The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 70: Her Resolve

Chapter 70: Her Resolve

At the Palace

While waiting for the grand banquet to start, Chancellor Igrin requested a private audience with Princess Thalia. It was a secret meeting between the two. Chancellor Igrin had another agenda for joining Crown Prince Cassian on this journey.

"Chancellor Igrin, why did you ask me to be here? The banquet will start in a few minutes," Princess Thalia asked, staring at the old chancellor with puzzlement.

"Your Highness, forgive me for requesting to meet you at this moment. But this is our only chance to talk without being noticed by your brother, Prince Cassian," Chancellor Igrin explained, bowing his head as he apologized to Thalia.

"Fine. Just make it quick! Tell me what you want to talk about." Thalia replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It’s about the succession," Chancellor Igrin said with a serious expression on his aged face.

Thalia knitted her eyebrows into a deep frown upon hearing that. "What’s about the succession? Of course, my brother will be the next ruler of Kingdom Eldara."

Chancellor Igrin swallowed hard, his fingers wiping the beads of sweat on his forehead. He was worried about Thalia’s reactions to his next words.

"Majority of the royal court members have expressed their dissatisfaction with Crown Prince Cassian. For them, he is not a suitable ruler for the Kingdom of Eldara," Chancellor Igrin said truthfully.

"We are very concerned with his strict rules. Furthermore, he is so rude and arrogant. He never shows respect to the elders and other officials. He never listens to our words," the old chancellor expressed various complaints about Prince Cassian.

"So... if you will agree, Princess Thalia, we are going to support you to be the next ruler of our kingdom. You just need to find a capable husband who will rule with you... and become our new King," Chancellor Igrin said, not hiding his true agenda anymore.

After saying those words, the old chancellor gazed at Thalia, anticipating her reply. He hoped she would agree to his proposition. She had to stand against her elder brother and fight for her right to succession.

Meanwhile, Princess Thalia had conflicting thoughts regarding this matter. She was aware of her brother’s unlikable attitude so she wasn’t surprised if several royal court officials were complaining against him.

However, she didn’t expect that these officials would suddenly combine forces, planning to overthrow Prince Cassian by using her.

Princess Thalia was torn between her loyalty to her elder brother and her desire for power.

As she considered Chancellor Igrin’s proposition, Alaric came to her mind.

’Will Alaric agree to marry me if I promise him to become the King of Eldara?’ Thalia marveled to herself.

"Let me think about this. I can’t decide for now." She finally broke her long silence.

"There are lots of pros and cons to be considered. Defying my brother and going against him is like courting death. He won’t easily give up his right to succession," Thalia added.

Chancellor Igrin nodded in agreement. "I understand, Your Highness. I know we are asking you too much. But you are our only hope. We are afraid that many of our people will suffer once Crown Prince Cassian ascends to the throne."

"Is this all you have to say?" she asked him, lifting her eyebrow.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Alright. I have to go now. My brother might be looking for me now. I have to accompany him to the banquet hall." After saying that, Princess Thalia immediately turned around to leave.

The old chancellor smiled triumphantly as he watched her retreating figure.

"This is a good sign. Princess Thalia didn’t reject my proposition outright, so I guess she’s considering it. I knew it... Princess Thalia has her eyes on the throne as well. At least, as compared to Prince Cassian, we can easily control and manipulate her." A sly smile flashed on Chancellor Igrin’s face.

Chancellor Igrin and the other court officials were plotting against Prince Cassian. The Crown Prince had been suppressing their authority and influence.

In fear of offending him outright, they didn’t dare to complain in his presence and could only scheme behind his back.

The best choice they had in mind was to use his own sister, Thalia. Besides, they didn’t think Prince Cassian could kill his own sister if she tried fighting him over the throne.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Cassian finally arrived at the banquet hall. His overbearing presence caught the attention of everyone.

He stood tall with his imposing aura, his cold sharp eyes sweeping his surroundings. Standing beside him was Sylvana, the Seer. Her exotic beauty also caught the eyes of the noblemen inside the banquet hall.

"Have you found her? Will I be able to see her tonight?" Crown Prince Cassian asked Sylvana.

