The Grand Elder, unable to contain his excitement at the turn of events, quickly joined in:"Third Elder and Second Elder are absolutely right. This is a match made in heaven. Our family has no reason to oppose it. From this moment on, we must dedicate ourselves to preparing the wedding of His Holiness and Evelyn. We must approach this with the utmost seriousness and attention to detail."
The family head, Leona, remained in a daze, confused by the situation unfolding before him. However, he knew that choosing between Prince Derek and Pope Rowan was not a hard decision. With a heavy heart, he turned his gaze toward his daughter, hoping to find some answers in her expression, trying to understand what was happening.
Evelyn, her heart brimming with sweetness, felt a wave of joy as she saw her relatives' attitudes change. She smiled brightly and said, "Rowan and I are truly in love with each other."
Her heart soared with happiness at finally being free from Derek's grasp.
Prince Derek, nearly beside himself with anger, barely restrained himself from shouting. His rage was like a wildfire:"I'm still here, you know! Do you all treat me as if I'm invisible? Did I look like a clown just now, parading around?"
The humiliation and fury surged within him. Just moments ago, everyone had supported him, but now, with the Pope proposing, they had turned their backs so quickly. Still, he knew better than to challenge Rowan face to face. The disparity in power was as vast as the ocean, and he dared not confront him directly.
Caught between anger and fear, Derek fought the urge to lash out, knowing the consequences of defying the Pope. He glared at everyone in the room, but they all calmly avoided his gaze, no longer paying him any attention.
He was left with no choice but to turn and leave, his bitterness and resentment seething inside him, yet he could only endure in silence.
At that moment, Cardinal Raymond's voice rang out:"Prince, I suggest you return the business you seized from Evelyn's family. If you don't, things will no longer be so simple."
Derek ground his teeth and forced out the words, "I understand."
With that, he stormed out, accompanied by his subordinates, thoroughly humiliated.
Everyone in the room had witnessed the stark difference in power. Before the Pope's arrival, Derek had been arrogant and domineering, pushing Evelyn's family to the brink, with none daring to oppose him. But when faced with Rowan, the tables turned. Derek was humiliated and yet didn't dare utter a word in defiance.
It was clear to all: power truly was the most important thing.
Rowan, satisfied with the outcome, spoke calmly:"The wedding will take place in seven days. Please, do everything necessary to prepare."
Everyone eagerly responded in unison:"Such a grand occasion must be handled with the highest level of importance!"
The three Elders beamed with smiles, enthusiastically pulling Leona aside to begin discussing wedding details. Their faces were full of joy and excitement, already forgetting the earlier pressure they had put on Evelyn.
Rowan and Evelyn walked together to her room. Rowan, his voice laced with satisfaction, said softly:"I told you I would keep my word. Were you pleased with my performance today?"
Evelyn playfully rolled her eyes at him and replied:"Well, you were almost late! I was so worried for nothing. But I'll admit, overall, you did well today. You've earned some praise."
Rowan grinned and, with a swift motion, scooped Evelyn into his arms and kissed her deeply. The kiss was passionate and lingering, both of them lost in their own world, almost forgetting to breathe.
After a long moment, Evelyn's cheeks flushed bright red, her eyes sparkling with a mix of happiness and shyness. Rowan, seeing this, leaned in close and whispered softly in her ear, "Wait for me, and I'll come to marry you."
Evelyn nodded, a smile playing on her lips.
Rowan, along with Raymond, left Evelyn's home shortly thereafter. On the way, Raymond spoke, "Your Holiness, you've once again humbled the royal family. Lately, there have been troubling signs from them. My informants say they've been secretly colluding with outsiders, their movements highly suspicious."
Rowan nodded slightly, his eyes dark with scheming as he replied,"Send more skilled men to infiltrate the palace and closely monitor the Emperor's every move. We need concrete evidence. We can't act without a legitimate reason."
Raymond's heart surged with excitement as he eagerly responded,"Don't worry. I'll make sure to gather airtight evidence, no room for error."
Rowan casually asked, "Who do you think is more suitable to take the throne?"
Raymond was taken aback, confused. He thought to himself,"Why would the Pope bring up such a topic? Does he want the throne for himself? But his position as Pope is already far more powerful than that of the Emperor… Or could it be that he wants me to take the throne? But that would mean competing with the Emperor for power."
He glanced at Rowan, bewildered.
Rowan, noticing the confusion on Raymond's face, quickly cleared up any misunderstanding. "I was asking about Evelyn. What do you think?"
Raymond's eyes widened as realization dawned. He thought,"Ah, so that's it. The Pope isn't thinking of taking the throne himself but wants Evelyn to be Empress. If she becomes the Emperor's wife, power will be consolidated in one place. That will certainly make our work easier. There may be resistance, but we can handle that."
He immediately responded, "If you say she's suitable, then she is. Even if she's not, we'll make it work."
Rowan gave Raymond a knowing glance, a chuckle bubbling inside him as he thought,"This conversation feels like I'm ordering a subordinate around."
Meanwhile, Derek stormed back to the palace, his face dark as thunder. He rushed straight to Emperor Montrey's palace, barely even bothering with formalities before barging in.
"Father, that Pope is going too far! This is clearly an attempt to undermine us!"
Derek raged, his fists clenched, his face twisted with fury.
Emperor Montrey frowned, his face equally grim. He paced for a moment before speaking,"I didn't expect them to act so decisively. They've even sent the two armies stationed near the capital to the borders. The palace's defenses are now nearly nonexistent."
He paused, then added,"We cannot act recklessly right now. We must proceed with caution. We can't let them catch us off guard. Return for now, and keep a low profile. Let's endure for another year. When the time is right, we'll settle both old and new scores."