On the high platform, the voice of the criminal official, amplified by magic, echoed clearly across the square, carrying Edwin Veid’s hoarse and despairing confession into everyone’s ears.
In the crowd, Astreia lowered the edge of her hood even further.
She listened in silence, the copy of the in her hand already creased from her grip.
She shouldn’t have returned so quickly.
According to the original plan, it would have taken at least three days to a week to absorb the surrendered forces of the Veid Family and stabilize the defense of the Northern Region.
But Laxana’s abrupt and disjointed transmission, followed by her hasty departure, left a lingering unease in her heart.
Moreover, the effect of the “Loyalty Collar” had far exceeded expectations, making the absorption of the surrendered army exceptionally smooth.
Unable to set her mind at ease, she ultimately decided to entrust the main force to the adjutant who would arrive later and hurried back herself overnight.
But no matter what she had imagined, she could never have predicted the scene that awaited her.
A trial that swept across the entire Royal Capital.
A weapon of public opinion called a “newspaper,” unheard of before.
And…
A political order nearly turned upside down.
She looked at the impassioned citizens around her, then at the Nobles who had once wavered but now looked ashen, and finally at Edwin Veid, nailed to the Pillar of Shame on the platform.
Waves of shock surged within her heart.
This wasn’t Laxana’s doing.
Though her close friend was intelligent, she lacked this kind of ruthlessness and madness.
Nor was it Yekaterina.
Her younger sister might possess such unconventional imagination, but not the meticulousness and determination to make it real.
That left only one person.
Prince Wendy.
The moment this thought surfaced, Astreia’s heart skipped a beat uncontrollably.
That man who always seemed unserious, yet could reveal unimaginable cards at critical moments.
Just how many secrets was he still hiding?
Astreia’s gaze pierced through the sea of heads, looking toward the distant royal palace.
In those emerald star-like eyes, curiosity and inquiry deepened.
***
Royal Palace, Queen’s Bedchamber.
In stark contrast to the tense and solemn atmosphere outside on the square, this place brimmed with a relaxed, even decadent air.
It was a success.
A trust crisis deadly enough to destroy had not only been perfectly resolved, but was even leveraged by Wendy into an unprecedentedly successful political show.
At this moment, Astreia’s reputation among the people had likely reached an all-time high.
The three lounged lazily on the soft sofa, with chilled fruit wine and exquisite pastries arranged on the low table before them.
Yekaterina’s little face was flushed with excitement, and she carelessly propped her legs atop Wendy’s, her slender ankles swaying idly like a cat content after a meal.
“I really want to see those old stubborn fools’ faces right now.”
The Little Queen took a sip of fruit wine, eyes sparkling with the pleasure of revenge.
“They never would have imagined their centuries-old reputations would be shattered overnight by a single scrap of paper!”
“Shattered isn’t strong enough.”
Wendy smiled, picking up a pastry, but instead of eating it, he offered it to Laxana on the other side.
Laxana’s cheeks turned slightly red as she took a small bite, the delicate cream smudging her glossy lips.
Wendy naturally reached out with his thumb, gently wiping away the cream.
The warm touch sent a shiver through Miss Klein, stopping her breath for a moment.
“We didn’t just shatter the Old Rules,”
Wendy withdrew his hand and continued.
“We established the New Rules.”
“From today on, the Sword of Public Opinion will be firmly in our hands.”
“Who is loyal and who is traitorous will no longer be judged privately by the Nobles, but will be defined by us—and believed by the people.”
Laxana looked at Wendy’s profile.
In those violet eyes, the previous admiration had quietly fermented into something bordering on obsession.
She found herself increasingly unable to see through this man.
Every time she thought he’d reached his limit, he would reveal an even more astonishing side.
Beneath this seemingly fragile exterior, was it wisdom hidden—or… a demon?
“Honestly, Wendy,”
Miss Klein spoke from the heart, unconsciously leaning closer to the Prince, nearly pressing against his arm.
“I really underestimated you before.”
“I always thought you were just… well, remarkable in certain aspects.”
“Now I realize your mind is even more formidable than your body.”
“Certain aspects?”
Yekaterina instantly seized on the phrase, her foot still resting on Wendy’s leg, reaching over to nudge Laxana’s calf, her grin sly as a fox.
“What aspects, Miss Klein?”
“Care to be more specific?”
“Was it like last night, or the night before?”
“You!”
Laxana’s face flushed a deep red, a mix of embarrassment and anger.
These two crazy women!
Wendy felt his temples throb, his head pounding.
How had things become so serious, only to devolve again so quickly?
“Ahem!”
He coughed heavily, trying to cut off the dangerous conversation.
However, emboldened by the taste of victory and a little wine, Laxana found her courage.
Prodded by Yekaterina, she didn’t retreat.
Instead, she boldly wrapped her arm around Wendy’s, lifting her chin in defiance.
“Of course, it was something you’ve never tried!”
“This plan was so thrilling!”
“Even more so than that day when the three of us—”
Mid-sentence, she suddenly froze.
Because she saw Wendy and Yekaterina’s expressions stiffen at the exact same moment.
A mix of shock, bewilderment, and… utter terror.
What?
Did I say something wrong?
Laxana’s heart skipped a beat.
Following their gaze, she mechanically turned her head, inch by inch.
At the entrance to the bedchamber, she saw a tall, familiar figure standing silently.
Clad in silver armor, with dazzling golden hair tied behind, and emerald star-like eyes calm and unfathomable.
She gazed quietly at the three, pressed close together on the sofa.
It was the Eldest Princess, Astreia.
Time seemed to freeze in that instant.
The air still carried the sweet aroma of fruit wine and a lingering hint of ambiguity.
On the sofa, the three sat in an unmistakably indecent posture—a younger sister leaning on her own man, a close friend entwining her arm around the same man.
At the door stood the recently returned heroine, who seemed to have been cuckolded by both.
No hellish scene could surpass this.
Astreia’s gaze slid from her little sister’s restless foot to Laxana’s burning cheeks, and finally settled on Wendy’s face, trapped in the middle.
She spoke slowly, her tone revealing no emotion.
“Continue. Explain clearly. What exactly did the three of you… do that day?”