Chapter 235

"Yes, but I have something to say," Tianna said. "I have two things to apologize for, but at the same time—I also want to tell you that I haven't broken any of our agreements."

"You've completely broken your promises regarding both Fossbarrow and Lux..." Chen Ce gradually narrowed his eyes.

Tianna replied firmly, "These are precisely the two things I wanted to talk about."

"How do you plan to argue your case?"

"This isn't an excuse, it's a defense—first, I deeply regret what happened to you in Fossbarrow, but that wasn't the person I was looking for."

"If it wasn't you, then did I hire someone to commit suicide?" Chen Ce couldn't help but laugh out loud again.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Tianna explained again, her tone full of sincerity—perhaps in a sense she wasn't lying:

"I instructed Eldred to find a way to remove your status Mageseekers, ideally by officially expelling you from Demacia —because your presence makes me feel unsafe. I acknowledge all of that, but I did not instruct Eldred to take any action against you."

"I know that even if I really banish you, you'll find a way back, or even come looking for revenge, but that will take time, right? Besides... it doesn't violate our agreement, because I didn't intend to hurt you, did I?"

"Even so, Eldred still took it upon herself to have you murdered... I admit that, so this is the first thing I need to apologize to you for."

After saying this, Tianna bowed sincerely.

But Chen Ce just found it laughable. "You don't actually think you can absolve yourself of all responsibility like this, do you? Why do you think Eldred would do that?"

"Regardless, I haven't broken the agreement not to lay a hand on you," Tianna insisted on her theory.

Chen Ce scoffed, then drew his longsword directly from its sheath. "Sorry, I don't really like playing word games."

Facing the sharp blade that could take her life at any moment, a bead of sweat finally appeared on Tianna's fair forehead, but her face remained expressionless.

She continued, "The second thing I want to apologize for is about Luxanna —again, I didn't break the agreement."

"You're manipulating her marriage; isn't that a violation of the agreement?"

"No. I only mentioned it to His Majesty the King, but I did not coerce Luxanna into marrying him. Whether this political marriage will go through depends on Luxanna and His Majesty the King. I did not force anyone; I merely mentioned it."

"If you don't pull strings behind the scenes, do you think this political marriage can succeed?" Chen Ce asked with a smile.

Lux doesn't want to marry, Jarvan IV himself is against political marriages; how can it possibly succeed if they have to do it themselves?

If they dared to do this under such circumstances, how could they not have been secretly plotting something?

A despicable lie.

Chen Ce neither scoffed nor believed it.

To his surprise, Tianna nodded confidently and firmly, "Yes."

"Why?" Chen Ce was almost laughing in exasperation.

"Because of His Majesty the King."

"Tell me."

"The one who most hopes this political marriage will proceed smoothly right now is His Majesty the King." Tianna gently shook her head, then slowly began her "sophistry":

"His Majesty the King has already felt a slight threat to the power we Eldred, but he still has a trump card to end this—in other words, he can take back Eldred power immediately if he so chooses."

"But that would further damage Demacia, which is already in a state of turmoil."

"Therefore, His Majesty cannot do that; therefore, His Majesty's concerns are more for His Highness the Prince."

"His Majesty the King has the means to suppress us now, but he can't guarantee that His Highness the Prince will still be able to suppress us in a few years or a decade. Therefore, he must find a trump card for His Highness the Prince."

As she spoke, Tianna turned around and picked up Lux's copied homework from the desk.

"The marriage alliance with the Crownguard family is His Majesty the King's trump card for His Highness the Prince."

"Doesn't this just increase the power of your Crownguard family and pose a greater threat to the royal family?" Chen Ce retorted subconsciously, but he had already vaguely sensed something.

"In the short term, yes." Tianna nodded in agreement without hesitation, "But as I said before, His Majesty the King is not afraid of the current Crownguard family —even if we gain more power."

"His Majesty the King is worried that the future Crownguard family will be detrimental to His Highness the Prince."

"But if... Luxanna changed her surname from Crownguard to Lightshield, who would she want to rule Demacia in the future?"

"Are they her distant 'family members,' or her own flesh and blood?"

"There is no precedent for a woman to rule in Demacia."

After saying this, Tianna immediately knelt down on one knee.

"I have said all I have to say. I am willing to apologize to you, but I do not admit that I broke our agreement—I neither laid a hand on you nor forced Luxanna to do anything she did not want to do."

Seeing the Grand Marshal, who was second only to the emperor, kneel before him, Chen Ce fell silent for a moment.

What this old woman said...

Although it sounds awkward, but...

She has a point.

From Jarvan III's perspective, marrying Lux to Jarvan IV is indeed the most conservative choice right now—during his years as king, he was able to suppress the Crownguard family and also make Lux a member of his Lightshield Family, so even if he relinquished some power, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Once he's finished, if there are any of his own people in the Crownguard family, which poses the greatest threat... then Jarvan IV's chances of stabilizing the situation will greatly increase.

When that time comes, who will Lux side with?

Should she risk her life and death to stage a coup for her hated aunt, or should she ensure that her future child with Jarvan IV rightfully inherits the throne?

The answer is obvious.

This move, which may seem like a further decentralization, is actually paving the way for the future.

"So, do you understand?" After a moment's pause, Tianna continued, "It was never me who wanted to force Luxanna into a marriage alliance with the prince... it was His Majesty the King."

