The Villain Saint is my secondary account

A faint fluorescent glow illuminated the room, completely isolating it from the outside world.

"I hope my caution won't put any pressure on you, Su." Prince Raymond waved his hand, and now only the three of them remained on the large terrace, sitting at the table.

“That’s no trouble at all. It’s an honor that Your Highness invited me here.” Su Xiyun lowered her eyes slightly. “I just don’t know how I, a commoner, can help Your Highness.”

These words were perfectly measured, showing humility while maintaining a proper distance from the Fourth Prince.

Susie Yun had, after all, gained the approval of the First Prince's faction first.

Regardless of her position within the group, if she were to rush to curry favor with the Fourth Prince because of this invitation, not only would the First Prince think so, but the Fourth Prince himself might also look down on her.

"Su, there's no need to be so reserved. I think you already have an answer in your heart."

Prince Raymond wasn't in a hurry to say it outright, maintaining an air of wanting to poach someone without losing face.

"Thank you for your appreciation, Your Highness." But Susie Yun could not pretend not to know what Prince Raymond meant. "If Your Highness has any needs, I am willing to do my best to serve you. But as you know, I have sworn allegiance to His Majesty Evans first."

This statement not only clarified their stance but also reminded Prince Raymond, using the title "Your Majesty," that Evans was now practically the undisputed king.

The subtext is that without sufficient reason, Su Xiyun has no reason to leave the First Prince's faction and switch sides.

After Evans becomes king, it's your business if the reformists want to continue fighting, but there's no reason for them to drag her down with them.

“Haha, I understand your concerns, Su.” Prince Raymond smiled. “However, I do know a little about you otherworldly travelers.”

"The one who got in touch with my brother first must have considerable influence among you. I can see that you are one of the best in this group, not only because of your personal talent, but also because of your leadership abilities."

"But now that you've gone to great lengths to gain my brother's favor, it's that other person who benefits. Can you accept such an outcome?"

“I don’t understand what you mean… Your Highness,” Susie said calmly.

“Let me put it more simply… Su, you were merely presented as a gift to my brother,” Prince Raymond said, placing his hands on the table. “But no matter how exquisite the gift, the recipient will only thank the giver, not the gift itself.”

"Forgive me for what I may say, but I think you should know in your heart who ultimately benefits from your outstanding performance in my brother's faction."

"So, Susie Yun... do you want to continue being a gift, or do you want to be the one giving the gift?"

Susie swallowed hard. This Prince Raymond knew far more about their player alliance than she had imagined.

The Academy's actions are ostensibly a collaborative effort by players, who are seen as a community of shared interests, to reach the Empire's high command and work together as fellow players of Earth.

But in reality, if you think about it carefully, since this group didn't make any special effort to conceal their identities, how could the empire's higher-ups not have noticed them?

The Aslan royal family all had royal guards recruited from players, so how could Emperor Loren not have realized the value of this group?

Therefore, only top players in large guilds like Susie Yun understood that the fundamental purpose of this operation was to unite the player group into a special force that could be utilized by the imperial high command, with some players who had already established connections with the imperial nobles.

It would be impossible for the imperial high command to win over the hearts of this group if they tried to unify them directly. However, if they could recruit a small number of players and make them the leaders of the entire player group, things would be much simpler.

Just like the ending of a certain famous novel—

Most of the heroes thought they were fighting for a better future for Liangshan, but only Song Jiang knew that Liangshan had already been sold to the imperial court at a price he had already set.

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Testing

Susie Yun knew this principle, and in fact, all the top players in the major guilds of the Imperial City knew this principle.

From their perspective, although they are also working for others, they are also the beneficiaries at the very top of this pyramid.

Susie Yun is the same, and she doesn't actually value the so-called right to speak that much.

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness, but I have no further needs. My companions are enough to protect me."

"You mean the adventurers' guild you belong to?" Prince Raymond smiled and looked at Ella beside him. "Miss Ella, just as I told you before, this Su student is a person of great loyalty and righteousness."

"Hmm." Ella smiled without saying a word, her crimson eyes scrutinizing Susie Yun, giving her quite the air of a wicked young lady full of mischief.

Seeing this situation, Su Xiyun was a little confused about what the two were thinking, but she didn't dare to speak up.

"Don't be nervous, Su, this is a sincere compliment. What I admire most is someone who values ​​loyalty and friendship, and it's someone like that who gives me more peace of mind as a partner." Prince Raymond paused for a moment, then continued, "However, precisely because of this, you, at the very top of this group, are entrusting the safety of your partners to someone outside of yourself. Is this really appropriate?"

