Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 147: An Audience with Saint Roland VI

“Miss Mosgra, judging by your expression, you seem to recognize this person?”

Catching the fleeting trace of astonishment in Eunice’s eyes, Lynn wasted no time in speaking.

D*mn it.

Eunice quickly composed herself, making her expression appear cold and indifferent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Clearly, Lynn’s unexpected return had disrupted their plans, even resulting in the capture of all the spies planted in the Bartleon Estate.

Hearing this, Lynn chuckled lightly. “You don’t? That’s fine.”

Then, turning to the Fourth Prince, Joshua, he asked, “Your Highness, according to the Imperial Code, what punishment befalls those who trespass onto noble estates without permission?”

Lynn’s voice rang clearly, ensuring everyone in the room could hear him.

“Excellent.” Lynn nodded approvingly, smiling. “In that case, allow me to introduce these individuals to Your Highness.”

“As the sole legitimate heir of the Bartleon family, I’ve never received employment applications or contracts from these so-called servants. Yet here they are, blatantly occupying my estate and even posing as its masters.”

“Your Highness, would you say such people deserve to die?”

“...”

The Fourth Prince’s frown deepened as if he had grasped the situation. He refrained from answering.

Seeing this, Lynn raised his hand slightly. A frontier retainer behind him stepped forward, presenting a revolver loaded with bullets.

“Close your eyes,” Lynn whispered softly to Eleanor, who clung to his waist.

At this moment, Eleanor saw her elder brother as the most dashing man in the world. She obediently nodded, casting a hateful glare at Head Maid Maria before shutting her eyes tightly.

Eleanor’s heart burned with fury toward the one responsible for her personal maid’s death and her own imprisonment within the estate.

“Lynn Bartleon!” Eunice’s brows knitted tightly, and she snapped, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“This is the Royal Extraordinary Academy! Even if you wish to act out, know your place!”

Her chest heaved as anger flared within her at this man’s audacity to ruin her banquet.

But Lynn ignored her entirely.

“This is your last chance,” he said coldly, pressing the icy gun barrel against Maria’s head. “Tell me who sent you, and I’ll spare your life.”

Maria, her eyes brimming with terrified tears, instinctively glanced at Eunice. Seeing the determined look in her lady’s eyes—a silent assertion that Lynn wouldn’t dare pull the trigger—Maria calmed slightly.

“You arroga—”

Bang!

Before she could finish, a gunshot resounded through the hall.

“Ahhh!!!”

The sight of the young man mercilessly pulling the trigger stunned everyone. Many noble ladies’ legs turned to jelly as they covered their faces, unable to bear the grisly scene before them.

Someone had died!

This banquet, spiraling into chaos, had now taken a fatal turn.

While the crowd yearned to scatter, Lynn’s burly frontier guards blocked the exits, sealing them in.

Eunice’s face froze.

He’d killed someone!

This lunatic had really done it—and in front of countless nobles! Did he mean to trample the Mosgra family’s reputation into the dirt?

Eunice’s heart skipped a beat as she glanced at Maria’s lifeless body on the ground.

The Fourth Prince’s expression darkened further, his silence now more oppressive.

Clearly, neither of them had anticipated that Lynn’s rumored audacity would be so unchecked, even here in the imperial capital.

Not only had he failed to restrain himself, but he had exceeded their expectations, openly executing one of the Mosgra family’s servants before the aristocracy’s eyes.

But it wasn’t over.

As the audience reeled in shock at the lifeless body sprawled on the floor, another trembling servant was shoved forward.

The hood was yanked off, and once again, the cold barrel pressed against the back of a head.

“Speak,” Lynn said curtly, wasting no words.

The servant remained silent.

Bang!

Another body crumpled, blood and brain matter seeping outward in streams.

“Next,” Lynn said flatly. His gaze betrayed no emotion, as if he had merely swatted a fly.

Obeying his command, the frontier guards brought forth another servant.

When the hood was removed, this one panicked, struggling and pleading, “I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk!!!”

“I know who—”

Bang!

To everyone’s astonishment, Lynn fired again, cutting off the servant mid-confession.

“You talk too much. Next,” Lynn ordered, waving his gun dismissively.

The Fourth Prince’s eyelid twitched.

Eunice’s face paled as her lips quivered with rage.

The Mosgra family was currently at the height of its influence in the capital, a fact underscored by Eunice hosting this banquet.

For nobles, few things mattered more than power and dignity.

Yet here was this brazen madman, tearing apart the Mosgra family’s facade and executing her subordinates one by one in public.

She didn’t care about the lives of these servants, but their deaths symbolized a humiliation of her family.

Each gunshot felt like it struck her heart directly.

And the most infuriating part? Lynn was the one in control.

