Chapter 254

Chapter 254

The Eldest Princess, of course, didn't grasp the cryptic message Eve was conveying. In reality, even if she had recognized Zuo Li’s true identity, it would have made no difference to the trial’s outcome.

Exploiting the fact that few people here knew her, the First Steward adopted a thoroughly evasive stance—feigning ignorance and speaking in circles. One moment she addressed the judge directly; the next, she hesitated, claiming she couldn’t recall anything—enraging the judge, who repeatedly struck her gavel: “Witness, please ensure the truthfulness of your testimony! Do not repeatedly retract your statements, and do not attempt to commit perjury!”

As expected, her evasiveness rendered her testimony utterly unreliable.

The two guards who had escorted her in now had to lead this deliberately oblivious witness out again. Before departing, Zuo Li discreetly signaled to Chris. It should have gone unnoticed—but unfortunately, Booth 004 faced her directly, so even the Eldest Princess standing beside Eve caught the gesture: “Was she doing that on purpose just now?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Eve curled her lip. Achieving such composure was no small feat—the Psychic Restraint Collars worn around their necks also functioned as lie detectors, monitoring heart rate, respiration, hormone levels, and other vital signs to assess the wearer’s physiological state. “To utter such nonsense in court without triggering a single warning means that adjutant must have undergone exceptionally rigorous training.”

Body language is silent—and the hardest to conceal. Even the most composed individual cannot fully suppress all subconscious physical reactions. Since Zuo Li had risen to become the Medici family’s First Steward, she undoubtedly possessed exceptional qualities—especially as a highly skilled four-star alchemist with countless tricks at her disposal.

From the moment Eve saw the First Steward enter the courtroom, she had already foreseen the outcome.

Now, without needing explicit hints, the Eldest Princess should have realized the adjutant beside the Fourth Princess was no ordinary figure: “If Zuo Li is truly so formidable, how did Chris manage to recruit her? I’m not underestimating Chris—but with abilities like hers, she could easily secure a position even among the Four Great Families.”

She seemed born to be a spy—serving merely as an adjutant was almost a waste of such talent.

Eve shook her head. Even she couldn’t decipher Sparti Medici’s current intentions. Judging by his recent series of moves targeting the Crown Prince, he appeared deeply invested in the League affairs. Yet if that were truly the case, why would he now instruct the First Steward to assist Chris?

Clearly, compared to the Crown Prince—who had been deceived by Louis Oliver—Chris bore greater responsibility.

It was genuinely baffling. Eve only knew for certain that the First Steward must have been planted beside Qin Mengde long ago: “After the Five-School League, Qin Mengde and Princess Chris told me they’d found an exceptionally capable new adjutant. If I’m not mistaken, this person had already been placed at Princess Chris’s side well before then.”

Unica fell silent for a moment, her expression suggesting she struggled to recall which member of Chris’s inner circle possessed both the capability and motive to orchestrate such a move.

Three strikes and you’re out—today marked Qin Mengde’s final trial. Though the judge was profoundly reluctant, Qin Mengde ultimately escaped with a meaningless charge of negligence in duty, receiving only a hefty fine as a token warning.

That sum meant nothing to a distinguished Imperial Princess. Under the knowing gazes of everyone present, Qin Mengde maintained an icy composure, leaving exactly as she had arrived—calmly following the guards out.

Luo Wenqing leaned close to Isabella’s ear: “They’re just letting her go like that?”

“Not surprising,” Isabella replied calmly. “Who else would protect her but our empire’s most supreme emperor?”

As they spoke, both instinctively glanced upward. Everyone knew the central booth on the second floor belonged to the Emperor and Empress. Rumor had it the Empress herself had attended today to observe the Fourth Princess’s final trial. One could only wonder how she felt—watching the mastermind behind her own son’s framing walk free, under her husband’s direct orders.

“I thought you’d side with the Empress,” Luo Wenqing said. Today, she had finally abandoned her relaxed shirt-and-shorts ensemble for an extremely solemn smoke-gray Empire-waist gown, holding an elegant scholar’s fan. With a flick, she opened it to conceal her mocking expression. “Is the Cavendish Family finally ready to abandon their Golden Rose?”

