“Is that person... really Princess Liana?” Some people began to doubt their eyes. Princess Liana had let those two go without doing anything.

Moreover, she had actively hugged Coco and patted her head. This seemed off, not like Princess Liana’s style.

There were only two possibilities: either Princess Liana had truly changed, or Coco was Princess Liana’s tool.

She might not have exactly done the things the previous Liana did in the original story, but it still stung when people reacted negatively to her.

But now Liana wasn’t in the mood to care about what these people were thinking, nor did she care how they viewed her. Having someone support her was enough to keep Liana motivated.

No, that’s not quite right. After all, Mephilia had been supporting her all along.

It should be: for the first time, an unexpected person had supported her.

“Princess Liana seems quite happy,” Sephirena observed as Liana hummed a little tune, looking very cheerful.

“Isn’t this something worth being happy about?”

“Even though you were just misunderstood? Viewed with malicious eyes by many people?” Princess Liana had switched her mood so quickly. If it were herself, having done good deeds only to be viewed with malicious eyes, misunderstood, and spoken of rudely, she definitely couldn’t remain as calm as Princess Liana.

“Isn’t this quite normal? After what I’ve done, it’s impossible not to be viewed this way, isn’t it?” Liana smiled indifferently.

Princess Liana was lying. She had clearly shown a very sad expression earlier, but now she claimed she didn’t care.

“Not accepting me as I am now is quite a normal behavior. I can’t blame others, can I? Besides, today, Coco accepted me as I am and expressed her gratitude. Compared to those hurtful things, these happy moments are more worth remembering, right?” Liana smiled.

It seemed Princess Liana was truly happy. After all, Princess Liana had received someone’s recognition.

Who wouldn’t be happy to gain recognition? Who could endure others’ misunderstandings forever?

Sephirena felt some empathy on this point. She understood very well why Princess Liana was so happy, and she felt happy for Princess Liana...

Happy? A strange emotion. Did she still have such feelings?

“So, for Coco’s smile, to ensure she doesn’t have to appear in such dangerous places in winter, to prevent more ‘Cocos’ from appearing, I’ve come here,” Liana arrived at the gate.

“You are... Princess Liana?” As Liana approached, the guard recognized her face.

He recognized Liana, and someone resembling a guard.

In Count Ige’s mansion, a person stood by the window, watching everything outside the gate. “So Liana has indeed come.”

He looked at a small magical device in his hand. “The Judge didn’t follow. This is the best opportunity.”

“Count Ige, proceed according to the original plan. Let the people of this world see how wicked Liana is, let them see how foolish Mephilia is for trusting such a person,” a low voice came from the crystal ball behind Count Ige.

“I understand, but you should also be well aware of how vicious Liana’s personality is. What you’re doing is essentially pushing me into a fire pit,” Count Ige revealed a sinister smile.

The voice clearly showed some dissatisfaction. At this stage, he was suddenly demanding more. “I’ve given you enough, haven’t I?”

“Indeed, it’s a lot for me, but for someone of your status, these things are clearly insufficient, aren’t they?” Count Ige smiled. “Besides, after this matter, you’ll gain more benefits, won’t you?”

“...I understand. I was planning to double what I originally intended to give you. Is that satisfactory now?” Although somewhat displeased, at this point, it didn’t matter if the price was raised.

After all, he hadn’t originally planned to give anything to Count Ige. How could he leave evidence that could be used against him?

Double? Might as well burn it as an offering to the gods.

Count Ige nodded contentedly, already fantasizing about what he would do with this wealth.

He opened the crystal ball’s communication channel and started a live broadcast. Let the world see Liana’s ugly appearance!

“Open the gate.” Liana gave them only these two words.

“Sorry, these are the rules,” the guard had no intention of letting Princess Liana pass.

“Rules?”

“I apologize, but even if you are Princess Liana, without a prior appointment, you cannot enter,” the guard said.

“Huh?” Liana was stunned. “Did I hear correctly? In the entire Venus Territory, there’s a place I can’t go? Let alone Count Ige’s mansion—I can enter most places in the Lisat Royal Capital. Is your place supposed to be more noble than the Lisat Royal Capital?”

