After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

To make things easier to manage, Eleanor locked Marquis Hughes and Princess Diana together.

The Marquis of Hughes was more cooperative than expected. Since the Duke did not order his execution immediately, it meant there was still room for maneuver.

However, it turns out there really is a princess in the army. He had thought the duke was using the princess's name to purge the nobles as a cover.

They took away the marquis's more than a thousand private soldiers and three mages, leaving a battalion of troops stationed in Cold Lake City.

Elena sent her scouts back to Ice City to report to the Duke, while she and Kate led the army across the lake by boat to Green Canyon.

On the ship, Diana and Hughes looked at each other, each thinking the other was a fool.

Diana believed that the Marquis of Hughes was simply out of his mind for not rallying the nobles and rebelling immediately, but instead surrendering to the arrival of the army and being slaughtered at their mercy.

Hughes noticed the disdain in the princess's eyes but smiled dismissively.

Although he didn't manage affairs, he knew how difficult it was to govern a territory.

In terms of ability, Duke Oswald, having only been on the throne for a short time, had already repelled two attacks by the demons. He provided winter relief, recruited workers for mining, built military camps, reclaimed land, distributed land, and trained his army…

These matters, one by one, were handled meticulously by the Duke, winning the hearts of the people.

In terms of power, the eastern nobles have now been purged, the Earl of Rondo in the southwest has submitted, in addition to the reformed south, the always honest and dutiful west, and the loyal north.

Before long, all the residents of the Northern Territory will only have one sky above them, and that sky will not be in the royal city, but in the Ice City!

In terms of strength, the bones of the Undying Python are on display in Ice City Square; anyone who disagrees can come and try.

He didn't know why the princess was dragging the nobles from the southern business district into this mess, but he said he understood.

After all, these people who hold high positions but have never held real power all have one thing in common: they have a strange kind of self-confidence and always think that everyone else is a fool, as if they are the smartest person in the world.

The two men sneered simultaneously, and the boat docked at the shore.

"Your Highness, why don't you take this opportunity to bribe the Marquis? If we can get the magic staff of his mage, we might still have a chance to escape."

Taking advantage of the moment when the army was disembarking, the coachman finally found an opportunity and quietly approached Diana to speak.

"Ha, do you think this coward will help us? He doesn't even dare to reply to my letters, how could he dare to rebel against Oswald?"

"Moreover, I've figured it out. Oswald wouldn't dare do anything to me. Just wait and see, I reckon my brother's messenger will be here soon."

Diana gritted her teeth inwardly. Fortune changes every thirty years, and one day she would make Oswald pay for her humiliation tenfold!

Amidst the rampant rumors in the royal city, Lilith hurriedly arrived at Thorne's residence.

As soon as she entered, she said to the anxious crowd, "Two pieces of bad news, no good news."

"First, there's the reward for our defeat of the bone dragon. The king said that a necromancer has appeared in the western territory again, and he will reward us together after this matter is resolved. I estimate that our plan to make Thorne a nobleman will probably fall through."

"The situation with the princess is more complicated. Oswald has already taken action. He has not only detained the princess, but also sent Elene to lead troops to attack the southern commercial district. The army is already close to the border with the central district."

Thorne scratched the back of his head, still not understanding the situation.

For him, the Northern Territory was a distant place, and the Duke of Oswald was a stranger who was said to be very powerful but had a very bad reputation.

As for Elene, he vaguely knew that she was his greatest enemy, but only in his previous life. So the only question he could ask was this one.

"Princess, are you alright?"

"She should be fine," Lilith replied briefly. "We don't need to worry about the princess's safety for now. What we should be most concerned about now is the king sending Duke Dale to attack the Northern Territory under the pretext of a noble war."

In Lilith's view, the rivalry between the two dukes would indeed be advantageous to them, but Duke Dale was all show and no substance. She was not afraid of him winning, but rather of him losing miserably and becoming a stepping stone for Oswald.

Annie lowered her eyes. Having fought against Elene before, she naturally had more authority to speak. "Elene's military leadership skills are average, but she excels in close-quarters melee combat. Her attacks are extremely decisive, and she prefers to concentrate her forces for single-point breakthroughs..."

While Annie was still analyzing the enemy's situation, Lilith suddenly grabbed Thorne's arm and became excited.

"Thorne, this is an opportunity, a chance to deal with that bitch Elene directly!"

"Duke Dale commands 20,000 troops, while the enemy has only 5,000. With our assistance, victory is assured!"

us?

Annie and Thorne both stared at Lilith in silence. As for Maria, who was sitting to the side, she seemed to be preoccupied with something and did not participate in their conversation at all.

"Wait, wait," Thorne felt his mind was even more confused. "Why would we go to war? It doesn't make any sense."

