As a queen who has lost her kingdom, I can see the comments section.

“Oh, it’s Houston. What’s up?” Ogden asked when he saw Houston.

“Yes, Your Grace,” Houston replied. “Prince Salit is dead. His body was found in an alley in the White Maple neighborhood, and the sheriff’s office is currently searching for the killer.”

"What did you say? Cough cough cough..."

Upon hearing this news, Ogden's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but cough violently. His whole body seemed to become hot and extremely uncomfortable.

"Father!"

This situation greatly surprised the princes and princesses around them.

Especially since Ogden coughed up blood along with his cough, it was even more worrying.

“How could you say something so provocative at a time like this?” Bennett glared angrily at Houston.

"This……"

Houston felt somewhat innocent and glanced at Vincent.

“What’s the point of saying all this now? Houston, go and call the doctor.” Vincent ordered.

"Yes Yes."

Houston didn't have time to explain the situation; in his view, calling a doctor was more important at this moment, so he immediately ran outside.

Before the doctor arrived, Ogden's cough worsened, and he eventually lost consciousness.

Shortly after, Houston quickly brought in the doctor.

Besides the doctors, there were also priests from the church. These priests were dressed in white robes, looked holy, and were all apostles who possessed the power of healing.

However, the priests could only heal external injuries, and they were actually unable to treat illnesses caused by old age. Therefore, the treatment of Grand Duke Ogden would actually require the intervention of doctors.

The other princes and princesses watched nervously as the doctors performed the treatment.

Vincent stepped back, and when no one was paying attention, a cold glint in his eyes, grabbed Houston by the door, snapped his neck, and threw him out of the open window in the corridor.

Their floor is the top floor of the castle, which is quite high. If an ordinary person fell down, it would be very difficult for them to survive.

The process was incredibly fast, taking no more than two seconds and completed silently. No one else present noticed it. When they occasionally glanced around, they only saw Vincent standing there, as if he had always been there.

Only Houston's disappearance went unnoticed.

After all, he was just a male servant.

Half an hour passed quickly.

For half an hour, the doctors did everything they could, and the priests, regardless of whether it was effective or not, also used their healing abilities, but still couldn't change anything.

Half an hour later, the oldest doctor, pale-faced, said, "Grand Duke Ogden... has passed away."

After those words were spoken, the entire bedroom fell silent.

Vincent was overjoyed, but feigned sadness on his face.

He was only trying to provoke Ogden with the news of Salit's death, to worsen Ogden's body, and he had prepared other methods to further deteriorate Ogden's corpse. He never expected that the first thing he did would directly send Ogden away from this world.

Ogden didn't even have time to make a will!

Unless a will is made, no one is a legitimate heir, and there are always other opportunities.

Bennett looked grim.

Although he was the most popular prince, without Ogden's will, he could not be easily recognized as the next Grand Duke. He would have to go through a lot of trials and tribulations to inherit the title of Grand Duke.

So what should I do to minimize the trouble?

Verna's eyes flickered.

The absence of a will was a good thing for her, as it meant that it would be difficult to decide immediately who the next Grand Duke would be, and while others were openly vying for the position, she could secretly accumulate power.

Two tigers engage in a fierce battle, and the winner will inevitably be severely injured. But besides Bennett, are there any other tigers that could rival him?

At that moment, for some reason, Verna remembered Amelia's warning to be careful of Vincent. She glanced at Vincent subconsciously and saw that there seemed to be firelight flickering in Vincent's eyes.

Verna was taken aback by that look. She could no longer see the honest and simple look on Vincent's face. At this moment, there was only a fire of ambition in Vincent's eyes.

'This guy...is he actually hiding his true abilities? Amelia's insight is amazing!'

Verna didn't dare to look any longer and quickly looked away.

However, Vincent's ambition is not necessarily a bad thing for me, because it means that the other party may be able to restrain Bennett to some extent. Only if the other party can restrain Bennett will I have more opportunities.

By this time, Houston's body had already been discovered, but the doctors were treating Ogden when it was found, so it was inconvenient to report it. Now that Ogden was dead, Houston's situation seemed insignificant in comparison.

==========

Amelia had already discussed some follow-up preparations with Harold and Nicole, and then she and Eileen returned to White Maple Academy by carriage.

Back in the dormitory, Eileen prepared lunch for Amelia, while Amelia sat in the living room reading a few newspapers at a leisurely pace.

There was nothing particularly special in the newspaper; it was just a series of extensions of the morning paper's content.

Just as Amelia was reading the newspaper, the doorbell rang.

Before Amelia could even get up, Eileen came running out of the kitchen. For Eileen, opening the door was something she had to do herself. Only after she had confirmed the identity of the person coming in was it appropriate for the person to come into contact with Amelia.

The person who arrived was none other than Verna.

Verna walked into the living room, glanced at Amelia, and said, "The Grand Duke is dead."

