Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

“Keep watch tonight. I’ll go out and scout around,” Raslaufer said, having changed into a dark gray cloak and carrying only his battle sword at his waist. “If we’re lucky enough, we might be able to finish the battle in one night.”

The Chancellor of the Exchequer named Griffin did not show any obvious intention to rebel, so his reputation was still quite good. If possible, it would be best to let him die quietly to avoid any subsequent troubles.

The group quickly finalized their plans for guarding and providing backup. As the streetlights dimly illuminated the area outside, Raslaufer wrapped the cloth around himself and prepared to leave. However, at that moment, Kendall, who was still guarding the window, let out a soft gasp.

"What's going on?" Sistine thought their hiding place had been discovered and hurriedly grabbed her longbow, ready to fight. But Kendall's next words sounded somewhat confused:

“No, wait…that looks like Lady Dalia?” She held up a finger and pointed to the gap in the wooden blinds. “Look, she’s still wearing a court dress.”

Ms. Dalia was her wet nurse and her first teacher, the closest person Kendall had been to over the past decade. Logically, she should have felt joy upon discovering her, but she didn't. Kendall watched that all-too-familiar figure gradually become clearer in the dim light, but her eyes only held a slowly rising fear.

This woman wasn't just passing by their door; she came straight here!

"What's she doing here?" Mary, who had somehow appeared next to Kendall, frowned as she followed the direction Kendall was pointing. "Did anyone tell her?"

"It absolutely wasn't us!" Luo Suo exclaimed in surprise, quickly proving his innocence. "My sister and I have been with you the whole way. How could we have had time to pass messages to others?"

For the same reason, Kendall couldn't possibly be the leaker. But then, looking at the woman's purposeful footsteps, the matter becomes quite obvious.

They were discovered to have entered the city, and the enemy immediately took action, specifically targeting this "Lady Dalia".

“We’ll hide first,” a knock came at the door. Raslaw glanced at Kendall. “The three of you handle this. I’ll step in if things get out of hand.”

To avoid drawing attention, they entered the city separately, and when they met up, they entered in batches through a hidden door in the building. The minister might not have known about the presence of Leslaufer and his group.

Sistine nodded quickly, and as Raslaufer and the others hid in the shadows, she gripped her dagger and cautiously opened the door a crack.

"Miss Sistine!" Dalia, holding a picnic basket, looked around haphazardly after the door opened, then quickly asked, "Where is Prince Kendall? Is she with you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? And who are you?" Sistine frowned immediately, the dagger in front of her gleaming yellowish in the outside light. "This is Ranger territory, get out of here!"

Seeing that Sistine was about to close the door, Dalia's face paled and she said in a panic, "I am Dalia, Miss Sistine! We met at the ceremony where you and Mr. Rosso were awarded by His Highness Kendall... but that's not the point! My son is serving in the garrison, and he saw you today while on duty at the northwest gate."

"Please, please let me in, let me see Her Highness... They told me Her Highness is dead, but I don't believe it!" Before she could finish her sentence, tears streamed down the woman's face. She lifted the cloth covering the basket, revealing freshly prepared dishes. "Look," she said, "I made this myself. Let me see Her Highness, let me say goodbye, please? Don't worry, I will never tell anyone! Please believe me!"

Looking at the steaming food, Sistine's cat-like face softened. She opened the door a little to make room for one person to pass through: "Come in, Ms. Dalia. His Highness Kendall is indeed here."

Upon seeing Kendall unharmed, Dalia burst into tears, embracing him and recounting the various changes that had occurred since her departure: McGonagall's accession to the throne due to her congenital defects, the replacement of most of the court's staff by the Minister of the Treasury through the Minister of the Interior... She was almost paralyzed with fear, only able to hypnotize herself by the fact that "His Highness is still alive," pretending that nothing had happened and continuing to live a normal life.

When her son, who was serving as a guard, told her that afternoon that Kendall had returned, Dalia felt her heart nearly stop beating. Fortunately, she pulled through and quickly prepared a sumptuous meal for her princess to welcome her back.

