Seeing the man sitting on the sofa—the one who had almost ruined their village if not for Yuan's help—Rose, Julie, and Ava felt a wave of discomfort and fury, and the tension in the room thickened once more.
Emperor Philip, Empress Selena, Concubine Priscilla, and Valeria immediately noticed the intense expressions on the Monroe sisters' faces and understood the reason for their anger.
'This is getting dangerous. I can't sense it fully, but the look in those women's eyes is... deadly, as if someone in this room is in real danger,' Emperor Philip thought, feeling sweat bead on his forehead as the situation seemed to spiral.
Yuan and his other wives' expressions turned icy as they took in the sight of Fedrick and Agatha, who sat with smug smiles as though they were the most noble figures in the room.
Silence settled over the room, thick with tension. The Imperial Family members felt a mounting sense of dread, sensing that something was about to go terribly wrong.
Fedrick, however, seemed oblivious to the atmosphere, his gaze glued to Yuan's wives, entranced by their beauty.
Seeing Fedrick's disrespectful gaze fixed on the women, Emperor Philip and Empress Selena grew visibly furious, as did Valeria, who was appalled by her nephew's behavior toward her sisters.
Yuan and his wives remained outwardly calm, but internally, they seethed with anger, especially Yuan, who felt his skin crawl with rage.
Uncomfortable with the tense silence, Emperor Philip cleared his throat and turned to Fedrick, saying, "Fedrick, didn't I instruct you to take the city's security arrangements seriously? So why am I hearing complaints about the security you organized?" Stay connected with m|vl|e|mp|y|r
"W-What are you talking about?! I put a lot of effort into arranging the city's security for the Grand Auction! Why are you accusing me of neglecting my duties?" Fedrick replied, sounding shocked as he began to sweat, worried his father had discovered his recent misdeeds.
"Oh, so spending time in the brothels is what you call 'proper security arrangements'? Are you mocking me, Fedrick?" Emperor Philip shouted, his face red with anger as he glared at his son.
At these words, Fedrick's face turned pale, as if he'd swallowed something truly foul. Agatha, too, looked stricken, silently hoping Emperor Philip would forgive their son. After all, she reasoned, Fedrick was still the Crown Prince and deserved a second chance despite his mistakes.
"Your Majesty, please forgive our son for this error. He'll never make such a mistake again. Just... please, give him another chance to make things right," Concubine Agatha pleaded, trying to soften her husband's anger.
"You call that a 'mistake'? Are you out of your mind, Agatha?" Emperor Philip bellowed, his eyes blazing as his anger surged, unleashing a powerful pressure in the room.
The pressure in the room grew so intense that the walls and floors began to tremble. Agatha and Fedrick paled under the crushing force and fell to their knees, unable to withstand it.
"I've wasted enough time watching this nonsense, and I'm done with it," Yuan said, his voice calm yet chilling. "I made a promise to seek justice for my mother-in-law's family, for the suffering they endured because of one man's greed and foolishness."
The words echoed through the room, sending a shiver down every member of the Imperial Family's spine.
Without waiting for a response, Yuan raised his hand parallel to the ground. In an instant, a massive sword—nearly as tall as himself—materialized in his grasp, leaving the room in stunned silence.
"I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. This foolish drama ends now; there's no point in drawing it out." Yuan spoke steadily, approaching the kneeling Fedrick.
Emperor Philip and Empress Selena exchanged alarmed glances, their faces paling as they realized Yuan's intentions.
"Y-Yuan..." Emperor Philip started to speak, but the murderous glare Valeria shot him silenced him immediately.
'What is he planning? Is he really going to execute Fedrick, right here, in front of me and the entire family?!' Philip's mind raced, his forehead now slick with sweat.
"H-Husband..." Empress Selena murmured, clutching Philip's hand tightly. Her face was tense, her heart racing as the weight of the moment bore down on her.
Agatha, meanwhile, looked utterly ashen as she watched Yuan stride toward her son, the massive sword in his hand leaving no doubt about his intentions. He meant to kill her son.
"W-What are you doing?! Get away from me! Don't come any closer!" Fedrick yelled, stumbling backward in fear and collapsing onto the floor, his heavy frame unsteady.
Yuan paused, his eyes narrowing with disdain. "Are you really the second Crown Prince of this empire? Truly? You can't even keep yourself upright, yet you're scheming to seize the throne. How... laughable." He let out a short, mocking laugh, which earned quiet chuckles from his wives.
"W-Wha—" Fedrick stammered, his voice failing as he stared at Yuan in shock.
'H-How does he know about this? How did this bastard uncover our plans? Has someone betrayed us?!' Fedrick's mind raced, his gaze darting to his father and the others, searching for any sign of betrayal.
'T-This is it... We've been exposed... It's over,' Agatha thought, her face drained of all color as the weight of their situation crashed down on her.
The other members of the Imperial Family stood in stunned silence, their gazes locked on Agatha and Fedrick with shock and disgust. They had never imagined that a mother and son could conspire to stage a coup against their own family.
"T-Taking over the throne?" Daniel finally murmured, disbelief etched across his face. He looked from Yuan to his half-brother, unable to accept what he was hearing.