At this moment, Liana didn’t know that her actions were being live-broadcasted, with many people watching this scene.

But even if she knew, it wouldn’t change her subsequent behavior, because Liana had never intended to restrain herself. The more outrageous, the better—the bigger the commotion, the better.

“These are the rules,” the guard said.

Liana didn’t want to explain too much. The other party was just a guard; saying more wouldn’t help. He wasn’t an important character.

“Open the gate, Sephirena,” Liana said.

Sephirena extended her hand.

“I said ‘open the gate,'” Liana emphasized.

“I know.” Although Sephirena wasn’t like Loraviel, who could understand Princess Liana’s meaning with just a glance, at this point, Sephirena understood what she should do.

[Fireball]

A massive fireball struck the gate directly. The powerful magic destroyed the gate.

“Princess Liana! What are you doing?” All at once, many guards came to the gate.

“Isn’t it because someone won’t open the gate? What? Do I need to submit an application to enter my own territory?” Liana said nonchalantly. “Have Count Ige come out to see me. I want to see if he has the right to make me wait for him.”

The guards looked at Liana warily—no, they were looking at the woman beside her. The fireball just now was beyond their ability to resist. The other party had at least the strength of an Executor.

“What’s the matter, Princess Liana?” A lavishly dressed man walked out.

Liana looked up at him. He appeared to be in his forties, with a somewhat portly build.

“Count Ige, you’re truly extravagant,” Liana looked around. Due to the gate’s destruction, the magic stones near the gate had lost their warming effect.

Liana caught a falling snowflake in her hand. “Even our Venus Manor hasn’t gone this far, yet you’ve begun to indulge. Using magic stones to cover your mansion extensively, blocking wind and snow—just this alone must cost you quite a bit annually?”

“How can you call it indulgence? Princess Liana, you seem to have a serious misunderstanding about me,” Count Ige smiled. “We’re merely experimenting, seeing how much it costs, and then deciding based on the expenses whether we can cover the entire town. This way, they won’t be troubled by the severe winter.”

Liana crouched down, made a snowball from the snow outside, and threw it at Count Ige.

But obviously, the guards nearby wouldn’t just watch.

“Princess Liana, what do you mean by this?” Count Ige still wore a smile because his plan had already succeeded.

Everyone had seen how savage Liana was. She hadn’t changed at all. Her obedient appearance in front of Mephilia was all an act. Princess Mephilia’s choice was wrong!

“I just saw many children enjoying snowball fights. If you do this, they’ll lose that joy. Besides, if they run outside, their parents will worry, won’t they? There’s no need to go to such trouble,” Liana said.

Count Ige replied very seriously, “It’s normal for children to be playful, but I believe that rather than playful children, we should be more concerned about families suffering from the cold in winter. In such temperatures, accidents can happen, Princess Liana. Neglecting these people for the sake of play isn’t very good behavior.”

Count Ige’s words indeed resonated with many people. Everything happening now was being broadcast through crystal balls in various places.

Although not as grand as the previous Lisat Royal Capital celebration, this was a gossip version, and its attraction to others was no less than the celebration.

The King of Lisat naturally also saw this scene.

“Do you need me to handle this, Your Majesty?” a shadow behind the King of Lisat said.

Those who could do such things were few. They knew very well who was behind this.

The King of Lisat shook his head. “No need. Minoga is with Liana. If any accident occurred, she would have acted already. Let’s continue watching. Let’s see what other surprises Liana can give us.”

“Oh? Isn’t this Liana?” Second Prince Oester was in his room. His previously gloomy face now showed a rare smile.

After the Countess Rose incident, Oester’s status had plummeted, leaving almost no possibility for him. All of this was Liana’s fault. But before he could act, it seemed someone had already taken the first step.

In the library of Ibett Magic Academy, since Mephilia had already completed her assigned magic homework, she was quite free today. She didn’t need to attend class, so she had come to the library.

But at this moment.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the library. Mephilia looked outside.

The book in Mephilia’s hand fell to the ground.

