The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Sara stood in the center of the Ten Holy Temples.
She looked around—the twisted corpses of nobles drained dry, the Blood Race kneeling on the ground, Tina nailed to the cross with a dazed expression, and Yize’s calm, waiting gaze.
All of this had happened too quickly.
Just yesterday, she was still the Imperial Princess of the Empire, dissatisfied with the current situation but still trying to find a way out within the system.
And now, Yize had placed before her a path that was the most radical, the most dangerous, yet perhaps the only one that could truly change the Empire.
She took a deep breath, and complex emotions surged in her chest.
There was fear, excitement, responsibility, and determination.
“Junior Yize,”
Sara finally spoke, her voice not loud but particularly clear in the silent hall.
“I am willing to take over this Empire.”
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the nobles who were still alive, many of them with flickering eyes as if calculating something unknown.
“But, taking over all of this is not as simple as you imagine.”
Sara’s tone became pragmatic and calm.
“In this Empire, I don’t have any power of my own. Even if you, Junior Yize, really do clear the obstacles for me by force, that will only be temporary.”
“Force can suppress resistance, but it cannot solve the problems of governance—finance, people’s livelihoods, military loyalty, local administration… problems will crop up endlessly later.”
What she didn’t say was a deeper worry: how long could a ruler propped up by external force remain stable?
Once Yize left or shifted his attention, wouldn’t those lurking opposition forces immediately counterattack?
Before Yize could speak, a voice sounded first.
“The Arseid family is willing to become your right hand.”
Riya stepped forward.
She had just completed her evolution, and her whole body still exuded a faint calamity-level pressure.
Her silver hair moved without wind, and her scarlet eyes were now clear and determined.
As a rival for many years, Riya knew Sara very well—knew her ideals, her principles, the tenacity hidden beneath her elegant exterior.
If there was anyone in this Empire who could still be trusted, Sara was undoubtedly one of them.
“But,”
Riya turned to look at her sister.
“I want my sister to take over the Arseid family.”
Angelica’s head snapped up, and a look of shock, confusion, and panic flashed across her face.
“Riya, what are you saying?”
Her voice was a bit rushed.
“You are the next head of the Arseid family. That was decided by father before he died.”
“Sister,”
Riya’s tone was calm and earnest.
“I am no longer human now, and my true gender has been exposed. For me to continue taking over the family is unsuitable both in legal terms and practical operations.”
“Those old-school nobles won’t accept a Blood Race member, a woman who disguised as a man for over a decade, as the First Duke of the Empire.”
She took a few steps closer, looking into Angelica’s eyes.
“As for you, you are fully capable of holding this position in the family.”
“After father and mother passed away, weren’t you the one in charge of all family affairs—including teaching me how to become a qualified head?”
“You know the territory better than I do, you understand how to deal with nobles, and you are better at handling government affairs.”
Angelica’s lips moved; she wanted to argue but couldn’t speak.
Because everything Riya said was the truth.
Ever since their father died in an accident and their mother fell critically ill, Angelica, only in her teens, had to shoulder the family burden ahead of time.
She not only had to handle territorial governance, deal with open attacks and hidden arrows from the royal family and other nobles, but also shouldered the responsibility of teaching her younger sister—molding that innocent little girl into a qualified family heir.
In those years, she lived as if walking on thin ice, calculating, weighing, and compromising every day.
She became strict, controlling, and even somewhat paranoid, because she knew that one wrong step could bring the entire Arseid family to ruin.
This heavy burden almost crushed her, and also twisted her.
And now, her sister wanted to return to her hands this very thing—something she had sacrificed everything for and also resented.
“And,”
Riya’s voice grew softer, carrying a hint of relief and longing.
“Sister, I have been suppressed in this Empire and this family for too long.”
“Men’s clothing, disguises, always having to maintain the image of a perfect heir… I’m really tired.”
She glanced back at Yize, then turned back.
“I want to go outside and see the vast world beyond the Empire. As my true self.”
Angelica fell silent.
She looked at her sister—the sister she had taken care of, protected, and also controlled since childhood.
The light shining in Riya’s eyes was something she had never seen before. It was a freedom after breaking free from shackles, an anticipation for the future.
She then looked around: beneath the splendor of the Ten Holy Temples lay the decay of the Empire, the faces of the nobles hypocritical and greedy, and the royal family… Thinking of the truth behind her father’s death, Angelica’s heart felt as if gripped by a cold hand.
She was completely disillusioned with the Empire.
But what about the Arseid family?
The territory that her father and ancestors had guarded for hundreds of years, the loyal subjects, the heritage…
The family had become her obsession, the meaning of her existence.
And according to Yize, if Sara refused, the Empire would be reorganized into a Free Federation, and all aristocratic systems would collapse.
By then, the Arseid family would cease to exist.
Weighing the pros and cons only took an instant.
Angelica raised her head, her gaze becoming sharp and resolute.
She turned to Sara and made a slight bow with standard noble etiquette.
“Princess Sara,”
Her voice was clear and powerful.
“If the Empire is managed by you, the Arseid family will fully support you.”
“I promise in my capacity as Acting Head of Family: all the resources, military, and influence of the Arseid territory will become the cornerstone for your reform of the Empire.”
This was a clear signal.
The First Noble of the Empire, the Arseid family, officially declared support for Sara’s ascension.
The nobles still alive on the scene instantly stirred.
The shrewd ones immediately saw the situation—Sara had the unfathomable military support of Yize, now gained the political endorsement of the Arseid family, and on top of that, the Ten Holy Temples was clearly under control…
“The Stone family swears allegiance to Princess Sara!”
“The Melville family supports Her Highness’s succession!”
“Please, Your Highness, lead the Empire to new life!”
Voices of allegiance rose one after another.
Nobles bowed one after another, their voices growing louder, as if afraid that being late would turn them into the dried corpses on the ground.
But some remained silent.
Most of those were new nobles personally promoted by Emperor Dimitoli in recent years.
Their power and wealth entirely depended on the favor of the current royal family.
Sara’s ascension meant a reshuffling; their positions would be precarious.
There were also a few elderly nobles with graying hair, their faces full of anger and disbelief.
An old man wearing robes with an ancient family crest stepped forward trembling, pointing his finger at Sara.
“Sara, Your Highness!”
“You must think clearly! What difference is there between this and rebellion?”
“That is your father! And your brothers! The centuries-old legacy of the Ulysses family—will it be cut off by your hands?”
He grew more agitated as he spoke, his old face flushed red.
“Your Highness, it’s still not too late to turn back—”
His words were cut short.
Because Yize simply glanced in his direction.
There wasn’t even any obvious killing intent, just a plain look, like looking at something irrelevant.
But Bart moved.
The figure of the Fourth Seat of the Blood Column appeared before the old noble like a ghost.
He didn’t even use his Blood Race abilities; he simply reached out, spread his five fingers, and placed them on the old man’s face.
“Bang.”
A dull sound.
The old man’s head burst like a watermelon, spraying red and white matter all over the ground.
The headless corpse swayed twice, then collapsed limply.
Bart shook off the stains on his hand and said in a muffled voice, “Noisy.”
The entire Ten Holy Temples fell into dead silence.
The nobles looked in horror at the corpse on the ground, then at the expressionless Yize, and finally turned their gazes to Sara—but this time, everyone had learned their lesson, even their breathing was minimal.
Oppose?
The consequence of opposing was right before their eyes.
Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, the last trace of hesitation had disappeared.
This was the price of power.
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