Ophelia's Trouble The Hidden Dangers of the Royal Capital

In the afternoon, at a café in Whitechapel, Luo Wei sipped his coffee while gazing out the window. In the distance stood a building starkly different from its surroundings—a structure with a steel skeleton and glass as its primary material, its transparent dome shimmering under the sunlight like a crystal palace. This was the venue for the Industrial Exhibition: the Crystal Palace.

In this era, a massive building entirely made of glass was indeed a rarity, and this marvel was a testament to the industrial prowess of the Wigner Empire, making it the perfect exhibition hall.

The area outside the Crystal Palace bustled with people and carriages. Luo Wei observed the scene patiently as he waited for Ophelia.

Around two o'clock, a classic black luxury carriage pulled up in front of the café. A guard opened the door, and Ophelia stepped out, her expression unreadable.

She immediately spotted Luo Wei lounging by the window, leisurely drinking his coffee. He grinned and waved at her, then ordered another cup.

The moment she sat down, Ophelia snapped, "So you finally decided to come back?"

Seeing her stern face, Luo Wei could only offer an awkward chuckle. "Of course I came back. Nothing compares to home..."

A faint smile touched Ophelia’s lips. "You were supposed to return last week, but you lingered in the North with your teacher for so long. Seems like you didn’t want to come back, huh?"

"That’s not true!" Luo Wei protested, looking wronged. "You know how it is—my teacher just took over, and her family’s full of troublemakers. It’s been chaos. I was helping out, not lazing around like you think..."

"Really?" Her light-colored eyes narrowed as she leaned in, scrutinizing him without blinking.

Luo Wei dared not recall the pleasant moments with his teacher. Instead, he thought of Monica, swamped with work, and nodded solemnly.

"Really. I was swamped."

"Ha. Lies!"

Ophelia saw right through his fib. Luo Wei’s attempt to challenge her human lie detector had failed once again.

Unbelievable, Luo Wei grumbled inwardly. How does she even hone this skill?

"If I weren’t busy today, you wouldn’t get off so easily. Consider yourself lucky!" She scoffed, then glanced at his hand.

"Where’s my ring? Did you throw it away?"

"Right here, right here." Luo Wei hastily retrieved the ancient-looking ring from his magic pouch.

"Put it on!" Ophelia commanded.

"Got it." Luo Wei slipped it back onto his finger.

"Don’t think just because the ring’s broken that I can’t keep you in line!" Ophelia snorted. "I’ll eventually force that witch to fix it! Then I’ll watch you every second—see if you dare sneak off again!"

Luo Wei silently mused, Well, good luck with that. The witch will never fix it for you...

Seeing the ring back on his finger, Ophelia’s previously sour expression softened slightly. She sighed faintly. "While you were gone, I’ve been dealing with nothing but trouble—and no one to share the burden with."

Her gaze settled on Luo Wei. "I need your help."

Luo Wei nodded. "Alright."

He didn’t hesitate or ask what kind of trouble it was. Ophelia’s eyes warmed at his immediate response.

She blew on her coffee and spoke quietly. "You know I’ve been handling the reception for the Church delegation. After their plot in the North was exposed, I moved to arrest them, but one escaped."

A shadow crossed Ophelia’s eyes. "A councilor seized the chance to impeach me, claiming I bungled the operation and nearly endangered the Royal Capital and His Majesty. Now my father’s ordered me to capture the fugitive immediately."

"That councilor wouldn’t dare impeach you on his own, would he?" Luo Wei thought of her two brothers.

Ophelia nodded. "He’s William’s man."

William, the Second Prince, was someone Luo Wei had met once—a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

If William’s faction was bold enough to smear her openly, the power struggle in the Royal Capital had clearly reached a boiling point. As Ophelia said, she was in deep trouble.

"You don’t need to worry about court politics. Just help me find that loose end." Ophelia gestured dismissively. "I can assign Inspector Raymond to assist you, along with the Special Affairs Department."

Luo Wei hummed in agreement, then glanced back at the Crystal Palace. "I have a feeling they’ll stir up chaos in Saint Callen soon. That escaped delegate is a major wild card."

Ophelia frowned. "Meaning?"

Luo Wei shared his suspicion that the Church might attempt to assassinate the Emperor during the exhibition. "High-ranking Church agents could be Chosen like Feilin. They wield an advanced divine art called ‘Divine Descent.’ And right now, Eleya is both powerful and dangerous."

Ophelia’s eyes narrowed. "At the very least, my father shouldn’t die at this critical juncture."

She and Luo Wei analyzed the Royal Capital’s situation. William controlled the city’s garrison—the largest armed force aside from the Emperor’s personal guard. With his military connections and current influence, he was likely the one most eager for Charlton II’s death.

