After the First Prince, the Second Prince Wu Gu also met a tragic end in Mistlight City.
Wu Yin’s ambition was to gain a reward of territory and population from the Federation. He thought that even if he lost his status as the First Prince of the Snow Kingdom, he could still thrive within the Federation.
Wu Gu’s ambition was even greater. He fused his soul and life with the Ancient Demonic Creature, the Snow Giant, wanting to elevate his “usefulness” to a level where even the mighty Empire would respect and recruit him.
But… the outcome is obvious.
Those who opposed Lega Weilin did not meet a good end, and Weilin represented the will of the Illusory Snow Queen.
The Third and Fourth Princes didn’t harbor such grand ambitions. Or rather, even if they did, the cautionary tales of their eldest and second brothers had long since silenced them, scaring any ambition completely out of them.
Although they hadn’t participated in the trafficking of White Mouse, they had, after all, lent Wu Yin money to bid on the Demi-Divine Artifact… Fearing guilt by association, and to distance themselves from this land soon to be ravaged by conflict, the Third and Fourth Princes chose to sell all their assets and flee the Snow Kingdom overnight with their families, vanishing completely from Huan Xuezhi’s sight.
However, neither Huan Xuezhi nor Weilin spared any thought for such minor characters.
?
The next day.
Early morning.
A hazy morning mist hung in the air, a light snow drizzling down.
Following the Illusory Snow Queen’s command, Weilin arrived at Cold Dove Hall first thing in the morning.
For the first time, the “vastness” of Cold Dove Hall served its purpose. Beneath the main hall, kneeling neatly on both knees, bodies prostrate, were many figures dressed in opulent attire.
This was Weilin’s first time witnessing the Illusory Snow Queen hold court.
Remembering Huan Xuezhi’s words from yesterday, Weilin blinked in surprise, thinking: These must be the Snow Kingdom’s “civil and military officials”…
Exactly one hundred of them, really?
Their heads were deeply bowed, their bodies trembling for some unknown reason. Whether it was the profound cold of Cold Dove Hall making them uneasy, or trembling under the pressure of the Illusory Snow Queen’s authority…
At least, Weilin didn’t sense any such pressure.
The Young Majesty, clad in a dreamlike snowy robe, sat silently above the main hall like a floating snowflake, her long icy-blue hair slightly loose, cascading down to her waist, exuding a breathtaking, cold beauty. Her eyes were lightly closed, as if quietly waiting for something.
Standing behind her was Airi, somewhat at a loss but forcing herself to remain composed. It was also her first time witnessing such a scene.
A wide gap had been deliberately opened down the center of the civil and military officials, directly facing Huan Xuezhi.
Huh… Could it be that I’m late?
Yesterday, after executing Wu Gu, who had transformed into a Snow Giant, and returning to her residence at Flowing Firefly Palace, Airi had come to notify her that the court time had been changed from eight o’clock to nine.
…Not only was Weilin not late, she had arrived ten minutes early. It was, at most, eight-fifty now.
Though full of doubts…
“…Ahem.”
The young girl cleared her throat lightly, then stepped into the hall, striding directly through the path the officials had parted for her. She walked to the base of the hall, before the Queen, cupped her hands, and bowed respectfully. “…Lega Weilin, pays respects to Her Majesty the Illusory Snow Queen.”
At that moment, a luxuriously robed, crowned middle-aged man kneeling to Weilin’s left suddenly turned his head, frowning. “Insolent commoner! How dare you not kneel when paying respects to Her Majesty?!”
“…I…”
Weilin had only managed to utter a single word.
Suddenly, in the two-hundred-meter space between Huan Xuezhi and the assembled officials, a swirling snowflake gathered into a small whirlwind, coalescing into the figure of a Snow Maiden. She addressed the man flatly:
“Sir Li, do not be so quick to accuse. Lega Weilin holds the privilege of not kneeling before Her Majesty.”
