My villain wants to save himself, but the yandere heroine disagrees

As the saying goes, too much talk leads to mistakes. If Lucius reveals his illness again, although it will not threaten the rule of the Stranik family, the reputation that the nobles value most will definitely be lost.

"Yeah." Lucius nodded, then gave Lianka an apologetic look.

For a moment he didn't know what to say, so he could only laugh it off.

Finally, night fell completely, and all kinds of luxurious lamps were lit in the Duke's mansion. Litt also accompanied Odysseus back to the mansion.

According to custom, the nobles should have been led by the local ruler to welcome Odysseus at the door.

Since Lucius was ill, in principle Mary should have done it.

However, because the relationship between Mary and Lit suddenly became strained, Lit considered it and decided to have the servants notify Odysseus of his arrival in advance and let the nobles wait in advance without making any arrangements for a leader.

This is how it should have been, but when Leete saw Odysseus' father standing at the door of the mansion, leading a group of nobles waiting for him, she was stunned.

Didn’t I tell my father not to go out?

Odysseus was surprised to see Lucius, who was said to be ill, appear at the door, and then he was moved.

He is worthy of being my beloved minister. Even when he is sick and his family members don't allow him to come out, he still comes out to see me.

With such loyal ministers in the empire, there is no need to worry about the empire's prosperity.

Odysseus was thinking this in his heart, and he quickly walked up to Lucius.

"Duke Lucius, you've worked hard." He said this and helped Lucius, who was kneeling on one knee, up.

Following this action, the nobles behind him also stood up.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty, for coming to my dukedom. I have been under your care for decades, so it is not hard work. Your Majesty is tired from the journey and has come to visit my humble home. I am not well prepared, so please forgive me."

Lucius' words caused the nobles behind him to sigh with emotion.

As expected of His Majesty's confidant, he was promoted from a military officer to the position of Duke. Such remarks are indeed pleasing to listen to.

"Well, it's cold outside, let's go in and reminisce." Saying this, Odysseus took the lead and walked into the Duke's mansion.

It’s not that he doesn’t understand the rules, but in this empire, he himself is the rules.

If you deliberately show courtesy to servants, it will make people feel uneasy and wonder if the emperor is holding a grudge against you.

The banquet was ready and everyone took their seats. The emperor undoubtedly sat at the head of the table, and next to him sat the hosts of the banquet, Lucius and his wife, followed by the dukes and their families.

Because there were so many people attending the celebration banquet, only people at the duke level were seated at the long table where the emperor sat.

Other nobles, such as earls and barons, could only sit at other tables.

A duke has his own social circle, and an earl has his own social circle.

As Odysseus finished his speech, the banquet officially began, and everyone toasted each other.

At this moment, a sinister and vicious gaze fell on Lucius and Litt...

(PS: I have received a lot of criticism recently. These days, when I carefully reviewed the previous mistakes, I also made some changes to the subsequent plot. I will open a new floor here. You can talk about what you think is insufficient or needs improvement. I will work hard to improve the reading experience for every reader who can see this.)

Chapter 3: Betrayal (K)

The party was in full swing, and Lucius took Mary to toast the emperor.

"Duke Lucius, Lady Mary, you have been managing the Dukedom of Antica for these years. It has been really hard."

"Your Majesty, you are joking. The structure of the empire has not changed for a thousand years. Your Majesty has granted me land and made me a marquis. What you have done for the Stranik family will be unforgettable for me forever. How can I say it is hard work?" Lucius smiled and drank the wine in the glass.

"By the way, what was Master Orson doing this time? Why hasn't he come back yet?" Odysseus found a topic to ask.

"I don't know either." Lucius shook his head.

At this time, Mary suddenly said, "By the way, Your Majesty, Orson and Leete have really taken good care of my master during this period of time. They are really filial."

Odysseus nodded with satisfaction when he heard Mary say this.

.

"Yes, these two children of Duke Lucius are indeed very good."

But at this moment, Mary suddenly changed the subject.

"However, Your Majesty, you probably don't know what these two children are hiding from everyone, right?"

"Oh? What are they hiding from us?" Odysseus said this and looked at Mary in confusion.

Lucius also looked at his wife beside him in surprise.