Kendall looked at the basket overflowing with all sorts of food: cream rolls, stews, cinnamon rolls... It seemed that Dalia wasn't just worried that Kendall was hungry, but also that she wasn't eating enough, so she was planning to pile all kinds of meals into this one basket.

Even though Kendall had long noticed Dalia's approach and expressed suspicion about her presence, such attentiveness would dispel even the most stubborn concerns. She invited Dalia and the spotted cat siblings to sit at the table, ready to have a good chat about their feelings since their separation.

However, just as she took the utensils Dalia handed her and prepared to eat, a voice rang out from the dimly lit hiding place. They turned to look and saw Angelita emerge, carrying a water bag.

"Mmm, it smells so good! Wouldn't it be a shame to have such delicious food without some drinks?" She stood in front of the table as if talking to herself, took an empty bowl, and filled it with her homemade pear wine. "Could you please let me join you for a meal as well? Come to think of it, I haven't had dinner yet either."

Chapter 641 Classic Murder

Dalia didn't recognize Angelita, but she could at least tell that she was a well-educated, noblewoman, even though she was wearing armor and using a water bag and bowl to hold wine.

“This is…” she said, looking at Kendall.

“Annie, you can just call me that,” Angelita gave Dalia a gentle and elegant smile, as if she were not there at the moment, but at an imperial court banquet. “Please forgive my rudeness, but I consider that I escorted Prince Kendall along with Sistine and Rosso.”

Kendall opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything. He just nodded at Dalia—since she took the initiative to come out, she must have something important to do, and it was definitely not just to freeload off this dinner.

The sudden appearance of a stranger made Dalia a little reserved, while Kendall, who was on guard, didn't touch his knife and fork for the time being, simply waiting for Angrita's next move. The spotted cat siblings were even less likely to do anything unnecessary. Thus, at the meal that was originally prepared for Kendall, Angrita became the only one eating.

She picked up a leaf from a dish, but had no intention of putting it in her mouth. Instead, she dipped the salad fork into the soup on the other side, as if she wanted to eat it with the soup. However, when the leaf was inserted into the soup and then taken out, as the soup dripped down, its surface actually lost its original dark green color and turned into a bewitching bright red!

"What's going on?!" Before Kendall and the spotted cat could express their surprise, Dalia almost jumped up, causing the chair below her to fall backward to the ground. If Angelita hadn't reached out and firmly grabbed her arm, the woman would have tripped and fallen to the ground.

But Dalia was still deeply shocked and couldn't pull herself out of it. She pulled her hair haphazardly and stared blankly at the food she had made herself—even McGonagall could tell that there must be something that shouldn't be in it!

"How could this be? Your Highness, I definitely didn't make this... but this is the dish I made... what on earth is going on?!"

“If you want to poison food, you usually need to bribe the chef, waiter, fellow diners, or the person who prepares the ingredients,” Angelita said, seemingly having anticipated all of this, as she remained calmly seated in her chair, simply putting down her cutlery. “The more people you need to bribe, the easier it is for the news to leak out. But if each of these people is the only one, it often means a significant increase in difficulty.”

"Ms. Dalia, you played three roles, so the last one shouldn't be you, right?"

The woman stared blankly at Angelita, then subconsciously shook her head: "No, it wasn't me. I heard the news quite late, and there wasn't enough time to prepare the ingredients, so I simply borrowed the palace kitchen and ingredients..."

When she heard the news, the palace was preparing dinner. Naturally, she wanted to fulfill her wish as soon as possible. In fact, when she came to find Kendall, she didn't even have time to change her clothes and was still wearing her work attire.

“It’s obvious,” Angelita nodded, then turned to Kendall. “If Lady Dalia wanted to kill you, she would never have cooked the shepherd’s purse and put it in the basket. You know, in the Empire, poisoning food is one of the oldest tricks, and to counter it, nobles even have to learn some basic botany so they can keep themselves safe when they lack poison-detecting tools or spells. Shepherd’s purse is one of those, and it’s usually cooked and served separately.”

Although Angelita was unlikely to be treated this way because of her status and position, she naturally couldn't skip classes when her two older brothers were receiving this education, and now it came in handy.

