Chapter 308 (2): “Let me be an arbiter of justice.” - Death Knight

At the front of the banquet hall stood four chairs. Two belonged to the royal family—the Queen and the Prince Consort. The Death Knight occupied one of the other two. But what about the fourth chair?

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the black-robed woman. Was she another chosen knight?

Douglas didn’t keep them waiting long. He was eager to reveal the answer. After introducing the Death Knight, he turned to present the Queen’s second distinguished ally.

“This elegant lady is from the Church of Darkness. Forgive me for not mentioning her name, but her identity is worth noting.”

“The executor of the Goddess of Darkness’s oracles in the mortal realm, the Holy Maiden of the Church of Darkness!”

“Her Holiness the Holy Maiden represents the Church of Darkness and has established a partnership with the royal family. More than that, we are to be steadfast allies. In the future, Londan will become the Church of Darkness’s primary district.”

Like a stone cast into still waters and causing endless ripples, the crowd erupted with astonishment and clenched their teeth. The Queen had been quiet, but when she made a move, she played two trump cards that would guarantee her victory. There really was no turning the tables from this.

Although the Holy Maiden of the Church of Darkness might not rival the Death Knight in standing, she was more than qualified to represent the Church of Darkness and even the Goddess of Darkness.

Everyone’s awe and resignation put a smile on Douglas’s face. Truth be told, he had encountered Anastasia entirely by chance. It was all luck. After years of lying low, his fortune finally turned for the better.

What are you going to do now, Auston?

Whatever you do, don’t surrender, or it’ll be too boring!

(눈_눈)

Auston remained completely unfazed, not even the least bit pressured. It took a moment for the situation to click.

So she was Anastasia, the Church of Darkness’s Holy Maiden. She was so different out of her elven form that he failed to recognize her at first.

How should he put it? The Queen’s eye for allies was truly... truly...

Beyond description!

As the chosen knight of Darkness, Auston held little reverence for Anastasia, much less fear. Although they belonged to different frameworks, none superior to the other in status, when push came to shove, the Darkness Knight’s words carried more weight than the Holy Maiden’s.

Moreover, the Death Knight beside Anastasia was also a Darkness Knight. The two of them... had to have revealed their identities to each other and talked things through.

Oh, no!

Auston reeled as he remembered Wayne’s meaningful smile earlier, and he couldn’t help but swallow hard. Wayne had known about the Church of Darkness’s alliance with the royal family but kept it from Auston, only revealing the Death Knight’s alliance with the Queen...

That bastard—was he planning to clean the house tonight?

Silvia blinked. The Church of Darkness’s Holy Maiden was named Anastasia, if she remembered correctly, and she was Master Senna’s primary rival. Their relationship had undergone wild changes.

When they were still in the Frozen Land, Silvia had predicted that Anastasia would end up orbiting her son, and now, the prediction had come true. She had followed him to Londan and was now seated with him. Was this really appropriate?

Anastasia was the Holy Maiden and had to maintain purity for the Goddess of Darkness. She couldn’t... Oh, right. This daughter-in-law of hers was ready to resign.

“Tsk, tsk. How interesting!” Silvia glanced at Filomina and smiled with mischief in her eyes, the very picture of a spectator looking forward to a good show.

Filomina couldn’t make sense of the reaction. She suspected that Silvia had lost her mind. They were all on the same side as fellow members of the Life Alliance, and they were closer still because they were in-laws. The Church of Darkness had obviously made an aggressive foray into Londan to target the Life Alliance. Why was Silvia smiling? Couldn’t she take the threat more seriously?

Wayne, your mother has gone mad. I can’t handle this woman.

Auston’s shock caught the attention of the Tulip Families. Douglas couldn’t help but laugh out loud and addressed the crowd, “War is on the horizon. The royal family has no intention of sparking a religious war. This decision is informed by the overall situation outside Windsor. Please don’t misinterpret the royal family’s intention or spread rumors that would put us at a disadvantage.”

“Well said!” Forest nodded vehemently.

The words were meant for the Tulip Families to digest carefully. Sensing the pressure, they all nodded in agreement and reaffirmed their loyalty and allegiance, pledging to charge at the forefront for the Queen.

When Auston and Silvia heard the words, the former panicked, sensing great chaos coming tonight, while the latter didn’t know what was happening, but found everything quite entertaining and never stopped smiling.

She couldn’t stop herself!

Filomina was going mad. She could read the warning in between the lines—no, it was an open threat, plain and simple. With the Death Knight and the Holy Maiden of the Church of Darkness on the other side, not only were she and Silvia in a life-and-death situation tonight, but the entire Lando family was, too.

Bastard, where are you? Show yourself already!

Filomina frantically expressed her concerns to Silvia in their group chat, but Silvia only stumbled over her words and kept smiling, oblivious to the deadly danger ahead. Filomina couldn’t carry the team with such a teammate.

Again, she had to wonder how such an unintelligent woman gave birth to Wayne. Or did the pregnancy give her lasting brain damage?

Auston’s panic was on full display. The more he panicked, the broader Douglas’s smile became.

The Prince Consort felt assured of his victory. Once the Queen and their two important allies were seated, he stood straight like a spear and asked with a smile, “Auston Lando, all Tulip Families have expressed their loyalty to Her Majesty. Only your position remains unclear. Now, can the Lando family still bear the honor of a Tulip Family, and are you still willing to serve as Her Majesty’s sword?”

“Your Highness the Prince Consort, the Lando family’s loyalty has never wavered. We served Her Majesty before, and we will continue to do so,” Auston hurriedly declared while frantically shooting Sophelia pointed looks.

