Sure enough, Samuel immediately revealed the reason for the "cheating."
"Cheating is a shameless act that disgraces honor and fairness," Samuel said with a bitter smile. "But my strength was not enough to earn third place. In order to obtain the third-place prize, the Sacred Marrow Fruit, I had no choice but to do this."
"Sacred Marrow Fruit? Is it some treasure that can increase one's strength?"
Samuel hesitated slightly. "It has nothing to do with increasing strength, but it is the only thing capable of treating... that lady."
"That Highness?" Chen Rui was startled. Samuel's loyalty to him was beyond doubt, yet he would rather violate his principles and cheat in order to obtain the Sacred Marrow Fruit to treat "that lady" rather than "His Majesty." Chen Rui found this somewhat difficult to understand.
Samuel seemed even more surprised and asked tentatively, "Does Your Highness not remember?"
Chen Rui found it increasingly strange. "I told you before that after I fell into the Demon Realm back then, I lost many memories. Who exactly is this 'lady' you spoke of?"
"Your Highness truly does not remember..." Samuel's expression turned rather peculiar. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke a name. "Lady Veronica?"
The instant that name fell upon Chen Rui's ears, a fragment of memory deep within his soul suddenly trembled and began to ripple beyond his control.
Amid the tremors, a pair of beautiful eyes, as deep as the ocean, gradually came into focus.
Within that gentle gaze lay a faint sorrow.
This was a memory fragment belonging to the body's original owner, Arthur, the third prince of the Dragon Brilliance Empire. Though Chen Rui had already merged with Arthur's memories, as the dominant consciousness, even with his current strength, he still could not erase or forget those