Clara stood outside the royal study, initially thinking that since her mistress would accompany the king tonight, she might receive a reward herself. Unexpectedly, the king suddenly decreed that her mistress was to be demoted to a lesser concubine and relocated from Cloud Palace, the symbol of ultimate favor.'How could this happen…?'Clara hurriedly kneeled, still in shock. The chamberlain, Steven, stepped out and continued announcing the decree loudly."By the king's command, Lady Helena is to be relocated to Void Palace! All palace staff from Cloud Palace are to be reassigned elsewhere and are forbidden to follow."'Void Palace?'That was practically no different from the forbidden palace!Hearing the decree, Clara's mind went blank.Her mistress was punished, and even they, her servants, were scattered. It was clear the king intended to sever all of her mistress's support.Panic, confusion, and fear intertwined in Clara's heart.The night sky erupted with thunder and light
Cloud Palace was in a state of panic.Several maids gathered in a corner, their faces filled with worry as they whispered to one another."Is it true that Lady Helena isn't coming back?""Seems so! Just now, only Clara came back. They say Lady Helena was sent directly to Void Palace. She wasn't allowed to bring anything at all!"Meanwhile, in Void Palace.After Helena was sent there, she was still attended to by palace servants, but none of them were the ones she was used to—Clara wasn't even there.It was understandable that others couldn't follow her to Void Palace, but Clara was her personal maid, practically an extension of herself.Helena's heart sank.The king was truly furious. He had removed everyone around her, leaving her entirely alone in this desolate place with no one she could count on…Realizing how harsh this punishment was, Helena shook her head and ran to the door, shouting, "I must see the king! Your Majesty! I know I was wrong—"Her voice soon became hoars
Lily carried the decree to Cloud Palace, where Clara and the other royal servants greeted her with reluctant courtesy.Most of them believed that Helena, loved by the king, would soon be pardoned and restored to her former glory, even if she had been temporarily punished and sent to Void Palace. Jane's actions seemed overly harsh to them, as if she were burning bridges unnecessarily.Unbothered by their thoughts, Lily maintained the authority befitting her position as the queen's chief maid and announced, "By decree of Queen Jane, due to the recent spate of thefts in the palace, with Cloud Palace being the most severely affected, all royal servants here are to be transferred to the Department of Discipline. You are not to bring any personal belongings. Rewards will be given to anyone who provides information."The Department of Discipline?That was where palace offenders were interrogated!What crime had they committed to deserve this?To the servants, it felt like Jane was targe
Jane grabbed Lily tightly, her gaze sharp."Do not make this public.""But, Your Majesty... This must be poison! Someone's poisoned you!" Lily was trembling with fear, nearly losing her composure. Shouldn't they summon the physician immediately?Jane calmly wiped the blood from the corner of her lips with a handkerchief, her expression steady."I'm not going to die. I know what I'm doing."The poison in her system was none other than the Dream Flower given to her by George. If the physician were called, it would risk exposing everything.This poison flared up every ten days. The early onset this time was likely due to an insufficient dose of the antidote she had taken.Jane's gaze turned deep as she looked out the window.Would Luke have finished making the antidote by now?At the royal stable, George was practicing archery with Richard when Steven approached."Your Majesty, a messenger from Void Palace reports that Lady Helena is refusing food and attempting to harm hersel
Although Jane had only been here once before, she immediately recognized the place—it was the underground chamber of Clarion Palace, where she had confronted George for the second time.The jade bed was still there. At that time, George had been sitting on it, expelling poison from his body. Even the marks from their fight on the stone walls were still visible.There was no mistake—this was indeed Clarion Palace.Jane frowned deeply. How could Cloud Palace and Clarion Palace be connected?Though curious, her priority was still to find Timothy's journal. With this in mind, she left the chamber immediately and retraced her steps.Timothy had hidden the journal well. Without any clues, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.However, Jane wasn't one to give up. No matter how slim the hope, she would persist. After four nights of searching, she finally found the journal in a corner of the small kitchen, hidden under a loose brick near the firewood pile.The journal detai
After leaving Void Palace, Jane went straight to the Department of Discipline.The chamber there was dark, damp, and frequently infested with rats. The air was thick with the stench of decay and blood.Although Clara and the other royal servants had been detained, they had not been interrogated.When brought to the chamber, Clara showed no sign of unease, as though confident no one would dare harm her.However, that confidence wavered the moment she saw the queen."Greetings, Your Majesty!"Clara curtsied with the composure befitting her position as the chief maid of Cloud Palace, maintaining a balance of respect without subservience.The chamber was empty except for the two of them.Jane stood in the shadows, her expression unreadable. She tossed a replica of Timothy's journal to Clara."Take a look."Clara was puzzled, but carefully opened it. As she read, her expression shifted rapidly.'When did Timothy write all this? What was he planning? And how did this end up in the
