Princess Jena's words once again changed the atmosphere inside the Court Room and took the attention of everyone in there.
The Patriarch seemed a bit surprised by the actions that Princess Jena took, and especially by her calm and collected attitude as she spoke.
But Princess Jena who was the reason for that surprise felt a bit weirded about it. To her, it didn't feel like the surprise coming from her confidence as a strong expert, but the surprise of an unknown person.
Still, she didn't show any kind of emotion on her face, as she waited for the reaction and words of the Patriarch, whose slight slip-up was only momentary.
"Our daughter, do you know why have we called you here?"
"I might have an idea Your Excellency, but I would most humbly want to hear it!"
The Patriarch didn't start speaking this time, but he made a sign towards an Elder who declared himself to be from a neutral faction, and he started saying,
"Thirteenth Princess you have been called here in order to answer about your blunder in the robbing and explosion of the special stone mine in your territory!
Not only did something like that happen, but you were also unable to capture the culprits, and you even neglected that duty.
If we didn't know you better, we might have thought that everything was planned by you, or your servants in order to embezzle the Clan's resources for yourself!
How do you claim yourself?"
This guy seemed to be neutral and just declaring the matter of the summons but even the most foolish one would understand that there was some kind of problem with his words.
Even though he seemed to be defending Jena's position and actions, he was in fact geminating thoughts and doubts about her actions and reactions to the matter.
He even went as far as to even mention that Princess Jena might have embezzled the Werewolves Clan's resources for her personal benefit.
His words were poison covered in honey! Furthermore, his last statement came a bit forcefully and with a strong pressure upon the beauty, as if trying to force her to panic and accept in panic.
Too bad that Princess Jena wasn't someone that could be startled easily, as she just heard the claims calmly and naturally, and then continued to ask,
"Is that all Duke Gordon?"
Duke Gordon seemed to be a bit surprised by her unusual calm and naturality, as he was even caught a bit unprepared.
He had thought that by now she would have jumped to negate all the claims, and most probably say that she had been targeted and plotted against.
For a few moments, he was unable to make sense of the situation in front of him. Thinking whether this was real or not, whether he was hearing things correctly or not.
But the situation didn't change no matter how much time passed, as Princess Jena was looking at him with a bit of pressure now.
The roles had reversed as Duke Gordon didn't understand who was the persecutor and who was the persecuted anymore.
Still, he wasn't someone who could be taken lightly as he had served in the Court Room as a high noble for centuries.
Recollecting himself, and his calm he returned to his previous strong, confident, and respect inducing demeanor, and said in a clear voice,
"There is also the matter of your extensive actions in the last weeks, but that is a matter that can wait!
Princess Jena, how do you claim yourself!"
Jena wanted to have a loud laugh inside her heart, but she didn't give herself, as she managed to keep control over her emotions, as she said in a bland and plain voice,
"Innocent, of course! Is there any stupid person that would accept such claims when they haven't committed them!?"
Once again her calm and natural voice shocked the Elders who looked at her that seemed just like a bamboo shoot on a rainy day. It could bend but never break.
This time, Duke Gordon seemed to have expected an answer that was against common sense, so he quickly regained his momentum once again, and started berating,
"Then Princess Jena how do you explain your actions? Where is the cargo that was supposed to arrive in the Clan's treasury?
What happened to the robbers? Why did you maltreat the Experts sent by his Highness the First Prince to help you out with goodwill!"
Intentionally or unintentionally, he had revealed his positioning, and Princess Jena couldn't help but feel even more elated, as her plan was bound to function as it should.
With those thoughts in her mind, she calmly waited for Duke Gordon to finish his words, not intervening even for a moment, and then said,
"With respect to the whereabouts of the cargo of special stones that were robbed, I think that is more appropriate for us to ask your son, Duke Gordon.
As for those Experts that my First Brother sent, well they intentionally or unintentionally offended me, a member of the main family, and a candidate to the throne.
You clearly don't think that I should suck it up, and let them throw mud on the honor of the main family, and especially upon the honor of my Father the Patriarch, right?"
Nobody cared about what happened to those two Experts, or why did Jena react like that with them, they were still focused on her first statement.
Duke Gordon even more so, as he couldn't help but even scream a bit,
"Princess Jena, what do you mean by that?"
"Well, those two Esteemed Experts told me that my Father the Patriarch should be blind for letting me fight for the throne, and they even said that I was probably not even his daughter!"
Her face became dark and ugly as she said those words as if she had been relieving that exact moment once again, making almost everyone believe that she wasn't lying.
But that was far from the answer that Duke Gordon was expecting, as he seemed to be losing his patience,
"Princess Jena, I didn't ask about that irrelevant matter, I asked what do you mean by 'it would be better for us to ask my son'?"
"My, my! Duke Gordon how could you treat this matter as irrelevant, we are talking about the honor and face of His Excellency the Patriarch here.
Surely you wouldn't think that your familial matters take precedence over His Excellency's face and honor, right?"
