The current situation still has the possibility of turning around for Lilith. As long as she can escape through the tunnel and reach outside the royal palace to find Judith, at the very least, escaping will not be a problem, even if seizing the Royal City is out of the question.
If we talk about who has the actual military power and weapons in the royal capital, it can only be Judith and Scott, who are commanding the war at the southwestern border. In this situation, Scott might be at a loss, but Judith, whose position is gradually becoming clear, will not be.
As long as Lilith can find Judith and then through Judith control the guards outside the city, the outcome of this coup is still uncertain.
However, Lilith and Nora’s desperate thoughts could not escape Claire’s preparations. Claire deliberately chose a time when almost all the foreign ministers were not in the palace and sealed the palace gates.
Even if Judith realized what was happening, the palace gates, which had fortified characteristics, are not that easy to open.
When the dust settles, Judith can only acknowledge the king’s existence and even must distance herself from Lilith.
Even if Judith directly rebelled, it would not matter; without the king, she would not be able to command the guards outside the city. Even if Judith controlled the southern border, she could still unite with An Zhu to sell out the southern border.
Indeed, for Claire, the loss of any territory in the kingdom does not matter. Becoming queen has become Claire’s obsession, for which she is willing to pay any price.
Just as Lilith and Nora arrived at the tunnel entrance with a group of guards, several shadow guards emerged from the tunnel. At that moment, the tax office’s main door was also breached, and Claire led a group of palace guards and shadow guards in.
Looking at Lilith, who was panicking at the tunnel entrance, Claire laughed with satisfaction.
“It’s too late, my Majesty! The schemes you can think of, don’t you think I, familiar with the palace, cannot think of them?”
After enjoying Lilith’s panicked expression, Claire looked with satisfaction at the craftsman kneeling behind her.
“My Queen, you are still as kind as before, even unable to kill the craftsman who built the tunnel. However, it is true that even if you kill him, there are other craftsmen in the palace who can help me find the tunnel. It’s just a matter of time.”
Claire, using her professional power, grabbed the craftsman and threw him forward, wearing a twisted smile as she shouted loudly, “How about it? My dear Majesty, what is it like to be betrayed by someone you saved?”
A coup is never just about military power; the craftsmen, even the servants in the palace, can play a huge role. Claire rallied a large group of servants due to her status. Although these people have no combat power, they are quite useful for intelligence and message delivery.
The craftsman knelt on the ground and said to Lilith, “Your Majesty… the prince said that if I don’t help find the tunnel, he will kill me and my family… I… I can’t do anything.”
The craftsman still had some conscience and couldn’t help but cry. At this moment, Lilith was comforting him, saying, “It’s not your fault; I should have considered it more carefully.”
But Claire was furious, “Lilith, do you know? I hate you pretending to be a saint here! Do you think you are so clean? When you framed Lena in the first place, weren’t you involved? Don’t think your thoughts and schemes are unknown. Why do you think you can start pretending to be a saint after becoming queen?”
“I want everyone to know that you are a despicable and shameless schemer, and I am the heir, the ruler of this country!”
“Do you think I want to sit in this position?”
Although Lilith was much calmer than Claire, she couldn’t help retorting, “I can’t even rest my feet on the throne, yet I have to deal with the affairs of an entire kingdom? I’m almost exhausted to death every day; you know what ‘literally’ means?”
Hearing this, even as Claire was raging, she couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
“Don’t laugh!”
Lilith’s petite figure burst out with immense strength as she shouted, “If it weren’t for you August clan and your abstract nonsense, would I have to work so hard? If you hadn’t killed your father and left this huge mess, I would still be a little princess who doesn’t have to worry about anything, do you understand? Do you think I want to manage this broken kingdom for you August clan?”
“How dare I cover up for you before, what a joke!”
This statement from Lilith contained too much information, causing everyone present to gasp in shock.
Women tearing each other apart is truly terrifying.
“Don’t listen to her nonsense! Rush in and capture Lilith Dorring! Those who capture her will be granted a noble title, no matter the cost!”
This noble title is likely not a real grant, and regardless of the success or failure of this coup, the kingdom will undergo drastic changes, but no one present can afford to think that much anymore, including the shadow guards and those craftsmen and servants brought by Claire.
“Protect the Majesty!”
Nora let out a fierce roar, leading the last guards in a final resistance.
“550C, activate the Holy Light purification attack, immediately activate the defense barrier!”
As soon as Lilith’s voice fell, several light screens appeared, not only blocking the attack for Nora and the remaining guards but also piercing through several people with Holy Light spears.
Even Claire was surprised by this scene; Lilith’s Holy Word Technique was indeed real. Moreover, historically, saints using the Holy Word Technique usually only mastered one, unlike Lilith, who was freely throwing them out.
Even some shadow guards hesitated upon witnessing this scene; Lilith now truly resembled a saint blessed by a goddess.
“Firearms ready! Don’t be afraid; this is not the goddess’s Holy Light; it must be some wicked spell imitating divine power!”
Claire’s explanation was weak, but those present nearly staked their futures on it. Even the most feeble explanations could only be believed.
The firearms and ray guns in the armory were aimed at Lilith and began to pull the trigger like crazy.
At first, Lilith could hold on, but soon she began to suffer from headaches. After all, although quick spells consume less magic power, they do consume it, and more than magic power, mental strength is consumed even more.
Lilith turned to those shadow guards at the secret path entrance and pulled Nora along to rush into the secret path; this was Lilith’s only chance. Nora understood and commanded the last guards to block the entrance.
The shadow guards in the secret passage were caught off guard and pierced through by several Holy Light spears.
Unexpectedly, Lilith was so formidable that Claire became somewhat flustered but still shouted, “Do you think diving into the secret path will help? You need to realize whose home this is! You are seeking your own death!”
Quickly, the people around Claire rushed toward the entrance of the secret path.
At this moment, Nora suddenly shouted, “Your Majesty! Protect yourself!”
Nora blocked the secret path entrance, took something out from her bosom, and pulled the lever.
“As a chancellor of the kingdom, is it not reasonable for me to carry explosives?”
Nora laughed; this was prepared for the demon clan, but she didn’t expect to use it so soon. Originally, Nora had already made up her mind to use her life to protect the Majesty. Now, she was even more determined in this thought; it was not merely out of personal feelings, as Nora clearly understood that the kingdom cannot lose its Majesty.
Lilith was blown away; thanks to the Holy Light shield on her, she was quite messy but at least still conscious.
The secret passage, or rather the entire northern border tax office, was half blown away. Just as Lilith reconnected with 550C, gentle Holy Light appeared before her.
“Emergency measures have been activated; citizens please follow instructions.”
…..
Meanwhile, at the palace gates, Judith was organizing her forces to try to open the palace doors. Judith and the nobles in the inner city had already sensed that something was wrong, but only Judith led people to the palace. Watching the explosion that suddenly occurred within the palace, Judith kept praying that the queen was safe.
Just then, unexpectedly, the palace doors slowly opened from the inside.
