Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 151: Tiya, Why Are You So Worked Up?

Here it comes!

From afar, Princess Shirina raised an eyebrow, unsurprised by the unfolding drama.

When she first heard of Lynn’s audacious actions tonight, she was shocked, but not entirely surprised.

Since their first meeting, she had sensed this young man’s modus operandi: he would stop at nothing.

He was the kind of person who could turn black into white, accuse a hero of being a demonic spy, and make it stick. Truly outrageous.

Now, she was curious to see how this fellow would counter the silent kill move Marquis Mosgra had just unleashed.

“Speak your mind, Lord Fred,” Saint Roland VI said with a nod.

At these words, Marquis Mosgra stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and raised his voice. “Your Majesty, I accuse!”

“I accuse Lynn Bartleon of spreading malicious lies, using underhanded means to falsely implicate others and gain the support of an Elector Count.

“Furthermore, he publicly shot and killed my grandson, Dallion Mosgra, and with the Third Princess’s backing, distorted the truth to make it appear as an accident.

“Even Duke Tyrius wrote a letter on his behalf to cover up the truth.

“As an old man with limited influence, I cannot contend with the open and covert pressures from the Tyrius family. Only in this venue, under Your Majesty’s authority, can I bring this matter to light.”

As he spoke, Marquis Mosgra cast a cold glare at Lynn.

In the brief moment their gazes met, Lynn caught a glimpse of malice and venom in the old man’s eyes.

It was clear that this so-called friend of his father, long buried on the frontier, held no sympathy for him.

The Marquis’s previous silence wasn’t due merely to the Second Prince’s ambiguous stance after heading to the frontier. It was all a calculated move leading up to today.

He had waited for this moment. When he struck, it would be with precision.

Now that Lynn had aligned himself with the Third Princess and gained unstoppable momentum upon returning to the capital, why not save the bullet for the perfect opportunity, when he would slip and expose a flaw?

What the Marquis hadn’t expected was that Lynn would make such a misstep so soon—whether out of arrogance or carelessness.

At the Emperor’s furrowed brows and rising anger, Saint Roland VI exclaimed, “Publicly killing a marquis family heir? This is outrageous!”

“Even a prince would face justice under imperial law for such a crime, let alone a subordinate of Yveste... Lynn Bartleon, how do you respond to the Marquis’s accusations?”

The Emperor’s words carried a force that seemed to resonate with the soul, filling the air with a palpable sense of awe.

All eyes turned to Lynn, waiting for his response.

Lynn chuckled. “Of course, I object.”

“If the old—uh, I mean, if the Marquis is so sure I’ve been spreading malicious lies and twisting the truth, he must have ironclad evidence to convict me.”

“In that case, present the evidence. Otherwise, this is nothing but a baseless slander against my innocence.”

Marquis Mosgra’s eyes flashed with a cold sneer.

Evidence? Of course, he had none.

All the nobles who attended that banquet had either been bribed or threatened by Duke Tyrius, rendering them silent on the matter.

In an attempt to uncover the truth, the Marquis had even resorted to abducting a minor noble from the region and using memory-probing methods to reconstruct the events.

Unfortunately, the noble had died on the spot when a curse activated, clearly indicating that the Third Princess had taken great measures to ensure the secrecy of that night’s events.

Obtaining evidence directly was nearly impossible, but for the Marquis, this was irrelevant.

At times, condemning someone didn’t require evidence at all.

Or rather, everything he’d said so far was merely prelude—bait to draw out Lynn’s response.

“Then, to prove your innocence, do you agree to an investigation?” Marquis Mosgra said coldly, “Even if it involves using risky sealed artifacts to search your memories?”

Lynn glanced at him with a look reserved for idiots. “I have reasonable suspicion that you assaulted a pig in the Bartleon family’s neighboring farm. Please cooperate with my accusations and allow me to use sealed artifacts to investigate you.”

Marquis Mosgra was caught off guard by this retort, freezing for a few seconds before his expression darkened considerably.

