And why are you so, so agitated all of a sudden?" Jojo, confused by Tiran's sudden reaction, looked dazed.

"Of course, I mean, he didn't take advantage of you while you were unconscious!"

Ah, the words slipped out. Despite the censorship of civilized world rules, the words were bluntly and openly spoken without any concealment.

Jojo, a sheltered noblewoman who had grown up in a greenhouse, had never heard someone speak so explicitly. Her face immediately flushed with embarrassment.

Seeing Jojo's blush, the princess misunderstood it as "a girl's shyness after experiencing something new," and her face turned as dark as the pot behind the prime minister. She was supposed to be the first one here!

"Wait, Miss Tiran..."

"What are you waiting for? Explain yourself!"

"No, speaking so loudly like this will attract attention. The palace is still under His Majesty's surveillance..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the high-frequency footsteps could be heard from behind the walls on either side.