Chapter 580

Bigusler House, Guest Hall.

Inside the hall with the broken ceiling, the mess caused by the fierce battle had been cleaned up by the trembling servants.

Although the ceiling was still broken, the sofa and tea table had been moved out and placed in a new set, looking rather tidy.

Lockett and Tilly sat together as if they were waiting for something, not saying a word.

It was not until a long time later that there was some strange movement in the reception hall.

Swoosh!

Following a faint air-breaking sound, three figures appeared in front of Lockhart and Tilly at the same time.

They were three figures in cloaks.

"Alright, we are here."

With a calm tone, Shien held La Xia's hand in one hand and Lilith's hand in the other. None of them took off their cloaks, continuing to cover themselves with the cloaks and the hoods, creating a mysterious atmosphere.

Lockett and Tilly stood up right away.

It was a reflex action.

"They …?"

Tilly's eyes glimmered when she saw the two figures beside Shien, one big and one small.

Proctor's expression also changed slightly. He glanced at Hu Xia, then at Lilith, and then at Lilith. After that, his gaze stopped on Lilith.

He didn't know who the two people beside Shien were.

Without revealing their true identities, Proctor would not be able to recognize either Xia or Lilith.

Especially La Xia, she didn't have any magical wave on her and her presence was extremely unfamiliar. Lockett was sure he had never seen her before.

On the other hand, Lilith. Lockett pursed his lips and couldn't help but bow to her.

"Father?"

Tilly was astonished.

Obviously, the scene of Lockhart bowing respectfully to a little girl had frightened her.

Tilly didn't know what the little girl beside Shien meant to those who had crossed paths with him before.

Although Lockett had yet to recognize Lilith's identity, since she was a little girl brought along by Sean, then this little girl was either the terrifying dragon demon or the terrifying evil god.

The sad thing was, no matter which one it was, he dared not offend or even be rude.

Therefore, Lockhart had no choice but to bow to him.

Tilly didn't know the reason behind the bow, so she was shocked.

However, when she saw Lockett bowing to Lilith respectfully, Tilly hurriedly followed suit. She then sized up Lilith with an obscure gaze, as if she was trying to see through Lilith's identity and find out why her father was so respectful to her.

Of course, Lilith wouldn't care about that.

Whether Lockett and Tilly bowed or not, it had nothing to do with her.

She just showed an innocent look as usual. While being held by Sean, she began to look around curiously and observe the surrounding environment.

As for La Xia, she didn't say or do anything. She was like a real puppet, following closely beside Shien and moving along with Shien's movements.

Shien then walked up to Lockett and sat down openly.

Lilith immediately threw herself into Sean's arms and was held in his arms.

La Xia, on the other hand, quietly took out a tray with a few steaming cups of tea and placed them in front of Shien, Lockett and Tilly. She then stood behind Shien, fully displaying what a qualified maid was.

Lockett and Tilly couldn't help but take a glance at her.

Under such circumstances …

"Speak." Shien passed the tea to Lilith, allowing her to blow on it and sip it in small sips. At the same time, he said to Lockett in a casual manner, "How did you guys end up like this?"

Shien's words made Lockett's face turn heavy.

Then, the strongest knight in the Empire let out a sigh.

"It's actually very simple," Lockett said calmly, "The Imperial Consort made a move on us."

With that, Proctor told Sean everything that had happened.

It turned out that when Harvey brought Lockett to the kingdom to search for helpers that could help him usurp the throne, the Imperial Consort didn't stay idle either. While Harvey and Lockett weren't around, she spread a very unfavorable rumor in the Empire.

The rumor was that Harvey and Lockhart were suspected of treason and had long been in cahoots with the kingdom.

It was actually a very stupid rumor.

That was because Harvey and Lockhart were of high status. One was a prince favored by the people and the most ideal successor to the throne, while the other was the strongest knight in the empire and had always been the role model and idol of the people of the empire. These two people had power and fame, and they also had enough popularity and prestige in the empire. No one would believe that they would betray the empire.

Most importantly, there was no reason for it, right?

Wasn't it good to be the first in line to the throne?

Wasn't it good to be the leader of the Imperial Knight Squad?

It was a position that could be said to be under one and above tens of thousands of people in the Empire. The future of the Empire could be said to belong to both of them. Since that was the case, what was the point of them betraying the Empire and defecting to the enemy to be someone else's dog?