In the royal study, George was discussing the peace negotiation between two nations with his ministers."Your Majesty, Romenia demands a compensation of one million ounces of gold. This is outright extortion! We cannot agree to this!""Christoff, if we don't agree to their terms, then according to them, Stanley must carry thorns and personally head to Romenia's capital to apologize.""That's unacceptable! Stanley is Nidora's war hero. How could we allow him to endure such humiliation? Moreover, he's still gravely injured!"At the mention of Stanley, Richard's expression turned solemn. He stepped forward, bowing respectfully, and spoke with conviction."Your Majesty, I believe it is better to part with a million ounces of gold than to sacrifice Stanley. Romenia's intentions are clear. If Stanley sets foot in their territory, his chances of survival are slim."This sentiment garnered agreement from other ministers."Wealth is merely material. A million ounces of gold can eventuall
The guard stormed into the archive, only to find it empty. The shelves and scrolls stood undisturbed, while an open side window let in a breeze that rustled the hanging scrolls, causing their wooden shafts to knock against the wall with soft, repetitive thuds. Jane had already escaped unnoticed.At Zen Palace, Jane removed her disguise, her expression somber and pensive. She had a strong suspicion about how the Thiberium poison in George's body was being suppressed.-At Void Palace, although Helena was not allowed to leave, she could still wander within the courtyard. While walking along a corridor, she overheard two maids whispering around the corner."Do you think the lesser concubine has truly fallen out of favor?""Absolutely. Void Palace is practically a forbidden palace. Ever since the king demoted her and left her here, he hasn't visited even once.""And with her face ruined, it's only natural she'd lose favor."Helena's maid turned pale, and she immediately stepped fo
After speaking, George wiped his sleeves and left.Helena collapsed on the ground, her arms reaching out helplessly, her face twisted with desperation and despair."No— Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please don't abandon me! Your Majesty!"How could this happen? How could he not need her heart's blood? Wasn't his Thiberium poisoning incurable by anyone else?'Why? Why?'Helena clenched her fists tightly, her eyes red and brimming with tears.Was she really going to be exiled?"No!"-George returned to Tyrian Palace, his expression cold as frost, remaining unchanged for a long time.Steven attended to him carefully, watching the king's expression closely.Although he didn't know the full details, the exile of Helena and the king issuing a decree of self-reproach were shocking enough.George sat at his desk, picking up a brush to write out a passage from the Calming Chant that the female assassin had taught him.At this moment, he desperately needed clarity and composure.The
George began to issue his order, "Someone, take the queen—"A servant outside the hall came to report."Your Majesty, Lady Dina has issued a royal decree summoning Queen Wendy."George's expression turned icy as he looked at Jane.Jane remained calm and composed.Clearly, everything was going according to her plan… She truly had anticipated everything. Confident that he would punish her, she had already arranged for Dina to back her up.George's eyes were cold, radiating a terrifying killing intent."Wendy, you better pray that you can stay in Serene Palace for the rest of your life."Dina could only protect her for a moment; she could not protect her for a lifetime!Jane respectfully performed a curtsy."Please excuse me, Your Majesty."She turned and left, her demeanor of respect and obedience instantly disappearing, replaced by a coldness like the winter frost.-At Serene Palace, the scent of sandalwood lingered, stinging one's eyes.Dina looked at the queen before he
Jane responded to George with composure."You value the royal family's reputation, and I also wish to avoid public scrutiny. Therefore, all you need to do is make Lady Helena's crimes public. The identities of the victims and the specific details can be omitted."This way, Helena's crimes could still be exposed without unnecessary scandal.George gave her a cold, piercing stare."You've thought this through, haven't you? If I don't comply, are you planning to scatter those copies of the confessions across the entire city?"Jane lowered her gaze."If it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't resort to such measures," she said. "If you write Lady Helena's crimes yourself, you can choose how much to reveal. But if it were me, those documents would remain untouched and complete—burning all bridges."The feeling of being threatened was infuriating, especially for George, who was the ruler of a nation.With a sharp motion, he stood, the oppressive aura surrounding him sweeping acro