"Of course, it's to help Thorne get rid of your biggest enemy in the future." Lilith blinked, and although she looked cute, her words made Thorne's hair stand on end.

"For you, I'm willing to do anything, even sacrifice my life, to kill Elene."

The atmosphere became a little strange for a moment, but fortunately, Annie never paid attention to the atmosphere.

"Let me make this clear first, I won't go. But if it's to rescue Diana, count me in. However, I want to emphasize again that Oswald and Eleanor are in danger, and that Duke Dale is not someone we can trust."

"Why shouldn't you go?" Lilith stood up, instantly enraged, pointing at Annie and yelling, "You ungrateful wretch! Don't you know how many resources the princess spent to save you?"

"Besides, your parents are still in the Northern Territory. Charles and his sister are so brutal, slaughtering nobles on a large scale. Aren't you worried about your parents' safety? Don't you have any filial piety at all?"

Annie rubbed her temples, finding her mother's bad temper unbearable. "It's precisely because my parents are in his hands that I can't go, and I certainly can't anger Oswald because of it!"

The two started arguing again, something Thorne was used to. He moved his chair and sat down next to Maria, who had been silent all along.

"Miss Saint, what's your opinion on this matter?"

"We should find a way to bring Princess Diana back." Maria sighed, unwilling to talk to them any longer, and slowly got up to leave. "Thorne, no matter how powerful the enemy is, the princess is your most reliable ally. You should think more about her."

The summer in the royal city was rather sultry. Maria went out and got into the carriage, and could still faintly hear the arguing inside the house, which sounded like cicadas chirping.

The scene of Elena cutting through the battle lines, severing Nicole's hands, and snatching the Wishing Star flashed before my eyes.

Time rewind, time rewind...

Who exactly initiated the time reversal? If Thorne didn't have memories of his previous life and didn't share their experiences, then what was the meaning of their actions in this life?

They all got together because of him, but he still hasn't realized his responsibility, spending all his time with Lilith...

"Your Holiness, where do you wish to go?" The coachman's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Maria's voice was clear and crisp. "Return to the Holy See."

"Yes."

The iconic, towering church in the heart of the royal city is where Maria was born and raised. For many members of the Vatican, it is a sacred place and workplace they aspire to.

But in Maria's eyes, this is her home.

As she entered, the elderly nuns greeted her with gentle smiles. Maria forced a smile and took small, quick steps to the archbishop's office.

Maria composed herself at the door and knocked.

"Enter."

Pushing open the door, he was greeted by Archbishop John, a man with a long white beard, but suddenly someone appeared beside him.

The blond man in magnificent white armor turned around and gave her a wicked smile.

"I have sensed your beautiful and noble soul, Maria. If you have sensed mine as well, please say it aloud."

"Um...you're back, Paul."

Maria ignored his cryptic attempts to show off; she was used to it anyway.

Paul, the Paladin Commander, is four years older than her. Both of them are orphans adopted by the Holy See. Compared to Maria's excellent talent in goddess magic, Paul's combat talent can only be described as explosive, and he is hailed as the strongest of the younger generation.

Even Archbishop John couldn't understand why Paul failed the test of the hero.

"I have successfully destroyed the lair of the heretics. Oh, Maria, do you know that those damned heretics were bragging about the suffering of flesh and blood and the ascension of machines?"

"Those who cannot even cherish the body given to them by the goddess have no beautiful souls."

Paul continued his dynamic narration, making a series of gestures such as hands on hips and hip thrusts, as if he couldn't speak without his limbs.

"But, the lair was destroyed?" Maria was somewhat puzzled. Given Paul's abilities, shouldn't he have wiped out all the heretics?

"Yes, because I received a summons from the bishop."

Only then did Archbishop John swallow the candy he had just stolen, stroke his beard, and try to project an air of authority.

"This is the King's personal request. Considering the Duke of Oswald's strength, His Majesty needs to send an absolutely powerful person into the northern territory to bring back the princess."

"So, here I am." Paul flicked his bangs and winked at Maria. "The reason I'm here is to solve problems that no one else can."

Maria... I beg you, please behave yourself.

"Will Duke Oswald release Princess Diana?" Maria sighed. She didn't understand why Diana had acted on her own, even though they were all a team.

John chuckled. "Don't worry, kid, he'll still give me face as the archbishop."

The archbishop closed the envelope with his hands, which were as weathered as tree bark, his eyes growing more serious. "Oswald is one of the few people I can't truly understand. To be honest, I don't dare to judge whether he really has ambitions."

"But he is a good lord who understands the bigger picture and cares for his people. He knows what to do and when to do it, so I think there must be some misunderstanding."

John raised his gaze to Maria's uneasy face and said slowly, "Moreover, I understand the princess's actions even less than he does."