Chapter 248 The Villain Lady Arrives 76
At that moment, the air in the dungeon seemed to freeze, and every oath of "I am willing to serve the Duke wholeheartedly and never betray him" was like a sharp blade, cutting the hearts of the king, queen and the two princes.
Especially when the particularly clever prince suddenly changed his tone and shouted "Your Majesty" when everyone was pledging allegiance in unison, the atmosphere became subtle and complicated.
A trace of admiration flashed in the Duke's eyes, and he raised his hand slightly, motioning the man to come forward. The prince was delighted, thinking that he had seized the opportunity, and quickly knelt a few steps and knelt in front of the Duke, with a flattering smile on his face: "Your Majesty is wise, I am willing to go through fire and water for you, without hesitation."
The Duke smiled slightly, but there was an unfathomable chill hidden in that smile:
"I have noticed your cleverness. But remember, loyalty is not just sweet talk, but needs to be proven by actions." After saying that, he gently patted the prince on the shoulder. The seemingly gentle action actually contained endless pressure, which made the prince break out in a cold sweat and keep agreeing.
This scene, like a sharp dagger, deeply hurt the hearts of the king and queen. The queen held the king's hand tightly, her nails almost digging into his palm, and she sobbed softly, her voice full of helplessness and despair:
"Your Majesty, what should we do?" The king's eyes flashed with determination. He shook the queen's hand firmly, as if to give her strength: "Don't be afraid, we are not in despair yet. As long as there is light in our hearts, hope will never go out."
The Second Prince gritted his teeth, his eyes were sharp, he looked at the Third Prince, his eyes were filled with both blame and encouragement:
"Third brother, now is not the time to be angry. We need to deal with this calmly. We must find a way to leave here before we have a chance to fight back."
The Third Prince's anger subsided a little after hearing this. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. However, when he looked at the princes and nobles who were once high and mighty, and now easily changed sides like fence-sitters, he couldn't help but feel sad.
"These shameless people!" the third prince shouted angrily, his voice a little hoarse, "How could they betray their monarch so easily? Don't their consciences hurt?" His words were full of indignation, but also revealed a sense of powerlessness.
At this moment, his eyes involuntarily fell on Chi Meng. The girl who had grown up with him was now standing on the opposite side of him and became the initiator of all these tragedies. He tried to find a trace of the tenderness and innocence in her eyes, but he only saw indifference and determination.
"Vivian..." The third prince spoke with difficulty, a hint of begging in his voice, "We were so close before, how could you become like this? Have you forgotten the oath we made when we were little?"
The prince's words echoed in the empty and cold dungeon, with a barely perceptible tremor, which was his deep nostalgia for the innocent days of the past and his inability to fight against the cruel reality of the present. He slowly took a step forward, trying to close the distance with Chi Meng. Every step seemed to step on the thorns in his heart, painful and difficult.
Chi Meng's eyes were as cold as ice, without the slightest fluctuation, as if the "past" mentioned by the Third Prince was nothing more than a distant and vague memory fragment to her. She sneered, and in that smile there was both mockery of the Third Prince's naive fantasy and helplessness about her own ill-fated fate.
"Pledge?" Vivian's voice was cold and resolute, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth. "Third Prince, you are so shameless."
"As for your childhood sweethearts, that's just a play in the power struggle. Do you think I really care about those games of playing house?"
The third prince's face turned pale instantly. He had never thought that the girl who always followed him with a smile like a flower would have such a resolute side. He trembled with his hands, trying to grab something, but found that he had nothing but empty words.
"Vivian, please listen to my explanation..." The third prince's voice was almost pleading. He tried to use his pity to awaken a trace of softness in her heart, but obviously, this would only make her more disgusted.
The Duke watched coldly from the side with a playful smile on his face.
"An An, well done." The Duke praised softly, then turned to the Third Prince, his eyes full of provocation, "Third Prince, perhaps you should learn that in this world, not all feelings can be redeemed with 'in the past', and not all mistakes can be made up with 'explanations'."
The third son's heart sank to the bottom, he realized that his attempt had completely failed. He looked at Vivian, the pair of eyes that were once full of tenderness now only had indifference and ridicule, he knew that he could never go back to the past.
"I... I understand." The third prince's voice was low and hoarse. He slowly took a few steps back, as if he had lost all his strength. "Vivian, although you are no longer the girl I remember, I still hope that you can find true happiness. As for me, I will pay the price for my actions."
When Chi Meng heard the Third Prince's feigned affectionate words, the corners of his mouth curled up in an even more sarcastic arc, and he sneered. That laughter echoed in the cold air of the dungeon, like the biting cold wind in winter, piercing people's hearts.
"Your affection is so cheap and ridiculous." She waved her right hand lightly, and her fingertips seemed to draw an invisible command in the air. "That's enough. This farce should end."
Upon hearing this, the knight captain straightened his back immediately, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the dungeon: "Yes, Master Vivian!"
Following his order, several fully armed knights quickly stepped forward and pushed open the heavy iron door. The friction between the iron chain and the ground was harsh and heavy, foreshadowing the coming storm.
Seeing this, the Third Prince's eyes flashed with despair, but he still struggled unwillingly, trying to use words to make a final resistance: "Vivian, aren't you afraid of retribution for doing this? You betrayed our friendship and betrayed your conscience!"
Upon hearing this, Vivian's sneer only deepened. She slowly walked towards the Third Prince, and every step she took seemed so calm and unhurried, as if she had transcended this power struggle and become a judge who was watching from the sidelines with cold eyes.
"Retribution? In this world, the strong are respected, and the weak are only worthy of becoming the dust of history. As for conscience, it is just a luxury that only you pampered princes and princesses have."
Her words were like sharp daggers that pierced the Third Prince's heart, making his already pale face even uglier. He opened his eyes wide and shouted with almost all his strength:
"Vivian, you will regret this! I curse you. I curse you to have no peace for the rest of your life!"
However, Vivian just shook her head contemptuously, as if even his curse was not acceptable to her ears.
"Regret? I have never regretted my choice. As for your curse, it is nothing more than a wail before death." She turned and winked at the knight captain, signaling them to take action.
The knights received the order and immediately stepped forward to surround the Third Prince and his companions. Although the Third Prince and his companions had their magic and fighting spirit sealed, they were of royal blood after all, and they struggled hard to break free, but the power disparity was so great that their efforts were in vain.