“The Cavendish Family has always respected personal choice—and the consequences that follow.”

Ultimately, the Emperor’s philandering remained his private affair. If the Empress couldn’t manage her husband and instead wielded her family’s influence to ruthlessly target other women and children, that was profoundly inappropriate. Frigga had warned her twenty years ago—this was retribution, plain and simple.

In the past, the Emperor could choose the royal house backed by the Cavendish Family over his mistresses. Now, he could similarly choose Chris—who held far greater strategic value—over the Empress and his own daughter.

Isabella rubbed her chin, skeptical: “But Chris’s personality is far too extreme. Though she preemptively positioned Anthony and Lin Cuimei, did she never consider the possibility that these two might refuse to sacrifice themselves—and instead drag others down with them? I don’t believe she’s heartless enough to scheme against Eve.”

Though the result was that Eve *had* disappeared—driven by Chris’s ambition.

“I feel like there’s something crucial we’re missing here—or perhaps something deliberately concealed,” she said.

Luo Wenqing shrugged, about to reply—but her attention was instantly captured by the girl brought into court immediately after Chris’s departure.

She was so startled she forgot to hide her face behind her fan: “Why is *she* being brought up?”

Lightly curled brown hair. Eyes clear as flowing gold. Lips usually curved in a smile—now pressed tightly together. Once her softness faded, stubborn defiance radiated from her. Anyone who had participated in the League would recognize that face instantly: Alice Rhine—the Command Chief of First Empire Academy, and adopted daughter of the Oliver Family.

Even Eve, standing arms crossed in the upstairs booth, watched coldly—and raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise.

Others might not know why Alice had been summoned to this secret court, but Eve had a rough idea.

Her gaze drifted from Alice’s slightly trembling yet unbent back—to the unusually thick black Psychic Restraint Collar encircling her snow-white neck. If she wasn’t mistaken, the specifications of Alice’s collar exceeded even the one Chris had worn earlier.

“Alice doesn’t look well,” Eve remarked. “Did you torture her privately?”

“Absolutely not! She’s still a child of the Oliver Family. Vincent isn’t that heartless. Those injuries were sustained during the League—no one dared lay a hand on her otherwise.”

The Eldest Princess reacted instantly, refuting the brutal speculation. Down below, facing Alice, the judge’s expression finally softened—slightly. Though still stern, her eyes held sympathy.

The judge opened a new file: “Child, state your name.”

“Alice Rhine.”

“Do you know why you are standing here?”

“……”

Alice’s youthful face was pale. Her teeth chattered faintly—but she clenched them, lifted her head, and declared firmly: “I don’t know why I’m standing here. In fact, I’ve always believed myself law-abiding, kind to friends and compatriots—and never done anything contrary to morality—”

Before she could finish, the judge cut her off sharply: “But you concealed your Spiritual State type, child. You concealed a Spiritual State carrying far too much pain—and far too great a warning—for the empire.”

“Pfft.”

Eve couldn’t help laughing. Fortunately, she was in a highly private booth—or she might have been charged with contempt of imperial law.

Unica glanced sideways at her, helpless: “I know you’re close to Alice—and dissatisfied with this judgment—but her Spiritual State is Queen Bee. Every imperial citizen knows the terrifying abilities this Spiritual State possesses. Not executing her outright, but bringing her to this secret court—like Chris—for public deliberation on how to handle her—is already the best possible outcome.”

“So you’re saying it’s appropriate to place someone who stepped forward to protect her companions during the Insect Mother Awakening emergency in the same courtroom—and subject her to the same trial—as someone who actively planned and directly caused the entire catastrophe?”

Eve sneered, turning her head to glance at Unica. In just a few words, she left Unica speechless—even though she hadn’t made this absurd decision herself.

The awkward discomfort flickering across Unica’s face didn’t escape Eve’s notice.

“You needn’t blame yourself for this. It wasn’t your doing—a married princess who barely touches the fringes of core power,” Eve turned her face away again, voice icy. “Weren’t you always curious, before, why I came straight to you upon my return—instead of returning to Chris?”