Eunice longed to storm out and summon her family to handle the matter. Yet doing so in front of the assembled crowd would only fuel rumors in Glostein.

She could already picture the gossip: The rightful heir of the Mosgra family, driven to retreat by the vengeful return of a Bartleon.

Such disgrace would tarnish her family’s reputation irreparably.

“Stop this immediately!” Eunice shouted, raising her voice to drown him out.

Bang!

But Lynn pulled the trigger again.

This time, the servant didn’t even have a chance to speak before the shot rang out.

Noticing the horrified and puzzled gazes surrounding him, Lynn thought for a moment, then shrugged nonchalantly. “My apologies, got carried away. Next.”

But there was no trace of apology in his eyes.

The relentless gunfire weighed heavily on the remaining servants, breaking their composure.

Finally, one could endure it no longer.

Before being dragged forward, he crumbled to the floor, screaming, “Miss Eunice!”

“It was Miss Eunice Mosgra who ordered us to infiltrate your estate and secretly monitor Miss Eleanor and the Marquis of Bartleon’s every move!”

The servant sobbed as he pleaded, hoping for Lynn’s mercy.

“Nonsense!” Lynn suddenly raised his voice. “The Mosgra family has always been known for its strict upbringing and upright conduct. How could they interfere in the internal affairs of another family without permission?”

Bang!

Yes.

He... pulled the trigger again.

At this point, the spectators had grown numb.

As they stared at the blood pooling on the ground, they remained silent, unable to guess what the young man intended.

Speak, and you die. Remain silent, and you still die. It seemed he had no intention of letting these people leave alive.

“Next.”

Lynn’s voice was calm, but it rang like the toll of a death knell.

The earlier gunshots had shattered the last vestiges of resolve among the bound servants.

Faced with imminent death, their loyalty to the Mosgra family crumbled completely.

“Spare me, Young Master Lynn! I’ll testify! It was Miss Eunice who gave us the orders!”

“She forced us to spy on Miss Eleanor and manipulate everything within the Bartleon family!”

“Yes, that’s right! It was her! By the Mother of Abundance, I swear it’s the truth!”

“Please, show mercy!”

“Spare me!”

All at once, the captive servants broke down, sobbing and revealing the truth in disjointed, desperate cries.

“Shut up! You despicable, lying vermin! All of you should just die!”

Eunice’s fury boiled over as she yelled at the crumbling servants.

Her hateful glare bore into Lynn, but instead of being provoked, he wore a composed and leisurely expression, allowing the accusations to spread unchecked through the hall.

The assembled students exchanged glances, their faces reflecting a variety of emotions.

It was clear that such sordid incidents weren’t unheard of. They had long suspected similar activities but, bound by the unspoken rules of noble conduct, had never spoken of them.

For the Mosgra family to be so thoroughly exposed under the harsh light of truth—it was unprecedented.

“That should be enough.”

Finally, the Fourth Prince broke his silence.

Hearing this, Lynn sighed. “Ah, Your Highness, how should I evaluate you?”

“If it were His Highness Felit, he would have either decisively stopped me at the outset or observed from the sidelines, maintaining a clear distance.”

“But this attempt to appear clever... It’s the first time I’ve seen such a tactic.”

“Still... since it’s Your Highness’s suggestion, I suppose it’s worth considering. After all...” Lynn’s voice dipped, tinged with a mocking smile. “You do have a great father, don’t you?”

The Fourth Prince’s eyes darkened.

Lynn had struck a nerve—one that ran deep.

Second Prince Felit.

The shadow of his elder brother loomed large, a perpetual sore spot in the Fourth Prince’s heart.

As the prince instinctively prepared to retort, Lynn suddenly waved his hand.

“Kill them all.”

In the next instant, every frontier retainer simultaneously drew their weapons, aiming at the temples of the remaining servants.

Then...

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The hall reverberated with the relentless gunfire—a massacre in every sense of the word.

One by one, warm bodies crumpled to the floor. Blood gushed like rivers, pooling and spreading toward Eunice and the Fourth Prince, Joshua.

Blood flowed like rivers.

Truly, rivers of blood.

The horrific scene left every onlooker stunned, their expressions frozen in shock.

Who could have predicted that this exiled man would return to the capital and unleash such an earth-shattering spectacle?

Silence reigned in the hall.

Lynn took a handkerchief from his pocket and meticulously wiped the blood splattered on his wrist. He said nothing.

Yet his mere presence exuded an oppressive weight that bore down on everyone present.

A devil.

This man... was a devil incarnate.

That thought took root in the minds of all who watched him.

Not far away, Eunice stood frozen, the rivers of blood inching toward her feet. Through the crimson reflection, she glimpsed her pale face and trembling legs.

Am I... afraid?

