The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Despite a minor hiccup, the Seven Stars Society ultimately succeeded in cooperating with the First Princess to assist the Imperial Selection.

However, since Li Cheng was not a student at the National Noble Academy, the eldest princess moved the meeting place from the academy to the Seven Luminaries Society's temporary residence.

This base was acquired by Ella using money from the Heville family. After hearing Li Cheng say that the guild also needed a base, Ella arranged for it.

As a result, this mansion located on a bustling street in the western district is now often filled with luxurious carriages, and as the imperial selection approaches, the interactions between nobles become more and more frequent.

They lobbied during the day and discussed things at night; in the last few days, they often talked until late at night.

The eldest princess's talent gradually emerged through trials and tribulations, and voices supporting her grew louder and louder within the noble circles. Furthermore, with the addition of the younger princess, Erika, some upper-class nobles whom Skadi had not previously anticipated also sided with them.

Meanwhile, Ella continued to serve as Prince Raymond's advisor, accompanying him on his travels and persuading others. Within the reform faction, the Holy Maiden of Light's political talent was renowned far and wide.

As a result, many people have begun to say that this second imperial election is not only a showdown between conservatives and reformers, but also another clash between the eldest princess and the Holy Maiden of Light after their previous sword duel.

This rumor certainly displeased the fourth prince, but it didn't matter. After all, Ella's victory was his victory, and Ella wouldn't become the queen anyway.

……

Soon, four days passed in a hurry, and the day of the imperial selection arrived.

The morning was exceptionally clear, and rows of luxuriously decorated carriages crowded the avenue leading to the palace.

Skadi arrived at the palace with her hastily assembled royal selection team, which she had assembled over the past two weeks.

Compared to the awkward situation a few days ago when she and Ye Xiao were walking alone in the palace, she now looked much more like a leader, surrounded by a group of guards, assistants, and aides.

Chapter 149 The Imperial Election Day

Just like the first imperial election, in the magnificent and majestic palace hall, the empty throne served as a dividing line, with the factions of the eldest princess and the fourth prince standing on either side.

On one side was the tall and slender eldest princess with long, wavy hair as bright as gold, wearing a wine-red classic dress.

To her left stood the tall, imposing commander of the Imperial City Guard, Isaac Eugene, draped in a thick black fur coat, his hands clasped together as he leaned on a wooden staff, his gloomy face framed by a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes.

To her right, Li Cheng, dressed unexpectedly elegantly, wore a neat and luxurious tailcoat and a monocle framed in metal.

Led by these two, along with several players from the Seven Luminaries Guild and guards carefully selected from the Imperial City Guard and the Grizzly Bear Guild, the First Princess's support team was formed.

On either side of the entourage were a host of renowned nobles, including Grand Duke Pesoli Albert, Royal Knights Commander Soren, and Marquis Bobor.

Compared to her solitary state just half a month ago, Princess Skadi's current royal selection lineup is nothing short of luxurious.

Even so, Prince Raymond's faction on the other side of the throne clearly had a stronger lineup.

Not to mention that three of the four nobles, whose power is second only to the king, are there, as well as renowned high-ranking officials and powerful ministers such as the chief archmage Boy Barzel and the finance minister Scott, and the third prince Leonard.

The most eye-catching of them all was the holy maiden beside the fourth prince, dressed in white with silver hair reaching her waist.

Standing petite in front of a group of burly guards, she was as cute and delicate as a doll surrounded by admirers. But no one dared to underestimate the radiant smile beneath her alluring red eyes. This rising star in Loren's political arena had, in just two weeks, secured far too much support for the Fourth Prince's faction, which originally belonged to the conservatives.

Therefore, when everyone's attention turned to the Fourth Prince's faction, most of it was focused on the beautiful girl with silver hair and red eyes.

The silver-haired girl's gaze swept across the spacious hall, landing unabashedly on the face of the First Princess Skadi opposite her.

Seeing Ella's slightly provocative gaze in the distance, Skadi naturally glared back fiercely, gritting her teeth, "You bitch, I'll make sure you don't laugh later."