“Why?” Unica had already guessed the reason vaguely—but since Eve asked, she couldn’t help responding.

Eve replied calmly: “Because Chris and I no longer share the same aspirations. When she exploited the Insect War period to shield herself from real consequences—and then attacked the Crown Prince and the Empress—we ceased to stand on the same side.”

She was no saint either. Using power within the system to bend rules in one’s favor might sound immoral—but it was hardly uncommon. Suffering bullying and seeking revenge against enemies once one gained power was also perfectly natural.

But when Qin Mengde did these things, she shouldn’t have dragged innocent students into it. When she orchestrated all this, she lacked even the cold, rational calculus of Maria’s projection—or the main AI Tai’a.

“Everyone in Capital Star knows that Fourth Princess Chris Otto—and her confidante Eve Medici—are the most disreputably *born* master-and-servant pair in high society. But for many outside this class, such disreputable origins carry another meaning entirely.”

She turned to Unica: “Imagine you were an ordinary but ambitious young person. Two choices lie before you: a superior who rose through ability—not family background—and a noble-born superior. Which would you choose?”

“Of course, the former. A superior’s leadership style reflects workplace culture to some extent,” Unica answered without hesitation.

“And if one day you discovered that this superior you chose had done something deeply wrong—something truly terrible—and because of her exceptional work performance, others could do nothing to hold her accountable—and *she knew it*—what would you think?”

“……”

Unica blinked—suddenly understanding precisely what Eve meant.

It wasn’t merely about walking away, wounded, after being caught in Chris’s crossfire. It was deeper—about disappointment.

There is more than one way to bully with power. Chris might not have directly used her authority to oppress others—but when she self-righteously placed herself and the League participants on the same moral scale—and then coldly left the decision to those higher up—her essence had already changed.

Even on a narrow path, if you realize you're going the wrong way, you must turn back, however difficult it is.

The trial of Alice continued downstairs. After someone in the audience publicly raised an objection, both the judge and the jury clearly adopted a more careful attitude.

Compared to the treatment of Alice, the earlier trial of the Fourth Princess seemed even more like a staged performance.

Eve stole a glance to see who was bold enough to object directly in court. The person was dressed so impeccably today that it took her a moment to recognize Luo Wenqing.

Since she'd actually done a good thing, Eve’s lips twitched, and she decided to treat Luo Wenqing a bit better from now on.

"Anyway, I'm deeply dissatisfied with what Chris has done this time, and I cannot turn a blind eye to it, especially after witnessing how Alice is being treated."

She reached out and placed her hand on the Eldest Princess’s shoulder; the pressure of her hand felt weighty, conveying an unshakable resolve. "After reassessing the situation, I feel that I might share more common ground with you, and that's why I've chosen you."

The reason the empire has maintained a rather archaic aristocratic rule even in the Interstellar Era, with family and social status still holding absolute superiority, lies essentially in the monopoly of knowledge and superior genes.

The finest genetic stock is concentrated within the upper class. Although it is impossible to force talented individuals to "descend" and accommodate those below, the existing system has indeed largely stifled class mobility.

Science and technology have always taken a back seat to Alchemy. Even the military, in its doctrine, places greater emphasis on innate Spiritual State Ability rather than combat techniques that can be improved through practice.

In this regard, Unica, as the head of the Imperial Research Institute, likely has a deeper understanding than Eve.

Unica’s usual smile faded as she stared intently at Eve for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"You have such great confidence in me. There are things that even I and my family dare not imagine," she said.

Eve replied, "So, are you refusing me?"

"No one can resist the temptation and invitation you offer, Medici’s little moon. The promises you paint are as beautiful as you are," Unica said with a light laugh. "Moreover, I have a feeling that if we succeed, it might become an unprecedented new chapter in the empire’s history."

A long-lost fervor quietly stirred within her. She reached out and placed her hand on Eve’s shoulder as well, disregarding how strangely harmonious yet awkward their posture might seem. With a relaxed expression, she said, "I look forward to our collaboration. I hope it will be more than just a promise."