Maxime pointed toward the North with a trembling finger. "Tonight, the Northern Iron Cavalry will undoubtedly lose its commander-in-chief, whilst his rightful heir is now nothing more than a cripple fighting for his life against poison! Those thirty thousand heavy cavalry troops are now nothing but a giant, headless serpent. Without logistical supplies from the capital, they will starve, panic and lose their way! They will be very fortunate indeed if they can even stabilise that colossal force to prevent them from mutinying and slaughtering one another right outside the imperial walls!” A suffocating silence blanketed the subterranean chamber for several seconds. Emperor Aldous stared blankly at Maxime, his mind spinning at full speed to process every single word from the assassin. Slowly, the deathly pallor and terror on the tyrant's face began to fade, replaced by the flushed red hue of an overwhelming relief. The corners of Emperor Aldous's lips twitched, slowly curving

Following the sudden proclamation of the imperial decrees, wild speculation ignited among the nobility like wildfire. Yet within the private study of the Salvador manor, a suffocating silence hung heavy in the air.Duke Claude Salvador stood rigid before the tall arched window framed by towering marble pillars. The stately, handsome aristocrat took pride in his iron restraint, never permitting his raw emotions to run unchecked, yet a deep, foreboding crease had carved itself between his tightly knitted brows.His hands, bearing the silver signet ring of House Salvador, were clasped behind his back, clutching the heavy velvet of his robe so tightly that his knuckles had turned bone-white.From beyond the city walls, the lingering blare of the heralds’ bronze trumpets still vibrated through the leaded glass panes.“His Majesty has finally bared his fangs,” Claude murmured under his breath. His voice was deliberate and calm, but his sapphire eyes burned with an icy current of anxiety.Th

“Sigh… Perhaps, Sister. But truth be told, it is not merely the Emperor’s decrees that unsettle me,” Claude replied, his eyes fixed intently upon his elder sister. “The reports from our outer perimeter scouts beyond the western gate paint a deeply alarming picture. The Iron Cavalry encampment is under complete lockdown at the highest state of war readiness. A suffocating stench of blood hangs in the air, and scorched wreckage marks the site of a violent clash around the central command pavilion. I fear with every passing second… that Maxime and the martial experts dispatched by the Emperor truly succeeded in cutting down Theodore and his younger sister, Serena.” Claude’s tone dropped to a stifled murmur, weighed down by an inner torment he was struggling to contain. “If the twin pillars of House Cordova have truly fallen to the imperial vaults’ forbidden poison, Angela’s fate hangs by a thread. She is inside that encampment tonight, carrying the covert terms of our alliance. If she

For reasons she could not explain, Lily’s vision suddenly blurred. Her mind drifted far from the medicine-choked room, dragged backward into a dark, scorching night—the wedding night at the Cordova estate. The memory struck her with overwhelming force. It was not the sting of his slap that had left its mark, but the moment Theodore’s iron-clad grip seized her jaw with sheer savagery, ripping her gown to shreds with a single violent yank and slamming her onto the bridal silk mattress. How that formidable man pinned her down without a shred of mercy. Theodore’s stone-hard chest muscles had pressed her slender frame down until she felt crushed into the bed. The scent of masculine sweat mingled with the searing heat rolling off the Rank 7 Grandmaster’s body assaulted her every sense. Theodore’s touch that night knew no compassion. It was the raw, unbridled ferocity of an apex predator dominating its prey. Every artificial whimper from Lily was answered only by an even rougher grip, tw

Lily stared at Gerald with furrowed brows, fighting to suppress the surge of disgust and anxiety churning in her chest.“Are you certain you want to do this, Gerald?” Lily asked, her voice strained. She forced a faint smile, yet deep down, she was utterly sickened by his arrogance.Only now did she realise how hopelessly delusional this man truly was!“Aren’t you afraid of the consequences of stirring up trouble at an hour like this? The capital is already on edge. If the Emperor discovers by morning that imperial troops have acted without court decrees, your clan’s standing could be in grave jeopardy once more!” she continued, unable to keep the sharp irritation from her tone.Hearing her warning, Gerald threw his head back and burst into wild laughter, a rotten, arrogant sneer stretching across his gaunt face.“Consequences?!” Gerald spat onto the floorboards with utter contempt.“Pah!”“What is there to fear from a dead dog like Theodore?! His body is already rotting away out there