Work Prophet

"What do you think?" Marquis Kuren turned slightly to look at the two people beside him.

His brow furrowed as if he had encountered some difficulty.

Golden Finger Romero was the first to speak out, bluntly saying, "Antonio has betrayed his trust and violated the sacred pledge he made himself, his actions have no honor to speak of, a disgrace to nobles, and he shall be despised for all eternity, but..."

Romero paused, then continued, "This man...from the Foreign Country, I do not know how he did it, but he clearly summoned a foreign god to perform a miracle before us.

"However, he only proved that Antonio is untrustworthy, without being able to demonstrate that the election process itself was in any way unjust.

"In the previous vote, Antonio indeed chose Blanco, there is no doubt about this, and it is based on this basic fact that I still lean towards maintaining the original result."

His words greatly relieved Blanco's supporters.

However, before they could let go of their worries, a different voice quickly emerged.

"I must disagree, a pledge is a pledge," Leo blinked his beautiful phoenix eyes, "especially one sworn in the names of the ancestors and the gods, it should never be broken. If the swearer is not willing to abide, then the Empire will ensure his compliance with laws and swords."

Despite Golden Finger's more rational and objective remarks, the majority in the hall preferred Leo's argument, simply because it sounded more satisfying and better reflected the imperial people's spirit of keeping promises.

Besides, most people initially approached today's public election of the Arias family with the attitude of watching the excitement; whether Ireya or Blanco was elected made no difference to them, nor did they care about the final outcome.

But now, with his shameless face, Antonio had managed to disgrace Blanco's side, leading more people to lean towards Ireya, the poor girl deceived by her evil uncle.

At this moment, Miss Rabbit seemed to have swallowed two pounds of energy bar, regaining her energy in an instant. No longer having a sore waist, weak legs, or suffering from paralysis.

Not only did she stand up from Aunt Alisa's arms, but she also clenched her little fists with excitement, her gaze towards Li Yu filled with excitement and joy! The long ears on her head vibrated rapidly at a frequency exceeding five hertz.

Li Yu found out later, this usually meant that Ireya was extremely pleased.

Nothing was more delightful than a turnaround from a desperate situation!

Strictly speaking, Miss Rabbit had not yet truly turned the tables, but considering that she had been sentenced to death not long ago, despondent as a cabbage left in the sun for a month.

She could only watch helplessly as that detestable woman boasted in triumph before her, unable to do anything but shed hot tears; to say that the girl was in bliss, even in the Divine Country, was not an overstatement.

Marquis Kuren first listened to the opinions of people on both sides, then pondered for a moment before speaking again.

To everyone's surprise, he neither took Golden Finger's advice nor intended to do as Leo suggested, but chose a third way to handle the situation.

"Antonio has abandoned the sacred pledge he was supposed to uphold, which is shameful and unforgivable. In light of this, I also have reason to believe that allowing him to participate in or even decide the next head of the Arias family is unreasonable and irresponsible, so I have decided to strip Antonio of his right to vote, and his previous vote shall be nullified."

At these words, the people of the Arias family looked at each other, bewildered.

Vanessa and others showed complex expressions, the duck that was in hand had flown away! The election they thought they had won unexpectedly sprouted complications, all because that stranger in foreign clothes from the Foreign Country used an incredible magical method to knock Antonio's voting right out of his hand.

Now Ireya and Blanco were back at the same starting point, with the votes tied at 3 to 3, making the outcome of the election once again uncertain.

At this thought, this drooping-eared beauty gnashed her teeth in hatred, her gaze towards Li Yu sharpening with even a hint of threat. But at the same time, she felt a tinge of relief.

A tie was better than losing the election; at least the worst-case scenario had not occurred, with Antonio's vote not going to Ireya, a truly unthinkable prospect.

As for the second confrontation with her stepdaughter, Vanessa was actually not too worried.

Ireya was nothing but a straw bag, and everyone in the Arias family knew it, except for herself.

The nonsense spouted by Antonio could only deceive inexperienced young girls, such as saying sending Ireya to the Temple was to unite with the Silver Moon Church and to pave her way to ruling Green Field in the future.

Anyone with even a slight political mind would not easily believe such an absurd statement.

In fact, as nobles, they should not trust others unreservedly, even if that person is your kin or close friend. Similar lies and betrayals are performed in every corner of the Continent every day, nothing new at all.

Don't look now, but at the banquet all the people seem righteously indignant about Antonio's oath-breaking, calling for punishment, but many of them are not much cleaner than Antonio.

The only difference is that one was caught red-handed, and the other was not.

And the reason Antonio stumbled was not because Ireya was particularly impressive.

Vanessa knew her stepdaughter very well. Ireya had neither the courage and strategy to turn the tide in desperate situations nor the ability to change the course of events; she couldn't even pretend convincingly.

The way she just was showed she really softened, visibly overwhelmed by dejection and despair, and she almost cried on the spot. It was clearly not an act; the fact that she survived that desperate situation was all thanks to that mysterious human advisor.

However, that fellow could save her once but could not possibly save her every time.

Moreover, that black-clad stranger was ultimately a Foreigner from a distant land, with limited understanding of the Arias family, which was precisely the key to determining the election outcome. Now that person's cards were almost all played out, so it was time for her side to strike back!

Vanessa was still full of confidence, vowing to put her own son on the throne as the Green Field Master.

"Marquis, your fairness and thorough considerations are beyond our reach," Golden Finger thought for a moment and then agreed that this was the best approach. "However, this means that both sides are now tied with votes."

"It's not a tie," said Marquis Kuren, who had originally considered proposing another member of the Arias family to replace Antonio's vote. But the man claiming to be Merlin spoke up first.

"What were you just saying?"

"I said it's not a tie," Li Yu said.

For some reason, Vanessa felt an ominous premonition rising in her heart.

After the previous events, the last thing she wanted to hear was the voice of that Foreigner.

"Three to three; how is that not a tie?" Dias couldn't help but interject.

"Because there's a very important person whose vote was not counted from the beginning."

"What would you, an outsider, know? Besides the distant Torres at the Royal Capital, all the important members of the Arias family have come to Rock Snow City, in this banquet hall," scoffed Dias.

But as he spoke, he suddenly noticed his sister's complexion change.

"Blood-eyed Ruse," Li Yu said calmly and deliberately, "as the former Master of Green Field, having no say in his heir's selection seems somewhat inappropriate, doesn't it?"