The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Uh, wait a minute?

Ye Xiao seemed to have thought of something, and with a thought, he opened the system's task panel.

The "Five Princes' Struggle for the Throne" task is prominently displayed at the top of the task queue, with the three bright words "In Progress" hanging on the progress bar.

Ye Xiao paused for a moment, then suddenly turned to Skadi and asked, "Your Highness, does this meeting signify the Crown Prince's formal ascension to the throne?"

"Why do you ask that..." Skadi lowered her head, but she still answered Ye Xiao's question, "The formal... selection is over, the prince has already announced the results, he is definitely already the king."

"But if you're talking about the official ascension to the throne... there should be a public coronation ceremony tomorrow morning? It'll be a way of announcing the new king of the empire to the people..."

This is it.

In that instant, Ye Xiao seemed to suddenly realize something.

The system task has not been fully determined yet. Could it be because the ritual has not been completed?

But why is it necessary to complete this ritual?

Or, is there something else that could affect the outcome of the royal selection before this ceremony?

Ye Xiao stroked his chin thoughtfully, but no matter how he thought about it, it seemed that nothing, apart from Evans' sudden death, could change the outcome.

After all, Evans already has the support of so many nobles, so even if Ella were to force Duke Heville to change his vote at this point, it wouldn't have a significant impact on the outcome.

Why didn't they support Evans as strongly in his previous life?

Hmm... Yeah? Why weren't they this supportive in my previous life?

Ye Xiao's heart skipped a beat.

Why do other people seem to be uninterested in the death of that senile old king?

Most people probably think that such an old and incompetent king should have died long ago.

However, some people should know that the king had long since died, so the timing of his physical abdication could be manipulated at any time.

Just as Skadi didn't care about the king's death because she knew her father's soul had long before that.

Having experienced his previous life, Ye Xiao knew that the time of his death had indeed changed.

So why did this king die prematurely at this particular time?

Or rather, what was the motive behind the scenes that caused his premature death?

In the midst of chaos, Ye Xiao suddenly felt a flash of inspiration.

"Skadi... could you repeat what you just said?"

"Huh!?" Skadi's face suddenly flushed slightly. It was the first time she had heard Ye Xiao call her by her name. "Which...which sentence, 'The announcement to the public is the official ascension of the new king of the empire'?"

"No, no, the sentence before that."

"Hmm... 'The reformists, as an emerging force, are still developing... If it were another two months, the outcome might be completely different'?"

At this moment, the fragments of events that had been baffling from the beginning finally began to piece together a small part of the iceberg in Ye Xiao's mind.

He suddenly realized, and then laughed self-deprecatingly.

The imperial selection process is far from over; in fact, it has only just begun.

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Willing to Take the Bait

Of course, Ye Xiao has only grasped a glimmer of an idea in his mind so far, and the key that can truly affect Evans is not with him.

Therefore, Ye Xiao did not share his inner thoughts with Skadi, and the two returned to the academy.

After that, Skadi went to continue practicing swordsmanship with the academy dean, while Ye Xiao went to the secluded little room in the corner of the academy that those silly guys had taken him to yesterday afternoon.

Ye Xiao took a small stool and sat down by the door, just like the old gatekeeper, with his legs crossed and leaning against the wall, waiting quietly.

Judging by the time, the people should be arriving soon—those four unlucky underlings of Prince Raymond who were taught a lesson by him yesterday.

He remembered that he had arranged to meet those four guys here this afternoon.

So, after Ye Xiao took a short rest, sure enough, a group of people dressed in academy uniforms swaggered over from the other side of the courtyard.

As he expected, those guys did indeed bring back men to retaliate.

A burly but shifty-looking fellow hid behind the leader of the group. The moment he saw Ye Xiao, he pointed and said, "That's him, that's Ye Xiao!"

"Good heavens, you actually dare to wait here?" The leader looked at Ye Xiao, who was half-asleep with his eyes half-closed, and couldn't help but laugh in anger. "You don't really think your ridiculous threats can scare anyone, do you?"

"That's hard to say." Ye Xiao slightly opened her eyes and sized up the person who came in.

