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Ikana’s Plan and the Incompetent Father
“Did you say Troy’s daughters are over there?” asked Ikana, cup nearly slipping out of her hand. It was probably the first time she revealed such a shocked gaze in front of her advisor. She looked at the compilation before her in shock. She then pinched her chin and, in a muffled tone, mumbled, “Can’t that be considered Troy declaring his stance? Has he decided to assist Vera?”
“I do not think so; otherwise, King Troy would not have sent someone here. You saw Miss Tanya in the afternoon, did you not? King Troy has not made his stance clear as of yet. Perhaps his four daughters were merely there by coincidence. I believe he would never explicate his daughters are here; else, his daughters would definitely be in trouble if he made his stance clear.”
After calmly analysing it, Ikana let out a small breath of relief.
The advisor followed up: “Miss Tanya didn’t explicate their stance, either. Miss Tanya is not an experienced diplomat. She is a general, but she is closest to King Troy. I think King Troy wants to sit and observe from the sidelines. He wants to see which of us can gain the upper hand before he truly takes action. I would say Miss Tanya is an observer as opposed to a diplomat, which is the same as the four Princesses.”
“No, it’s not the same,” mumbled Ikana. “We don’t know how the four Princesses came here and what their goal is. Whatever the case, the four Princesses presence forces me to be cautious. If our plans affect just slightly more than intended and hurt the four Princesses, I’m absolutely certain we won’t get off the hook. Perhaps King Troy didn’t send his four Princesses, and they sneaked out. Even if that was true, that would still be extremely disadvantageous to us.”
“What is your plan?”
Ikana resolutely gave her order: “Our original plan to strike during the coronation is cancelled, right? That’s no longer the best opportunity for us to strike. This operation will destroy all of the spies we sent. Have everyone stop all operations for the meantime. Also, get rid of any documents and weapons that will expose them.”
The advisor recorded Ikana’s orders then responded, “Are we just going to spare Vera, then? Although she managed to escape once, the truth is that there are a good number of people who support her succession, which is why we should do something now. Even if we do not personally act, we do have to instigate them, do we not?”
“No, the problem with that as it currently stands is it’d be too obvious we’re trying to provoke them. Lots of people bore witness to Vera’s composure during the incident. I doubt there’d be many people who’d believe our instigations. With that said, we do need to slander and mislead the masses. Make sure to not insult and oppose her in an apparent manner. Avoid obvious approaches. Oh, one more thing. I haven’t given up. I’ll never spare Vera regardless of when. She’s my biggest threat. The only way to eliminate the threat is to kill her. Don’t worry; I’ve already sent others. Not only do I want Vera but also the four sisters. The four Princesses may have limited my actions, but if they’re with me, then they’ll be the best bargaining chip to prevent Troy from interfering.”
“You mean
 to kidnap them?”
“Of course not. If I kidnapped them, before I get to see my, sorry, my husband’s imperial palace, it’d be destroyed. It’s a given that we have to courteously invite the four sisters here. Needless to say, it’s the same method I used back then. I managed to win my husband without resorting to any violence whatsoever. We need to do the same thing again this time.”
“Sorry, Consort Ikana, I honestly do not know what you did back then
”
“You don’t have to know, either. In any case, I, personally, will handle this. I don’t trust you people. You might ruin something that could be perfectly fine; don’t stick your noses into this, and remind everybody they can’t hurt the four sisters even if it means passing up a chance to kill Vera. Go now. I need to attend the ball now.”
Ikana stood up and flicked her enthralling long purple hair. It was within reason for the advisor to not know what exact method she utilised back then. If he knew, he would already be a corpse. The people around Ikana back then were, in essence, dead. The survivors either went missing with no news from them of any kind, or they became her loyalest dogs.
Ikana might be gorgeous and gentle in her husband’s presence, but, in reality, she wouldn’t spare anybody around her an ounce of benevolence. She might be caressing your head and consoling you this second, but you might be dragged off after having a bottle of alcohol smashed over your head the next instant. Friendships? Not part of her vocabulary. She judged you purely based on your deeds.
The ball Ikana was supposed to attend was a particularly small-scale ball to welcome Tanya. Tanya wasn’t a diplomat, which only made her easier to lure. Troy’s attitude on the matter was ambiguous from the beginning, and his whereabouts were a mystery. As a consequence, Ikana had to act while worrying and fearing, frustrating her immensely. She couldn’t act without reservation until she learned the answer to those questions.
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Current time at Ying’s room in Galaluocia’s imperial palace.
The so-called messaging device used the same mana structure to create a mana connection. It was similar to the necklace Troy and Vyvyan once used. The necklace was able to transmit and receive messages, so the device achieved the same outcome. In comparison, the device was more complex. Mana was disordered. Due to it being similar to the flow of electricity, nonetheless, its flow could be controlled thanks to machinery intervention.
Ying reported back to Troy about the assassination attempt. Troy quickly got back to her. Troy didn’t reproach her for failing to protect the sisters properly. He just said to be careful henceforth. He also inquired about the other person he sent, namely the young man in white. Troy asked if he had arrived. Ying reported accordingly and received Troy’s confirmation.
Troy also indicated that Ying should immediately bring the sisters home if they wanted to come home. Based on that, it was evident Troy still minded what his daughters thought. Ying found it odd. Under normal circumstances, Troy, who loved his daughters, would have immediately demanded she bring the girls back in a stern tone, but he didn’t.
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Current time at Troy City.
“I have to go. I’m going to rip their heads off in front of my children! I’m personally going there!!”
“Calm down! Calm down, Dear! Now is not the time for you to go straight there! If you go there, the situation will escalate! Don’t go! How about having them come back?!”
“She’s right, Son. You can send your team there, but don’t personally go!! This is an international matter! Things will become a big deal!!”