“I believe… Mr. Dong is trustworthy,” Su Xiyun said firmly.

"Is it possible that I wasn't referring to Mr. Dong?"

"..." Su Xiyun was stunned for a moment, and didn't react immediately.

She thought that Prince Raymond was referring to the leader of her player alliance, Dong Hu, and that he was not as trustworthy as she had imagined.

Of course, she wouldn't fully trust Dong Hu; he was merely a temporary ally of interest when dealing with the empire's high command.

But looking into Prince Raymond's eyes, Susie Yun immediately realized that the person he was referring to was the eldest prince, Evans.

He was saying that in this relationship of interests, the eldest prince, Evans, was not trustworthy.

...But what reason could Prince Evans have to be against them?

"Even if Your Highness says so, I cannot break my oath because of that."

Talk is cheap. Evans is now a king, after all. If Prince Raymond says that Evans is not trustworthy, then what concrete promises has he made?

“It’s alright, Su. What I said tonight was just a reminder.” Prince Raymond seemed to have expected Su Xiyun’s rejection. “I’m planting a seed in your mind so that when you realize that some things are different from what you imagined, you can remember that we are still waiting for you.”

Susie Yun remained noncommittal.

She had no idea that at this point, with Evans already a foregone conclusion as king, Prince Raymond was still trying to pull her along.

Prince Raymond didn't offer Su Xiyun any further explanation, but instead declared the conversation over: "Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come, Su Xiyun. The ball downstairs isn't over yet. Since you're already here, why not enjoy the youth and happiness of being a student at a national noble academy? You might even meet some interesting friends."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Su Xiyun bowed slightly.

Then, the closed door to the terrace opened, and Su Xiyun left the room.

As the girl's dress disappeared through the doorway, Prince Raymond turned his gaze to Ella beside him. "What do you think, Miss Ella?"

"I don't quite understand why Your Highness values ​​this group of people whose highest combat strength is only at the Proficiency level so much."

“Hehehe,” Prince Raymond looked into Ella’s beautiful eyes and said meaningfully, “I’ve heard that Miss Ella has a similar guild under her command. I thought Miss Ella would know more about it than I do.”

"They do have some unique skills when it comes to assisting others, but it's not worth investing too much effort in them," Ella said dismissively.

She naturally couldn't reveal to Prince Raymond how close her relationship with the Seven Stars Society was.

On the contrary, since it's like dealing with a tiger for its skin, the more Prince Raymond thinks she's just using the Seven Stars Society as a pawn, the safer the Seven Stars Society will be, and the less likely it will be used to manipulate her one day.

However, Prince Raymond's evasive tactics concealed his true reason for wanting to recruit players.

But not answering is also an answer. Since Prince Raymond did not openly explain to Ella the value he believed in this group, but instead deliberately recruited them, it shows that the reason was not just about the "ability" of the player group.

Of course, this made Ella even more curious. She had a feeling that the answer to this question might reveal more than she imagined.

“Miss Ella is right.” Prince Raymond waved to the students at the door, who served him and Ella a cup of tea each. “I specially used fragrant leaves from Morning Star Ridge. I wonder if it will give Miss Ella a sense of familiarity?”

Ella picked up her teacup and took a sip. "Not bad, it would be even better if some purple orchids were added."

"Oh? I didn't expect that such a charming and lovely young lady as Miss Ella would have such a fondness for bitter flavors. I apologize for not being a better host." Prince Raymond said with a slightly apologetic smile.

This greasy praise left Ella speechless, but she still had to pretend to enjoy it.

Although these royal family members are not good people, they are indeed very shrewd.

To deal with them, it's also important to maintain a good image as the proud and wicked heiress Ella so as not to arouse excessive suspicion.

Lilia, as Ella's partner, also plays a special role in this regard. If Ella exhibits any shrewd behavior that is inconsistent with her character, the princes will first think that Lilia might be the one teaching her behind the scenes.

They were somewhat aware of the Second Princess's profound and unfathomable intelligence.

“However, Miss Ella, I also have a question I would like to ask you,” Prince Raymond continued, “and why did you choose my side?”

“Your Highness, you seem to have some misunderstandings,” Ella said with a smile. “I haven’t chosen your side yet. I want to see if you can give me a reason to do so.”

"Is that so? What a pity. I thought it was my personal charm that impressed you during our pleasant conversation this afternoon."

Ella's lips twitched slightly.

“I can give you a reason to cooperate, but Miss Ella, don’t you really have a reason to come to me instead of someone else?”

