At the same time, in the center of the hall where Fratis was located.
The Crown Prince Leonie was gently comforting her. “Fratis, we are all deeply saddened by the sudden death of Father, but with Dawn City facing such a great disaster and the people in panic, since His Majesty passed the throne to you before his death, you must take control of the situation. You have to pull yourself together!”
“Big Brother is still so good at speaking in public,” the Second Prince Runne snorted coldly, then turned to Fratis with a face full of deep sorrow. “Don’t worry, Sixth Sister. Now that Fifth Brother has returned, there won’t be any major chaos in the city. I’ve already arranged for people to handle the affairs of the city. You just need to stay by Father’s side and spend his last moments with him.”
The Fourth Prince Isaacs hesitated for a moment, then said, “Both of you brothers are right!”
Other nobles also chimed in, assuring Fratis that she didn’t need to worry about the matters in the city, as they would handle them, and that they would surely not disappoint the late emperor or his highness.
The group displayed such loyalty that anyone unaware of the situation might have believed they were loyal ministers and generals, and that the future of the Clinton Empire was secure.
To this, the Fifth Prince Ziegfried remained expressionless, having long grown accustomed to such behavior.
“A bunch of scoundrels! Father’s body is still in the palace, and you’re acting like this—don’t you feel ashamed?” The Third Princess Raphael’s face was full of anger.
This wasn’t about shouldering the national burden; they were clearly trying to strip Fratis of her power!
The group immediately grew displeased.
The Crown Prince Leonie’s expression darkened. “Raphael, what are you saying? We are sharing the pressure with Fratis, so why do you think it’s insincere?”
The Second Prince Runne, with a sarcastic tone, added, “By your logic, should we just sit back and watch the people suffer in misery? Who’s the one with ulterior motives here, us or you?”
The Fourth Prince Isaacs also wore a serious expression. “Both of you brothers are right!”
Milo couldn’t help but cover his face. He thought to himself that it might have been better to choose someone else; this guy was completely useless.
The other nobles seized the opportunity to verbally attack Raphael, clearly waiting for her to lose her composure.
Raphael found herself being relentlessly criticized by the crowd, her face flushed with anger, but she didn’t know how to respond.
Fratis, on the other hand, was confused, not understanding why the originally harmonious atmosphere had suddenly turned so tense. Stay updated via
Augustine and the others furrowed their brows, about to step in to defend Raphael.
At that moment, a voice suddenly called out, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have a suggestion.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Luca as he strode forward and said, “Since none of you have any ulterior motives, why not give the power you hold to Queen Her Majesty?”
A mocking smile played on his lips, and his eyes clearly showed the contempt he had for everyone present.
“That bastard, what is he doing here?” the Second Prince Runne cursed under his breath, his eyes filled with wariness.
The expressions of the others also shifted. Setting aside Luca’s current reputation in Dawn City, just his previous display of divine power made it difficult for anyone to view him as an ordinary young man.
No one dared to treat him lightly—after all, no one knew whether or not he still had hidden cards up his sleeve.
“I wonder what Count Luca meant by that?” The Crown Prince Leonie’s face remained emotionless, pretending to be ignorant.
Luca couldn’t help but admire the Crown Prince’s restraint.
After all, this man was the one who had sworn vengeance on him for the death of his mother. To Luca’s surprise, the Crown Prince was still able to stay so composed in his presence.
If it had been Luca, he thought to himself, he would have already unsheathed the Solar Divine Spear.
“It’s quite simple,” Luca said as he surveyed the nobles, his voice light with amusement. “The Empire is facing internal and external crises. Since all of you princes and nobles are so righteous, why not give up your seats and hand all the power back to Queen Her Majesty? Let her lead us through these troubled times.”
“After all, this should be the most beneficial course for both the country and the people, shouldn’t it?”
The nobles’ faces twitched slightly. It was one thing to divide power, but to give Fratis sole authority? That would be like courting death.
Duke Mond’s expression darkened as he calmly replied, “Count Luca, you’re joking. Perhaps you don’t quite understand politics. Her Majesty, the noble daughter, manages the kingdom’s affairs daily, and she hardly has the time to handle these trivial matters. Naturally, we, her trusted vassals, will take care of them.”
Luca smiled, “Oh, so that’s how it is. I thought you were trying to strip Her Majesty of her power. It seems I misunderstood you all.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the atmosphere froze. Many of the nobles felt their hearts race, unable to believe that he had dared to say such a thing in public.
“Haha…” Watching the frozen expressions of the crowd, Duchess Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Only Luca would have the audacity to break all the rules like this.
