Chapter 1486: Past Dreams Shattered

The woman wore a splendid court dress, adorned with various jewels and jade that shimmered brightly in the surrounding firelight. Yet, before her mesmerizing, peerless beauty, even these precious stones seemed to lose their luster.

Her oval face had skin as white as snow. Beneath eyebrows like distant mountains, her star-like eyes were captivatingly charming, and her rosy, moist lips gleamed with an alluring luster.

Her full bosom, slender waist, and perfectly curved hips created a graceful silhouette, endowing her with both the purity of a maiden and the maturity of a young woman. It was truly hard to imagine how two such distinct temperaments could coexist so harmoniously in one person.

At this moment, however, her face was filled with worry as she clutched her young son tightly. "Don't be afraid," she murmured, "Mother will protect you."

As she spoke, a hint of determination flickered in her brows.

Although she tried her best to sound serious, the naturally enchanting and soul-stirring quality in her voice made her sound truly delicate and coquettish.

Hearing her, the soldiers on the field instantly became invigorated. They had only one thought: to protect the Little Demon Empress at all costs and prevent those rebellious traitors from getting near her.

Watching her subordinates fight valiantly, bathed in blood, the Little Demon Empress showed no joy on her face.

She knew that the disparity in strength between them and the enemy was too great; their efforts were merely buying a little more time.

She had never expected Prince Jinwu to go insane, suddenly attacking several of his brothers in the royal court.

Didn't he fear the Demon Emperor's retribution upon his return from the secret realm?

Fortunately, she had trusted confidants in the palace. When she learned that Prince Jinwu was secretly gathering forces, she worried that her son, who was outside, was in danger. Thus, she came to bring the young prince back to the palace. Soon after she arrived, however, Minister Lei Xin and General Wu Cheng of the Imperial Guards arrived with a large contingent of Jinwu Guards.

They claimed they wanted to take the young prince back for protection, to prevent him from being harmed by traitors, but how could the Little Demon Empress agree to that?

The two sides negotiated for a long time. After all, the Little Demon Empress was the Demon Emperor's legitimate wife, and at first, the Jinwu Guards were somewhat apprehensive of her. However, several deputy generals sent by Prince Jinwu to monitor quickly incited the crowd. They started fighting at the slightest disagreement, and then it escalated uncontrollably.

Although the Little Demon Empress had accumulated some trusted confidants over the years, in her haste to leave the palace to find her son, she could only bring a limited number of people. Thus, it was mostly the young prince's personal guards and the few people she brought who were desperately holding on.

If not for these individuals willing to fight to the death for her, the young prince would probably have been taken away long ago.

The Little Demon Empress did not engage in combat, as neither Minister Lei Xin nor General Wu Cheng had made a move. Everyone wanted to maintain a last shred of decorum, as she was, after all, the Empress in the hearts of the demon race's subjects.

Neither Lei Xin nor Wu Cheng wanted to be accused of insubordination. The Little Demon Empress, for her part, knew that both were renowned masters in the royal court. In a one-on-one fight, she might have a chance, but against two, especially with many other masters behind them still unmoving, she would have no chance at all.

Given this, if no one made a move, her being able to stall so many people alone was definitely a gain.

Her only hope was that they could hold out longer, alerting various factions within the royal court, so that someone might come to their rescue.

But at this moment, who would come to their rescue?

It was clear that this was Prince Jinwu's directive, and he was about to become the new Demon Emperor. Who would risk offending him to save her and her son?

She even thought of the Old Demon Emperor. Although they had no real affection for each other over the years, his existence at least provided her with a sufficient sense of security.

Now that he had gone to the secret realm, the people below dared to offend her.

She prayed in her heart for the Demon Emperor to emerge quickly from the secret realm, so that no one would dare to act recklessly.

But she soon gave a bitter smile. Even if the Demon Emperor returned, what then? This time, the Crown Prince was the instigator. Would the Demon Emperor really turn against him for her sake?

She knew very well that the Old Demon Emperor's lifespan was nearing its end, and the Crown Prince was destined to succeed him as the new Demon Emperor.

Having been in the royal family for so many years, she was well aware of an emperor's mindset. If he had a long lifespan, he would certainly side with her and swiftly deal with the Crown Prince. But with his lifespan nearing its end, he would inevitably side with the Crown Prince.

Thinking of this, her heart sank. It was a pity that fellow Zu An hadn't succeeded in killing the Crown Prince in the imperial tomb; otherwise, none of these troubles would exist.

Now that the Crown Prince had emerged and Zu An had no news, it proved he had died inside.

What a shame. He was quite an interesting young man, and most importantly, he was handsome.

By the time she snapped back to reality, the battle in the manor was nearing its end. Most of the manor's guards had fallen in pools of blood, and most of her own subordinates were dead. The few remaining survivors had retreated to her side, while the Jinwu Guards under Lei Xin and Wu Cheng completely surrounded them.

