“So, do you have anything else to say? If not, you won’t have another chance,” Liana’s icy tone made Count Ige uneasy.

However, Count Ige still maintained his composure. It was nothing. The Judge hadn’t come, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ so he was safe, and his mission was already accomplished. After seeing Princess Liana’s savage side, no matter what she said now, it wouldn’t matter.

“Let’s stop pretending, Princess Liana. Tell me, what do you want?” Count Ige said. After all, Crown Prince Hodwen would be the one paying, so no matter how exorbitant her demands, he wouldn’t feel the pain. Not to mention, he could still gain some profit from it.

“I want to hang you on the city wall, to let those beasts know how beasts should be treated,” Liana said coldly.

“You should give up on that idea, Princess Liana,” Count Ige wasn’t frightened by Liana’s threat. “You’d better just accept compensation. It’s better for both of us.

“After all, you’re doing this for Princess Mephilia, to make Princess Mephilia love you more, aren’t you? You’re working so hard just to please Princess Mephilia, right? I promise you, this won’t happen again, and I’ll give you some compensation. This way, you can report back, gain Princess Mephilia’s affection, and get a nice reward. Why not?” Count Ige said.

“Alright, but as I’ve said many times, what I want...” Liana suddenly seemed to realize that Coco was still there. The words she was about to say and the things she was about to do seemed somewhat inappropriate for children.

But letting Coco out of her sight would put her in danger.

Liana looked at Coco and gently said, “Close your eyes and cover your ears, alright? It will be over soon.”

“Okay.” Coco obediently did as told.

In a corner of Count Ige’s mansion, Minoga was holding the crystal ball used for broadcasting.

But a presence charged directly at Minoga, targeting the crystal ball in her hand. It seemed intent on ending the broadcast.

“What? Are you planning to admit to your crime, Mr. Artivens?” Minoga looked at an elderly man wrapped in a cloak before her.

He emanated a profound magical aura, appearing very powerful.

“Minoga, what are you saying?” Artivens seemed very displeased with Minoga’s words.

“Why don’t you tell me what you’re trying to do, Mr. Artivens?” Minoga protected the crystal ball in her hand.

“The current situation is very delicate. If this continues, people will have strange misunderstandings about Crown Prince Hodwen,” Artivens said.

“This is the climax. If it’s stopped now, people’s misunderstandings about Princess Liana will only get worse. What? You can protect Crown Prince Hodwen, but I can’t protect Princess Liana?” Minoga retorted.

Minoga knew very well that this matter couldn’t be unrelated to Crown Prince Hodwen, but she couldn’t say it outright.

“Besides, Count Ige started this. How could it end like this? Or are you worried about something? Worried that Count Ige might say something strange?” Minoga’s hand rested on her sword hilt.

“You’ve become stronger,” Artivens narrowed his eyes. He could feel that the current Minoga was different from before.

This place had three high-level Executors specifically setting up a formation for detection, yet no one had noticed Minoga’s arrival. This was impossible.

And when Artivens realized something was wrong, he had rushed over immediately, but even then, he hadn’t found Minoga right away.

Originally, he could have found Minoga relatively easily, but this time it took extra time. Something was off about Minoga.

“Not really,” Minoga naturally wouldn’t reveal her bottom line to others. The more mysterious, the greater the threat. “Besides, why do you care about this? Are you trying to cross the bottom line?”

Fights between Judges were absolutely forbidden. Once it happened, one of the two parties would have to leave the Lisat Kingdom forever.

“Hmph.” Artivens had no such intention. Many unexpected things had happened today. It seemed Crown Prince Hodwen would suffer a small setback.

“It seems Crown Prince Hodwen misjudged someone,” If he couldn’t resolve the issue with Minoga, then he would deal with Count Ige. This would maximize the protection of Crown Prince Hodwen’s reputation.

“Alright, let’s continue,” After settling Coco, Liana looked at Count Ige. “All I want is your miserable life, you bastard.”

“...” Count Ige smiled helplessly. “I thought Princess Liana had really changed, but you’re still as savage as ever.”

“Do you expect me to speak gently to a disobedient beast?” Liana had no intention of speaking nicely to Count Ige.

“Let me be honest with you. Everything that just happened, others have seen. You’re finished. Your violence, your savagery—they’ve all seen it. As for what you’re saying now, those people can’t see it,” Count Ige’s lips curved into a smile. “So, even if you tell everyone what’s happening now, it’s the same. No one will believe a savage person, Princess Liana. The best choice now is to quietly accept my gift, and pretend today never happened. This is good for both of us.”

Liana placed her left hand on her right forearm, raised it above her head, and stretched. “Rather than worrying about me, you should think about yourself. If you tell me who’s behind this right now, maybe I’ll go easy on you.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Princess Liana. No one directed me. I wanted to do this myself,” Count Ige smiled. “You should put away your sense of justice. You and I are the same—we’re only doing things for ourselves. Even if you beat me up now, it will only affect Princess Mephilia. You don’t want Princess Mephilia to be implicated because of you, do you?”

