Chapter 276



276 The Big Picture

Selma Payne’s POV:

Someone had to take responsibility for this incident, and Layla became the target of public criticism.

Some criticized her for being arrogant and complacent and for letting someone kidnap me in her carelessness; others criticized her for wanting to be in the limelight. If the army had arrived, there wouldn’t have been so many accidents. Some people secretly did her dirty her, saying she might have colluded with the wanderers long ago. Otherwise, how could the wanderers break through the palace’s defenses so easily?

In short, the malicious public opinion was all poured on her. Even if my parents knew that it was not her fault, even if the royal family published a Clarification Statement, and even if she was secretly sent away to hide from the limelight, the intentional abuse still filled her life.

Layla was a powerful warrior, but her heart was also made of flesh. It could not be as cold as steel.

On an ordinary morning, she committed suicide, leaving only a scribbled suicide note. The will was scratched and rewritten many times, and in the end, there was only one sentence left, “I’m sorry.”

The 28-year-old young warrior ended her life just like that. People who used to praise her for her promising future were now pointing at her photo in the newspaper. In the cemetery of heroes, she was the one who was the least cared about.

Even though my father had ruthlessly taken care of the group of vicious idiots in the Council of Elders after this incident, and even though the royal family had never admitted to the slander and accusations against Layla, some things could never be reversed.

Layla had kept her life a secret, so few people knew she was engaged.

Her fiancé was Master Kevin.

My parents only knew this much. They had no access to other things from their perspective. Out of respect for privacy, they could not simply dig up the past of a dedicated werewolf grandmaster.

“In any case, I think this may be a kind of nostalgia.” My mother sighed. Women were always more sensitive to emotions. “It is said that before the kidnapping, Layla and Master Kevin had already agreed on a wedding date. This dress may be Master Kevin’s way of making up for his late fiancee’s wish.”

I thought for a moment, but in the end, I couldn’t help but ask, “Why don’t you make the matter of those elders colluding with the wanderers public? Won’t we be able to clear Layla’s name easily this way?”

My father shook his head lightly, a rare look of helplessness. “Selma, things aren’t that simple. Even if this was made public, it won’t change the conflict with Layla because this is not about who is right or wrong. Public opinion is manipulated to achieve the purpose of wrapping Layla up as the culprit. As for who the real murderer is, it doesn’t matter at all.”

When people believed that the mastermind of a crime was a certain person, the appearance of other suspects would only increase the number of accomplices of the mastermind. It would not change the murderer’s crime in their hearts.

These words were perfunctory, and I didn’t accept such a roundabout explanation. I asked, “But this doesn’t prevent the crimes of the elders from being made public, right? Even if we can’t clear Layla’s name, we can at least share her burden with the real murderer, right?”

Faced with my questioning, my father was helpless and could only say, “Yes, you’re right, but this still can’t be made public.”

“Why not?” I was greatly puzzled.

“To avoid causing social panic. In the public’s impression, the Council of Elders had always been a think tank that maintained social stability and protected the safety of the people. However, political institutions are the most trustworthy and untrustworthy things. If the news of a traitor in the Council of Elders spreads, its reputation will instantly be reversed.

“People will doubt, fear, and anger. In the end, they will vent their anger on the entire government. Once people no longer trust the government, its credibility and social control will also drop.

“Out of the 100 things that happen in the world, ninety-eight are insignificant and ordinary things. One is a good thing, and the other is a bad thing. And the power of this one bad thing could offset the good and even offset ninety-eight ordinary things. The government’s responsibility is to prevent this bad thing from happening. If it did happen, then the negative impact would be minimized. And a government that has lost its credibility will never be able to gather the power to fight against evil.

“Back then, there were still terrorists in the Council of Elders who wanted to take over the position at all times, and there were also wanderers who colluded with other forces outside. I had to prioritize the protection of the people, and the premise of all this was that the people still believed in the government.”

“So, Layla was abandoned…” I had expected it, but I still couldn’t believe it. Real politics is so cold. In the face of the big picture, a person’s life was too insignificant, even if she had given everything she had.

My father didn’t answer. His silence was a tacit agreement.

“Actually, we didn’t give up on Layla,” my mother said quickly. “Sending her away was also a way to protect her, but no one would have expected that… sigh…”

It was just that no one had expected her to commit suicide, no one had expected that a powerful warrior would be so mentally fragile, and no one had expected that the situation would crush the captain of the palace guards with mature political literacy.

“In the end, we’re the ones who let her down.”