Because she saw Liana’s figure. But then, Mephilia picked up the book from the ground and propped her face with one hand, looking outside.

It seemed Liana was about to give her another surprise.

“That’s why I said there’s no need for such trouble. Just pay the wages you owe others, and they’ll naturally survive this cold. Or is that the reason you’ve withheld others’ wages? To prevent them from buying warm clothes in winter? To prevent them from having money for medical treatment?” Liana asked.

“Hmm? What does Princess Liana mean?” Count Ige’s expression didn’t change.

“Pretending to be confused is meaningless. You know what you’ve done. Can’t even Count Ige pay a tailor’s wages? You don’t look like you’re short on money,” Liana mocked.

But Count Ige had clearly prepared for this. “Oh? A tailor? Indeed, there is such a matter. However, we don’t support proxy collection here, so the person themselves must come to collect.”

“That’s convenient. If someone can’t come to collect due to some ‘accident,’ you get their work for free, don’t you?”

“What are you saying, Princess Liana? Even if they can’t come, after a certain period, I would specifically send someone to deliver it. After all, I am the manager of this place, and I naturally need to care for my subjects,” Count Ige said with a pained expression.

He continued, “Recently, I specifically had someone deliver the wages and discovered she was ill. I specially sent a priest to treat her. I didn’t expect that in Princess Liana’s heart, I would have such an incompetent image. It’s all my fault for not doing well enough, causing Princess Liana to misunderstand.”

He naturally knew about Coco’s situation, so after Coco returned, he had already arranged everything.

Of course, if you were to ask others if they received their wages on time, would anyone dare to say no?

You’re just a puppet following Princess Mephilia’s orders. Don’t act like a good person. Don’t think Count Ige doesn’t know why you came here.

Just give you a little benefit, then verbally promise you something so you can report back.

Count Ige was showcasing his acting skills. If Liana didn’t know this was being live-broadcasted, she would have matched his performance.

However, the more Count Ige spoke this way, the angrier Liana became. “Then you truly are an excellent manager.”

“No, no, no. I wouldn’t say excellent. I still have much to learn,” Count Ige appeared very humble.

After all, everything he did was within his management area. Others didn’t know what he was really like. This was a good opportunity to present himself well.

Liana felt like she was going to vomit. So hypocritical, so disgusting.

“Indeed, just like what you’re about to do is completely unnecessary and will only waste a large sum of money,” Liana said.

“It seems Princess Liana is very dissatisfied with my actions. However, Princess Liana, this won’t actually cost much money. Although it looks extravagant, our territory is not large. Compared to Venus Manor, it’s a drop in the bucket.”

“The cost is probably equivalent to just a few rooms in Venus Manor. Besides, this method would only be implemented in winter. Of course, I’m not saying Venus Manor isn’t doing well. After all, it’s the core of our Venus Territory, our facade. It’s normal to do it that way.”

“Indeed, but I can also see the difference between you and Venus Manor. Venus Manor wouldn’t leave guests standing outside talking,” Liana said with some dissatisfaction.

“I apologize. After all, Princess Liana came too suddenly, and in such a violent manner, so...”

Count Ige was already being very tactful. He had thought she was coming to challenge him, not knowing she was a guest.

“But rest assured, Princess Liana, I’ve prepared a very luxurious breakfast. Please enjoy it with me,” Count Ige invited.

Liana followed behind Count Ige.

The breakfast was indeed very luxurious. Despite there being only a few people, the table was laden with dozens of dishes.

“After seeing Princess Liana, I hurriedly instructed the chef to prepare this. We used only the finest ingredients, which are only used for major banquets,” Count Ige said.

Liana didn’t believe Count Ige’s nonsense. This was probably his daily routine, eating food much more luxurious than hers.

“So, why did you keep me outside?” Liana asked. “Is there something here that people shouldn’t see?”

“I sincerely apologize, Princess Liana, for displeasing you. But this is considered a core location. If anyone could enter, it would become very troublesome,” Count Ige said.

“Then why didn’t Crown Prince Hodwen need any inspection to enter your mansion when he came?” Liana asked.

