Clarence was not the only member of the royal family who felt betrayed. As Lucia listened to her subordinate’s report, she couldn’t help but feel she had been made a fool of.
The alpha across from her likely understood the complex relationships hidden beneath the surface. After summarizing the situation and content of the livestream, she fell silent. No matter how lacking in emotional intelligence one might be, no one would directly point out their superior’s poor judgment of character. The outcome was already obvious: that S-rank alpha, once so full of promise, had sold out the dignity of all alphas for a shortcut, and at an insultingly cheap price.
This was an insult to all alphas.
Lucia’s expression flickered between light and shadow. In truth, Yun Chuji had informed her of the livestream plan beforehand, even clearly explaining its theme. But at the time, Lucia hadn’t had a particularly clear understanding of what the two words “A-Virtue” truly meant. After all, although Yun Chuji’s videos were widely circulated on the StarNet, before Tang Jianxi exposed the truth about Glory, Yun Chuji, famous for A-Virtue, was at most an eccentric internet celebrity. She wasn’t worth twenty precious minutes of the busy Third Princess’s life.
To the Lucia of the past, this so-called A-Virtue was just a repackaging of old-fashioned alpha etiquette, a means to win the favor of omegas.
But it was clearly not that simple. The two words, A-Virtue, shook the very legitimacy of alpha authority.
Especially now, with public opinion in the Empire boiling like hot oil, Yun Chuji’s actions were like pouring water into the frying pan. Not only did it make the situation more chaotic, but it also caught all participants completely off guard.
Logically, the best way to handle the matter of Glory’s former members was to incite conflict between alphas and omegas. Then, amidst the confrontation, they could harness the alphas’ anger to reframe their originally immoral actions as a last resort against the omegas’ greedy grasp for power. This would allow them to regain the moral high ground and become heroes to the alphas.
The second-best option was to let time bury the issue, to let forgetting be its final outcome.
But that Yun Chuji had chosen the absolute worst approach. She had actually confessed?
Confession presupposes wrongdoing. Once that confession became public consensus, Glory would be forever nailed to the pillar of historical shame, its corpse flogged countless times with the rise of the “A-Virtue good A” that Yun Chuji preached.
This meant that her, Lucia’s, political life was completely over. There was no room left to even struggle.
Facing her subordinate, who was trying hard to look professional, Lucia raised her wine glass. The viscous, golden liquid rippled against the crystal before disappearing between the alpha’s crimson lips.
The princess elegantly set down the glass, wiped the corner of her mouth with a white silk handkerchief, and softly commanded, “Keep a close eye on her.”
For the moment, Lucia couldn’t figure out whether Yun Chuji’s attempt to show loyalty to her after so clearly siding with Tang Jianxi was born of extreme cunning or extreme foolishness. But if she truly believed she could balance both sides and reap the greatest benefits, then reality would teach her a lesson.
A lesson far more real than the A-Virtue she spouted.
Just as Lucia was contemplating how to deal with this traitor, the traitor herself called.
“Your Highness, did you see my livestream?”
Lucia raised an eyebrow, surprised that Yun Chuji had the audacity to provoke her directly. What, then, was the meaning of her previous act?
Was it humiliation?
Or, a thought flashed through Lucia’s mind—was it to hide something more fatal? For instance, the timing of her betrayal?
Lucia stared at the still-gentle face on the light screen, her hand tightening around the wine glass. She sneered, “Is this call being recorded? Or is the screen being recorded?”
The moment she spoke, Yun Chuji’s expression changed. Fear crept across her face like a shadow.
Lucia was almost certain now. A half-smile played on her lips. She hadn’t expected Glory to produce two traitors. Johansen could at least be said to have broken under torture, but what about this Yun Chuji?
Was it for beauty or for money?
This short-sighted mongrel! Didn’t she know that with her status as an S-rank alpha, such things were easily within her grasp?!
Ah, right. She was a secondary differentiator. No wonder she was like this.
Yun Chuji could clearly feel the Third Princess’s hostility. She knew this was the most critical moment. Whether she could completely deceive the Third Princess and survive safely in the Empire depended on her performance now.
“Your Highness, I have not betrayed you.”
Lucia let out a cold laugh, intending to hang up this disgusting call.
She thought, this person should pay the price, just like Johansen. Being a traitor wasn’t so easy.
“It’s true,” Yun Chuji said urgently, sensing Lucia’s impatience. “Given the current situation in the Empire, you can no longer rely on your previous path to power. In fact, the Ninth Prince has already taken your original position. If you wish to return to the center of power, you must use the strength of the omegas!”
Lucia’s eyes narrowed at her words. She lowered the hand she had raised to end the call. “Explain in detail.”
Yun Chuji spoke with sincerity and fervor. “Your Highness, the Sixth Prince is currently trying to become the representative of omega interests. And as you can see, although he hasn’t yet become a candidate for Imperial Crown Prince, he has already secured a place for himself in the Empire’s center of power. You must remember that before this, he was just an idle prince who whiled away his time at balls and concerts. Aside from some harmless mischief with Spartacus in secret, he was a complete novice in politics. According to my inquiries, Tang Jianxi was solely responsible for exposing Glory’s secrets.”
