They are all characters I control.

[Lia: Um, His Majesty Darion is going to hold a banquet because of my engagement...]

Chapter 43 Lia's Engagement

Claire looked at the comment Lia posted, and realized he had indeed forgotten about the royal family of the new empire.

Although Bishop Simon has always controlled the new empire, the new empire's royal family is willing to be its lackey.

This could also be considered another wise move. After the Church of Goddess overthrew one emperor, it then supported a new one.

By the time of His Majesty Lean, it was only the second generation.

His Majesty Darian is very old, and the next successor is still young. Only His Majesty Darian can stabilize the situation and wait for an opportunity.

However, when Bishop Simon's chance to be promoted to archbishop disappeared.

This shrewd and calculating emperor, who was described as a kind-hearted man, finally began to make his move.

The Rost family has a marriage agreement with the royal family.

His Majesty Daryan is going to use the engagement between Leah and Prince Alvin as a pretext.

His Majesty Darion had previously tested the waters to ascertain the relationship between Lydia and Isabelle, and the result confirmed it.

However, this seemingly kind emperor was also quite cunning. He waited until Lia and Isabelle's relationship had stabilized and remained unchanged until now before pulling this stunt.

[Lia: 'Guiding God,' what should we do? Count Orlando and I have arrived at the palace. His Majesty Darian is right before us, and the Count is almost at his limit.]

Claire: Why did you go to that dinner party if you had nothing better to do? You could have just made an excuse not to go from the start.

[Lia: I didn't know they were going to discuss my engagement with Prince Alvin. I... I don't know what to do.]

Claire: Doesn't that mean you've been tricked into thinking you're doing something, and they only get to the point when you get there?

[Lia: Yes! That's right, exactly!]

Claire: You can't blame anyone else; it's your fault for being careless.

[Lia: Yes, we were too careless. The Earl and I both thought that with the Rost family imprisoned by Bishop Simon, His Majesty Darian wouldn't mention such a thing...]

Claire looked through the system screen at Leah, who was sitting hesitantly in front of His Majesty Darian.

“The Rost family is in a bad situation right now, and Leah’s father is not around. Perhaps this is a bit too hasty,” Earl Orlando said, trying to persuade her.

Unfortunately, she was only a countess, and the reason she was respected was simply because she was His Majesty Daryan's favorite.

At this point, does this influential figure want to fight against his powerful backer?

That is, of course, impossible.

“It’s alright. Even if Marquis Rost is not here, as the parent of the other party in the engagement, I have the right to make the decision. Besides, I don’t think Marquis Rost would refuse this matter. He must be eager to do so.”

His Majesty Darian knew very well that he could not kidnap Lydia using Marquis Rost.

So they simply stopped kidnapping him and even abandoned the Marquis of Rost.

At this moment, he was clearly adopting a domineering stance, forcefully pushing for the marriage between Lia and Prince Alvin.

"I think Leah might need to prepare herself mentally. She's not prepared at all right now, which could affect the engagement."

Earl Orlando changed the subject, or perhaps he was subtly trying to postpone it.

"Preparation is fine. Once the engagement is finalized, there will be plenty of time to prepare. Our royal family promises to give Miss Lia ample freedom."

His Majesty Darian's words made it clear that he didn't really want Leah to be anything to the royal family.

They simply wanted to leverage the relationship between Lia and Isabelle, the acting saintess of the Goddess Church, as long as Lia could bring the support of the Goddess Church.

Without the need for Bishop Simon as an intermediary, the royal family can directly contact the higher-ups of the Church of Goddess.

Even though Isabelle's attitude towards the royal family is currently disdainful, that doesn't matter. As long as there's a good start, there's plenty of time to cultivate relationships later.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, actually Miss Lia…” Count Orlando was still trying to salvage the situation, but unfortunately he was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"Earl Orlando, you're not Miss Leah's relative, are you? Why are you making this statement here? Why don't you let Miss Leah answer for herself?"

