The Villain Princess survived the Imperial Riot

According to the wounds on his abdomen, when he went to the contact point, he was deliberately retaliated by a strange contact. He was no longer a glorious free will warrior, but a traitor and coward who betrayed his friends for personal gain.

Yet, Gros Lier felt a sense of divine protection, escaping several near-death situations, as if an invisible hand were pushing him to complete his unfinished mission. Even if he was riddled with sin, he would endure the world's condemnation and bring salvation and peace to the world.

He might not have been able to do it before, but it’s different now——

He was a nobleman, and had the full support of the Imperial Princess. Imagine if one day he became the Governor of Yunling, wouldn't it be easy to rectify the situation and restore Yunling to a peaceful and harmonious state?

Therefore, he must be more cautious in treating the Celestial Dragon, be more respectful and loyal, and save this damn world in his own way.

"Boss, there's a young lady who wants to see you..."

Outside the half-open door, a young woman in a brown-green dress knocked on the door and stuck her head into the house to look around.

"Are Ella and the others gone?"

"Ms. Ella and her friends left, and I seemed to hear you arguing..."

"No, we were just louder."

Lil waved his hands, wiped away his tears, and looked at the woman's simple but clean face.

Emma Duell, the girl next door, was once supported by the Duell family after his parents were persecuted by tax officials, until he found a job as a fishing worker at the dock.

After the newspapers reported that he had distanced himself from the rebels and accepted the empire's reward, Gros Lier went from being a poor boy to a highly respected gentleman overnight. Neighbors almost came to visit him, and many wealthy businessmen even wanted to marry their daughters to him so that they could join the ranks of the new rich.

But when one person succeeds, everyone around him benefits. The first person Lill thinks of is the elders and friends who have helped him. Even if some people have unclear connections with free will, he doesn't mind providing them with a job that can support a family of three.

Many of the peripheral members, originally of free will, sought his support. Gros Lier sternly rejected such traitors, those who sold out their masters for personal gain. He joined the Empire for the welfare of all people, for a greater ideal. How could you, a fence-sitter and a pauper seeking only fame and fortune, be compared to me?

Gross Lier had his own pride. That night he made a list and placed the names of the "traitors among the rebels" in the secret compartment of the designated mailbox according to the method he had used to contact the contact person. He didn't know whether the top leaders of the organization received it.

Even though he was stabbed more than once, he believed that there must be someone behind the scenes, and he was still in the tower camp with his heart on edge!

Just thinking about it, Gros Lier's heart was filled with generosity and tragedy.

"Boss, do you want me to have that young lady wait in the reception room? She's very beautiful, but she looks very serious and a little scary. She doesn't seem to be here to propose marriage."

Seeing Gros Lier in a daze, Emma whispered to him to bring his self-fantasy back to reality.

"Uh, yeah!" Gros Lill suddenly came to his senses and quickly stood up. "She's not some young lady. She's... an honored guest. You must be respectful. Got it? I'll go greet her myself!"

"Ok."

"By the way, Emma, ​​you don't have to call me boss," Gros Lill said with a wry smile as he opened the door. "Don't you understand me? I'm just a scrounger kid. According to what the newspapers say, if I'm a boss or aristocrat, it's all earned by selling out my friends."

"It's a great virtue to see a prodigal son return!" Emma took his hand earnestly. "I read in the newspaper that those rebels will use petty gains and dirty, shameful rhetoric to deceive the young people of the empire. You're just unlucky to have been deceived by them! If it weren't for their obstruction, Yunling's business would have recovered and prospered long ago, and this winter wouldn't have been so difficult!"

"Uh, okay."

Gross Lier could only smile bitterly. After giving a few instructions, he saw the princess looking around at the decoration in the reception room on the first floor, and the majestic woman guarding the door.

Looking at the princess' back, Gros Lier felt mixed emotions. He gritted his teeth secretly, as if he was struggling between conscience and desire. But until the moment the princess looked back, all his pride and dignity were thrown away in the blink of an eye, and were replaced by a sense of righteousness and responsibility.

