Final Verdict, the Hand of the Emperor of Westlyn

"Husband, did you hear that? This is all Sean's scheme—he tricked you, he set you up, he only wants to seize control of Skyvault Palace! You must pull yourself together and not let Sean's plot succeed!"

Irene Lu didn’t care whether Sean really wanted Skyvault Palace or not—she only knew she couldn’t lose the Palace Master’s trust. As long as she held the Palace Master’s trust, she was still Lu Yimo; as long as she was Lu Yimo, nothing would ever change.

But the Skyvault Palace Master ignored Irene Lu. Once he was willing to face reality, he would no longer drown in her lies. The Palace Master pushed Irene aside and staggered forward: "Sean, do you want Skyvault Palace? Fine, I can give it to you. Just let Little Fei and Jeremy go, and tell me what you know."

He had lost. If he still couldn’t see the truth at this point, then all his years had been wasted—Skyvault Palace was already beyond his control.

"Hahaha..."

Sean laughed scornfully: "Give me Skyvault Palace? Father, that’s hilarious. What have you ever given me since I was born? Skyvault Palace? Do you think I care about it? If you could bring Aunt Emma back to life, I’d hand you ten Skyvault Palaces without a second thought."

Sean’s eyes brimmed with sorrow. He swept his gaze over Irene Lu, finally resting on the Palace Master: "Father... Aunt Emma’s greatest mistake in this life was having a venomous-hearted sister and ever meeting us. If it weren’t for me, you never would have met Aunt Emma, never liked her, never married this woman, and never been driven to Eastlyn by her. It’s all your fault… you killed Aunt Emma."

"Sean, shut up! Are you still going to spout nonsense here, still slander me? Have you forgotten how I treated you when you were little? Sean, you’re ungrateful!" Even now, Irene Lu refused to give up, still struggling desperately on the brink.

As long as Emma Lu didn’t appear, no one could claim Irene wasn’t Lu Yimo. Everyone in the world knew Lu Yimo had no family—no sisters.

"Dad, Mom, what’s going on? Let us go—let us go!" Sienna and Jeremy could sense something was terribly wrong. They kicked and screamed wildly at those holding them, shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Block their mouths," Sean said impatiently.

"Mmmph, mmmph..." Jeremy and Sienna were thoroughly gagged, and the great hall fell silent. The Palace Master said nothing, just waited—waited for Sean to talk about the past.

Irene Lu glared fiercely at Sean, her eyes filled with icy hatred and desperate madness. She lunged forward, trying to claw at Sean.

"Sean, you’re not even human! For Skyvault Palace you’ll stoop to anything—even hurt your own father and half-siblings, you beast—"

She didn’t get to finish. Sean shoved her to the ground without mercy and, to keep her from getting up, stomped his foot onto her chest. "Irene Lu, you underestimate me. No matter what I do, I’d never use Aunt Emma’s name as a bargaining chip. You and I both know the truth. Don’t think you can hide everything just because you believe no one knows who you really are."

Irene Lu, this shrewish brawling is your true nature, isn’t it? A counterfeit is always a counterfeit—no matter how long you pretend, you’ll never be the real Aunt Emma. Everything you have now is just a bubble; one touch and it shatters.

"No, no, I am Emma Lu! I am not Irene Lu! How dare you call me Irene Lu?" As long as she refused to admit it, there was still hope. But once she confessed, she could never recover.

She had lived as Emma Lu for eighteen years—she refused to ever go back to being Irene Lu, never again...

Tears streamed down Irene Lu’s face, but Sean showed not a trace of sympathy. "Irene Lu, don’t think just because everyone who knew the truth is dead, no one knows who you are. The Lu pirate clan was wiped out in a single night; only you and Aunt Emma survived. Twenty years ago Aunt Emma showed up in Westlyn to investigate the massacre of the Lu clan."

To protect the Lu bloodline, Aunt Emma hid you away. So even when Aunt Emma was famous in Westlyn, no one knew she had a twin sister. And you exploited that—you schemed to frame Aunt Emma, sold her off to Eastlyn, turned her into a pariah with no freedom, so she could never return to Westlyn and challenge you.

Too bad... Fate had other plans. Aunt Emma didn’t die nameless and disgraced as you wished. Instead, General Feng took her in and made her his wife.

Sean paused, then looked up at the Palace Master: Oh, right... Father, weren’t you curious why the Emperor of Westlyn, who once adored Aunt Emma, didn’t react at all when he heard you married this woman? Let me tell you—the Emperor of Westlyn knew all along you were marrying a fake.

All these years, you locked yourself away in Skyvault Palace for a fake, afraid the Emperor of Westlyn would come for her. Little did you know, he laughed at you every day for pampering a counterfeit, letting a woman fool you completely.

The Emperor of Westlyn deliberately kept news of Aunt Emma from you, so you’d live your whole life in a lie. Then, one day, he’d expose you, knocking you from heaven to hell.

Sean truly was ruthless—even now, he didn’t miss a chance to strike at the Palace Master. But the meaning behind his words...

So, back then, her mother was famous in Westlyn? The Emperor of Westlyn was infatuated with her, even going so far as to block all news for her sake?

Serena felt a chill. She suddenly realized her mother wasn’t just strong—she was extraordinary. Even knowing they were enemies, the Emperor of Westlyn still protected her mother. Just how powerful was her mother’s charm?

"Sean, shut up! I’m not—I’m not a counterfeit! I am Emma Lu, I am Emma Lu, I am the Palace Mistress of Skyvault! You can’t treat me like this, you can’t... Husband, husband, you believe me, you believe me!" Irene Lu screamed hysterically. Whether her madness was real or feigned, Serena could see the frenzy in her eyes clearly.

Turns out, the whole world knew—except him. He’d thought he’d beaten the Emperor of Westlyn, but from beginning to end, he’d been nothing but a joke. A pitiful joke.

"I have a personal letter from the Emperor of Westlyn. Father, you should recognize it." Sean took out a letter and handed it to the Palace Master.

Sean never fought a battle unprepared. If he was going to seize power, he’d consider every possibility and make sure Irene Lu could never recover.

Over the years, he’d seen Irene Lu’s tricks—how she played his father for a fool time and again.

The Palace Master snatched the letter and read it eagerly. The more he read, the darker his face became. "Hahaha... I’m a joke, I’m a joke."

The Palace Master’s old face was streaked with tears.

"Irene Lu, is there anything left you want to say?" Sean withdrew his foot, looking down at her from above.

At last, at last, the mask was ripped off this woman. It was deeply satisfying.

"Sean, shut up! I’m not—I’m not a fake! I’m Lu Yimo, I’m Lu Yimo, I’m the Palace Mistress of Skyvault! You can’t treat me like this, you can’t... Husband, husband, you believe me, you believe me!" Irene Lu screamed hysterically. Whether her madness was real or fake, Serena could see the frenzy in her eyes clearly.

This kind of family drama was usually the last thing Serena cared about, but today she had no choice but to stay—because the fate of Skyvault Palace’s power hung in the balance...