48: Chapter 48 The Assassin's Blade and the Princess's "Invitation"

The master of Ironforge, Prince Thorin Bronzebeard of the Dwarf Kingdom—holding bonds worth 100,000 gold coins, plus the mining rights to three rune mines for the next ten years as collateral.

This list continued to scroll down, practically encompassing all the prominent nobles, temple bishops, chamber of commerce presidents throughout the entire Northern Territory, and even a few tribal chiefs of other races with ambiguous ties to the empire.

An invisible web woven by interests, centered on Blackstone Territory, firmly bound all the powerful figures of the Northern Territory.

Ella's fingers turned slightly white from gripping, and she finally understood why this remote, godforsaken Blackstone Territory could explode with such astonishing productivity overnight.

Levi wasn't using his own money; he was using the money of the entire Northern Territory to bet on himself.

He had pulled everyone onto his war chariot. Anyone who dared to move against Blackstone Territory would become the public enemy of the entire Northern Territory's aristocracy.

This was a complete madman, a gambler with audacious courage!

"Your Highness, you see," Levi's voice was as calm as if discussing the weather, "The Royal Family can buy the Byron Family's assets, but they cannot buy away the investment confidence of so many important figures in the Northern Territory. What they trust is Blackstone Territory's bright 'money' prospects and the Byron Family's credibility, not a parachuted 'Northern Territory Industrial Office'."

“Are you threatening the Royal Family?” Julius’s voice was already tinged with chilling killing intent, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

“No, I am stating a fact.” Levi met his gaze without fear. “I am just a poor, debt-ridden lord, who must repay ancestral debts and be responsible to new investors. If I default, my fate would probably be far worse than offending the Royal Family.”

The air in the dining room was so heavy it felt as if water might drip from it.

Ella closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, her emerald eyes were filled with icy calm.

From the very beginning, she had fallen into the trap he meticulously wove.

That massive old debt, seemingly a weakness, had instead become Levi's strongest armor, giving all his actions the most logical explanation.

And this new debt, enough to sway the entire situation in the Northern Territory, was his true trump card.

To annex?

The question now was, who was annexing whom?

The morning light pierced through the thin mist, gilding the rough castle of Blackstone Territory with a soft golden hue.

In the open space in front of the castle, a temporary high platform had been erected.

On the backdrop of the platform, an elegant and eye-catching line of text was embroidered in both Common and Elven languages: “Dawn Princess's Honor Fund” Inauguration Ceremony.

Thousands of subjects, Dwarf craftsmen, human laborers, and even some traveling merchants who had heard the news, packed the square.

Their faces were alight with excitement and anticipation, their gazes fixed on the figure on the high platform.

Her Royal Highness Princess Ella Radiance was now standing at the front of the stage, her voice, amplified by a simple magic device, clearly reaching every corner of the square.

A proper and gentle smile graced her face, and her voice, clear and melodious, spoke of the Royal Family's care for its subjects and her personal respect for the hardworking people of Blackstone Territory.

Levi stood quietly half a step behind her, like a dutiful foil.

He could feel how stiff the muscles were beneath the princess's well-fitted pale gold gown.

He could also imagine the fury contained within those beautiful emerald eyes at this moment.

But what did it matter?

The cheers of the populace surged higher and higher, especially when Ella announced that the foundation's first funds would be used to establish a free primary school for the children of all workers in Blackstone Territory, the entire square erupted.

“Long live Her Royal Highness the Princess!”

“Radiance forever!”

Amidst the deafening shouts, Ella completed her final procedure—personally handing a badge symbolizing royal glory to Levi, announcing that he would manage the foundation's daily operations on her behalf.

When her fingertips touched Levi's hand, he could distinctly feel the bone-chilling cold.

The ceremony finally concluded amidst the fervent adoration of the people.

Ella, surrounded by guards, smiled and waved to the crowd, returning to the castle with elegant steps.

The heavy castle gates slowly closed behind her, cutting off all the external clamor.

In that instant, the smile on her face melted away like ice and snow, replaced by a chilling frost.

“Everyone out!”

