Do you all know the future?

Chapter 153 Backstab
The festive atmosphere enveloped the city, and the once quiet Istaya was now bustling with activity.

Strings of colorful ribbons and flags were hung from the stone buildings lining the streets, fluttering gently in the wind.

People dressed in festive attire, their clothes a riot of colors and styles, their faces beaming with joy, as if the coronation ceremony had ended and Istaya's suffering would also be over.

"I wonder what they're so happy about?"

Sitting in the carriage, Diane couldn't understand why people were happy when a coronation ceremony couldn't solve the problems facing Istaya.

"You always have to give yourself hope to live, otherwise the feeling of waiting to die is agonizing!"

Across from him, Fiona also glanced out the window, explaining the public's current fervor in a detached tone.

"maybe."

Thinking about what happened at the restaurant yesterday, Diane nodded in understanding. Knowing full well that she was going to die, but unable or unwilling to escape, she could only hypnotize herself.

"This is a rare moment of joy for the people; they haven't been this happy in a long time since the demon invasion."

Fiona added that the repression brought on by the demon invasion was released in such a celebratory ritual, perhaps not because people loved the king that much, but simply because they wanted to have this kind of fun.

"A demonic invasion?"

Diane fell silent, thinking about how he would wipe out these damned things if he became king.

"Thinking about how to deal with these guys? Don't worry, they're bullies who prey on the weak. With the protection of the goddess of victory, they won't dare to mess with us!"

Fiona reassured her, noticing Diane's worry. She said that Ishtar was indeed in a bad situation, being right at the edge of the abyss, but it was much better than before.

Previously, the evil gods united to break through the barrier, but now that the barrier has been breached, the evil gods have resumed fighting individually.

"Yes, I will bring peace to Istaya."

Diane nodded, not dwelling on the issue; today wasn't the time to consider it.

You only have the right to consider this issue if you win; if you lose, you shouldn't even think about it. In today's situation, we cannot afford to lose.

"I also believe in you. You are Her Majesty the Queen's child, and you will surely become the new king of Ishtar."

Fiona reminisced about Queen Greta, her eyes filled with determination as she looked at Diane, who gave a forced smile.

If Diane hadn't known she was an enemy, she could have accepted it calmly. But knowing her true identity, Diane felt that Fiona was a master of acting.

"Are all the nobles here? I need to announce my presence; too few people won't be enough to make a big impact."

Even though she clearly wanted to kill herself, she was now encouraging him like this. Diane was afraid that her acting would falter, so she shook her head and asked Fiona about the guests.

"Those who are supposed to come have come, and we can't persuade Murak not to come. However, given the example of the Northern Winterguard, most people are still willing to give Murak face."

Fiona remained expressionless, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked out at the other carriages. Everyone was afraid that what happened in Winterhold City would happen in their own city.

"What does the matter of Wintercrown have to do with Murak? Did he give Wintercrown to the cultists?"

Diane couldn't make sense of the logic; the tragedy was indeed shocking, but how did it relate to the king?

"Because the nobles believe that with the protection of the royal family, they will not suffer from the descent of evil gods. After all, although there are many cultists in the capital, there are basically no true gods descending."

Fiona also felt it was unrelated, but since that was what the nobles all meant, she simply stated it verbatim.

"That's really pathetic. The common people don't have the money to leave, and the nobles are unwilling to give up their power. Nobles are all gamblers."

Diane commented, "It's good that they've all come. Diane can catch them all in one fell swoop. If they hadn't come, the head maid would have had to go looking for her."

"Not entirely. It's basically a double-dealing strategy, with the next generation of the family fleeing abroad, leaving only those in power behind."

The nobles aren't stupid. They don't really believe in the fate of the nation. They're just fooling the common people. One fool like Lady Terry is enough for a country.

"That matches my impression of nobles. Why did Marquis Fiona stay?"

Diane asked curiously, passing the time on her way to the palace.

"Me? I wanted to look after Her Majesty's country, but I was too weak. Angels are so weak in front of demigods. In the end, I was unable to protect anything."

Fiona sighed, her deep emotions palpable, and Diane could almost feel her anguish.

