Chapter 339: Chapter 206: “Edict of Self-Confession

Estella, whose soul had returned to her body, sat up from the bed, clenched her fist, swung her beautiful legs, and stood up gracefully. “Keli, get up, we have things to do!”

Keli opened her drowsy eyes, then attempted to lie back down but was lifted straight up by Estella, shaking her front paws. “Quick, go notify our second brother, tell him I’ll be over shortly to discuss business. Have him hide whoever needs hiding and drive away whoever should be driven away.”

Keli yawned, meowed, and looked around, evidently searching for Chris. Chris was much faster than Keli, but unfortunately, Chris wasn’t around. Keli’s white figure darted out, while Estella changed her clothes, as those suitable for her mother were not fit for her second brother’s place. This also gave her second brother some time, as she didn’t want to stumble upon people hiding in the wardrobe again.

When Estella arrived at Achilles’ palace accompanied by the maidservants, Achilles was already waiting in the garden. “Ah, my dear sister, how come you have time to visit your poor second brother.”

“Let the others leave first,” Estella said, her gaze cautiously sweeping around.

Achilles froze a moment, “All of you, leave.”

The maidservants bowed and retreated. “Being so cautious now?” Achilles chuckled.

“Second brother, are you alright?” Estella asked.

“What could possibly be wrong with me? Minor setbacks can’t defeat me. I was careless; who knew our uncle would play such a deep and ruthless game. He must be controlling these people by other means,” Achilles said, not so casually. He hadn’t slept all night, pondering deeply, realizing the Dark Cuisine wasn’t meant for others to eat. Our uncle, unable to practice Hidden Power after losing the throne, would surely crave power, agreeing with the Dark Gourmet; how could it be meant for others.

“Second brother, essential oils, essential oils and perfumes from the Celestial Fragrance Workshop,” Estella said.

Achilles furrowed his brow, “Not likely. It’s a reputed old brand, and I’ve bought quite a lot; they’re quite popular.”

“Those essential oils and perfumes have additives that aid in strengthening faith. Combined with certain spells, specialized perfumers can completely control a person’s mind, including making some people mistakenly believe they’re controlled by Dark Cuisine when they’ve actually eaten normal gourmet meals,” Estella explained.

Achilles looked at Estella, furrowing his brow, realizing the seriousness of the issue. Indeed, those essential oils… are quite special. Even he found them particularly soothing and rejuvenating but thought they were merely positive and hadn’t delved further. He sighed, “Missed it. This method is similar to those used by many in the Church Court, something we cannot directly verify.”

The banquet has already been held; they can’t gather everyone for another. The perfumer must be protected by the Church Court.

“The families of Inner Demon victims used to be disruptive, but now they’re quiet precisely because of these perfumes. Does this mean the Church Court is assisting our uncle as the perpetrator?!”

Achilles finally understood why Estella wanted the maidservants to leave. “Shh, don’t say such things recklessly. It would cause trouble if heard by others.”

“Second brother, there must be people from our uncle within the Royal Palace, even among us. Don’t you think yesterday’s events, all of them, were mastered by our uncle with impeccable timing?” Estella remarked.

Achilles contemplated, then looked back at Estella, his face growing solemn. “Who told you all this?”

“Don’t worry about that; what I’m saying can be verified. Whether it makes sense or not, you can judge. I don’t know if it’s useful, but Father must be informed soon; otherwise, it will affect their decisions. The enemy is trying to destroy us; you should accompany me,” Estella said.

Achilles rubbed his nose, “How come you’re commanding your second brother now? If this person earns such trust from you, it’s dangerous!”

“Second brother, there are priorities. Father’s already preparing an apology decree. I have some ideas; let’s go together. I can coordinate with you; we might turn the tide!” Estella completely trusted Li Xin; of course, she also felt this was a way, instead of relaying, she’d rather go directly, throwing incomprehensible explanations to second brother.

Achilles looked at Estella, then at the sky, “I’m just a tool?”

“No, we are partners, comrades!”

Achilles smiled wryly, “Alright, I’ll take the hits; remember to plead for me.”

“It’s not that serious; Father is very fair, and the scholars are present too, they won’t do anything to us,” Estella encouraged when Achilles agreed without further questioning.

Achilles pursed his lips; the more fair, the harsher the punishment, “Wait for me to change trousers.”

For some reason, his backside itched; not a good omen, better to pad it now.

Within the Cabinet.

Ola the Eighteenth, Crown Prince Hokele, James, and like-minded scholars discussed for a long time. Ola wasn’t indecisive; he realized if this matter wasn’t handled properly, it would certainly be unacceptable. Once he made this decision, although painful, he still decided to proceed, also worrying that dragging it out would allow Oliver to exploit more, knowing his brother’s initials were often interconnected.

From morning till afternoon, the scholars remained dissatisfied with the content. Issuing an apology decree over this matter was indeed vexing, especially James, with his hot temperament. But now, the situation is that the King is willing to take the blame, relieving the scholars of responsibility. Yet, the more this happened, the more unwilling the scholars felt. The King meant a great deal to the Celestial Principle School; James had firsthand involvement, yet ultimately fell short, annoyed at not realizing, upon reflection, the subtlety, albeit flawed, was too complacent.

“Your Majesty, for the content, we can’t rush, we should discuss further; the real perpetrator behind the Inner Demon has been identified. Although temporarily blocked, evidence will soon be found; can’t the apology decree wait?”

“Currently rumors are rife, exacerbated by intentional efforts; we must find a clear resolution.”

“What does Grandmaster Vladimir think of this matter?” Ola asked, thinking his teacher would visit today, but Vladimir hadn’t shown up. Curiously, it relieved Ola slightly, should Vladimir appear, it would imply a dire situation.

“The old guy’s been mysterious ever since his advancement, claiming celestial observations show crisis with opportunities. If not for failing to handle him, I’d really want to give him a good beating!” Grandmaster James rolled up his sleeves, veins bulging.

The Celestial Principle School’s preaching largely involved reason; lacking reason, they understood basic combat.

Kundra and others smiled wryly. “Father, should we start with Duke Zheng? He still has many issues,” Hokele suggested.

Ola shook his head, and Grandmaster Kundra from the side said, “Not now, and the allure of the Inner Demon incident is too strong; ordinary events cannot shift focus, particularly in the current situation, likely seen as scapegoating.”

The banquet’s failure led to the most passive consequence, alerting the snakes, losing the upper hand.

Soon, guards reported the arrival of the second prince and the princess.

Grandmaster James and others paused, suddenly James grinned, “Your Majesty, maybe they bring good news.”

“Let them in.” Ola, not blaming Achilles, realized everyone shared responsibility; he’s done quite well.

If not for Estella insisting, Achilles truly wouldn’t want to come to this oppressive place, completely mismatched with his free and romantic aura, fortunate Hokele endured such suffering regularly, bottled up.

Once the two completed their rites, Ola the Eighteenth sternly looked at them, “Have you encountered any major occurrences?”

The tone carried a warning; it better be important.

Achilles coughed several times, “Father, there’s a significant discovery; Hidden Power used to control Marquis William, Duke Zheng, originated from essential oils and perfumes of the Celestial Fragrance Workshop, involving the Earth Mother Goddess Court.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep