Penny suddenly became firmly committed to standing her ground.
Because things had developed beyond her control as well.
She had originally hoped to seize the prince, then, once the evil earth spirit matured, "sell" Lentax Great City and lead the Lancaster Family overseas to develop.
Yet she had never expected everything to change.
Jonathan had become increasingly radical under the catalyst of a series of unexpected events.
Things had now reached the point where armed conflict was imminent.
To be honest, Penny did not know why things had turned out this way.
But she firmly believed that there had to be some unknown mastermind behind it all.
Hearing this, Marquis Henry unusually did not show a fanatical expression. Instead, he shook his head.
"Unless we receive powerful support, we won't be able to hold them off."
As he spoke, Marquis Henry's expression grew gloomy.
"Since Jonathan has decided to send troops, he will never let this go."
"He would rather completely destroy Lentax Great City than fail to make us hand over Prince Carter."
"And at this point, there's no longer any room for negotiation."
"Whether Prince Carter falls into Princess Anna's hands or returns to Jonathan's protection, the Lancaster Family's fate will not be reversed."
What Princess Anna cared about was not this single city, but Prince Carter as a strategic bargaining chip.
Of course, Lentax Great City's geographical advantage was also important. It was a gateway city in the transitional region between the kingdom's central and eastern territories.
But if she had to choose between the two, Princess Anna would certainly prioritize capturing Prince Carter.
That was also Grand Duke Koyi's intention.
Obtaining Prince Carter meant seizing Jonathan's weak point.
Whether they used him to extort cities or conduct deeper cooperation negotiations, they would gain an enormous advantage.