Two-Faced Princess

Chapter 270

“Isn’t Paris’ presence enough?” The Emperor whispered with a smirk. “Even if nobles and commoners have reasons to oppose my rule, there is no reason to oppose Paris’s ascent. Even if they support Caelion deep inside, it would be difficult for them to argue that he should replace Paris. He is undeniably the embodiment of Apollo.”

“I see.”

“The culmination of my plans was always Paris’s ascent. The child has grown up now.” said the Emperor pensively, recalling a promise he made long ago. “If the opposing faction grows stronger, I can abdicate in favor of Paris at the right moment. Then…”

“Then what?” Seta asked, looking up at the Emperor. The Emperor raised her chin and kissed her cheek after she had buried her face in his chest with a relieved smile. However, his expression had stiffened again. He thought of his younger sister once more, the one whose loyalty and usefulness were gradually fading away.

“How many are there in total?”

“Currently, there are 232 in the room. No. One more just came in, so it’s 233.” Evangeline said, looking out the window. Apollonia was only able to feel a slight gust of wind, despite being told that something had entered. Apollonia was unsure whether to be impressed or astonished.

“Are these all the key components of ‘Milon’s Eye’? All of them?”

“Some of them. There are still many sources of information that do not visit this place.” Evangeline casually replied. She kept her promise, revealing all the information about ‘Milon’s Eye’ that nobody else knew to Apollonia.

“Who are the sources that don’t visit?”

“Human sources. It wouldn’t make sense for there to be only demons in my information network. My sources are scattered throughout the continent, so it’s costly to maintain.” Evangeline held out a biscuit to the air and said. The biscuits disappeared with a crunching sound, one by one. “So, you used the money earned from selling information.”

“That’s right. Some of the money you gave me as pocket money was also used for that.” Evangeline said. During her transactions with Apollonia, she received precious gemstones as bribes from time to time. “Then the ravens that bring messages are the ones delivering their news.”

“That’s right. They don’t perceive that they’re delivering information, though.” As Evangeline reached out her hand towards the raven that flew through the window, it approached quietly and perched on her arm.

“Evangeline.” Apollonia spoke, finding it hard to believe the sight of the combative bird showing affection to Evangeline.

“Yes?”

“Do you use magic to tame demons?”

“Magic? Hahaha!” Upon hearing Apollonia’s serious question, Evangeline burst into laughter. “I don’t know anything about magic. The only experience I had was when I played with a magical stone a sorcerer had made during my childhood. I ended up burning my younger brother’s hair with it.” Evangeline spoke with a smile, reminiscing about a pleasant memory. Apollo suddenly felt sorry for Evangeline’s younger brother, Lazen, the current crown prince. “Well, to me, it was just fun to study what demons are like. I was ten years old when I followed the sound of jackalope’s cries. I got lost and couldn’t find my way back home.”

“When did you return?”

“After two years.”

Apollonia changed her mind. The most pitiable ones were Evangeline’s parents. Evangeline shrugged her shoulders and said, “Later on, I became attached to the ravens, and in the process, I learned that they imprinted on both their enemies and their mothers. They spent their whole lives shuttling between the two. Their nature made them perfect messengers.”

“Imprinted on their mothers?”

“Like most birds, they imprint on what they see first after hatching from their eggs. Just as they have a nature to seek revenge against their enemies, they also have a nature to return to their mothers and obey them. So, I managed to get hold of a few eggs and hatched them to imprint on me. Then, their offspring, and the ones after that, all imprinted on me, which is why the birds in this room listen to me.”

As if to prove her point, a small raven swiftly entered the cage at Evangeline’s gesture.

“The sources in my information network were treated similarly. I bribed those I met during my travels, gained their trust, and received help from my father, the King. But the advantages of ‘Milon’s Eye,’ the exchange of quick information, is mainly taken care of by these birds.”

Apollonia nodded in approval. “So, you made them imprint on their so-called ‘mothers’ and ‘enemies’, constantly shuttling between the two to deliver messages, no matter where the person is.”

It was a simple yet brilliant method.