The polo match commenced, and the participating concubines entered the arena on horseback, dressed in riding attire.Dina spoke, feigning casual observation."It's great to be young. They all look so different from their usual selves—less like concubines of the harem and more like female generals!"Laurel bowed slightly and echoed her sentiment."With Your Majesty embodying virtue and the king ruling with wisdom, this palace naturally nurtures such vitality."George glanced at the field but, given the distance, couldn't discern who was who. His strikingly handsome face remained expressionless."Mom, it's one thing for you to make a joke," he said. "But for the past century, Nidora has never had a female general."Richard raised his cup."Under the king's divine blessing, the lands of Nidora flourish. I believe it won't be long before a female general arises in Nidora—someone who will expand our borders and dominate the central plains."George lifted his cup, and the two exchan
Helena scored repeatedly, and as she rode past Jane, she pulled the reins to a stop."Your Majesty," Helena sneered, "is there no one left in your team who can put up a fight?"Jane's expression remained composed, giving no response.Helena wasn't willing to let it drop. She lowered her voice and taunted, "I know what you're trying to do—propping up Josephine to steal the king's favor, hoping to divert his attention."But really, Wendy, you're such a pathetic queen! You've invested so much in Josephine, yet here she is, crushed beneath my feet. And soon, you'll be the same, groveling at my mercy—just like your mother did that day..."Jane's brows furrowed slightly.Noticing the subtle change, Helena smirked in triumph. "What? You didn't know? After you were abducted, your dear mother came to beg me for mercy. Whatever I commanded, she obeyed—she even knelt to put my shoes on! She was far more sensible than you'll ever be."Jane's grip on the reins tightened, her knuckles turni
The concubines reacted with excitement in the stands. They assumed the intense struggle between Helena and Josephine was over a ball, stretching their necks to see who would prevail, unaware that both their horses had gone mad.Sharp screams echoed in the air.Moments later, someone was thrown violently off a horse...Helena had barely realized something was wrong with her horse before she fell, everything happening quickly within a few seconds.There was no time to regain control.As she tumbled, terror consumed her. Below her were the sharp, jagged rocks. Her face!She instinctively tried to shield it, but after several violent rolls, a deep gash marred her cheek.With a sickening crack, her left arm twisted unnaturally, broken.Helena screamed in agony.Her face, her arm! 'Why? Why did this happen?' she thought. Josephine was supposed to fall, not her.The searing pain coursing through her body was unbearable. Who had done this to her? The lilac scent on her was faint—just
Boom!Helena felt like her head had exploded.'No pain medicine? Stitches without anesthesia? Were these quacks trying to kill her with pain? And what was this zynthium extract?'Medicine for headaches… Could it be Wendy? Yes, it was Wendy's fault!The royal physician knelt before George, seeking his decision."Your Majesty, if we delay any longer, Lady Helena will lose too much blood, and her life will be in danger."George's brow furrowed deeply as his gaze fixed on Helena."Stitch her up!""No! Your Majesty…" Tears streamed from Helena's eyes, mixing with the blood on her face.The chief physician instructed the others, "Hold Her Highness down! Don't let her move!"As the physician approached with needle and thread, Helena let out a piercing scream."Stay away! Aah—!"Soon, the tent was filled with the sounds of agonized wails, so harrowing that those outside felt their hair stand on end.The cries carried far and wide.At that moment, Dina was visiting Wendy, checki
The royal physicians were busy stitching Helena's wounds when George summoned Jane to the adjacent tent.Inside, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. Steven stood by in a silent and deferential manner.The polo match had been cut short due to Helena's serious injury, and as the host of the event, the queen was inevitably held accountable.Jane entered, her expression calm and composed, and performed a curtsey."Your Majesty," she said in a steady voice.George exuded an icy aura, so chilling it seemed to transform the bright spring day into the dead of winter. Helena's anguished cries pierced the air from the neighboring tent.The king's face was stormy, his furrowed brow resembling an impenetrable mountain range."Kneel!" His voice was cold, sharp with fury, and his dark eyes were like a fathomless abyss.Without hesitation, Jane lifted her dress and knelt gracefully. Lily, following her mistress's lead, quickly knelt as well, trembling slightly.The king's gaze bore into
The queen faced the king's pressing interrogation head on. Her lips parted slightly."Your Majesty, I wanted to uncover who sought to harm Josephine."George's gaze was sharp and piercing. "Continue," he ordered."I admit I concealed the matter earlier. After discovering the issue with Josephine's safety vest, I intentionally kept quiet to lure the perpetrator out."During the first half of the match, I wasn't focused on polo but instead observing everyone on and off the field."When Josephine's horse lost control, I had anticipated it, which allowed me to save her in time. But Helena's fall was beyond my expectations."Her explanation seemed flawless, leaving no room for doubt.George grew even more convinced that she had risked Josephine to catch the culprit. That was perfectly in line with Wendy's cunning and ruthless nature!Just like before, when she had used medicine for her supposed headache to force him into sharing his favor...However, he was no saint himself. More t
