Marcel sat in the midst of a group of Old Party members, feeling uneasy.
As one of the leaders of the Old Party, a family leader with significant prestige among the Royal Capital Nobles, Marcel felt somewhat overwhelmed when faced with Lilith’s barrage of attacks.
After the news about the former king’s death being clarified to obtain information regarding cannons, many nobles urged Marcel to turn himself in, hoping that the mutual connection of being part of the Old Party would help them support each other.
After all, if these nobles were exposed, the situation for the Old Party wouldn’t improve much either.
Marcel’s opposition to reform and change was indeed rooted in his family’s traditional values; he simply wanted to protect the glory of the traditional nobility.
So when these nobles approached Marcel, he found it hard to believe that they were plotting the assassination of the former king, and he couldn’t help but physically confront these nobles on the spot.
However, after calming down, Marcel still contacted other Old Party leaders, preparing to cover up the matter.
Everyone knew that it was impossible for this incident to just fade away, but it still needed to be dragged out until Her Majesty the Queen grew weary of it, then randomly present a few nobles who were neither part of the Old Party nor the New Party to take the blame.
But everyone underestimated Her Majesty’s methods and determination. Faced with Lilith’s pressure, Marcel glanced at the other Old Party leaders.
Unlike expected, there was no immediate understanding between them through a mere glance; Marcel only saw suspicion in their eyes.
If now a noble were to report it to the Queen, it could indeed turn out as she had said, leading to a resolution where everyone could win.
But it didn’t matter; Marcel had seen all kinds of storms, and as long as everyone gathered afterward to brainstorm solutions, they could weather this crisis. Meanwhile, the Old Party fell into a deep silence, waiting for the meeting to conclude.
“How about this.”
Just as Marcel was preparing to secretly arrange a gathering of the Old Party after the meeting to discuss what to do, Lilith interrupted their thoughts, saying, “Considering the audacity of the mastermind who dares to assassinate even the king, it’s normal for you gentlemen to have concerns, so now I want everyone present here to write me a confidential letter.”
The nobles had not yet fully grasped Lilith’s intention in doing this when she continued to explain, “If there is any clue regarding the assassination of the former king Klan, you can write it in the confidential letter to me. Once those guilty parties are dealt with, those who provide clues will also be made public and rewarded. Of course, if you don’t know anything, you just need to write some daily pleasantries.”
With that, maids entered to distribute paper and pens to all the nobles.
Lilith took out an hourglass and placed it on the table.
“Gentlemen, please hurry up. Oh, rest assured, I guarantee in my husband’s name that I will not disclose the information of those providing clues until the guilty parties are punished, assuring everyone’s safety, after all, no one can assure what those audacious masterminds will do.”
Such words were superfluous; rather than protecting those who provided clues, Her Majesty was asserting that there were informants present at the meeting, putting pressure on the Old Party.
Marcel looked blankly at the letter paper on the table, beads of sweat began to drip down. If Marcel were a time traveler, he would surely understand this was a classic prisoner’s dilemma.
The best solution would certainly be for all the Old Party members to pretend ignorance, write daily pleasantries, and discuss strategies after the meeting.
Now it was either to bet on all Old Party members uniting, believing that Her Majesty hadn’t obtained the crucial evidence, refusing to speak, or to take the initiative to report each other, performing a righteous separation.
But how to ensure the unity of the Old Party? How to guarantee that others wouldn’t secretly provide clues to the Queen, thus distancing themselves from the fallout?
Not to mention there was someone like Marcel who knew something but didn’t directly participate; as long as he wrote clues, afterwards Marcel would become a hero for cleansing the Old Party.
Marcel looked up at the hourglass on the Queen’s table, continuously flowing. Although the Queen hadn’t stated what would happen when time was up, those who hadn’t started writing by the time was up were essentially already providing clues.
The other Old Party members were also exchanging glances, but unfortunately, like Marcel, they couldn’t decipher any grand plan from others’ expressions, only mutual suspicion overpowering their trust.
In the end, for the dignity and honor of his family, Marcel gritted his teeth and began to write.
These scoundrels should have been eliminated long ago; how could one improve the Old Party while associating with such vermin? How could they block the new policies? How could they govern this country well?
After all the “confidential letters” were collected under the pretense of secrecy, the meeting concluded under Nora’s support.
The New Party members appeared indifferent, even exchanging laughter; the nobles’ offspring from the New Party were discussing later on how to use their family alchemists’ newly crafted firearms for hunting.
The Old Party, however, quickly split into several small groups; some rushed home in a hurry, while others gathered to discuss how to righteous separate from certain vermin.
After the meeting, Lilith did not leave the conference room, not even opening a single one of the stacked confidential letters on the table.
“Notify the two dukes to take over the city’s defenses; from now on, no nobles are allowed to enter or leave the city gates.”
“Prepare to leave; I need to meet with the Pope at the Church. I need to stay in the cathedral for a while to prepare to become the Saintess.”
After issuing her orders, the palace quickly became busy. Lilith took the confidential letters with her, surrounded by guards and maids, leaving the palace and heading toward the Cathedral where the Pope was located.
As previously mentioned, Lilith had taken the Church as her maternal home; she even felt that the security of the palace was nowhere near as high as that of the Church, especially since two kings had already perished under the watchful eyes of Augustine and others.
At this critical moment, it was imperative to guard against certain nobles acting out of desperation and attempting to replace the king.
Upon receiving the notification, the Old Pope immediately began to make arrangements. The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit would no longer receive believers, and cardinals and the Pope would take turns to watch over it. They activated protective barriers and dispatched cloistered nuns to serve as Lilith’s personal guards in rotation.
Once everything was arranged and Lilith was received smoothly, the Old Pope finally felt a sense of relief.
Originally, that seemingly harmless and not too devout Saintess had already revealed her claws; although her methods were somewhat hasty, they were indeed effective.
“Great Goddess, it seems that hatred can truly change a person, but is this really a good thing?”
Knowing there would be no response, the Old Pope sincerely prayed to the Goddess for the first time.
