Chapter 118 Everyone, long time no see - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

"Your current Royal Selection score is 24 points." As the voice of the Sacred Oak's messenger slowly faded, the entire parlor suddenly became so silent that one could hear a pin drop. An unprecedented silence gently enveloped the room and also hung in the hearts of all present. Greya was suddenly startled. 24 points? This number was laughably small compared to the scores possessed by the other eight princes, to the point that it wouldn't garner any attention. However, just ten days ago, this number was still -576. In merely ten days, it had skyrocketed by 600 points. Greya certainly did not believe that his trivial actions could have caused such a significant change. Instinctively, he cast his gaze towards the last person to arrive, Duke Tyrus, only to find traces of astonishment and admiration still lingering on his face. It was as if everything transpiring now had been anticipated by him, yet the outcome had still exceeded the highest expectations. What exactly happened? Such questions swiftly permeated every person's mind. Not only Greya but Morris, Afiya, and others also displayed expressions of shock and joy, exchanging glances with one another. They were utterly dumbfounded by the sudden joyous news. Even Evester, who had been sitting silently in her wheelchair, lifted her head slightly, letting her silky white hair cascade gently from her shoulders to her waist, a hint of surprise flashing in her cold gaze. "Impossible." After a long silence, the second prince, Felite, spoke softly. He wasn't agitated about Evester surviving the elimination round but simply questioned the result. At that moment, Felite furrowed his brows and stood up from the sofa. Looking at the Sacred Oak's messenger's equally shocked and confused eyes, he asked, "What is the reason given for the score increase?" Evidently, even with his power and influence, Felite considered it not easy to achieve such a high score within ten days. Let alone Evester. It was as unbelievable as a fairy tale. Upon hearing the second prince's inquiry, the Sacred Oak's messenger paused briefly before slowly reading out the contents from the parchment: "The reason provided by the Sacred Oak institution is" "Restoring post-disaster order and winning the hearts of the entire city, 600 points granted." Absurd. The moment Felite heard this reason, the word instantly surfaced in his mind. Let alone how outrageous it was to restore order in this hopeless city. And as for the latter. Winning the hearts of the people? Indeed, the populace could be easily deceived like livestock. But that didn't mean a few simple tricks could win them over. In fact, when the Level 0 Sealed Object went berserk that day, the second prince Felite attempted to win over a section of the people to obtain points from the Sacred Oak. However, in the end, it was ruined by one statement from that young man. Plus, when she said, "There should be no filth in this world," that scene, like a divine miracle, unfolded before the public, all of Felite’s previous preparations were claimed by Evester. Unfortunately, she failed to cherish such an opportunity, did not think to take advantage of it by winning the people's hearts, and instead remained inactive for more than a month after the event. And having missed this opportunity, the shock brought about by the scene would only gradually fade in the hearts of the people until it was forgotten. Thus, at this moment, Felite completely disbelieved the result. But the statement came from the Sacred Oak institution, which never errs. This left him with unprecedented confusion. "What did you do?" He turned his gaze to the silent white-haired woman in the wheelchair and then to the Augusta Manor people, whom he once scorned. Yet, these individuals also seemed bewildered, seemingly completely unaware of the situation. Given this, the issue must lie with the last person to arrive. Felite took a deep breath and slowly bowed: "Your Grace, it appears you are the mastermind behind all of this." "Given that, could you perhaps enlighten me on what has transpired in recent days? I am quite curious." His intelligence network in Orlin City had been eradicated by him in secret due to previous miscalculations on Lynn Bartleon's intelligence. At present, a new batch had yet to arrive, coupled with Felite's nature of not concerning himself with uninterested matters, thus he paid little attention to recent changes in Orlin City. Duke Tyrus glanced at him: "What do you think is most scarce in Orlin City at this moment? Or rather, what needs to be done first to restore order?" Felite did not hesitate to respond: "Food." "Right now, the disaster has just passed, and more than 200,000 displaced people in the city are homeless, facing a survival crisis." "If we intend to restore order, chaos must be curbed, and the only way to stop chaos is to fill the bellies of these disaster victims." Duke Tyrus smiled: "Seems you know it well." Felite shook his head: "Easier said than done; it is almost impossible to achieve." "The limited food supply in the city is controlled by the nobility, distributed at exorbitant prices, draining the citizens' pockets. Even if the city council opens the warehouses to distribute relief grains, it is but a drop in the ocean against over 200,000 mouths." "Price control is in their hands, and should a large house like the Augusta attempt to lower prices, they would unite to swallow all low-priced grain, only to reintroduce it into the market." "This is a foolish course of action." Upon hearing this, Greya, standing in the corner, blushed and lowered his head. However, Felite ignored him and continued: "In my view, to thoroughly solve the food issue, two conditions must be met." "First, ensure the nobles profiteering from the disaster possess enough food to feed 200,000 victims." "Second, command a powerful force capable of forcibly confiscating stored grain from the nobles, which means, killing." "As for the first condition, it's already proven to be impractical." "Currently, the surrounding transportation