Count Ige was taken aback. How did Princess Liana know about this?

“That’s because Crown Prince Hodwen had previously...”

“Tsk.” Liana cut him off with dissatisfaction. “Made an appointment in advance, right? Do you think I’ll believe that? Are you hiding something?”

Liana saw Count Ige’s momentary change of expression and realized her guess wasn’t wrong. After all, there were only two options. Having eliminated Second Prince Oester, only Crown Prince Hodwen remained.

“Crown Prince Hodwen just came for a surprise inspection. If we were to inspect Crown Prince Hodwen, we couldn’t achieve the purpose of a surprise inspection,” Count Ige responded quickly.

Since Princess Liana had said as much, it proved Princess Mephilia had investigated beforehand. Denying it would only make things more complicated.

“Oh? You’re saying that Crown Prince Hodwen, who previously showed little interest in our Venus Territory, suddenly wanted to inspect you? In the current unstable state of our dukedom? Should I consider that Crown Prince Hodwen ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) is campaigning?” Liana pressed.

But obviously, Count Ige, who had been in this game for so long, wasn’t easily cornered. He quickly adjusted his pace. “Princess Liana isn’t wrong. You can consider that Crown Prince Hodwen is campaigning. Everyone has someone they want to support, don’t they? Or is Princess Liana saying that I must support Princess Mephilia?”

Count Ige was essentially letting many people know whom he served and was bound to. He was clever, knowing that after saying this, Crown Prince Hodwen would protect him.

Moreover, after saying this, he could also create some influence against Mephilia.

“No, of course not,” Liana also sensed something was off. This fellow seemed to be luring her in a not-so-good direction.

“Everyone has someone they support. I understand and approve of your behavior. Crown Prince Hodwen is a very excellent competitor. Competition helps with growth, doesn’t it?” Liana smiled.

“...” Count Ige was stunned. Wait, is this something Liana would say? Count Ige sensed something was off. He wanted to confirm again.

“Indeed,” Count Ige nodded.

“But I heard you have some dissatisfaction with the current acting lord of Venus, Duchess Erinna? You don’t seem to support her very much. May I ask why?” Liana smiled.

“There’s no special reason. After all, the Countess Rose incident happened, and you, Princess Liana, were the victim. So, despite Duchess Erinna being very excellent, I don’t trust her very much. I’d rather wait for Duke Venus to return,” Count Ige said.

Perfect rhetoric, well-defended, without any trace of a flaw.

It made sense why Crown Prince Hodwen had chosen him.

“I see...”

“Duke Venus will definitely return. I’ve believed this all along,” Count Ige said.

I bet the first thing Father will do when he returns is chop you up, you beast.

Liana didn’t speak and didn’t eat anything. She looked around curiously. The room was decorated very simply, without any excessive luxury.

Probably, this was just a place specially prepared to deal with certain people. Liana guessed that this large area was likely not Count Ige’s real residence.

“I apologize, Princess Liana, for making you laugh. Such a shabby room—this must be the first time Princess Liana has seen such a place right?” Count Ige said somewhat embarrassedly.

My first time seeing it implies I’ve always lived in very luxurious places before?

Liana was very certain that Count Ige was definitely conveying what was happening now to someone or some people. He wanted to make her show her bad side, to implicate Mephilia who had chosen her, while campaigning for Crown Prince Hodwen.

“Indeed, what a terrible room,” Liana stood up. “I fear the value of this breakfast is already higher than this room?”

Count Ige smiled helplessly. “There’s no way around it. We can’t just let Princess Liana eat plain porridge on her rare visit.”

“Plain porridge is quite nice, especially in winter. A bowl of steaming plain porridge—I quite like it,” Liana said.

“It seems that because of Princess Mephilia, you’ve changed a lot, Princess Liana,” Count Ige smiled.

“Is that so? I don’t feel that way.”

“No, no, no, Princess Liana, you’ve changed a lot. You’re completely different from before. It’s as if the person who did those things before wasn’t the Princess Liana standing before me.”

Just nod, and everything will be over. All your previous efforts will be wasted...