It was common knowledge among the upper nobility that the eldest prince had been elected king.

Therefore, even though he said "I'm just observing," Prince Raymond still had doubts about Ella's motives for daring to "collude" with him when everything seemed to be settled.

Prince Raymond looked into Ella's eyes, as if trying to find something in those crimson pupils.

However, after a short while, he still couldn't discern anything amiss.

The silver-haired girl simply rested her chin on one hand, her eyes slightly narrowed, and a playful smile played on her lips. "Hmm... if I had to say, would intuition count?"

Even though he had seen countless beauties, Prince Raymond, under the cold moonlight, staring at that lovely yet charming face, suddenly felt his heart beat a beat slower.

"Ahem, haha, Miss Ella is quite... witty." Prince Raymond looked away, slightly embarrassed.

His intention was to probe Ella's true purpose through words, and he also had the skill of observing people's eyes to discern their true thoughts.

But when he looked at Ella for a while, he found himself starting to get a little confused.

Chapter Sixty: A Pleasant Cooperation

This woman is a bit dangerous... Prince Raymond silently assessed in his mind.

That captivating beauty might lead me to misjudge certain things, just like now, making me find that clumsy answer acceptable.

However, it doesn't really matter. We can use it first, and what to do after that is another matter.

Once the great undertaking is accomplished, it might be a wonderful thing to add this guy to my harem.

Prince Raymond pondered for a moment and replied, "Alright, Miss Ella, that might be a valid answer."

After speaking, he placed a light blue crystal on the table. "As for your question, this is my answer."

Photo crystal?

Ella took the things that Prince Raymond had placed on the table and frowned slightly.

She swayed slightly, and the interplay of light and shadow within the crystal transformed into a scene, gradually becoming a room situated in complete darkness.

There was a large bed in the room, and an elderly man in a gorgeous robe was lying on it with his eyes closed.

This was none other than the old King Harold Betis. Ella recognized the person in the picture at a glance.

Several white stripes flashed on the screen, indicating that the recording crystal was being interfered with, but for some reason, it was still able to maintain its recording function.

About half a minute later, a tall, muscular figure quietly walked to the bedside in the shadows.

The photo crystal was in a hidden location, with most of the view obscured, but the angle was just right to catch a glimpse of the figure's face flashing by.

It's Prince Evans, what's he doing sneakily in the King's bedroom?

The moment the question crossed Ella's mind, she already knew the answer.

The tall, muscular figure pulled a sharp silver dagger from his robes and plunged the exquisitely crafted blade, adorned with jewels on its hilt, into the chest of the person on the bed.

One, two, three... Ella didn't bother to count how many times she stabbed him in the end. The prince on screen seemed to harbor deep hatred for the king, mechanically and indifferently stabbing him repeatedly, as if he were bleeding a dead pig.

The old king made no sound, and like a lifeless wooden stake, he gradually stopped breathing in the spreading pool of blood.

The somber scene unfolds like a bizarre silent film, ending with a bed stained with blood.

After the image was displayed on the crystal, it returned to its dull, stone-like appearance.

Ella feigned surprise, her mouth slightly agape, before glancing at Prince Raymond's expression.

“Miss Ella, there’s no need to worry. This conversation is between just the two of us.” Prince Raymond waved his hand. “I just wonder, Miss Ella, do you think this is enough as a reason for your cooperation with me?”

“But… I still feel like this is a bit fake.” Ella looked puzzled. “There’s a photographic crystal in the king’s bedroom, and it just so happens to have captured the eldest prince’s face…”

“This is indeed fake.” Prince Raymond’s lips curled into a smile.

"what……?"

“But some people will believe it.” The prince picked up the photographic crystal. “When physical evidence, witness testimony, and motive are all present, even false facts can appear as a real illusion.”

"Motivation refers to...?"

“A month ago, my brother Evans had an argument with Father in the main hall.” Prince Raymond picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, “It was about Mother, the Empire, and the succession.”

"He believes he is ready, but his father is now so old, why is he still reluctant to start the succession ceremony?"

"It wasn't until my brother Barnard and I worked together and the voices of the academy and the reformers grew louder that he started to panic."

"They believe that if this drags on any longer, those who hold power in the old family will gradually be influenced by the ideas of the emerging younger generation within the family."

"Therefore, he planned to take advantage of the fact that he still had the upper hand and have the royal selection ceremony take place as soon as possible so that he could assassinate the king."

It's hard for Ella to say how many sentences in this passage are true and how many are false, but it is an indisputable fact that the early selection of the emperor was advantageous to the eldest prince.