Especially Harvey. As a direct descendant of the Empire's royal family, he had a long-standing grudge against the kingdom's royal family. Both of them were descendants of the Hero, so what reason did they have to defy the Empire?

It was completely unnecessary, wasn't it?

What was it for?

Nothing, right?

In addition, everyone in the Empire knew that Lockett had always viewed Alidia as an opponent. Everyone believed that anyone could have committed treason against the Empire, but it was impossible for these two to do so.

However, those who had the intention did not want to confirm the crimes of these two.

They only wanted to have someone suspect Harvey and Lockett, forming a rumor in the Imperial Capital that would affect Harvey and Lockett's reputation and spread some rumors. That would be enough.

This way, regardless of whether the matter was true or false, there would definitely be people in the Empire who would take action against this matter. For example, they would investigate Harvey and interrogate Lockett, making these two listen to their orders. Then, their goal would be achieved.

This was because they could take advantage of this opportunity to gradually attack Harvey and Lockhart's reputation in the Imperial Capital.

Take Harvey for example. At the start, people would believe that it was impossible for him to commit treason, but if the nobles in the Imperial Palace constantly admonished him and created an atmosphere that he had indeed done something wrong, then would the suspicious nobles around Harvey who supported him still trust him so firmly? Would the people still believe that there was nothing wrong with him?

Another example was Lockett. If someone from the Bigusler Family came to interrogate and investigate every few days, creating a tense atmosphere that there was something wrong with this family, then wouldn't others become suspicious?

It was just like if a person was frequently visited by the police and invited for tea, then the neighbors would definitely suspect that he had done something wrong. Harvey and Lockett had fallen into the enemy's trap and were gradually being doubted.

By the time the two of them came back to their senses, rumors of them colluding with the enemy and committing treason had already spread throughout the Imperial Capital, causing the Imperial Capital to be in a constant state of panic and unrest. Because of this, the two of them were beaten down by the enemy. One was grounded and not allowed to take a single step out of the Imperial Palace, while the other had his entire family taken away and was detained by the Empire. On the surface, it was an investigation, but in reality, it was constantly weakening the combat strength around them.

"As you can see, other than some servants and maids who are unable to fight, only the two of us are left in my family. That's why the Renit Family took the opportunity to force the Emperor to abdicate, attempting to create an established fact. It's said that His Highness's situation in the Imperial Palace isn't very good either. The nobles who originally chose to support him were either threatened and tempted to defect to the enemy, or they were labeled as accomplices and detained in the name of interrogation."

Lockett spoke coldly.

"Right now, His Highness and I are isolated and helpless. I'm not even allowed to enter the Imperial Palace to see His Highness."

If this continued, the two of them would definitely be completely pinned down by the increasingly serious rumors and eventually become isolated.

When that time comes, the enemy would be able to attack them without restraint and make them guilty of 'treason'.

This situation was a little difficult for Lockhart to bear.

"There were a few times when I wanted to barge into the Imperial Palace and rescue His Highness. It wasn't easy for me to restrain my impulse."

Lockett actually had such a plan.

Shien rolled his eyes.

"Fortunately, you didn't do that." Shien said in annoyance, "Otherwise, they could say that the two of you fled in fear of punishment and confirm your identity as traitors."

If that happened, Harvey and Lockhart would definitely be endlessly hunted down until they really committed treason and joined the arms of another country, obtaining their protection.

Perhaps this was the Imperial Concubine's goal?

"In short, we're in a very bad situation right now." Lockett stared at Shien and said, "Since you've come to the Empire, that means you want to attack the Imperial Concubine, right?"

Before Sean could react to these words, Tilly's expression had already changed.

So, this mysterious expert was here for the Poison Concubine?

Shien did not answer the question.

"Let me ask you," Shien stared at Lockett and said, "How is Tierre?"

This question first made Tilly confused, then Lockett fell into deep thought.

Lockett knew about Tierre's existence. He also knew that Mara had his eyes on Tierre and that she had come to the Imperial Capital to become a thief.

He did not know what Tierre was planning to do.

But he knew what had happened to that strange thief.

Lockett then revealed something that Shien could not just sit back and watch.

"A while ago, the Imperial Concubine left the Imperial Palace for some unknown reason.

"That person took the opportunity to sneak into the Imperial Palace and was ambushed by the Lefelut Family."

"She was injured."

"Her abdomen was pierced by Worean Lefelut and she fled with heavy injuries."