Alex froze. His eyes widened.
"Why... why is this because of me?"
Countess Marlene folded her arms.
“Because Sofina called Eve to save you," she said. "When Eve found you, you were lying on the ground like crushed meat. Like you''d been hit by an aircraft. Bones shattered. Body torn up. Half-dead. She had no choice but to fly you straight to the hospital."
Alex''s mind went nk for a second.
Then memories rushed back.
Three men.
A fight.
Blood.
One of them called someone "Master"... or something like that.
Then-darkness.
He slowly raised his wrist.
His bracelet.
The device that recorded everything.
It was gone.
His heart sank.
Countess Marlene noticed his movement and gave a small nod.
"Your bracelet was destroyed," she said.
Alex''s fingers tightened.
"And everything Eve saw..." Marlene continued, her lips curving into a faint smile, "was transmitted to Estoria. To Be."
She paused.
"Your Be saw you broken. Dying. Covered in blood."
Her eyes sharpened.
"She was terrified. Furious. She thought you would die here. So she gathered all the governors and demanded an immediate war against Prussia."
Alex felt a sharp pain stab through his head.
Not just from his injuries.
From shame.
His weak body.
His pathetic state.
His defeat.
All of it had been exposed.
To Be.
To Sophia.
To Lyra.
To Jasmine.
To every governor.
Everyone had seen him lying there like a beaten animal.
Humiliated.
Powerless.
He closed his eyes.
"I heard the deration is ready," Marlene went on. "They''re only waiting for the
King''s final decision. But the King hasn''t said anything for days."
She didn''t know Alex was that King.
Alex let out a slow breath.
"I think the King will order them to hold their position," he said quietly. "At least for a year. Don''t worry."
Marlene shook her head.
"I don''t think it will go that way."
Alex looked up.
"Why?"
She met his eyes.
“Because Estoria already sent an official deration to Prussia," she said. "They want war."
Alex stiffened.
"What?"
"They''ve dered it,” Marlene replied. "It''s all over the media. Every Prussian citizen knows."
Alex''s chest tightened.
"Then... what is Prussia''s response?" he asked.
Marlene exhaled slowly.
"Let me put it this way."
She leaned back slightly.
"Imagine you''re born in a city so advanced that it canunch nuclear weapons anywhere on Earth in seconds."
She looked at him steadily.
"And one day, a hidden tribe walks out of the jungle. Barefoot. Half-naked. Holding wooden spears."
She paused.
"And that tribe deres war on your country."
Her voice lowered.
"What do you think that city will do?"
Alex stared at Marlene.
From her expression, he already knew where this was going.
"They''re doing nothing?" he asked quietly.
Marlene smiled.
"Not exactly," she replied. "They''re treating it like the biggest joke in history."
Her voice carried faint sarcasm.
"No official response. No emergency meeting. No military alert. Because everyone knows that so-called ''primitive n'' is harmless."
She scoffed softly.
"Wooden spears? Sharpened sticks? One squad with machine guns orser weapons could wipe them out in minutes."
Alex wasn''t surprised.
Prussia had always been arrogant.
Too arrogant to see Estoria as a real threat.
In their eyes, Estoria was poor.
Backward.
Pathetic.
At best, it was just trying to attract attention.
Desperate for publicity.
And even if Estoria wanted to fight, there was another problem.
Between them and Prussia stood Xia.
A powerful nation.
A sealed wall.
Xia would never allow Estorian forces to cross its territory.
Never.
The idea itself was impossible.
Alex exhaled slowly.
“Fine,” he said. “If Prussia isn''t responding, that''s good news."
Then, suddenly, something struck him.
He frowned.
"Where is Sofina?"
Marlene smiled knowingly.
"I knew you would ask," she said. "So I prepared something."
She tapped her bracelet.
A holographic screen appeared.
A video began to y.
On the screen was Sofina.
She stood under bright lights, wearing an elegant, luxurious gown.
Her posture was noble.
Her face was calm.
Regal.
Below her image, golden letters appeared:
"The Princess Sofina Augustus, the one and only daughter of King Wilhelm
Augustus. Officially dered three days ago."
Alex froze.
His blood turned cold.
"What...?"
He stared at the screen.