His Majesty Darian showed no respect whatsoever to Count Orlando, nor did he need to.

The engagement tokens were being watched by those who kept the secret.

That ring is now on Leah's hand, disguised as a sapphire ring.

It is not only a family heirloom of the Rost family, but also a key item for Claire to break the seal. This thing must never be handed over.

Claire looked at the conversation on the screen and sighed.

Okay, if it's just a simple forced marriage, then there's no need to rush. Anyway, Lia can just pretend to be dead, sick, or disappear when the time comes, and she doesn't need to worry about saving face if she wants to back out.

But if His Majesty Darion were to ask Lydia to produce her 'engagement token', that would be troublesome.

Claire is able to use the 'Guardian's Vision' token through Leah to break her seal. If the 'Guardian's Vision' is gone, then Claire will have no way to break the seal.

"An engagement token? That thing originally belonged to the Rost family, didn't it?"

Earl Orlando was unaware that the 'Guardian's Gaze' could break the seal on the Evil God Emperor, but he knew that the 'Guardian's Gaze' was a tool his sister used to help their daughter, Lia, gain a position within the Rost family.

Using the pretext of an 'engagement token,' the Rost family heirloom, 'The Keeper of Secrets,' was used as an 'engagement token' for a marriage to the royal family.

This matter was decided by His Majesty Darian, and also while the previous Marquis Rost was still alive.

The current Marquis of Rost seems unaware of this, partly because the previous Marquis of Rost buried the family heirloom, 'The Keeper's Gaze,' in the family cemetery.

The previous Marquis de Rost regarded that heirloom as the family's lifeline, which was a marriage agreement with the royal family and the ability to break all seals.

However, what the previous Marquis Rost did not expect was that the 'wedding ring - the Keeper of Secrets' had been modified by Lia's mother and made exclusively for Lia.

His Majesty Darian's demand for the 'engagement ring' clearly indicates his intention to seize the Rost family's heirloom.

If it weren't for the binding with Leah, taking her away wouldn't be a problem. The issue is that now that Leah is bound, Count Orlando naturally doesn't want His Majesty Darion to do anything to Leah for the sake of the 'Guardian's Spying'.

"Oh? Earl Orlando, aren't you being a little too rude?" His Majesty Darian squinted at Earl Orlando.

The other nobles around were watching with schadenfreude, and Earl Orlando looked embarrassed upon hearing this.

Even if Count Orlando is pursuing Leah, arguing with His Majesty Darion for her sake is a complete overstepping of his bounds.

[Lia: 'Guiding God!' Please help the Earl! Please help my aunt!]

Claire sighed as she watched Count Orlando, who was in dire straits, and Leah pleading for help on the screen.

Having gotten used to the thrill of controlling Eleanor in battle, he hadn't controlled Lia in a long time.

However, at this point, there's no other way but to step in myself.

Chapter 44: A Choice Between Marriage and Trouble

Ever since Lia completed the task of delivering the potion to herself—or rather, before the task.

Claire has always kept a low profile; he hasn't interfered with or controlled Leah's body much.

This was also to avoid revealing his identity, since even if he told Liya that he was the Evil God Emperor, Liya wouldn't believe him.

Throughout this period, Claire was in control of Eleanor.

However, dealing with a group of nobles requires not brute force, but intelligence.

Claire: Okay, give me control.

[Lia: Okay, okay! Thank you, God of Guidance!]

I've never seen someone so happy while having their body controlled.

Claire sighed and rolled over in Ophelia's room.

On the screen, Lia closed her eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the timidity and panic in those deep blue eyes receded like the tide, replaced by an extreme calm and a superior composure.

“Your Majesty, I feel that Lia is different from the other noble ladies, she…” Count Orlando was still playing the role of a philandering nobleman.

