Chapter 78: Scepter Liberation【Iron Law Edict】

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became somewhat heavy.

Mel's movements stopped involuntarily.

Charlotte noticed the change in atmosphere but didn't know what to do.

No one had ever taught her what to do when encountering a situation like this.

The girl didn't know what to do, so she could only clumsily ask a question for which she already knew the answer:

"Are you alright, Miss Melantha?"

Hearing this, Mel took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I just suddenly remembered some.... past events is all."

Mel shook her head, then picked up a hair tie and fastened Charlotte's hair into a neat ponytail.

"There, that looks nice. You can't always wear your hair down; sometimes you need a new hairstyle."

Mel smiled, then pulled Charlotte up.

"Alright, change your clothes, and let's go out. We should prepare for dinner."

Charlotte looked at the smile on Mel's face, then slowly stood up.

After changing into her casual clothes, the two of them left the room together.

In the dining room, candlelight flickered, casting a warm orange-yellow layer over the entire space.

Exquisite cutlery shimmered with a soft glow in the candlelight, and the air was filled with the tempting aroma of food.

Mel and Charlotte slowly walked into the dining room, both of their hair still slightly damp.

Mel's long hair fell naturally, while Charlotte, contrary to her usual style, wore a ponytail, appearing exceptionally refreshed and competent.

When Emily saw Charlotte's appearance, she immediately let out a scornful snicker.

"The little bastard still wants to pretend to be a noble; wishful thinking."

As soon as her words fell, the atmosphere in the dining room instantly became tense.

Edward frowned, but did not speak.

Helena's expression remained calm, as if she hadn't heard Emily's words.

Mel frowned, about to retort, but Charlotte gently tugged her sleeve.

Charlotte looked calmly at Emily and said faintly:

"If noble status were decided by a hairstyle, then every hairdresser in Britannic would have to be executed."

The smile on Emily's face froze, and a flash of annoyance crossed her eyes.

"You little mutt—"

Emily was about to counterattack, but Edward cut her off.

"Enough."

Edward's voice was calm and authoritative.

"We are here to dine, not to quarrel."

Emily bit her lip, sitting back down unwillingly.

Mel noticed that Helena's lips curved slightly upward, seemingly amused by the small confrontation.

Mel and Charlotte sat down at the dining table.

The waiters began serving, and exquisite dishes were brought to the table one after another.

Candlelight flickered, and the silver utensils gleamed with a soft light under the lamps.

The air was filled with a rich aroma, mixed with the mellow fragrance of red wine and the tempting scent of roasted meat.

Mel secretly observed the others—Edward elegantly cut his steak, occasionally speaking softly with Victoria next to him.

Emily still looked displeased but dared not say anything more.

Helena sat in her wheelchair, her raven perched on the backrest, occasionally making low calls.

Sebastian stood behind her, serving her.

In addition, Mel also noticed that Charlotte's movements were very elegant but carried a sense of mechanical precision.

It was as if they were the result of strict training.

She just didn't know why, but today's dinner seemed to taste wrong.

It wasn't that Mel was being picky, but the freshness of the ingredients seemed to be the problem.

"Bang."

After putting the first piece of steak into his mouth, Edward immediately frowned.

"The steak is spoiled."

He said in a deep voice, then picked up the red wine next to him to rinse his mouth.

But as soon as the sour liquid reached his throat, Edward unceremoniously spat it out.

"The red wine is spoiled too. What on earth is going on, Mr. Bond!"

Edward's reaction caused a commotion.

The waiters rushed forward, trying to clean up the mess.

The others also spat out the food in their mouths, their expressions extremely unpleasant.

"This... how can this be?"

Mr. Bond's face was pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He trembled, picking up the wine glass in front of Edward, and cautiously sniffed it.

"Oh dear, it truly is... I will investigate the reason immediately!"

Bond turned and left in a panic, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the hall.

"Mr. Edward, are you alright?"

Victoria looked at Edward with concern, asking.

"I'm fine."

Edward waved his hand, indicating he was okay.

But his complexion was still dark, and sparks of anger flickered in his eyes.

Helena looked at the whole scene thoughtfully, her finger lightly tapping the armrest of her wheelchair.

Charlotte's gaze swept over the dining table; she noticed that there seemed to be a problem with every dish in front of everyone.

Emily's fish fillet gave off a repulsive fishy smell, and the soup in front of Sebastian had a layer of eerie oil sheen.

"This is not a simple problem of spoiled ingredients," Charlotte whispered.

"It looks like every dish has been tampered with...."

Hearing this, Mel couldn't help but shiver.

She subconsciously looked at the untouched dish in front of her and suddenly felt her stomach churn.

Just then, Bond rushed back, pointing toward the kitchen.

"This is terrible, all the ingredients are...."

Before he could finish speaking, everyone's gaze turned toward the kitchen.

Edward suddenly stood up and strode toward the kitchen; the others also rose and followed behind him.

In the kitchen, a huge refrigerator door was wide open, and the sight inside was horrifying:

In the cold storage compartment, the originally fresh beef ribs were oozing dark green viscous liquid, and the surface of the white truffles was covered with strange totems formed by mycelia.

Something asphalt-like and living was curled up deeper inside, slowly pulsating with the rhythm of breathing.

Rotten meat, moldy vegetables, spoiled dairy products... all the ingredients were in a state of decay!

Even more shocking, some unknown black objects were mixed in with the pile of rotten ingredients.

"This is impossible...."

Mr. Bond murmured, "When I checked yesterday, all the ingredients were fresh!"

Edward's face was terrifyingly grim.

He turned around and looked at the crowd behind him.

