novelzi Chapter 137 Scandal
Chapter 137 Scandal
Prince William's eyes lit up as he quickly asked, "Please, speak!"
"It wouldn't be appropriate to reject this marriage outright," Earl Evan replied smoothly, pouring himself another glass of champagne. "But if Miss Vera's reputation were tarnished, the Modiwen family would naturally have an excuse to cancel the wedding and still maintain the dignity of the half-elf royal family."
"Her reputation tarnished?" Prince William echoed.
"Exactly." Earl Evan swirled his champagne leisurely. "Have you heard of the recent chaos in the North?"
"I've heard bits and pieces..."
"Then you must know the Black Cavalry played a decisive role. Yet, strangely, they didn't receive significant rewards afterward."
Prince William's thoughts raced. He immediately guessed where this was going. "Are you referring to the envoy from the North—Luis Hartmann—who is escorting the bride this time?"
"Precisely. Isn't it odd that Baron Hartmann wasn't recognized for his contributions?"
Prince William nodded emphatically. "It is strange!"
Earl Evan set his glass down and leaned forward, speaking in a conspiratorial tone. "Hehe, What if... what if Luis and Vera were secret lovers?"
Earl Evan snapped his fingers, his confidence palpable. "Think about it. Luis Hartmann as Vera's true love, separated by cruel circumstances. Perhaps the Duke changed his mind at the last minute and arranged for Vera to marry the half-elf royal family instead."
"So, what you're suggesting is..."
"People adore a tragic love story, William. You simply need to fabricate their past—embellish it with some romantic, sorrowful details—and have the bards spread the tale in Silvermoon City."
Prince William hesitated, frowning slightly. "But as far as I know, there's no evidence they were ever lovers."
"William," Earl Evan said with a smirk, "what we show becomes the truth. Even if it starts as a lie, it can become real."
"Brilliant!" Prince William exclaimed, his face lighting up. He clapped his hands together, thoroughly convinced. "This is genius—thank you!"
Anna, who had been silently observing, frowned. She hadn't expected her brother to propose such a morally questionable plan.
'I don't know if Prince William is truly naive or just foolish, but he actually thinks this is a good idea,' she thought.
Earl Evan seemed unimpressed by the prince's overenthusiastic gratitude. With a curt dismissal, he sent Prince William on his way.
Once the door closed, Anna turned toward her brother, her expression one of disdain. "This is your clever idea? Honestly, it's a bit..."
"Despicable? Vulgar? Or are you suggesting it's completely pointless?" Earl Evan asked, his tone calm as he poured himself another drink.
Anna crossed her arms, her lips pursed in disapproval. "Didn't you claim Dressrosa had a guaranteed strategy to win? Even if your plan prevents Vera from marrying into the half-elf royal family, what's the ultimate point?"
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"Offending the Hartmann family is a bad idea," Anna said firmly. "They're constantly fighting orcs and have a formidable army. Unless a fourth-stage knight or mage intervenes, ordinary cavalry would be foolish to challenge them head-on."
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Earl Evan spread his hands nonchalantly. "I have to do something, Anna. Otherwise, I'll have nothing to report to my superiors when I return.
Besides, we can use this opportunity to gauge the strength of both our allies and our enemies. The opposition's level is still unknown, but our allies..." He smirked. "Ah, they seem rather dim-witted. This only strengthens my belief that the North will prevail this time."
"So, you gave Prince William that terrible advice just to satisfy Father?" Anna asked, incredulous.
"What else?" Earl Evan shrugged. "Duke Dressrosa clearly wants his own daughter dead. Do you think we can stop him? Maybe Luis Hartmann was sent by the Duke of the North specifically to carry out this mission and kill Vera.
Asmon, observing Luis's growing anger, was utterly speechless.
Luis's fury seemed ready to shake the heavens.
The rumors were outright lies, fabricated with just enough plausibility to appear credible.
For instance, one rumor claimed that Luis and Vera had frequently ridden horses together.
Another described how they supposedly met at Love Lake, a chance encounter that blossomed into mutual affection.
It was even said that Luis had specifically requested to escort Vera to her wedding, a desperate attempt to personally deliver his beloved to a foreign kingdom.
The tales painted a tragic yet romantic story, one that might have been believable—if Luis weren't himself the subject of these baseless accusations.
For a moment, Asmon couldn't help but think: If Luis weren't the protagonist of this mess, even I might be convinced by such an emotional tale.
"Luis, this matter has now spread throughout the city. Even many half-elves have begun organizing parades, demanding that Vera undergo an examination to prove her innocence!" Asmon said, his expression calm despite the gravity of his words.
"Are you kidding me? This is a mess, and you brought it straight to me!" Luis snapped, his frustration boiling over. "My reputation—this is a disaster!"
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"This is a naked conspiracy," he muttered, narrowing his eyes as he studied Asmon's expressionless face.
"What do you think?" Luis finally asked.
"Let's test it," Asmon replied, his voice steady and righteous.
Luis raised an eyebrow. "Are you... sure?"
"Of course!" Asmon declared confidently. "All these accusations questioning Vera's innocence are slanderous fabrications. Arrange for the physical examination. Once the results are out, the rumors will naturally be refuted."
Luis's expression darkened.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You sneak into her room daily," he said coldly, though there was a hint of a smirk.
Asmon remained unmoved, his face betraying no emotion.
Luis shook his head. To him, this was all just a ridiculous show. He didn't care about the rumors—not really.
In fact, he thought the whole plan was laughably bad.
If the Modiwen family dared to conduct an examination and somehow concluded that Vera wasn't innocent, it would be the equivalent of slapping the Dressrosa family in the face.
Such an act would undoubtedly escalate into a major scandal, if not outright conflict.
Luis smirked. This reeks of Prince William's handiwork.
That fool was clearly trying to sabotage his brother's wedding to Vera, but his methods were... clumsy, to say the least.
Still, Luis couldn't entirely dismiss another possibility—a deeper conspiracy orchestrated by rival factions.
The rumors could have been deliberately spread to force the Modiwen family into offending the Dressrosa family, isolating the Half-Elf Kingdom and pushing them to seek alliances elsewhere.
Luis's thoughts were interrupted by Asmon's next words.
"Rest assured, Luis. The one overseeing Vera's examination will be none other than the Half-Elf Queen herself. You'll be free from criticism, and I'll make sure Vera and I escape this city if things take a turn for the worse."