His eyes scanned the crowd. These were ex-Aslan nobility, people who had always looked down on commoners. They still clung to the old ways, even maintaining a slaver system in this so-called New Empire.‘It’s going to take a long time to change their habits,’ Alex thought, suppressing the frustration rising within him.Just then, the man stepped forward, his eyes locked on Crystal. “Lady Crystal, I am Count Cross,” he announced, his gaze lingering on her as if she were a prize to be claimed. “It has been a very long time since I heard your name and saw your beauty. Will you give me the honor of a dance?”“I am sorry, Count Cross, but I am a married woman. Please show your respect to me and my husband,” Crystal said firmly, her voice carrying the weight of her dignity.“Oh,” Count Cross replied, raising his hand as if suddenly remembering something. His brown hair glinted under the chandelier lights as he smirked. “Respect for your husband, right. I almost forgot.”He turned and called
Count Cross hurriedly called for his six guards, his voice dripping with fury, “This commoner, I want him dead right here, right now!”Immediately, Count Cross's bodyguards rushed into the banquet hall, their eyes locked on Alex. But Alex moved faster than any of them.With a swift and precise blow, he struck the first guard on the jaw, sending him crashing to the ground, knocked out cold with a single hit.One after another, Alex dispatched the remaining guards, his movements fluid and controlled.Despite facing six trained men, not one of them managed to land a hit on him. To everyone’s shock, Alex knocked them out with a single blow each.“Stop! Stop it!” Lady Ashworth screamed, her voice laced with panic. “You little scumbag, stop hitting Count Cross's people!”Alex turned to her, his eyes narrowing. “What? Are you saying I should let them hit me?” His words were sharp, dripping with sarcasm. “Is your brain functioning properly?”“I am your Baroness! Watch how you speak!” Lady Ash
The case of Alex being hurt while protecting his wife from a noble spread like wildfire among the former citizens of Aslan.It quickly gained support from the commoners, many of whom had faced similar situations when the King was in power.The King always sided with the nobility, leaving the voices of the commoners unheard and ignored.Now, with the Empire firmly in control, and one of its military soldiers being assaulted by a noble while trying to protect his own wife from humiliation, the ex-Aslan people found a reason to be brave.They launched protests, demanding the eradication of noble privileges and the implementation of equal laws for everyone.The nobility, desperate to maintain their power, started exerting political influence on the King. Their faction shouted, "If King Christopher dares to side with the commoners and strips us of our power, we will gather our forces and drive the entire Empire out!"On the other side, the commoners chanted in unison, "It is our time to fo
The next morning, as usual, the citizens gathered for their protest.But this time, something was different—there was an unsettling tension in the air.Both sides were already on edge since the death of the citizen.The nobles, sensing the unrest, prepared their guns, while some brave citizens, fueled by years of anger, dared to bring their own weapons.Families with long-standing grudges against the nobles saw this as their chance to finally exact revenge. It was now or never.Under Lavinia's command, the soldiers began coordinating with the leaders of the citizen groups, each made up of five members.Lavinia's voice was calm but firm as she addressed them. "Remember, you will target only the nobles, and it must be done simultaneously at 10 in the morning. Make sure they are all within your reach. If this fails, they will hide like turtles inside their houses."Meanwhile, Alex was at the flower shop, helping Crystal plant seeds and tidy up the flowers.The clock was ticking closer to
Five months ago, Alex had a serious conversation with Christopher about what they should do with the Aslan Nobles."Can we choose not to kill the nobles?" Christopher asked."Yes, we could," Alex replied. "But they’ve held onto their power over the population for generations. They've even changed the king twice, and now, the king is nothing more than a puppet without any real power.""They are the real power holders in Aslan," Alex continued. His gaze was distant, as if seeing the inevitable path ahead. "You cannot control all of Aslan without controlling the nobles.""Then we're going to control the nobles without killing them," Christopher said. "We will do it my way. We'll try for a few months.""I'll give you three months to check," Alex warned, his voice low, almost a growl. "If you don’t succeed, I'll need time to prepare for everything."Christopher nodded, determination hardening in his chest, yet a knot of dread twisted in his gut.After three months, Christopher had tried to
In a distant place, the Marquess Gram stood on the balcony, glaring at the military aircraft hovering in the sky.His anger boiled over as he turned to his captain, his voice sharp and furious. “How dare the Empire’s military come here to support the citizens! Summon all the nobles—we will wage war against the king!”“Lord Gram,” the captain began, his tone tense as his face pale, “we’ve blocked all communications of all New Empire from 10:00 to 11:00, just as you and all nobles agreed. That way, we could kill the protest leaders without anyone recording our actions.”Marquess Gram’s face suddenly drained of color.His hands trembled slightly as he gripped the stone railing. “Are you saying if the military attacks us now, there will be no record? And we won’t be able to communicate with anyone?”The captain nodded, his expression grim. Their plan to silence the protesters had backfired, twisted by the military into a trap for them.“This can’t be true, right?” Marquess Gram muttered,
Southerland Nelson looked pessimistically at Saladin. "Draconia and Aslan fell exactly when they thought they could win by attacking The Empire. Are you sure that the day you and I attack the Empire won't be our last?"Saladin couldn't be sure. They were facing the God of War, Alexander—the man who had never lost a battle."How long is the peace treaty between Nova and the Empire?" Nelson asked, his voice laced with concern."Same as with the Southern lands, about two years more," Saladin replied, his brow furrowed in thought."What is the chance that the Empire will break the peace treaty and attack us?" Nelson continued, his gaze intense."For the long history of Archlion Empire, they have never broken any peace treaty. They are a people with old tradition who respect their promises and treaties like sacred things," Saladin said."How about Nova attacks the Empire first, and Southerland will support from the back?" Nelson suggested, his tone growing more assertive."How about Southe
As Matthew lunged toward Crystal, Bard seized the moment, shoving Matthew aside, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.“What are you doing?” Matthew yelled from where he lay, his eyes blazing with anger.“Don’t touch Miss Crystal with your dirty hands!” Bard shouted, stepping forward to shield Crystal.“You poor driver, aren’t you afraid of what I’ll do to your car? You’d better get out of here before I get really angry,” Matthew taunted, his voice dripping with menace.“I won’t do it.”“Don’t you know that my father is the owner of Aurora Hills Food Factory? I can easily have my security refuse to let you unload your items there. Let’s see if any of the villagers will still use your services then!”Some village women began gathering around, drawn by the commotion.Seeing the growing crowd, Matthew glanced around nervously, his discomfort evident. “Crystal, you’d better think carefully. I’ll come back tomorrow, and you should accept me, or many bad things will happen to you.”