Dawson Mansion, late at night.

Through the gap in the pleated window, Rutledge looked out at the dark street, his face flickering in and out of focus by the candlelight, his expression unpredictable.

"Young Master, everything is ready in Silver Ring City."

Upon hearing this voice, Rutledge turned around, looked at the old butler at the door, and said, "Tell those people in Silver Ring City to begin according to plan."

The old butler nodded, but didn't move an inch, still standing there watching Rutledge.

The latter frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything else?"

The old steward bowed and said, "Young master, the master has some concerns about the restoration of the kingdom."

"Worried? What is Father worried about?"

The old butler was silent for a moment, then said, "Master is worried that those old nobles of the Silver Ring Kingdom may not be good partners."

Rutledge turned around, looked at the old butler with a smile, and said, "Tell me the truth, do you really think those nobles can restore the Silver Ring Kingdom?"

The old butler was somewhat confused: "Young master, you mean..."

"Although Muxi City has not been established for long, the Holy King has already gained an unshakable position in the hearts of the citizens. Don't be fooled by our current advantage in the election and the people's support. But all of this is based on the premise that our interests are aligned with those of the people and that we use elections to obtain power. That's why they have chosen to support us."

Rutledge lowered his head and sighed: "But if the last power to come to power suddenly changes its mind and demands the restoration of the Silver Ring Kingdom, those people will soon wake up and turn their anger towards us."

The old steward said anxiously, "Does that mean that the restoration plan devised by the former officials of the Silver Ring has no chance of success?"

Rutledge sat down in a chair and said with a laugh, "The heir to the Silver Ring Kingdom, that six or seven-year-old Guy VII, is nothing but a spoiled fool. Such a person is a waste of resources; even if he ascends the throne, he'll just be a puppet. To put it another way, even if those nobles manage to conquer Twilight City and stabilize the situation, in the end, Silver Ring City will follow its old path and decline again… Therefore, cooperation with the old nobles and officials is only temporary. Once I achieve my goals, those fools are pawns I can discard at any time…"

The old butler's eyes widened: "Young master, you mean..."

Rutledge turned his gaze back to the window and said softly, "Go back and tell my father that the history of both the Kingdom of Twilight and the Kingdom of Silver Ring is long gone... A new era is about to begin."

Several more days passed.

In the king's audience chamber, Todd looked at Rachel in surprise and asked, "Why?"

The latter lay on the sofa and stretched: "Does she need a reason to do that?"

Todd shook his head vigorously: "No, no, no, I'm not asking about Mary's motives. What I want to ask is, why did you go to Mary and persuade her to stay in Twilight City?"

Rachel put her index finger to her lips and said with a light laugh, "Consider this a test."

Seeing the other person's cryptic expression, Todd shook his head helplessly: "What exactly did you say to her?"

"I just told her that she was in danger and needed all possible help," Rachel said.

Todd was puzzled: "That's all?"

Rachel shrugged. "That's all."

“Staying in Twilight City at this time is a very dangerous decision.” Todd rubbed his forehead, looking troubled. “Ratchet, perhaps I’m overthinking it, but you seem to have a strong prejudice against Mary?”

Rachel glanced at Todd and said quietly, "Prejudice?"

"Whether it's Karin, Evie, or Deirdre, you've shown kindness and tolerance towards other races, especially female ones. But Mary is the only one you seem to be hostile towards?"

Rachel sat up straight, looked into Todd's eyes, and said calmly, "I do dislike Mary, partly because of her attitude toward interracial groups."

"You can't imagine how much the King of the Silver Ring doted on Mary after she married him. Whether it was priceless works of art or the massive Hanging Gardens, anything that could bring a smile to the Queen's face, Guy VI was like a love-struck young man."

"However, Mary, being of a different race, possessed boundless wealth and power, yet she indulged in pleasure. She showed no sympathy whatsoever for the suffering of other races, and even displayed disgust for them in public."

Todd sighed. "I've met Mary's father, Leoric, and learned a bit about her family. Perhaps, deep down, Mary believes that she was married off to a distant land because her father disliked her because of her race... By the way, you said that's half the reason, what's the other half?"

Rachel rolled her eyes at Todd and said in a low voice, "You can probably guess why it's the other half."

Todd looked puzzled: "How could I possibly guess?"

A series of urgent knocks on the door interrupted their conversation.

Todd asked, displeased, "What's going on?"

The guard outside the door said in a hurried voice, "Your Majesty, an urgent report has come from Silver Ring City: a large-scale riot has broken out in the city!"

Todd and Rachel exchanged a glance, and the former said, "Come in."

The guard placed a letter sealed with a fire stamp on Todd's desk and then left through the door.

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