Time.

April 9th.

There was one day left until Ethan's public trial.

In the past days, many things have been changing.

But one thing remained unchanged, and that was Ethan's public trial.

Even though Ned had been running around, seeking connections, flipping through regulations, he even made it to the Royal Capital.

But the outcome was, no changes.

Only until now did Ned realize that he, the controller of the Winster Court, the former second-in-command of actual power in Winster, was so powerless in front of true nobility.

Just the Kingdom Statistical Bureau and the Evans Clan were already overwhelming.

During these days of mediation, he delved deep into understanding how colossal the Kingdom Statistical Bureau truly was.

Its roots were so intertwined that even Ned was unwilling to delve too deeply.

It was certain that it was a department formed by strong military intervention.

And behind it, there was a high probability it was the Second Prince.

The Second Prince, Adrian Nocturis, now thirty years old, an extremely dazzling star in the royal family, and also a military star. He was just awarded the rank of Army Major General this year and is the leading figure of the military's younger generation.

And most crucially, he was the one favored by that King.

The so-called King was not the current King Lucian II, but the original King, the founder of the Kingdom, the creator of all laws and rules, the one who came across the sea during the Kingdom's greatest crisis and stabilized the situation—

Prince Tranniska.

It's just unknown whether it was the passage of time or intentional concealment that people have forgotten or cannot know the real name of this King, only that he was indeed once a noble bloodline of the Nokturnis Clan.

He abdicated after thirty years of reign, leaving the Kingdom with incredibly precious wealth, including stable livelihoods, abundant treasury, and solid laws.

He single-handedly created this Kingdom.

He was the true king of kings.

In the minds of most people, this King was already a legend, a legend, and he had already slumbered in this land.

But only those like Ned who were deeply involved in the Kingdom's system knew that this King was always alive, hidden behind a heavy curtain, coexisting eternally with his Kingdom.

Even though he seemingly no longer inquired about state affairs, behind every major event, there was bound to be this King's hand.

So, this matter couldn't be overturned.

Because behind Joseph, there was that hand.

And he himself also bore the surname Evans.

Perhaps in Winster, the Evans family was a surname that had fallen into the mire, but in the Royal Capital, it was a pearl on a high platform.

This surname could be traced back to the beginning of the Kingdom's establishment; in the Kingdom's history, there were a total of thirty-five Prime Ministers, of which two bore the surname Evans.

This was the weight of the Evans name.

So Ned couldn't find any help in the Royal Capital at all.

His so-called allies and friends all temporarily cut off contact with him or claimed they had already tried their best.

Ned felt somewhat powerless.

He could completely give up on Ethan.

After all, at the beginning, he just thought he was a usable chess piece, and his daughter seemed to have some interest in him.

But as time went on, he found this young man indeed exceptional, exceptional to the point where he couldn't help but marvel.

He had come to greatly admire this young man, viewing him as a kind of successor.

Perhaps his daughter could truly be entrusted to him.

Sofia indeed was deeply smitten.

Seeing Ned hang up the phone again, Sofia couldn't wait any longer and came forward to ask, "Father, how is it? Is there a way? Can you transfer Ethan to the Judicial Hall?"

The news outside was chaotic, and even Sofia couldn't help but know the whole picture. She had even visited Ethan's manor.

Ethan, on the other hand, was carefree, comforting Sofia, saying there was nothing to worry about, and that in a few days it would all be fine, and when the weather improved, he would take her out for some fresh air and a nature trip.

Sofia returned with tears, saying, "Father, that sounded like a farewell speech, just like when mother left years ago. She said she would take me to the Royal Capital to buy pretty dresses, Father, you must save him."

Sofia's mother did not die, she just returned to the Royal Capital and hadn't come back for many years.

"I will ask other friends again." Ned sighed, having no choice but to deceive Sofia this way.

"Actually… Father, after all these years, why don't you…" Sofia was silent for a long while before finally gathering the courage to cautiously speak.

"No way." For this sentence, Ned uncharacteristically was adamant, saying no way.

Of course he knew his daughter's thoughts, but...

Impossible.

He actually was already preparing for the worst, that if the public trial succeeded and Ethan was doomed, he could only rescue him.

Coincidentally, the True Name Gathering had been restarted these days.

Initially, it was restarted to deal with Oswaldo, but now it could only be used to save Ethan.

Compared to the gloom in the Shire family.

The scene in Bolita Manor was completely different; if it were captured, it might shock everyone.

First, people outside the manor saw white smoke rising from the manor, initially thinking it was on fire.

Even members of the Kingdom Statistical Bureau who had been monitoring Ethan thought the same.

Their first reaction was that Ethan was trying to escape under the cover of a fire.

So, they immediately wanted to rush into the manor, only to be blocked by members of the Bolita family.

"Get out of the way, don't you see your house is on fire?"

Members of the Kingdom Statistical Bureau with Winster typewriters were confronting members of the Bolita family.

"Who says there's a fire? Our young master is just grilling something to eat," said a member of the Bolita family with a disdainful smile.

But the Kingdom Statistical Bureau didn't believe it and insisted on going in to check.

They were actually let in, because Ethan had instructed to let them come in.

Upon entering the garden, the officer saw Ethan waving at him, "Officer, care to have a bite? In this weather, it's perfect for a BBQ in the garden."

This sentence, coupled with the scene in the garden, left the officer unable to comprehend how anyone could have the mind to have a BBQ with a trial looming tomorrow.

Could it be an illusion?

A conspiracy?

The officer didn't say anything, turned around, and left quickly, determined to report to the director.

Ethan watched him leave without any delay and couldn't help but shake his head, "Totally lacking a sense of life."

Then he handed the skewer of grilled meat in his hand to Carlos beside him.

"Come on, eat it while it's hot, Carlo, kebabs must be eaten hot!"

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