He knelt on one knee, his posture impeccable, like a feudal knight pledging allegiance to his lord: "Baron Gros Riel of the White Sea pays homage to Her Royal Highness the Princess!"

Hestia gave him a strange look.

This guy clearly came from a fishing family. At most, he had some family background while his parents were still alive. He went to school for two years and could recognize a few words. But as for his culture and knowledge of etiquette, he was probably a desert-level player.

But even such a young fisherman knelt so properly for the first time, which made Hestia wonder if he had practiced it thousands of times behind the scenes. On the surface, he was a hot-blooded young man, but in fact he was a master of servility at the level of Adrian Hesse.

Hestia glanced at him briefly before returning her gaze to the low-quality periodicals on the newspaper rack. She flipped a page and said to herself, "I didn't expect you to have some talent. I saw in the files that the High Knight was here last time, and there was only a few robbers who broke down the door and were taken away. I didn't expect you to have decorated the entire building so well in just a few days."

"Thanks to your grace, I was able to pay the workers' salaries and have enough money to reorganize the company's business."

"Well, this place used to be a rebel stronghold. I hope that from now on, you will only conduct legitimate business."

"Your Highness, I promise that I will never again be deceived by anyone. Anyone who tries to use me as a pawn to incite violence will pay with blood!" Gros Lill gritted his teeth and declared boldly, "I have disowned free will and will not be as foolish as before."

"Clearing your position?" Hestia said with a smile, "But why do I feel like someone with free will has been here?"

“…” Gross Riel immediately broke out in a sweat.

Hestia watched him.

Rationally speaking, the princess did not think that Gros Lier could wear the same pants as free will.

The military did not claim that the destruction of several Free Will strongholds was related to Gross Riel, but anyone with a discerning eye could see the dirty dealings behind it.

If it weren't for the betrayal of an insider, how could he have so easily transformed from a death row prisoner into a noble?

At least within Free Will, no matter how Gross Lier proves his innocence, even if the rebel leaders believe there is something else going on, they will never accept him.

Gros Lill's awareness was limited to dying with the "brilliance" of fireworks, but it was only fireworks, a fleeting illusion of beauty. Hestia didn't believe he had such a firm stance.

Therefore, after discovering traces of a blade cultivator in the fishing company through the Witch's Book, Hestia used this to test his loyalty.

Judging from Gros Lier's reaction, she was right.

"I hope you won't disappoint me, my lord." Hestia said solemnly, "I never care if you betray me. You only betray the innocent people who died in the riots."

At the mention of innocent people, Gros Lier's body trembled, and beads of sweat as big as beans flowed over the previous tears and wet the carpet.

"Hey, hey... Your Highness..."

Gros Lier clutched his chest and found himself unable to breathe. He was almost going crazy with anxiety, and uncontrollable fear and tension crawled all over his body.

He knew the price of lying, and the death toll from the rebel attacks was an indisputable fact.

He wanted to say that he had never seen anyone betray the party and that he didn't want to betray his beliefs, but his teeth and tongue suddenly became uncontrollable, as if an invisible force had clamped his throat.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. It happened so hastily that I didn't have time to report..."

His lips trembled, and he didn't know why he said this.

It's Ella's fault, Gros Lier thought.

Ella seemed rational, but in reality, she was even more radical than Crete. Her parents were once powerful "bandits" twenty years ago, slaughtering countless Imperial officials and even injuring nobles. Ultimately, they were captured through a series of traps set by the Inquisition, skinned, and strung with straw before being hung on a cross in the square.

This was the past event that Ella mentioned to him in person, and it was that once amiable friend who led him into the door to free will.

It was Ella's fault. Perhaps Crete's act of instigating the attack was instigated by Ella, or at least she acquiesced in it.

It was Ella. Ella wanted them to die and to drag down innocent people who were suffering!

Gros Lier's mind seemed to have opened up as his thoughts became clear. He kowtowed to the ground, "Your Highness, I am guilty! The rebels did break in before, but they were numerous. In order to retain my useful body to serve Your Highness, I could only feign compliance and compromise temporarily! But Your Highness, I believe they will come again..."