The nobles’ faces turned a little darker. At this point, they could tell that Luca had only come to stir the pot. Duke Mond let out a cold snort and said, “Count Luca, we are discussing important matters here. Please refrain from causing trouble.”
“You can worry for the country, so why can’t I?” Luca said, turning his gaze toward Fratis. “Your Majesty, what do you think?”
Fratis blinked and replied, “Of course you can.”
Before coming here, she had already learned quite a bit about Luca from Lucia and Evelyn.
Although she didn’t understand why he was helping her, there was no doubt in her mind that Luca, the one who had saved both Dawn City and herself, was a good person—a great hero.
And those, like the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, who had been bullying her, were the bad guys—greedy individuals who wanted to steal the gifts her late father had left for her.
Luca smiled and shrugged. “See? Her Majesty says I can participate. Are you telling me that your words are more powerful than the Queen’s?”
His constant habit of putting labels on people made Duke Mond and the several princes turn an alarming shade of blue and white, their faces contorting with fury as they longed to silence this troublemaker once and for all.
The Fifth Prince Ziegfried, however, found Luca rather amusing. Though he didn’t follow the rules, the way Luca had completely turned the situation around with just a few words was impressive.
If it weren’t for the current setting, he wouldn’t mind striking up a friendship with this man.
“This kid’s got some guts,” Milo of the Via Empire remarked, eyeing Luca with interest.
At first, he had thought Luca, like Marcel, would avoid getting involved in the internal struggles of the Clinton royal family. But to his surprise, the young man was headstrong, diving right in without hesitation.
“He’s an unstable element,” Ike said, his eyes fixed on Luca, a hint of caution in his gaze.
Even Ike had been shaken by the battle over Dawn City. He didn’t want to test whether Luca still had that kind of power.
Milo, understanding Ike’s concerns, wasn’t worried. He chuckled leisurely and said, “Don’t worry. That kind of power must have limitations, or else he wouldn’t be here.”
Ike thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement.
After all, beneath gods, everyone else was mere ants—there was no need to waste time here with these princes.
Even if Luca could still use that power, what did it have to do with the Via Empire? It would only be the Clinton royal family who would suffer.
Feeling reassured, Ike finally relaxed.
At this point, the Crown Prince Leonie suddenly spoke up. “Since Her Majesty has agreed, we naturally won’t say anything more. However, I do have something I’d like to ask Count Luca.”
All eyes turned to him, curious as to what he had to say.
Luca remained calm and asked, “I wonder what the Crown Prince wishes to ask?”
“No advice, really,” Leonie said, his eyes flashing coldly. “I simply heard that Count Luca raided the Phillips family, and also established a new sect. I just wanted to ask if these two things are true.”
As soon as the words were out, many people turned their eyes to Luca, their gazes turning somewhat playful. Lucia let out a sigh in her heart; it seemed that this matter was finally being brought out into the open.
Luca ignored the looks from the others and lazily swirled his wine in his glass. “So what if they are?”
“So what?” Leonie had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He sneered and continued, “No matter what crimes the Phillips family may have committed, you have no right to judge them! Moreover, the Empire’s laws clearly state that any sects established without the Empire’s approval should be classified as cults!”
Having said that, Leonie turned toward Fratis, slightly bowing, and said with righteous indignation, “While Count Luca certainly saved all of Dawn City and performed great deeds, that is no excuse for him to disregard the Empire’s laws! I ask Her Majesty to immediately issue a decree and execute Count Luca with the utmost punishment!”
Hiss! At this, everyone in the room took a sharp breath.
When the Crown Prince spoke, he didn’t hold back—his words were an outright declaration to have Luca executed!
Duke Mond Stein quickly reacted and earnestly said, “The Crown Prince is correct. Duke Lyon of the Phillips family dedicated his life to the Empire. Yet, he met a tragic end at Count Luca’s hands, and his entire family was looted without mercy.”
“If such a villain is not executed, it would be impossible to maintain order, Your Majesty!”
The others exchanged strange looks upon hearing this. The notorious Lyon, who was regarded as a notorious villain, was now being portrayed by the Empire’s Duke as a loyal servant of the Empire.
The Second Prince, Runne, also displayed a face full of sorrow. “The fact that he was able to loot the entire Phillips family this time makes it impossible to predict what he might do next. Whether for the sake of giving the people an explanation or maintaining the Empire’s laws, we cannot allow such a person to roam free!”
Finally, the Fourth Prince, Isaacs, spoke with righteous indignation, “My brothers are right! The tragedy of the Dawn God Sect is fresh in our minds, and we must not allow such an event to happen again!”