With both sides' representatives present, Prince Godwin, who was in charge of presiding over the royal selection, slowly walked out from the back of the hall, supported by his attendants.

The grand imperial selection, which has lasted for half a month, seems to be finally set to determine the winner today.

"In praise of the protection of our ancestors, and with thanks to the arrival of all the capable lords, in accordance with the laws of the Empire and the traditions of the royal family, the second recommendation for the throne of the Loren Empire will begin today."

After a brief opening statement, Prince Godwin, as before, reiterated the rules of the royal election vote.

Unlike before, when 65% of the votes were needed to determine the winner, this time, receiving more than 55% of the votes will decide the outcome.

The reason for leaving a 5% surplus is to ensure that the supporters of the winning side still have an overwhelming support rate (a 10% difference), so as to prevent the losing side from thinking that the difference is only slight and considering means such as launching a mutiny to cause chaos.

If the side receiving the most votes does not exceed 55%, the nomination period will be extended, and all voters can change their votes at any time until the 55% threshold is exceeded or the extension period exceeds three days.

However, if the nomination period exceeds three days, even the slightest difference in votes will determine the outcome of the royal election. Even if the difference is only 0.1 percent, the crown prince with the higher approval rating will ultimately ascend to the throne.

This is to prevent nobles from taking advantage of the gap in the recommendation period to profit from both sides.

After explaining the rules for the second nomination, Prince Godwin, as before, ordered palace attendants to distribute the voting documents to the nobles in the hall.

This time, everyone acted as swiftly and efficiently as before, opening the dossier, pressing their fingerprints, and completing the task in one go.

Busy palace servants moved among the crowd to gather the results of the vote. Judging from the number of people on both sides, the fourth prince's victory was almost a foregone conclusion.

Therefore, already annoyed by the attention focused on Ella, Prince Raymond looked at Princess Skadi, whose face was ashen, and said:

"It's a real pity, my dear sister. If you had had more time to prepare, you might have been able to raise a banner that rivals your brother Evans. Unfortunately, as your brother, I'm afraid I'll have to shoulder the burden of the empire for you."

This seemingly humble declaration, besides being provocative, seemed more like a reminder to the Zhou dynasty nobles that he was the one who would become king.

“It seems like you’ve already got the victory in the bag, brother,” Skadi chuckled lightly, unmoved by her brother’s subtle mockery. “I don’t care about your comfort, brother. I just hope that when you’re feeling down later, you won’t regret what you said.”

"Hahaha, Skadi's stubbornness is as strong as ever," Prince Raymond raised an eyebrow, looking at the azure fluorescent light floating in the air.

This woman, so simple-minded and naive, was nothing to be afraid of except for catching him off guard at the end of the last initiation ceremony.

In every previous lobbying encounter, he had won decisively. I don't know what the "teacher" has to worry about. In just half a month, how much support can a crown prince who has never had anyone support him and has never cared about politics garner?

Of course, when Prince Raymond thought this way, he selectively ignored the fact that the previous successful negotiations were all due to Ella's intervention at crucial moments, while the only negotiation in which he and Skadi were actually opponents took place at Duke Albert's residence, and the result of that negotiation was that Duke Albert sided with Skadi.

In the sky, the twinkling lights merged and changed, forming the names of knights and the crown princes they supported.

Prince Raymond's name kept appearing in the air, which further solidified his confidence in winning the royal election. He couldn't help but smile, yet he tried to suppress it, making the smile on his face seem inexplicably fake.

But soon, that ambiguous smile froze.

Skadi's name gradually appeared in the fluorescent flashing, and the frequency increased.

It seems that, apart from that initial short segment, the two candidates' approval ratings are neck and neck.

Why is this happening? ?

Prince Raymond was surprised. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that there were quite a few people supporting Skadi, who were clearly the reformists who were currently on his side.

On the contrary, many of the nobles who had originally belonged to the conservative faction, whom Ella had won over, actually cast their votes for him.