In the tent, unlike Richard, George's tone was anything but gentle as he addressed Jane."Look at these sharp stones. Helena was injured because of them. You were the one who insisted on hosting the polo match. How could something so dangerous appear on what was supposed to be a safe field?"Jane, appearing genuinely surprised by this information, folded her hands in a gesture of apology."Your Majesty, it was my failure to oversee this properly."George's expression remained frosty."Was it truly negligence, or was it intentional? Wendy, you'd better hope you have no involvement in this matter."Jane raised her gaze, her face calm yet unreadable."Because I was responsible for hosting the polo match, I had no reason to want anything to go wrong. I gain nothing from Helena and Josephine being endangered today."That was true. She might harbor old grievances against Helena, but Josephine? It didn't seem logical.Still, George couldn't dismiss the possibility that she was creati
Helena's heart churned with hatred upon realizing she could not use pain relief.'That wretched Wendy! She deliberately gave me compromised medicine for my headache, and now it's causing me to suffer…'Already in unbearable pain, the intense emotional turmoil made Helena's vision darken, and she fainted again."Your Highness!" Clara shouted in alarm.The physicians were all on edge. The miraculous headache remedy had been thoroughly checked by them before being administered to Helena.Yet now, when Helena needed pain relief, they discovered that using it resulted in signs of poisoning. It was only after this that they found out the headache medicine Helena had been using was problematic.After tending to Helena's wounds, the physicians collectively went to seek an audience with the king."Your Majesty, we failed in our examination and have ruined our reputations. We do not deserve to remain in the Royal Medical Bureau!"George's gaze was cold.Failing to detect the zynthium ex
Cameron was held in solitary confinement in a cell. When he saw Caleb, he dropped to his knees and began to plead."Caleb, please get me out of here! I beg you! I know I was wrong. For the sake of all the years we've known each other, please let me go. If… If you can't save me, at least give me a quick death! Being dismembered is too horrifying. I don't want to die like that!"The man who once humiliated Caleb now knelt before him, begging for mercy. Caleb should have felt vindicated, but instead, he only felt a deep sadness."You don't want to be executed by dismemberment, and you don't want to die. But did Calvin and the others want to die?"They were completely innocent! If I let you go, how could I face the souls of the dead?"Cameron, you climbed to the top by sacrificing those who were as close as brothers to you. Was it really worth it?"We were once so close. I thought we shared a mutual respect. Why did you do it? Why?!"Caleb gripped the iron bars of the cell, his eyes
Helena fainted and was taken back to Cloud Palace.Despite the physicians' efforts, she remained unconscious.George's expression showed a hint of concern as the physician explained, "Your Majesty, Lady Henela's injuries have not yet fully healed. The lack of proper blood circulation is inevitable but not alarming. She simply needs to rest."At Zen Palace, Jane sat before a mirror, carefully removing the jewelry from her hair.Lily, attending to her, still seemed shaken."Your Majesty, are you…are you really unharmed? Ursa was so strong. Shouldn't you let the physicians take a look?"As soon as she spoke, Lily realized her mistake. If the physicians discovered any injuries, it might expose Jane's actions.Jane remained calm, her gaze tinged with cold determination. "No one is to know that I participated in the fight."Lily immediately nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty! I understand."She knew better than to say more.Shortly after, a chamberlain arrived with a message. "Queen Jane,
The mention of dismemberment sent a shiver through the officials.According to the law, the crimes of Cameron and Wallenby didn't warrant such a severe punishment.The two were in utter shock and terror."No! Caleb was merely demoted back then. Why are we to be executed in such a cruel manner?""Your Majesty, have mercy! Spare us, Your Majesty!"Cameron crawled to Caleb's side, clutching his leg desperately."Caleb, save me! We once fought side by side and risked our lives together as comrades…"Yesterday, Cameron had been arrogant and domineering. Now, he was reduced to a pitiful state.Caleb, who loathed Cameron and Wallenby to the core, wished nothing more than to kill them with his own hands. Facing Cameron's pleas, his expression remained cold."You betrayed your comrades, using their lives to pave your way to promotion. Did you think about us as your comrades back then? Cameron, you're even more deserving of death than Wallenby!"Cameron's face turned pale. "No, no! You