The shepherd's purse of Meth, an edible plant, was nothing special until some foolish assassin mixed a bottle of poison into Duke Meth's dish, making the entire dish turn as red as the assassin's neck under the Duke's gaze.

It seems that the person who poisoned Kendall used the same poison as the other person—which is understandable, since although there are many kinds of poisons, only a few are effective. In order to be sufficiently concealed while avoiding poison detection spells and other conventional inspection measures, the choices are even fewer.

“The poisons that can react with Message are all quite expensive,” Angelita said, looking at Kendall. “Not everyone can afford them if they don’t have the money.”

“Not to mention that I was able to bribe the chefs in the palace…” Kendall sighed. “Ms. Dalia, you only knew that I was going to run away, but you didn’t know why I was running away, did you?”

As Angelita sat there, listening to Kendall recount the whole story to the astonished Dalia, she felt as if she were Kendall herself, and the woman opposite her had become Mrs. Grandin.

Of course, they are much better than this couple, otherwise she wouldn't be sitting here sighing like this.

Lady Dalia hadn't betrayed her loyalty to Kendall, but her son most likely hadn't; otherwise, even if Dalia knew of Kendall's return, she wouldn't have known her hiding place so clearly. However, Angreta didn't need to worry about what happened next; she appeared intentionally to allow Uncle Raslaufer to act more effectively.

A woman who is unaware of the situation and loyal to Kendall cannot possibly be without eyes watching her, and when she discovers that there are other people around Kendall, the owner of those eyes cannot help but turn her mouth and tongue toward her master.

Just as they had planned, in a matter of moments, with a slight sound coming from the side door of the building, Raslaw slipped in, holding a spies who had already been knocked unconscious in his hand.

This guy discovered traces of more than three people here, and after hearing the voice of a fourth person, Angelita, he immediately prepared to leave, only to be caught red-handed by Leslaufer.

"Is this your son?" Raslaufer asked, dragging the unconscious man in his arms like a dead dog in front of Dalia.

The woman was stunned by the series of events. She could only mechanically follow instructions and couldn't think of doing anything else. Numbly observing the face with its broken nose, she shook her head.

"That makes things easier." Dubul was very satisfied with the result, and then with a forceful pull of his arms, a "crack" was heard, and the spy's head was twisted to the right.

“Daisy, come here and help him up. Let’s try to get things sorted out within five questions.”

Chapter 642 Night Raid

The clear, melodious strains of the zither soon filled the room. As the tune drifted around the deceased, an invisible force lifted the spy's body, infusing it with a trace of life force and intelligence. Though it couldn't return the soul, it could revitalize the spirit. However, the ever-present dissipation caused its eyes and mouth to emit a faint glow, foreshadowing its imminent return to dust.

“Okay,” Daisy nodded to Leslaufer, sensing that the connection was established. “Five questions, preferably as specific as possible.”

"Who sent you?" Leslaufer began to ask directly, but the corpse ignored his question and did not react at all.

"It considers you an enemy, after all, you killed him. So... it refuses to answer."

Daisy sensed the feedback from the corpse and said helplessly, "Your Highness Kendall, perhaps it would be better if you asked. If you can't do that either, then Ms. Dalia can help."

Although they were born into a world filled with magic, spells like talking to the dead are not something that just anyone can perform. Kendall and Dalia were quite frightened by the sight of the dead coming back to life, but fortunately, Kendall Jenner quickly composed herself and asked the corpse the question about Raslaufer.

“Griffin…the Treasurer…” came the completely unexpected answer.

"What did he send you here for?" Kendall asked his second question after hearing Raslaufer's hint.

"Make sure...your...death..."

Ms. Dalia covered her face and sobbed softly. She had almost killed Kendall—with her own hands! That was definitely not the outcome she wanted!

If they asked further, they might have learned some details about Ms. Dalia's son, but Leslaufer, Angelita, and Kendall all tacitly chose to skip this part: there was no need to add any more mental burden to the woman.

"How do I find Griffin, or rather, where do I go to report to him when your mission is over?"

"Minister...official residence, reception room..."

Kendall looked up at Raslaufer: "Seven Peachtree Street. Ministers usually live in nearby estates, but he's an exception. He's lived in the city since I was put on the throne. As for the reception room, he's fat, but it's comfortable enough. There's a large full-length mirror at the back, so it's not hard to find."

