“No!”
Astreia shook her head firmly, rejecting the idea, and sternly rebuked her adjutant:
“Cara! Have you forgotten the Eight Knight’s Code you swore to uphold when you became a Knight? Humility, Honor, Sacrifice, Valor, Compassion, Honesty, Justice, Devotion… If you weren’t a Knight, that would be one thing. But as a Knight, you must abide by them!”
“Your Highness, now is not the time to fuss over the Knight’s Code!”
Cara grew anxious and stepped forward.
“For Lord Wendy’s safety, and for the future of Sunset Fortress, someone has to do the dirty work! I am willing to—”
“Enough! This is the bottom line!”
Astreia’s voice suddenly rose, “I am the Commander of Sunset Fortress! When did it become your place to make decisions for me?!”
“But—”
“No buts!”
The Princess Royal cut her off, leaving no room for argument.
“Lock him in the dungeon, guard him strictly, and once we’ve repelled the Orcs, report to the Royal Capital and let Her Majesty the Queen decide!”
Lying on the ground, Edwin Veid, whose face was twisted in pain, actually managed to squeeze out a smug smile of relief.
He had bet right!
Astreia, this muscle-brained fool, really was bound by that ridiculous code of chivalry!
As long as he survived, as long as he could return to the Royal Capital, with the Veid Family’s means, there were countless ways to fish him out of this mess.
He could even turn the tables and pin the crime of treason on this fat pig of a princess!
But just as he was secretly celebrating, a weak yet pleasant male voice lazily cut in.
“Cough, cough… I think Captain Cara has a point.”
Wendy leaned against the wall, baring his teeth as he straightened up, wearing an expression of “I’m so frail, but I’m so reasonable.”
“But we can’t just kill him…”
As soon as he said this, everyone in the room was stunned.
Astreia’s heart trembled even more.
Wendy… Even after being hurt like this, he was still thinking of the enemy who nearly killed him…
What mercy! What magnanimity!
The Princess Royal was so moved she could hardly contain herself. She immediately stepped forward to support Wendy, her voice gentle: “Wendy, say no more. I know you are kind-hearted. I’ll handle this matter. I won’t let you suffer any injustice.”
“No, no, no,” Wendy waved his hand, then changed the subject, his face showing just the right touch of melancholy, enough to break anyone’s heart.
“What I mean is, we can’t just kill him directly—we have to root out the problem entirely!”
“Hmm?”
Astreia and Cara both let out confused noises.
On the ground, Edwin also stopped groaning, an ominous premonition creeping up his spine.
Supported by Astreia, Wendy sauntered over to Edwin, looking down at him from above.
His peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a wicked smile.
“Treason, assassinating a member of the royal family—any of these are crimes punishable by beheading or hanging. For the sake of reputation, the Veid Family will go to any lengths to clear his name. By then, they might even bite back and accuse us of framing a loyal subject to steal the credit.”
With every word, Astreia’s expression grew more grave, and the smugness on Edwin’s face became stiffer.
“And what about us?”
Wendy smiled lightly.
“We have no direct evidence in our hands to prove he colluded with the Orcs. That signal arrow is long gone. The only witness, Captain Kelly, has already… sacrificed herself.”
“So, escorting him back to the Royal Capital would be the most foolish move. Not only would we fail to get justice, we’d end up in deep trouble ourselves.”
In truth, by Wendy’s temperament, he’d have just killed this little scoundrel and blamed it on the Orcs—dead men tell no tales, after all.
But in practice, there was a problem: in the game’s backstory, the Veid Family’s influence was immense, one of the three Pillar Families of the Valoran Kingdom, and they aimed to seize control of the entire kingdom in Princess Astreia’s name.
If Edwin, originally sent to approach Astreia, died within three days of Wendy’s appearance, it would look highly suspicious.
And once news spread that he’d used Alchemic Explosives to blow up Sunset Mountain and bury the Orc Wolf Riders alive, the Veid Family would inevitably suspect him, no matter what.
