Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Margaery was also taken aback. 45% 38) It wasn't her first time meeting the High Priest of the Eastvale Empire, Simon Browning, but this encounter felt different. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about him, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She thought, "The High Priest rarely leaves Fretilo Mountain, so why has he shown up today?' Still, since they had met before, Margaery bowed respectfully. "High Priest." Simon nodded. Then, he turned to Estelle and Joshua, letting out a cold sneer. "If I hadn't shown up, were you planning to twist the truth and throw all the blame on Margaery?" As he spoke, he stepped forward to stand on Margaery's other side, shielding her completely behind him. His sharp gaze swept over Joshua and Avery, his words cutting straight to the point. "Both last night and the night before, you two came running to the Hall of Divinity, insisting Margaery was possessed by some evil spirit. I already told you-she's the Star of Fortune. And now, you still want to ruin her? Just what are you trying to pull?" Simon's words made Joshua and Estelle's faces change in an instant. The Star of Fortune was someone who boosted the King's luck. In other words, just by being alive, Margaery could make the King's fortune stronger-she was basically a walking shield for him. Who would dare mess with someone like that? Especially for the King's own kids, they should be scrambling to suck up to her, just to show how much they cared about the King. "Tessa, I really didn't expect you were full of it," Nathaniel said, and his face darkened as he glared at her. "So this is the real you-the so-called Lady Tessa of the Chancellor's estate, who's supposed to be a thousand times better than Margaery! What a joke." Then he shot a look at Joshua. "Lord Joshua, you've seriously disappointed me!" At this point, he had no choice but to throw his lot in with the Star of Fortune and give up on currying favor with the Chancellor's estate. Joshua never expected things to turn out like this. He was completely at a loss, not knowing what to do. Dominic was also breaking out in a cold sweat. He wasn't about to let Margaery walk away with a total victory, so he quickly scrambled for an excuse. "That's not how it happened! The incense on the third floor was laced with aphrodisiacs. Margaery was the first one up there. She must have tampered with it, then sent Paige to call Tessa over! "She did all this just to frame me and Tessa on purpose!" Dominic glared at Margaery, his eyes bloodshot. He wouldn't believe Margaery could still talk her way out of this. No matter what, he wasn't going to let her walk away with 1/3 38 Chapter 41 her reputation intact today. A flicker of malice flashed in Dominic's eyes, barely noticeable. Margaery looked at him, feeling sick to her stomach. "Why would I even bother framing you? And even if I really did send Paige to get Tessa, why would she even bother to show up? "Are you telling me someone as sickly as she would risk her own neck just because she's worried her would-be brother-in- law might get set up? Does that even make sense?" The others nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Margaery has a point. Even if her maid went to get Tessa, why would Tessa even bother coming here?" Tessa burst into tears. "That's not true! Paige told me that Margaery was going to poison Avery to take revenge on him, so I came to stop her..." That actually makes sense," one of the onlookers nodded. "She came to save Avery, and that's reasonable." "Margaery, what else do you have to say for yourself?" Avery seized the opportunity, staring at her with bloodshot eyes, putting on a wounded expression. "I've always treated you like a treasure since we were kids. Why would you try to poison me?" As he spoke, he managed to squeeze out a couple of crocodile tears. Margaery was cornered again. Seeing her speechless, Avery felt a surge of satisfaction. But just then, Quinn Thornton, the deputy chief of the Inquisition Court, burst in with a squad of officers and cut in loudly, "Enough! Stop arguing. The aphrodisiac was planted by Avery." "What?" The crowd, who thought it was a done deal that Margaery was behind it, all widened their eyes and whipped their heads toward Quinn in shock. Even Margaery herself was stunned. Why is he here?' Margaery wondered. But she quickly realized Dashnell was behind all this. When she went upstairs earlier, Dashnell had told her, "Go on. Leave everything to me." Back then, she hadn't understood what he meant. Now it all made sense. He'd been pulling the strings from the shadows, protecting her every step of the way. That was how he could swoop in at the most dangerous moment, gather all the witnesses she needed, and clear her of every false accusation. He hadn't shown up himself, but every big shot who came there was because of him-this was all Dashnell's handiwork. That kind of protection made Margaery's eyes well up with tears. Margaery turned to look at the person behind her, her throat tightening with emotion. It was Quinn, the deputy chief of the Inquisition Court. He turned to Avery, a cold sneer in his eyes. "While I was investigating Titan Wheeler, I discovered that Lord Avery had visited Mercelo Pharmacy. The materials he purchased? All were ingredients for concocting aphrodisiacs." 2/3 11:02 Thu, 21 Aug Chapter 41 45% As he spoke, he flicked out a prescription from his hand and displayed it for everyone to see. "This is the prescription, and it even bears Lord Avery's fingerprints." "Avery?" The crowd was floored, staring wide-eyed at the usually gentle and refined Avery, shock written all over their faces. "So it was you who drugged Lord Dominic and Tessa, and then tried to frame Margaery for it?" "Sheesh, the Chancellor's estate really is wild. What kind of people are they?" Someone even shuffled a few steps away, like just being near Avery might get their own reputation dirty. "It wasn't me! I swear I didn't do it..." Avery blurted out, his voice trembling as panic crept into his eyes. But with everyone staring, that prescription slip was irrefutable evidence. And with Quinn, the deputy chief of the Inquisition Court, who oversaw all criminal investigations, presenting it, his word was as good as law. At this point, nothing Avery said could change a thing. It was all over. Seeing that things were getting completely out of hand, Joshua could only try to defend Avery, his voice sounding desperate. "That prescription is fake, right? Why would Avery do something like this? He has no reason at all!" As soon as Joshua spoke up, Bernard, the heir to Morales's estate, stepped forward. "Lord Joshua, don't bother making excuses for yourself. Bet you didn't know, but Pero Cela is my place. And that room upstairs? You booked it yourself. "Plus, before Margaery went up there, you, Lord Dominic, and Lord Avery were all there first. I was right in a room on the second floor, having coffee. If you still want to deny it, we can have Lord Thornton bring in everyone from the restaurant and question them one by one." A mocking smile tugged at the corners of Bernard's handsome face. That hint of mockery, amplified by his natural playboy arrogance and roguish charm, made it all the more striking. "Everyone here works for you, so of course you can twist things however you want!" Joshua's eyes were bloodshot with rage as he jabbed a finger at Bernard, accusing him of being in cahoots with Margaery. "When did you start scheming with Margaery behind our backs? "Are you even aware she's already engaged to someone else?" At that point, the only thing left was to drag everyone else down with him. No one was getting out of there with their reputation clean today. Avery immediately caught on and chimed in, "Yeah, that's right! You and Margaery must have been working together to set us up!" 3/3 AD Comment Send gift No Ads 11:02 Thu, 21 Aug Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!