Chapter 13 God’s Punishment
Chapter 13
13.1
"Eurydesse Arquitas, how come she has an invitation from the king!"
In the master suite on the west side of the main building of Oplensi Castle, Duke Abrad's expression was a little distorted.
The page in the room replied timidly, "The king's invitation was originally sent to the County Judge Adelaide, but the judge was busy with his duties, so he forwarded the invitation to the Countess."
The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, but it couldn't melt the frost on Luce Abrad's face.
The elegant Grand Duke uttered the name "Eurydice Arquitas" with gritted teeth, suddenly reached out his hand, and angrily overturned a crystal vase on the dressing table!
With a "bang", the vase smashed to pieces against the wall, and the fragments and broken petals fell on the carpet. The mess on the ground seemed to be a reflection of the shattered power of the entire Abrad family.
The divinely punished sinner, Lucien Ebrard, had his punishment announced:
As a sinner of the temple, Lucien Abrad will have the word "Sinner" tattooed on his cheek in black ink.
He was currently imprisoned in the dungeon of the temple, and the newly carved "sinner" mark on his face had not yet scabbed over. Three Sundays later, he would be paraded through the streets in a confession robe for public display.
After this, he could not return to live in Oplensi Castle, but had to stay in the temple and become a servant of the priest to atone for his sins.
The usually elegant and noble Duke of Ebrard shed his false facade, revealing his true rage and ferocity. He slammed the table in anger and shouted, "I can't accept this! Life in the temple is miserable. How could Lucien live like that? This is not only a provocation to Lucian, but also to the Ebrard family! How dare they make such a decision that disrespects the authority of the Ebrard family?"
As the Duke spoke, he turned to look at his wife, but Beatrice Karagaran sat silently at the small desk in the living room, holding a glass of red wine in her hand with a cold expression.
Duke Abrad gnashed his teeth in hatred. "It's all Euridice Aquitus! She's the one who's against us. How on earth did Lorenz get bewitched by this witch?"
The Grand Duke said this, with a flash of rage in his eyes.
"If she hadn't threatened Prince Constance with the Queen, Lucien would have been fine—how did she get the King's invitation? She's just the daughter of a lowly merchant!"
Seeing that Duke Abrad was about to lose his mind, the Duchess finally spoke.
"You all should leave first." She said to the male and female servants in the room.
The attendants left immediately as if they had been pardoned, leaving only the Duke and the Duchess in the room.
"Have you not yet perceived the intention of Euridice Arquitas, Lucey?" said Lady Beatrice slowly.
Duke Abrad paused slightly in anger.
"Her intentions?" said the Duke. "Isn't the cause of all this her personal vendetta against us and Lucien? I know they were on bad terms at the Academy. She even sowed discord between Lorenz and Lucien."
Lady Beatrice sneered, "She's determined to punish Lucien severely. I don't think it's entirely because of any personal vendetta against him. It's more to force us to give up the possibility of choosing him as our 'heir.'"
Duke Abrad paused, then was shocked: "You mean..."
"Yes," Lady Beatrice said, taking a sip of her wine, expressionless. "We only have two children, Lorenz and Lucien. The future heir to the Duke's title will be either Lorenz or Lucien."
"But," Duke Abrad murmured, "Lorenz is an excellent and good boy. Lucian will not threaten Lorenz's position."
Lady Beatrice curled her lips sarcastically. "Today Lorenz can stand beside Euridice Aquitas in the temple, and tomorrow he can stand against us for her."
Duke Abrad's expression gradually turned cold. "You mean, Euridice Aquitas wants to cut off our retreat?"
"Yes," Lady Beatrice sighed, "If one day, Lorenz and we are no longer of the same mind, then we could have abandoned Lorenz and supported Lucien to become the new Duke of Abrad."
Duke Ebrard murmured, "But now, this path is no longer feasible...Lucian has become an eternal sinner. Neither the Queen nor the citizens of Oprunsi will accept Lucian, with the word 'sinner' engraved on his face, as the new 'Duke Ebrard'."
Lady Beatrice closed her eyes. "She has completely cut off our escape route."
Duke Abrad was speechless for a moment, and Lady Beatrice stared at the fireplace for a long time. The candlelight reflected in her eyes, reflecting a layer of light like snake scales.
Finally, she spoke in a low, terrifyingly calm voice: "We weren't invited to the King's Birthday Feast, were we?"
Duke Abrad paused. "No news yet. Perhaps... the news of 'Divine Punishment' has spread."
"Perhaps it's because," Beatrice continued, her tone cold, "Ever since the war a hundred years ago, the Abrad family has long since ceased to control Oprunsi's taxation and the Knights. In the eyes of the royal family, we are nothing more than empty nobles in the guise of a 'Duke'. There's no need to be invited."
Duke Abrad's face darkened, but before he could say anything, Lady Beatrice sneered, "The Abrad family may only have the title of 'Duke,' but don't forget, the Karagaran family I come from holds the real power of 'Duke.'"