She possessed a similar air to Mrs. Terry, a steadfastness in her beliefs that made people unconsciously believe her naive statements.

"It's not your fault. Even a demigod can't change the current situation in Ishtar. What Ishtar needs is a powerful god!"

Diane seemed confused and spoke up to comfort her, offering her own insights.

"Yes, so you are the savior of Ishtar. The gods have abandoned Ishtar and they are unwilling to reseal the Abyss."

Fiona clenched her fists, venting her dissatisfaction with the gods, who were the main reason for Ishtar's current predicament.

"It's too much trouble for no one, and it's very likely that we'll be doing all the work for someone else. Everyone is conserving their strength now, the world is getting more and more chaotic, and even the gods are avoiding war with others!"

The maid spoke up, "If you put yourself in the shoes of a god, it's easy to understand. You've worked so hard to seal the gap in the abyss, and now other gods are coming to share in the spoils? Who could stand that?"

"Such gods are not worthy of people's faith. These gods usually take advantage of the believers' faith, but they back down when faced with difficulties."

Fiona looked annoyed and righteous, as if she were truly dissatisfied with the gods, and her disdainful expression only made Diane admire her acting skills.

"These gods are awful! The believers have wasted their faith in them. What is this...?"

A voice, clearer and more ethereal than the surrounding music, pierced through the noisy crowd and drifted into the carriage.

"The choir is singing, we've arrived at the palace!"

Fiona, being more familiar with the place, closed the curtains next to Diane, as they were about to enter the palace and wanted to prevent anyone from seeing Diane.

"That was pretty fast. What's next?"

Diane, no longer able to look at the scenery outside the window, turned her head and looked around at the people inside the carriage: the head maid, Fiona, and Lady Terry.

Mrs. Terry looked hesitant, though she had wanted to correct Diane and Fiona's words, but it was difficult for her to express it.

The discussion between the two sides had a veiled criticism of her; she was a noblewoman from Istya, but she was quite loyal.

"Have we arrived yet?" Diane, having seen many grand occasions, was unimpressed and saw the palace walls.

"We're here, let's go in."

Everyone else had to get out of their carriages and walk into the palace, but Fiona didn't. Her carriage turned around and didn't enter through the main gate, nor was she checked.

She used her authority as the head of the guard to bring Diane and the head maid into the palace. Diane disguised herself and did not attract anyone's attention.

"This is my office, it's very safe."

Carefully navigating the connecting corridor, they arrived at a three-story building. Fiona led Diane into her office.

"Thank you!"

Diane glanced at the surroundings; they were very simple, with almost no decorations.

"His Majesty Murak should be heading to the treasury soon to retrieve the treasure, as planned. You wait here for us while I take Lady Margarita to the treasury to deal with the false king."

Fiona instructed, glancing at Mrs. Terry, signaling her to protect Diane's safety.

"After we obtain the divine artifact and slay the false king, we will come back to welcome you, participate in the coronation ceremony, and announce your existence. If we do not return, please do not wander around."

Fiona briefly repeated the planned steps, as if to boost Diane's confidence and prevent her from straying off course.

“I understand. I will not leave this room. Be careful when you go. The false king is colluding with the moon goddess and the god of life. There should be demigods helping and assisting them.”

Diane made the promise, while looking at the head maid with concern. The head maid nodded to indicate that there was no problem.

"With Lady Margaret around, what's there to fear about a demigod? The main concern is your safety, but with Lady Terry's help, we can feel a little more at ease."

"You are Her Majesty the Queen's only child. I don't want you to get hurt, and I don't want to put you in danger. Why don't you bring a few more demigods with you? That would not only increase your chances of success, but also make you safer!"

Fiona's eyes showed concern, and she sighed twice. Diane only had Mrs. Terry by her side, which was obviously not enough to protect her.

“Margaret is enough. Having too many people around me would actually make it harder for me to stay hidden. This is just right.”

Diane shook her head. Was it because he didn't want to?
Tudor didn't have many demigods to use. If they were all taken away, what would Tudor do? What if someone raided his home?

If it weren't for the fear of someone targeting the head maid's spatial magic, Diane wouldn't have brought Lady Eve along.

