Chapter 521 Little Stubbornness: Facing the scrutinizing gaze from Rein, Gloria's hands, which were crossed in front of her lower abdomen, tightened, and her small hands, hidden in the shadows, gripped the lace dress she was wearing tightly.
After a moment of silence, she looked at the floor and spoke.
“My father is the Duke of the Kingdom of Grand, Leander Carlton, who is the Kingdom’s Minister of Finance.”
After saying this, Gloria fell silent again.
Gloria's words caused a strange look to flash in the eyes of the other nineteen people beside her.
“The Kingdom of Grand…” Renn murmured to himself.
He had heard of the country's name, but didn't know anything about it.
Seeing this, Eve explained to Ryan in a low voice.
“Young Master, the Kingdom of Grand is a vassal kingdom of the Pollax Federation, separated from our empire by two duchies.”
“They did not originally border my empire, and there was no conflict between the empire and the kingdom.”
"But a few months ago, the King of the Kingdom of Grand sent his army on a detour to the territory of Hazel on the border of my empire."
"That is, the territory of the Madam's clan: the Russell family, which plundered dozens of villages in the Hazel territory."
"When His Majesty found out, he was furious and immediately ordered the Empire's Eagle Legion to be dispatched and destroy the Kingdom of Grand."
Eve's explanation caused the twenty noble slaves to lower their heads one by one.
Raine raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "The Kingdom of Grand is so brave!? Has the king lost his mind?"
Raine's laughter made Gloria frown, but she quickly relaxed without making a sound.
Eve laughed and said, "The Kingdom of Grand naturally doesn't have the courage to provoke the Empire. According to the investigation by the Gray family's spies, the Kingdom of Grand has the shadow of the Pollax Federation behind it."
"It seems that the Pollax Federation is using the Grand Kingdom as a tool to test the Empire and our Gray family."
"After all, that was a very turbulent time for the Gray family."
"But the Federation did not expect the Empire's reaction to be so intense. In order to avoid the war spreading to the Federation, the Federation sold the Kingdom of Grand directly."
Renn nodded. It seemed that the impact of his father's coma was not limited to the Empire; other forces were also stirring.
Raine looked at Gloria in the crowd again and chuckled.
"Lying is not a good habit, Gloria."
Gloria and the other nineteen people's pupils shrank immediately.
She looked up at Ryan, forcing a smile.
"My lord, how could Gloria dare to deceive you?"
Renn didn't take it seriously. Although the slave collar was powerful and had great restrictions on the slaves, preventing them from harming their masters or themselves.
However, unlike advanced slave contracts, it does not control slaves' minds, so it cannot prevent slaves from lying.
Renn stared at Gloria for a while before speaking.
"Deceiving me, Renn, will have consequences you'll regret for the rest of your life."
Then Raine addressed the other nineteen people.
"The Kingdom of Grand is destroyed, and you are all my slaves now. Why don't you show some good behavior?"
"Now, whoever can reveal Gloria's true identity, I... will grant her freedom."
"And promised her a legitimate imperial identity, allowing her to legally live within the empire."
The nineteen people were taken aback upon hearing this.
free.
For them, those two words were something to look forward to.
During their time as slaves, they longed for freedom every moment.
Gloria's pupils contracted; she hadn't expected Rein to sow discord.
The next moment, one of the girls from the group of nineteen stepped forward, staring intently at Raine.
"My lord, Gloria is lying to you! Her name isn't Gloria!"
Ryan chuckled, "Oh? And who is she?"
"Her true identity is Princess Jamia Ramirez, the fifth daughter of the King of the Kingdom of Grand."
The girl's voice was strong and clear, as if she had complete confidence.
Gloria's eyes showed despair. She never expected that her sister, who had gone through so much hardship with her, would betray her so directly.
Raine looked at the girl and smiled gently.