Her voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

The accompanying maids and castle servants were struck dumb with fear, bowing and retreating. In a blink, only three people remained in the vast reception hall.

Ella, Levi, and Julius, who stood guard by the princess's side like a door god.

“Levi Byron!” Ella suddenly spun around, no longer able to maintain her composure. Her emerald eyes blazed with fury. “Immediately! Right now! Abolish this so-called damn fund! Stop this ridiculous and despicable farce!”

Her chest heaved violently, clearly indicating her immense anger.

Being forced by an open scheme to sign that bond subscription agreement had already made her feel greatly humiliated.

And today, this man had gone even further, using her name and the Royal Family's reputation to win over the people for himself!

This was no longer a simple provocation; it was outright kidnapping!

Levi's expression remained calm, as if he wasn't facing the thunderous wrath of an imperial princess, but merely an unreasonable customer.

He even had the leisure to walk to a nearby table and pour himself a glass of water.

“Your Highness, please calm your anger.” He said unhurriedly, holding the glass of water. “It's probably too late to revoke it now.”

“What do you mean?” Ella’s voice grew even colder.

“It means that the establishment of the 'Dawn Princess's Honor Fund' has been witnessed by thousands of subjects. They heard your promise and felt your 'benevolence.'” A faint curve played on Levi's lips. “If you revoke it now, what do you think they will think?”

He paused, looking directly at Ella, and said word by word, “They won’t think I’m deceiving them. They will only think that the high and mighty Princess, the heir to the Radiant Empire, merely played a prank on them on a whim. They will feel that a noble’s promise is indeed as cheap as a roadside pebble, to be picked up or discarded at any time.”

“You!”

Ella was choked speechless by these words, her face alternating between green and white.

She had never imagined that one day, her own reputation would be used as a weapon, turned back against her.

“Instead of thinking about how to resolve this, Your Highness,” Levi took two steps forward, his voice softening with a coaxing, seductive power, “why don’t you think about it from a different angle? Since the foundation has already been established, and the die is cast, why not simply turn the tables and truly make it a window for the Royal Family to connect with the common people, a tool to win over the hearts of the Northern Territory?”

“Think about it, when the children of the Northern Territory study and learn in schools funded by the Royal Family, when impoverished families receive relief from the Royal Family’s fund, who will they be grateful to? Who will they pledge their loyalty to? Is it those lords who only know how to collect taxes, or the Radiant Royal Family, far away yet able to bring them tangible benefits?”

His words were like a devil's whisper, each word precisely striking a chord in Ella's heart as a politician.

She had to admit, the prospect he painted was extremely tempting.

But the thought that all control lay in the hands of this despicable man filled Ella with a visceral disgust.

“Stop your deceptive rhetoric!” she snapped. “I will not let you use the Royal Family's reputation to achieve your unspeakable goals! I'll say it one last time, withdr—!”

Her words abruptly ceased.

A sudden change occurred at that very moment.

A dark shadow, like a venomous snake lurking in the depths, erupted without warning from among the group of attendants not far behind Ella!

It was a seemingly ordinary male attendant, still wearing a humble smile, but his movements were as swift as lightning and utterly silent.

In his hand, he held a dark green dagger, its blade gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the sunlight streaming through the window, clearly coated with potent venom.

His target was not the princess, who was within arm's reach, but Levi, who stood in front of the princess, confronting her!

The dagger plunged straight towards Levi's back, at a tricky angle, and the timing was perfectly precise, right at the peak of their verbal confrontation, when their minds were most tense.

This thrust was silent, swift, and deadly!

Too fast!

So fast that even Julius, who had maintained a high level of vigilance, only had time to let out a roar, his body's reaction completely unable to keep up.

His duty was to protect the princess, and his entire attention was focused on Levi, guarding against any potential harm Levi might inflict upon the princess.

He never dreamed that the danger would come from the princess's own retinue!

In the reception hall, time seemed to slow infinitely.

Levi's pupils contracted sharply. He saw the fleeting expression on Ella's face, transforming from anger to astonishment, and in her emerald eyes, he saw the deadly cold light rapidly approaching from behind him.