……

Soon, the results came out, with the support rate at 52% to 48%.

Although Prince Raymond received the most votes, the difference between him and Princess Skadi was only a mere four percent.

According to the law, a support gap of less than 10 percent will extend the recommendation period.

Chapter 150 Control

What a joke! ?

This result was naturally unacceptable to Prince Raymond.

A princess who had only been in politics for half a month had a support rate that was only four percent lower than his.

Prince Raymond turned his head grimly to look at the nobles who stood in his own faction but had voted for the opponent.

However, these people all looked normal, with smiles on their faces that were hard to tell if they were genuine or not, like a group of dancers at a masquerade ball.

Those damned traitors!

At this point, Prince Raymond knew perfectly well that it was Samuel's Clinic that was behind this mess. These persistent fellows, even after the First Prince's downfall, still wanted to interfere in the Empire's internal affairs.

Logically, Leonard and Chief Mage Bazel had already offered them a reasonable price on behalf of the Church of Life, so how did those damned arthropod cultists manage to recruit these people again?

Some of them were even nobles who were close to the Duke of York and Barzel. Have these people completely disregarded political considerations for the extraordinary benefits offered by the Samuel Clinic?

Despite still being in the lead, Prince Raymond was somewhat caught off guard by the current situation.

Actually, if this had happened half a month ago, given his keen sense, he would have been able to find out some details about this unexpected situation, instead of being as helpless as he is now.

But the advantages Ella helped him gain on the surface were too great. Too many nobles who had previously supported the First Prince's faction were won over by Ella. The care she provided made him complacent. Little did he expect that those who should have been his staunchest supporters would be poached.

In fact, Samuel's clinic had no choice but to poach these people, because the nobles who were deliberately lured away by Ella were conservatives who were more focused on political interests. For example, the Duke of Seychelles cared more about the prosperity of his territory's economy than about the ethereal benefits of mysticism.

Therefore, if they wanted to poach talent, they could only target those who were interested in extraordinary interests. These newly emerging nobles in the reform faction, who had academic backgrounds and a preference for magic and mysticism, were exactly in line with this.

Prior to this, the Samuel Clinic had simply not considered using this method because, like Raymond now, Prince Evans had already secured a political victory, and the Samuel Clinic saw no need to risk greater public awareness and additional investment.

But now, after the uproar at the coronation ceremony and the unexpected downfall of the eldest prince, their names can no longer be hidden.

With the Holy Maiden of Light now on the opposite side, the stronghold outside the imperial city destroyed, and high-ranking believers inside the imperial city constantly facing assassination attempts by unknown enemies, if they don't do something, they fear they will have to leave the Loren Empire without a clear explanation.

Therefore, the Samuel Order, with its vast influence and deep pockets, has no choice but to stake everything on high-ranking believers, high-purity holy blood and remains, or even simple magical items and resources.

They had also inquired and found that the so-called Life Cult behind the Fourth Prince, which believed in the Mother of Life, was just a new cult that had recently emerged in Valond. If they were to really compete in terms of the foundation of their extraordinary powers to poach each other's members, Samuel's Hermitage would be quite confident.

As for Ella, this was already apparent when she accompanied Prince Raymond to deal with various nobles. It wasn't difficult to discern this from her conversation, the magical artifacts in her residence, the depth of her research into the mystical, and her attitude towards religion.

Therefore, she deliberately only contacted the conservatives who were "tough nuts" for Prince Raymond, while basically ignoring the reformist nobles who had already tacitly agreed to support Prince Raymond, leaving this obvious loophole.

Fortunately, the Samuel Order's obsession with the royal selection and their leaders in the capital region were not foolish; they seized this crucial opportunity to turn the tide.

Therefore, when the young princess came to negotiate with the reformist group of opportunists as leverage, Ella had already largely determined the situation.

Given her ability to see information from both sides of the deck simultaneously, the actual support rate for the Royal Selection is no more than one percent off from Ella's estimate.

