Su Yaoyao sat in the flying car, her brow furrowed in deep thought. She couldn’t shake the feeling that sothing about how events were unfolding was off.
She tilted her head, gazing out the window at the scenery blurring past as the details of the incident replayed in her mind.
"Roland," Su Yaoyao said suddenly, "if I just report Philisa and have her arrested, I won’t have to give her that 10 billion Star Coins, right?" She turned to Roland, who sat beside her, a look of confusion in her eyes.
Roland paused, startled. He cleared his throat a few tis to collect his thoughts before answering respectfully, "Holy Female, we have yet to obtain key evidence of Philisa’s cris.
Even if we were to arrest her, we could only launch an investigation. Besides, the contract Lucia signed with Philisa’s company is official and legally binding. If you want to terminate it, the contract stipulates that the breach penalty must be paid first."
Su Yaoyao murmured a soft "oh." ’That must be right, then.’
’I should focus on how to pay Augustine back quickly.’ She mused, running through various possibilities in her mind.
Roland let out a quiet sigh of relief. He rembered how, before they left, His Majesty had summoned him and sternly instructed him over and over again: he had to personally witness the Holy Female use that 10 billion Star Coins before they could move against Philisa.
His Majesty was unusually invested in this matter, as if terrified that so deal between him and the Holy Female wouldn’t be solidified. He’d gone over the instructions with Roland several tis.
Just then, as the flying car slowly approached the Imperial Palace, Su Yaoyao spotted a familiar figure through the window, squatting by the road near the main gate.
Upon a closer look, she saw it was Noah. He was curled into a ball like an abandoned kitten, looking utterly miserable.
"Stop," Su Yaoyao said quickly. The flying car received the command and landed, coming to a smooth, steady stop.
Su Yaoyao rushed out of the car and hurried over to Noah. "Noah," she called softly.
At the sound of her voice, Noah jerked his head up. He looked like soone who had been lost in darkness for an eternity and had finally seen the light. His eyes instantly lit up with delighted surprise.
"Sister!" he cried out excitedly. He shot to his feet and threw his arms around Su Yaoyao, nuzzling his head against her cheek like a kitten starved for affection. He greedily inhaled her familiar scent, murmuring, "Sister, I missed you so much."
"What are you doing here?" Su Yaoyao asked, her heart aching for him.
"I ca to see you, but they wouldn’t let in," Noah mumbled, pouting as he pointed a finger at the guards by the Imperial Palace gate.
"Ahem. Second Prince of the Sea Clan, you must first seek an audience with His Majesty. You may only enter the Imperial Palace once he has summoned you," Roland explained politely, stepping forward.
"Hmph. As if he’d ever agree to let see my sister," Noah snorted. Then, as if he’d made a terrible discovery, his eyes widened. He pointed an accusatory finger at Roland. "Wait a minute, why are you with Sister? Are you trying to steal her from too?"
Roland’s face flushed at the sudden accusation. He waved his hands frantically, explaining, "You’ve misunderstood."
"Sister, you went on a date with His Majesty yesterday, and today you’re on a date with Roland. When will it be Noah’s turn?" Noah whined, looking at Su Yaoyao with wide, teary purple eyes that were filled with both hurt and hope.
Hearing this, the Imperial Palace guards couldn’t help but perk up their ears, their faces betraying their eagerness to get in on the gossip. After all, who could resist a bit of royal drama?
"We went out on business today, it wasn’t a date," Su Yaoyao explained helplessly. ’Honestly, the things this kid cos up with,’ she thought, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Hearing her answer, Noah’s face imdiately blood with a sweet smile. "Yeah, Roland looks way older than . There’s no way Sister would like him," he said smugly.
The corner of Roland’s eye twitched in anger. If it weren’t for the fact that Noah was the Second Prince of the Sea Clan, he would have stord over and given the brat a good thrashing. ’What kind of twisted logic is that? Calling old!’
"Noah, don’t be so rude," Su Yaoyao said, pretending to be angry. "Did you co looking for ?"
Noah imdiately gave an obedient nod.
"Perfect. I have sothing to discuss with you, too. Go wait for in my chambers. I need to report to His Majesty about what I’ve been handling," Su Yaoyao said.
At her words, a huge smile blood on Noah’s face. He was ecstatic. ’Sister wants to see too! She must have missed !’ "Okay," he chirped happily.
Noah puffed out his chest and said haughtily to the guards who had blocked his way, "The Holy Female herself has invited in. Do you dare stop now?" His earlier misery vanished in an instant, replaced by a sudden surge of confidence.
The guards exchanged glances. Not daring to disobey an order from the Holy Female, they imdiately let him pass.
Su Yaoyao couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. ’He’s already borrowing my authority to throw his weight around. It’s actually kind of cute.’
But just then, the image of Noah’s desire-filled eyes from the previous night flashed through her mind. He seed like a completely different person from the innocent, adorable boy in front of her now, and the contrast made her freeze for a mont.
"Sister, what are you spacing out for? Let’s go!" Noah urged, having already climbed impatiently into the flying car. Seeing this, Roland gestured for Su Yaoyao to board first.
The group first went to Su Yaoyao’s chambers. Noah got out of the car and said sweetly to her, "Sister, I’ll be waiting for you. Hurry back, okay?"
Roland watched Noah acting so cute and felt goosebumps rise on his arms. ’If I hadn’t seen him in battle,’ he thought, ’I’d probably be completely fooled by this adorable act.’
Su Yaoyao nodded and then headed to Augustine’s study with Roland.
When they reached the door to the study, they spoke in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Mm. You may go, Yaoyao. Wait outside," Augustine said from behind his desk, not even looking up.
Su Yaoyao was taken aback for a mont, but she nodded obediently and stepped back outside the study to wait.
Inside the study, Augustine looked at Roland and asked gravely, "How are things being handled?"
Roland stepped forward and reported respectfully, "The head of the company, Philisa, has been locked in the dungeons.
Our detailed investigation revealed that she tricked nurous handso males into signing contracts, luring them with the promise of a female’s unique calming ability.
In reality, Philisa was just using these males as tools to make money, forcing them into nonstop livestreaming.
If a viewer took a fancy to one of the males and was willing to pay her price, Philisa would arrange for them to sell their bodies.
During the investigation, we also discovered that Count Doris was a frequent client of Philisa’s company. Any male she took an interest in would disappear from public view, likely having been abused to death."
"Mm. Let’s not tip her off just yet. Intensify the investigation discreetly and gather as much concrete evidence of Doris’s cris as you can. At the sa ti, monitor her every move. Don’t miss a single detail," Augustine said, his expression grim as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Roland understood imdiately. "Yes, Your Majesty," he replied respectfully.
Augustine gave a slight nod. "You’re dismissed."
Roland exited the study and said to Su Yaoyao, "Holy Female, you may go in now."
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