“What a boring campaign tactic. Knowing you can’t match Mephilia, you resort to such lowly methods?” Liana’s gaze was icy cold. “Although you haven’t made it clear, you’ve said enough. Can I suspect that Crown Prince Hodwen is secretly supporting your various actions?”

“No, no, no.” Count Ige shook his finger. “This has nothing to do with Crown Prince Hodwen. Crown Prince Hodwen has indeed helped me in many ways, but I’m just doing my own thing.”

It wasn’t that Count Ige was particularly loyal; he just couldn’t say it. Regardless of whether anyone was here or watching, once he spoke out, he definitely wouldn’t live to see the next sunrise.

After all, someone of Hodwen’s caliber wouldn’t casually trust an outsider.

“Put away your pig trotters. I find them disgusting.”

“Princess Liana, you should put away that mouth of yours,” Count Ige, no matter how patient, would become somewhat angry when his sore spot was repeatedly poked. “You have no evidence, and my image in their hearts is already excellent. If you lay hands on me now... no, I hope you do. Come on, personally destroy Princess Mephilia,” Count Ige smiled.

“I don’t know whether to call you clever or foolish,” Liana was almost laughing from anger. “I am Liana. If I didn’t do anything, would I still be Liana? Besides, isn’t that what you all think? Or do you think that doing nothing is who I am?”

Liana looked at Sephirena. “Kill him.”

“...” Having witnessed the entire process, Sephirena was naturally very dissatisfied with Count Ige. And this was in Princess Liana’s name, so she had no choice but to comply.

“I advise you not to do this, Princess Liana. Without any evidence, you’ll only push Princess Mephilia into an endless abyss,” Count Ige smiled.

“If anyone interferes, kill them too,” Liana said.

“Huff.” Sephirena took a deep breath. “I understand.”

It could only be said that Liana was putting Sephirena in a difficult position. Sephirena indeed had high combat ability, but she wasn’t at full strength now. Using only human magic, she could at most be a Highl Executor.

But Count Ige currently had two high-level Executors protecting him.

And once in danger, those plants would sprout uncontrollably. If people discovered them, it would be troublesome.

“Foolish,” Count Ige said disdainfully. “But now it’s about time to continue. After all, Princess Liana wants to kill me without any explanation.”

“People who suddenly see this scene will surely feel indignant for me. After all, what I’m facing is a savage,” Count Ige snapped his fingers, signaling for the broadcast to continue.

But what he hadn’t expected was that the broadcast had never stopped. And what he expected even less was what happened next.

“It seems Crown Prince Hodwen misjudged someone,” a figure appeared before everyone.

“Princess Liana, be careful,” Sephirena instinctively stepped back several paces, shielding Liana behind her. This person was strong.

“Who is he?” Liana asked.

“I don’t know, don’t recognize him, but I can confirm that he is a Judge,” Sephirena said.

“A Judge...” Liana’s pupils contracted. This was her first time seeing a Judge other than Minoga.

No, the king seemed to be one too, and her father too?

In any case, this Judge was different from all the Judges Liana had seen before. He looked terrifying, giving a suffocating feeling.

He displayed his terrifying magical power without concealment. Just one glance made one’s heart race.

It seemed Minoga had been too gentle before. This was how a Judge should feel.

“What... what do you mean?” Count Ige saw Artivens arrive, and his tone didn’t sound very friendly.

“Crown Prince Hodwen thought he had found a competent person, but it turns out he’s a scumbag,” Artivens raised his hand.

Count Ige felt as if the air around him had stopped flowing.

“Mr. Artivens, you’re overstepping,” Minoga’s figure appeared before them, interrupting Artivens’s next action.

At this moment, Minoga displayed an aura completely different from before. After all, this was in public view, so she naturally needed to maintain the dignity of a Judge.

“This is Venus Territory’s matter, and Princess Liana is handling it. So please just watch from the side, can you?” Minoga said.

Artivens naturally knew that with Minoga here, there was nothing for him to do. But he had to appear and coldly look at Count Ige. “You failed Crown Prince Hodwen’s expectations, but I must say, you are an excellent actor.”

Everything that had just happened, everyone had seen. By saying this, people would only think that Crown Prince Hodwen had been deceived by Count Ige. After all, they had been deceived at the beginning too. This way, they could empathize and not be too suspicious of Crown Prince Hodwen.

“I originally received Crown Prince Hodwen’s order to come deal with this beast, but I didn’t expect Minoga to be here. Since you’re here, Minoga, I’ll leave this to you,” Artivens disappeared.

Count Ige’s expression was very unpleasant. A Judge had come, and damn it, two of them at that.