Duke Gordon was screaming and dying inside to know, how and why Princess Jena was involving his son in this matter, but at the same time, he was trapped into Princess Jena's word trap.
There was no way he could say that his family took precedence over the Patriarch. If he did something like that, then it was as good as rebelling.
Of course, the Elders backing her wouldn't be losing such a moment, as they immediately started attacking with their words,
"Right, right, Duke Gordon you should be careful of your tone and words. After all, you are facing a Princess of the Clan, and even more so we are in the presence of His Excellency the Patriarch.
Furthermore, this is a matter of our Patriarch's face and honor, you surely wouldn't let it slide like that, right?"
"Yes, yes, I think the same! Firstly we need to find those two experts and punish them for their offense before continuing with this summons!"
It was at this time, that the First Prince entered the Court Room with a bit of fanfare, and even before bowing to the Patriarch he said,
"Esteemed Elders don't have to bother about the two of them anymore, as I decided to kill them both the moment that I heard their audacious words and claims.
But more than that, little sister, can you explain to us what did you mean by those previous words, of asking Duke Gordon's son related to the matter of the special stones?"
"Surely I don't mind First Brother, but you haven't even bowed or announced your presence to Our Esteemed Father the Patriarch!
Surely, you wouldn't be mixing your personal life, with the Court Room, right? After all, no matter how much our Father dotes upon us outside, we have to show him due respect here!"
The moment she said those words though, for a moment she felt like she had been thrown into the depths of some cold and dark abyss and was being gazed down by an abyss monster.
It was terrifying!
She remembered that it was only her father who had given her the same feeling the first time she entered the Court Room and didn't show him respect.
That feeling had been etched into her heart and being, there was no way she was going to mistake something like that.
At that moment, she also had an outrageous thought in her mind, that made her question her deductive abilities, but the more she thought about the more certain she felt about it.
It was extremely weird, complex, and seemingly impossible, but coupled with the information that Tianlong Yun had given her, she felt that it was becoming a given.
There was a high probability that her father had already channeled his soul into her First Brother's body and had already taken his place.
She didn't know why he had done something like this even before her First Brother's selection as the new Patriarch, but most probably he was trying to play around, or take his accomplice by surprise!
Living long surely had its perks with regards to experience and thought possibilities. That would explain even that weirded feeling she had when she met the puppet Patriarch when she entered.
Now wasn't the time to think about that though, as she was more focused on what would he do now, would he bow down to his own puppet considering his arrogance?
Princess Jena's words once again changed the atmosphere inside the Court Room and took the attention of everyone in there.
The Patriarch seemed a bit surprised by the actions that Princess Jena took, and especially by her calm and collected attitude as she spoke.
But Princess Jena who was the reason for that surprise felt a bit weirded about it. To her, it didn't feel like the surprise coming from her confidence as a strong expert, but the surprise of an unknown person.
Still, she didn't show any kind of emotion on her face, as she waited for the reaction and words of the Patriarch, whose slight slip-up was only momentary.
"Our daughter, do you know why have we called you here?"
"I might have an idea Your Excellency, but I would most humbly want to hear it!"
The Patriarch didn't start speaking this time, but he made a sign towards an Elder who declared himself to be from a neutral faction, and he started saying,
"Thirteenth Princess you have been called here in order to answer about your blunder in the robbing and explosion of the special stone mine in your territory!
Not only did something like that happen, but you were also unable to capture the culprits, and you even neglected that duty.
If we didn't know you better, we might have thought that everything was planned by you, or your servants in order to embezzle the Clan's resources for yourself!
How do you claim yourself?"
This guy seemed to be neutral and just declaring the matter of the summons but even the most foolish one would understand that there was some kind of problem with his words.
Even though he seemed to be defending Jena's position and actions, he was in fact geminating thoughts and doubts about her actions and reactions to the matter.
He even went as far as to even mention that Princess Jena might have embezzled the Werewolves Clan's resources for her personal benefit.
His words were poison covered in honey! Furthermore, his last statement came a bit forcefully and with a strong pressure upon the beauty, as if trying to force her to panic and accept in panic.
Too bad that Princess Jena wasn't someone that could be startled easily, as she just heard the claims calmly and naturally, and then continued to ask,
"Is that all Duke Gordon?"
Duke Gordon seemed to be a bit surprised by her unusual calm and naturality, as he was even caught a bit unprepared.
He had thought that by now she would have jumped to negate all the claims, and most probably say that she had been targeted and plotted against.
For a few moments, he was unable to make sense of the situation in front of him. Thinking whether this was real or not, whether he was hearing things correctly or not.
But the situation didn't change no matter how much time passed, as Princess Jena was looking at him with a bit of pressure now.
The roles had reversed as Duke Gordon didn't understand who was the persecutor and who was the persecuted anymore.
Still, he wasn't someone who could be taken lightly as he had served in the Court Room as a high noble for centuries.
