The End of the Royal Capital

When Tilis led everyone to the ruins of the palace and found Luo Wei and the others, they discovered that everyone except Eleya had collapsed on the ground.

"Brother!" Helena, disregarding her own injuries, rushed over in worry.

Tilis teleported to Luo Wei's side, crouching down to examine his wounds.

"He's fine..."

Eleya was leaning against the ruins of a building not far from Luo Wei, quietly watching over him.

"In that final clash, neither side held back. An immeasurable surge of violent energy erupted in that study..."

"If not for my divine magic protecting the two of them, Luo Wei and Ophelia would have been torn apart on the spot..."

Eleya's voice was soft, suggesting that her divine aspect had faded.

Tilis smiled gratefully. "Thank you for your help."

Luo Wei suddenly coughed violently. Seeing that he had regained some consciousness, Tilis quickly helped him sit up.

"Luo Wei? How are you feeling?"

"Not great..." Luo Wei winced in pain at the slightest movement.

He had spent the entire day teetering between life and death, covered in both internal and external injuries. It was a miracle he was still alive...

"I feel like every part of me hurts... Tilis, check me quickly—am I missing any limbs?"

"If you can move, you're fine. Even if you lost a limb, it'd grow back~" Tilis couldn't help but laugh, fully confident in Luo Wei's recovery abilities.

"Wait!" Luo Wei suddenly looked around frantically. "Where's Ophelia? How is she?"

"Her Highness has already woken up," said Caroline, the head maid.

Luo Wei immediately turned his gaze. Ophelia was in slightly better condition than him and could already stagger to her feet with Caroline's support.

Her pale eyes shifted toward him with concern, and she finally relaxed when she saw Luo Wei was well enough to joke.

Ophelia then turned her attention to Carlton.

Among them, he was in the worst state, lying motionless in a pool of blood, his fate unknown.

Ophelia forced herself to walk over.

Though the battle was over, many matters in the Royal Capital were only just beginning for her.

"Is he alive?" she asked, looking at Sir Fred.

Agents from the Special Affairs Department were standing guard around Carlton, and Sir Fred nodded in response.

"I checked earlier. His bones are shattered, and he's in hemorrhagic shock. If he isn't taken to the church for emergency treatment within ten minutes, not even the gods could save him."

"This old man's tougher than he looks..." Tilis muttered as she walked over. "After all that, he still hasn't kicked the bucket. Truly, the wicked live long..."

She stared down at the blood-soaked Carlton, her gaze instantly turning icy as she prepared to finish him off at any moment.

"You lost," Ophelia said, meeting Carlton's eyes.

Those bloodshot, murky eyes slowly opened.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting its glow on her silver-white hair as Ophelia stood calmly amidst the ruins, the picture of a victor.

Carlton remained silent.

"Any last words?" Ophelia asked.

Carlton struggled to lift his head but soon collapsed back in pain.

"Looking for something?" Ophelia's tone was indifferent. "Your beloved sons, perhaps? Hoping they'll come to your rescue?"

Carlton silently watched her.

"William is dead. The city defense forces are wiped out," Ophelia said. "As for Kevin... that useless waste—you can't be counting on him, can you?"

She smiled faintly as she laid out her entire plan to Carlton—how the "traitor" William would take the blame, how she would eliminate political rivals, and how she would deal with the factions of the second and third princes...

Carlton's chest heaved violently, blood seeping from his nose and mouth with each breath.

"You... you..."

"Truly my daughter... my precious daughter..."

"Thank you for the praise," Ophelia replied with a smile. "Never letting an opponent go, eliminating every unstable factor—isn't that what you taught me?"

Carlton stopped struggling and fell silent again.

After a long pause, he let out an ugly laugh.

"I was wrong... I truly was wrong..."

"Wrong for letting me grow?" Ophelia recalled his earlier words.

"No..." Carlton rasped. "I misjudged you. From the very beginning, I underestimated you... In truth, among this generation, you were the one most like me... Ophelia, you've done well..."

"I'm nothing like you. You're just a lonely old man, while I..." Ophelia quietly glanced at Luo Wei, then at the others.

Today's victory wasn't something she could have achieved alone. It was only through their trust and support that she had made it this far.

Carlton could sense the emotions behind her smile and scoffed dismissively.

"To be a ruler, you must cast aside anything that makes you weak. Ophelia, if you don't heed my words, you'll regret it one day."

"That's no longer your concern," Ophelia said coolly. "Even after abandoning everything, you still lost, didn't you?"

"Hah..."

"One last question." Ophelia crouched down. "You can choose not to answer, letting this sordid past remain buried in history. The choice is yours."

"Andrew?" Carlton uttered the name of the crown prince.

"Yes." Ophelia nodded. "You claimed he took his own life, but that wasn't the truth, was it?"

"He..." Carlton's breathing grew labored, blood continuing to spill from his mouth and nose.

"Though we didn't share a mother, I always admired him," Ophelia murmured, lost in memory. "In my childhood, he was the only one who never bullied me. If not for that incident, he would have been the rightful heir, wouldn't he?"

"No. He was too kind. Compared to you, he wasn't suited for the throne..." Carlton's voice was hoarse. "I told you before—the original concept of this domain came from him because this power was always his to begin with..."

Ophelia showed no reaction, as if she had expected this.

"We disagreed on how to use it," Carlton continued. "He only wanted to suppress the corruption in our bloodline, but I envisioned something greater..."

"So you killed him?" Ophelia asked.

"I devoured him," Carlton said.

"Sounds like something you'd do," Ophelia remarked scornfully.

Carlton went on.

"Andrew believed I would bring death to countless people. He stood against me, so... like my father before me, I prepared a 'Dragon Feast.'"

"I have devoured his power. Now, the formidable bloodline talent can fully manifest within me. At last, I can realize my ambitions..."

"Do you feel any guilt toward him?" Ophelia asked again.

"None."

"Good."

Ophelia rose to her feet. She had nothing more to ask.

Carlton's gaze grew dimmer—he was already at death's door.