Isidoro.

In that fleeting moment, Serena felt as if she might be going mad.

How could Isidoro be here?!

Before she could utter a word, his cold fingers lightly pressed against her lips.

"Hush," he whispered.

He bent down, close to her ear, his breath icy and serpentine.

"Why so tense," he said, "isn't Princess Sangwang fond of me? Aren't you happy to see me?"

Serena tried to remain calm.

"Why are you here?" she asked softly.

Isidoro chuckled softly, his voice ethereal as he replied, "To rescue you, of course. Without me, you'd be finished."

Serena stiffened, turning her head slightly to look at him.

"Do you know what Jenaro said?" Isidoro laughed, mimicking Jenaro's tone, "Kill those Achillea men who bewitch the lady, lock her in the living hall, and deal with her upon my return."

His breath was frigid, chilling her to the bone.

He seized her arm, pulling her up and gently parting a curtain of the carriage, gesturing for her to look back.

"See, when I passed by, I sprinkled some luminous powder on them, carried by the wind."

His tone was exceedingly tender, akin to a lover's whisper.

Serena glanced back, her scalp tingling with dread.

In the distance, indeed, there was a silent surge of people, a military force numbering in the thousands. The luminous powder emitted a faint glow, allowing the entire army's formation to be clearly discerned from afar.

Like a fierce tiger, ready to devour their small piece of flesh.

Serena felt a chill down her spine.

"How could this be happening so quickly!"

From the outskirts of the Kuren to the front line at Jurong Pass, there weren't any reserve troops stationed. Even with the reorganization of troops from the Kuren, they wouldn't arrive until dawn at the earliest.

She had calculated it all.

Isidoro leaned in, chuckling softly, "If you come with me, your people won't have to die."

"Otherwise?" she asked.

Isidoro smiled gleefully, "Otherwise, I'll kill you now and spare Jenaro the trouble."

With that, he reached out and gripped her delicate neck.

His eyes were pitch-black, resembling two bottomless whirlpools in the moonlight. His lips were crimson, and when he smiled, the attractive shape of his lips floated on his pale face, resembling a demonic Shura with painted features.

Radiating a kind of beautiful deathly aura.

Serena's scalp prickled.

"If I go with you," she breathed softly, "wouldn't that benefit you?"

Isidoro paused, then chuckled, bending over with laughter.

"Well, in that case, I suppose it would benefit me."

He released her neck, patting her back gently to calm her nerves.

"Alright," Serena said, "but you must help them escape."

"No problem."

He produced a blood-stained silver token from somewhere, disdainfully holding it between two fingers, then picked up the teapot from the low table, scrubbing it vigorously, leaving water stains all over the floor.

Watching the now spotless silver token, Isidoro nodded in satisfaction, casually pulling up the mask hanging around his neck to cover his demonic features.

With a kick, he sent the carriage door flying open, grabbing Serena and leading her to the edge of the carriage.

Aunt Sandra and the others were horrified, brandishing their weapons at Isidoro.

"Who goes there?! Release the princess!"

Serena spoke calmly, "It's alright, he's one of us. The situation has changed, prepare to break through the pass immediately."

Isidoro half-jokingly, half-seriously remarked, "Once the fireworks start, each of you can flee for your lives, don't look back, or you might end up dead."

Serena noticed his voice had become hoarser.

At this moment, Aunt Sandra and the others also spotted the dark tide of the army behind them.

"Princess! We will risk our lives to protect you!"

Aunt Sandra resisted vehemently, "This man is not one of us Achillea people! We can't trust him!"

Serena shook her head gently, "It's alright. Self-preservation comes first. When you see the king, tell him I'm safe and will return later."

Aunt Sandra wanted to persuade further, but Serena raised her hand, gently but firmly saying, "Jenaro is cunning. You must persuade the king on my behalf, do not act impulsively, lest you give him a handle."

Isidoro smiled satisfactorily, grabbing her ribs and lifting her lightly.

In the bushes a hundred feet away, there lay an ordinary Cloud Beast. He embraced her waist, mounted the Cloud Beast, and headed towards the approaching army behind them.

Soon, they arrived nearby.

The disciplined army before them moved silently and efficiently, stopping at a location that would not be discovered yet would not let any fish slip through the net.

Clearly, they were not a hastily dispatched assassination squad.

So when did Jenaro realize she was planning to escape? He deliberately placed her outside the Jurong Pass to lure Achillea King into breaking through, seeking to catch him off guard!

Serena's whole body turned cold.

The more horrified she felt, the tighter she held her back straight, forcing herself to sit upright.

Behind her was Isidoro's chest, one hand holding the reins, the other arm loosely draped around her waist, his breath occasionally brushing past her head, carrying a cold temperature.

"Do you know," he whispered in her ear, leaning closer, "many people desire you."

"But their intentions are impure," he cajoled softly, his voice low, "they desire not only you but also benefits. I am different, I desire you, just you, whether alive or dead. You see, that's true love."

Serena felt a chill down her spine.

As he spoke, he carried her, approaching the pursuers.

"Who goes there?!"

A flash of fire illuminated Serena's face fleetingly.

Isidoro raised his hand, tossing the blood-stained token he had just cleaned in her carriage towards the opposing general.

The general caught the silver token and hurriedly saluted, "General Fifteen!"

Jenaro wanted to kill those Achillea men, not his own wife. In this operation, the one responsible for rescuing Serena was none other than the elusive and enigmatic Han Fifteen.

Everything went according to plan, and the general breathed a sigh of relief. All that was left was to reap the rewards.