Duke Abrad paused and said, "You mean..."
"Yes." Lady Beatrice said with a sinister look, "Since this is a royal banquet to celebrate the King's birthday, all the nobles must attend. The Abrad family is not invited, but the Karagaran family will definitely be invited."
Duke Ebrard narrowed his eyes, and the Duchess said, "I will write to the Karagaran family and to my brother."
She spoke word by word, as if delivering a verdict in a courtroom:
"I will let Euridice Arquitas die at that banquet."
13.2
"Are you really going to the party?" Lorenz said.
Olidisi said nothing.
In the living room of the east wing, the fireplace burned quietly. Olly Desi sat in front of the glass mirror and slowly took off the earrings from her earlobes.
She remained silent, and Lorenz could not help but say, "That was the Kaderinburg banquet... It was too dangerous, Tisi."
Lorenz's worry was evident in his words, and Euridsi finally looked at him through the mirror.
"Dangerous?" She said nonchalantly.
"Yes, it's dangerous," Lorenz said. "Kaderinburg is the capital of the empire, the center of the empire. Countless nobles will attend the Queen's banquet. At the banquet, if someone wants to harm you, no one can protect you, Tisi."
Oledsi understood what he meant.
She looked at Lorenz in the mirror with a half-smile: "You might as well just say that your mother will ask the Karagaran family for help, so that they can find an opportunity to kill me at the banquet."
Lorenz hesitated to speak, and Euridsi sneered.
“I’m going to have to meet with the Karajalang family sooner or later,” she said. “I have to confront this directly. I can’t close my eyes and pretend this problem doesn’t exist.”
——After all, Prince Constance and the Karagaran family were the real culprits who killed her.
It is true that it was the Duke and Duchess of Ebrard who had her strung to the stake. However, they were merely the executors of the conspiracy; they had no power to orchestrate it all.
Duke Abrad is irritable, hypocritical and stupid - he only acts according to the rules left by his family elders, and maintains the etiquette and decency of the so-called nobles in front of others, but he has never truly understood the true meaning of power and the changes of the times.
The Duchess of Beatrice is vicious—she appears refined, elegant, and superior, able to handle Oplenci's official duties beautifully. In reality, she possesses a deeply distorted sense of self-esteem; everyone must grovel before her, and she enjoys trampling on others like ants. She is a twisted, vicious, and pathetic creature.
Lucien Ebrard was even more ridiculous. He lived in the shadow of his outstanding brother, and everything he did was just a desire to be seen by his mother and father, a desire to surpass Lorenz Ebrard and become the heir of the Ebrard family.
These three people from the Abrad family seemed to be the biggest enemies in her life, but Oulidsi knew that they were stupid, vicious, selfish, and short-sighted, and were actually just puppets being used by others.
The ones who really hold the puppet strings are Prince Constance and the Karagaran family behind Prince Constance.
The fundamental reason they hated and targeted Euridice was that King Lucinda established the Wanzeta Empire, which unified the Ethereal Continent and established absolute authority. The queen selected and appointed citizens of commoner origin to become new administrators and judges in major counties, breaking the old aristocracy's monopoly on power through bloodline and inheritance.
Such a structure is destined to weaken the great aristocracy that inherits its power through bloodline.
Thus, the entire old aristocracy of the old era—before Lucinda’s time—who dreamed of “restoring the hereditary glory of the nobility” spontaneously formed a network.
In this aristocratic network, the Karagaran family is the real leader:
Unlike the Ebrard family, which is a "hollow" noble family that only retains the title of "Duke" in name but cannot actually control taxation and the Knights, the Karagaran family possesses real and substantial power.
The Karagaran family not only directly controls all taxes in the territory, but more importantly, they retain the power to directly dispatch the knights of the territory, and have the ability to truly rebel against the queen and the royal family.
What they possess is the true power of an aristocratic family.
However, Olidesi and Lorenz chose to stand with the queen, so they naturally stood on the opposite side of the Karagaran family.
The Caragaran family would kill her sooner or later, not just because of Beatrice Caragaran's vicious personal hatred, but because they naturally chose different beliefs.
Olidisi sneered.
“I’m going to have to face the Karajalangs sooner or later,” she said. “They want to kill me, either at this party or the next—and I have to face it head-on. I can’t close my eyes and act like a coward and pretend the problem doesn’t exist.”
Lorenz looked at her silently, and Euridice smiled suddenly.
"And you really don't have to worry, Lorenz," she said.
As Oulidsi spoke, he reached out and touched his face in the mirror, smiling gently and cunningly.
"Believe me," she said, "at this banquet, I will not only be able to protect myself, but I will also destroy all those who come to provoke me."
Olidisi slowly closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in front of the door to King Lucinda's banquet hall.
The door to the banquet hall slowly opened in front of her, and a voice suddenly rang out beside her: "How dare you attend the king's banquet, you lowly, poor bastard!"
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