"If Father dies, William will seize control of the Royal Capital—and kill me and the Third Prince along the way." Ophelia took a slow sip of coffee.

Luo Wei nodded. Though Ophelia had risen in prominence in recent years, her power paled in comparison to William or the Third Prince.

She had always done her father’s dirty work—handling non-humans, managing the Antius Dragon Tomb. Her authority came solely from the old Emperor’s mandate, revoked the moment each task was done. Compared to William, Ophelia lacked a solid foundation and reliable allies.

Luo Wei couldn’t help but reflect on the Emperor’s distribution of roles among his children: the First Prince assisted with governance, William waged wars, the Third Prince handled the Church, and the Fifth Princess led the Special Affairs Department. It had been a balanced arrangement, with all supporting the widely respected heir—until his untimely death.

His demise shattered the equilibrium. Now, with the Emperor’s ambiguous stance, allowing their infighting, it felt like both a recalibration and a brutal survival game.

But Luo Wei had a hunch—this battle royale in the Royal Capital was about to enter its final, decisive phase.

"We should immediately investigate the safety hazards at the expo..." Ophelia pondered. "If necessary, it would be best to prevent Father from attending. But if I express such thoughts, his impression of me might sour—after all, he places great importance on this exhibition. With war looming, the arms trade at the expo is the main focus this time..."

The more Ophelia thought about it, the more frustrated she became. "That damned pink-haired woman, what does she even want? Has she really become that powerful? The court mages Father keeps are formidable too—are they just for show?"

Luo Wei reminded her, "Back in the Northern Snow Mountains, she fought Tilis to a draw while in her divine descent state."

"Oh." Ophelia murmured, "That is indeed impressive."

Then, she shot Luo Wei a resentful glance. "This is all your fault!"

"Hey, don’t blame me for this!" Luo Wei said helplessly. "Look, she wasn’t even after me. Her ambition is to have the Church rule the world. Otherwise, back at Thornflower Castle, she had plenty of chances to capture me—but she didn’t, did she?"

"It’s still your fault..." Ophelia said gloomily. "Back during the chaos of the central nations' wars, you shouldn’t have gone there. You shouldn’t have saved her. If she had just died back then, none of these troubles would exist."

Luo Wei felt even more exasperated. Back then, he hadn’t wanted to go either—it was only because of a mission.

Who could have guessed that a minor priestess from some remote little country would grow into such a formidable figure? Heaven only knew what she’d been up to these past four years...

"Anyway..." Luo Wei tried to change the subject. "Don’t worry too much about the abduction or the expo. If the Emperor insists on going, I’ll attend the exhibition as well."

"Do you need my help?" Ophelia considered. "I can contact the organizers and see if we can arrange for you to join as security personnel..."

"No need." Luo Wei waved his hand. "Too many eyes are on you right now. Don’t do that. I’ll attend under the school’s name as an exhibitor."

"An exhibitor?" Ophelia looked puzzled.

At this, Luo Wei grinned. "The Witch has been holed up in her room studying that steam engine. I’ll just hurry her along and drag her there with me."

"That works too." Ophelia nodded. Though she hated to admit it, having Tilis involved in this matter gave her an inexplicable sense of relief.

After finishing their conversation, Ophelia prepared to leave.

"Thank you," she said with a smile as she stood up.

"Oh? No more scowling at me? So I am useful after all?" This time, it was Luo Wei’s turn to gloat.

Seeing his smug, puffed-up expression, Ophelia burst into laughter. She leaned in and gave him a light kiss.

"You are useful. The most useful. You’re my big hero~"

Luo Wei glanced at her. "That’s it? Such a small reward isn’t nearly enough."

Ophelia blinked mischievously. "Then wait until I’m done with my work and come back. By then, don’t complain if the reward is too much~"

Luo Wei snorted. "Bring it on."

With a cheerful smile, Ophelia left the café. Luo Wei wandered around the Crystal Palace for a while before returning to the old mansion before sunset.

Helena was in the back kitchen preparing dinner. When she saw her brother return, she proudly showed off her newly mastered dish—scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

"Hmm... not bad." Luo Wei critiqued with a discerning tone. "Next time, add just a bit of sugar. It’ll improve the flavor."

"Oh..." Helena, still wearing her apron, nodded obediently. "So there’s a trick to it... You really know a lot, Brother..."

Luo Wei was about to teach her a few more secrets of Chinese cuisine when a violent explosion from upstairs shook the entire mansion.

Helena covered her ears, staring fearfully at the ceiling. "The Witch’s experiments... have started again?!"

Luo Wei narrowed his eyes suspiciously. If the mansion weren’t reinforced, he was certain the blast would’ve flattened everything within a five-hundred-meter radius...

"What in the world is she even working on?" Curious, Luo Wei climbed the stairs and knocked on Tilis’s door.