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Chapter 280
Chapter 280
Margaery’s words were precise and concise.
Her tone was neither loud nor fast, but every word was like a knife, each one piercing through Callum’s facade.
Callum’s expression became unpleasant.
How was he supposed to answer this?
If he claimed there truly was such a person in the palace, where was the evidence?
If he spoke recklessly, trouble would surely follow.
But if he said there was not, then what was the purpose of his previous remarks?
Wouldn’t that be slapping his own face?
In an instant, Margaery’s eyes met Callum’s, which left him frozen, frowning, and growing uncomfortable.
At the same time, he was forced to reassess this Imperial Seal Bearer who had suddenly appeared.
She seemed even more formidable than the five sons of the Wallen family!
Margaery met Callum’s gaze, but her eyes were calm.
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That look carried a serene clarity, as if all superficiality had been washed away, and resembled a mirror reflecting the darkness within every heart.
Having crawled out of hell, Margaery was not blinded by hatred or pain; instead, she was like a sharpened sword, gleaming brilliantly after being honed.
Shaking off all filth, at this moment, a pure brilliance, like Dominic, seemed to fill the sky.
Callum inexplicably conceded defeat, his eyes flickered as he said, “I am concerned and thus confused. Treat my words as casual, and listen to them casually. If you encounter a similar situation in the future, seek help from my mother.”
“If you do not encounter such a situation, all the better,” he added.
He forced a smile and said, “I shall take my leave now. Princess Glowsend, there is no need to take this too seriously.”
This smile was an instinctive cover–up.
Yet, at this very moment in the capital, given his status, it seemed out of place and far too abnormal.
Because Prince Nathaniel had just died.
And because just moments ago, he had performed the role of a grieving, respectful brother before the city garrison, and now he turned to Margaery with a smile.
He failed to notice, but any outsider could see through it instantly.
Margaery watched him leave, lowered her gaze, and a faint smile flickered in her eyes.
Bell, at the side, tilted her head and said, “This Prince Callum is quite the actor, but his performance is lacking. With Prince
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Nathaniel dead, he probably wishes he could set off fireworks.”
“We do not involve ourselves in the princes‘ struggle for the throne,” Margaery warned.
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She glanced up at Bell and said, “The fewer words spoken in court, the safer we remain.”
“Though the royal family and the ministers appear united, in essence they are separate; they are sovereigns, we are subjects,” she explained.
“The struggle among the nine princes for succession is a domestic affair of the royal family,” she added.
Margaery was not so arrogant.
At present, all she could do was handle the matters before her well.
“You are right,” Bell nodded.
She spoke little, her demeanor uninhibited and somewhat lawless; others might consider her lacking in refinement, but Margaery appreciated it.
Perhaps it was because she had been confined in the inner residence for too long.
Margaery especially yearned for freedom; she would no longer allow herself to be trapped in any power struggle.
As Margaery and Bell neared the Eames residence, Solon brought new information.
“Callum did not find Tessa,” he said.
He looked at Margaery, his gaze somewhat complicated.
After all, for Margaery to have come this far, at least on the surface, Tessa was her archrival; she ought to wish for Tessa’s death.
Yet Margaery’s expression showed little reaction; she simply asked, “Neither seen alive nor found dead?”
“Yes!” Solon replied.
He gazed at Margaery intently from beneath the lifted carriage curtain.
“That’s to be expected,” Margaery said.
Her response surprised Solon. “Southcroft Empire’s spies have been active in the Seacrest Guild for twenty years, and now have infiltrated Sinderin; there can not be only two or three of them,” Margaery guessed.
Judging by the situation at Icy Pool, Tessa had already planned to leave, which is why she broke ties and exposed Raul’s sordid deeds,” she added.
“Given that, she must have prepared in advance, had someone to assist her, and taken a shortcut; it’s not impossible,” she pointed out.
“By contrast, Prince Callumn’s attention was always on Prince Nathaniel and Prince Marcus. Only after Prince Nathaniel’s death did he personally oversee the search,” she analyzed.
“But by then, it was already too late.
“As for the others he sent out, they were all Eastvale Empire’s landlubbers; though they claimed to investigate, how could
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Chapter 280
they truly venture deep into Icy Pool?” she questioned.
Hearing all this, Solon was left utterly stunned.
After a long while, he finally sighed,
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“If I hadn’t witnessed the path you walked with my own eyes, I would have thought you had already delved deep into the court and understood everything perfectly.”
Margaery was born intelligent.
However, in her previous life, she perished because of “lack of love,” having devoted all her energy to the wrong place.
Now that she found her direction, she naturally shone brilliantly.
“What are your plans regarding Tessa, Miss? Should we send someone to pursue her again?” Solon asked Margaery.
“It’s not worth it.” Margaery shook her head. “At present, you can not act, and besides, several days have already passed. Even if we pursue her now, it would be too late.”
“Secondly, Prince Isander of the Southcroft Empire is determined to start a war, while our Prince Callum is especially eager to facilitate this conflict. I surmise that Prince Callum’s goal is to use Prince Isander’s hand to kill his senior brother,” Margaery pointed out.
“Meanwhile, Prince Isander, in collusion with our Prince Callum, seeks to kill the senior brother to establish his own authority and take command of the Southcroft Empire’s army,” Margaery analyzed.
“In other words,” Margaery looked at Solon, “The path Tessa is taking is actually the same one Prince Callum previously conspired on with Prince Isander.”
This path must be maintained until both sides confront each other, Prince Isander wins his first battle, and Prince Callum ascends the throne, or at least enters the Eastern Palace,” Margaery continued.
“Therefore, Prince Callum would rather enter the palace to seek the King and muddle through than continue the pursuit,” she added.
“If he continues the pursuit, he will expose himself.
“So, even though he very much wants to silence Tessa, for now he can only endure, because once Tessa sets foot on the path he has paved for the people of Southcroft Empire, they become a community of shared fate,” Margaery concluded.
Solon pondered these words.
After a long while, he suddenly realized something and said, “You mean, Prince Callum didn’t find Tessa not because he truly couldn’t, but because he can’t pursue her any further?”
“Is he afraid the alliance with Prince Isander of the Southcroft Empire will break?” he pressed.
This point, even he had not considered!
He had to admit, as one of the Thirteen Shades of Stormshade Hall, his skills were indeed far superior to Margaery’s.
Yet when it came to controlling the strings of such affairs, he could only admit defeat.
He looked at Margaery, his gaze growing complicated.
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“This young girl is a born general, yet happens to be female; otherwise, she would have made a name for herself long ago!” he thought.
Margaery also felt that whenever she came into contact with these things, it was as if a door opened before her.
“So, Tessa will return. Let’s wait for her,” Margaery assured.
She glanced toward the south, squinting her eyes, “Moreover, the next time she appears, she will be completely different from the last time.”
‘A twenty–six–year–old woman, enduring humiliation and burden for twenty years for revenge, taking medicine that harms her body, suffering unbearable pain every day, yet still persevering… Margaery mused.
At the thought of this, she thought of her previous life.
Tessa’s current state was strikingly similar to her own in her past life, using her strength in the wrong place.
‘With Tessa’s determination, what could she not succeed in?‘ Margaery thought.
She lowered her eyes, her feelings hard to discern.
She would never underestimate her opponent.
Therefore, she must move even faster.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
