"What? A foreign assassin ambushed the Marquis''s estate?" said someone, gasping in shock,


    Within an hour, the shocking news spread like wildfire throughout Hasen City.


    Rumors spread from the pce to the streets that a foreign infiltrator had been hiding in the Marquis''s estate. Once discreted, the infiltrator didn''t hold back and went all out, assassinating Dale''s family.


    "No wonder!" a bystander eximed. "I saw smoke from the Marquis''s estate yesterday!"


    Another bystander said, "And there were several loudmotions from the Marquis''s estate again today.


    sounded terrifying"


    "I knew something was wrong in there!" a bystander eximed. "You could hear people fighting!"


    "Hey, what about Lord Dale and his family? Are they alright?"


    A bystander retorted, "Who says nothing happened? It''s a total disaster!"


    A bystander eximed, "What happened? Did someone die?"


    "Except for Lady Nevill being unharmed, Lord Dale was wounded, and their son is


    on his deathbed. Almost all the servants in the Marquis''s estate are


    dead!"


    "My goodness! The Marquis''s estate suffered such a tragedy! The foreign infiltrator is cruel. He killed so many people!"


    "Is that foreign infiltrator dead? Make sure he doesn''t escape!"


    "He''s dead! Dead for sure!" another bystander eximed. "I heard the foreign infiltrator was a terrifying sorcerer. He knew some kind of... What was it? Mind- controlling magic? Lord Dale and his servants had no choice but to make a desperatest stand, and that''s how they finally killed that foreign


    infiltrator."


    A bystander sighed in relief, "Thank goodness, at least the bastard''s dead!"


    "Damn right!" a bystander spat. "People like that are nothing but trouble as long as they''re alive!"


    "After all our struggles under the Prince Regent''s leadership to defeat foreign enemies and finally bring peace to Bortend, we can''t let those foreign tribese and stir up trouble again!" someone dered.


    Themotion at the Marquis''s estate was too big to keep under wraps. There was no way the public wouldn''t find out.


    After discussing with Dale, Eliza deliberately spread a carefully crafted version of the story half-truthfully.


    Firstly, it was to exin themotion at the Marquis''s estate. Secondly, it was because of the infiltrators Nn had uncovered.


    Before heading to the Marquis''s estate, Eliza had nned to use Sophie as bait to flush out the hidden enemies.


    As it turned out, the n worked like a charm.


    On his way to capture Rodrigo and his aplices from the Soulbind Tribe, Nn ran into several genuine foreign infiltrators whom Rodrigo had summoned over Sophie''s affair. Nn rounded them all up in one fell swoop.


    However, when the foreign infiltrators were caught, it turned out that two of them held surprisingly high-ranking positions. One served in the crucial Public Works, while the other was none other than a pce procurement eunuch.


    When the king learned of that, he flew into a furious rage and immediately


    ordered Nn to investigate the matter thoroughly.


    Using those two men as leads, Nn expanded his investigation and uncovered


    an entirework of infiltrators-both among imperial court officials


    and within the pce walls,


    Then, the matter had beenpletely exposed.


    Not long after thest foreign attack at the pce party, who would have thought there were still so many foreign infiltrators h?rkling in Hasentirse


    Moreover, a significant number of imperial court officials were implicated in the conspiracy.


    Some were manipted, some were controlled, and some were simply bewitched.


    All in all, Hasen City was plunged into turmoil at that time.


    The matter of the foreign infiltrators was nowpletely out in the open.


    At the study in the Henderson Residence.


    Fletcher frowned, his voice cold and sharp as he demanded of the kneeling maid, "So Sophie is dead after all? Didn''t Lady Raisa even try to save her?"


    And the person was Megyn Benesch, Raisa''s personal maid."


    "My lord," Megyn said respectfully. "After receiving


    your message, Lady Raisa immediately disguised herself and left the pce for the Marquis''s estate. But by the time she arrived, Sophie, Lord Caleb''s secondary wife, was already dead."


    Fletcher narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed suspiciously von Megyn. He muttered, "So quick to act... They''re half-sisters, after all. Does the Holy Lady hate


    her sister that much?"


    However, Megyn remained perfectlyposed.


    She wasn''t afraid Fletcher would see through her act. After all, technically, not a single word she said was a lie.


    Megyn thought, ''Lady Raisa did immediately begin preparing her disguise upon receiving the letter, though the preparations took somewhat longer than expected, and her departure was slightly dyed...


    ''So, Sophie was dead by the time Lady Raisa arrived. The oue can hardly be med on Lady Raisa.''


    Fletcher, finding no clues in Megyn''s expression, snorted. "If that''s the case," he pressed, "did you bring her body back?"


    Megyn nodded and pped her hands.


    Immediately, someone entered from outside, carrying a box.


    He ced it on the floor, then hurriedly retreated and closed the door behind him without a word.


    "My lord, the remains of Lord Caleb''s secondary wife are inside this box," Megyn said respectfully, pointing to the box.


    Fletcher was momentarily stunned. He thought, ''Her body... is in that box? That tiny thing?''


    Fletcher sullenly stared at the box, which was no bigger than a wash-hand basin. A sense of foreboding crept into his heart.


    "Open it," Fletcher ordered.


    Megyn obediently utched the box with two sharp clicks, revealing the mutted remains inside.


    The thick, metallic stench of blood instantly flooded the study.


    Inside the boxy a severed head and barely half of an upper torso.


    10:38


    30 May Chapter 705


    for the rest, it was nothing but a pile of bloody mush, utterly beyond retrieval. Eliza had no intention of collecting it.


    So only that small part remained. After being snatched from Eliza, it was sent straight to the Hanferson Family


    stared at the head in the box. It was undoubtedly Sophie''s. He leit a wave of fury rising within hi


    with a loud bang. Fletcher mmed his fist on the table and roared, "Does Raisa even realize what Sophie maana to her and the Hardarazem farity? If Sophie is truly dead, the Soulbind Tribe wille after Raisa next! Does she want to end up as their puppets"


    Megyn, unfazed by Fletcher''s fury, calmly ryed Raisa''s message. “My lord, Lady Raisa said that although Sophie is dead, she''s confident that witli prije sks, you''ll have no trouble producing another ''Sophie Stonor. So Lady Raisa isn''t concerned at all?


    Fletcher let out a mirthlessugh. "How dare she!"


    Betcher thought, ''Just a severed head and half a torso. She expects me to make


    a puppet out of that? Does she have any idea how hard that 47


    My daughter is getting more defiant by the day. Time to teach her exactly what her "father''s" ce is, thought Fletcher.


    A flicker of murderous intent shed across Fletcher''s face..