He was about to say something, but to his surprise, Mary let go of him and stood directly next to Odysseus.

"Your Majesty, I'm telling you this. You may not believe it, but my master is still here to see you with his illness."

"And Orson and Litt, in order to undermine the master and usurp the power of the dukedom, announced to the public that the master was seriously ill, but did not disclose the specific illness of the master. They even did not allow me to take care of the master's daily life, but handed all these matters over to their trusted servants."

"Don't you think it's strange? Why didn't the two of them make the master's illness public? They didn't even want to inform the family, but only let people they trusted handle it?"

"So, Lady Mary, what do you mean?" Odysseus couldn't help but frowned as he listened to Mary's words.

"I think that Orson and Litt are deliberately using some means to worsen the master's health in order to inherit the title of the Dukedom, so that it will be easier for them to inherit the title of the Dukedom in advance." Mary said this, pointing at Litt in the audience.

Complaining to the emperor is a method that has existed since ancient times. By reporting some things to the top leader, one can obtain the top leader's opinion and achieve one's own goals.

Mary's move is a typical example of filing a complaint with the emperor.

Lucius looked at Mary in silence.

"Besides, the illness that the master has, you can laugh at it. I will make it public. Before, when I accidentally got a chance to contact the master, I found that he mistook me for his ex-wife, and also mistook the time as the time of the orc invasion eighteen years ago."

"Although there are few records of this disease, I still found similar records in some books. I only know that the cause of the disease is unknown, but it will intermittently cause mental disorders, memory confusion, and emotional agitation."

"Just now downstairs, when Duke Giovanni asked the master a question, the master couldn't answer it because of a sudden attack of his illness."

"I don't know why the old man has been able to remain undetected until now, but I feel it is necessary to tell everyone that the current old man is like a time bomb that may explode at any time."

As Mary finished speaking, Lucius raised his hand angrily and pointed at Mary.

"Mary...you...how dare you!"

"Master, I am protecting you. Orson and Litt covet your power. I am the only one who is doing this to protect you. Please forgive me for making this public."

At this time, Litt also came to Lucius.

At this time, Lucius's attack would be of no avail, because Mary had already taken the lead and gave everyone a psychological hint, making others think that Lucius's current abnormal behavior was all due to that strange disease.

Moreover, Litt also knew that, just as Mary said, Lucius did suffer from intermittent amnesia.

"Mother, I don't know what you mean, but when Orson told me about this matter, he said that it was arranged by my father himself when he was conscious at the time."

"Besides, even if something really happened to our father, according to the inheritance law, the heir can only be chosen between me and Orson. What reason do we have to harm our father?"

"Oh, now that you've brought up someone who wasn't there, you can say whatever you want. After all, no one will come out to accuse you of saying something wrong." Mary said this with a sneer. "Besides, you certainly have a reason to harm your father."

Mary pointed to her belly.

"I'm pregnant with the master's child, and this child also has the right of inheritance. You're afraid that the child will be better than you when he grows up and take away your inheritance rights, so you want to hold the inheritance rights firmly in your hands now!"

At this time, everyone present turned their eyes to Mary.

After all, there is ready-made fun, who doesn’t like to watch it?

Although what Mary said didn't make sense, her voice was loud.

"Leet, is what Lady Mary said true? Regarding Duke Lucius... the problem here." Odysseus said this, pointing to his head cryptically. "Also, the problem of Lady Mary's pregnancy.

"

"It is indeed partially consistent with what mother said, but this is not the whole picture." Litt said this and explained. From her perspective, she told everything she knew.

Afterwards, the nobles in the audience began to whisper.

It is said that even a judge cannot judge family affairs. If no concrete evidence is produced, this incident can only be regarded as a feud within the Stranik family, and cannot involve other matters.

Coincidentally, at this moment, footsteps were heard at the door.

"Mr. Orson?" Vivian was the first to notice the dusty Orson who appeared at the door.

Then, everyone looked towards the door.

Orson appeared at the door with a cloaked man. Judging from the man's height, he was two heads shorter than Orson.

"Oh? It looks like the protagonist of the party is coming." Giovanni had already come to the corner of the hall, quietly watching this family farce.

