However, while that happened, Audrey turned her attention to another man seated further down the table.

"And you," she said calmly, "Mr. Babington."

The man stiffened slightly.

"Your great-grandfather built his fortune trafficking humans across borders," she continued. "Of course, over time, your family claimed to have moved away from such... distasteful ventures."

A brief pause followed as her eyes narrowed slightly.

"But your father before you returned to that line of business, bringing you along."

"You simply rebuilt the same routes. Cleaned them up. Gave them new names. Hid them under legitimate trade operations."

Her lips curved. "And right now... that is your real business, is it not?"

The man’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

"You sit in parliament," Audrey continued, "and you use that position and your influence to keep those routes invisible. To make sure no one looks too closely."

She tilted her head slightly. "Convenient, isn’t it?"

She did not wait for a response.

Her gaze moved across them again, calling them out one by one.

Secrets were dragged into the open; Smuggling networks, Illegal trades, falsified accounts, hidden assets and political manipulation.

And for those who had kept themselves clean, she did not spare them either.

She spoke of leverage points, their vulnerabilities, assets she had already taken or positions she could collapse with a single word.

By the time she was done, there was not a single person in that room who felt untouched.

She let the silence stretch, then spoke. "I am telling you all of this because I am done with subtlety."

"This is going to be a forceful takeover of this kingdom. And I will need every single one of you to stand with me."

"If you swear allegiance to me right now," she went on, "your secrets remain buried. Your lives continue, and your families remain unharmed."

"But if you refuse... you die here, and your families will follow. I promise, I will spare no expense having fun with it."

The room erupted into a mix of fear and furious murmurs.

Then Lord Ainzbern stood again, now with an unwavering expression.

"I would rather you take me right now," he said, "than serve under this nonsense."

Audrey smiled. "Honestly, that is exactly why I targeted your house first. I knew you would be stubborn. You are far too loyal to Carson."

She shrugged. "But... have it your way."

Then she lifted her hand toward him, and in the next instant his body began to wither.

It collapsed inward on itself, aging forward so fast that within seconds, what remained was nothing more than a lifeless skull.

Then even that turned to dust, scattering across the floor.

Shock slammed into the room, and Audrey’s gaze swept across them again.

"Who else?"

Another man rose suddenly.

"No," he said quickly. "I would rather you kill me here than—"

"Oh?" Audrey cut in. "Mr. Corven, tell me... can you swim?"

The man froze, but said nothing.

Audrey’s smile widened slightly. "Well," she said, "I hope you can. Because you will be going somewhere where the ocean only exists."

She turned her head. "Anton," she said, "kindly show him the way."

Anton stepped forward, reached out, and grabbed the man’s arm.

The moment contact was made, a strange mark formed along the man’s skin. It looked like writing that made no sense.

The man barely had time to react when Anton snapped his fingers, and he vanished.

Sent instantly into the crushing depths of his pocket dimension, a space made entirely of a vast ocean.

That was Anton’s reawakened ability. To send or retrieve anything or anyone marked by him into any of the five pocket dimensions under his control.

Audrey turned back to the others.

"Is there anyone else," she asked calmly, "who would like to follow that example?"

No one moved at first.

Then a man stood.

Audrey’s lips curved slightly, ready to deal with Mr Amos Campbell.

But he did not step forward in defiance. Instead, he walked out from his seat and stopped midway between her and the others.

He looked at her, then turned toward the room. "Lady Audrey’s only mistake here was not approaching some of us directly."

A few heads turned toward him in surprise as he continued.

"Because if she had asked me... I would have agreed."

He turned back to her. "I already understand what this is. This is about tearing down an old regime.I am tired of it as well."

He looked back at the others.

"Leaders, Heads of Businesses, Members of parliament... this kingdom has been under the same rule for too long."

"Power was always meant to change hands. It was never meant to remain stagnant. Maybe it is time we try someone else."

He turned back to Audrey fully.

"So I stand with Lady Desdemona."

Then he walked to her side. A few seconds later, others followed.

When it was done, Audrey looked over the few who remained seated.

"Oh," she said softly, "I will assume the rest of you are staying seated because you are afraid."

She smiled. "That is still good enough for me."

Then she gestured to the others standing beside her. "Go back to your seats."

Those who had stepped forward returned without protest.

"Understand one thing. None of you can go against me. But I am not leaving that to chance, or to your fear."

She turned her head slightly. "Esmeray..."

Esmeray stepped forward and extended her hand. Magic circles appeared before them.

In that instant, each person in the room stiffened almost simultaneously as a subtle, invasive sensation pressed into their chests. Something had just touched their hearts.

It came as threads.

Fine, intangible, near-invisible strands extended from Esmeray’s magic circle. They bypassed every defense of the body, piercing inward.

A few of them gasped, while others instinctively grabbed at their chests.

The threads moved again, extending from each of them and converging toward Audrey.

She did not flinch as they reached her. But when the final thread connected, there was the faintest shift in her expression, a subtle flicker of sensation, as though she could now feel the presence of every single person in the room sitting somewhere beneath her skin.

Esmeray lowered her hand, signaling the completion of the spell.

She was a strong caster, skilled in high-level marionette magic spells.

"What beautiful Esmeray has just done," Audrey began after regaining her composure, "is link your lives to mine."

"If I were to die tomorrow, every single one of you in this room dies with me."

A few of them shifted in their seats, panic beginning to surface in their eyes.

Audrey’s lips curved.

"Oh, and this is a one-way arrangement, tied only to changes in my wellbeing. So if any of you die, I remain perfectly alive."

"Let me show you what I mean."

She moved her hand, pressing the sharpened edge of a ring she wore, into her other palm.

The skin broke and formed a shallow cut that made blood well up instantly.

Right then, every single person in the room reacted, wincing subtly as the same sting and sensation replicated perfectly across their own bodies.

Audrey watched them for a moment, then flexed her fingers slightly. As she did, the cut on her hand began to close.

She had reversed time on the wound itself.

Then she let the silence settle again

This time, everyone understood exactly how fucked they were, whether they had joined willingly or acted out of fear.

Then she spoke.

"Now that that is all said and done, every single one of you here should listen to these instructions, and listen carefully."

She went on to tell them exactly what she expected of them within the next twenty-four hours, making it clear she did not care if any of them went to the King with it.

A few minutes later, the meeting came to an end and they began to stand one after another.

As they reached the exit, Audrey’s voice followed them.

"Oh, and don’t worry," she said, almost pleasantly, "none of you should be offended by your drivers or escorts that came here with you. They simply had to go."

A few of them stiffened, but no one turned back.

She gave a small wave. "Cheers."

And they left.

—

Once the room had emptied and silence returned, Anton spoke. "That was... very cruel of you."

Audrey let out a soft breath. "Oh, please, Anton. Don’t start now."

"We are practically at the finish line. I am going to see this through."

"And this time, I will take the throne."

Anton sighed and rolled his eyes.

After a moment, Audrey slowed, as though something else had just crossed her mind.

"However..." she added. "There was one more person we did not call here."

Anton frowned slightly. "Who?"

"Mr. Ethan Stark." An amused smile crossed her lips. "For him... I think I will pay a visit instead."

The reason she had not extended the same invitation to Ethan was because he was too close to the palace.

He was involved with the princess, and that alone made him unpredictable. If he had received an invitation like the rest, there was a high chance he would have spoken to her about it. And unlike the others, he had access to someone who could immediately question its legitimacy.

That was a risk Audrey had no intention of taking.

So she had left him out.