She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 116

How to Deal with a Villain (6)

[Sierra] "A fool must receive the exact consequences of his own actions."

She looked down at the Crown Prince, who screamed relentlessly, speaking in a cold, merciless tone.

Looking down at Amille, who lay collapsed on the floor, barely breathing, Sierra gripped a pain potion in her hand.

The Crown Prince, stripped of everything by the demon, faintly regained consciousness—the perfect moment to inflict extreme pain upon that bastard.

[Sierra] "For now, he is half out of his mind......"

Finishing her words, she trickled the potion onto his face.

[Prince] "Gah, kghhh!"

Perhaps because Sierra poured it wishing he would experience agony far beyond ordinary pain, the Crown Prince distorted his face in anguish. Skin touched by the potion swelled from intense pain.

Driven by the agonizing potion, he thrashed his hands wildly. Yet that lasted only a moment. Breathing heavily, he gasped his last, and life completely left his body.

Sierra shifted her cold gaze away from the corpse and looked at Cassius.

[Sierra] "It is over now."

[Cassius] "No, not yet."

Cassius waved the dagger in his hand, as if revealing a secret weapon. When she showed a puzzled look, he spoke slowly.

[Cassius] "One final event remains."

He wore a relaxed, unbothered expression. His confident demeanor left Sierra momentarily speechless.

Cassius plunged the dagger into the hidden door wall of the Crown Prince's secret room, the very way they had entered.

Thwack—!

True to his reputation as a master swordsman, the wall literally shattered to pieces.

Finally, bright light spilled through the gaping breach. Sierra wore a bewildered expression.

Is something coming down the hallway......?

[Sierra] "Did you have another plan?"

[Cassius] "Yes."

Sierra peered toward the doorway with a puzzled look. Cassius chuckled and added.

[Cassius] "I had one more."

What on earth is his plan?

Sierra narrowed her brows and watched the shattered wall. Through that broken wall walked bewildered nobles and the Emperor, who bore a rigid expression.

How on earth are those people walking in here with such perfect timing......?

---

Approximately twenty minutes prior, inside the Emperor's Palace.

Ezel and Abel adjusted their servant attire and offered awkward coughs.

[Ezel] "I feel like a real servant."

After swallowing the suspicious medicine Cassius had handed them, their bodies transformed. Since no magic-based trickery worked inside the Imperial Palace, Cassius had clearly utilized some special potion......

Ezel rubbed his eyes with a disgusted expression and spoke.

[Ezel] "I swear there were fingernails and hair inside that potion. My handsome face turned into a rat's."

Abel glanced at him and shook his head.

[Abel] "Is that not the face of a servant from the Crown Prince's palace? It looks better than your original face."

[Ezel] "Are you blind......?"

[Abel] "Yeah, I am."

The two bickered as they scurried toward the Emperor's Palace.

Ezel felt appalled by this stupid wolf's taste as he stepped through the gates of the Palace.

Entering the Emperor's Palace proved easy. Upon claiming to be servants carrying urgent secret orders from the Crown Prince, the guards welcomed them warmly.

Indeed, just as Duke Ideos said, the Emperor is desperate to meet the Crown Prince, Ezel thought.

The Crown Prince’s refusal to leave his quarters must have burned the Emperor's insides black with anxiety. Mocking the Emperor's stupidity inwardly, Ezel strode boldly into the Palace.

Currently, various pressing issues and agendas were under discussion inside the Emperor's Palace. Cassius had personally informed Ezel that discussions heavily centered around the Crown Prince.

Heated topics continued to flare up—demanding the Crown Prince's impeachment, warning that his abuse of power could no longer be ignored. Yet he remained trapped inside his palace, offering silence.

Cassius mentioned a late-night conference takes place at precisely this hour.

Ezel strode seamlessly until reaching the council chamber doors. Suddenly, the Emperor's loud voice echoed through the crack in the door.

[Emperor] "There is no way the Crown Prince would plot treason!"

