Ch. 20
Chapter 20: The Mastermind Finally Reveals Herself
"Oh, my poor Lushan—may you rest in peace!"
Out in the snow beyond the castle, a witch with a slender, shapely figure radiating golden light was stroking the body of a dead white wolf lying on the ground, her expression full of tender compassion.
The other witch standing beside her cast her an impatient glance and said:
"Agatha, there's no one else here—drop that nauseating fake face of yours already!"
"You went to all that trouble hand-picking a young beautiful girl, intending to let Prince Adam die within the beautiful illusion of breaking his curse and finding true love—satisfying your twisted amusement, maintaining your false benevolence……"
"Ha! And yet you managed to draw in a powerful knight who effortlessly killed that wolf of yours and even broke the magic you'd cast!"
"If my Illusion Magic hadn't activated in time, you'd have botched the entire thing!"
Having her pretense stripped away so thoroughly by her companion, the witch named Agatha could no longer keep up the act.
The tenderness and compassion drained from her face in an instant, replaced by an icy, venomous expression. She reached out and roughly yanked the collar off the white wolf's neck.
"Gaeli—if you don't want to incur my wrath completely, shut your mouth right now!"
"Ha—right now it's you who needs me to clean up your mess. If you don't want to be punished for derailing the plan, you'd better show a little more humility in front of me!"
Agatha had been about to snap back—but suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She turned her head to find a crow perched on a dead branch behind her, its yellow pupils eerily dark and unsettling—and Agatha's heart lurched.
She didn't dare continue her outburst. Swallowing her venomous fury, she kept her face cold and pressed onward toward the castle.
The most pressing matter was indeed dealing with the mess she had made!
Her kindness and goodwill had ultimately been betrayed—so let Prince Adam and that meddlesome knight die immediately……
……
At this moment, Li Kainan was already within an extraordinarily magnificent palace.
Beside him, Prince Adam had dropped to one knee to receive the conferral from the Cape King, and was officially proclaimed Prince Adam of the Kingdom!
He rose excitedly and seized Li Kainan's arm:
"My dear friend—with your help, I've finally rescued His Majesty the King and revitalized the Kingdom of Cape!"
"His Majesty is now going to confer upon you the title of Grand Duke of the South. Let us protect this kingdom together from here on!"
Belle, dressed in the attire of a court noblewoman—having in this illusion already married Li Kainan and lived happily with him for many years—was standing nearby, gazing at Li Kainan with a face full of admiration.
At this, Li Kainan couldn't help but let out a quiet, amused laugh.
The imagination of whoever created this illusion was rather limited—they actually thought conferring some Grand Duke title would satisfy Li Kainan.
Please—when he played games, his goal was always the unification of the entire realm……
Inside the illusion, Li Kainan didn't show any outward irregularity—he merely gave a slight bow to accept the conferral for form's sake.
Then, as per the pattern, melodious music struck up and a crowd of finely dressed nobles poured into the palace hall and began to dance.
Honestly, this illusion gave Li Kainan the distinct feeling of watching a musical film—people randomly bursting into dance at the drop of a hat.
What the—is dancing your only form of entertainment?
They always say the upper nobility lead decadent lives, but I'd say this is actually quite healthy—dancing every day provides more than enough exercise to keep the body in shape!
Right, maybe you could host a competition and let me judge just how decadent noble life really is……
And right at this moment, Li Kainan's gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on an enchanting veiled figure seated beside the Cape King.
Belle, standing at Li Kainan's side, noticed where he was looking and quickly whispered a reminder:
"That is Princess Elora!"
Right—the Princess Elora who had been cursed by a witch from birth, and whose curse had manifested on her 16th birthday, plunging her and the entire royal palace into an enchanted slumber!
Belle also turned to look at Princess Elora's beautiful silhouette, and couldn't help but marvel:
"I've heard that when Princess Elora was born, she was blessed by the Twelve Fairies—gifted with beauty, kindness, gentleness, and every other wonderful quality……"
But just as Belle said this, she suddenly paused—turning her head to find Li Kainan staring fixedly at Princess Elora without blinking.
And at that moment, the "Princess Elora" beside the throne pointed toward Li Kainan:
"Is it him?"
……
"Is it him?"
Standing in the castle hall, the witch Agatha stretched out a hand and pointed at Li Kainan.
The witch Gaeli gave a nod, her tone carrying a note of wariness:
"A powerful knight indeed—his willpower is so formidable that he hasn't been fully drawn into the Illusion Magic I wove for him!"
At this moment, whether it was Belle, Prince Adam, or the castle's attendants and servants—all of them lay on the ground, smiling faintly as they drifted in a pleasant dream.
Only Li Kainan still stood—straight and unmoving, like a pine in a storm.
Even with his eyes closed and his body trapped within the illusion, the expression on his face remained composed—clearly unswayed by the "wonderful" dream!
The witch Agatha's eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but study Li Kainan carefully.
She was now very curious—how did Li Kainan possess the power to break her curses?……
Just at this moment, a crow of substantial size—with those eerily yellow pupils—beat its wings and flew into the castle, landing on the witch Gaeli's shoulder.
The crow opened its beak and spoke in a human voice, issuing a warning:
"A company of elite human cavalry is heading this way……"
"Ten years have passed—we no longer need to concern ourselves with the Adam family's influence. Kill all of these people immediately and leave!"
Agatha frowned slightly at this.
She had originally wanted to study the mysterious power Li Kainan possessed—the power capable of breaking curses……
But this crow was her leader's avatar, and she dared not disobey!
Agatha quickly lowered her head and addressed the crow with utmost deference:
"I will personally tear out this powerful knight's heart and offer it to you—I hope you will forgive me for the mistakes I have made this time!"
The crow, hearing this, let out 2 satisfied caw-caws.
Agatha drew a dagger from within her robes, her eyes ice-cold, and walked toward Li Kainan……
……
Within the illusion, "Princess Elora" descended from the throne and came to stand before Li Kainan.
True to her reputation as someone blessed by the Twelve Fairies at birth—she possessed a beauty unmatched in the world.
Features so exquisite they seemed carefully sculpted, a graceful and enchanting figure, her entire being wrapped in a kind of soft radiance.
Perhaps still not quite at the same level as Li Kainan's charm maxed out to its limit—but the gap shouldn't be all that large either……
Li Kainan looked at the "Princess Elora" standing before him, and smiled.
Since being drawn into this illusion, it was the first time a genuine, heartfelt smile had crossed his face……