“Lady Judge, what do you mean?” Countess Rose’s expression turned ugly. If they discovered that Second Prince Oester was behind her, she would truly be beyond salvation. “I just didn’t want Liana, the most likely heir to Venus Territory, to lose her right to compete.”

“I originally thought Erinna, as an outsider, wasn’t much of a threat. Controlling Liana would be enough. But I didn’t expect that she would be the one presenting the greatest threat.”

“So you’re saying that in this matter, from beginning to end, you were the only one involved?” Minoga asked.

“I just wanted to hold the power in my own hands...”

“This hand?” Minoga’s blade pierced directly through Countess Rose’s right palm, causing bright red blood to gush out. “Those who touch forbidden drugs should pay the corresponding price. I have the right to judge your crimes.”

The pain in her palm was nothing compared to the fear in Countess Rose’s heart. Minoga’s eyes didn’t conceal her killing intent at all.

Countess Rose’s lips trembled. Should she speak or not?

If she spoke and let them know who was behind it all, would they spare her?

But if Second Prince Oester found out about this, she would certainly die.

Yet if she didn’t speak, she seemed about to die now. A Judge, in some places, could be considered the embodiment of the king. To a certain extent, what a Judge said could represent the king’s intentions.

Moreover, with both witness testimony and physical evidence present, Countess Rose naturally couldn’t disassociate herself from this matter.

The forbidden drug was an absolute prohibition, not to mention she had targeted the only daughter of Duke Venus. These two offenses together were enough to make her die a thousand deaths.

Countess Rose swallowed. She looked at Liana. “Liana, can you answer a question for me?”

She could speak out, but she needed to know one thing first.

“What question?”

“When did you discover it? And when did you start being this way? Those five years—it was all pretense, wasn’t it? All for today’s events.” Countess Rose looked at Liana.

She truly couldn’t understand how a young girl could have such meticulous thoughts, putting herself in such a precarious position.

Not only did Countess Rose want to know, but Naibert standing nearby was also curious.

If Lady Minoga hadn’t asked her to cooperate, she would never have imagined that everything happening today was a trap set by Princess Liana. That could only mean Princess Liana’s acting before had been too good.

“When did I discover this?” Liana looked at the gloomy sky outside and exhaled a cold breath.

“Was it pretense? Not at all. Countess Rose, initially, I truly regarded you as family. At that time, my parents had just left Venus Manor, leaving only me behind.

And Mephilia, due to some special circumstances, couldn’t come to comfort and accompany me in time.

But at that time, only you were willing to stand by my side, talk to me, comfort me. Back then, I didn’t think too much about why the servants stopped playing with me after my parents left, even though I was the young lady of Venus Territory. I never considered these strange things.

At that time, I just thought, ‘Countess Rose is so good to me. Even at this time, she doesn’t abandon me like others because my parents have left. She patiently comforts me and plays with me.’

Countess Rose, at that time, gave me the warmth of family. I was very happy, which is why I trusted you so much.

Without any hesitation, I took the medicine you gave me, without any suspicion. Though even if I had been suspicious, it wouldn’t have mattered. After all, it was a forbidden drug, and I had no idea such a thing existed.

Speaking of pretense and acting, Countess Rose, you’re far more skilled at that. You deceived me terribly back then, using the word ‘family.’ So much so that now when I hear that word, I don’t feel the warmth that family should bring, but the coldness of what you did.

As for why I suddenly became aware, it had nothing to do with me. It was purely coincidental. Due to certain circumstances, I forgot to take the medicine Countess Rose gave me—the medicine supposedly for treating magic—and didn’t take it for a while, which allowed me to regain my consciousness.

At that time, thinking back on everything I had done before, I only felt disgust, revulsion, hatred for that version of myself. But how should I put it? I’m truly grateful for Mephilia’s loyalty and also to Minoga for discovering the existence of the forbidden drug. It’s because of their help that this day could happen.”

Minoga looked up at Liana. This had nothing to do with her or Princess Mephilia. It was entirely Liana’s own accomplishment, yet now Liana was attributing all the credit to them?

“Princess Liana.” Minoga spoke up. They didn’t need this kind of credit. Right now, Liana needed this achievement more to clear her name.

But Liana shook her head at Minoga, indicating that she should leave it to her.

Liana looked at the crystal ball in Minoga’s hand. This was a magical tool that could record the events taking place and broadcast them in real-time to the Lisat Royal Capital.

Everything they were doing now was being watched by the royal family in the Lisat Royal Capital.

Liana took a deep breath. She knew clearly that everything she said would be seen by others, and Mephilia was probably watching her right now.