Jane presented the letters. They were handed to George, who opened and read them one by one.Cameron and Wallenby stood silently at a distance, holding their breaths and avoiding even the slightest eye contact.Cameron was especially antsy. He kept reassuring himself. 'This is fake, all fake. The queen and Caleb are bluffing!'Bang!George slammed the letters onto the desk, his sharp gaze brimming with murderous intent."Kneel!"The two men immediately felt their legs weaken, collapsing to the floor.Moments later, the royal servants placed the letters before them, allowing them to see for themselves whether they were being wrongfully accused.If they pleaded innocence, their handwriting would be examined to confirm this.Cameron glanced at the letters and immediately felt a chill down his spine, as if needles were pricking his back.'How could this be?'He had hidden those letters so well. How could anyone have found them?Still unwilling to give up, he picked up one of th
Caleb raising grievances at this moment left everyone stunned.He was bringing up a case from two years ago. After so much time had passed, how could anything still be clearly investigated?Cameron immediately rebuked him."Young Master Caleb, if you have grievances, you should present them to the High Court! Filing a complaint here as if we don't uphold the law in Nidora—do you have any idea how that looks?"This madman—what was he trying to do?Robin also hadn't anticipated Caleb's bold move. He quickly stood up and addressed the king."Your Majesty, my son has acted impulsively—"But Caleb's tone was resolute. "Two years ago, I was tasked with escorting disaster relief grain through Bourdon. On the way, we were ambushed by bandits..."Cameron immediately jumped in, feigning righteous anger."Caleb! You still dare to bring that up! If it weren't for your poor judgment, insisting on taking that route, those men wouldn't have died!"He seized the initiative, pinning the blame
George's gaze was deep and cold.The rule that the harem must not interfere in political affairs existed not only to prevent collusion between the harem and the court, which could lead to the overreach of influential families, but also because most women in the harem were shortsighted. Their petty schemes and vying for favor were tolerable, but in formal situations, they lacked propriety and understanding of boundaries.Just as George was about to intervene to restore balance to the situation, Jane spoke up with composure."Helena indeed misspoke. There's always someone better refers to individual achievement."In truth, the thousands of soldiers on the frontlines are all heroes. Victories are not achieved by a single person. For instance, earlier, if it weren't for the previous contestants exhausting Ursa and creating an opening, my brother wouldn't have been able to defeat him so swiftly."Ultimately, you only sent one person to compete, so this could be considered as Nidora w
George's tall figure nearly blocked out the sunlight streaming in through the doorway.The mask was on the table inside the room.Darkness hung over George's handsome face as his gaze locked onto the figure behind the screen.He had crossed paths with the female assassin multiple times. Her moves were deeply engraved in his memory.The motions Caleb had just displayed—he looked exactly like her.Could it be a coincidence? He needed to confirm it with his own eyes.George strode forward swiftly. Without hesitation, he moved to the other side of the screen, extending a long arm…In that instant, their eyes met.Caleb, whose arm was grabbed and whose right shoulder was partially exposed, responded in surprise, "Your Majesty!"Not bothering to cover himself, he immediately lowered his head in a bow.George's sharp brows furrowed deeply, his dark eyes stormy as though a tempest had suddenly descended. "Are you alone?"Caleb was puzzled. "Yes, Your Majesty."At that moment, Steve
At the critical moment, Jane grabbed the wooden stake, using it to perform a quick turn and somersault. Her skirt spun elegantly in the air, drawing a perfect arc.Immediately, she leaped in front of Ursa, and in the blink of an eye, tore off his belt.The female spectators immediately turned away, covering their eyes. However, from a distance, they couldn't see clearly. All they knew was that Ursa's belt was now in Caleb's hands, like a long whip.George furrowed his brows.Tearing off the belt. How clever. That female assassin had also used this move against him.Everyone was curious about what Caleb intended to do by tearing off Ursa's belt.Even the three commanders closest to the martial stage couldn't understand. Was it to embarrass Ursa? Or maybe to seize the opportunity to attack while Ursa was distracted, fixing his pants?-Jane stood behind Ursa. He couldn't care about his pants as he swung the wooden stake backward in a fierce strike. In the blink of an eye, Jane us
Ursa suddenly collapsed, like a mighty, immovable mountain crumbling in an instant.Everyone was stunned.What just happened?Before anyone could make sense of it, the man was down...On the dueling platform, Jane delivered a backward kick, landing squarely on Ursa's chest. Ursa struggled to get up but failed. His right knee felt like it was shattered, searing with pain. Clenching his jaw, he tried to force himself up.But Jane wouldn't give him the chance. She launched a sweeping kick, channeling her power into her knee, striking directly at Ursa's neck.Ursa lost his balance and fell backward.Jane bent her knee, pressing it firmly against his throat. Through the mask of the Kunlun slave, Ursa could see her eyes—cold and still as a dead pool, locking him in place."No... Impossible... How could you..."He couldn't comprehend how a single kick to the knee could generate such devastating force.Behind her mask, Jane's lips curled. Ursa suddenly realized—since the start of