Chapter 83

Cyrus finally spotted Paul at the banquet. He met Paul's gaze, and the archbishop clearly understood his look. He pointed to a balcony not far away, hidden by layers of curtains, where His Holiness the Pope was.

How could he tell that the person I was looking for was the Pope? Cyrus pouted, thinking to herself, "Was I being too obvious?"

Cyrus then looked at His Majesty the King, who was clearly still captivated by the Queen's beauty and incredulous. Considering his previous expression and tone, had he not noticed that the Pope had also attended the banquet? Otherwise, how could he have maintained such a calm demeanor after the conflict with the Holy See, upon seeing the Pope?

He certainly didn't notice the Pope's arrival.

So, the question is—how did Segalot Wordsworth Augsger manage to walk into the banquet hall's balcony with those unique golden eyes open?

Cyrus muttered to herself, "His Holiness the Pope's name is really hard to pronounce."

At this moment, King Puli finally snapped out of his daze. Ignoring Joanna Ann's displeased expression and attempts to pull him away, he insisted on walking towards the Queen, his smile more radiant than ever before.

"Praise be to the Creator God! Minina, you look absolutely gorgeous today!"

Puli clearly assumed the Queen had dressed up for him. In fact, he had assumed Minina wouldn't attend the banquet in her name that evening—a assumption Puli had held for years. But now, not only had the Queen appeared, but she was undoubtedly the jewel of the evening, her radiance surpassing that of any other woman. Under such circumstances, the King's mistresses standing so openly in the banquet hall... made the situation somewhat awkward for the parties involved.

This was the first time His Majesty had felt somewhat embarrassed, not to mention his mistresses. To become the king's lovers, they were obviously beautiful and charming, but compared to the queen's nobility and elegance tonight, they were like the moon hanging in the night sky, while they were like dim stars completely obscured by the bright moonlight, without even a trace of pitiful light.

Their composure was clearly insufficient to maintain the unrestrained smiles and arrogance that had just been on their faces; now they were stiff and awkward, and the wheat powder they had been using was practically falling off their faces, making them look somewhat ridiculous.

Cyrus discovered that among His Majesty's mistresses, Joanna was indeed the most favored. Only Jona could immediately adjust her facial expression after a moment of embarrassment, and curl the corners of her mouth into an elegant smile.

Unable to stop the king from walking in the direction of the queen, she actually followed him, feather fan in hand... Sometimes shamelessness is linked to courage, and Lady Jona has honed both quite well.

Orville spoke to him and walked toward where the King of Helgoda was. Darnell finished his wine in one gulp and left as well, leaving Robert alone with Cyrus.

He whispered, "Look at Tosi Cavendish, his expression is absolutely awful. I bet if it weren't for the party, he would have just turned around and walked away."

Cyrus looked over, a slightly reserved smile on her face, "He could actually just turn around and leave. You have to believe that not many people care about him. People won't even notice he's gone now, except, of course, for the knights on duty outside the palace."

Robert glanced at Cyrus with a slightly peculiar look. "Oh, my lord, I must commend your skill in speaking."

"Thank you," Cyrus said with a polite smile.

Tosi Cavendish's expression grew increasingly grim and furious. After the Queen once again delivered a merciless sarcastic remark to Joanna, he finally strode over.

At the banquet, people's eyes had already been subtly fixed on the three people. Even though the emperor and queen were among them, it did not prevent the nobles from maintaining polite smiles while secretly watching the show.

Minina couldn't muster any emotion towards Puli; she didn't even seem to notice him. She slightly raised her chin and coldly said, "Who gave His Majesty the wrong impression, making him believe I attended this banquet for your sake?"

Don't you think it's ridiculous?

Puli's face instantly darkened.

Joanna partially concealed her chin with a feather fan and chuckled, "If it weren't for His Majesty, who else would it be for, Your Majesty? At this banquet... is there anyone else worthy of Your Majesty's elaborate attire...?"

She swept her gaze around the banquet hall with an ambiguous look, focusing on the aristocratic gentlemen, while the ladies frowned at her malice.

His Majesty the King's face began to flash with lightning, turning completely black.

Minina, however, showed no sign of anger or embarrassment. Her expression remained unchanged as she uttered the most scathing words. "I am clearly not like you, Madam, who would shamelessly climb into another man's bed."

"You are just as filthy as Puli Cavendish."

Joanna's face changed, turning pale and then flushed.

The king, unable to contain his anger any longer, was about to shout a rebuke when Tosi arrived and spoke first.

"Enough is enough!" Tosi pointed his finger at Minina's nose and roared, "Who do you think you're talking to?! The person standing in front of you is His Majesty the King of the Anas Empire, your husband!"

"Your Majesty, shouldn't you show some respect?"