It's Ella's fault!

Gros Lier's burning soul seemed to be roaring.

Ella must be the mole of Free Will. She must be the one instigating the murders and riots in order to brutally suppress the Frans and make it easier for them to rise up in rebellion!

But, there are so many people who don't need to die, so why should Ella help them make the decision?

So, it was Ella's fault. What he had to do now was to set things right. He wanted to prove that free will and the empire could coexist!

However, before Gros Lier could show his loyalty, Emma's voice of disobedience came from outside the reception room:

"Wait, sir, wait, you can't go in!"

The door was pushed open, and a young man with a determined look stood outside. One of his hands was held by Emma, ​​and the other hand was tightly holding the door frame.

Clara hunched her back slightly, staring at the uninvited guest vigilantly, and keeping her ears open to prevent the real enemy from attacking from outside the room.

"Pierre, why is it you?" Gros Lier turned around and was immediately shocked and angry.

The person who came was none other than a member of Ella's team, a rebel of free will!

"Interesting, who are you?"

Hestia looked at Pierre calmly. The young man with fresh and tender eyebrows and a slight beard was nervous and his calves were shaking, but his eyes showed the determination to succeed or die.

"Your Highness, he is..."

"I am Alain Pierre, a rebel of free will, a member of Captain Asuka's team and a member of Team Ella!"

Gros Lier hurriedly opened his mouth, but was interrupted by the young man's stern and resolute voice.

"I intended to spare your lives, but you refused to cherish them time and time again... Am I really such a coward that I can be easily manipulated?" Gros Lier suddenly leaped up, unhooked the hunting rifle hanging on the wall, and pointed it directly at Pierre. "Your Highness, please step back. Be careful of being shot by the rebels!"

Clara didn't move, so Hestia didn't move either. She smiled and asked, "So you're here to kill me?"

"Someone is trying to assassinate you, Princess! But it's not me!"

To Gros Lille's surprise, Pierre knelt and spoke in a resounding voice, "I simply want to ask if the reward Your Highness announced is still effective! Can those loyal individuals who have turned from evil to good and destroyed the rebel strongholds still be granted a title like Lille?"

Gros Lier froze.

He didn't expect that there were such cowards who were afraid of death and greedy for fame and fortune under the command of "Iron Blade Ella"!

"Of course, what I say always works." Hestia smiled.

"Your Highness, please do not trust him. Be careful of fraud!" Gros Lier was angry and anxious.

He was angry because there really was a traitor in Free Will. He was in the Tower Camp but his heart was on the edge. He hated these traitors who followed the crowd the most. Pierre's betrayal of Free Will was tantamount to betraying him and his endurance.

As for the most urgent thing, he was worried that the princess would really recruit Pierre into her army. If he were a man of great righteousness with the world in his heart, it would be fine, but Pierre has such a mean face, how could he have the heroic heart to help the world?

Traitor! Traitor! Traitor! !!!

The more Groslier thought about it, the angrier he became. He wanted to pull the trigger and kill Pierre on the spot.

Hestia felt neither happy nor sad. To her, it was just another hound looking for a bone to gnaw on. As for whether it would wear the noble collar of the Celestial Dragon's brand, it all depended on the kind of "loyalty" it could bring.

The princess said, "Why don't you tell me first, how did those people plan to assassinate me?"

"There's a secret compartment under the company's cellar, containing free will... no, the rebels' alchemical explosives. Ella led us to set traps all around, aiming to blow the entire building to smithereens!"

"What did you say?" Gros Lier was even more anxious. This building was his property, and he had even mortgaged the Baron's land for thirty years to buy it. If it were to blow up, he would be reduced to poverty overnight!

He didn't think about whether he could survive the explosion. His mind was full of hatred for Ella.

As expected, Ella was a rioter whose reason was consumed by hatred, and she was not as righteous as him.

Hestia nodded calmly, "Interesting, but do you really think the collapse of this building could kill me?"

"Your bodyguard must be a high knight. Ella guessed this, so she has a countermeasure."