Judging from the stripes on their academy uniforms, these students must be senior students. I wonder what kind of influence they hold in Prince Raymond's eyes?

"Commendable courage, worthy of being a knight appointed by Her Highness the Crown Princess." As he spoke, a group of people approached and formed a circle around him. "My friends say you're quite a fighter?"

"It's alright, I guess." Ye Xiao smiled, stood up and walked into the small dark room behind him. "There are too many people outside, it's not a good time to discuss this. Why don't you all come in and sit down?"

ha?

The lead student stared at the wide-open door, his lips twitching—no, this guy really thought they were there to chat with him?

He thought he was being invited to dinner and wanted to come in and sit down.

A group of a dozen or so students looked at each other in bewilderment, and then rushed into the door.

They're going to teach this arrogant fool a lesson today!

With a hiss, the door to the small room slammed shut, and the secluded porch fell silent once more.

About half a minute later, the door opened again.

Ye Xiao stretched and walked out of the room, dusted himself off, and left without looking back.

The half-closed door left an eerie silence inside.

……

Thanks to Prince Raymond's group of followers for their generous sharing of knowledge, Ye Xiao learned that the prince would also be attending the academy's regular ball tonight, and that his brother, the Third Prince Barnard, was conducting arcane research within the academy.

Although the academy's activities are usually the domain of the fourth prince, as members of the royal family, they have their own affairs to attend to most of the time.

Therefore, they often act as hosts of parties, but do not actually show up, just like the nightclub owner doesn't go clubbing every day.

However, it was clear that tonight's ball was different; the prince seemed to be taking it very seriously.

Ye Xiao already had some guesses about the assassination of Wang Xuan and the king, but guesses alone were not enough; he needed some proof.

And this Prince Raymond is the key to proving his idea.

Therefore, he needed to find a way to communicate with this prince in person.

Of course, Ye Xiao himself was not qualified to attend the ball for upper-class students. Even if he managed to get in, the royal family's arrogance would not bother with a commoner like him who was born as an "adventurer".

Princess Skadi is now siding with the Crown Prince in the royal elections as a show of support, so it would be inappropriate for her to participate under her name.

Therefore, a participant of considerable influence, someone who could at least speak with the prince, was needed to accomplish this task.

Coincidentally, in order to find out why Prince Raymond had specifically invited several elite players to the ball, Ella had her followers spread her dissatisfaction with the First Prince's faction the night before.

Ella didn't need to deliberately instruct her followers to do anything; she only needed to complain about the eldest prince and the youngest princess at the tea party, and her followers would naturally spread the word.

Although Duke Heville supports the faction to which the eldest prince belongs, the discord between Ella Heville and the eldest princess is also well-known.

Given Ella's petty, vindictive, and villainous character, it's understandable that she would dislike the eldest prince and his group.

As the Holy Maiden of Light of the Sanctuary and the Duke's beloved daughter, Ella's influence within the family was not necessarily less than that of the eldest son, Allen.

Therefore, if Ye Xiao's guess is correct, and Prince Raymond has a backup plan, he will definitely take advantage of this opportunity to try to win over Ella.

At this moment, Ella was sitting in her small villa in the manor area, quietly drinking red tea with Lilia.

All she had to do now was wait. If Prince Raymond wasn't in a hurry to come to her, there was no point in her taking the initiative to find him; it would only reveal her own ulterior motives.

Fortunately, the wait was not long and the result came soon.

As the doorbell rang at the front gate of the courtyard, a servant ushered in a tall, thin young man wearing a navy blue school uniform.

Ella, who was in the living room, was a little confused as to why the servants hadn't come to inform her before welcoming the person in.

But upon seeing who it was, she immediately understood.

Ella had considered that the Fourth Prince might send an invitation to her through a student of considerable status.

But to everyone's surprise, the prince himself came.

"Forgive my abruptness in visiting without prior notice, Ms. Haville." Prince Raymond's expression was no longer as gloomy as it had been during the royal selection council; instead, his eyes were bright and a confident smile played on his lips. "Or perhaps I should address you as Your Majesty, Saintess?"

