Varian’s face stung with a burning pain.
All his calculations.
Completely collapsed the moment Draku knelt and kowtowed.
He had imagined ten thousand possibilities.
Only never thought that Draku would be so spineless.
That he would actually, to save his own skin, publicly admit he was willing to be a slave.
The “justice” he had just incited turned into a joke in an instant.
The strange gazes from the surrounding nobles made his whole body ache.
They were no longer trust and support.
But suspicion, scrutiny, and undisguised mockery.
They probably thought.
They had been used as pawns by him, Varian.
Varian’s body trembled.
He had to speak.
If he couldn’t turn the situation around today.
The prestige he had built in the noble circles over decades would be completely destroyed!
He refused to believe that His Majesty would, for the sake of a plaything.
Really shake the foundation of the entire empire’s nobility!
“Lady Lilia.”
Varian forced himself to calm down, his voice left only with harshness.
“Viscount Draku might be mentally disturbed, speaking nonsense.”
“But the Empire’s Code of Law must not be desecrated!”
“We, as the cornerstone of the empire and His Majesty’s subjects, have the responsibility and duty to uphold the dignity of the Code of Law!”
His words gave an outlet to those nobles who were already dissatisfied.
“That’s right! The Duke is correct!”
“We swear to defend the glory of the nobility!”
“No compromise!”
The scene lost control again.
A dozen young nobles drew their swords from their waists with a clang.
The air in the hall instantly tensed up.
Lilia, however, was overjoyed inside.
That’s right.
This is fun.
If everyone was like that dead dog.
Kowtowing and giving in, how boring would that be?
She didn’t speak, slowly walking back to the auction platform.
Climbing back onto that huge chair with her hands and feet.
She picked up the small hammer and tapped it on the table.
Dong.
The noisy hall quieted down.
Everyone focused their attention on her.
Lilia swung her two short legs, tilting her head.
“Duke, you mean to say that today, you are going to rebel? Meow?”
“We are not rebelling!”
Varian immediately retorted, his voice loud.
“We are ‘Clearing the Side of the Monarch’! We are upholding His Majesty’s authority, removing a source of calamity like you who confuses the monarch’s heart and shakes the foundation of the state!”
“Oh?”
Lilia’s tone dragged out.
“You mean that I, this lady, am the ‘treacherous official’ that needs to be ‘cleared’? Meow?”
“You know very well if you are or not!”
Varian’s voice was cold and hard.
“You rely on His Majesty’s favor, act outrageously, extort and blackmail, and now you want to shake the foundation of the state!”
“Today, we are going to ‘discipline’ you, this arrogant pet, on behalf of His Majesty!”
The moment he finished speaking.
Behind him, several great nobles closest to him simultaneously burst forth with magic power!
Azure Arcane Energy, dark red Cursed Aura, dark green Necromantic Aura interweaved in the hall!
Three Fourth Tier!
Five Third Tier!
A wave of pressure came crashing down!
The City Guard soldiers’ legs went weak under this pressure, almost unable to stand.
Skullcrusher Gromm roared, erupting his aura to protect his men.
But alone, he couldn’t withstand the combined pressure of so many powerhouses; his body creaked under the strain!
“Varian! What do you think you’re doing! Are you trying to rebel!”
Gromm hefted his warhammer, veins bulging on his neck.
“Commander Gromm, this has nothing to do with you.”
Varian’s voice was very cold.
“We are just ‘cleaning house’, not wanting to harm the innocent.”
“If you take your people and leave now, we can pretend nothing happened.”
The temperature around Lilith dropped sharply, forming flakes of Ice Crystal.
She stepped forward, placing herself in front of Lilia.
The pressure released by Varian and the others vanished in an instant.
“Want to touch Miss?”
Lilith’s voice held no emotion.
“Step over my corpse first.”
Varian’s face was very ugly.
He hadn’t expected that this Head Maid would actually tear all pretense with so many of them nobles for the sake of a pet.
A Fifth-Rank Monarch—they had numbers on their side.
But if it actually came to a fight, the outcome was uncertain.
Moreover, once swords were drawn, it would be true rebellion!
By then, even if they won, they wouldn’t be able to explain to His Majesty!
He was caught in a dilemma.
A small hand reached out from behind Lilith, gently tugging at her clothes.
“Sister Lilith, step aside. Meow.”
It was Lilia’s voice.
Lilith looked back; Lilia was shaking her head at her.
“This is my business. I’ll solve it myself. Meow.”
‘This is my war against these wastes. I want to smash their faces in with my own hands, not always hide behind you.’
Lilith was silent for a moment, then stepped aside.
Lilia jumped off the chair and walked to the front of the auction platform.
She faced the nobles below the stage who had drawn their swords.
Facing Varian with his gloomy face, she erased all expression.
“Duke Varian.”
She spoke, her voice not loud, but it overpowered all noise.
“You just said you wanted to ‘discipline’ me on behalf of His Majesty?”
“Do you think my authority is fake?”
“Do you think His Majesty’s authority can be challenged by you at will?”
With each question, she took a step forward.
Varian’s heart tightened, but he still braced himself and shot back:
“Stop bluffing here! His Majesty is busy with a thousand affairs; when would he have time to care about the antics of a pet like you!”
“That’s right, today we…”
Before he could finish.
Lilia smiled.
Then, from her bosom, she took out that dark token again.
But this time, she did not slam it on the table.
Instead, she held it high.
“You don’t believe me? Meow?”
“You think His Majesty doesn’t know? Meow?”
“Fine then, I’ll let you hear it clearly!”
As her words fell.
She poured all her Fourth Tier magic power.
In one go, into that token!
Buzz—!
The Ancient Magic Rune on the token suddenly lit up!
A beam of black light erupted from the token, shooting straight up to the dome of the Great Hall!
All the magic lamps and candlelight in the entire Eternal Feast Hall went out!
The world was plunged into darkness.
At the top of that beam of black light.
A supreme will descended.
It was not a physical entity, yet it was more real than any physical entity.
Everything in the hall was enveloped by that will.
Thump, thump…
The sound of hearts pounding wildly.
All the nobles, including Varian.
Were stiff all over under this will, unable to move.
They felt their souls were seen through, frozen.
The Magic Energy in their bodies seemed to have its throat grabbed, unable to mobilize a single bit.
Then.
A cold, emotionless voice came from the depths of darkness.
That voice rang directly in everyone’s mind.
“Is my authority not enough?”
As the voice fell.
An irresistible force, as if the entire world was tilting over, pressed down with a boom!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
A series of heavy kneeling sounds filled the hall.
Except for Duke Varian, all the standing nobles, regardless of their strength.
At that moment, their knees went weak and they uncontrollably knelt heavily on the cold marble floor!
In the entire hall, only Varian stood alone.
The full pressure of that supreme will focused on him alone.
His bones let out a crack of lament, his legs trembled violently, yet no matter what, he could not kneel.
Lilia walked to the edge of the auction platform.
Looking down from a height at that duke, drenched in sweat and pale as death.
A naive yet cruel smile bloomed on her small face.
“Duke, now, do you still want to ‘discipline’ me? Meow?”