His Majesty Darian's questioning just now clearly showed his dissatisfaction with her. The reason why Count Orlando can be so free in the new empire and is even fawned over by Marquis Rost is because he is His Majesty Darian's favorite.

If His Majesty Daryan is dissatisfied with her and decides to distance himself from her

Then Earl Orlando would be unable to continue to access the core of the new empire and would lose many sources of information. On the other hand, Lia is the daughter of her favorite sister.

The Earl of Orlando, caught in a dilemma, is trying to maintain the status quo.

"His Majesty."

Claire (Lia) spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

Earl Orlando was the first to notice the change.

She looked into "Lia's" eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, the evil 'Lia' has appeared.

Having not seen him for so long, Earl Orlando thought he had disappeared.

Now that this guy has appeared, Count Orlando, who has been dealing with the increasingly tense situation alone for some time, can finally take a break.

They elevated Lia from an unloved young lady of an ordinary marquis's family to a position where His Majesty Darian wanted to take her as his daughter-in-law and bring her into the royal family, and even Bishop Simon of the Church of the Goddess was willing to lend a hand.

This is all thanks to the evil 'Lia'.

“Miss Leah, what do you want to say?” His Majesty Darion looked at Claire (Leah).

His expression at this moment was still kind and gentle, clearly indicating his intention to win over Liya.

"If you have any worries or concerns, you don't need to worry so much at all."

"The royal family can consider any request you make."

"Furthermore, your engagement to the prince will not be hindered in any way, nor will your family."

This was a preemptive measure, as His Majesty Darion remembered mentioning the close relationship between Lia's sister and Prince Alvin.

How could His Majesty Darion possibly let go of the more valuable Leah so easily? By saying this now, he is not only forcing Leah to get married, but also forcing Prince Alvin to do the same.

Ultimately, the royal family needs to consider its own interests.

What use is the Rost family? Absolutely none. Leah's sister, Elena, is just a pretty face.

Lia is different; she has a very good relationship with Isabelle, the acting saint of the Goddess Church, and Bishop Simon is clearly being suppressed by Isabelle.

Whether a new bishop will arrive in the Imperial diocese remains to be seen.

However, if the royal family could establish contact with Saint Isabelle, the acting saint of the Church of Goddess, then perhaps the royal family would have a chance to break free from Bishop Simon's control at this time.

To say that His Majesty Darian, as the supreme ruler of the empire, has willingly submitted to a bishop for so many years, is entirely a lie.

His Majesty Darian, now in his seventies, is old enough.

He did not want the empire to remain under the control of Bishop Simon after his death. He did not expect the empire to be completely independent, but he at least hoped that the royal family could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Church of Goddess, or even be slightly superior.

This empire belongs to the royal family, not the Church of Goddess.

However, compared to His Majesty Darion, who was already showing signs of urgency, Claire (Lia) did not rush to answer.

He picked up the wine glass in front of him, took a slow sip, then put it down and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

The movements were slow and elegant, but every movement conveyed a message.

I'm not in a hurry, you are.

Claire spoke just as His Majesty Darian was about to say something.

"Your Majesty just said that the matter of the marriage is for you to decide?"

His Majesty Darian narrowed his eyes. "I am the Emperor of the Empire, and of course I can decide on matters of the royal family."

"And what about the Rost family's affairs?" Claire countered.

His Majesty Daryan's smile remained unchanged. "The Rost family's affairs are the responsibility of the Marquis of Rost. However, he is currently unavailable, so I, as the other party to the engagement..."

“Your Majesty,” Claire interrupted him, “it is inconvenient for the Marquis of Rost to be in charge, but there are other people in the Rost family.”

His Majesty Daryan's eyes turned cold for a moment. "Who?"

“Me,” Claire said, “I am the eldest daughter of the Rost family. My father is gone, my mother is gone, and my stepmother and stepsister have no right to represent the family. Now, what I say is the decision of the Rost family.”

The hall fell silent for a moment as the nobles exchanged bewildered glances.