[Noble] "The intelligence report is crystal clear, Your Majesty!"

[Noble] "Otherwise, why would His Highness refuse to show his face?"

[Noble] "His Highness must clarify this in person!"

Nobles whom Cassius had bribed through lobbyists raised their voices. Having received secret orders to thoroughly provoke the Emperor during today's assembly of all officials, the nobles applied intense pressure, bordering on excessive.

Since the shouting carried outside the room, the Crown Prince clearly served as the primary topic of tonight's meeting.

Tsk, time for me to make an entrance.

Now came the time to stir the pot.

Time to run my mouth and do my real job as Information Guild Leader.

He whispered carefully to the knight guarding the council room.

[Ezel] "This humble servant comes from the Crown Prince's palace."

[Knight] "What is it?"

The knight glared at him with an irritated expression.

[Ezel] "His Highness the Crown Prince urgently requests an audience with His Majesty."

[Knight] "An assembly of all officials is underway. State your business later and leave at once."

Facing this unexpected obstacle, Abel's face fell into a pout. Yet Ezel didn't back down, possessing a secret weapon.

Ezel presented the Crown Prince's seal handed over by Cassius, speaking with an intimidating tone.

[Ezel] "This is a matter of critical importance. His Highness emphasized the extreme urgency. I must see His Majesty immediately."

This seal was a forged counterfeit. However, by the time anyone discovered it was fake, the Crown Prince would already lie dead at Cassius' hands anyway.

The knight narrowed his eyes and whispered to the guard beside him. One knight carefully opened the council room door and requested an audience with the Emperor.

And finally......

[Knight] "His Majesty permits you to enter."

Under the guise of the Crown Prince's servant, Ezel stepped into the council assembly chamber. Curious and stinging glances from assembled nobles washed over his cheeks.

This is quite entertaining.

Watching the Emperor, who looked strangely delighted to see the Crown Prince's servants enter unexpectedly, provided the greatest amusement.

Concealing his smirk, Ezel bowed low to the floor.

[Ezel] "A humble servant of the Crown Prince's palace greets His Imperial Majesty of the Great Empire."

The Emperor narrowed his eyes, scanning both figures dressed in the Crown Prince's palace uniform from head to toe.

[Emperor] "Why are the Crown Prince's servants here?"

[Ezel] "It is a matter of immense gravity."

Bright relief soon flushed the Emperor's face, believing the Crown Prince had finally accomplished something.

Observing the shift in the Emperor's expression, Abel played along, pleading dramatically.

[Abel] "His Highness the Crown Prince begs Your Imperial Majesty to visit the Crown Prince's palace at once!"

Ezel glanced at Abel and offered a sly grin, acknowledging that the stupid wolf performed surprisingly well. Picking up where Abel left off, he spoke solemnly.

[Ezel] "His Highness stated it is an exceedingly vital matter, requesting that all civil and military officials accompany Your Majesty as well."

Naturally, it was a lie. Yet the more spectators in attendance, the better.

---

......And that was precisely how everyone gathered in this very room.

[Ezel] "Right this way, Your Majesty!"

Amid noisy commotion, the door burst open.

Key leaders from both the Emperor's faction and the Noble faction, including the Emperor himself, flooded into the underground room. Each person looked around with a horrified expression.

Sierra mentally applauded the unexpected spectacle Cassius had arranged.

With the Emperor and all these nobles gathered here, he has absolutely no escape.

Over twenty high officials who attended the conference—regardless of faction—poured inside, threatening to burst the already narrow secret room at its seams.

[Cassius] "Your Majesty, a tragic misfortune has occurred."

He offered a playful smirk and turned his body aside, allowing everyone to witness the Crown Prince lying motionless on the floor.

Thanks to Cassius' thoughtful arrangement, every person present clearly saw not only the Crown Prince, but also the demon's brand hovering over his forehead and the binding magic circle surrounding his body.

