Chapter 331
“Father!” Alardus cried out.
His legs trembled, unable to stand upright.
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It was not that he intended to betray; rather, Margaery’s methods were simply unbearable. In that torment of unbearable itching, he had lost all willpower, and for the first time realized that the most devastating thing in this world was not pain.
Sigurd’s eyes quivered as he slowly turned to look at Osmond, who sat atop a tall steed. “Have you all been deceiving me?”
“No.” Osmond sneered. “It is thanks to the favor of the Imperial Seal Bearer that I was able to rise from my sickbed, much to Lord Sigurd’s disappointment.”
Upon hearing this, Sigurd looked in astonishment at Margaery atop the city wall.
Margaery looked at him. “Lord Sigurd is truly scheming. You first harmed Minister Eames, then, together with Callum, sent Southcroft Empire’s spies into the Wallen family to steal the defense map.
“Then you framed General Griffith, pinning the crime of poisoning the King on Morales’s estate, and conveniently wiped out the entire Carey family. I am truly enlightened.”
Callum was silent.
The crowd below erupted in astonishment.
Many had not expected that these seemingly unrelated events were all connected to Callum and the Salome family.
Even more unexpected was that these words came from Margaery herself.
Sigurd stared at her, his whole body trembling.
In his mind, he cursed Raul umpteen times.
Raul’s sons had always said that Margaery was brainless and couldn’t hold a candle to Tessa. And yet this was the result.
In the end, a deadly weapon had been hidden in the Wallen family.
It had not been long since Margaery became high–profile.
Yet in just one short month, Nathaniel died, Marcus became a commoner, Callum was about to die, the Wallen and Hadley families were finished, and the Salome family was about to fall as well.
And then, women began to enter the court.
If the King needed a sword in his hand, then Margaery before him was undoubtedly the sharpest in all the land.
Sigurd’s eyes were bloodshot, his heart filled with indignation.
He had schemed for years, unwilling to lose to a young girl like Margaery, but the matter was already settled, and there was
no chance to start over.
An upheaval swept through like a tornado, only to be suppressed with overwhelming force.
The King spoke. “Callum and the Salome family have committed treason. They will be executed in three days. After the New Year, Osmond will be reinstated to his original post of Lord of Warfare and will command the Ministry of War
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Chapter 331
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“The remaining members of the Salome family shall be dealt with by the Inquisition Court according to the law.”
After finishing, he cast one last glance downward, turned, and departed, leaving only one instruction, “Margaery, keep watch over things here.”
“Alright, Margaery replied.
Margaery turned and respectfully saw the King off.
Under the gaze of the entire crowd, she carried a bloodstained longsword, came down from the palace wall, and arrived at the palace gates.
“Arrest those who must be arrested, and kill those who must be killed.”
With just a short sentence, Callum’s faction was completely subdued.
“You are not human!” Callum glared at her, eyes nearly bursting with rage.
“It is impossible for a woman to emerge from the inner chambers and become so familiar with court affairs in such a short time. You must be possessed by a demon.”
“So, I should have been burned alive in the Hall of Divinity, right?” Margaery sneered, fully understanding what Callum
meant.
Callum was trying to kick down the ladder. Now that his faction was finished, she, the one who caused his downfall, should also take the fall.
But she was no longer the Margaery of the past, and there was no need to hide anything. “Even if I am possessed by a demon, I have not done anything like betraying my country, killing my father, and murdering my sovereign.
“What Your Highness has done surpasses any demon in wickedness.”
She smiled and glanced around at those present. “Moreover, here are my brothers, my senior, and my sisters. If you wish to sow discord, you should choose your place wisely.”
Callum trembled with fury.
He did indeed wish to drag Margaery down with him.
However, what Margaery said was not wrong.
Among those present, the members of the Carey family were her kin, Dashnell was her senior, Phillipa was her close friend, Osmond owed her a life debt, Bernard had once pursued her and was now her best friend.
As for General Griffith, he was not ensnared because Margaery had immediately seen through the schemes of Callum and the Salome family.
Before one knew it, more than half the court now stood behind her.
The remaining half would be utterly defeated after tonight.
The Wallen, Hadley, and Salome families were all finished.
Wellspring Hall was in Dashnell’s hands, the Ministry of War was under the Eames family, the Ministry of Personnel was under the Carey family, the Inquisition Court was under Dashnell, and most of the military strength was with Morales’s
estate.
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Chapter 331
The King also stood behind Margaery.
She had long ceased to be the orphaned girl from the Wallen family who lost her mother.
Callum was indignant, but there was nothing he could do. He could only be taken into custody by others.
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Immediately after, all the troops returned to where they came from, leaving only the leaders to enter the palace and meet the King.
Outside the palace gates, only Dashnell and Margaery remained.
“Dashnell, you stood up from the wheelchair today. Did you tell the King about that?” Margaery stepped forward and took Dashnell’s hand.
She did not hide her feelings. “What did the King say?”
“After the war ends, Father intends to abdicate,” Dashnell replied.
Dashnell looked at Margaery and reached out to brush her long hair. He signaled to Solon to take the sword from her hand, his gaze softening. “Once the southern war is over, we can marry.”
Margaery was delighted. “The King promised?”
Dashnell nodded. “Father said he wants to visit Valewyn.”
Margaery’s heart stirred slightly. “Indeed, after so many years on the throne, handling affairs day after day, he has never laughed or cried freely like an ordinary person, nor lived a normal life.
To go out and travel would be wonderful.” She looked up at Dashnell. “But if so, you will be trapped in that spot.”
On the throne, there was more than just glory.
Bearing the weight of the nation was never simple.
Dashnell nodded. “Fortunately, I still have you.”
Outside the palace gates, in a pool of blood, the two embraced, quietly gazing into the distance.
From now on, this vast battlefield, the blood and storms, would be theirs to face together.
Margaery said, “Just now the King said that if war breaks out in the south, I am to follow you.”
Dashnell smiled. “He probably thinks that keeping you in the Imperial Study, there is little left to teach you.”
Margaery felt a bitter ache in her heart.
Life would teach everything.
She had never been adept at scheming until she was schemed against and lost her life.
One must always learn from setbacks.
She took a slow, deep breath and said, “Tonight is New Year’s Eve, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new Let us go have a drink.”
“Alright.”
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Chapter 331
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To be able to gather and keep vigil with the one she loved most on such a night was the greatest happiness in the world.
Margaery felt content.
Dashnell actually wanted to visit the King as well.
But that was how it was with the royal family. Many emotions must be suppressed, for any action might easily give rise to other implications.
The King wanted him to inherit the throne, but would not announce it yet.
He must earn military merit in the south, so that he could inherit the throne in a natural and justified manner.
And on such a night, when all families were reunited.
Wearing a veil, Tessa brushed past Lady Erica in the palace. A gust of wind swept across Tessa’s veil, revealing her face.
The similar features made Lady Erica stop abruptly. “Wait!”
Tessa stopped and turned to look at Lady Erica in palace attire before her.
You…” she started to say, stunned by Lady Erica’s appearance.
Tessa thought, ‘How could this be?‘
Tessa had always thought she resembled her mother the most. Yet at this very moment, she realized that Lady Erica before her looked exactly like herself.
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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.
