"What did you say? Enter the pce?” Eliza was stunned upon hearing the news. "You''re going to the pce... as concubine?"


    Dianaughed. "You little rascal, don''t underestimate mel I''m not going in as a concubine. I''m going to be the Empress!"


    She grinned at Eliza "Soon, I be the Empress. When you see me, you''d better bow properly. If your etiquette isn''t wless, I''ll make you warm my bed"


    Eliza rolled her eyes. "Cut it out! I''m being serious here."


    "I am serious, Dead serious, Diana replied,


    She hugged Eliza, who was still wrapped in nkets. "After my family was reassigned, the only way to return to Hasen City early was through a special opportunity. Otherwise, we''d have to wait at least ten or twenty years until my father achieves something noteworthy enough to catch the king''s attention. But my family can''t wait that long


    "You know how it is. Hasen City is a battlefield where wolves outnumber prey. The king is still young and needs capable people now. If we don''t return soon, even ten years would be toote."


    By then, the king would be twenty-six, no longer needing assistance.


    At that point, the Baker family wouldn''t even have a chance topete.


    Eliza understood Diana''s reasoning, but she couldn''t help but worry. "Your personality is so unsuited for pce life. Once you enter those gilded cages, half your life vanishes beneath protocol, and you''ll never be able toe out as you please again."


    Sure, Diana bing the Empress would indeed pave the way for her family''s return, but it came at the cost of her freedom.


    She hated restraint and loved traveling.


    But as the Empress, she would be bound by countless restrictions, and traveling would be out of the question.


    The thought of Diana trapped forever in the pce made Eliza''s eyes redden. "Is this the only way?"


    Seeing Eliza on the verge of tears, Diana pinched her cheek lightly. "There are other ways, of course, but my grandfather''s health can''t wait any longer,"


    "What? What''s wrong with your grandpa?" Eliza was startled and quickly asked for more details.


    "Don''t worry, it''s just an old illness, Diana replied calmly.


    Life, aging, sickness, death-it''s a natural part of life that no one can escape.


    "I can save your grandpa! Let me help you!" Eliza immediately thought of the magical water in her pocket farm


    She could use it to heal Diana''s grandpal


    Her pocket farm also had rare herbs. She had Mary to guide her, and Lawrence could lend a hand


    With all these resources, she was confident the illness could be cured!


    But Diana shook her head firmly. "No, Liza. I know you want to help, but I''ve already made up my mind. I''m breaking off the engagement with Matthew. I gave him a chance, but he didn''t value it. That chance is gone.


    "Once the engagement is annulled, I''ll start preparing to enter the pce. The Empress Dowager has already sent a letter to my grandfather, and she''s aware of my return to Hasen City"


    Eliza understood now. It wasn''t Diana who chose to enter the pce-it was the Empress Dowager who had chosen her. The young king needed a strong queen, but not one from an overly powerful family


    Diana fit the role perfectly


    The Baker family was respectable, with generations of officials While Diana wasn''t schrly, she knew all the proper etiquette and politics. Compared to other noblewomen, her ws became advantages-exactly what the Empress Dowager wanted.


    Eliza pressed her lips together, speechless


    "Enough overthinking. Besides, the pce isn''t that terrifying. Remember how I used to bully the king when he was a kid? If I marry him, do you think he''d dare bully me?" E That was true.


    Eliza''s thoughts drifted to the king.


    Sessfully unlocked!


    Back when Eliza''s mother used to care for the young king, Diana was always there too. She was barely more than a toddler herself, yet already reducing the future prince to wailing tears. Those days followed a predictable pattern: if Matthew wasn''t


    360 Chapter 360


    crying, the crown prince certainly was.


    Neither of them could escape Diana''s mischief.


    As for Eliza? She had been crying too, for milk,


    "Enough, enough. I don''t want to talk about this. Tell me more about your trips to Plutonville and Noganlul. I heard it was thrilling. You became a celestial maiden in the eyes of the people there...


    Since Diana didn''t want to dwell on it, Eliza obliged.


    The two spent the entire afternoon chatting under the covers, sharing stories andughter. Later, they made dinner together-or rather, Eliza did the cooking while Diana yed the role of her assistant


    Once the food was ready, Mary arrived.


    The three of them gathered around the table, enjoying a simple vegetarian meal and coffee, simple but joyful


    Whileughter filled one ce, gloom hung over another.


    After days of enduring the screams echoing through the Ministry of Justice, Gabriel was exhausted. He emerged thinner, with dark circles under his eyes.


    Yetpared to him, Sophie was in an even worse state. She looked like she''d been to hell and back.


    No one knew how she had endured those days.


    The endless screams, the heart-wrenching sobs...


    The prison was a living nightmare. The prison was filled with prisoners, tortured day and night. Some were questioned multiple times a day, even after dark.


    All of them were pce servants connected to the party.


    Seeing the horrific state of those prisoners, Sophie was consumed by terror, constantly fearing that she would be next.


    She couldn''t eat or sleep. By the time she was finally released, she was a pale, emaciated shell of her former self, barely recognizable


    "I''m free! I''m finally free


    When she saw daylight again, Sophie burst into tears.