CHAPTER 1481: TURN THE TIDE

After the exhibition, news of King Harland’s return dominated headlines worldwide. At the same time, stories of Lory’s past deeds resurfaced across countless outlets. Before long, a fiery debate erupted online and off, pitting comparisons of the Saintess against Princess Lorient.

"I don’t care what anyone says, Princess Lorient will always be the best for me."

"Same here. I mean, put the Saintess in Lorient’s situation and see how she reacts."

"Hold on, that’s not fair. Don’t forget, Princess Lorient had the Divine Beast Girsha guarding her."

"And the Saintess had Salvo De Rova and the Paladins protecting her, but I’ve never seen her lift a sword at all."

"Well, Princess Lorient was trained for battle."

"She’s a princess! She didn’t need to fight on the front lines, but she chose to, and she saved so many people—including me and my family!"

"That’s true. Unlike our brave princess, I heard many young soldiers and hunters freezing up in front of the demon beasts. Some even ran, and civilians died because of it."

"Yeah, I saw it myself at a refugee camp. People panicked, chaos everywhere. I was lucky to make it to L’Markieth and get asylum—even though I wasn’t from Harland."

"Same here. The city was overflowing, but they didn’t turn anyone away."

"And through it all, Princess Lorient not only fought to protect us—she burned through her mana healing people. My brother was a soldier, and she saved his life."

"Exactly. I can’t imagine the Saintess handling L’Markieth—fighting, protecting, and healing everyone at once. She looks too frail."

"And when things finally stabilized, Princess Lorient left quietly. We never knew where she went, but at the time, there was no safer place than L’Markieth."

"Maybe she had a mission. Still, my brother swore she appeared on the last day of the war, again, saving everyone at the last moment."

"See?! That’s my princess!"

"Exactly. The Saintess isn’t bad, but she can’t be compared to our Princess Lorient!"

At that moment, public opinion still leaned toward Lory—and believe it or not, the narrative formed on its own, without any effort from Fredhardt or his team. He wasn’t surprised.

The Lucient family had always enjoyed a sterling reputation, and there was little anyone could use to tarnish their image.

Since childhood, Lory and Lucas had disliked the glitzy parties thrown by the wealthy.

They never set foot in nightclubs unless there was a reason, like the time they uncovered illegal human trafficking tied to several clubs in Herriond. They lived simply, far from the wasteful habits of other rich youths, and neither cared for alcohol.

On the rare occasions they did drink, Lory’s healing abilities kept her sober, while Lucas could outlast nearly anyone. Lory despised bitter flavors, and Lucas had little taste for excess.

Romance was no easier to use against them. Aside from a handful of arranged meetings set up by the royal court, which never went anywhere, neither had dated.

Instead, they preferred the innocent pleasures of festivals and amusement parks, usually in the company of Jay and Clift. Their mischief was lighthearted, and they always went out in disguise, blending with the crowds.

As a result, no scandals clung to their names.

Fredhardt smirked as he read the latest debates comparing Lory to the Saintess. Pathetic. The enemy had been trying all this time to trample Lory’s name, hoping to raise the Saintess higher by stepping on his Princess head.

At that time, he was too preoccupied with Lucas’ situation; he didn’t have time to handle the situation, but now Lucas was safe.

Fredhardt’s eyes darkened, his smirk etched with malice and excitement. Daring to touch his princess, now he will touch them, he will touch all of them, and no one will be spared.

"Fred, stop smiling like that." Lucas’ voice pulled Fredhardt back from his thoughts.

"Yeah, man — you look like a pervert," Fargo chimed in.

"Exactly. He gets the look, but no lady." Lory regarded Fredhardt with mild pity, then sipped the warm tea Zhao Li Xin had just brewed.

The corner of her eyes crinkled. "Your tea always tastes the best," she praised the handsome man who poured with quiet grace.

Fredhardt pursed his lips. Sometimes he wondered why they were even friends. Suddenly, his phone buzzed. Snatching it up, he leapt to his feet.

"Jay is here!" he shouted, looking around the room.

For a moment, everyone froze. Then, in a rush, they sprang up and hurried toward the underground hall of Cestine Palace, where the secret entrance lay.