These words immediately stunned Amelia.

Although she had wondered if the Duke of Ogden would die soon when she learned of his serious illness that morning, she was still surprised by how swiftly and decisively he died.

"Why so suddenly? Has something unusual happened?" Amelia asked, putting down her newspaper.

"Because the Grand Duke was greatly shocked when he learned of Salit's death, he died despite all efforts to save him," Verna said, as if she were an outsider.

“Salite…”

When Amelia learned of Salit's death, she knew it was no coincidence, but she never imagined it would hasten the passing of Grand Duke Ogden.

She glanced at the comments section; the sudden death of Grand Duke Ogden had surprised and sparked discussion among the viewers.

Verna approached Amelia and briefly explained what had happened in the castle, allowing Amelia to quickly understand the situation.

"The Grand Duke didn't leave any will, and there's no clear successor yet? This is indeed an opportunity for you. Do you want to compete openly?" Amelia asked, looking at the girl beside her.

She knew that Verna had extremely strong ambitions, and the current situation, while not ideal for Verna, was not bad either; it was an opportunity that could not be missed.

“I don’t plan to act hastily. For now, I’m outwardly supporting Bennett as the next Grand Duke. I plan to let Bennett compete with the other princes first, and then I’ll clean up the mess.” Verna’s thinking was very clear.

At this point, she thought of Vincent and said, "Amelia, you have a keen eye. That Vincent is indeed suspicious. I can tell that he is also eyeing the Grand Duke's position. This guy can probably create a lot of obstacles for Bennet. I now hope that he can become stronger and weaken Bennet's power."

Amelia: "..."

She couldn't say for sure that Vincent might have a harder time dealing with this, because the current plot is different from the original one.

In the original storyline, Grand Duke Riogdon would not die until the following year, and Vincent had secretly accumulated power for another year before he was able to suddenly strike, eliminate Bennet, and take care of all the other competitors, becoming the final victor.

Now that time has been moved forward by a year, has Vincent accumulated enough strength?

"Have you thoroughly investigated Vincent's situation?" Amelia asked after thinking for a moment.

“I had my people investigate before, but as you know, the situation in the Duchy changes too quickly, so I need to send more people to investigate Vincent again in order to find out anything in a short time,” Verna said, her eyes gleaming.

Since she has ambitions to seize the position of Grand Duke, she naturally has some means to achieve them; she has already extended her influence into the army.

At this critical juncture, it's time for her to mobilize her influence within the military.

“By the way,” Verna said with a smile, “Bennett has already considered me one of his men. I came here with his message: he wants you to be prepared, gather your strength, and perhaps do something.”

Verna understood that if Amelia really needed to make any preparations, she could only help her, since they had already signed a contract.

She, Verna, is Amelia's ally.

“I understand the situation. Let’s wait and see.” Amelia looked out the window.

The wind seems to have picked up.

Chapter 103 The Bloody City of Beard: The Competition for the Next Grand Duke

Verna didn't stay with Amelia for long. After saying everything she needed to say, Verna left. At this critical juncture, she also needed to prepare herself further.

Not long after Vilna left, news of the death of Grand Duke Ogden finally spread throughout Beard.

In an instant, Beard City was thrown into an uproar!

In the evening, news of the death of the Duke of Ogden was published in various evening newspapers, and musicians in the city played mournful music while bards sang of Ogden's achievements.

Grand Duke Ogden reigned for thirty years. He did not do anything particularly remarkable, but he also did not make any major mistakes. To the citizens of the Duchy of Luban, he was a pretty good ruler.

Therefore, Ogden's death inevitably casts a shadow over the entire city.

More importantly, Ogden has not yet decided on the next Grand Duke.

So who will be the next Grand Duke?

This issue was inevitably raised and became the most hotly debated topic in Beard City.

"No matter how you look at it, shouldn't we support Prince Bennett's ascension to the throne?"

"His Highness Bennett is exceptionally capable and the most suitable candidate."

"I think Prince Vincent is also quite good."

"I think..."

Throughout the city, Bennett was the most talked-about person, with a constant stream of supporters.

But the others are not without supporters.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was November 21st.

The arrangements for the burial of the Archduke of Ogden have been made and will take place today.

The weather in Beard City was cool today. Under the gloomy sky, the wind blew coldly, and the dew on the branches and leaves clung to the ground, only occasionally breaking apart when a gust of wind blew.

Princes and princesses, along with a large number of nobles, all dressed in black, stood outside the castle on the east side of Beard City, waiting for the body of the Duke of Ogden to be brought out.

To the north of the castle is a mausoleum dedicated to the burial of the archdukes, where Ogden will be buried.

However, as a Grand Duke, Ogden would not be buried immediately upon his death. He would be taken around Beard City so that the citizens could bid him a final farewell before he was finally buried.

During this process, the princes and princesses, along with many nobles and invited guests, need to accompany them.