### Chapter: 318
Thanks to a little boost from the emperor, Sizelry quickly started to carve out her place in the royal family.
And let me tell you, the pace she was moving at was terrifyingly fast!
A good chunk of what she claimed didn’t belong to her, though—it was the Third Princess’s territory!
The nervous state of Sigrid Ephania was something the nobles supporting the Third Princess were all too aware of.
And to make things worse, Sigrid dropped out of Rahern Academy and locked herself away in her room.
You bet those Third Princess loyalists were in a tizzy!
Because unless their precious Third Princess ascended to the throne, all their support would go to waste.
But now that she’d crumbled like a cheap cake, they were left in quite the pickle.
And then bam!
Sizelry swooped in.
Like a sneaky little snake, she started devouring Sigrid’s faction without anyone catching on.
That faction was already cracking at the seams, and those nobles, who were hesitant to side with the First Prince, found themselves unexpectedly grilled by Sizelry’s strategies.
Before they knew it, they were unwittingly lining up behind her.
Not that they were idiots or anything.
Sizelry’s ploys were just that crafty—so crafty, in fact, even the First Prince’s crew didn’t have a clue!
They just figured Sigrid’s faction crumbled on its own without so much as a sneeze of help.
Hauran, however, was able to figure this out because he had years of experience keeping the Lagrain family neutral and had a keen political instinct.
Besides, even if he was on the outskirts, as one of the Ten Great Lords, he had access to more information than your average noble.
He could barely piece together that Sizelry was up to something.
“Surely, His Majesty is aware of this too.”
But the emperor didn’t stop her.
In fact, knowing his personality, he was probably watching with morbid curiosity.
After all, here’s this girl who had been purposely keeping her distance from the royal family suddenly rampaging through the empire.
For an emperor who didn’t think too badly of her, this was a juicy situation!
“It must’ve been marvelous for the Third Princess, who just lost everything to the Fourth Princess, to reach complete madness.”
All her hard work went poof in an instant.
In the end, a desperate Sigrid resorted to the worst-case scenario: rebellion.
But did Sizelry plan this out meticulously?
Or was it just a surprise screw-up on her part?
Hauran felt a chill creep down his spine as he connected the dots.
All that the emperor had done was give Sizelry a little nudge to help the Diana family make a political comeback.
Yet, with just that little nudge, she managed to completely isolate Sigrid, who had spent a lifetime garnering power within the royal family.
Sizelry always wore that playful smile.
With one hand, she shook the empire to its core while still maintaining the guise of being the fun-loving princess.
That spectacle stirred feelings in Hauran he couldn’t quite place.
It was dangerous.
The Fourth Princess was a particularly dangerous individual.
“Sir Hauran, I have a favor to ask.”
Just when Hauran was feeling the pressure of the situation, Sizelry popped in with a request.
“Could you catch a spy I’ll be naming by today?”
Sizelry’s casual demand came with more weight than Hauran could comprehend.
She could’ve caught the spy herself long ago, so why the hold-up?
Hauran’s brow furrowed with confusion, but Sizelry just flashed him a mischievous grin.
“If you catch the spy, a monumental incident will occur. An incident that could shake the entire empire.”
“An incident, you say?”
Hauran’s face turned alarmed.
An incident capable of shaking the entire empire? That was a tall order!
“I believe the World Eroders will make their move and cause chaos throughout the empire. Sigrid has allied with Ixion, you see. The spy is just the distraction; the real culprit is them—they’re bent on destroying the empire.”
And then came the mind-blowing revelation.
The Third Princess had teamed up with the World Eroders, Ixion!
This was scandalous enough to flip the empire upside down!
“Fourth Princess, if what you’re saying is true, are you planning to use this spy incident to draw Ixion into a trap?”
If that was the case, Hauran was on board to help!
But upon hearing his question, Sizelry fell silent for a moment before speaking, her lips curling up.
“The royal family won’t be part of this. They’re probably just beginning to realize that Ixion and Sigrid are working together.”
The next bombshell left Hauran reeling.
What Sizelry just said meant she was operating on her own judgment without consulting the royal family.
“Why the silence on such an important matter?”
Such a crucial revelation as the empire’s fate hung in the balance!
But Sizelry wouldn’t let Hauran finish his protests.
“The empire needs a good shake-up.”
“What do you mean?”
“The current empire is too entangled with various factions. Take the regional nobles, for instance.”
The feud between central and regional powers was old news.
The royal family had been trying to draw in regional nobles for ages, but with the empire being as massive as it was, that never proved easy.