“Um...” Count Ige’s voice trembled as he spoke. “Judge...”

A key appeared in Minoga’s hand, and Count Ige turned deathly pale, suddenly sitting in the snow. He knew that key all too well.

“It seems you know what this is?” Minoga’s voice was cold. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After learning about Count Ige’s affairs, Liana had asked Mephilia to help investigate Count Ige.

Although Liana didn’t seem to care much about her reputation on the surface, what she did now would affect Mephilia, so everything had to be based on evidence.

Count Ige knelt directly on the ground. “I didn’t dare spend a single coin, Judge! It’s all in this house! You can take it all back! No! I’ll return it double! Please! Give me one more chance!”

Minoga twirled the key in her hand and looked at Liana. “How does Princess Liana plan to handle this? After all, Princess Liana has been handling this throughout, and I’ve confirmed that Princess Liana’s actions were all correct.”

“Hang him on the city wall, let everyone know what price you pay for doing such things,” Liana looked coldly at Count Ige. “Bastards like you shouldn’t exist in this world.”

“I understand,” Minoga nodded.

The count can only shudder on the snow, knowing he can’t escape a Judge’s pursuit even when he’s not restrained.

“But won’t this cause you trouble?” Liana asked with some concern.

“Rather than worrying about me, Princess Liana should worry more about herself, shouldn’t she? After all, Count Ige just said that everyone has seen Princess Liana’s bad side,” Minoga said.

“Let them see. It doesn’t matter,” Liana shrugged indifferently. “Anyway, they’re used to me being like this. Besides, let me tell you, someone thanked me!”

Liana happily held Coco’s hand, introducing her to Minoga. “Her name is Coco. She’s a super obedient, super cute little girl!”

“She is indeed very cute,” Having witnessed everything, Minoga naturally understood how important a role Coco played for Liana.

“...Thank you,” Coco didn’t know what had just happened, nor did she know who Minoga was.

“I’ve dealt with Count Ige’s matter. From now on, there will be no more Count Ige,” Liana gently stroked Coco’s head.

Coco held Liana’s hand with both hands and rubbed her face against it. “Thank you, Princess Liana.”

“But...” Liana crouched down and gently said to Coco, “Coco, you must remember what I’m about to say.”

“Okay.” Seeing Liana’s serious expression, Coco also concentrated, afraid of missing Liana’s words.

“First, all these things today were done at Mephilia’s request. It has nothing to do with me. If anyone asks you, say it was Mephilia’s doing, and I just did it to please Mephilia.”

“Second, Erinna is an excellent duchess. She originally planned to deal with this matter, but because the journey was too far and it was snowing heavily, she was delayed. I came to help you in advance because I heard about your plight last time and found this guy very annoying. Much of the evidence was provided by Erinna. Erinna will send people to help you later. Don’t be afraid. Trust Erinna. She will handle everything, and you will live better.”

“Third, don’t speak well of me to others anymore. It will implicate you because of me. Just know it in your heart. Let them say what they want. I don’t mind, because this is what I deserve. Your support already makes me very satisfied, so I can’t cause you more trouble.”

Coco blinked her big eyes, not quite understanding. “Why? Didn’t Princess Liana do many good things? You saved me and saved everyone.”

“This is complicated to explain. Coco, just be a good girl and listen, okay?” Liana’s voice was very gentle.

Although Coco didn’t understand, she nodded. “I got it. Thank you, Princess Liana.”

“Good girl,” Liana rubbed Coco’s head.

“And fourth,” Coco suddenly said.

“Fourth? What’s the fourth?” Liana asked, puzzled.

“Princess Liana is the cutest person in the world,” Coco said very seriously.

“...That, you don’t need to remember,” Liana’s face reddened. Why did she remember it so clearly?!

“This, I must remember!” Coco clenched her fist and pouted.

“Alright...” Liana could now somewhat understand Sephirena’s feelings—a sense of helplessness.

“Go take care of your mother first. I’ll come see you in a bit.” Since Minoga had appeared, it meant the surroundings were safe.

“Okay.” Coco nodded and ran into the house, telling her mother the good news.

At this moment, Liana finally breathed a sigh of relief. “It seems the matter has been successfully concluded.”

“...” Minoga’s expression was somewhat peculiar.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, but do you really not want to make things clear to them? This matter, from beginning to end, was entirely your idea,” Minoga said. This was also Mephilia’s task—to find a way to let the world re-recognize Liana.

Obviously, this was the best opportunity.

“Is there a need? Indeed, I discovered this matter and actively wanted to resolve it, but I also asked her to help investigate Count Ige. You were also specifically arranged by Mephilia to protect me. Mephilia has helped me enough, so saying this was done by Mephilia is also reasonable. More importantly, compared to me, obviously they’re more willing to accept that this was Mephilia’s doing, right?” Liana smiled.