Every word she spoke needed careful consideration. By speaking this way, she could shift the credit to Mephilia.

This was no small incident—it was a major issue for Venus Territory. If the credit for resolving this matter could be placed on Mephilia, it would give her more leverage.

Liana understood that even if she cleared her name, stereotypes were hard to erase, and she would gain few benefits. But it was different for Mephilia; her ceiling was much higher than Liana’s.

If spellcrafting and this Venus Territory incident could be resolved, then in terms of being a competitor, she would already have an overwhelming advantage.

Since more importantly, Liana didn’t want to deny everything she had done before, even though those actions weren’t truly hers. But those things did happen, and she had hurt some people. She didn’t need excuses to justify harming others.

“I won’t deny my previous actions. Those were indeed my own behaviors. Although Venus Manor provided some compensation, ultimately, I hurt them.

It can be said that having everything today is because of Mephilia. She’s truly an extraordinary person. Mephilia has always believed in me, supported me, and I feel genuinely blessed.”

“...” On the other side of the crystal ball, Mephilia was watching the events at Venus Manor from her dormitory at Ibett Magic Academy.

The tips of her ears had turned red. She was curled up in her blanket, rolling around on the bed.

How could Liana so easily say such embarrassing things? Wasn’t this equivalent to confessing to her in front of so many people?

After calming down, Mephilia placed her hand on the crystal ball. “Even at this time, Liana is still helping me?”

She understood clearly why Liana was speaking this way—to attribute the achievement to her. “Hmm... I like you the most.”

But unlike the happy-faced Mephilia, Second Prince Oester’s expression was extremely grim, his back soaked with cold sweat.

If Countess Rose revealed him, although he could use some power and fake evidence to pretend he wasn’t involved, he would still lose many supporters.

In his current already disadvantageous situation, this would make him even more passive. It was no exaggeration to say that at that point, he would completely lose his qualification to compete.

“So, when you say I deliberately pretended, with the purpose of today, there doesn’t seem to be much of an issue with that. But it doesn’t have much to do with me,” Liana took the antidote from Sibyl.

“Is this definitely the antidote to the forbidden drug?” Liana had said everything she wanted to say, but there was still something she could do.

“Yes, and it’s the improved antidote,” Sibyl nodded. “The antidote formula I currently possess is the old one. This is the formula improved by Lady Ambis. Lady Ambis left Venus Manor before teaching it to me. I believe this formula can probably only be found in Lady ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Ambis’s study.”

“So, as long as I take this antidote, I’ll be able to use magic, right?” Liana asked.

“Yes, most likely,” Sibyl said.

Liana drank the antidote in front of everyone and then asked with some confusion, “Does it need some time to take effect?”

“...?” Sibyl had thought Princess Liana would announce at this point that she could use magic, but it didn’t seem to be the case?

Now, His Majesty the King was probably watching. Was she supposed to deceive the king? Really?

No, no, she was just stating the drug’s effects. She wasn’t deceiving anyone. She didn’t know that Princess Liana could use magic.

“Not really. Due to the special nature of the forbidden drug, since it prevents the use of magic, the effect should be immediate, to facilitate subsequent observation for any abnormalities,” Sibyl said.

Liana sighed. “It seems my hopes were in vain. Five years ago, I could at least use the simplest magic, but now, it seems I can’t use it at all.”

Liana didn’t want to reveal in front of these people that she could use magic. Moreover, revealing it would bring no benefits. Instead, she would lose a trump card.

“No, no, Sibyl, help me check. Is it because of the forbidden drug that I can’t use magic?” Liana said.

This wasn’t enough. Liana wanted to continue breaking down Countess Rose’s psychological defenses, to make her completely collapse.

“Lady Minoga had previously given me the forbidden drug for analysis and research. This forbidden drug, compared to the previous one, has been greatly improved. The previous forbidden drug, if taken in excess, would indeed cause such a situation. But after improvement, the forbidden drug wouldn’t have such side effects. If Princess Liana can’t use magic, it’s truly because Princess Liana inherently can’t use magic,” Sibyl said.

“Is that so?” Liana approached Countess Rose. “It seems that even without the forbidden drug, I wouldn’t be able to use magic. Countess Rose, was everything you did was in vain?

“But that’s not important anymore. I’ve gained something more important. Alright, I’ve said my piece. Now it’s your turn, Countess Rose.”

Countess Rose widened her eyes. Everything she had done was in vain?

Liana originally couldn’t use magic? Then what was the purpose of all the risks she had taken?

“Or are you still sticking to what you just said? That everything in these three years was done by you alone?” Liana continued.