“Your Highness, if he can do it, why can’t you?”
“As long as you become the paragon of an A-Virtue A, you will win the support of all omegas. We all know that no matter how much of a fuss omegas make now, in reality, they still need alphas, don’t they?”
Yun Chuji’s words were like a personalized advertisement, meticulously calculated and designed by an AI, striking deep into the Third Princess’s hidden desires.
No one would willingly relinquish the power they held, especially someone who had come so close to ascending to the highest throne.
However, Lucia did not let down her guard. She asked, “Then what do you want?”
The alpha gave a shy smile, which suited her face remarkably well. “The Tang family.”
Lucia clicked her tongue, poured another glass of wine, and slowly drank it. During this time, Yun Chuji’s expression shifted from confident to anxious.
Just before Yun Chuji could speak again, Lucia preempted her. “Then why didn’t you tell me this before?”
She smiled, a smile that sent a strange chill down one’s spine. “If it was for my own good.”
“Because… it would have damaged your reputation among the alphas.” Yun Chuji’s gaze shifted, then she deliberately raised her voice. “But I truly am doing this for your own good! If you don’t want to, then let me be the one to stand at the forefront!”
“And use that to gain entry into the Tang family?”
Yun Chuji’s eyes darted around even more erratically, almost unable to look at the light screen. “I need Tang Jianxi to trust me completely. But I will not betray you. If you are willing, I will go through fire and water for you.”
Lucia’s expression was unreadable. After a moment, she suddenly began to applaud, her voice cool. “Not bad. Clever indeed. You can advance or retreat as needed.”
“It seems you’re trying to secure a noble title for the Yun family.”
“However, from now on, I will not allow you to be so greedy. All my calls are monitored, both video and audio—to be honest, Tang Jianxi’s methods are quite impressive.”
“Miss Yun, from now on, you had better serve me with all your heart. Don’t think you can still take a step back and be the Tang family’s live-in A. Either take down the Tang family completely, or share the price of failure with me.”
Yun Chuji’s face turned pale.
She was silent for a long time before finally saying, “Yes, Your Highness.”
The call ended.
Yun Chuji collapsed into her chair.
She asked the omega in the room, “Did we succeed?”
Tang Jianxi stood up, walked over, and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “You did it.”
Hearing this, Yun Chuji buried her face in Tang Jianxi’s embrace and mumbled, “I was so detestable just now.”
Tang Jianxi rubbed the back of her head, praising her through the rose-tinted glasses of a lover. “No, you’re very charming even when you’re being bad.”
It was unclear whether Yun Chuji was soothed or embarrassed by this comment, but in any case, she didn’t speak for quite some time afterward.
When she finally emerged from Tang Jianxi’s arms, her earlier vulnerability had vanished completely. She gazed out the window to the southwest, in the direction of Yun Xuan’s residence.
Everything she had said today was a result of Yun Xuan’s tutelage.
Originally, Tang Jianxi and Yun Chuji had been prepared for her identity to be exposed. That was why they had come to Golden Phoenix Star—to prevent the worst-case scenario. At least within the Omega Legion’s territory, Yun Chuji’s safety could be somewhat guaranteed. And as long as they could weather the initial retaliatory probing and suspicion born of anger, Tang Jianxi would later prepare a series of evidence for Glory’s former members, proving that Yun Chuji’s actions were purely based on a consideration of interests.
This would help them avoid the most frenzied attacks.
But it was still very dangerous. If Yun Chuji hadn’t insisted, and if the theory of A-Virtue hadn’t been so remarkably effective in addressing the current divisions in the Empire, Tang Jianxi would never have agreed to let Yun Chuji take this risk.
And since she had agreed, the only thing she could do was stay by Yun Chuji’s side and face all the potential risks with her.
However, just four days ago, during Yun Chuji’s second visit to Yun Xuan, she had mentioned her plan for the livestream.
A day later, Yun Xuan sent her a painting.
To the people of the Empire, it was a painting. But to someone from the Great Liang Dynasty, the strangely shaped branches were actually characters. These characters, long since washed unrecognizable by the river of history, had now become a means of communication between the two otherworldly travelers.
In the letter, Yun Xuan proposed using power to lure the Third Princess into their scheme. This would not only reduce the pressure on Yun Chuji but also further enhance the influence of A-Virtue.
Moreover, the Third Princess would never truly come to power, because he would be watching her closely, looking for evidence that she had once led Glory. In the end, the Third Princess would be utterly hung on the pillar of historical shame that she herself had built.
Tang Jianxi remarked that it was a strategy that hit the nail on the head.
But at the same time, Yun Chuji couldn’t help but ask herself the same question the Third Princess had: What does Elder Brother truly want?
She had originally thought he had some affection for the Third Princess, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Yet he wasn’t a natural-born omega. Given his original identity and his experiences since arriving here, he shouldn’t be so dedicated to improving the overall situation for omegas.
So, what did Elder Brother truly want?
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