Minina didn't need to do anything; her mere presence exuded arrogance, her sharp brows capable of piercing the heart. "Who do you think you're talking to?! The person standing before you is the esteemed Queen of the Anas Empire, not some lowly illegitimate child like you to point your finger at me and lecture me! Your mother is nothing but a lowly mistress, and you even try to stand up for her by invoking the King's authority, attempting to force me to lower my head and let a bunch of ridiculous people talk amongst themselves—this is an insult to me!"

Tosi almost took a step back, provoked by her overly sharp words.

Well said!

Cyrus almost wanted to applaud the Queen's bold remarks. Looking at the faces of the King, Lady Jona, and Tosi, they looked as if they had just been punched in the face, their skin bruised and swollen.

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The king's other mistresses, realizing the situation seemed unfavorable, slowly retreated, not wanting to get involved.

The nobles, however, felt that the situation was developing in an unexpected direction... somewhat out of their control.

Some were even thinking: Wait a minute... wasn't this birthday banquet a setup to force the Lord of Desinia to hand over the White Sugar Formula?!

How did it veer off course towards "family conflict"?!

Puli finally had a chance to speak, and he shouted angrily, "Minina, shut your mouth!"

You have no right to order me around!

Puli looked furious, hissing in a low voice, "I am the king!"

Minina suddenly laughed, "Perhaps you're right about one thing. To some extent, I came here tonight for you."

"But when this banquet ends, you will no longer be the king of the Anas Empire."

If the first sentence had somewhat improved Puli's expression, the last sentence immediately made his face turn ashen and ugly.

Watch your words!

Minina glanced at him dismissively. "I swear to the Creator God! Puli Cavendish, do you dare say how you obtained your throne?"

Puli's face grew even more somber.

He seemed to want to say something, but Minina didn't give him the chance, turning to Joanna, whose expression was somewhat pale, and said, "I think Lady Jona should understand best, and know most clearly, after all, the two of you were already having an affair before Lawrence died."

Cyrus was caught off guard and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

The nobles at the banquet were clearly taken aback by the Queen's words; they abandoned all pretense of elegance, and a cacophony of sounds erupted.

"What does the Queen mean?! Is His Majesty's throne not legitimate?!"

"What do you mean, Joanna and His Majesty the King were already having an affair before Lawrence died? Is Lawrence referring to the former Crown Prince?!"

"By the Creator God... I'm a little confused."

"Could it be that the eldest prince died...?"

Seeing the situation escalate to the point of almost spiraling out of control, Puli growled, "What exactly do you want to do?! Are you plotting a rebellion?!"

Minina said slowly, "Yes, you're right. This is the first time I've agreed with you."

Puli gasped, then roared furiously, "Are you crazy?!"

He roared in fury, "Guards! Guards! Drag this madwoman away! I will depose her from her position as queen!"

A slight blush appeared on Joanna's pale face; she began to get excited because of Puli's words.

Regardless of what Minina knows, the current King of the Anas Empire is Puli, and he is the one in charge. Minina, a woman who can no longer bear children, cannot threaten his position!

To Joanna's disappointment and confusion, despite the king's furious shouts, not a single knight appeared at the banquet, and not even the servants made a move.

Joanna began to feel uneasy, and she shouted, "What are you all standing there for?! Quickly drag this woman away who is talking nonsense and disrespecting the king!"

Nobody paid any attention to her.

Cyrus also sensed something was wrong. He looked around. Robert was still standing beside him, while Orville stood beside the King of Helgoda, coldly and calmly observing everything that was happening at the banquet. Darnell, however, was nowhere to be seen.

No, there are far fewer servants now.

Outside the hall, there were vaguely visible figures carrying guns, but no one came in despite Puli's calls.

Some nobles also began to feel uneasy.

Just as Cyrus was about to take a few steps forward, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from behind and wrapped around his waist, warm breath brushing against his ear...

Cyrus was startled and turned her head, meeting a pair of golden eyes that held a hint of a smile, "You...?!"

His Holiness the Pope appeared at some point, and Archbishop Paul stood not far from him.

Robert bowed respectfully to the Pope, and after Segalot nodded, he secretly winked at Cyrus before turning and leaving.

Cyrus watched him walk toward Grand Duke Orville.

"What's going on?!" Cyrus asked in a low voice.

He now understood something: how Segalot had walked into the banquet hall with his bright golden eyes open without being noticed by King Puli. Clearly, it was a pre-arranged plan specifically targeting Puli Cavendish.

Segalot whispered in his ear, "Shh, Little Rose, relax, and watch the show."

Cyrus tilted her head.

Just then, a series of footsteps, not to be ignored, came from outside the hall—particularly noticeable amidst the chaotic banquet.

Everyone unconsciously looked over.

Cyrus looked up, her eyes widening in surprise, and murmured, "... Boris."

The person who arrived was Boris, followed by Darnell, who had disappeared earlier.