Chapter 521

Athena also put down her cup, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

The King had always been considerate of them and would never summon them suddenly at this time unless it was urgent.

“If that’s the case, then let’s not delay.”

Xander stood up, reached out, and straightened Athena’s clothes, his tone softening slightly.

“If you’re tired, rest in the carriage on the way. I’ll help you when we get to the palace.”

Athena nodded with a smile, “I’m fine. Let’s go quickly, don’t keep the King waiting.”

The two hurriedly changed into more formal clothes and got into the carriage to rush to the palace.

As the carriage drove on the palace road, Xander was still pondering the reason for the King’s sudden summons.

“Could it be that the King also knows about Michael having a daughter and wants to summon us to talk about it?”

Athena shook her head, “It doesn’t seem like it. If it were about this, the King wouldn’t be in such a hurry to summon us. Maybe there is something else important.”

Before long, the carriage stopped outside the Imperial Study.

As soon as the two walked into the hall, they saw the King sitting on the throne, his brows slightly furrowed. He was holding a book in his hand, his expression a little heavy.

Seeing them come in, the King barely managed to put away his worries and waved, “Xander, Athena, come and sit down quickly.”

“Your Majesty,” they bowed deeply, their voices resonating with solemn deference.

After the two saluted, they sat down on the chairs beside the King.

Seeing that the King’s expression was not right, Xander went straight to the point and asked, “I wonder why Your Majesty is in such a hurry to summon us into the palace today. What is the order?”

The King put down the book, sighed, and his tone sounded a little complicated. “It’s about Diana.”

“Princess Diana?” Athena was stunned for a moment, then reacted.

Princess Diana was the King’s younger sister. To maintain peace between the two Kingdoms, she married far away to the Kingdom of Veyra. Since she got married, very little news had been sent back to Pidence. It had been nearly ten years since she left.

Xander also frowned. “Your Majesty, did something happen to the Princess in the Kingdom of Veyra?”

The King nodded, a trace of pity and anger flashing in his eyes.

“Some time ago, I received a secret report saying that Diana is not living well in the Kingdom of Veyra. Veyra’s Crown Prince, whom she married, not only favors his concubines but also often treats her harshly, without even basic courtesy due a princess. Some time ago, Veyra’s Crown Prince ascended the throne and directly threw Diana into the Cold Palace. The secret guards sent back a message saying that she is likely in mortal danger.”

Athena and Xander’s expressions both darkened. The Kingdom of Veyra dared to mistreat the Princess. Was it trying to break away from the Grand Luminary Empire? Once severed, it would be a signal to start a war. No wonder the King looked so worried. At this time, what the Grand Luminary Empire needed was not war, but recuperation.

“Does Your Majesty mean to summon us to the palace to bring the Princess back?” Xander asked, guessing.

The King’s eyes were slightly red. “I only have this one sister, and I cannot sit idly by. Moreover, the Kingdom of Veyra is being too unreasonable. If I don’t vent my anger for Diana, I’m afraid they will become even more rampant.”

Looking at the King, Athena felt sorry for him and spoke hesitantly.

“Your Majesty, I think this matter needs to be discussed in the long term. We cannot let the Princess be humiliated for nothing, nor can we rashly start a war. Perhaps, we can first send an envoy to the Kingdom of Veyra to negotiate, demanding that they immediately release the Princess and apologize for mistreating her. If they refuse, it will not be too late to discuss subsequent countermeasures.”

The King pondered for a moment and had an idea in his mind. “Then let the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites take a trip to negotiate with the Kingdom of Veyra. We will use diplomatic means first, then military force. If they refuse to move Diana out of the Cold Palace, then order the dark guards to forcibly rescue her. If they want to fight, then we will fight.”

Athena and Xander deeply agreed. “Your Majesty is wise.”

More than ten days later, there was a result.