No, impossible!

Eunice inhaled deeply, trying to project an aloof, indifferent demeanor.

But it was obvious to all that Lynn was the one in control. She was merely putting on a brave front.

At last, after what felt like an eternity, the Fourth Prince broke the silence.

“The council hall is currently hosting a commendation ceremony for the returning heroes,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “I’m quite curious what excuse you’ll conjure up for Father when you stand before him later.”

It was clear that, as the subordinate of the Third Princess, the events of this evening had already reached the ears of Saint Roland VI.

One could only imagine the emperor’s fury.

“There’s no need for Your Highness to concern yourself.”

Lynn cast a glance at his bloodstained white gloves and slowly removed them. “At present, I have more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Miss Mosgra, where do you think you’re going?”

Lynn’s voice halted Eunice in her tracks.

Her body stiffened before she took a deep breath. “The banquet is over. I can go wherever I please.”

“Lynn Bartleon, you have no right to restrict my freedom of movement.”

Hearing this, Lynn patted the small hands clinging to his waist.

Eleanor looked up hesitantly.

She glanced at the lifeless bodies scattered across the floor, her eyes flashing with a mix of unease and satisfaction.

But she couldn’t help feeling anxious about the storm her brother was about to face.

She gazed at him with worried, yet trusting eyes.

“Has she been bullying you at the academy?” Lynn asked, ruffling her hair.

Eleanor was silent for a long moment before shaking her head. She instinctively tucked her wrists into her sleeves.

She didn’t want to burden her brother with unnecessary troubles.

Reuniting as a family was already enough.

But Lynn wasn’t willing to let things slide.

Frowning, he gently grasped Eleanor’s delicate wrist and rolled up her sleeve.

The sight of her arm, riddled with needle marks, sent a faint, imperceptible glint of killing intent through his eyes.

Lifting his gaze, he locked onto the Fourth Prince and Eunice with a chilling stare.

Perfect.

You’re both... just perfect.

Sensing the oncoming storm, Eunice instinctively stepped back. “W-What are you doing?!”

“...”

Lynn didn’t answer.

Instead, he tossed something toward her—a white glove, freshly removed from his hand.

Staring at the white glove lying on the ground, a sudden sense of foreboding washed over Eunice.

The next second, her unease became reality.

“I, Lynn Bartleon, in my capacity as the current head of the Bartleon family, challenge Eunice Mosgra, the heir of the Mosgra family, to a duel of life and death.”

“To defend your family’s honor, surely you’ll pick up the glove without hesitation, won’t you?”

The Lie Eater activated.

An invisible force, the power of suppressed deceit, emanated from Lynn and seeped into Eunice’s thoughts.

Yes.

I am the heir of the Mosgra family!

How could I back down before the second son of a crumbling house?!

My elder sister, Irina Mosgra, is the youngest Valkyrie in the empire—how could I, as her sibling, tarnish her reputation?!

And besides... this guy is nothing more than a cripple!

Such thoughts surged through her mind in an instant.

In the next moment, under the astonished gaze of the Fourth Prince, Eunice bent down slowly and picked up the glove from the floor.

This was one of the empire’s oldest traditions—a duel. It had stood the test of time.

For the most significant conflicts among high nobility that courts or officials could not resolve, the old guard still adhered to the principle of family honor, settling disputes through duels to the death.

In Glostein, there was even a dedicated dueling arena where nobles resolved matters. However, these required strict procedural review to ensure the sanctity and privacy of the duel.

Under the current circumstances, it wasn’t exactly legal.

But the problem was... Eunice had accepted.

A second later, as awareness crept back into her mind, Eunice suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity.

Why... Why did I agree to this duel?!

This doesn’t make sense! What on earth was I thinking?!

Feeling the admiring gazes from all directions, Eunice found her legs beginning to tremble.

She steadied herself by gripping the nearby table and took a deep breath. “This isn’t legally binding. I can terminate the duel at any time, and you—”

Just as Eunice began to concoct a self-righteous excuse, a flurry of hurried footsteps broke through the tension.

Everyone instinctively turned their heads to see a squad of knights, clad in polished armor, storming into the hall with no regard for propriety.

At their head was a tall, imposing figure in gleaming silver armor.

Lynn’s eyes narrowed.

This unexpected arrival disrupted his carefully laid plans.

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, the silver-armored knight, clearly the captain of the troop, strode forward with firm steps.

Stopping in front of the trio, he spoke in a calm yet authoritative tone.

“Lynn Bartleon, Miss Eunice Mosgra, and His Highness the Fourth Prince. The council hall has been made aware of the events transpiring here. His Majesty is furious and has specifically ordered me to put an end to this farce and escort all three of you to see him.”

“So, if you would, please accompany me.”