"That's true. The false king seems to be mentally ill now, always feeling that someone wants to harm him. Bringing too many people with him does raise suspicion."

Fiona frowned; Diane's explanation didn't convince her, but she didn't expose Diane's lies.

She knew that Diane was hiding a demigod. According to the intelligence she had, Diane's group consisted of four people, but that didn't matter. The lineup she had today was enough to kill Diane. Even if two more demigods came, it wouldn't matter, as long as Diane and her group fell into the trap.

“We had this in mind at the time. We didn’t initially plan to take action during this ceremony. We just wanted to conduct reconnaissance so that there would be fewer problems when we used the military later.”

This situation was also unexpected for Diane, and it felt as if the scouts had become the main force.

"This is a rare opportunity. If you miss it, not only will the false king seize the title, but he will also mold the nobles into his supporters. It will be very troublesome to deal with these nobles later, and they will become an obstacle to your rule over Ishtar."

Fiona explained the necessity of the operation: if Diane refused at the last minute and gave up, her entire plan would fail.

"Yes, resolving all of Tudor's problems today and getting Ishtar back on track is what Queen Greta hopes for."

Diane made a bold promise to set things right, and Fiona smiled approvingly.

"The Queen must be heartbroken to see Ishtar like this. Your Highness's willingness to do so makes my efforts worthwhile."

"It's about time, so let's stop chatting and go stake out the false king to retrieve the artifact."

Fiona was eagerly anticipating Diane's reaction, wondering how devastated she would be upon learning the truth, accusing Diane of defiling Queen Greta's bloodline and deserving to be erased.

She is like Lottina, the goddess of storms, and the god of love, knowing that she is a part of the god of love, while also retaining her own thoughts.

"Margaret, go quickly, and be careful not to hurt yourself."

Diane instructed Margaret, and the head maid stepped forward and gave Diane a slight bow, indicating that she would obey Diane's orders.

"Your Highness is still concerned about Lady Margaret. I heard that Lady Margaret is your foster mother?"

Fiona looked at the Queen with curiosity, hoping that Diane could solve her doubts before she died. She had searched through a lot of information but could not find any female knights or servants who followed Queen Greta with the shadow of the head maid.

Just as Queen Greta suddenly had another son, she thought she knew Queen Greta very well, but she still couldn't find out when Queen Greta got pregnant or when she gave birth to Diane.

"Is Marquis Fiona envious? I also wish you a safe completion of our plan!"

Diane smiled sheepishly, as if Fiona had hit a nerve.

"Marquis Fiona, please lead the way. It won't be good if we miss the time. We can talk about my master and me on the way!"

The maid reminded her, and Fiona was overjoyed, feeling as if she could uncover a secret.

"Then let's go, Your Highness, please wait a moment... *pfft*..."

Fiona turned around, intending to open the door and leave, when suddenly she felt a tearing sensation from the laws of nature. She felt as if her throat was blocked by blood, and she couldn't make a sound.

The head maid's spear pierced through her chest from behind, and Fiona died, just as the head maid had done to those demigods—without any hindrance or difficulty.

"died?"

The head maid retrieved the Holy Lance, and Diane looked at Fiona lying on the ground. Her eyes had lost their luster, and her large eyes seemed to be unable to understand how she could have died.

"He's dead. I believe Eros is in pain. Creating a clone isn't so easy. Such clones often carry a part of the god's essence, unlike Tatiana's dual-body-one-mind."

The head maid, stepping on Fiona's corpse, examined the body and said, "A divided soul of a god is equivalent to a god descending; its death is naturally a harm to the original body."

"That's good. The worst thing about these guys is the second stage, when they do sit-ups repeatedly. What should we do next?"

Diane breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Fiona had died cleanly and neatly. He had been worried when he heard that it was a fragment of Cupid's soul, wondering if killing someone would attract Cupid's descent. Now it seemed that his worries were unfounded.

"We won't give them that chance. Next, we'll send you to a truly safe place, because what's coming next is too bloody, and we don't want to taint your eyes, Master."

The head maid smiled nonchalantly, but only Lady Terry felt a chill.

(End of this chapter)