“Mephilia has been working very hard. She’s tired and has many things to handle, plus her studies. And because of some things I did before, I’ve already caused her a lot of trouble. So now I’ll try to help Mephilia as much as possible. Not to mention, helping her is like helping myself.”

“Is that so?” Minoga nodded. “If Princess Mephilia knew about this, she would be very happy.”

“Happy my foot!” Liana retorted. “When the time comes, Mephilia will definitely nag again.”

“Princess Liana truly understands Princess Mephilia well,” Minoga smiled.

“Besides, they hate me, which doesn’t matter. I don’t care about their opinions. As long as you all are still here, that’s enough. Moreover, I don’t dislike this version of myself. Think about it—if I were like before, a proper noble, all those gatherings, balls, a bunch of nobles I’m not familiar with coming to greet me—just thinking about it gives me a headache! So, this is fine.”

Although Liana’s expression didn’t show any dejection, her tone revealed a hint of sadness. After all, who wants to be disliked all the time?

Liana looked into the distance. Children were having snowball fights again, looking innocent and carefree.

But the adults all wore worried expressions, concerned about what might happen next.

“After my parents disappeared, these things seem to have become more frequent... I miss them a bit. I wonder when they’ll return.”

“Duke Venus and Madam Ambis will return soon,” Minoga comforted.

“Venus Territory surely has more than one Count Ige,” Liana said.

“Mm.”

“But Erinna has already dealt with many ‘Count Iges’ before me, hasn’t she? Erinna is very excellent. Her mind is much better than mine. She will definitely handle this well,” Liana said proudly. “After all, she’s the sister I’m proud of.”

In the dormitory of Ibett Magic Academy, Mephilia was shedding tears of joy. Well done, Minoga!

Since Mephilia could see it, it proved that others could see it too. The words Liana had spoken and the things she had done should be enough to change their perception of her.

In Venus Manor, in Erinna’s room.

Erinna had been somewhat depressed earlier, wondering where this little sister had come from, stealing all the affection that originally belonged to her.

But after hearing what Liana said, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift.

“Then I mustn’t disappoint Sister Liana’s hopes.”

The others’ reactions to Liana’s broadcast were varied.

“Is that... Princess Liana?”

“Are these words Princess Liana could say?”

“It seems... indeed, from a certain point in time, Princess Liana seems to have undergone some changes.”

“Have we not heard about Princess Liana harming or oppressing others for a long time?”

“If Princess Liana is truly willing to repent...”

“Can repentance make up for past mistakes?”

“Princess Liana didn’t deny what she did in the past.”

“Let’s wait and see.”

“Mm.”

At Lisat Royal Capital.

A figure strode briskly toward Crown Prince Hodwen’s room.

But the guards at the door stopped him. “Second Prince Oester, what are you doing?”

“Nothing much. I’m in a good mood today and wanted to have a drink with Brother Hodwen. Is that not allowed?” Second Prince Oester’s smile was very thick. He hadn’t expected such a good thing to happen, to see his seemingly perfect eldest brother make a mistake.

“I’m sorry, Crown Prince Hodwen doesn’t want to see anyone right now,” the guard said.

“Is that so? That’s a pity,” Second Prince Oester said indifferently.

“Let him in,” Crown Prince Hodwen’s deep voice came through.

“Yes.” The guard let Oester pass.

“That’s more like it,” Oester took two bottles of fine wine and walked into Hodwen’s room.

Hodwen’s room was very lavishly decorated. All the items in the room were magical artifacts without a single ordinary piece of furniture. Just the room’s decor was probably worth more than some ordinary nobles could earn in a lifetime.

“You look very happy,” Hodwen’s expression was so gloomy it was frightening.

“It’s alright, Brother Hodwen. Everyone misjudges people sometimes, don’t they?” Oester said with schadenfreude.

Although Artivens had intervened this time to salvage the situation somewhat, there would definitely still be some impact.

Moreover, with the words Liana had said and the things she had done, the current Liana no longer seemed to be Mephilia’s weakness.

Now, Mephilia was terrifyingly strong, and after today’s events, the number of people supporting Mephilia would definitely increase.

“Did you come specifically to mock me?” Hodwen’s tone was somewhat angry.

“No, no, no, how could that be, Brother Hodwen? I just wanted to collaborate with you.”

“Collaborate? Don’t joke around.”

Hodwen was certain that Oester had come to make fun of him.

Heirs not stabbing each other in the back was already considered a good relationship. Collaboration? How was that possible?

Would you trust someone who might stab you in the back at any moment?

“I’m not joking. It seems now that neither of us has a chance anymore, right?” Oester said.

“That’s you, not me,” Hodwen said coldly.

“Is that so? It seems I’ve come at a bad time,” Oester placed the wine on the table. “I look forward to the day you come to me with wine.”