“Can you… be a bit more restrained in the future?”
“Eh???”
Wendy’s mind went blank for a moment.
He’d imagined countless possible outcomes.
The other party might intensify things, might slap him, might even draw a magic wand in embarrassment and fight him to the death right here in the garden.
But he never expected this.
The Miss Klein, who had just launched her revenge, held back for a long time, only to squeeze out a single word…restrain?
Wendy studied the beautiful female mage before him.
Her cheeks were flushed crimson, her lips were red and swollen from the earlier intensity, and those violet eyes stubbornly avoided his gaze, refusing to meet his eyes.
A sense of absurdity, mixed with the urge to laugh, welled up inside him.
You threw yourself at me and bit me for half the day, just to make that suggestion?
“Pfft—”
A light laugh finally escaped.
“What are you laughing at?!”
Laxana exploded like a cat with its tail stepped on, her shame and anger mingled as she growled.
“Do you think this is funny?!”
“I’ve almost died from your torment…and you still have the nerve to laugh?!”
“No, I’m not, I’m not.”
Wendy immediately suppressed his smile, forcibly lowering the corners of his mouth, making his expression serious and sincere.
“I promise you, Laxana.”
He raised both hands in a surrender gesture, his tone extremely earnest.
“I’ll be more careful in the future. I’ll try…to satisfy her in other ways first, and then…”
“Hmph!”
Laxana snorted, turning away, showing him the back of her head as if even another glance would be a waste of emotion.
But her thoroughly red ears completely betrayed her inner turmoil and panic.
She couldn’t understand why she’d ended up saying such a weak thing in the end.
Just a moment ago, she’d wanted to return all the suffering of these past few days, with interest.
To make this man taste what it felt like to be bullied.
But when she tasted those warm lips, when she felt the shift from resistance to awkward, tentative response, the rage that had consumed her mind inexplicably melted away.
Only to be replaced by a more intense, surging emotion.
Damn it…it feels like…I want to punish him right here…
As long as she used Detection Magic to confirm no one was nearby, she could immediately set up an Isolation Barrier and enjoy herself.
She even had a Recording Crystal in hand.
By then, would this handsome prince dare disobey her again?
A trace of faint Dark Magic slowly gathered in the depths of Miss Klein’s eyes.
However, just as magic was about to pour from her fingertips—
“Wendy! Little Shanna! Something’s wrong!”
At the critical moment, Astreia’s anxious voice cut through the evil plan, approaching quickly.
Laxana shuddered, instantly withdrawing the Detection Magic she was about to release.
The darkness in her eyes disappeared without a trace.
“What’s wrong?”
Wendy turned, perfectly blocking Laxana’s guilty expression.
“It’s the remnants of the Veid Family!”
Astreia stopped before Wendy, her pretty face filled with seriousness as she quickly explained:
“General Grant from the south, she was originally a reinforcement for the Veid Family. Upon learning the Veid Family had been purged, she immediately led nearly thirty thousand elite Heavy Infantry Corps to the southwest border.”
“She even sent a message demanding we pardon her crimes and appoint her as the hereditary Duchess of the Southwest Border.”
The Princess took a deep breath, a flash of anger in her emerald eyes.
“Otherwise, she will lead those thirty thousand elite soldiers to defect to the neighboring Macary Kingdom!”
“What?!”
Before Wendy could speak, Laxana, who had just calmed down, cried out in shock.
Wendy looked at her, confused.
“Is it that serious?”
“It’s more than serious!”
Laxana’s face grew solemn.
“The Macary Kingdom, like your Cavalier Kingdom, is a traditional cavalry nation with a large population. But they’re severely lacking in mineral resources, so their infantry’s equipment and quality have always been their fatal weakness. That’s why, for years, they’ve been just a minor country.”
“But the thirty thousand Heavy Infantry under General Grant are the elite of all Valoran! If she brings that army into Macary, their national power will surge overnight!”
“A cavalry kingdom with no weaknesses will only grow more ambitious. And we, Valoran, will be their first target!”
Miss Klein’s tone became increasingly urgent.
“What’s worse, for Grant to secure her position in Macary, she’ll have to offer an Oath of Fealty! When the time comes, she’ll definitely be the vanguard, the first to strike back at Valoran! Our kingdom will be plunged into war immediately!”
After hearing this, Wendy’s face darkened.
Valoran was the rear base he had painstakingly chosen, rich in resources and strategically located—the foundation for resisting the Blood Clan and Void invasions in the future.
He couldn’t allow war to break out here.
Let Astreia undergo Witchification and fly over to massacre those thirty thousand?
Impossible.
The commotion would be too great.
Last time, the slaughter of the Orcs had already aroused the Church’s suspicion.
If it happened again, the Cardinals would undoubtedly conclude a new witch had appeared in Valoran, and this time they wouldn’t send messengers—they’d dispatch the Inquisition Army.
“Then agree to her terms.”
After a moment’s thought, Wendy calmly spoke four words.
“What did you say?!”
Laxana’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Wendy! Are you crazy?! Pardon a rebel and make her a border duchess? That’s like raising a tiger to devour you!”
Astreia caught the agitated Laxana, speaking softly.
“Trust Wendy. He must have another plan.”
“See, Astreia understands me.”
Wendy felt warmth in his heart and gave Laxana a look that said ‘why are you panicking’, then spoke slowly.
“Who said we have to actually give it to her?”
“Right now, we’ve sealed off the Royal Capital. Grant is far away on the border—she doesn’t know how we purged the Veid Family overnight. She also doesn’t know the terrifying power Astreia now possesses.”
The Black-hearted Prince’s lips curled with amusement.
“So why not go along with her demands, give her everything she wants, and then secretly put Loyalty Collars on everyone? Wouldn’t that solve the problem perfectly?”
“Eh?”
This time Astreia looked surprised.
“Wendy, you mean to go back on our word? But if this gets out, what of our royal credibility? What other nations or nobles would trust us in the future?”
“Credibility?”
Wendy sneered, stepping forward to gently tidy Astreia’s tousled hair, his movements gentle but his words icy.
“My dear Princess, credibility is a shackle bestowed by the strong upon the weak, an embellishment added by the victors as they write history. For us now, survival is the only thing that matters.”
He stared into Astreia’s eyes, speaking each word slowly.
“For wolves like Grant who dare to bare their fangs, any concession is seen as weakness and only encourages them to bite harder next time.”
“Such traitors must be struck with thunderous force, so she and all potential enemies understand one truth—to stand against us is to pay with your life!”
But Laxana immediately pointed out a flaw.
“That’s easy to say! But that’s nearly thirty thousand troops! How could I have enough magic to create thirty thousand Loyalty Collars?!”
“Decapitation Operation! Decapitation, understand?”
Wendy rolled his eyes, feeling it exhausting to communicate with this woman.
“Who told you to collar everyone? Learn from the Veid Family—control all the upper and mid-level officers, and the soldiers below will follow!”
“Is that so…”
Astreia fell silent, hesitation in her eyes giving way to resolve.
Wendy was right.
“Good! There’s no time to waste—I’ll get started right away!”
Her Highness was decisive.
She grabbed her childhood friend’s hand and sprinted out of the palace.
“Wait! I just finished eating! My body’s not recovered yet! Can I rest for two days?!”
Miss Ke Cain’s wretched wails faded over the Royal Palace.
“Little Shanna, hang in there, this is a matter of national importance…”