In fact, in the administrative system of the empire, the duke has independent local power, but the royal family's direct jurisdiction is more prosperous. Whether from the legal principles of founding the country or the existing strength, the royal family is undoubtedly the first.

But this does not mean that the emperor can interfere in everything within the duchy.

At least, if the Duke himself had not done anything against heaven and earth and abominable, the emperor would have no reason to take action against the Duke.

After all, once he takes action, he will violate the agreement made that year. The other dukes will definitely be dissatisfied with the emperor. By then, the cost will not be a simple civil war, and it may even cause the royal family that has stood for thousands of years to change dynasties.

Therefore, over the past thousand years, the royal family has handled its relations with local areas with great caution.

But the Dukedom of Antica is different. Lucius, as the Duke of Antica, was Odysseus' right-hand man when he ascended the throne. After becoming the Duke, due to previous habits, the superior-subordinate relationship between the two was still very obvious. This is also the reason why some dukes looked down on Lucius.

You have reached the position of Duke, but it is somewhat embarrassing for you to be so polite to the emperor in your own territory.

But it is understandable. After all, in Lucius's view, he is the first generation of the Dukedom, and his territory was granted by the emperor. There is nothing wrong with doing this to the emperor.

As for the other dukes, their rule had been passed down for many generations, and they had long been deeply rooted in the belief that the land under their feet belonged to them, and it would be of no use even if the emperor came.

Orson took Lena and brought her to the party.

In order to prevent Lena's half-orc identity from causing panic among the nobles, Orson put his cloak on Lena.

Fortunately, the difference between his and Lena's reminders was big enough that the cloak could cover Lena's big ears and tail.

But it still made Lena look very strange, so Orson just let Lena find a place to sit down, and then he came to Lucius.

"Father, I'm late." Orson said with an apologetic look. "And Lit, you've been taking care of the family these days."

Orson said this and patted Litt's head.

And Lucius just shook his head and pointed at Mary.

"I understand." Orson understood what Lucius meant and turned to look at Mary.

"Mother, please allow me to still call you by this title now."

"What do you mean?" Mary was a little confused when she heard Orson's words.

She and Lucius haven't divorced yet, why would Orson say such a thing.

"Although I don't know what you are thinking of deliberately stirring up conflicts in the family, mother, are you so innocent?"

"Orson, you..." Mary was panicked when she heard this. "What do you mean by saying this?"

"The Toulouse family." Orson said this, and François, Duke of Orleans, who was drinking soup silently at the side, paused.

"The Toulouse family that rules the Duchy of Orleans is your family, mother. During the years that you were the Duchess and controlled the Duchy's finances, you used various means to embezzle almost two-thirds of the Duchy's annual fiscal surplus into your personal property, and then transferred it to the Toulouse family. This is why the Duchy of Antica has always been in a tight financial situation despite its good development over the years."

Having said this, Orson took out the bill in his hand and handed it to the emperor.

After Odysseus glanced at it, he turned to look at Mary.

"Mrs. Mary, if this bill is true, then your behavior as a Duchess can be said to be quite bad." As he said this, he turned his eyes to look at the

Francois glanced.

"Duke Francois, you are such a fool. Your sister is already married, and you still expect her to help your dukedom?"

"Your Majesty is right." Francois nodded. "But all of this is my sister's personal fault. Although I have advised her over the years, it is completely useless. I can only accept it."

When Mary heard her brother say this, she looked at him in surprise, her eyes full of anger after being betrayed.

Chapter 28: An ant trying to shake a tree

"Your Majesty, strictly speaking, this matter should be regarded as a family affair between the dukes." At this time, Ivan, Duke of Lucia, who was sitting next to François, also spoke up.

The meaning of his words was very obscure.

No matter how you, the emperor, usually show off your presence, or even how the outliers in the Duchy of Antica show their presence, the dukes will not say anything and will even cooperate with you well. But if you extend your hands to other duchies, wouldn’t that be a bit too much?

Therefore, even if Mary was really a traitor to the Duchy of Antica and sold out the interests of the Duchy of Antica to the Duchy of Orleans, all Emperor Odysseus could do was to limit the punishment to where he could interfere, rather than involving other duchies.

"Of course I know that." Odysseus nodded when he heard Ivan say this.

At this time, Lucius' old rival Giovanni remained silent.