As Anna had predicted, with the help of team leader D, the herb and the treasure went into the hands of the second prince. However, acquiring the treasure is not the most difficult part; protecting it is. Since it is now in the hands of the second prince, who will fight against him? The only remaining opponent for the second prince is the crown prince, and he is also the most formidable one.
After losing many high-level cultivators in their battles, the noble families of the Dragon Kingdom are watching the unfolding drama from the sidelines. The battle for the throne is at its peak following the news of the crown prince's enthronement. As both the crown prince and the second prince are powerful candidates, the crown prince's position is not secure. Now that the treasure is in the hands of the second prince, it presents a great opportunity for him to win the support of both the commoners and the noble families. The crown prince can never allow this to happen.
"Congratulations to the second prince for successfully acquiring the treasure! Now you can become more powerful," spoke noble A.
"Congratulations to the second prince!" said noble B.
"Congratulations to the second prince!" chimed in noble C.
Then everyone began to congratulate the second prince, hoping to gain his favor so they could later receive a pill or potion made from the treasured herb, if they could get on his good side. At the same time, they were signaling to the crown prince that his position was not secure and that they could switch their allegiance to whomever they deemed more powerful.
Another motive for the nobles is that they want both princes to fight each other, thereby diminishing the power of the royal family after losing their high-level cultivators in battle. There was also the general, who had become exceptionally powerful after having his daughter engaged to the crown prince; now both were supporting each other.
The crown prince, oblivious to the intentions of the noble families, glared at his half-brother, who had successfully acquired the treasure and was receiving congratulations from everyone. His gaze was filled with rage. This was his chance to advance to a higher realm, but it had been snatched away from him. He memorized the faces of those congratulating the second prince, vowing to punish them when he became king. His gaze then turned to his fiancée, Lami, who was also watching the second prince instead of supporting him, which only fueled his anger.
Lami, observing the scene, had already been informed by the soul of the loose immortal inside her ring about the intentions of those around her, which had earned her trust. She was the first to face the crown prince's wrath as he exclaimed, "Didn’t you say that you would help me win the treasure? But now you’re just watching that bastard receive compliments from everyone! Do you also want to congratulate him and betray me? Oh, I remember you wanted that treasure so you and the general could advance to the next level. So now you want to curry favor with him, huh?"
The more the crown prince spoke, the angrier he became. Lami was fed up with the crown prince's spoiled attitude. He was blaming her for his own failure while he remained oblivious to the intentions of those around him. However, she couldn’t possibly retort to the crown prince in front of everyone, so she had to swallow her own anger. Nevertheless, her need for the treasure herb was genuine, so she decided to persuade the crown prince to fight for the treasure with words instead of swords, as suggested by the loose immortal.
Putting on her best expression of being greatly wronged, as if she were about to cry but didn’t dare to because of the crown prince, she spoke, "Your Highness, you have greatly wronged me. I tried my best to snatch the treasure, but the second prince is very vile and treacherous; he used tricks to seize it from everyone."
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Seeing her wronged expression, the crown prince's lackeys began to accuse him of wronging the most beautiful maiden in the Dragon Kingdom.
"Yes, Your Highness, we all saw how the crown princess helped you in the treasure hunt, but it was the evil second prince's planning that was more powerful. How can you wrong her like this?" said lackey A.
"Yes, yes! How can the crown princess betray you? Just look at her reaction; it's clear that she gave her heart and soul for this treasure hunt. How can you bear to wrong her like this?" added lackey B.
"Yes, Your Highness, you have the support of the general, so how could you accuse the princess from the general's mansion like that?" said lackey G from the general's side.
The crown prince couldn’t retort against any of the comments from his lackeys. His heart softened at the sight of Lami’s face, which seemed to convey that she was the most pitiful person in the world. He hurriedly made amends, saying, "I am sorry, dear Lami. How could I bear to accuse you? It was because of the second prince that I lashed out at you. You know that I love you most in the world, right? So I can't wrong you. You believe me, right? That's why the general had you marry me, right?" The crown prince tried every excuse he could think of to pamper Lami, not wanting to lose the support of the general's mansion and its powerful army. He understood that if it became known that there was a conflict between him and Lami, many would try to take advantage of the situation. They would persuade the general to join forces with them and have Lami marry someone else, jeopardizing the crown prince's position.
Lami had long seen through the crown prince's hypocrisy and knew that the situation was very disadvantageous for her. She was well aware that her father would marry her off to anyone who could provide the greatest benefit, so this was not the ideal time to confront the crown prince. Furthermore, he was her only way to obtain the treasure herb from the second prince. With this in mind, she decided to play the role of the even bigger hypocrite , speaking in a sweet, pitiful tone as if sugar were dripping from her words.
"Yes, Your Highness, I love you the most," she said. "It is only the scheming of the second prince that caused you to be angry. So don't worry, Your Highness; I will never blame you."
She paused for a moment as if contemplating something. Then, inspired by the soul in the ring, she continued, "Your Highness, please lend me your ear. I have a plan through which we can obtain the herb from the second prince legitimately."
The crown prince, intrigued, leaned closer to Lami. She lowered her voice to ensure only they could hear her. "Why don't we do this, Your Highness?" Lami then shared the entirety of her plan with the crown prince, which greatly surprised him. His eyes lit up with satisfaction at the prospect.
While the rest were busy congratulating the second prince, not many noticed the drama and scheming unfolding between Lami and the crown prince. However, Anna and Tania were both watching it with great interest from above.
"Hahaha, Tania, your sister is quite the piece of work, and even bigger is that idiot crown prince," Anna said, invisible from everyone in the sky as she observed their interactions.
"You are right; they both know each other's weaknesses and are threatening each other with their words of love," Tania replied with a smirk, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
"Yes, it appears that the crown prince has invested all his intelligence in understanding Lami, as he can tell what she is, a power-hungry, manipulative woman. However, he hasn't grasped the intentions of the noble families. I think he will come to regret underestimating Lami and believing she is the same as the Lami he once knew," Anna remarked.
"What should we do with the herb? Given Lami's plan, it will surely fall into the hands of the crown prince," Tania asked,
"Don't worry about it," Anna responded with a confident smile. "The real treasure will remain in the hands of the second prince."