Isidoro continued with a slightly hoarse false tone, "Madam, I have brought her out. I will return with her first."

"Yes!"

Isidoro ordered coldly, "Go, kill all those Achillea people."

"Yes!"

The army simultaneously responded, mounting their Cloud Beasts and charging forward.

Thousands of hooves thundered like a tempest, passing by like a whirlwind, leaving only a cloud of dust in their wake.

Serena didn't move.

"Hmm?" Isidoro turned his body slightly, using his index finger to lift her chin, surprising her, "Why aren't you crying or making a scene? I was thinking, if you cried out, I'd sew your mouth shut."

His gaze appeared somewhat disappointed. This was a genuine madman. She spoke softly, "Acesia King's word is his bond. 

If he promised to save someone, he will definitely do it." He lightly narrowed his eyes, his voice tinged with amusement, 

"Oh, so I often say I'll conquer Fredericia and kill Betiana. Do you think I'll follow through?" Betiana's name had vanished from the Cloud Realm many years ago. Nowadays, when that extraordinary woman was mentioned, people only referred to her as the 'Empress.' 

Serena looked into his deep black eyes and replied earnestly, "I believe your power is not yet sufficient. You need to wait a while longer." Isidoro's eyes showed a rare flicker of genuine surprise. After a moment, he laughed and muttered, 

"No wonder you dare to say you like me. Turns out, you're quite sick yourself. Alright then, I'll save all these people. Originally, I just wanted to release one or two casually." 

With a flick of his wrist, he produced a small jade bead, emitting a faint green light in the moonlight. It was a communication charm. Slowly closing his fingers, the beads rubbed against each other, emitting crisp cracking sounds like popping beans. 

Streams of greenish powder flowed between his fingers. Low booming sounds echoed through the air. Without looking back, one could see flames shooting into the sky. Isidoro chuckled joyfully, tugged on the reins, and turned her around to look. 

In the midst of the somber army, it was as if flowers were blooming, with Cloud Beasts exploding one after another, turning into balls of fiery orange light. In the dark and desolate wilderness, fireworks were indeed set off. 

The commotion alarmed the Jurong Pass, with countless fires lighting up on the city walls, and the sound of the gates opening could be heard from afar. Isidoro took out another jade bead and placed it in Serena's palm. "Try it," he urged with a hint of pride.

A cold hand enveloped her hand back, holding onto her fingers, slowly closing them. The green light seeped through the gaps, making the fireworks ahead even more dazzling. 

"Fun, isn't it?" he leaned close to her ear, his tone light and cheerful, as if showing off a toy. "You did this on your first night in Belleria Capital, didn't you?" 

Serena tried to keep her voice calm. Isidoro paused for a moment, his chest trembling slightly, before uttering a faint "Mm." 

That night, a series of events left Jenaro alone. The usually calm and rational ruler indulged himself in the living hall with Corina all night long, and he even dispatched his guards to protect Serena in the Cloud Pavilion, guarding against Isidoro's attempt to snatch her away. 

The person who really should have been closely watched, Isidoro, was left unattended. She murmured, "Implanting explosives in the Cloud Beasts' bodies and using the spiritual resonance between the communication jade slips to detonate them."

 This idea could be considered quite forward-thinking. He gently stroked her hair, "Very clever, my Sera." 

Serena's pupils contracted. Aunt Sandra had only mentioned this childhood nickname once, and the only ones present at the time were those sent by Achillea King to protect her. 

So, among these people, there were Isidoro's men. Since there were Isidoro's men, it was likely there were also Jenaro's men. This was how she had been exposed. 

She couldn't blame herself for that. She had no way of investigating the people sent by her father and brothers from Achillea, so she had to trust them unconditionally. 

It seemed that the waters of the Cloud Realm's eighteen states ran much deeper than she had imagined. Suddenly, she understood why Jenaro hadn't contacted her after that day. 

"Can you tell me who your people are?" she turned her head to look at Isidoro. His dark and deep eyes reflected clusters of firelight, like golden pupils, with a unique beauty. "Sang Thirty-Nine," Isidoro replied without hesitation. 

A simple and honest face appeared in Serena's mind. "And who are Jenaro's people?" her heart pounded. She clenched her fist tightly. "Sang Forty-Five and Sang Forty-Six." Serena's heart skipped a beat. 

These two individuals had quite unusual identities. Aunt Sandra had specifically mentioned them to her. Sang Forty-Five and Sang Forty-Six were actually Serena's cousins. Their father was Achillea King's own younger brother. 

This uncle of the king never considered himself part of the royal family. He had thrown his twin sons into the military from a young age, treating them equally with everyone else. These twins were exceptionally talented and made remarkable achievements at a young age. 

They refused idle positions and instead joined the Royal Guards, becoming Achillea King's personal bodyguards. The family had an excellent reputation. How could they be Jenaro's men?!

 "Time to collect the rewards," Isidoro chuckled softly. Five cold fingers, like snakes, crawled onto her nape, delving into the dark cloud of her hair, seizing his prey. She was forced to tilt her face up, and Isidoro, amidst the fireworks, removed his mask and kissed her forcefully. 

His lips were icy, feeling like a kiss from a venomous snake. The snake's fangs broke her lips, spreading a taste of rust that made her ignore the snake's own scent. He then placed a handful of jade beads into her palm, intertwining their fingers. 

The fireworks became even more brilliant. After a while, he released her and withdrew the red message, looking at her strangely. "No skills at all. Didn't Jenaro teach you?" Serena remained silent. 

Speaking up now would only further pique his interest. Actually, his technique was quite bad too. He even accidentally bit himself, thinking she wouldn't notice.