Griffin's physique meant that even moving between the rooms of his mansion would be a hassle, so he mostly stayed in the reception room, only returning to his bedroom at night. Tonight, to ensure he could find out Kendall's fate as soon as possible, he would most likely have to spend the night in the reception room.

"Ask it again if there are any special procedures to follow when going in, or what the security situation is like around the mansion."

Kendall did as he was told, but unfortunately, such a complex question was too difficult for a corpse to understand, so it ultimately chose to remain silent, wasting an opportunity.

"Well, as far as you know, is there anyone special around this minister?" Kendall asked one last question, which was also a question she had been worried about all along: if it was just Griffin who was planning everything, then it would be alright, but if it wasn't him, but someone else who planned to use the minister or even the small kingdom of Arkent to do things, then the situation would be very bad.

"The mirror..." The corpse gave an answer that surprised everyone, "The merchant... a secret conversation..."

A secret conversation with a businessman? But what does that have to do with a mirror?

Kendall tried to press for more information, but unfortunately, the power of magic could no longer sustain the vitality of the spy's corpse. Before she could get any more information, the fluorescent light that had been emanating from the eyes, nose, and mouth had completely dissipated, and the entire corpse had lost its last breath. Ordinary methods could not bring it back to "wake up".

"Could it be that full-length mirror you mentioned?" Mary thought for a moment; it was the only clue they knew related to mirrors. "Maybe it's a magic mirror?"

“There’s no point in saying more. We should get going immediately,” Raslaufer glanced at everyone present. “Ms. Dalia, I suggest you stay here and don’t go anywhere to avoid any accidents. Kendall should be able to come and pick you up tomorrow morning—in the name of the little queen.”

Dalia glanced timidly at Leslaufer, then looked regretfully at the meal on the table, which she had poured her heart and soul into but which she feared was inedible. Finally, she obediently went to a corner and hid.

All of this was beyond her comprehension; what could she possibly hope for now?

"Am I going too?" Kendall was somewhat surprised, but more hesitant. "I... I haven't received much training, I'm afraid I'll..."

“With your skill in digging under cars, you’re not a burden or anything like that,” Leslaufer gestured for Mary to give her a dagger. “Use this little thing for self-defense. Don’t worry too much, Anne and Daisy will protect you.”

Since the mission was an assassination, Mary was naturally Raslaufer's most capable assistant, while the other two served as lookouts and support, and keeping an eye on the young lady was also a convenient side effect. As the former nominal and soon-to-be de facto lord of this land, she couldn't very well hide in some corner with her wet nurse.

With their plans finalized, the group immediately sprang into action. Several figures glided gracefully through the night streets, guided by Kendall, and arrived at the alley opposite the Chancellor of the Exchequer's residence.

Angreta, Daisy, and Kendall stopped here, while Raslaufer and Mary split into two groups, flanking the mansion from the left and right. Under the cover of night, the blood of the visible and invisible guards gradually stained the ground red, but without making a sound. The two eventually passed through the garden ahead, and after receiving a message from the little devil Barbasabalon, they met up with the other three in front of the gate.

“There’s an alarm trap here,” Mary gestured for everyone to calm down, then pulled out a set of tools and began to disarm it. “You guys follow behind me; I’m more experienced at this kind of thing.”

"I thought you'd use a strand of hair to do it..." Daisy muttered to herself, but immediately received a light tap on the forehead from Mary.

"That was when I didn't have the right tools. I carry my weapons with me all the time, so why would I pull out my own hair?"

The soft sound of the trap being disarmed was drowned out by Mary's last words. She stood up and carefully opened the door with the Blade of the Sea Song: "Alright, no one's coming from around here. Come in quickly."

Chapter 643 The King and the Ministers

As the minister who effectively controlled the entire small kingdom of Arkent, Griffin had long ago scaled down and replicated his manor in the city as his official residence, transforming what other nobles used as temporary dwellings for receiving guests and conducting business into his primary home. Here, more than two hundred servants served him day and night; for such a small kingdom, even the court was only this size.

