The atmosphere in the emperor's bedchamber was unusually oppressive and somber. Maggie stood solemnly by the bedside, examining His Majesty's body in a serious manner.
But in fact, the moment she saw the emperor, she roughly knew the reason for his illness. The information she received from the head maid last night further confirmed her guess.
This is only to allay the concerns of other members of the royal family and to dispel Arlin's suspicions.
Maggie stood up, and under the gaze of all the princes and princesses, a faint sorrow appeared on her face, causing everyone's hearts to leap into their throats.
It's hard to tell whether some of them genuinely care about His Majesty's health, or whether they're all harboring ulterior motives and afraid of being exposed.
Maggie took in everyone's expressions and immediately understood. Except for the prince standing in the middle, the other princes had many flaws. Although they were all pretending, it was easy to see what they were thinking.
Such an open display of emotions makes one unsuitable to inherit the throne.
Arlin stood to one side of Maggie, frantically winking at her, but Maggie completely ignored him.
"His Majesty the Emperor is indeed possessed by evil spirits and needs an exorcism ritual to recover."
Maggie spoke softly amidst everyone's tense gazes, her voice as gentle as a summer stream, making people unconsciously lower their guard and want to completely trust her.
"Thank you, Holy Maiden. Please feel free to ask for any materials needed for the ceremony, and we will do our best to find them."
Gray breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully.
"No need to worry, the materials are not complicated or hard to find, I just need some time to prepare."
Maggie wore a faint expression of apology and spoke humbly.
"As long as Father recovers, we will do our best to fulfill all of Her Highness's requests."
At this moment, the third prince suddenly interrupted their conversation. He looked at Maggie with a distinct gaze, appearing very upright and exuding an aura of 'I am a good person'.
Maggie glanced at the third prince, a hint of amusement in her eyes. It seemed she was right.
This is the third prince, whom Ford supported, the only son left by the deceased queen, the one who acted the most convincingly, and the culprit who caused His Majesty the Emperor's poor health.
He certainly seemed harmless; if she didn't know the plot, she might have let her guard down around this third prince.
It must be said that Ford has a very good eye; compared to the others, this third prince certainly looks like a crown prince.
"Third Prince, there is no need to worry. Her Highness the Holy Maiden is exceptionally talented and will definitely not disappoint you."
At this moment, Yarlin also stepped forward, with a kind and amiable smile, and made a guarantee to the third prince, while also raising Maggie's expectations in everyone's mind.
He never mentioned the Temple of Light, isolated Maggie as a separate individual, and then elevated her, revealing his extremely malicious intentions.
Maggie's expression turned slightly cold; it seemed that Yarlin still hadn't learned his lesson.
They dared to be so arrogant because they knew she couldn't solve the problem.
After all, the root cause of the emperor's mental exhaustion was the third prince's biological mother, the queen who was said to have died.
Arlin and the Third Prince conspired to commit these evil deeds, and the real culprit was in their hands. Indeed, in their eyes, they were nothing more than a useless ornament, utterly incapable of improving His Majesty the Emperor's health.
When the truth came out and she failed to exorcise the demon, causing everyone to distrust and despise her, Yarlin stepped in to smooth things over, instructing her to pretend that the spell was successful, and secretly having the Queen stop drinking blood, thus improving His Majesty the Emperor's mental state.
This would neither damage the Temple of Light's standing in the eyes of the public nor diminish Arlin's own prestige.
She, the Holy Maiden of Light, would become a complete clown in the eyes of everyone.
Her thoughts raced, and only a few seconds had passed in reality. Maggie sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
"As the High Priest said, I will definitely restore His Majesty to his former state."
The smile on her lips carried a provocation that only Arlin could understand, as if she were saying to him, "I saw through your boring tricks a long time ago."
...
Leaving the palace, in the palace corridor, Arlin and Maggie walked towards each other, and Maggie could clearly see the mockery in his eyes.
"May everything go well for Your Highness."
Yarlin stopped and said in a gentle tone.
"Thank you, High Priest, as well."
Maggie smiled slightly, behaving very politely, without a trace of anger at being mocked.
She had no interest in such pointless provocations; she would only choose to kill the hunter when he was most excited.
Their eyes met, and sparks seemed to fly in the air.
Maggie's smile widened even further.
Yarlin was absolutely certain she would lose, and her fearless demeanor was truly captivating.
I wonder how ugly his face will look then, and whether he will break down in public?
Thinking of this, Maggie passed by Yarlin in a cheerful mood, preparing to return to her room. However, she did not expect that a child would rush out on the road and bump straight into her arms.
The child's strength was considerable; Maggie took two steps back before she could barely regain her balance.
Before Maggie could even see his face clearly, two maids rushed to her like lightning, knelt down with a thud, and apologized to her with terrified expressions.
"The Sixth Prince was ignorant and did not mean to offend Her Highness the Holy Maiden. Please forgive him and spare his life!"
"Prince, come here quickly! Don't just stand there and anger Her Highness the Holy Maiden!"
Just as one of the maids was about to pull the child out of her arms, Maggie quickly stopped her.
She could feel the child clinging tightly to her leg, as if he were afraid of something. If he were dragged away like this, things might get really bad.
"Don't be so fierce, tell me what happened."
Maggie lowered her head and gently patted the child's shoulder, asking in a tender tone.
The boy, known as the sixth prince, gripped her clothes even tighter, and after a long while, he slowly raised his head, a hint of longing on his thin face.
I'm hungry.
The corridor was unusually quiet, and those three words clearly reached Maggie's ears.
Maggie was taken aback. She hadn't expected the sixth prince's request to be so simple. Wouldn't it be more normal for an ordinary person to ask for a blessing or something when facing the Holy Maiden of Light?
"Your Highness... what are you saying? Come back quickly."
The maid lowered her voice, a sound that seemed both threatening and warning. The child shrank away from Maggie, his whole body filled with resistance.
Judging from the maids' attitude, Maggie could guess what kind of miserable life the sixth prince was living, but she had no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the royal family, so she did not make trouble for the maids.
He simply gave them instructions.
"No need. Take me to the lounge and bring some cake over."
Although it can't change his situation, it can at least give him a full meal.
Maggie thought helplessly.
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