routes are destroyed, undergoing urgent repairs, preventing food from other cities from being transported in, and the nobles' grain supplies are limited. It won't be long before Orlin City faces starvation." "This bottlenecks all subsequent steps; insufficient food is an insurmountable challenge." "As for the second point, Duke, it seems that more than half of the 8,000 elite troops you brought previously perished during the incident with the Level 0 Sealed Object." "The reinforcements you summoned appear to still be on the march, unable to reach Orlin City within ten days." "It's not to underestimate you, but given the current objective circumstances, you indeed lack the conditions to meet the second requirement." "After all, these local nobles aren't lambs waiting for slaughter. If you tried to forcefully confiscate their properties, their united strength would be formidable." Moreover, to unjustly ransack the estates of these people, the capital would be the first to intervene. The common populace, treated like livestock, could die without eliciting much concern, whereas causing the nobility significant losses was unthinkable. Upon hearing this, Duke Tyrus paused momentarily in silence, then nodded lightly. "You're right." In fact, his visit to Orlin City was nearly a disaster for his reputation as an electoral prince. First, the incident with the Celestial Church was handled clumsily, and only thanks to that young man was his standing restored. Now, this second affair should have been tackled by confronting those nobles trying to profit from the disaster, while order had yet to be re-established, yet his troops had failed him. Originally, he thought that the over 8,000 personal guards would suffice to let him roam Orlin City unchallenged, but who could have foreseen the ensuing upheaval of the Level 0 Sealed Object? It was an unavoidable adversity. "So, under such circumstances, how on earth did you accomplish it?" Felite looked intently at Duke Tyrus. He naturally trusted the Sacred Oak institution's neutrality. Hence, his puzzles only deepened. With Duke Tyrus's capabilities, achieving such a feat seemed implausible. "I know what you're thinking." Duke Tyrus suddenly smiled and shook his head. "In truth, I also harbored doubts about many details of the entire matter before the outcome unfolded." "Indeed, it wasn't my doing. I did not mobilize a single soldier from start to finish." "Impossible." Felite shook his head. Duke Tyrus was the only one present with the ability to do so. Aside from him, these mediocre figures couldn't have amassed 600 points in ten days. Unless that person was still alive. As this thought emerged, an unexpected hint of surprise arose within Felite. Hold on. No one had ever definitively stated or relayed surreptitious intelligence that Lynn Bartleon had perished in the disaster. Everyone was merely assuming that someone of his status couldn't possibly survive the upheaval of the Level 0 Sealed Object. But… what if he had indeed survived? Being the most quick-witted of them all, he instinctively peered at Duke Tyrus. And noticed a hint of a smile slowly forming at the corners of his mouth. "You all seem to have forgotten someone." "Moreover… haven't you noticed how noisy it's been outside for a while now?" Duke Tyrus suddenly turned to Greya by the window. "Boy, draw the curtains." Greya stood there dazedly. He was still immersed in Duke Tyrus's earlier words. Could it be… No, impossible. Otherwise, how could they search for a month without any trace… Wait! Given that person's nature and methods, not finding any trace was the best answer, wasn't it?! In an instant, a peculiar premonition emerged within everyone, Greya included. Even Evester's once deathly dull red eyes faintly glimmered with an unexplainably bright light. A fervent yet pathological intensity brewed within. As Greya scrambled to yank down the curtains, everyone's gaze unifies towards the scene outside the window. At that moment, in the third-floor parlor of the manor, their collective focus was instantly drawn to the countless ordinary people gathered at the perimeter of the estate. Thousands? Tens of thousands? Or even… hundreds of thousands? An uncountable number of citizens surged like a tide, filling every visible street and alleyway to the brim. With arms raised high, their bright eyes sparkled with sentiments of gratitude and reverence. Though separated by windows and walls, everyone in the parlor could hear the name they were shouting. The shouts gathered, resonating loudly above the estate. "Evester!" The citizens were unanimously calling the name of the Empire's third princess. Intermixed with their cries were words like "Your Highness," "beloved," "great," and "St. Roland VII." As if… meeting their future monarch. They were willing to go through fire and water for her, even offering their own hearts. A visual and spiritual shock like never before swept through the entire parlor. Felite instinctively took a half-step back. Even as the prime-ranked individual, he never received such fervent and devout acclaim from the populace, seen only occasionally when his father, St. Roland VI, made his public appearances. How could this be? A sense of absurdity welled within him. However, at this moment, even Evester didn't realize that her slender, pale fingers had suddenly clenched tightly. Her once deadened heart now beat with renewed vigor. The scene before her was one she had long dreamt of but deemed unattainable. Yet now, it unfolded before her in a way she had never imagined. Within reach. Evester gazed absently at the view outside the window, witnessing a carriage slowly divide the crowd and make its way into the Augusta Estate. The carriage approached, gradually slowing alongside the road below, then coming to a gentle halt. For inexplicable reasons, everyone’s hearts skipped a beat. In the following moment, as the door was gently pushed open, a tall, dark-haired boy emerged from the carriage. Sensing the fervent gazes from the people above, the boy wore a familiar smile, looking up toward the third floor. "Hey everyone, long time no see!"