The Royal Palace.
Privy Minister Duke Daggs Kritov was currently backing out of a magnificent golden door, slowly closing it behind him.
His movements were gentle, as if he were afraid of making even a hint of noise.
His expression was filled with sorrow, showing a dull, grayish-yellow hue.
He stood frozen in the act of closing the door for a long time, until finally, all his emotions were exhaled in a soft sigh.
"Your Grace, has His Majesty's condition still not improved?" Royal Knight Captain Wilson Sgeer asked.
Duke Daggs shook his head.
"What was the response from the Rubite Kingdom? If we can learn what they did to His Majesty, perhaps there is still a chance he will wake up," Duke Daggs said after a moment of contemplation.
Until now, everyone in the Katar Kingdom still unanimously believed that the King's plight was related to the Rubite Kingdom.
After all, the Rubite Kingdom and the Katar Kingdom had long-standing grievances.
Furthermore, Rubite had a prior record of sending spies to assassinate the Duke's eldest son, making it difficult for anyone not to suspect their motives.
Wilson responded, "Under pressure from international public opinion, Rubite has admitted that the eldest son of the Kritov family was assassinated and replaced by them, but they still insist on denying the attack on Yiertaya and the assassination of His Majesty."
Duke Daggs's expression tightened, and a murderous aura flared up. "It seems they truly intend to start a war. That suits me just fine."
"War is no laughing matter; this issue requires more discussion." Wilson frowned.
He knew that Daggs was very angry, but he also hoped that Daggs could see the bigger picture.
"Discussion? Those Rubite people have already pushed things to such an extreme, and you still want to discuss? The capital was attacked, and the King was assassinated. Even after all that, you want to swallow your pride? Do you want the entire continent to see our Katar Kingdom as a laughingstock?" Daggs shouted at the top of his lungs.
Being scolded so loudly in public made Wilson extremely dissatisfied, but he did not want to argue with Daggs in front of everyone.
He suppressed his anger and said, "Our current concern should be how to wake His Majesty, not starting some so-called war. Do you think war is more important than His Majesty?"
His voice was powerful and echoed through the long corridor for a long time, causing the guards lined up in two rows to look over.
"Even the best doctors in the country have no solution for His Majesty's illness. Who do you think can wake him?" Daggs sneered.
Wilson was silent for a moment, then gave his answer firmly.
"Princess Ruiya."
"Princess Ruiya?"
Daggs looked confused.
Wilson said with great certainty, "Princess Ruiya is His Majesty's most beloved daughter. If she can return, His Majesty will surely wake up."
"But where are you going to find her now? No one in the entire country knows where she ran off to. Where would you even start looking?" Daggs's expression was icy as he gradually lowered his voice. "Besides, after that disappearance, Princess Ruiya became a completely different person. You and I both have our suspicions about her identity. Do you truly trust her completely?"
Wilson was speechless, unable to find the words to respond.
"Princess Ruiya is back!"
Suddenly, a soldier ran over in a panic to report.
The two were stunned and looked at each other.
Speak of the devil.
The princess had been missing for so long, so why did she happen to return today?
The two were inevitably suspicious, but the return of the princess was a good thing after all.
They stopped their arguing and looked toward the end of the long corridor.
A blonde girl in a pale yellow dress was walking toward them with steady steps.
Her face was cold and her aura was distant, completely different from her usual gentleness.
Wilson frowned, but before he could voice his thoughts, he saw Duke Daggs walk out first.
Duke Daggs had a gloomy face, hiding all his emotions.
"Where exactly has the princess been these past few days?" His tone carried a hint of accusation, sounding like a typical exchange of an elder questioning a junior.
Princess Ruiya raised her eyes to look at Duke Daggs, her temperament remaining cold. "The Duke should not have the authority to inquire about my private affairs."
Duke Daggs's face darkened again, and the atmosphere became terrifyingly heavy.
He said, "During the days the princess was missing, His Majesty became ill with worry for you. Did the princess know that?"
"His Majesty was assassinated the day before yesterday and remains unconscious even now, yet the princess was not in the palace to look after him. This is truly unseemly!"
Ruiya's expression did not change, but her small hands were tightly clutching the corners of her dress.
This small movement was keenly noticed by Daggs.
He reacted instantly; the coldness on Princess Ruiya's face was not because of emotional indifference, but because she was currently too nervous.
That was why her expression and movements appeared so unnatural.
But what was she nervous about?
The Royal Palace was her home. She should feel at peace returning home, so why would she feel nervous?
Daggs had always felt that something was wrong with Princess Ruiya, but today, his suspicion reached its peak.
"That is why I have come to visit my father as soon as I returned. What else does the Duke want from me?" Ruiya looked directly into Daggs's eyes.
Although she had tried her best to act normal, Daggs still saw through her guilt.
Ruiya withdrew her gaze and prepared to walk around Duke Daggs.
However, before she could pass, Duke Daggs blocked her path once more.
Ruiya looked up to meet his eyes again, but facing Daggs's extremely cold gaze, her eyes appeared very unsteady.
"What are you doing, Duke?" Ruiya said with a hint of anger. "As the princess, am I not even allowed to see my father?"
Daggs did not answer her directly, but suddenly said in a low voice.
"Your Highness, actually, I have always felt that something is not right with you."
As soon as those words were spoken, Ruiya froze on the spot, speechless.
Seeing this, Daggs became even more certain of his suspicion.
"Your acting is too poor. Although I do not understand how you bypassed the royal bloodline test, nor do I know why His Majesty has always firmly trusted you, I do know..."
"You are no longer Princess Ruiya, are you?"
Daggs's voice echoed in Ruiya's ears like a ghost.
She did not dare to look at Daggs's eyes again, her face instantly turning deathly pale as her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
She knew that if she came back, her identity would surely be exposed.
That was why before they acted, she had been desperately pleading with Moen not to let her enter the Royal Palace alone, because she would definitely be seen through.
But Moen had not listened to her at all, simply forcing her to go.
Even though she knew this was a dead end, she had no choice but to jump into it as if accepting her fate.
And the truth was indeed so. Even though she had tried very hard to play the part of the princess, Duke Daggs had still seen through her identity with absolute certainty.
At this moment, she felt as if she could already see her own end.
"Where is the real Princess Ruiya?" Duke Daggs questioned loudly.
Ruiya took a step back in fear. She wanted to stubbornly insist on her identity as Princess Ruiya, but looking at the fierce expression on Daggs's face, she could not say a single word.
Just as the atmosphere was extremely tense, a very weak and feeble voice came from behind that magnificent golden door.
Because the voice was projected using mana, everyone heard it clearly.
"Is that Ruiya?"
Duke Daggs froze, looking back at the thick door with a complex expression.
His Majesty had awakened.
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