No kneeling before the Queen?!
Those four words instantly made the civil and military officials hold their breath. Their lowered eyes involuntarily darted sideways, wanting to see who this person was that received a privilege they had never even heard of in their entire lives.
The man addressed as Sir Li immediately turned back in panic, burying his head low. At this time, the Snow Maiden turned to Huan Xuezhi. “Your Majesty, Lega Weilin has arrived.”
The very next second, Huan Xuezhi opened her crystal-like, deep, and dazzling icy-blue eyes.
Coldly overlooking the civil and military officials below, her petal-like, beautiful lips uttered a frosty voice.
“All ministers, rise.”
“Thank you, Her Majesty the Queen—!”
The voices were perfectly synchronized.
But as they stood up, several people, having knelt until their legs were numb, stumbled and fell right back onto the icy floor… And this was right in front of Her Majesty the Queen! How utterly embarrassing!
The next moment, countless unfriendly or angry gazes inexplicably gathered on Weilin, as if she were the source of all their troubles.
Are you sick? What does this have to do with me…?
Wait!
…Could it be that Huan Xuezhi changed the time to nine o’clock for me because, having rendered meritorious service in quelling the rebels, she wanted me to rest a little longer, and so she deliberately made the civil and military officials kneel for nearly an hour?!
Although it sounded rather narcissistic, there seemed to be no other explanation…
“Y-you may now begin reporting the city’s recent affairs…!”
Miss Ranger’s voice was somewhat tense.
No wonder Airi. After all, the Illusory Snow Queen had suddenly asked her, a carefree Ranger, to issue commands on behalf of the Queen whose authority dominated the world. Anyone would find it hard to adapt.
“Reporting to Her Majesty, the First Prince… Wu Yin’s and Wu Gu’s personal assets have all been confiscated. Their families… have also all been stripped of their status as royal Retainers and demoted to Commoners.”
“Reporting to Her Majesty, in the magic competition three days ago, the total number of Snow Essences submitted by all participants was 21,540, a 10% decrease compared to last year. All Snow Essences have now been deposited into the national treasury.”
“Your Majesty, now that Wu Yin and Wu Gu are dead, and the Third and Fourth Princes are nowhere to be found, Mistlight City… and the other three cities have no one holding the City Lord’s seal. Is there a need to…”
“…………”
Attending court for the first time, everything felt so novel to Weilin. Listening to the officials report on the national situation, Weilin should have been enjoying her leisure.
But she always felt something was off about the atmosphere.
Many kept their heads buried very low. It wasn’t so much a gloomy mood as much as it looked like an invisible blade was hanging over the backs of their necks.
Some people, when reporting the nation’s affairs to the Queen, were in a trance, breaking a single sentence into three parts without even realizing it, as if trapped in some immense terror.
…The way Weilin put it, it was like using your tuition money to do two ten-pull gachas, both of which guarantee Tohsaka Tokiomi lecturing you on “maintaining elegance,” only to go home and await a mixed double-beating from your parents… the despair on their faces was exactly like that.
What was going on?
Huan Xuezhi might not be a completely virtuous ruler, but she was certainly no tyrant. The more Weilin thought about it, the more convinced she became that there must be something fishy going on…
Yet Huan Xuezhi acted as if she didn’t notice. Her cold, dignified little face remained utterly impassive.
It wasn’t until the official responsible for city operations and management stepped forward, trembling as if facing a Nightmare. Before he could even speak, his body gave way with a “Thud!” as he knelt down.
“This Humble Minister… reports to Her Majesty the Queen… It was discovered this morning. Last night… in just a single night, on almost every house wall within Illusory Snow City, this… was posted!”
His body trembled violently, his voice filled with terror. With shaking hands, he raised a large scroll of paper above his head, waiting until the Snow Maiden walked over to take it.
“It is from… the Empire’s… Luotendo… issued in the name of avenging a murdered brother… a Declaration of Conquest!”
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