Chen Ce scratched his head in silence, feeling a bit annoyed.

Tianna continued her nagging, "It was Eldred who attacked you, and His Majesty the King who pressured Luxanna. I haven't broken any of my agreements with you... Am I wrong?"

"Yes, you're right." Chen Ce nodded.

"Then, I apologize, but please keep your promise."

"Can."

Hmm...? Chen Ce's casual agreement made Tianna a little strange.

She was prepared for the other party to go berserk and even kill her without regard for anything else, but the result was... she accepted it so easily?

Tianna looked puzzled.

Chen Ce smiled kindly, "You must be finding this strange now, right? Don't be surprised, I know—if I said I didn't accept it and wanted to kill you, you would say something like, 'Even if you kill me, the threat from the Crownguard family will still exist, and someone else will take my place after I die,' right?"

"..." Tianna fell silent.

That's a tacit agreement.

She... did indeed think that way.

Her only worry was that Chen Ce would say something like, "Killing you is useless, but it'll be satisfying."

Fortunately, Chen Ce didn't say that.

He suddenly sheathed his sword.

Tianna became increasingly puzzled.

And I became increasingly... uneasy.

This unease reached its peak when Chen Ce spoke with a smile:

"What you said makes perfect sense. This is a complex political game, and personal grudges are insignificant in comparison."

"So... um... I was thinking, maybe..."

Chen Ce scratched his head again, like a naive young man who was unaware of the ways of the world.

"How about I flip the chessboard over? I'm getting a little tired of playing this."

"Hmm...?" This question left Tianna completely puzzled.

Reason told her that this was a joke—how could an individual possibly "overturn the game" in the face of an entire nation? But emotion told her...

A sense of foreboding... she always felt...

The young man in front of me...

It's really possible...

"I've been in Demacia for quite a while now, and I originally intended to resolve this peacefully... but you guys are really a bit too much of a nuisance."

Chen Ce shook his head and then squatted down.

Their eyes met, the distance between them no more than half a meter.

"Anyway, I've already gotten quite a bit of what I wanted, and continuing to waste my time with you guys would be a waste of time... Let's just be direct, stop playing this game, I'm too lazy to gamble with you anymore--"

"You two are not a good match."

Taking a direct, forceful approach initially would have made it difficult to increase hero interaction levels and establish a foothold in Demacia, but things are different now...

At this point in time, changing the approach might yield fewer benefits, but given the current situation, it can still generate considerable profits, and from a time-saving perspective, it also improves cost-effectiveness.

It's better than going all in from the start; it's better than continuing to play such a lousy game.

"What... are you saying?" Tianna swallowed nervously.

Then a strong hand gripped her cheeks—just like that night.

"What I mean is, I'm sparing your life not out of mercy, but because I want you to see firsthand how ridiculous the power and status you've schemed for all your life truly are... I'll let you taste real despair."

"Whether it's the Crownguard family or the Demacia royal family, it's all coming to an end... This game is over, and I've turned the tables."

"Next, I will make you watch as everything you've painstakingly built crumbles and vanishes like sand..."

After saying that, Chen Ce flicked his wrist lightly.

Tianna weighed over a hundred pounds, was thrown against the wall like a light piece of white paper.

Without the protection of armor, her fragile flesh and blood immediately felt a sharp pain—she felt as if her internal organs had been displaced, a slightly sweet taste filled her throat, and her thin clothing was torn open.

She didn't even have the strength to cover up her exposed areas.

Chen Ce slowly stood up and then strode away.

He didn't speak, but the magic within him had already begun to circulate.

Almost instantly, three red-eyed, black-feathered ravens simultaneously screamed and landed in three different corners of the world.

Immortal Bastion.

Placidium.

Freljord Alliance...

Chapter Ninety-Three: The Decline of Demacia Was Inevitable

Chen Ce came to Demacia for only two things --

First, find a few heroes whose interaction levels are easy to increase and farm them aggressively.

Second, establish your own power in Demacia, just like in other countries and regions, to prepare for the future arrival of the Void.

Therefore, the best way to achieve these two goals to the greatest extent is undoubtedly to resolve the trouble peacefully—by properly increasing the interaction rate of the [heroes], properly building up connections and reputation, and properly gaining control of the discourse little by little...

This is the best way to achieve the desired outcome.

However, given the current situation, this may no longer be the optimal solution.

Tianna and Eldred are constantly in trouble, and the old king has clearly lost his mind because of Barrett's death. Conflicts between various Mageseekers and sorcerers are increasing...

These issues can be resolved one by one, but it will definitely take a considerable amount of time.

It also requires a lot of unnecessary effort.

It's exhausting and too difficult to outmaneuver those seasoned veterans who have been in officialdom for over a decade or even several decades.

If we continue to let them lead us by the nose, we might waste time and energy without getting the results we want.

That would be a losing proposition.

In this situation, let's just stop playing altogether.

If you want to play dirty tricks, I won't; if you want to bring up political issues, I'll confront you head-on; if you want to use all sorts of restrictions to bind me, I'll just send a massive army to break all the shackles.

Anyway, I've already gained a lot of goodwill with Sona and Lux, unexpectedly obtained Nocturne's power from Fossbarrow, and befriended the most "human" Aspects... These gains are more than enough.