With no one in Southlyn stepping up for Prince Damien, his public execution was all but guaranteed—a decision set in stone. Ninth Royal Uncle had no way to back down without losing face, so he was determined not to overturn his previous ruling.
"Aren't you worried?" Serena stepped forward, straightening Ninth Royal Uncle's collar as the two of them walked out together.
"Even if someone should worry, it’s not my job." Today was the public conference to decide Prince Damien’s fate, and Ninth Royal Uncle was in a rather good mood.
"If Prince Damien dies, you’ll be drowning in trouble." The things Damien said weren’t just empty threats—he was crazy enough to do exactly as he claimed.
Ninth Royal Uncle replied with certainty, "He won’t die." Even if he did, it wouldn’t be today.
"Who would still step up to save him?" Serena ran through every envoy and city in her mind, but couldn’t think of anyone close enough to Damien to speak for him.
The only one related to Damien by marriage, Reid Yale, was a prisoner himself—there was no way he could speak on Damien’s behalf.
Wait—by marriage?
Serena stopped in her tracks, her lips twitching. "You’re using the Grand Heir as your pawn." It wasn’t a question—it was a statement.
"Mm." Ninth Royal Uncle admitted it without hesitation.
William Wang thought he could just ignore Prince Damien’s case and walk away?
Dream on!
As long as Prince Damien carried Wang blood, William—who valued family honor above all—would never let him die in such a humiliating way.
"The Southlyn Envoy’s delay is your doing too?" Serena looked at Ninth Royal Uncle, unsure whether to praise his cunning or call him devious.
"Yes." Ninth Royal Uncle didn’t deny it either, though the warmth in his eyes faded a little.
"And the reason?" Serena was genuinely puzzled—what did Nolan gain by doing this?
"I just don’t like him." Nolan’s matter-of-fact tone made Serena want to punch him.
"You really are something, Regent Prince." Serena was left speechless by his childish behavior.
This man really could hold a grudge.
"Not bad." Ninth Royal Uncle walked on, his steps noticeably lighter than usual. Clearly, forcing the Grand Heir to bow his head had put him in a great mood.
Prince Damien’s status was extraordinary. Even with a public trial, it wasn’t going to happen in front of the masses—only envoys from various realms and senior Eastlyn officials could attend.
When Ninth Royal Uncle entered the hall, the envoys were already seated—except for Southlyn’s empty chair. As soon as Nolan walked in, everyone rose to greet him.
Nolan’s gaze slid from the empty Southlyn seat to William Wang. Their eyes met—Nolan’s expression shifted slightly, and William’s smile nearly faltered.
William wasn’t stupid. If he still didn’t know who was behind this, he might as well go back to Jixia Academy and start over. But even knowing the truth, what could he do?
It was already too late.
He’d always kept his distance from Damien’s affairs. Other than guessing that Nolan might spare Damien’s life, he knew nothing else.
William sighed inwardly, knowing that today, no matter what, he’d have to follow the path Nolan had set for him.
Once Nolan was seated, he instructed Felix Fuller to announce Prince Damien’s crimes.
Infiltrating Eastlyn, attempting to assassinate Nolan, murdering the City Lord of Night City, framing the former Crown Prince of Westlyn, conspiring to divide Eastlyn, inciting unrest in Southlyn, provoking multi-state war, causing the deaths of foreign naval forces, colluding with the Demon Sect, slaughtering martial-world heroes, plotting rebellion...
So many charges—some even Prince Damien himself might not remember. Yet Nolan had documented every single one, complete with supporting evidence.
The envoys, each with their own motives, were outraged as they listened to the list of Damien’s crimes—slamming tables, cursing, and demanding the harshest punishment.
Many of Damien’s crimes had hurt their own interests, treating them like fools to be used.
As for whether the charges were true, no one doubted it—if Nolan dared to say it, it could be checked. Even if Damien hadn’t done it all himself, he was still involved.
Nolan didn’t interrupt. Only after the crowd had vented did he slowly announce Eastlyn’s position: "Damien’s crimes are endless and unspeakable. By Eastlyn law, his entire clan should be executed."
"Damien is a Southlyn prince—he can’t be judged by Eastlyn law. Even if he deserves death, Southlyn should decide his fate. Ninth Royal Uncle, please hand him over to Southlyn for judgment." Jade City’s envoy, a branch of the Wang clan, spoke up even before William Wang could.
Even if the Wang clan disavowed him, they couldn’t deny the royal family of Southlyn carried Wang blood. If Southlyn didn’t care about their reputation, the Wang clan certainly did.
If a Wang clan member made a mistake, even death should be handled by their own family—not by outsiders telling them what to do.
"That’s right. Damien may be guilty of monstrous crimes and deserve death, but he’s still a Southlyn prince. For the Regent Prince to execute a foreign royal in public seems excessive." The envoy from Liancastle—one of Jason Lan’s men—was strictly following orders to oppose Nolan at every turn.
Chu City was part of Prince Jason’s faction, so naturally they didn’t want Nolan to gain prestige. If they could embarrass him, Chu City would gladly join in.
Unfortunately, only these three minor cities spoke up for Damien. Westlyn and Northlyn remained silent, and just three cities weren’t enough to make Nolan compromise.
Sure enough, before Chu City’s envoy could finish, the Westlyn envoy cut in: "Damien infiltrated Eastlyn for years—his victims were Eastlyn’s people. He started wars between realms, killed our Westlyn Crown Prince; used treasure as bait to slaughter soldiers from four kingdoms and nine cities; brought in demon cultists to butcher martial heroes.
His crimes go far beyond usurping Southlyn’s throne. It’s not just Eastlyn—even Westlyn has the right to execute him. If he weren’t a Southlyn prince, by Westlyn law, his entire clan would be forfeit."
The Northlyn Imperial Jade Seal had once been lost in Southlyn, sparking a fierce conflict between Northlyn and Southlyn. Though the seal was eventually recovered in Southlyn, the grudge between the two realms remained.
At a time like this, Northlyn naturally wouldn’t speak up for Damien—but they wouldn’t take a strong stance like Westlyn either. Northlyn, as always, stayed neutral.
With Eastlyn, Northlyn, and Westlyn—the three major powers—making their positions clear, Jade City, Chu City, and Liancastle had no right to object. The other city envoys wisely kept silent.
Most of them weren’t here for Damien—they’d come to test Ninth Royal Uncle. Cities like Cloud City, Reed City, and Ancestral City worried about whether Nolan would target them, even considering alliances.
Compared to their own interests, Damien’s fate—or who got to execute him—mattered little to them.
So the situation was one-sided. With no one from Southlyn speaking up, Ninth Royal Uncle controlled the entire negotiation. Ignoring Jade City’s plea, Nolan directly asked: Should Damien be drawn and quartered, or suffer slow execution?
Ninth Royal Uncle truly knew how to put on a show.
William Wang shook his head, knowing that if he didn’t intervene, things would end badly. Nolan would never let anyone challenge his authority.
But William Wang didn’t know that just as he prepared to step forward and demand Damien be handed to Southlyn, Southlyn’s envoy finally arrived…