“One of the biggest reasons these factions can’t unite is because they lack a common goal. Without a shared objective, they’ll just continue to pick apart the empire until it collapses.”
“You mean to make Ixion that common enemy? But that’s a colossal risk! What if their traps bring down the empire instead?”
Hauran shouted, stressed that they should at least inform the royal family to prepare!
Sizelry’s expression, however, remained unchanged.
“The empire won’t collapse. It’s not weak enough to fall apart that easily. I’ll make sure my message reaches the royal family in due time. It won’t be too late to prepare.”
Sizelry understood the true strength of the empire and royal family.
As long as the emperor stayed intact, Ixion’s attempt to take down the empire would surely be thwarted.
Of course, there would be some collateral damage.
If Ixion lost their minds and escalated their attacks, the damage could be significant.
Still, the more severe the damage, the more united the empire would become against a common foe.
“Just once is all I need.”
Once they all shared a goal, Sizelry was confident she could unify the empire.
Even if that objective faded away afterward.
Hauran caught a glimpse of an abnormal madness lurking within Sizelry.
Her intentions for the empire surpassed that of an ordinary person.
Why would she, who had distanced herself from the royal family for so long, go to such lengths now?
“And rest assured, the key player in resolving this turmoil is already determined.”
“Key player, you say?”
Hauran raised an eyebrow at her cryptic statement.
“Soon, they’ll earn a nickname. But before that, they need to succeed in solving a major incident.”
In that moment, Hauran pieced it together.
Kraush Balheim.
The man whom the royal family recognized as Sizelry’s betrothed.
“He owes me a favor. And if I’m to push my agenda onto the royal family, he needs to rise to fame right now.”
Sizelry spoke with an authentic smile, not her usual cheeky grin.
Plus, Hauran realized something else.
Sizelry was no longer only concerned for the empire.
Someone else had joined her grand ambition.
The bloodline of the Ephania royals had a nasty habit.
Namely, if they wanted something, they had to have it in their hands.
No matter what it took.
For most born into the royal family, that something was usually the throne.
But Hauran understood what Sizelry truly desired.
She wanted Kraush Balheim.
That boy.
Whether it was lust, affection, or love.
Sizelry was likely unaware of the awakening feelings even within her heart, but Kraush had surely sparked something in her.
Is it any wonder Sizelry was moving the entire empire around?
To secure Kraush’s affection, she needed a vast empire under her thumb.
Hauran felt breathless at the realization.
Sizelry Ephania was an incomprehensibly daunting figure.
And he felt another layer of fear in a different way.
Why was she informing him of all this?
“Are you curious why I’m sharing this with you?”
Sizelry seemed to read Hauran’s mind.
A shadow loomed over her, making her appear as if she could see through everything in the world.
“It’s a kind of bargain. I know you’d never betray your daughter.”
Mentioning his daughter made Hauran tense up.
And that was exactly what Sizelry wanted.
“I’ll ensure Haring stays by Kraush’s side.”
Hauran’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t expected Sizelry, who craved ownership of Kraush, to say such a thing.
“So, you want me to actively assist you?”
“Exactly. Your immediate task is to catch the spy and support Kraush in defeating Ixion. Plus, make sure everyone knows it was Kraush who protected Lagrain.”
“Of course, prioritizing Lagrain’s safety above all!”
Sizelry left those words behind as she opened the door to Hauran’s office.
“After all, the outcome won’t change all that much.”
What on earth was she witnessing?
Hauran sat down quietly in his chair, suddenly realizing that someone who shouldn’t have awakened had indeed woken.
With concerns for his daughter weighing heavily on him.
And just like that, true to Sizelry’s predictions, a spy was caught and Ixion appeared.
They blanketed Lagrain’s estate in a thick fog.
Hauran immediately issued a state of emergency and stood guard outside Sizelry’s chambers, the top priority.
Regardless of past events, he had to protect Sizelry without fail.
Because she was the empire’s princess.
Then, a sound echoed from down the hallway.
Footsteps were definitely coming from somewhere nearby where the Lagrain Knights would usually be stationed.
Yet the owner of those footsteps kept approaching without stopping.
After releasing a deep breath, Hauran raised his hand.
The purple poison spilled from his outstretched claws.
The mere presence of that toxin caused surrounding objects to sizzle and dissolve.
“Who do they think they are, treating me like some fool?”
Hauran’s eyes gleamed bright purple.
Sizelry said the outcome was already predetermined.
In that case, no matter the result, all he needed was to do his part.
And his part was simple.
Hauran Lagrain, the Poison King, would protect Lagrain.
“Let them step into the Garden of Toxicity, and they’ll regret it to their bones.”
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