“Pfft!”

The sudden sound of laughter shattered the tense atmosphere.

Lynn instinctively looked up to see a silver-haired girl in the crowd, stifling a giggle at his remark.

She was petite, her age seemingly close to Eleanor’s, with silver twin-tails cascading down her shoulders. Her porcelain-like face was delicate and flawless, like a finely crafted doll.

If Yveste was the God-forsaken one whom no one loved, this girl was the exact opposite.

She seemed born to be adored, a little princess nurtured in warmth and privilege, raised to the pinnacle of pampered refinement.

She was Ninth Princess Aimestade, the younger sister of Second Prince Felit.

This information flashed through Lynn’s mind in an instant.

Noticing his gaze, the Ninth Princess quickly wiped the smile off her face. With an air of indignation, she snorted and playfully bared her small tiger-like teeth at him.

Lynn withdrew his gaze without further reaction.

Meanwhile, the accusations against him continued.

“Since this matter is disputed and given the solemnity of today’s occasion, I propose we set it aside for now,” Marquis Mosgra said, his tone respectful as he addressed Saint Roland VI. “However, Your Majesty, regarding this old friend’s son, I have another accusation to present.”

“Another one?”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance of the day’s unfolding events.

Lynn glanced at the Emperor but chose to remain silent.

"Indeed," Marquis Mosgra said, lifting his gaze to meet the eyes of one of the Emperor’s retinue behind Saint Roland VI. "Of course, it might seem inappropriate for me to bring this matter up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cardinal Connor Gregory of the Divine Order Church let out a barely audible sigh.

Noticing this, the Emperor cast a questioning glance toward the cardinal.

Clad in a red robe adorned with golden patterns and gemstones, Cardinal Connor offered a slight bow. “Your Majesty, given that tonight is a grand banquet to celebrate the triumphant return of the Empire’s warriors, the Divine Order Church does not wish to spoil the atmosphere.”

“However, since the Marquis has broached the topic, I shall take the opportunity to pose a few questions to this... Mr. Lynn.”

“Speak your questions plainly,” the Emperor said, his gaze briefly sweeping over Lynn.

Cardinal Connor smiled faintly, nodding toward Lynn as if greeting him in a cordial manner.

“The recent events on the frontier are likely known to all present,” the cardinal began, casting a glance around the hall. “My first question pertains to the report submitted by the Third Princess to the Ministry of Defense. It states that to prevent a Level-0 Sealed Artifact from going berserk, you personally absorbed its core traits.

“As a First-Rank Extraordinary, how did you survive the corruption and destruction of the artifact’s core traits?”

Here it comes, Lynn thought, his expression calm as ever. Inside, however, he wasn’t surprised.

He replied evenly, “Everything is detailed in the report.”

Cardinal Connor nodded. “Lynn Bartleon, though it pains me to address you as such, the Church’s records describe you as a ‘Forsaken One,’ expelled by divine decree. In your desperation, you turned to demonic prayer, summoning an unnameable creature to suppress the rampaging traits of the artifact within you.

“This information is consistent with the military’s report and has been verified as accurate.”

“Am I correct?”

After a prolonged silence, Lynn’s voice echoed through the vast Council Hall. “Yes.”

The audience collectively gasped, their eyes wide with shock.

Many instinctively stepped back, increasing the distance between themselves and the boy.

To the Empire, demons were synonymous with evil and savagery—sworn enemies responsible for countless deaths on battlefields each year. The hatred toward them ran deep and irreconcilable.

Now, this young man openly admitted his connection to a demon.

The crowd’s gazes grew wary and repulsive, with fear and hostility visible in their expressions.

“The second question,” Cardinal Connor continued, seemingly unperturbed by the shift in the room’s atmosphere. “During the Level-0 Sealed Artifact riot, 108 Extraordinary members of the Divine Order Church in Orne City perished. Upon investigation, all their deaths bore identical characteristics, as if their hearts had been gouged out by a demon.