But tonight, they were all like blind and deaf people, completely unaware that someone was rapidly approaching their master's reception room.

“That’s him,” Kendall said, pulling back his exclamation. After noticing that Mary had cleared away the last traces of the group, he pointed to the still brightly lit reception room not far away. “He’s right there. A servant just came out and cleared away the dishes.”

Griffin has an almost addictive sweet tooth and eats at least five times a day. Otherwise, he wouldn't have developed such an unusual physique—in Kendall's opinion, he's almost turned himself into another species, a cannibal.

"Now!" Mary gestured, then nimbly crossed the corridor and tiptoed to the door. The others followed suit and approached the reception room. Looking inside from the outside, almost nothing else was visible, except for a huge, incomparable mountain of flesh sitting on a specially made seat that was half bed and half chair, with its back to the door, seemingly reviewing some documents.

Directly opposite him was a full-length mirror. Once here, no one could sneak in without magic—but fortunately, Raslaufer and the others no longer needed to do so.

They went straight in.

"Who is it—oh, it's you, my little prince."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer saw the approaching group in the mirror, paused for a moment, then relaxed. He turned around with difficulty and looked at Kendall Jenner: "It seems that Daria has not completed her mission."

“But your men have already done it,” Kendall said, gripping the dagger tightly. This was the first time in years she had openly defied the minister. “You will soon be just like them!”

The minister looked down at the young queen and suddenly burst into loud laughter: "Me too? My mission is complete? Not a bad joke, but far from it!"

His fat fingers twitched, slamming a series of documents on the table in front of Kendall: "Look! Look at these! Have you ever seen them before? Can you understand them? Do you know how to handle them?! My mission is complete. Who do you think can replace me?! Yourself? Or your mentally challenged sister?!"

The Chancellor of the Exchequer's imposing presence seemed undiminished by the presence of outsiders; her aggressive demeanor caused Kendall to involuntarily take a step back. However, after only two steps, Angelita grabbed her shoulder from behind.

“Don’t be afraid,” the girl whispered. “Remember, you are the lord, and he is just a minister who helps you manage things. What you see before you is nothing but a lump of fat and grease that still has to be subservient to the king.”

Angelita's voice was loud enough that even Griffin could hear it clearly. He instinctively wanted to laugh, but when he met those brown eyes that showed no respect for him and even had a hint of superiority, he swallowed hard and forced himself to swallow his words back.

This girl... unlike the Kendall sisters, she shouldn't be mocked like that.

Although he didn't know the reason, a voice did indeed warn him from within his heart, which was encased in grease. Just then, Kendall picked up the scattered documents from the ground and began to examine them slowly.

“If you can handle these things, what’s wrong with me giving the power back to you?” Griffin sneered. Kendall was someone he had watched grow up, and her every move was under his control. He could guarantee that this lord, who had only a title for many years, had never received such an education, and naturally could not do the work that should have been hers.

And as he had expected, Kendall's brow furrowed and never unfurled when faced with those convoluted written phrases. She certainly had her own ideas, but what she wasn't sure about was... whether she should express those opinions.

Although this wasn't a direct confrontation, it was still part of her struggle with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and she didn't want to be defeated at this stage. What good would it do to get Lord Raslaufer to kill Griffin if that happened?

She may appear to have succeeded, but in the end she is a loser: if she regains power over the small kingdom, but can only lead it to its downfall.

“That inspector is guilty. Approve his arrest and put him on trial,” Angelita’s voice suddenly came over her shoulder. “The peasant woman is giving false testimony. She’s the inspector’s mistress and is trying to protect him. The foreign halfling is innocent. The half-elf is a suspect and needs to be investigated more thoroughly.”

“…Miss Anne?”

“I know as much about this case as you do,” Angelita said, her expression unchanged. “I didn’t understand the intricacies of it before, but I learned a few tricks from others.”

This "others" refers, of course, to Skadi and Felix. Although the two have different methods of handling official business, in Angelita's eyes, there are still many commonalities or unique approaches that can be extracted and adapted for her own use.

"Nonsense!" Griffin immediately exclaimed in dissatisfaction. "What kind of judgment is this? What law are you basing this on?! Arkent didn't..."