Her words fell like a stone.
The crowd instantly stirred.
Indeed—this was the question no one had answered.
Why had Henry personally taken Scarlett to Prince Kael’s residence in the first place?
Curious gazes imdiately turned toward Henry.
For a split second, his expression stiffened.
He had prepared countless excuses for Scarlett’s absence from the royal hunt, but he hadn’t expected Zora to counterattack so directly.
The truth was, he himself had never fully explained that visit.
But now that the matter had already spread and could no longer be completely concealed, there was no turning back.
Straightening his posture, Henry let out a cold snort.
"Your Majesty," he said firmly, "no matter the reason, Prince Kael and his consort wounded my daughter. That is an undeniable fact."
In his heart, he was confident.
In terms of status, Prince Kael and Zora could not compare to him.
And judging by the emperor’s attitude over the past few years, Emperor Alexander would certainly side with the Pri Minister’s household.
At least—
That was what Henry believed.
*
Henry steadied his breath and stepped forward with a solemn face, as if he alone carried the virtue of the court upon his shoulders.
"A few days ago," he began, voice heavy with manufactured grievance, "there was a minor disagreent between my daughter and Princess Consort Zora. I brought my daughter to Prince Kael’s residence to ease the tension. Who would have thought—Princess Consort’s words were unbearably harsh, and Prince Kael even ordered his n to wound my child."
He let out a slow, dramatic sigh.
"Such conduct from Prince Kael and Princess Consort. Truly excessive!"
In just a few lines, he painted himself as magnanimous, his daughter as pitiful, and Zora as a venom-tongued shrew who assaulted visiting guests.
A few ministers exchanged glances. The performance was impressive... but unconvincing.
Facing Henry’s accusation, Zora’s lips curled. The smile was beautiful, but her eyes were cold enough to cut jade.
"Minister Henry," she said lightly, "doesn’t your face burn saying sothing like that?"
"I stated the truth," Henry snapped. "Why would I blush?"
Zora’s gaze swept the watching crowd.
Her voice was cool as winter rain. "Minister Henry claims he went to Prince Kael’s residence to ’dispel grievances.’ Does anyone here actually believe that?"
Silence fell like a stone.
The answer was obvious. Henry and Scarlett were infamous for arrogance; the very idea of them humbling themselves to seek peace? Laughable.
Henry’s expression stiffened. "You... what do you imply?"
"Nothing," Zora said with an elegant shrug. "Only that fairness lives in the hearts of the people."
Her voice dropped, cold and precise.
"Since Minister Henry wishes to drag the matter into the light... I do not mind telling the truth."
A ripple of anticipation passed through the crowd.
Zora’s next words fell like thunder.
"Yesterday, when Pri Minister Henry and Miss Scarlett ca to Prince Kael’s estate, they behaved with open arrogance. They demanded I treat Miss Scarlett’s ailnt. And later... Minister Henry insulted my husband by calling him ’His Majesty’s illegitimate child’ to his face."
Gasps exploded across the Mountain.
Even Emperor Alexander’s expression changed.
The rumor had lingered for years, whispered in back corridors, never spoken aloud. And yet—Zora had laid it bare without hesitation.
Emperor Alexander’s gaze sharpened. "Minister Henry... is this true?"
Panic flickered through Henry’s eyes.
"Your Majesty, do not listen to her lies!" he said urgently. "Zora is fabricating everything to escape responsibility! I beg Your Majesty to discern right from wrong."
Zora spoke again before he could gather montum.
"Your Majesty, if you believe I speak falsely," she said calmly, "you may send soone to the Pri Minister’s manor. Scarlett has been hiding her condition since yesterday. Once you see her face, you will understand everything."
A hush.
Henry’s heart lurched.
If the emperor saw Scarlett now, her freckles—still untreatable—would expose everything. Including the fact that he had tried to conceal it.
Cold sweat prickled at his neck.
He opened his mouth—
"Your Majesty—"
But before he could speak further, Emperor Alexander lifted his hand.
"This matter," the emperor declared, "shall be addressed after the conclusion of the royal hunting competition."
Silence.
Henry’s expression instantly collapsed.
Zora’s eyes glead—calm, unhurried, victorious.
Today’s ga had just begun.
*
At this mont, Emperor Alexander’s thoughts were far from Henry’s accusations. His mind circled one question: Why did Prince Kael suddenly change his style?
The tolerance, the silence, the quiet humiliation of three years—
Gone in an instant.
Until he understood why, Emperor Alexander dared not make any ruling. He feared touching sothing buried too deep.
Sensing the Emperor’s evasive stance, Henry swallowed all remaining protests. A cold, sinking intuition told him:
Scarlett’s dream... was finished.
In contrast, Luna’s eyes glowed with excitent. Whether Scarlett fell or Zora fell, both outcos delighted her.
She hated Zora to the core, for sure, but she also hated Scarlett, who stole her "Philip."
This twist was perfect.
Zora and Pri Minister’s Manor were now openly hostile.
One enemy eliminated without lifting a finger.
Fortune seed to be smiling on her for once.
But then—
She felt a gaze.
It was Sharp and cold enough to peel flesh from bone.
When she turned, she saw Zora was smiling at her.
The curve of her lips was soft, beautiful... but seed deadly.
A tremor ran down Luna’s spine. She opened her mouth, but nothing ca out.
When she blinked, Zora had already turned away, her attention drifting effortlessly elsewhere—as if Luna no longer existed.
Before Luna could breathe again, Emperor Alexander raised his voice. "The rules of the Royal Hunting Competition will now be announced!"
The murmurs faded instantly.
"There is a Gale Wolf sowhere within Mt. Philanos. Whichever contestant slays it and retrieves its core shall be first place."
A heavy silence crashed across the crowd.
The Gale Wolf.
A monster with the strength of a late-stage Sky Realm, but feared not for its realm...
...but its speed.
Like its na, it moved like a streak of wind, bodies blurring into afterimages. Even late-stage cultivators struggled to land a blow before it carved them apart.
Soone gulped. "This year’s reward is rich, but... so is the danger."
Emperor Alexander continued, "Second and third place will be determined by the number of beasts slain within the mountain."
Gasps, murmurs, heated whispers—everyone understood:
This hunt would be brutal.
"The Royal Hunting Competition... begins!"
His arm swept down, and the field erupted.
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