In Bei’er’s study, three corpses had been wrapped in her Gale Energy and temporarily sealed in a corner of the room.
The air still carried a faint smell of blood, forming an eerie contrast with the warm yellow light emitted by the Magic Lamp.
Bei’er had contacted her subordinates to come and dispose of the bodies, while she herself was returning the scattered books to their original positions one by one.
The bookshelf was sturdier than Dongfang Jiang and Xi had imagined.
Bei’er’s movements in tidying the books were very practiced—clearly, this had happened many times before.
Xi stood by the window, her face still somewhat pale.
This was the first time she had directly faced the darkness of this kingdom—the open and secret struggles between the two favorites beside the king.
“You said just now that you’d play this game to the end with them.”
Bei’er walked behind the desk and sat down.
Her silver-white hair gleamed with a cold luster under the light.
Her expression remained calm, but there was a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.
“What’s the specific plan?”
“First, let’s nail down one thing.”
Dongfang Jiang turned from the window and leaned against the windowsill.
He patted Xi’s head comfortingly.
“First of all, from these two attacks, it’s clear that the other party has a very high level of control over the palace. The only people capable of that are those within the kingdom. Moreover, this person’s rank is quite high.”
He looked at Bei’er, who remained silent.
“Second, after I left His Majesty’s study last night, how many people know about that secluded passage you used to take me out?”
Bei’er was silent for a moment, tapping her fingers lightly on the desk twice.
“That passage is reserved for those close to His Majesty. No more than ten people know about it—core members of the Palace Guard, a few personal attendants, and… several trusted ministers of His Majesty.”
“Trusted ministers?”
“Prime Minister Odrich, Grand General Vard, and National Preceptor Ambrose. His Majesty had me take you through it, and he naturally did the same for those ministers.”
Bei’er didn’t evade—she named them outright.
“But Odrich was in the Banquet Hall all last night and never left. Vard was the same—he drank late into the night with several officers, and many people saw him.”
Having recovered, Xi heard Dongfang Jiang and Bei’er’s conversation and quickly recalled last night’s banquet in her mind.
“Miss Bei’er is right. The only one who left in the middle was…”
“Ambrose.”
The three spoke in unison.
“He left for about half an hour. No one knows where he went.”
The room fell silent.
Even Bei’er had no idea about Ambrose’s whereabouts.
Xi set down her pen and looked up at Dongfang Jiang and Bei’er.
Her professional instinct told her that this clue was pointing in a direction she dared not believe.
“Your Excellency the National Preceptor… why would he target Mr. Dongfang?”
Her voice was very soft, as if talking to herself, or as if asking the two people in the room.
“Sorry, I don’t know.”
Bei’er shook her head.
This matter was also a big puzzle to her.
Although internal struggles in the kingdom were intense, on closer inspection, everything had a traceable pattern.
But this one was extremely strange.
Bei’er couldn’t find any reason for Ambrose to target Dongfang Jiang.
“Ambrose has spent over a hundred years in the Kingdom of Aiselin, assisting six generations of kings. Every king trusted and relied on him. But none of those kings truly understood him.”
Listening to Bei’er’s words, Dongfang Jiang recalled Ambrose’s half-closed eyes.
The occasional sharp glint in those eyes did indeed seem like something hidden deep inside, unwilling to be seen.
“I see. I need to meet someone.”
Dongfang Jiang straightened up.
“Who?”
“The investigator for this case.”
“Xiefei?”
Bei’er’s expression shifted slightly.
“Xiefei? The one in charge of the Secret Service Department?”
Hearing Bei’er’s words, Xi recalled the name Xiefei in her mind, but unfortunately her clearance was too low to have a chance to interview this person.
“Yes. She’s the investigator for this incident, right? With an assassination occurring in the palace, she must have already taken over. I want to know what she’s found, and I also want to… ask her for a favor.”
Bei’er was silent for a long time.
She looked at Dongfang Jiang, a complex expression in her eyes—as if assessing his resolve, or weighing the pros and cons.
“I can arrange an introduction.”
Dongfang Jiang and Xi were patient, waiting.
Finally, Bei’er spoke.
“But there are two things I need to warn you about.”
“Please go ahead.”
“First, Xiefei… isn’t easy to get along with. She speaks directly—sometimes so direct it makes people uncomfortable. Don’t take it to heart.”
“And the second?”
“Second, she’s one of His Majesty’s most trusted people. If you can gain her help, your movements in the palace will go much smoother. But if you offend her…”
Bei’er didn’t finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Dongfang Jiang nodded.
“I understand. When can I see her?”
“Now.”
Bei’er stood up and walked to the bookshelf.
From behind a thick tome, she retrieved a palm-sized copper disk.
The surface of the disk was engraved with intricate patterns, and a pale blue Magic Crystal was set in the center.
“What’s that?”
“A Palace Internal Communicator. Only core members of the guard have one.”
Bei’er channeled energy into the disk.
The Magic Crystal lit up, emitting a faint buzzing sound.
A moment later, a cool female voice came from the disk.
“Head Maid, what is it?”
“Xiefei, it’s Bei’er. Someone wants to see you.”
“Who?”
“Dongfang Jiang.”
There was a few seconds of silence, then a reply came through that made Dongfang Jiang’s blood pressure spike.
“That guy who didn’t manage to die from the assassination attempt at the banquet?”
Hearing this, the corner of Dongfang Jiang’s mouth twitched.
“Yes, that’s him.”
“Tell him to come to my office. Fifth floor, end of the east corridor.”
The communication ended.
Bei’er put away the disk and looked at Dongfang Jiang.
“Let’s go. Remember what I said.”
“Mm.”
The three of them left the study and walked along the corridor toward the stairs.
The palace’s architecture was complex, and Bei’er’s room seemed to connect to most of them.
Magic lamps hung every few meters along the corridor walls on both sides, emitting soft yellow light.
The floor was covered in a deep red carpet, muffling their footsteps.
Xi followed beside Dongfang Jiang, clutching her notebook tightly, occasionally scribbling quickly on the paper.
“What are you writing?”
Dongfang Jiang glanced at her.
“Records. My job is to record.”
Xi said matter-of-factly.
“This is rare material—the internal structure of the palace, the study of the Head Maid, and the upcoming meeting with the head of the Secret Service Department… If I could turn this into a report, it would definitely shake the entire Royal Capital.”
“Didn’t you promise not to write about it?”
“I promised not to write about things I shouldn’t. Are these things I shouldn’t? Not necessarily. But it’s always better to write them down first for reference.”
Dongfang Jiang shook his head helplessly and didn’t say anything more.