"She''s... a princess?"
He looked at Marlene in disbelief.
"Yes," Marlene replied calmly. "King Wilhelm Augustus donated his sperm through
Prussia''s Royal Reproduction Program. He has twenty-one sons. And only one
daughter."
Her eyes shifted to Alex.
"That daughter is Sofina. Your wife."
Alex''s breath caught in his throat.
Before he could speak, Marlene added bluntly,
"But now, you''re not her husband anymore."
Alex clenched his fists.
"Why?"
Marlene looked at him seriously.
"When someone publicly acknowledges their true royal lineage, they must erase
their past."
Her voice became firm.
"They abandon their former family. Their old name. Their old identity. Even their
friendships."
"They start over."
"That''s how noblew works."
She paused.
"Byw, Sofina is now single. No husband. And under Prussianw, you are also
single."
Her gaze hardened.
"You are forbidden to reveal any past rtionship with her. If you do, you''ll be
arrested."
"You''ll go to prison."
The words hit Alex like bullets.
He was silent for a long moment.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Fine," he said.
He already knew this rule.
He had stayed in Prussia for three years.
He knew theirws.
Their systems.
Their cruelty.
And he knew...
They never made exceptions.
"Then who are the people trying to kill me?" Alex asked quietly. But beneath it, anger
burned.
"We don''t know yet," Countess Marlene said. "But tell me
everything. Describe them. Evel
detail The people who attacked,
you
Alex closed his eyes for a moment.
Then he began to speak.
He described them.
When he finished, Marlene fell silent.
She thought for several seconds.
IMS
Then she raised her wrist and activated her bracelet.
A transparent screen lit up.
Data flowed across it.
She searched.
Cross-checked.
Filtered.
Minutes passed.
Finally, she turned the screen toward Alex.
Nine photos appeared.
Nine faces.
Cold.
Dangerous.
Professional.
"Which ones?" Marlene asked.
Alex leaned forward.
His eyes narrowed.
"Those three," he said, pointing. "Those."
Marlene''s expression darkened.
"The Iron Fist," she said. "Lightning Kick. And Sword Master."
Her voice was serious now.
"They''re originally from Xia. Former elites."
"Later, they pledged loyalty to Prussia and became naturalized."
"They''re ranked among the top hundred fighters in the country."
She tapped the table slowly.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"They usually take high-paying assassination contracts," she continued. "But normal
money isn''t enough to hire them."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Anyone who can afford them is at least at the level of a Duke..... or even the royal
family."
Alex fell silent.
His brows tightened.
His mind began to race.
Faces shed through his thoughts.
Names.
Powerful figures.
Hidden enemies.
He searched for one answer.
Who wanted him dead?
"Sir," Marlene said quietly, breaking the silence, "do you remember
asking me to investigate the destruction of the Saint-ire family?"
"Yes." Alex nodded. "Did you find anything?"
Marlene exhaled.
"It wasn''t easy," she said. "The records were erased. Buried. Almost perfectly."
"But I found someone."
"A survivor."
"Someone who still remembers what happened."
She paused.
"The
was
, the Saint-ire
because they
supported the wrong prince in th?.
royal session battle."
Her voice turned cold.
“First..... the Saint-ires were wiped out."
"After the prince they supported lost...”
"...he was executed."
Silence filled the room.
"That was about forty years ago," she said slowly.
Alex looked at her.
“Do you think the same person is behind what happened to Saint-ire... and
what''s happening to me now?"
Marlene hesitated.
For the first time, she looked uneasy.
She immediately shut down her bracelet.
All screens disappeared.
She scanned the room.
The walls.
The ceiling.
The corners.
Making sure there were no listening devices.
No spies.
No hidden surveince.
Only after that did she look back at Alex.
"Sir," she said quietly, "I hope you give up on revenge."
Alex''s eyes hardened.
"Just tell me," he replied. "I''ll decide what to do after I hear it."
Marlene swallowed.
Her voice slowed.
Lowered.
"On that time, there was one prince," she said, "who was supported by four of the
eight great dukes."
"That prince had the power to destroy Saint-ire."
"And eliminate his rival."
Her eyes locked onto Alex''s.
"That prince..."
"...is King Wilhelm Augustus."