The Northern Border Tax Bureau’s secret passages have been bombed and collapsed, and Lilith has escaped into the passages. This is completely unacceptable for Claire, who believes that one must see the living and the dead. Claire immediately shouted angrily, “Blow it up for me!”
At this time, the craftsmen in the royal palace advised, “Your Highness, if we blow it up, it might collapse even worse!”
“Then find other secret passage entrances. Everyone, go into the passages and bring those adventurers back! Go find them!”
The secret passages in the royal palace are interconnected, and some of them existed before the Augustine family came into power. The Northern Border Tax Bureau doesn’t have the capability to repair a standalone secret passage in a short time. Just planning to avoid the original passages is quite difficult, so the secret passages of the tax bureau were designed to connect with the secret passages inside the royal palace.
If Lilith escaped into those secret passages that existed before the Augustine family’s rise to power, it would be troublesome.
However, those passages are not well-known to the Augustines, and as long as these palace craftsmen are under Claire’s orders, it will be very difficult for Lilith to escape from the secret passages. Of course, this is under normal circumstances.
“Send people immediately to guard each secret passage exit!”
“Your Highness, we might not have enough manpower, and the Queen… the pretender still possesses those strange Holy Light incantations, which regular people simply cannot handle.”
The Shadow Guards beside Claire showed signs of difficulty. That pretender seems to genuinely have Holy Light’s protection. They are royal Shadow Guards, yet they were killed by two spears.
“I told you to do it, so do it!”
Claire’s expression was quite terrifying, then she quickly added, “Don’t act rashly. Can’t you monitor or send messages?!”
The Shadow Guards quickly took action, and instead of immediately announcing her ascension in the main hall of the royal palace as originally planned, Claire childishly went to the Northern Border Tax Bureau, continually smashing and destroying the institution that Lilith had built.
“I’ll make you queen, I’ll make you reform, I’ll make you a saintess!”
After the tax bureau was nearly destroyed by Claire, someone beside her cautiously stepped forward and said, “Your Highness, that chancellor is still alive.”
It seems that thanks to the last shield Lilith provided, Nora now lay charred, yet still had a breath of life left.
Claire violently stepped on the nearly lifeless Nora, twisting her foot twice. Seeing that so much time had passed, she said to those beside her, “Contact the Demon Clan and tell them that my matter is settled. Prepare to negotiate with me.”
“We can keep this person alive for a while; if the pretender doesn’t die, he will still be somewhat useful.”
After speaking, Claire finally waved her cloak in preparation to walk toward the main hall.
At this moment, the adventurers had completed their tasks and began to gather around Claire, some literally kneeling and licking up to her. Seeing that Claire’s mood was not very good, the adventurers dared not say too much. Even Paul noticed something was off, and he could only silently follow behind Claire.
Along the way, more and more palace guards appeared on both sides in an orderly manner. Seeing this scene, Claire’s mood finally improved, and she asked, “Who arranged this? It’s done very well. I could arrange a palace position for him.”
The people beside Claire exchanged glances, wondering if anyone still had the time to control these palace guards.
Seeing that no one responded, Claire didn’t mind, thinking it must be someone from her family come to welcome their beloved queen’s ascension.
Because Lilith didn’t particularly like the luxurious and grand main hall, the main hall wasn’t significantly affected and remained as majestic and solemn as usual.
Claire had many things she wanted to say after her ascension, plans on how to deal with the church using the Demon Clan, balance the Northern Border, and even had all rewards for everyone planned out.
But just as Claire stepped onto the main hall’s staircase, she sensed something was off. Why had none of her Augustine family members come out to welcome her?
Claire slowly stepped up the staircase and arrived in front of the main entrance of the main hall. At this moment, the main hall was brightly lit, suggesting that there were indeed people inside. A throng of palace guards and soldiers lined up on both sides of the hall, many of whom were soldiers from the southwestern army, gazing at Claire with ill intent.
Claire felt a chill down her spine from their stares, and those behind her didn’t dare to breathe. It wasn’t until Claire looked up that she realized someone was already seated on her rightful throne, a position that should have belonged to her, but was now occupied by another person.
Claire’s breath momentarily caught, as if every breath had become difficult to swallow. The princess’s gaze swept around the hall, desperately searching for a hint of illusion to convince herself that she was dreaming, attempting to deny everything in front of her.
Paul immediately stepped forward, mustering his courage to point at the person on the throne, shouting, “Who are you? Your Highness has expelled the pretender and saved the people from fire and water; that position should belong to Her Highness!”
The person sitting on the throne did not speak, only sighed heavily.
Finally, Claire’s lips parted slightly, and in a tone of disbelief, trembling as if confirming, she asked, “Older Brother?”
Sitting on the throne, Cliff appeared as he always did, disheveled. Without a crown, his balding middle-aged head was on full display, lacking any authority.
Cliff’s eye bags were heavy; he seemed devoid of any vitality, slouching on the throne, occasionally sighing, though it was unclear what he was lamenting.
In contrast, Judith and Scott, the two dukes of the southwest, stood on either side of Cliff. Compared to the despondent Cliff, the two exuded a stronger aura, giving the impression that they were holding Cliff hostage to command the world.
Especially Judith, her gaze toward Claire was difficult to interpret, whether it was hatred or disgust, but it was clear she wanted to devour Claire alive.
“Brother!”
Claire, in a daze, knelt down, looking at the soldiers on either side, knowing she had already lost. But she couldn’t comprehend how she had lost. Wasn’t her opponent just Lilith? Did Judith breach the palace and push her brother to the throne?
To outsiders, this was the most reasonable assumption, but Claire knew that with just the palace gates, unless Judith had some special means, it would have been impossible to breach the gate so quickly.
Seeing Claire kneeling, those behind her began to panic and kneel as well.
Everything had happened too quickly; no one knew what exactly had transpired.
Cliff, sitting on the throne, finally lifted his eyes from his endless sighing to look at his family’s most outstanding sister.
“I… I really didn’t want to do this, Claire. I’m sorry… By the time I realized, it had already turned into this.”
Cliff kept apologizing, but looking into his brother’s hollow eyes, Claire felt a chill in her heart.