Their strides quickened as they descended into the basement. When they arrived, they found Jay, Garrof, Lloyd, and the others waiting.

"Jay!" Lory half-ran toward him.

Half of Jay’s skin was seared with angry red burns. Lory could imagine how severe the injury must be that the high-grade healing potion and the healing power from Lydia and Maddeline still gave him this many scars.

Thankfully, her power was different. As Lory walks toward Jay, she summons her power. She clenched her fist, then slowly unfurled her palm. From it burst dozens of glittering lights, like purple fireflies, swirling into the air.

They drifted toward Jay, sinking into his skin one by one. In the next breath, the scary burns mark slowly disappeared, leaving unblemished flesh behind.

"Thanks, Lory," Jay said, grinning foolishly.

Lory shot him a glare. Lucas stepped up beside her and flicked Jay’s forehead. "Idiot. What did I tell you?" he said, his eyes sharp with reproach.

Jay scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry... something unexpected happened." He looked embarrassed, especially with Lucas and Lory scolding him like they had back when they were teenagers.

The instant Lucas entered, Garrof and the others straightened like drawn blades, spines stiff, and bowed low in unison. Lucas lifted a hand, his voice calm yet resonant.

"It’s good to see you all return alive."

Relief washed over the chamber. Lory’s eyes found Lydia and Maddeline at once. She rushed forward, her voice breaking with emotion. "Thank goodness, you’re both safe!"

Lory threw her arms around them, pulling them close in a fierce embrace. Maddeline’s soft laughter rang like bells, while Lydia looked a bit awkward, but her face was beaming with joy as she returned the hug.

The moment Lydia hugged Lory, her lips curving into a smile brighter than sunshine, even Owen feel a bit jealous when he saw that, ’She never smiles like that to me,’ he pursed his lips.

Seeing Owen’s stupid face, Daniel nudged his arm as if scolding him, ’Quit it!’

"Thanks to everyone’s help," Maddeline said, her voice warm with gratitude.

"Yes... Thank you," Lydia added, her tone steady, her smile carrying a newfound confidence that glowed with pride.

Lory’s breath caught. She had changed. Lydia no longer looked like the scared and anxious girl she once was. She stood taller now, assured, transformed by fire and trial. And in that moment, Lory feel happy like a mother bird watching her chick spread its wings and take flight at last.

"Okay, explained what happened there," Lucas’ voice turned everyone to present and focus.

Jay exhaled heavily, then began recounting everything that had transpired in Dolza. Lydia soon joined in, her voice steady as she described in detail the horrors within the White Rose boarding school, the students’ condition, and the drugs.

Lory, Lucas, Zhao Li Xin, and the others listened in silence, their attention fixed, every word painting a sharper picture of the nightmare they had escaped.

"This is not good. There are still many students in there?" Lory’s expression tightened with worry.

"What about the ones already saved? Have we called their families?" Lucas asked.

Jay gave a firm nod. "We have. Some will come today, the rest tomorrow. The hardest part... is telling them about their children’s condition."

"Yeah, they’re drug addicts now," Fargo muttered grimly.

"We’ve already prepared a special facility in the royal hospital to treat them, and as for the families... I’ll handle them," Fredhardt said.

His tone was flat, but Lory, Lucas, and Fargo knew no one more suitable than Fredhardt to do this job. With his mind control, he would be able to calm the parents when they bring up the truth.

Lory clapped her hands lightly. "Alright. Everyone should rest now. We’ll talk again later." She turned to Lydia and Maddeline. "You’ve worked hard. Go rest, and we’ll continue tomorrow."

Lydia, Maddeline, and the others bowed their heads. "Yes, Your Highness."

When the room finally emptied, Lory turned to Lucas, her voice low. "It’s worse than I thought."

"You always say that," Lucas replied casually.

Her lips pressed together in a pout of nonchalance. "Because it always is like that." She fell silent for a moment, then clenched her fists in a cute way. "Should I heal them?~"

From the corner, Fredhardt snorted. "Why don’t you climb up to the Cestine Palace roof, pound your chest, and roar, ’I’m back!’"

Lory whipped her head toward Fredhardt angrily, "You think I’m King Kong?"