His body had already begun to react, attempting to turn aside and dodge.

The distance was too close, and the opponent's speed was too great.

The shadow of death had never loomed so tangibly as it did now.

However, just as the poisoned dagger was about to touch Levi's back.

A faint, almost imperceptible whoosh sounded.

A flash of silver, faster than the assassin's dagger, shot out like a meteor from the shadows beside Levi!

It was a silver needle, as fine as an ox's hair.

The silver needle, arriving later but striking first, accurately hit the wrist of the man disguised as an attendant—Moriarty—on his dagger-wielding right hand.

“Ugh!”

A suppressed groan.

Moriarty felt a sharp, piercing pain in his wrist, followed by a strange numbing sensation that instantly spread throughout his entire arm.

His fingers, gripping the dagger, involuntarily loosened.

“Clang!”

The dark green dagger fell onto the polished stone floor, emitting a crisp clang that was particularly jarring in the silent reception hall.

Having missed his strike, Moriarty's

He showed no desire to prolong the fight, not even glancing to see where the silver needle came from. His body twisted at an incredible angle, and his other hand shot toward his mouth like lightning.

He intended to bite down on the poison sac hidden in his molar!

But someone was faster than him.

A slender and deadly figure, like a phantom, glided out from the shadows beside Levi.

Evelyn!

She had been there all along, as quiet as a statue, so much so that everyone had subconsciously overlooked her presence.

At this moment, the succubus stewardess's face held no trace of allure, only icy killing intent.

Her movements were fluid and graceful; her left hand, fingers like hooks, precisely clasped Moriarty's wrist as he reached for his mouth, while simultaneously her right knee fiercely struck his lower jaw.

“Crack!”

A bone-chilling crunch.

Moriarty's jaw was dislocated by the heavy blow, and his attempt to crush the poison sac came to an abrupt halt.

The intense pain made him let out an indistinct wail, and his body was sent flying backward by the immense force.

Only then did Julius finally react. He let out a lion-like roar, drew the longsword from his waist, and with a single stride, positioned himself in front of the princess, firmly shielding her behind him, his sword pointed directly at the fallen assassin.

“Guards! Assassin!”

His roar echoed through the castle.

A flurry of footsteps and clanging armor sounded from outside the door, and the castle guard, already on standby, instantly rushed in, filling the reception hall to the brim.

Spears like a forest, sword-shields like a wall.

Moriarty, subdued on the ground by Evelyn, looked at the inescapable net before him.

He suddenly arched his body, and a gush of black blood, mixed with shredded flesh, erupted from his mouth and nose.

He had, with his last ounce of strength, forcibly bitten through the poison sac!

After a few convulsions, the failed assassin breathed his last, a strange sense of relief frozen on his face.

The entire reception hall plunged into a deathly silence, a chaotic stillness.

Everyone was terrified by the sudden, swift turn of events, their faces pale.

Princess Ella's face was ashen. She looked at the corpse on the floor, dressed in her delegation's uniform, her body trembling uncontrollably, her emerald eyes filled with shock, fear, and disbelief.

Julius gripped his longsword, fine cold sweat beading on his forehead, half from lingering fear, half from shock and fury.

He had protected the princess's enemy, while the true assassin had come from the princess's own retinue.

This was the greatest irony and disgrace of his knightly career!

Amidst the chaos, only one person remained unusually calm from beginning to end.

Levi slowly straightened up.

He didn't look at the still-warm corpse on the ground, nor did he pay attention to Evelyn, who stood beside him, vigilant and blocking him from the princess.

His gaze passed over Julius's broad shoulders, over the longsword that still gleamed with a cold light, and landed directly on the pale-faced Princess Ella.

His face showed no relief from surviving, no anger from the assassination attempt, and not the slightest hint of accusation.

Only an icy, factual calmness.

“Your Highness,” his voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone present, each word like a heavy hammer striking Ella’s heart.

“Now, we have a problem more serious than debt.”

He paused slightly, allowing the weight of that statement to fully ferment in the air.

“Your attendant, in your presence, attempted to assassinate an Imperial Lord.”