"Your Highness is too formal. Just call me Ella."

Ella smiled slightly and waved her small hand, which was wrapped in white silk gloves, to indicate an empty chair that had been prepared opposite the carved tea table.

She didn't need to stand up to greet him. Although she was a citizen of the empire, as the Holy Maiden of the Holy Temple, her status did not require her to show humility to the prince.

Meanwhile, Lilia flicked her finger, and a white porcelain teacup floated to an empty spot on the table. The glazed teapot lowered its slender spout and poured out a cup of steaming black tea.

"It's been a long time, Brother Raymond."

"It's been a long time, Lilia." Prince Raymond handed his coat to the attendant beside him, and seeing the empty chair, he smiled knowingly, then sat down without further formalities.

"Since you two have been waiting for me for so long, it seems I've come to the right place."

Chapter 58 Divide and Conquer

The details of the small meeting at Ella's villa will not be discussed for now, as evening approached.

As the sun sinks into the western mountains, it carries away the last rays of light that linger on the spire of the college auditorium, and the reflection of white doves spreading their wings flashes across the colorful stained-glass windows.

Inside the window railings, crystal chandeliers hanging high in the ceiling shone brightly, illuminating the spacious hall below amidst melodious music.

Students of all kinds, dressed in gorgeous gowns, moved about in the lively ball, exuding the elegance and extravagance of the imperial nobility amidst the clinking of glasses.

Susie Yun, the guild leader of the player guild "Sword and Rose," stood gracefully in a dark-colored long dress, waiting silently by a banquet table laden with exquisite desserts and lanterns.

The girl's long, black hair cascaded down her fair shoulders, and her knee-length strapless dress was simple yet tasteful.

Beneath the skirt, slender feet encased in black nylon wore high heels with bow ties, accentuating the delicate and graceful curves of her calves.

Even among the group of handsome and beautiful aristocratic students from another world, the girl's aloof temperament still exuded a unique and otherworldly charm.

"Su Xiyun, you've arrived."

The speaker was a student belonging to Prince Raymond's faction.

After giving Susie a brief greeting with his wine glass in hand, he led her through the dancing crowd and toward the steps at the back of the auditorium.

"Please come with me, His Highness the Prince is already waiting."

Susie Yun followed the student leading the way up the stairs, around the corridor, until she reached an extended terrace with a glass dome.

From that transparent zenith, one could see the stars and the dark night sky directly, and the bright moonlight fell on an exquisite round table with candlesticks.

Susie Yun immediately recognized that Prince Raymond, who had invited her to this trip, was sitting directly behind the round table.

To her slight surprise, there was a silver-haired girl in a white dress sitting next to the prince.

When did Ella Hevil, the Holy Maiden of Light and the daughter of Duke Hevil, get involved with Prince Raymond?

Susie Yun raised an eyebrow slightly; the intelligence network from the player alliance hadn't mentioned this at all.

According to their current intelligence, Duke Hevil has likely sided with the First Prince, but the fact that his eldest daughter, the Holy Maiden of Light, is here suggests there's an even deeper meaning behind it.

"Good evening, Su Xiyun. It's nice to meet you." Prince Raymond beckoned, and his subordinate pulled out a chair for Su Xiyun.

"Good evening, Your Highness," Susie Yun first bowed to Prince Raymond, then bowed slightly to Ella, "Good evening, Holy Maiden."

“Oh, it seems I don’t need to introduce this person to you.” Prince Raymond nodded with a smile.

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness. However, as a citizen of the Empire, I am aware of the Holy Maiden's name," Susie replied.

"Very good, no wonder my brother appreciates this student."

Hearing this, Ella curled her lip. "Is this some kind of praise? Is it such a big deal that you've heard my name?"

Susie Yun responded with a slight smile, but did not rush to sit down.

Only after Prince Raymond gestured again and said, "Please sit down," did she lift her skirt and gracefully sit down.

Prince Raymond then glanced at the students guarding the door, and his men went outside and closed the door to the enclosed terrace.

The moment the door closed, the pale blue magic patterns on it merged with the patterns engraved on the wall, forming a complete magic circle.