Recollecting himself, and his calm he returned to his previous strong, confident, and respect inducing demeanor, and said in a clear voice,
"There is also the matter of your extensive actions in the last weeks, but that is a matter that can wait!
Princess Jena, how do you claim yourself!"
Jena wanted to have a loud laugh inside her heart, but she didn't give herself, as she managed to keep control over her emotions, as she said in a bland and plain voice,
"Innocent, of course! Is there any stupid person that would accept such claims when they haven't committed them!?"
Once again her calm and natural voice shocked the Elders who looked at her that seemed just like a bamboo shoot on a rainy day. It could bend but never break.
This time, Duke Gordon seemed to have expected an answer that was against common sense, so he quickly regained his momentum once again, and started berating,
"Then Princess Jena how do you explain your actions? Where is the cargo that was supposed to arrive in the Clan's treasury?
What happened to the robbers? Why did you maltreat the Experts sent by his Highness the First Prince to help you out with goodwill!"
Intentionally or unintentionally, he had revealed his positioning, and Princess Jena couldn't help but feel even more elated, as her plan was bound to function as it should.
With those thoughts in her mind, she calmly waited for Duke Gordon to finish his words, not intervening even for a moment, and then said,
"With respect to the whereabouts of the cargo of special stones that were robbed, I think that is more appropriate for us to ask your son, Duke Gordon.
As for those Experts that my First Brother sent, well they intentionally or unintentionally offended me, a member of the main family, and a candidate to the throne.
You clearly don't think that I should suck it up, and let them throw mud on the honor of the main family, and especially upon the honor of my Father the Patriarch, right?"
Nobody cared about what happened to those two Experts, or why did Jena react like that with them, they were still focused on her first statement.
Duke Gordon even more so, as he couldn't help but even scream a bit,
"Princess Jena, what do you mean by that?"
"Well, those two Esteemed Experts told me that my Father the Patriarch should be blind for letting me fight for the throne, and they even said that I was probably not even his daughter!"
Her face became dark and ugly as she said those words as if she had been relieving that exact moment once again, making almost everyone believe that she wasn't lying.
But that was far from the answer that Duke Gordon was expecting, as he seemed to be losing his patience,
"Princess Jena, I didn't ask about that irrelevant matter, I asked what do you mean by 'it would be better for us to ask my son'?"
"My, my! Duke Gordon how could you treat this matter as irrelevant, we are talking about the honor and face of His Excellency the Patriarch here.
Surely you wouldn't think that your familial matters take precedence over His Excellency's face and honor, right?"
Duke Gordon was screaming and dying inside to know, how and why Princess Jena was involving his son in this matter, but at the same time, he was trapped into Princess Jena's word trap.
There was no way he could say that his family took precedence over the Patriarch. If he did something like that, then it was as good as rebelling.
Of course, the Elders backing her wouldn't be losing such a moment, as they immediately started attacking with their words,
"Right, right, Duke Gordon you should be careful of your tone and words. After all, you are facing a Princess of the Clan, and even more so we are in the presence of His Excellency the Patriarch.
Furthermore, this is a matter of our Patriarch's face and honor, you surely wouldn't let it slide like that, right?"
"Yes, yes, I think the same! Firstly we need to find those two experts and punish them for their offense before continuing with this summons!"
It was at this time, that the First Prince entered the Court Room with a bit of fanfare, and even before bowing to the Patriarch he said,
"Esteemed Elders don't have to bother about the two of them anymore, as I decided to kill them both the moment that I heard their audacious words and claims.
But more than that, little sister, can you explain to us what did you mean by those previous words, of asking Duke Gordon's son related to the matter of the special stones?"
"Surely I don't mind First Brother, but you haven't even bowed or announced your presence to Our Esteemed Father the Patriarch!
Surely, you wouldn't be mixing your personal life, with the Court Room, right? After all, no matter how much our Father dotes upon us outside, we have to show him due respect here!"
The moment she said those words though, for a moment she felt like she had been thrown into the depths of some cold and dark abyss and was being gazed down by an abyss monster.
It was terrifying!
She remembered that it was only her father who had given her the same feeling the first time she entered the Court Room and didn't show him respect.
That feeling had been etched into her heart and being, there was no way she was going to mistake something like that.
At that moment, she also had an outrageous thought in her mind, that made her question her deductive abilities, but the more she thought about the more certain she felt about it.
It was extremely weird, complex, and seemingly impossible, but coupled with the information that Tianlong Yun had given her, she felt that it was becoming a given.
There was a high probability that her father had already channeled his soul into her First Brother's body and had already taken his place.
She didn't know why he had done something like this even before her First Brother's selection as the new Patriarch, but most probably he was trying to play around, or take his accomplice by surprise!
Living long surely had its perks with regards to experience and thought possibilities. That would explain even that weirded feeling she had when she met the puppet Patriarch when she entered.
Now wasn't the time to think about that though, as she was more focused on what would he do now, would he bow down to his own puppet considering his arrogance?
