Chapter 228 The Villain Lady Arrives 56

Chapter 228 The Villain Lady Arrives 56

The third prince sat alone in the study, the flickering candlelight illuminating his furrowed brow and deep eyes.

He folded his hands and tapped the table with his fingertips, each tap seemed to express his inner irritability and helplessness. The night outside the window was as dark as ink, and the occasional chirping of birds added a bit of loneliness and desolation.

At this moment, the door was gently pushed open, and Alice walked in with light steps. She was wearing a simple long dress, with a light lily pinned in her hair, like a touch of tenderness in the dull night. She noticed the worry on the Third Prince's face at a glance, and hurried forward, asking softly: "Your Highness, you seem to be worried?"

The Third Prince raised his head and looked into Alice's caring eyes. His annoyance was slightly reduced, but he still couldn't hide the worry on his face. "Alice, you came at the right time. I just received news that the rumor about the treasure came from the black market." His words were filled with suppressed anger. "But the forces behind the black market are complicated. Although I am unwilling, I can't do anything about it."

Alice frowned slightly when she heard this. She walked gently to the side of the Third Prince, gently held his hand, and gave him silent comfort. "Your Highness, although the black market is unfathomable, it is not invulnerable. Perhaps we can look for clues from other channels without having to confront those forces head-on."

The Third Prince sighed and shook his head slowly, "Easier said than done. The people I sent out have not been able to find any useful information so far, as if the rumor was born out of thin air."

Alice pondered for a moment, a gleam of wisdom flashed in her eyes, "Your Highness, let's change our thinking. Since the rumor is targeting you, there must be some purpose behind it. Let's think about it, what is so coveted about you? And who will be the ultimate beneficiary of this rumor?"

The third prince's eyes lit up when he heard this, as if he had been enlightened by Alice's words. He stood up and began to pace in the study, thinking as he said, "Although I am the third prince, my power and position are far less stable than my eldest brother, and I am not as favored as my second brother. All I can rely on is the approval of my mother and father. And if this rumor is really intended to weaken my reputation, then the beneficiary..."

At this point, the Third Prince suddenly stopped, a look of sudden realization flashed across his eyes, "Could it be the other princes?"

Seeing this, Alice smiled slightly. She did not answer directly, but continued:

"Your Highness, the power struggles in the palace are often complicated and difficult to deduce with simple logic. However, now that we have a direction, we can continue to follow this clue."

The Third Prince nodded, his fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes, "You are right, Alice. We cannot just sit there and wait for death. We must take the initiative to find out the truth."

Then, the Third Prince summoned Tariq and his advisers and told them Alice's analysis. Tariq frowned after hearing this, and was obviously thinking about this possibility. "If it was really done by other princes, then their methods are too despicable. But then again, court struggles never rely on methods."

Calvin shook his head slightly, expressing his disagreement. "Your Highness, we should not jump to conclusions. In the palace, in addition to the fights between the princes, there are many other forces secretly watching. The source of this rumor may be more complicated than we thought."

Leah proposed a more detailed analysis: "We can perhaps start with the content of the rumor. How exactly is the treasure rumor described? Are there any specific details that can point to a specific force or person?"

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince immediately had someone fetch a detailed record of the rumor. Everyone sat in a circle and analyzed it word by word. As the discussion deepened, they found that although the rumor seemed to be groundless, it vaguely revealed a direction that was unfavorable to the Third Prince, as if it was deliberately leading the public to misunderstand the Third Prince.

"It seems that there is indeed someone behind this rumor." The Third Prince said in a deep voice, "We must find this person and expose his true identity."

However, as they expected, it was not easy to find the source of the rumor. The mystery and complexity of the black market repeatedly hindered their investigation. Every time they tried to find the source, it was like a stone thrown into the sea, which did not cause any ripples.

The Third Prince's mood fell into a trough again. He sat in the study, looking out the window at the still quiet night sky, feeling mixed emotions. He knew that he couldn't just give up, but the predicament before him made him feel powerless.

At this moment, Alice walked into the study again. She held a cup of hot tea in her hand and gently placed it in front of the Third Prince, saying softly, "Your Highness, I know you are upset at the moment. But please believe that no matter how difficult the road ahead is, we will be by your side and face it together."

The third prince looked up at Alice's encouraging eyes, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He gently held Alice's hand and said gratefully, "Thank you, Alice. With you by my side, I feel that everything has hope."

Alice smiled slightly and continued, "Your Highness, perhaps we can think about this problem from another angle. Since we can't directly find the source of the rumor, why not use this rumor to fight back against those who want to frame us?"

When the Third Prince heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, "You mean..."

Alice nodded. "We can use our influence to publicly clarify the rumors. At the same time, we can also take this opportunity to expose the true faces of those who really want to frame us."

The Third Prince's fighting spirit rekindled when he heard this. He stood up and looked at the starry sky outside the window, his heart filled with determination.

"Alice, you are right. We cannot be defeated by rumors. Instead, we must use this opportunity to make those who want to frame us pay the price."

Afterwards, the Third Prince began to prepare a counterattack plan. He first submitted a detailed report to the king through the court channels, detailing the heroic deeds of the Dawn Legion during the journey and how they overcame numerous difficulties to protect the peace of the country.

At the same time, he also made many speeches in public to clarify rumors and call on the public to remain rational and sober.

On the other hand, after learning that the Third Prince had not found any clues, the Second Prince was secretly proud of himself, but he also realized that the Third Prince was not an easy person to deal with. He knew that he had to speed up his pace and use the resources in his hands to further suppress the Third Prince.

However, he never expected that the Third Prince would use rumors to fight back against him. When the Third Prince publicly exposed his conspiracy to frame the Third Prince, he was caught off guard.

The second prince smashed the teacup in his hand angrily, his eyes flashing with resentment and anger. "This rubbish! He actually dared to fight back!" he roared.