“Eyewitnesses from other churches claim to have seen a demon on the day of the incident, one they believe to be related to you.

“What do you have to say about this?”

Though his tone remained calm, the cardinal’s words grew sharper, the implication clear: Do you admit to committing these atrocities?

Lynn, of course, wouldn’t admit to it. Only a fool would.

“I know nothing about it,” he said, shaking his head.

Instead of disappointment, the cardinal’s eyes showed understanding. He nodded.

“Then for my third question,” Cardinal Connor said, “I’ll turn not to him, but to someone else present here.”

With that, he turned slightly, directing his gaze toward Xiya, who stood beside Princess Shirina.

“Captain Xiya,” the cardinal said with a genial smile. “As a battle hero of the Empire, you possess admirable virtue. I hope you will answer my next question truthfully.”

Caught off guard, Xiya frowned.

He was still stewing in his resentment and shock over Lynn’s audacious actions on the frontier. The sudden focus of attention unsettled him.

But he did not falter and nodded. “Please proceed, Your Grace.”

“According to unofficial reports from the military, before leaving the teleportation facility, you had a conflict with the Third Princess’s group.

“During this time, Mr. Lynn allegedly slandered you, attempting to brand you a demonic spy. Is this true?”

Recalling the incident, Xiya’s expression darkened. After a brief pause, he nodded. “It’s true.”

The cardinal continued, “Additionally, according to his statement, though you had never met before, you harbored an inexplicable animosity toward him.

“In your opinion, is it possible that ‘Lynn Bartleon has been corrupted by demonic power and, out of guilt, sought to accuse you first’?”

Realizing the intent behind the cardinal’s questions, Xiya’s eyes lit up slightly.

If this were true, Lynn’s guilt would be undeniable, leaving him no room to escape punishment.

As Xiya prepared to answer, a slender figure suddenly stepped forward.

Tiya unexpectedly emerged, placing herself between Xiya and the cardinal. Her icy gaze was fixed on Lynn.

“There’s no need for such trouble,” she said in a voice as cold as her eyes.

“I swear on my honor as the Silent Saintess that Xiya has nothing to do with this. He is innocent.

“The real culprit is none other than the person standing before you.”

She turned to the crowd. “If you truly wish to uncover what happened that day, the solution is simple: let him agree to have a sealed artifact used to probe his memories and reconstruct the events for everyone to see.”

“Unfortunately, it seems he doesn’t have the courage for that.”

Though Tiya’s voice was ethereal and soothing, there was an underlying urgency that even she didn’t fully understand.

Normally, she would never involve herself in such dramatic displays, yet here she was, uncharacteristically stepping into the limelight.

Xiya, unaware of her inner turmoil, remained oblivious to her motivations.

Seeing the girl take such initiative to prove his innocence, a surge of deep gratitude welled up in Xiya's heart.

The grudge he had harbored against Lynn instantly dissipated.

But... why did Tiya seem so unusually emotional right now?

Though puzzled, Xiya knew this wasn’t the time to dwell on such thoughts and decided to set them aside for the moment.

Tiya’s proposal quickly gained approval from the crowd.

The logic was simple: if they could witness what had happened that day, determining who was innocent would be easy.

Once again, all eyes turned to Lynn, and the atmosphere grew tense with silence.

Everyone expected him to refuse again, as he had done before. Yet, to their surprise, Lynn suddenly cast a glance in Tiya’s direction before lowering his head deeply.

“All right,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion. “Since that’s what you all demand... I agree.”

He agreed?

His response sent waves of shock through the crowd.

The boy who had been defiant moments ago had suddenly relented.

At that moment, only Tiya seemed to grasp what had just transpired.

Recalling the glance Lynn had sent her way—the one filled with sorrow, resignation, and pain—she felt an unexplainable frustration bubble within her.

Don’t look at me like that!

I don’t even know you!

And... don’t make it seem as if it’s because of me that you’re agreeing to this proposal!

In the corner of the room, the Silent Saintess clenched her teeth, her heart pounding furiously in her chest.