At that moment, an unsuppressible mutter escaped through the Emperor's teeth.

[Emperor] "What on earth is this......?"

Following a tense silence, murmurs erupted among the assembled officials.

[Noble] "Is that not His Highness over there?"

[Noble] "And that is Duke Ideos!"

[Noble] "And who are that child and those women......?"

Allowing the commotion to linger briefly, Cassius took a step forward.

[Cassius] "As you can see on His Highness' forehead, that is the mark of a demon."

The Emperor tried to deny it. However, the symbol floating at the center of the Crown Prince's forehead was unmistakably a demon's mark to anyone.

Nevertheless, he bit his lip and muttered.

[Emperor] "You are all seeing illusions!"

And at that very moment—

As if waiting for that cue, acrid black smoke poured from the Crown Prince's body. Coughs erupted from several frail nobles. Simultaneously, the Crown Prince's body grew scalding hot like a ball of fire, scorching a dark crater into the floor beneath him.

Every single noble witnessed this horrifying scene.

A demon enters the body of the human who summoned it and burns their internal organs. That human then gets dragged down into the Demon Realm alongside the demon—a situation matching popular legend with complete perfection.

Watching the scene like a calm spectator, Cassius spoke in a cynical tone.

[Cassius] "With the emblem, the flames, and the smoke, it would be odd if he were not a demon."

Scanning the room urgently, the Emperor gritted his teeth. If the Crown Prince had summoned a demon, he couldn't sweep it under the rug. Too many eyes watched this unfolding disaster.

The moment the Emperor's face contorted, Cassius stared quietly at the Emperor. An overwhelming pressure emanated from him, one that even the Emperor couldn't ignore.

[Cassius] "His Highness summoned a demon into his body and disrupted the order of the Empire."

Summoning a demon into one's body carried a clear meaning: his soul was defiled and corrupted. Furthermore, an ordinary human would never dare summon a demon. Only someone whose mind was thoroughly destroyed could summon a demon into their own flesh.

The Emperor knew this truth as well, yet he clung desperately to protecting his son.

[Emperor] "My son might not have summoned the demon himself...... No, Duke Ideos! Did you set a trap for him? Could it be that you summoned the demon?"

As the panicked Emperor babbled mindlessly, commotion rippled through the crowd. Those present couldn't help but glare at the Emperor with icy contempt. The Emperor was well aware of their cold stares, yet believed that if he endured this moment, he might somehow cover up the situation later.

Unfortunately for the Emperor, Cassius saw right through his thoughts. He fixed his piercing gaze upon the Emperor as if making a silent threat.

The moment the Emperor involuntarily took a step back, Cassius struck cold like a hawk eyeing its prey.

[Cassius] "Nonsense. Even if I had summoned a demon, if His Highness possessed a pure soul, why would a demon covet his body?"

His words were undeniable. The Emperor widened his eyes in silent defeat, unable to find any way out.

[Emperor] "D-Do you have proof?"

[Cassius] "I do. His Highness is also the true culprit behind the Icarus Murder Case."

His deep shame was unraveling far too easily. His face pale with embarrassment, the Emperor rubbed his dry face in panic and shouted.

[Emperor] "......How dare you say such a thing!"

[Cassius] "Your Majesty, do you wish for me to present every piece of evidence proving that the Crown Prince is a murderer right here on the spot?"

The Emperor knew Duke Ideos was gathering evidence. Yet he had personally erased every piece of proof identifying his son as a killer.

He spoke in a trembling voice.

[Emperor] "......Duke Ideos, if the Crown Prince is not a murderer, you will be branded a traitor. Can you take responsibility for those words?"

At those words, Cassius countered in a low voice.

[Cassius] "I can. If His Highness were not a murderer or someone guilty of equal wickedness, how could he have invited a demon into his body?"

With that, the game was over.

Cold, unforgiving gazes shifted to the Crown Prince, who lay limp after losing his body to the demon.

---

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