Divorcing the Duke to Buy the World

Chapter 94: Face Off With Empress

Evelina stood at the center of the room, calmly smoothing down the folds of her gown.

She looked up at the throne, meeting Prince Elian’s bloodshot gaze.

Her lips curved into a calm, victorious smile.

"Thank you for your justice, Your Highness.’’

...

Inside the grand palace, there was an atmosphere of gloom.

The sight inside the Empress’s private chambers looked far from graceful with spilled wine and shattered glass all over the floor.

All that destruction seemed to have done nothing to soothe Prince Elian’s roaring blood.

He slammed his fist onto the round table, rattling the delicate porcelain teacups.

"Most of them knew that Isabella worked for me yet they dragged her away like a common thief to the Southern wastes. Where do I put my face? Who would pay heed to my commands in the future?!" Elian hissed, his face twisted in rage.

"And that woman... Evelina Alvarez. Mother, we cannot sit idly by while the Alvarez estate mocks the crown!"

The Empress did not answer immediately.

She sat perfectly rigid on her chaise, her manicured fingers tightening around a silk handkerchief.

Her face was strangely pale.

"Mother?" Elian frowned, his anger momentarily giving way to suspicion, "You look uneasy. Are you unwell... or are you bothered by this incident? Surely, you aren’t intimidated by that woman’s so-called ’capabilities’, right?"

The Empress’s gaze remained fixed on the flickering fireplace as she let out a small breath.

"The number of times I have met Evelina Alvarez can be counted on one hand," the Empress whispered, her voice barely audible, "But each time, she has resembled someone more and more from my memory... Those wits, the looks, those emerald eyes...’’

Elian stepped closer, his brow furrowing deep, "Her? Who could she possibly remind you of? Her father is a simple local count who clawed his way into a title, and her mother was executed for infidelity decades ago? Although she has the looks of an alluring courtesan, there is nothing so special about her..."

The Empress’s eyes snapped toward him, "Yet you wanted to make her your Crown Princess? We stand here today, solely because of your foolish actions, and you are trying to malign another woman for it?!" Her voice rose from its usual pitch, making Elian freeze.

"Mother, I... know I was wrong but you can’t let her continue to humiliate me like that."

The Empress remained silent for a few moments before she spoke, "We cannot let her grow any further. Her leverage in the capital must end now."

During this chaotic time, Evelina’s boutiques had dominated every corner of the Capital. Even though a large chunk of her stocks had been burnt to ash, her existing influence was a threat in itself.

Abusing the administrative authority of her imperial seal, the Empress bypassed the Emperor’s regular oversight entirely.

By noon, a devastating Imperial Decree was stamped and sent to the capital gates.

An astronomical ’Emergency Luxury Tax’ was placed specifically on raw linen transit.

The Imperial Border Guards received a direct order to immediately confiscate and hold any incoming Alvarez cargo under the guise of a legal inspection.

On the other side of the capital, inside the guest estate, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Evelina sat behind her desk, her slender fingers tracing the edge of a fresh parchment.

Beside her, Ace stood with a crowd of grey clouds over his head, "I will handle it."

Evelina had turned in all the evidences that secretly pointed to the prince but Isabella had taken the hit for it.

And nobody had tried to compensate Evelina yet, let alone hold the prince responsible for this turn of events.

"I will use the Alvarez authority to escalate this issue and see the Emperor to secure this deal," Ace’s voice did not waver.

The man spoke like he was ready to take away all her troubles.

Evelina looked at him, zoning out for a moment.

From what she knew, the Alvarez authority was only used for national affairs like wars but he seemed pretty solemn about approaching, even the Emperor, to sort her troubles.

Suddenly, a glowing screen flashed in front of her.

[Mini Objective: Turn the Crown’s legal trap into a financial suicide pact.]

[Potential Reward: +15,000 Points & Unlock Secret storage item.]

[Failure Penalty: System interface locks for 7 days.]

Evelina’s lips twitched.

Secret storage item? System lock?

Although Evelina was a little confused, she looked at Ace right away, "You don’t need to do anything. I will handle it."

A mini-objective? How convenient. I was already planning to destroy them anyway.

On the other hand, Ace did not look convinced. He seemed to be determined to act by himself.

But at this moment, a knock rattled the study door.

The head clerk rushed in, sweating profusely despite the autumn chill.

"Your Grace! Disastrous news! The Empress has just passed a new emergency luxury tax at the borders. Our largest shipment of raw flax and linen wagons and three months’ worth of inventory has just been surrounded by the Imperial Guard at the capital checkpoints! They are demanding a tax that exceeds the value of the goods themselves!"

The clerk looked on the verge of tears.

Evelina didn’t even blink. She had already calculated this exact scenario the moment Isabella fell.

"Let them keep the wagons," Evelina calmly said.

"What?!" The clerk gasped, "But Your Grace, without those materials, our capital supply will run completely dry within two days! High society will think we are bankrupt!"

"Let them think whatever helps them sleep at night," Evelina leaned back in her high chair, "The capital warehouses were just a front to bait Elian anyway."

Ace looked at her, visibly intrigued by her words. He had been warning her against the Crown Prince all this time and she hadn’t seemed to care much about his words.

But now, it looked like she had been taking two steps ahead, all this time.

The glint in Ace’s eyes deepened as his eyes focused on the woman in front of him, ’How interesting.’

Clueless of his wandering thoughts, Evelina turned her gaze toward a map on the wall as she addressed the visibly curious head clerk.