Chapter 563: Wine

Initially, everything went smoothly, making Clara less vigilant. She never expected the person inside to be Thomas's only daughter, Trixie. Thomas, leader of the Royal Guard for forty years, had wholeheartedly served and supported Aaron, the incompetent new leader of the Imperial Guard, despite their differing approaches. Attempting to force himself on Trixie was a grave error.

Clara rushed forward, having already attributed Aaron's actions to drunkenness to mitigate the damage. She pulled him away, exclaiming, "Bro, how much have you drunk? This is Miss Arthur; let her go!" Knowing everyone was watching, Clara needed to remove Aaron immediately. He ignored her, however, tightly hugging Trixie and uttering vile obscenities:

"Princess Olive, don't be uptight. Since the first day I saw you, I've been in love with you. All I wanted was to strip you and take you."

He continued hysterically, "Princess Olive, what's so good about Liam? Just wait; I'll trample him underfoot, force him to bow before you, and satisfy you better than he ever could!"

The guests gasped. The palace party included Greenland's princes, princesses, and powerful officials. Whispers rippled through the crowd:

"My God, did Aaron just try to claim Princess Olive?"

"Princess Olive is Aaron's sister-in-law, the prospective Princess of Gold City! This is appalling!"

"Did you hear him say he'd trample Prince Liam?"

"Keep quiet! Aaron and Liam are battling for power, and Aaron seems to have King Logan's favor."

"I admire Molly's methods; how she managed to make the king so fond of her son…"

Clara heard everything. Her father, Logan, had always shielded Aaron, but this attempted assault instantly ignited everyone's fury. Understanding the severity, Clara raced to the bathroom, returned with a bucket of water, and doused Aaron.

The cold water snapped him out of his stupor. He let go of Trixie, shouting, "Who dares to pour water on me? I'll kill them and their entire lineage!"

An old official quickly interjected, "Your Highness, it was Princess Clara."

Aaron finally understood. He saw Clara's grim expression, then looked at Trixie, who was quickly covered by her maid. Trixie, eyes red with disgust and hatred, stared at Aaron.

Stunned, Aaron stammered, "Trixie? Princess Olive, where…"

"Brother, that's enough!" Clara yelled, cutting him off. He had almost revealed his plan to assault Olive. Clara desperately needed a private solution before the scandal exploded.

Suddenly, a soft voice echoed, "Here I am."

Olive had arrived. Both Aaron and Clara's expressions shifted. Clara wondered how Olive had avoided the bell's powerful seduction spell.

She suppressed her questions, deciding to ask her mother later. Olive approached Liam, innocently asking, "King Liam, what happened?"

Liam observed Olive, recognizing her clever escape. He responded, "His Highness Aaron had a bit too much wine."

Olive sniffed the air, "But I don't smell alcohol. Perhaps everyone's drunk! Greenland seems unsafe. If anything happens to me, everyone will be watching His Royal Highness Aaron."

The whispers resumed, even more intense:

"Aaron clearly coveted Princess Olive. Too bad Miss Arthur was there instead."

"He does whatever he wants, relying on the king's favor. If he becomes king…"

"His affairs are notorious; I heard he killed a young girl."

Olive's arrival intensified the public condemnation. Aaron, the target of everyone's anger, had a terrible expression. Most importantly, his future attempts to approach Olive would be significantly more difficult.