“I know clearly that Countess Rose doesn’t have the authority to access the forbidden drug. After all, I asked Minoga, and even she only learned of its existence after Mephilia had taken the forbidden drug. Not to mention you—you knowing about the forbidden drug was entirely because someone told you about it.”

“Actually, whether Countess Rose speaks or not doesn’t matter. After all, few people know about the forbidden drug. Just a little elimination would suffice.”

“For instance, who wants me dead? After my death, who would be affected? Who would benefit? Although I might not know exactly which person, I can guess approximately.”

Liana spoke unhurriedly. Every word struck at Countess Rose’s psychological defenses.

“It’s... Oes...” Countess Rose had just begun to speak.

The maid who had been repelled by Minoga rushed forward, but as an Executor, how could she be a match for Minoga?

“Those who obstruct judgment should be punished,” Minoga raised her hand, and several light swords appeared in the air, landing on the ground and firmly trapping the maid.

“I originally didn’t want to bother with you, but I didn’t expect you’d approach on your own,” Minoga’s cold voice and expressionless face looked at the maid.

At this moment, she was completely different from how she was in private. This was the first time Liana had seen Minoga take action.

With just a casual spell, an Executor lost all ability to resist in her hands.

The maid sighed. “Is this the gap between us and a Judge?”

“Your matter will be set aside for now. It’s not your turn yet.”

“No, now it must be my turn.” The maid bit down on the poison she had hidden in her mouth.

This lethal poison immediately corroded her body. Even though Sibyl reacted quickly and tried to treat her, by the time she touched the servant, there was no sign of life left.

She was determined to die, and no one could stop her. She offered no resistance, and to ensure her death, she had used an extra-large dose.

But she wasn’t the main character. “Countess Rose?”

Liana’s puzzled voice drew everyone’s attention. Black blood was also seeping from the corners of Countess Rose’s mouth.

Her life was rapidly fading away, and she felt afraid. “Save me!”

“This is a life contract...” Sibyl immediately recognized it. “This is forbidden magic that binds the lives of two parties together. If one dies, the other dies too.”

“Yes! It’s Oes!” Countess Rose ultimately couldn’t speak these three syllables completely, but it was enough.

“Oes?” Minoga seemed to deliberately say it for everyone to hear. “Starting with ‘Oes’? And someone with the authority to know about the forbidden drug? Moreover, that maid was planning to silence people, using the life contract, a forbidden magic. The person who fits these requirements must have quite a high status.”

“Minoga, what do you mean?” Liana asked.

“I’m just using the process of elimination to speculate. The only person I can think of who meets these two conditions is Second Prince Oester,” Minoga said.

“That’s impossible! Even if you’re a Judge, you can’t make baseless accusations!” Liana directly refuted Minoga’s view.

If it were at the beginning, Minoga might have been puzzled as to why Liana was speaking up for others. But now it was different. Liana speaking this way surely meant she had her own thoughts, and Minoga just needed to cooperate with Liana.

“Oh? Why would Princess Liana say that?” Minoga asked.

“Because Second Prince Oester has been good to me. When I went to the Lisat Royal Capital for the ceremony, Second Prince Oester sent Sibyl to check on me, which gave me the opportunity to meet Sibyl.”

“Although in the end, there wasn’t a good result, Second Prince Oester generously gave me a garment inscribed with high-level spells. He shouldn’t be capable of doing this.”

“Is that so? It seems I’ve misunderstood Second Prince Oester. But the first syllable is ‘Oes,’ and it’s someone with power... I can’t think of anyone else at the moment.”

The two played along with each other, already putting Second Prince Oester on the spot.

However, even if they hadn’t done this, most people would have already targeted their suspicions on Second Prince Oester.

After all, based on what Liana had said earlier and this syllable “Oes,” Second Prince Oester could already be identified.

But Liana also knew clearly that even if it was said completely, Second Prince Oester probably wouldn’t face major consequences. He most likely hadn’t personally contacted Countess Rose.

And the person who had contacted Countess Rose on his behalf had probably been permanently silenced by him.

So as long as he insisted he had nothing to do with this matter, nothing could be done to him.

Liana hadn’t initially believed that such a late-game boss as Oester could be defeated so easily.

Being able to achieve this much, Liana was already very satisfied. Right now, Oester’s head was probably throbbing. He had more things to deal with than Mephilia did now.

And he had probably permanently lost his qualification to compete. Now, Mephilia’s competitor was only the Crown Prince.

The light from the crystal ball gradually faded, and the back garden temporarily returned to calm.

A cold breeze blew gently, and a smell of blood permeated the air, making Liana shiver. “It’s really cold.”

“Naibert, I’ll leave this to you to handle.” Minoga had some words she wanted to say to Liana.