Sylvana bit her lower lip, slowly closing her eyes. She was trying to check if she could foresee Prince Cassian’s encounter with the silver-gray-haired woman in her vision.

But to her disappointment, her foresight was not working, especially in that loud and lively environment.

Sylvana opened her eyes and shook her head in disappointment. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I can’t see any vision right now. I have to go to a quiet place."

Prince Cassian pursed his lips in annoyance. He had ordered his men to search for a woman with silver-gray hair and emerald eyes, but no one in the palace matched the description.

He just hoped that at tonight’s banquet, he would finally see her. Though he didn’t completely believe that this woman would be the key to his success, Prince Cassian was curious about the woman in Sylvana’s vision.

"Go and find her as soon as possible. I have to know what kind of woman she is. I wonder what she can offer me, contributing to my goal and success," Prince Cassian said, commanding Sylvana to find the mysterious woman.

"Leave it to me, Your Highness. I shall find her and present her to you as soon as possible," Sylvana politely responded.

Crown Prince Cassian just waved his hand lazily to dismiss Sylvana. She courtly bowed at him before she left.

When Prince Cassian was left alone, several noble women tried to approach him, hoping to exchange a deep conversation with him. However, the crown prince of Eldara resembled an untamed beast who was about to devour and kill anyone who would try to get near him.

His cold sharp gaze was enough to send those women away, intimidating and frightening them.

Seeing how Prince Cassian had ignored those noblewomen, Princess Alessandra smiled triumphantly. She felt that Prince Cassian was not someone who could easily get swayed by a beauty.

"I really like him. He is a great challenge. I want to tame this man," she mumbled before biting her lower lip.

"Princess Alessandra, come with me. It’s time for me to introduce you to Crown Prince Cassian," Queen Amara said, pulling Alessandra out of her daydream.

"I would truly appreciate that, my Queen Mother," Alessandra responded playfully, letting out a soft giggle.

Queen Amara just smiled back at her. She grabbed her daughter’s hand as she led her toward Crown Prince Cassian.

On the other hand, Thalia had been searching for Alaric however she didn’t see him in the banquet hall.

"Where is Alaric? Is he not attending the banquet?" Thalia pouted her lips.

"Princess Thalia!" a female voice was heard from behind. She turned and was surprised to see the second princess of Averion, Princess Aliyah.

"You look so stunning tonight, Princess Aliyah," she greeted her with a warm smile while complimenting her looks.

"Thank you for your compliment, Princess Thalia. But I have to admit that you look prettier than me," Aliyah returned the compliment.

"If only I could replace the third princess and become your sister, we would be titled the three prettiest princesses in the Kingdom of Averion!" Thalia responded with a glint of humor in her eyes.

"If the three of you stood together, Princess Eve would look like your maid. She would ruin the beautiful view and be an eyesore to everyone!" she added, mocking Eve.

The two princesses giggled in unison.

"Hmm. I’m glad that Princess Eve couldn’t come tonight. Alaric asked his knights to send her home earlier."

Thalia mentioned her encounter with Princess Eve at the palace gate. She told Aliyah every detail of what had transpired earlier.

"Oh? Did she come? Haha. How bold is she to make a ruckus at the palace entrance? So shameless. She didn’t have any invitation at all." Princess Aliyah clicked her tongue.

"Don’t worry. She is not here anymore. She won’t be able to ruin our mood! Let’s enjoy the banquet!" Princess Thalia grabbed a wine glass and offered a toast to Princess Aliyah.

Princess Aliyah clicked her wine glass with her. The two ladies took a sip of their respective wines.

Little did they know, the woman they were talking about was already in the palace. Eve changed her dress, disguising herself as one of the members of The Siren Ensemble.

Inside the lavatory, Eve watched her reflection in the mirror. She smiled at the beautiful woman in front of her. She had finally removed her ugly makeup– no more fake freckles and no thick eyebrows.

’I am tired of hiding and concealing the real me. Tonight, I will show them the real face of the third princess of Averion. I will no longer endure their insults and mockery!’ Eve thought to herself with conviction in her emerald eyes.

She took a deep breath. She looked at her reflection for one last time before putting on her ball mask. With a dignified smile on her face, she stepped out of the room to join the lady musicians in the banquet hall.

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