"Stooping to this extent just to compete for the inheritance, is that it?"

"How malicious, tsk tsk...."

Helena gently shook her head.

"Hmph, not fit for a noble title, so resorting to such actions, it's truly disgusting."

Emily looked at Charlotte, seemingly certain that she was responsible.

"This has nothing to do with me."

Charlotte frowned slightly.

"I didn't leave the room at all last night."

"I can testify. Miss Charlotte and I were in the room all last night."

Mel stepped forward to defend Charlotte, but Emily only sneered.

"You chose to align yourself with that illegitimate daughter; do you think your words hold any credibility?

If you ask me, we should just kill you both right here!"

"Enough!"

Victoria cut everyone off, her face sinking like water as she looked at Emily.

"This matter has nothing to do with Miss Charlotte."

"Why are you defending her too?"

Emily frowned, then turned to Edward.

"What is the reason?"

Edward ignored Emily's gaze, looking at Victoria instead, and asked: "What is the reason?"

"These ingredients have the aura of Chaos on them," Victoria said gravely.

"It was that fellow Graham who did it."

The moment Victoria's words fell, the kitchen immediately plunged into dead silence.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on her, and the air was filled with tension.

"Graham?"

Edward frowned.

"Wasn't he already banished?"

"He did it before he left," Victoria said in a deep voice.

"It's the typical style of those Chaos Apostles."

Mel noticed that Emily's expression became unusually complex.

"I... I didn't instruct him! Why are you looking at me!"

Emily yelled at Mel.

"How was I supposed to know what that guy was going to do, that damned scoundrel.... I shouldn't have hired him!"

"I didn't say it was you...."

Mel pouted, then shifted her gaze away.

"What do we do now?"

"Re-procuring fresh food... is probably too late," Helena gently shook her head.

"It looks like Mr. Graham intends to speed things up."

As her words fell, the smell of gunpowder in the air instantly became intense.

Mel subconsciously looked at Sebastian, and Sebastian was also wary of Mel.

Just then, Mel suddenly paused, then sharply turned her head, noticing that Isabella and Victoria were surprisingly not looking at Sebastian.

Rather, their gazes were shifting back and forth between herself and Sebastian.

It was as if they were hesitating over who to move against first.

"First, clean up all the contaminated ingredients."

Edward's voice was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the gunpowder that was about to erupt in everyone's hearts.

He commanded in a deep voice:

"Bond, immediately organize men to clean the kitchen. The rest of you, follow me to the drawing room."

Everyone obeyed and left the kitchen, arriving at the spacious drawing room.

Edward stood in front of the fireplace, the firelight illuminating his chiseled face, adding a degree of gravitas to him.

"The situation is clear now," Edward said.

"The manor doesn't have enough food reserves, so this heir trial must be sped up. All the formalities end here."

Saying this, he picked up his cane, lightly twisted the body of the cane with his left hand, and with a pull outwards from his right hand, a sharp Sword cane abruptly appeared in his grip.

"Swoosh—!"

The blade sliced through the air, emitting a crisp sound, stirring up a chilling flash of cold light in the silent drawing room.

Charlotte's face tightened; she instinctively stepped back half a step, shielding Mel more closely.

"What are you planning to do?"

The others also looked at Edward warily.

"You intend to move against all of us?"

"If you wish to do so, it is fine—provided you have the ability."

Edward finished speaking and turned his head to look at Victoria.

Victoria hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand.

The next moment, countless golden chains emerged from all directions.

They wove and intertwined in front of Victoria, transforming into a Scepter.

Immediately afterward, the Order Shepherd took the Scepter in her hand and gently tapped it on the floor.

Under everyone's gaze, countless aphorisms and legal clauses flew around them.

Then, under Victoria's control, they began to disassemble and reassemble, forming new clauses, which were branded onto the long table in the drawing room.

【Edict I: Anyone who launches an attack against Edward Michel must maintain a close-quarters distance of within three meters】

A huge phantom of a guillotine appeared on the ceiling.

The rusty blade swayed as the text manifested, indicating that anyone attempting a long-range sneak attack would be decapitated by the guillotine's phantom.

【Edict II: All challenges must be initiated through the method of blade-to-blade confrontation】

The walls oozed rust-colored liquid, condensing into several iron maiden torture devices covered in spikes.

When Sebastian attempted a sneak attack, the nearest torture device suddenly opened, its inner spikes stopping half an inch from his nose.

【Edict III: All forms of assistance are prohibited during the duel】

Black fissures cracked open in the floor, and twenty-three gallows rose from the ground, the nooses swaying without wind.

Mel, who was preparing to launch a sudden attack with Charlotte, suddenly let out a muffled groan, and purple-red ligature marks appeared on her neck out of thin air.

As Victoria's Scepter descended, the entire space was enveloped by an invisible pressure.

Everyone felt a suffocating sense of oppression, as if countless eyes were watching their every move.

This was the effect of Victoria's Scepter Liberation.

Without the agreement of others, she could forcibly establish three restrictions based purely on her own will.

Anyone who violated these restrictions would suffer the most severe execution.

Its name was:

—Scepter Liberation【Iron Law Edict】!

And with the establishment of the three restrictions, Edward's aura suddenly soared.

The fireplace flames abruptly shot up three feet, casting Edward's shadow as a giant.

A sense of oppression that transcended physical laws permeated the area as the edicts took effect; even the air began to condense into pale golden shackles.

At this very moment, the extraordinary items blessed upon him all took effect.

The eldest son of the Michel family nodded in satisfaction, then surveyed his surroundings.

"The rules have been established. Now, who wants to be the first to challenge me?"