Then would come endless tests and attacks—from the young to the old, open assaults and hidden daggers—so he had to find a way to utterly destroy the Veid Family!
Unfortunately, in this western fantasy kingdom’s law, there was no collective punishment for a family’s crimes…
“Then… what do you mean?”
Astreia was completely lost, feeling like her mind couldn’t keep up with Wendy’s pace.
“What I mean is,” Wendy squatted down and leaned close to Edwin’s ear, whispering, “The traitor Edwin Veid, after failing to assassinate Prince Wendy Black, tried to poison the water supply of Sunset Fortress in the dead of night, intending to kill the entire garrison and civilians, let the Orcs invade, and pave the way for the Veid Family’s rebellion. Fortunately, Captain Cara discovered him in time during her patrol and captured him on the spot.”
“What did you say?!”
Edwin’s pupils shrank.
Wendy ignored his horror, continuing in that gentle tone, slowly painting a brand-new “truth.”
“During interrogation, Edwin Veid, knowing the weight of his crimes, could not face the Valoran Kingdom. Thus… he committed suicide out of guilt.”
“You! You slanderous cur!”
Edwin finally came to his senses, eyes wide, roaring in terror.
This dog on the run!
Not only did he want him dead, he wanted to drag the entire Veid Family down with him!
Poisoning the city’s garrison and civilians, seizing the chance to rebel!
If such crimes stuck, even the Veid Family couldn’t recover, no matter how great their power!
At this moment, Astreia and Cara finally understood Wendy’s plan completely.
The white-haired adjutant’s eyes flashed with a sharp gleam.
Ruthless! So ruthless!
Not only did he eliminate Edwin the traitor, but he also dug a pit for the Veid Family that they could never fill!
Most importantly, throughout the entire process, Sunset Fortress stood on the highest ground of morality and law—unassailable!
Lord Wendy… not only do you possess godlike wisdom, but even your methods are so… decisive!
Cara looked at Wendy’s back, her admiration rolling like a mighty river, endless and unceasing.
Astreia also instantly realized that Wendy’s idea was not a simple murder to silence someone.
A dead man might not talk back, but he also lost his value.
But a traitor who “committed suicide out of guilt” and left a “detailed confession” could become a blade stabbing straight into the Veid Family’s heart.
The last shred of knightly hesitation in Astreia’s heart vanished under Wendy’s expectant peach blossom eyes.
Astreia gave Cara her order: “Handle it cleanly. I need a confession, ‘written in his own hand,’ detailing how the Veid Family ordered him to infiltrate the Northern Region and plot rebellion.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
A flush of excitement and admiration appeared on Cara’s face.
She asked no further, dragging the limp Edwin out with one hand like a dead dog.
“You demon! Wendy! May you die a horrible death! Astreia! You stupid pig! You—”
Edwin’s desperate howls and curses gradually faded down the corridor, finally cut off by a dull thud and the crisp sound of breaking bones, leaving only silence.
With the crisis resolved, Wendy’s taut nerves relaxed, and a wave of weakness washed over his body, threatening to make him collapse.
Astreia snapped back to herself, and, full of concern, scooped him up in her arms. Looking at Wendy’s faintly smiling face, she was overwhelmed by a mixture of fear and heartache.
This young prince, two years her junior… what kind of hidden suffering had he endured to come up with such a meticulous and ruthless plan?
To protect her reputation, to protect the whole Sunset Fortress, he was willing to bear the heavy guilt of framing another, letting those hands that should have played the harp and composed poems be stained with the filth of intrigue…
Wendy… you’ve done so much for me…
In a daze, Astreia hugged the boy in her arms even tighter.
Deep in those emerald star-like eyes, something quietly shattered.
A shadowy black mist slowly surfaced from the bottom of her eyes, spreading and deepening…
yandere asteria 😮