At this critical moment!
“How dare you.”
An extremely pleasant yet majestic snort, like a deity’s, rang out in Luo Lin’s ears.
BOOM—!!!
A ball of pure, scorching golden flames, like a phoenix spreading its wings and soaring, burst forth instantly from Alice’s fingertips.
Bang
It exploded on Sal, who was about to slice Luo Lin’s throat.
Golden-red flames illuminated the entire Vienna Grand Hall in an instant. Alice didn’t even chant a spell; she simply raised her delicate, snow-white wrist and pressed it forward casually.
Before the once-arrogant Sal, who had sought Luo Lin’s life, could even scream, he was swallowed whole by the Phoenix Divine Fire imbued with purifying power, reduced to a smoldering, barely alive chunk of charcoal in an instant!
The knights snapped to their senses and immediately rushed forward, locking down the half-dead Sal and dragging him away.
“By Selar above, the princess is incredible! That cultist was breaking free from a Transcendent-level Royal Knight!”
“With such terrifying mana density, could Her Highness have reached the Master Realm?”
Alice gracefully withdrew her hand, paying no attention to the murmuring nobles. She turned and ascended the platform, sitting down in the seat of honor at the tea party.
Her clear, light cherry-colored eyes now swirled with an undeniable pressure. Her voice rang throughout the hall:
“Issue my order. Investigate the Saer Family and the affiliated Laura Katherine’s family. I want to see how many more rats like this are hiding.”
Luo Lin stood at the foot of the steps, slightly tilting his head up.
He gazed at the girl on the main seat—cold, peerlessly beautiful, suppressing a powerful enemy with a mere flip of her hand.
This was the Heaven’s Chosen Female Protagonist from the original owner’s memories, the future queen of the Papal State, his own childhood friend Luo Lin.
Just as the atmosphere plunged into dead silence among the nobles because of the cultist’s appearance at the tea party—
“Amazing, Your Highness! You’re like a superhero!”
Luo Lin spoke with vivid emotion, going all out with exaggerated gestures as he praised Alice.
“Not only did you find the despicable cultist hiding within our Papal State and his minion Laura, but you also protected everyone here!”
“Praise be to Her Highness!”
“Praise be to Her Highness!”
The old foxes of officialdom quickly caught on and followed Luo Lin’s lead. The Knights Order had failed to root out the cultist in time—a major dereliction of duty. Having someone step in to smooth things over and let the princess downplay the matter was the best possible outcome.
Alice was slightly taken aback. Her usually cold, light cherry-colored eyes now rippled like spring water stirred by a thrown stone.
“Hmph, that’s nothing for me.”
She bit her full lower lip unconsciously, crossing her slender, white-stockinged legs. The little leather shoes on her feet swayed up and down with the movement.
‘He’s giving all the credit to me? Is this still the same blockhead childhood friend who used to wag his tail following Laura around?’
Just as the nobles were on tenterhooks, terrified that the princess would hold them accountable—
Finally, Alice simply raised her hand, clad in white lace gloves, and waved it casually.
“Everyone, continue the banquet.”
After a long moment.
“Then, Your Highness, allow me to take my leave. After all, I wouldn’t want to disturb your enjoyment of interrogating the ‘heretic.’”
Knowing when to quit, Luo Lin was a master of the art of leaving things unsaid. A perfect bluff, maximum charm, then a decisive retreat—never giving the other party a chance to find fault.
He placed one hand on his chest, executing a flawless noble’s exit bow. Then he turned and, under the gaze of all the nobles, strutted out of the Vienna Grand Hall.
Only when he stepped through the main gate and felt the cool autumn night breeze of the Papal State, mixed with the scent of holy flowers, did his ramrod-straight spine suddenly slump.
“Phew—”
Luo Lin exhaled a long, foul breath, feeling as if his undershirt was soaked through with cold sweat.
He dove into the ridiculously luxurious Unicorn Carriage of the Mosaite Grand Duke Family, flopping onto the velvet cushions like a sack of mud.
As the carriage wheels rolled over the smooth cobblestone road with a slight creak, Luo Lin finally had time to sort through the vast and chaotic memories in his mind.
A few minutes later, a barely restrained loud laugh suddenly erupted in the silent carriage.
“Hahaha! Hehehe! This young master has drawn an epic SSR card script!”
Luo Lin laughed as he slapped the soft seat hard.
He had now thoroughly figured out the original owner’s background.
‘What “evil young master guilty of heinous crimes”? What “bullying villain cannon fodder”? Don’t make me laugh!’
‘This guy, a world-class fool who could be put in a museum for display, didn’t actually accomplish a single true evil act in his eighteen years from birth until I took over!’
‘In his memories, the original owner did use family power to suppress opponents to please that green tea Laura. But what did he do? He hired an assassin on Laura’s suggestion—but he was so nervous the assassin was a direction idiot who got lost straight to the City Guard barracks. He tried to poison someone’s drink, but his hands shook so much he poured the kitchen’s sugar into the wine instead, earning a compliment on the “sweet toddy.” He tried to abduct a girl, but grabbed the wrong carriage—snatching the brawny, rock-smashing concubine of the City Defense Commander, who was two meters tall, and ended up paying 3,000 gold coins to settle the matter.’
‘That’s what the original owner called “evil deeds.” Stupid beyond belief, like a comic villain in a pure love comedy.’
What amazed Luo Lin the most was Alice’s attitude toward the original owner.
‘As the future queen of the Papal State, possessing legendary fire affinity and an awakened Phoenix Bloodline, Alice was as proud as a white swan. Yet this flawless girl repeatedly lowered her arrogant head to clean up that fool’s messes.’
‘The original owner got into trouble for Laura—Alice secretly sent people to fix it. Other nobles mocked him at banquets—Alice released her pressure with a cold face to rescue him.
Several times he was almost beaten to a pulp by the Grand Duke, and Alice rushed to the Duke’s mansion to plead for mercy overnight.’
‘This is a textbook top-tier tsundere childhood friend!’ Luo Lin screamed in his mind. ‘Was that bastard blind or missing his brainstem? Ignoring such a perfect celestial childhood friend to lick a scheming green tea illegitimate daughter’s boots?!’
With that thought, Luo Lin stretched long, hearing his joints crack, a smug smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
‘In my past life, I was just a broke college student from a poor background. I ground myself to death trying to get into a good university. I tiptoed like a slave during internships to find a decent job. In my twenties, I lived like a weathered old dog in his fifties, never even touched a girl’s hand, and finally got sent off by an out-of-control truck.’
‘To hell with hard work! To hell with the rat race!’
As Luo Lin looked at the bustling night scene of the Papal State outside the carriage window, his eyes gradually grew wild and unbridled.
‘I am now a Grand Duke’s son! The top-tier rich second generation in this world! Since the goddess Selar gave me a chance to start over, in this life, this Luo Lin will take the word “playboy” and make it flourish!’