The men from the Ministry of Rites went to the Kingdom of Veyra and negotiated with Veyra’s King, demanding that Princess Diana be released from the Cold Palace. But they were rejected by Veyra’s King, who claimed that the Grand Luminary Empire was interfering in his country’s internal affairs.

Following the strategy Xander had laid out, the Vice Minister presented the secret evidence smuggled out of the Cold Palace by the dark guards.

His tone was calm but laced with coercion, “Your Majesty, neighboring countries have already heard about the Princess’s situation in the Cold Palace. If Your Majesty agrees to release her, the Grand Luminary Empire is willing to let bygones be bygones; if Your Majesty insists on keeping her, once this evidence is made public, it will likely damage Veyra’s reputation.”

But Veyra’s new King didn’t buy it at all and instead slammed the table and stood up.

“How dare you! Just some unfounded portraits, and you dare use them to threaten me? Tell your King, if he wants Diana back, the Grand Luminary Empire must cede three border cities; otherwise, there’s no negotiation!”

Having said that, he ordered his men to “escort” the Vice Minister out of the palace, not even leaving room for further discussion.

Fortunately, Xander had made two preparations since the Kingdom of Veyra was unwilling to release the Princess. Since they wouldn’t respond to a soft approach, he had to take a hard line. He sent black armor guards to sneak into the Kingdom of Veyra’s palace and rescue Princess Diana from the Cold Palace. And a fire was set to burn the Cold Palace to the ground.

The fire was fanned by the wind and almost reached the main palace. Veyra’s King was so angry that he almost went mad and wanted to send troops to fight the Grand Luminary Empire.

However, he received a secret report from a scout that Xander had soldiers set up more than a dozen cannons on the border city walls. The cannons were very powerful and could blow open heavy city gates. As long as they dared to approach, those cannons could blow them to pieces.

The scout wanted to test the power of these cannons, so he ordered a small team to test it out. However, as soon as they showed their faces, they were blown to pieces, leaving not even bone fragments.

After hearing this, Veyra’s King slumped to the ground, his face pale. His eyes were filled with lingering fear. He hurriedly submitted a plea for forgiveness to the King, willing to let Princess Diana return home.

Seven days later, the Princess’s carriage finally arrived in Pidence.

Sitting in the carriage, looking at the familiar streets, Princess Diana’s eyes were full of tears. Away from home for more than a decade, from the Grand Luminary Empire’s princess who was once dressed in finery and full of spirit to the desolate person returning home with scars all over her body. After sighing, a trace of hatred flashed in Princess Diana’s eyes. The peace of the Grand Luminary Empire was all exchanged for by her, a weak woman. No one knew what kind of life she had lived all these years.

When she first entered the Kingdom of Veyra, she suffered all kinds of humiliation. No one treated her like a human being. Veyra’s Crown Prince disliked her for being a tool for a marriage alliance and didn’t even show up on their wedding night. Later, the Crown Princess, jealous of her status, ordered a concubine to slap her in public and called her an unwanted, abandoned chess piece. Later, she was thrown into the Cold Palace, where she could only eat sour bread every day and didn’t even have a cotton coat to keep warm. Although the Grand Luminary Empire was powerful, they didn’t even think of her. If the Kingdom of Veyra hadn’t gone too far this time, and she had almost lost her life, she would still be suffering there.

The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate, and the maid gently called her, “Princess, we have arrived.”

Princess Diana came back to her senses, hurriedly tidied up her clothes, and then followed the maid out of the carriage. Looking at the towering city gate in front of her, Princess Diana’s eyes turned red. She was finally back.

She went all the way to the Heaven Hall and walked in. Tears streamed down her face as she saw the majestic figure above the high seat.

“Your Majesty.” She bowed deeply without any gratitude in her heart. There was only resentment and hatred.

The King excitedly stepped forward and helped her up. He looked her up and down, his eyes reddening.

“You’re finally back, finally back.”

Diana lowered her eyes, hiding the emotions within. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving me and bringing me home.”