Helena knelt but still held her head high, showing no sign of guilt.Thomas glared at her with hatred."Your Majesty, my brother Timothy worked under Lady Helena. He wrote that journal to safeguard his life! I never imagined Lady Helena would be so cruel. To eliminate any loose ends, she ordered the massacre of my entire family. "I'm the only survivor, saved by a kind soul. They set fire to the house, not realizing I had crawled out unnoticed…""Your Majesty, it was Lady Helena who ordered me to assassinate Trevor!" the maid Pearl testified.Despite the testimonies, there were still doubts.For instance, how could Thomas be certain that the people who killed his family were sent by Helena?Thus, Clara's testimony was crucial."It was Lady Helena who feared Timothy's family might know too much," Clara said. "She instructed me to arrange for Timothy's entire family to be eliminated. As for the mountain bandits who kidnapped Queen Wendy, that too was orchestrated by her.""Shut
Jane didn't immediately reveal who the witnesses were. Instead, she calmly explained the events leading up to this moment."After the polo match, it was discovered that Trevor was the culprit behind the fall of the two ladies. However, in truth, he acted under Lady Helena's orders to harm Lady Josephine. After his capture, Lady Helena, fearing he might implicate her, sent a palace maid, Pearl, to silence him…"George frowned, impatient, and interrupted her in a deep voice."What exactly are you trying to say?"As far as he knew, both Trevor and Pearl were already dead. Could they somehow rise from the dead to serve as her witnesses?Jane replied with measured composure."Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. That night, Pearl didn't actually die. I secretly sent her out of the palace for treatment. She's alive and can testify against Lady Helena."George's expression turned eerily calm, as if suppressing a storm. It seemed they really had risen from the dead. He said nothing
In the royal study, George sat behind his desk, watching Wendy approach. She wore plain attire, looking nothing like a queen.She knelt before him, holding up a stack of testimonies in her hands."Your Majesty, I have grievances to report!"Karlsen, the sole attendant in the study, stepped forward to take the documents from Jane and presented them to the king.George began flipping through the pages. He had only read the first when his expression darkened."Wendy! Do you know what is written here?"Jane kept her head lowered respectfully."I do. What you're reading is the initial testimony from the bandits—unedited and containing the whole truth. It documents everything that happened after I was abducted."George's pupils contracted sharply."The maids examined you," he said.She was proven to be chaste. Yet the testimony claimed she had been violated after her abduction.Jane spoke calmly, "I consumed a rare potion and endured excruciating treatment to shed my scars. There
In the grand hall, ministers from both countries were engaged in a heated argument.Walter spoke with certainty."King George, Stanley killed innocent citizens of Romenia. The compensation is meant to appease them, make Stanley admit his fault, and reassure both Romenia's people and our army. This is a necessary step for the peace talks between our two nations. "If Nidora offers nothing in return, even if the ministers agree to sign the peace treaty, I fear that Romenia's hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the common people, and the countless souls of the dead will not agree!"A Nidora minister immediately retorted, "In war, casualties are inevitable! Moreover, our soldiers have never slaughtered your defenseless civilians. What 'souls of the dead' are you talking about? Who is there to soothe?"Walter squinted his eyes and stroked his beard, his voice growing sharp."So, are you saying that your country is not interested in peace talks?"'Fine!' he thought. 'If that's the case
Just as George touched her mask, a silver needle pressed against his chest.Jane's eyes were cold."Curiosity killed the cat," she said.George pursed his lips. Then, he withdrew his hand.Jane withdrew the silver needle she held, away from his chest.The two of them remained at a stalemate.The mechanism opened, revealing Karlsen. He was relieved to see that the king was alive and well.But it was still best to capture the female assassin. Taking advantage of her current weakness, he would take her life. Karlsen immediately drew his sword.But then he heard the king's command."Let her go."-The sky grew dark.At Zen Palace, Lily had been uneasy the past couple of days. She only relaxed slightly when she saw the queen return.But she soon realized the queen seemed severely injured."Your Majesty, you…"Jane dragged her weakened body, one hand gripping the table edge, the other clutching her clothes."Stay outside and guard the entrance."It was as if her throat had b
Jane collapsed onto the jade bed beside George. He rolled over and positioned himself above her. His strong hand pressed firmly on her shoulder as he leaned down, his gaze dangerous, like a predator watching its prey, ready to consume her.Jane's pupils suddenly contracted, and she decisively drove the final needle into him.She immediately raised both hands, pushing against his chest, trying to avoid touching the silver needles.His lips nearly brushed her cheek, almost grazing her face and earlobe. His breath, hot like a summer heatwave, sprayed against her neck."I forgot the Calming Chant..." he murmured."Repeat after me," Jane replied, her gaze cold.They struggled to chant a few lines, and gradually, it started to take effect.George's gaze softened, the intense heat fading somewhat.Soon, he realized what he had been doing. He immediately sat up, crossed his legs, and focused his mind.After that, he regained control.Thirty minutes later, Jane removed the needles.G