The Counterattack Plan of A Villain With Ten Thousand Fans - Chapter 52 (Patreon)

Chapter 52

"Host, it's the Little Princess," 098 said.

"I know."

Karu Lan's voice was distinctive, and Ed Lintle had a good memory. Since their last encounter in the town outside the Magic Beast Forest, Karu Lan hadn't sought Ed Lintle out again, and he hadn't thought of seeking her either.

The dragon also remembered this human Little Princess. He wanted to go and open the door immediately, but he saw Ed Lintle looking over lightly. He paused, realizing where he was. Reluctantly, he kissed Ed Lintle on the face and then turned into a small dragon, slipping into Ed Lintle's pocket.

Affectionately patting the dragon's head, Ed Lintle smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, then opened the door.

"Sis... Brother," Karu Lan's face still carried a hint of embarrassment. She looked down at her toes, her voice hesitant. "I'm sorry for the false information I gave you last time."

"It's okay. What brings you here this time?"

Karu Lan glanced behind her, hesitating. "Can I come in and talk?"

Ed Lintle gestured for her to come in, and Karu Lan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

After pouring a glass of water for Karu Lan, Ed Lintle sat opposite her. "Go ahead."

Karu Lan took a sip of water, her expression relaxing a bit. "Yesterday, I returned to the palace with Rod. He was invited by Second Brother. After knowing he's a genius in both magic and martial arts, it seems like Father and Mother intend for me to marry him."

"You don't want to?" Ed Lintle sounded puzzled.

"I'm sorry," Karu Lan hugged the cup, "I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really don't want to marry him now." Pausing there, she changed the subject, "Brother, I sneaked out this time. Second Brother told Father that you're planning a rebellion, and he even presented evidence of your association with General Kurus. Although Father seems not to believe it much, you still need to be careful."

After repeatedly urging Ed Lintle to be careful, Karu Lan hurriedly left.

Recently, the Kurus family did indeed contact Ed Lintle, but mostly because the little one, Orr, wanted his "mom."

"Host, I'm sure there was no Second Prince or the male lead around when you saw Orr," 098 remarked.

"And the Kurus family members," Ed Lintle added calmly.

"Are you saying there's a traitor in the Kurus family?" 098 was stunned. In the original plot, the members of the Kurus family were known for their loyalty. How could there be betrayal?

Ed Lintle didn't dwell on this topic and instead took the little dragon out of his pocket. "I'll take you to see the palace garden."

The dragon rubbed Ed Lintle's finger and then turned into human form, leaning in to kiss Ed Lintle. "Darling, I'd rather see you."

Just as the two were about to get carried away, there was a commotion outside the door, followed by knocking.

Seeing the door open, the panicked servants tried to dissuade Ed Lintle. "Third Prince, Second Prince insists on coming in to see you."

Ed Lintle waved off the servants and looked at the Second Prince, who had a smiling and amiable face. He nodded at him. "Second Brother, it's been a long time."

"Little brother, you've been back for so long, but you didn't come to greet your Second Brother. It truly hurts Second Brother's heart." Compared to the refined appearance of the Third Prince, the Second Prince was obviously much more ordinary. However, he inherited the king's facial features, giving him a gentle and refined demeanor. Even when making a sad expression, he didn't seem out of place.

"Second Brother is joking," Ed Lintle had experience in handling such situations. "I've sent servants a few times to inquire about your schedule, and they said you've been very busy, so I didn't want to disturb you."

The Second Prince's expression became somewhat awkward. It seemed he had instructed the servants to say he was busy if the Third Prince's people came asking, but he quickly realized and smiled, "Whenever the Third Brother comes to see me, I'll naturally make time."

Ed Lintle had no intention of inviting the Second Prince in, and the Second Prince didn't seem to have come specifically to catch up with Ed Lintle. After exchanging a few words, he steered the conversation towards the Kurus family. "Third Brother, I've heard that you've been getting close to General Kurus recently. Father seems somewhat displeased. Be careful tonight and watch what you say."

Ed Lintle frowned and nodded at the Second Prince. "Thank you for the reminder, Second Brother."