Quick, Your Majesty. Nod already!

Sophelia was puzzled. Although there was something strange about Auston tonight, it didn’t stop her from trusting him. Their lasting sovereign-official relationship, their past bond, and the current disparity in their power and influence made her willing to believe in his loyalty.

She glanced at her husband. Auston had stated his stance, so the banquet could officially begin. Everything was under control. Start the music and the dance.

Douglas was standing in the front, allowing him to ignore his wife’s look on purpose. Before he even said anything, the heads of two Tulip Families stepped forward: Barney Boswell and Rupert Wilson.

The two had both gotten into conflict with Auston, so their relationship was strained. Under Dougla’s instruction, they seized the task of pressuring Auston. First come, first served. Last come, fall to the back of the line. If they let Auston surrender so easily, the other Tulip Families would have suffered for nothing.

Weren’t you quite arrogant before? Why stop now?

Barney started the ball rolling. “Auston, you say you’re pledging loyalty to Her Majesty. How do you plan to show your loyalty? The same haughty way you did it before? If so, your loyalty is hardly trustworthy!”

“Mr. Barney, Auston is a man of principle. I trust his character and credibility. If he says something, he’ll certainly do it.”

“Rupert, Auston hasn’t said anything!”

“Is that so?” Rupert put on a look of realization and laughed at his own expense, as if he were being considerate of the Lando family. “How do you plan to demonstrate your loyalty, Auston? How much power will you return to the royal family? You’d better make it clear when everyone’s present.”

“Well said!” Forest nodded.

Auston frowned and considered for a brief moment before saying, “Her Majesty may reclaim all of the Lando family’s benefits. I’ll have no objections to their allocation. My loyalty is absolute!”

In one breath, he sold out the entire family, leaving Rupert and Barney speechless. They scorned Auston for his cowardice. They had once thought that he was meant for great things, but they had clearly misjudged. He wasn’t qualified to be the head of another Tulip Family like them.

“What about your position as a high-level official at the Ministry of Magic?” Douglas pressed.

“Her Majesty may decide!”

“...”

For a moment, Douglas didn’t know what to say. This wasn’t what he wanted. Ignoring Sophelia’s increasingly frosty expression, he said in a low voice, “How about the assets the Lando family keeps safe for the Ministry of Magic?”

“We won’t hold onto them,” Auston said with a bow.

“Including your butler?”

“...” Auston’s expression shifted. Slowly, he straightened up and looked at Douglas. “Your Highness, the Lando family’s butler belongs to the Lando family alone. She is not the Ministry of Magic’s property.”

“Is this how you express your loyalty, Auston?” Douglas smiled faintly. This was more like it. Finally, he had an opening.

“The Lando family is loyal to Her Majesty alone, and she alone is on the list of individuals I am loyal to. You‘re not on that list, Your Highness.” Auston played with his silver coin, showing no emotion.

“You’re right. The Tulip Families should only be loyal to Her Majesty.” Douglas’s eyes lit up as he continued pressing. “Since you’re willing to give up your position at the Ministry of Magic, you should surrender the silver coin that symbolizes your status.”

“Well said!” Forest nodded repeatedly.

“I can hand it over, Your Highness, but can you take it?”

“How dare you, Auston!”

The tension in the air peaked. Members of the Tulip Families stepped back, unwilling to get involved in the dispute. The intense drama left their mouths dry, and they had to take sips of their wine to calm their nerves.

Silvia frowned at Prince Douglas. The man was malicious and... bold. Was this really wise? If the men of her family stopped keeping up the act, things would get ugly.

Filomina stood silently by Silvia’s side. The royal family was pressuring the Lando family without mercy, which could be understood as their attitude toward the Life Alliance and the Church of Moonlight.

When they were in their honeymoon phase, they talked sweetly, but now that they had assembled an alliance of Death and Darkness, they immediately changed their tune.

Damn politics.

“Enough. We stop here today.”

At that moment, Queen Sophelia had had enough and intervened personally. She didn’t want to strip Douglas of his power. Her husband had worked tirelessly for the royal family. Whether he got results or not, he had put in the effort. He deserved respect.

However, Douglas held too great a prejudice against Auston; every word out of his mouth was laced with personal grudges. He was too childish to be a qualified politician.

Sophelia glanced at Auston and said slowly, “I trust the Lando family’s loyalty and acknowledge your devotion to your family. However, you went a little too far with your words. The Prince Consort will govern Windsor alongside me in the future. He should rightfully be on your loyalty list.”

Strike down both sides and make each a promise. She was fair and balanced in her approach.

Auston’s expression relaxed somewhat as he bowed to Sophelia, accepting the olive branch.

Douglas did not. His expression darkened, hearing mocking laughter from the Tulip Families in his head.

“In the end, the Queen chose Auston...”

“The Prince Consort is only a substitute. A political marriage is a loveless marriage. Auston is the Queen’s true love!”

“The Prince Consort is but an official with a special title. The Queen is the Queen, while an official is only ever going to be an official. He’s crossed a line.”

“After tonight, should we start calling Auston Prince Consort Auston?”

“Hasn’t he always been that?”

“You might have noticed, but I always thought the Prince and the Princess shared some resemblance to Auston.”

“Hahaha—” xN

Douglas paled and then became flushed. Just as he was at his breaking point, the Death Knight slammed the table, the loud bang startling everyone.

“As the Queen’s ally, I was in no position to speak up. However, rather than continue this argument...”

“Let me be an arbiter of justice!”