Royal Palace, Inner Hall.
Atop the high throne, Queen Yekaterina rested her cheek on one hand, while the fingertips of her other hand tapped idly on the armrest.
Her emerald eyes were half-lowered, sweeping over the noisy ministers below, who bickered like a marketplace, a faint, ambiguous smile playing at her lips.
“Outrageous! The Eldest Princess is openly committing treason! To dare lead an army to the city gates—does she not respect Her Majesty the Queen, nor the laws of Valoran?!”
A fat Count with a beer belly, draped in gold and jewels, turned red with anger, spittle flying.
She was one of the loyal lapdogs of the Veid Family.
“You can’t say that, Count Pigeley.”
Beside him, a tall, thin Marquis retorted anxiously.
“The Northern Army just defeated hundreds of thousands of Orcs—they are a victorious force. The embezzlement of military supplies is a fact. If no explanation is given, I fear it will be hard to appease the masses!”
“Hundreds of thousands of Orcs?”
The fat Count sneered, his voice sharp.
“A bunch of mud-legged peasants, beating Orcs? Who would believe that?! I say it’s just the Eldest Princess colluding with outsiders—a self-directed drama to seize the throne!”
“True or false, it doesn’t matter. The army surrounds the city, people are terrified, and business has ground to a halt!”
In the corner, a Baron who had made his fortune from grain trade sighed.
“If this standoff continues, I doubt the autumn grain tax can be collected at all.”
“The urgent task is to calm the army’s morale, not to assign blame.”
A gentle voice spoke.
All eyes turned.
A civil official was calmly straightening his collar.
“In my view, Your Majesty should immediately dispatch envoys to communicate with Her Highness the Eldest Princess, to pacify first, and strategize later.”
His reasoning was sound, drawing nods from many of the neutral nobles.
Yet this seemingly neutral suggestion pierced the hall’s fragile peace.
In this noisy and restless place, only one corner remained so quiet, it seemed cut off from the world.
Prime Minister Allison Visseran stood there, silent.
She wore a simple Red Cardinal Robe, the Holy Emblem on her chest reflecting a gentle light.
Her neatly pinned silver-gray hair was held by a plain wooden hairpin.
She looked at no one, merely lowered her head to wipe her Single-Lens Glasses over her right eye, as if removing some invisible dust.
At that moment, the two heavy oak doors of the Throne Hall were flung open from outside.
Bang—!
The thunderous sound silenced all arguments at once.
Agnes Veid, dressed in an opulent gown woven of obsidian and gold thread, strode into the hall, flanked by a team of armored, murderous guards.
She walked slowly, each click of her heels on the floor pounding like a heartbeat in everyone’s chest.
Behind her, the wolfish guards fanned out, sealing every exit of the hall, sword tips aimed at the panic-stricken nobles.
In an instant, the hall fell silent.
Agnes ignored the cowering fence-sitters, her gaze sweeping past the crowd with contempt, lingering on the ‘Little Queen’ trying to maintain her composure atop the throne—her disdain blatant and undisguised.
Then, her eyes slowly moved to the Red Cardinal, still calmly cleaning her glasses.
“Prime Minister, you’re quite at leisure.”
Agnes sneered.
“With an army at the gates, you still have the mood to watch the show here?”
The Prime Minister finally raised her head, placing the cleaned Single-Lens Glasses back on, her phoenix eyes narrowing behind the lens, her smile gentle as ever.
“Duke Veid jests. With Her Majesty present, we, as ministers, naturally obey her decisions. There’s no show here for me to watch, is there?”
With a single sentence, she lightly returned the ball to the Queen, placing Agnes in the position of ‘disdaining royal authority’.
“Hmph.”
Agnes snorted coldly.
She had no patience for word games.
She stepped forward, aura overwhelming.
“Her Majesty is young and easily deceived by traitors. In these dire times, as pillars of the kingdom, it is our duty to share her burdens!”
“Therefore, I propose we immediately destroy the rebel army outside the city! All who side with traitors shall be charged with treason!”
Her voice rose, echoing through the hall.
“As for you, Prime Minister—as the head of all officials, yet turning a blind eye to rebellion, even colluding in secret with ulterior motives—I believe you owe the kingdom and Her Majesty a thorough explanation!”
As her words fell, the guards behind her stepped forward in unison, their swords drawn halfway from their scabbards, gleaming coldly!
The dagger is drawn!
Everyone paled in terror.
They understood.
Agnes Veid was about to stage a palace coup before them all!
Yet Allison still smiled pleasantly.
“The Duke’s loyalty is truly admirable. Since that is so, perhaps we should ask Her Majesty’s opinion.”
Agnes whipped around, glaring at Yekaterina on the throne like a lioness about to pounce.
She wanted to see if this puppet dared utter even half a word of ‘no’.
The air in the hall froze.
In that suffocating silence, Her Majesty finally moved.
She slowly picked up a glass of red wine from the small table beside the throne and stood gracefully.
Yekaterina glanced over the assembled crowd, her gaze finally settling on Agnes Veid’s face—written with greed and arrogance.
She smiled.
Innocent yet cruel.
“All my beloved ministers are present.”
Crack!
A crisp shatter rang out.
The gem-studded wine glass slipped from her hand, falling straight down and smashing to pieces on the marble floor.
Scarlet wine splattered like blood.
Agnes Veid’s pupils contracted—a surge of foreboding swept over her.
It was a signal!
Before she could react—
Boom—!
Behind the throne, the massive wall carvings, usually mere decorations, rotated inward, revealing a row of pitch-black openings!
The next second, countless armored figures of the Northern Army surged out!
At the forefront, brandishing a battle spear, was the majestic Great Princess Astreia and the One-eyed General Sera!
Almost simultaneously, the main entrance, side doors, and every passage in the Throne Hall were blocked by even more Northern soldiers!
Encirclement and counter-encirclement completed in an instant!
One moment the Veid Family Guard were in control, the next, they were surrounded by Northern Elite Troops several times their number.
The pride and cruelty on Agnes Veid’s face froze, replaced by shock and disbelief.
How…how could this be?!
Behind Astreia, a short-haired boy strolled out at a relaxed pace.
Wendy wore a harmless smile, secretly winking at Miss Klein, who was enjoying the spectacle.
That little rascal!
Laxana instantly understood, a wicked smile curling her lips as she raised her hand without hesitation.
“Ultimate Flash!”
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