280: Chapter 280 Caroline's Revenge! The New Marquis of Lance!

The tent returned to silence.

Lisel leaned back into her chair, lost in thought.

"What would be a suitable time to choose?"

As the lamplight flickered, the heavy, dark curtain behind Lisel suddenly stirred.

A graceful figure stepped out from within, with alluring curves and long hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall.

She was a woman who appeared to be about twenty-three or twenty-four, with a tall and voluptuous figure, a charming face, and a pair of long, narrow phoenix eyes that held a hint of laziness.

She walked to Lisel's side:

"Lisel, when the time comes, take me along to see as well. I'd like to see for myself what kind of person this fellow is, the one who managed to exceed your prophecy."

Hearing this, Lisel turned her head to look at the woman and sighed helplessly:

"Vespera, I can take you, but you must promise me not to take action."

"The emergence of the Red Moon Proxy is already a foregone conclusion; there is nothing you can do to change it by intervening."

She paused, her tone becoming a bit more solemn:

"Moreover, the commotion from a battle between legendary-level powerhouses is too great. If a fight breaks out, the entire situation in the North could be affected."

"What's more, the fact that the other party could become the Red Moon Proxy under these circumstances, and I still haven't figured out his path, suggests that there is something about him that even I cannot see through. You might not be able to do anything to him, either."

Vespera's gaze deepened slightly at these words. She was silent for a moment, then waved her hand and said in a relaxed tone: "Alright, alright, I get it."

"I won't take action. I just want to see with my own eyes what that fellow looks like, to cause you such a headache."

As she spoke, she flashed a strange, teasing smile: "Don't worry, I know my limits."

"Hm, that's good." Lisel nodded gently, but a trace of caution remained in her eyes.

She understood Vespera.

This Vampire Prince friend of hers appeared lazy and easygoing on the surface, but deep down, she possessed a sense of arrogance.

The other party had snatched away something she had been planning for a long time; she just hoped that no trouble would arise afterward.

...

Meanwhile.

Will Province, Cangyuan City.

It had been nearly two days since Garuvi left to bid farewell to Rowan and returned to the city that raised her.

She had contacted her former subordinates and figured out the situation in the city.

Tonight was the time she had decided to make her move.

Inside the Marquis of Cangyuan's estate.

Garuvi proceeded without obstruction.

The guards stationed at various points saw her and wore complex expressions, but no one dared to stop her.

She walked through the courtyard and pushed open the doors to the main hall, where a strong stench of alcohol rushed to meet her.

Inside the hall, the lamplight flickered.

The long dining table was a mess of cups and plates. Her brother, Richter Lance, was slumped in the main seat, his face flushed, his collar loose, muttering something incoherently.

Hearing the door open, Richter didn't even lift his head. He grabbed a wine bottle from beside him and hurled it fiercely.

"Who let you in?!"

"Get out!"

Garuvi raised her hand and steadily caught the bottle without making a sound.

She stood at the doorway, watching her brother in silence.

Richter finally sensed that something was wrong.

Those cloudy, drunken eyes slowly lifted, focusing on the person who had arrived.

In an instant, his pupils contracted, and most of the drunkenness on his face faded away.

Silence spread through the empty hall.

Neither of them spoke.

After a long time, Richter put down the wine bottle, leaned back, and let out a low, cold laugh.

"You've returned."

"Haha."

"I knew you would come back."

He sat up abruptly, bracing his hands on the edge of the table, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Garuvi:

"You're here to kill me, aren't you!"

Garuvi remained silent upon hearing this.

Seeing this, Richter suddenly flew into a rage:

"Then come on! Kill your own brother and take the position of the Marquis of Cangyuan!"

He turned his head sharply, sweeping his gaze across the servants and guards standing with their hands at their sides, his voice rising sharply:

"And you all! You've been waiting for this, haven't you! Just waiting for me to die so you can serve a new master!"

The servants' faces turned pale, and they lowered their heads and backed away one after another.

The guards gripped the hilts of their swords, looking at Garuvi, but they dared not move.

Garuvi ignored those gazes.

She walked forward step by step, sat down at the other end of the long dining table, placed the wine bottle in her hand gently on the table, and pushed it aside.

"Richter," she said, her voice calm:

"Why did you betray Father back then?"

"I don't understand."

Richter was stunned at first, then threw his head back and laughed, his shoulders shaking, laughing until tears streamed down.

"I betrayed him?"

He slammed his hand on the table, making the cups and plates jump.

"It was clearly he who betrayed me!"

He laughed wildly, his bloodshot eyes locked onto his own sister, Garuvi.

"You probably don't know! That old thing actually intended to pass the title to you!"

Garuvi's brows twitched slightly at these words.

"And he claimed it was for my own good!" Richter's voice suddenly turned sharp, filled with gnashing hatred:

"He said my talent wasn't enough to hold this frontier city! He told me to go to the heart of the empire to be a wealthy merchant and live a peaceful life!"

He stood up abruptly, his chair toppling backward with a loud crash:

"On what grounds?!"

He pointed at Garuvi, his finger trembling.

"Just because your talent is better than mine?!"

The roar echoed in the hall, lingering for a long time.

Garuvi sat where she was, not moving.

She lowered her eyes and said nothing.

She truly did not know about this matter.

Father had never mentioned it to her either.

The candlelight flickered suddenly, reflecting on her beautiful face, alternating between light and shadow.

After a long while, Garuvi spoke slowly, her voice low:

"Even so, you should not have colluded with outsiders to cause Father's death."

Richter did not speak; he just stood there, panting heavily.

The madness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a dead silence as if he cared about nothing anymore.

Garuvi stood up, took four boxes from her storage ring, and placed them gently on the table.

She opened the first box lid: "This is the head of Duke Witton."

She opened the second box lid: "This is the head of Knight Kallen."

She opened the third box lid, saying nothing.

It was completely empty.

Richter looked at the two heads in the boxes, was silent for a moment, and then suddenly laughed.

He had exhausted all his efforts, yet he was now just an ordinary Great Knight. He was far behind his sister, who was now an Earth Knight...

"Do you have any final words? Brother." Garuvi said softly.

Richter's smile vanished instantly.

He lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Garuvi. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back.

In the end, he just slowly closed his eyes.

"Do it."

Garuvi stood where she was, silent for a few seconds.

The next instant, a blood-red sword light flashed past.

A head flew high into the air.

It landed straight into the third box.

Garuvi stared at it for a moment, closed the lid, then turned around to look at the retainers, servants, and guards in the hall, who were all trembling in fear.

Her gaze was calm and dignified, carrying the inherent nobility and coldness of the Lance bloodline.

"I am Garuvi Lance," her voice echoed in the empty hall:

"From today on, I am taking over Cangyuan City. Those willing to follow me, stay. Those who are not, you may leave now; I will not hold it against you."

The hall was silent for a moment, then an old butler was the first to kneel on one knee and lower his head:

"Greetings, Marquis."

Immediately following, one retainer, guard, and servant after another knelt on the ground, forming a sea of kneeling figures.

No one left.