She couldn't win everyone's votes, but she knew who would vote for whom and who would be guided by whom, and that was enough for her to control the situation.

Ultimately, as expected, the sense of crisis stemming from a four percent gap was enough to make Prince Raymond extremely anxious.

The recommendation process entered an extended period according to the rules. Since the nobles could not wait in the palace for three days until the results were announced, they naturally returned to their homes under the arrangement of the palace guards.

Prince Raymond, displeased, wanted to make a few sarcastic remarks about Skadi's side, but they had already set off with Isaac and Li Cheng to visit the conservative nobles who had been taken by Ella.

Because Ye Xiao left a message for Li Cheng, even on the night before the royal election, Li Cheng and Isaac were still urging and assisting Skadi to optimize the political plan.

The eldest princess was exhausted both physically and mentally from the constant urging of the two supervisors. Although she didn't understand why she had to practice these things when the royal election was the next day, she was still willing to persist in practicing lobbying and optimizing the bill until late at night.

In any case, as long as Li Cheng brings up the admonition that "Brother Ye told you to prepare properly," Skadi will immediately give up the idea of ​​slacking off.

This also means that she is no longer the naive newcomer who used to be able to curse in one breath and stutter when discussing matters. At least her proposals and speeches show that they have been polished.

Is this guy... really that dedicated?

Prince Raymond could hardly believe that his once pampered sister was now so decisive and efficient.

On the contrary, after several attempts to persuade Ella, he found that his proposals were not as brilliant as Ella's, and he had already entrusted these complicated and trivial matters to Ella.

Oh right, I also have Ella!

In his anxiety, Raymond suddenly realized something.

Miss Ella will help me solve everything!

Just like he had done countless times before, Prince Raymond once again turned his neck to look at the silver-haired girl beside him.

“Your Highness need not worry,” Ella said, her crescent-shaped eyes narrowing into a charming smile as she noticed Prince Raymond’s gaze. “There are still a few conservative nobles whom I haven’t had a chance to visit due to previous schedules.”

"Perfect, let's hurry..."

"However, time is of the essence, and this time we may need to split up, Your Highness."

"what……?"

“I’ve learned in the last few days that, in addition to Princess Skadi, her aide Isaac and the newly promoted Li Cheng are both quite capable in politics… The recommendation period won’t be long, and they will most likely lobby separately with Princess Skadi as the core. Even with a tight schedule, I will only be able to visit a limited number of nobles in these few days. Just in case, some key figures may still need to be visited by Your Highness.”

“I… Miss Ella, perhaps you could accompany me to meet those key nobles? I have faith in your abilities.” Prince Raymond’s throat bobbed slightly. His mind was completely blank. He could barely even memorize the proposals Ella had prepared for him, so how could he possibly handle the situation now that he was asked to take charge?

“Yes, Your Highness. Who would you like to send to visit these nobles whom we haven’t visited before?” Ella asked softly, holding a piece of parchment.

“Ah…” Prince Raymond was taken aback. Wasn’t it always Ella who arranged the manpower before? Why was she asking him this time?

But when he saw the girl's rosy eyes blink gently at him, he suddenly felt an uncontrollable flutter in his heart.

Yes, this should be Miss Ella giving him a chance to show his abilities. With so many nobles watching, wouldn't it make him, a prince, seem incompetent if he had to let Ella handle everything?

But when Prince Raymond glanced at his team, he couldn't think of anyone else who could do the job.

He naturally couldn't have come up with it, because most of the people who were truly talented enough to take on this task had already been secretly marginalized by Ella to other positions, or quietly sent to Skadi's side.

Chapter 151 Rebellion

“Professor Barzel…look…”

After thinking for a long time, Prince Raymond finally pointed out a familiar face.

The Empire's chief mage, Bazel, was speechless. It might have some effect if he went to save face for those nobles, but no matter what, he was an elder, and even Harold's father had to call him teacher. Now, he had to personally get involved in politics and cheer for Harold's son, which was somewhat beneath him.