A trace of blood still clung to the gleaming blade tips. So many blades pointed at the Little Demon Empress and her companions, exuding an inexplicable sense of oppression.

"Little Demon Empress, please don't make things difficult for us. It will be better for everyone," Lei Xin said, his expression complex as he gazed at the brilliant woman before him. Even in such dire circumstances, she was still breathtakingly beautiful; no wonder the Old Demon Emperor had been so infatuated with her back then.

The Little Demon Empress swept a loose strand of hair from her forehead behind her ear and shielded her young son with her body. "If you want to take my son," she declared, "you'll have to step over my dead body."

Lei Xin and Wu Cheng's expressions changed. "Little Demon Empress," they implored, "why are you making this so difficult?"

Everyone knew the Little Demon Empress was the Old Demon Emperor's empress, and even after Prince Jinwu ascended the throne, he would have to respectfully address her as the Empress Dowager. Lei Xin truly did not want a direct confrontation with her. If he were to accidentally be accused of assassinating the Empress, Prince Jinwu might push him forward to appease public anger when others attacked him in the future. After all, he was not a direct subordinate of Prince Jinwu; otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned the most troublesome task of dealing with the young prince.

The Little Demon Empress sneered, "You are all rebellious and plotting to harm a prince, and you ask me why I'm making it difficult?"

Wu Cheng, standing nearby, said, "Little Demon Empress, you misunderstand. We are here to protect the young prince, not to harm him."

The Little Demon Empress's gaze swept across the entire scene, resting on the young prince's guards lying in pools of blood. She sneered, "They were the ones protecting the young prince. Your words might deceive children, but how could they deceive me?"

Lei Xin and Wu Cheng showed signs of shame, but a confidant general of Prince Jinwu, standing nearby, angrily rebuked them: "Things have come to this; why waste words? Don't ruin His Majesty's grand plan!"

The Little Demon Empress's face lit up with joy. "His Majesty? Has the Demon Emperor returned?"

The confidant general did not answer and attacked directly. Immediately after, several of his companions quickly followed suit.

Lei Xin and Wu Cheng, however, felt a chill in their hearts. Now that the Crown Prince had become the new Demon Emperor, if they botched this matter or didn't put in their full effort, they would certainly be held accountable later.

Given this, what did the former empress matter?

At their level, they no longer acted purely on emotion, but more so considered their own and their family's interests.

"Pardon our offense!" The two quickly made up their minds and attacked together. In this situation, it would naturally not be a one-on-one duel like in the martial world. Knowing that the Little Demon Empress was also a master, it was best to deal with her quickly to avoid further complications.

It was unclear how much time had passed before the Little Demon Empress let out a soft cry and collapsed beside the young prince. Her usually magnificent court dress was already stained with numerous crimson bloodstains. How could she alone be a match for so many masters?

She struggled to get up, but she was severely wounded and failed several times. The few remaining guards around her wanted to help her up but dared not offend her.

Now that it had come to this, many pretenses were no longer necessary.

The Crown Prince's confidant subtly waved his hand and struck the hilt of a subordinate's sword.

The sword immediately whizzed through the air towards the young prince.

Lei Xin and Wu Cheng's expressions changed. Although they had known that Prince Jinwu's so-called protection of his brothers was not out of good intentions, they had thought it was merely house arrest or something similar. They had never expected him to intend to kill them!

What a cruel heart, what a cruel brother!

Their bodies shifted slightly, but in the end, they did not intervene. Since things had come to this, they could only commit fully.

The Little Demon Empress wanted to block the sword, but in her current state, she couldn't even manage such a simple task that would normally be easy.

She gave a desolate smile and directly shielded her young son with her body.

"Your Majesty!" the surrounding guards cried out in alarm. Unfortunately, they were all wounded and near exhaustion, making it impossible for them to intervene in time.

The Little Demon Empress knew that if she died, her son would not live either, but at this moment, she had no other choice.

At that moment, a ridiculous thought suddenly popped into her mind: how wonderful it would be if someone came to her rescue like a hero saving a maiden in distress.

In her youth, she loved reading storybooks and was endlessly fascinated by the plots where heroes rescued maidens, fantasizing countless times about encountering such a hero.

But after she married the Demon Emperor, she never had such fantasies again.

Among all heroes in the world, who could compare to the Demon Emperor?

Yet the Demon Emperor was vastly different from the heroic image she had fantasized about as a child, so much so that her dream was completely shattered.

She never expected to think of these things at this moment. It seemed her thoughts were uncontrollably wandering at the brink of death.

She couldn't help but give a self-deprecating smile.

Just then, a voice, both unfamiliar and familiar, echoed in her ear: "The Little Demon Empress is indeed a remarkable heroine, to still be able to smile at a time like this."