Seeing Ed Lintle's worried expression, the Second Prince's smugness flickered in his eyes for a moment before he bid Ed Lintle farewell with a worried expression.

To demonstrate his concern, Ed Lintle didn't leave for the next hour.

As it was a family banquet, dinner was held in the back hall. By the time Ed Lintle arrived at the dining table, everyone except the King and Queen had already gathered. They sat around the long table, with the Crown Prince still absent after his two-month expedition. So, on the left side, towards the front, sat the Second Prince, an empty seat, Karu Lan, and on the right side sat the male lead, Rod.

Ed Lintle took the empty seat and waited quietly, without glancing around, for the arrival of the King and Queen.

The male lead, who had originally intended to see the expression of fear on Ed Lintle's face, was completely ignored. His face stiffened involuntarily, wondering what Ed Lintle was up to. The King and Queen entered the dining hall, arm in arm.

After the greetings, elegantly dressed maids entered the dining hall one by one, carrying trays. Rod's eyes were immediately drawn to the beautiful faces and graceful figures of the maids.

Seeing the man's behavior, Karu Lan felt even more contemptuous of herself. Was she blind before? How could she have ever been interested in such a person?

Ed Lintle withdrew his gaze from Karu Lan and listened attentively to the King and Queen's conversation.

The King seemed particularly fond of the male lead. Apart from a few initial glances at Ed Lintle, he mostly chatted with Rod. The Second Prince chimed in, and the Queen looked at them with a smile.

The meal soon ended joyfully. Ed Lintle sighed, "The Queen's cooking is quite good."

098, who had been anxious all evening, suddenly felt that his worries seemed completely unnecessary. The host wasn't worried at all.

But it had to be said that since the last world, Ed Lintle had become more and more able to accept ordinary food. The intervals between his episodes had become longer. If it weren't for Ed Lintle still occasionally biting the dragon, 098 would almost think his host had fully recovered.

As the meal was ending, the Queen's gaze fell first on Ed Lintle. Her eyes were full of tenderness. "Carl, I noticed you hardly touched your utensils. Is it because you're not feeling well?" Carl was Ed Lintle's nickname.

Ed Lintle shook his head. "No, Mother's cooking is just as good as it used to be, and I love it. But I wasn't very hungry today, so I used less."

098 glanced at the food left in front of his host and then at the empty plates in front of the others. It dawned on him that his host's full recovery seemed still distant.

"All right, after the meal, everyone go rest. Carl, come with me to the study," the King dismissed the others.

Under the gloating gaze of the male lead, Ed Lintle followed the King to the study.

"Do you know why I called you here alone?" The King's face was stern, bearing the weight of one who had long been in power.

"I don't know," Ed Lintle said, restraining the little dragon in his pocket, seemingly ready to come out at any moment. "Please enlighten me, Father."

"What have you been up to recently that you don't know about?" 

Ed Lintle was confused, his eyes somewhat bewildered. "I've been focusing on my studies at the academy recently and haven't done anything out of line. Please, Father, see the truth."

"If you haven't done anything, then why is someone coming to me accusing you of conspiring with others to rebel?" After scrutinizing Ed Lintle for a while, the King didn't detect any other colors on his face and made his accusation clear.

"How is that possible?" Ed Lintle was shocked. "Father, don't listen to those people's nonsense. I've never thought of becoming a king. If you're talking about the Kurus family, our interaction is solely because I inadvertently brought back their young master. Therefore, I became acquainted with them. Except for Orr, I haven't had any contact with the Kurus family. If you don't believe me, feel free to send someone to the Kurus family to verify. Moreover, whenever I met Orr Kurus, it was always in the school's reception room, and there are memory stones to prove it. You're welcome to check."

Ed Lintle made a shocked expression, as if he couldn't believe his father would suspect him. His words were somewhat incoherent. The King frowned, seemingly contemplating the truthfulness of his words. Originally, his plan to capture him and frame him had been thwarted. His expression wasn't very pleasant. "You may leave for now. I will investigate this matter further."

"Okay, thank you, Father." Ed Lintle bowed his head slightly, seemingly saddened by the King's suspicion, but he didn't forget his manners and left after bowing to the King.

Was it that simple to resolve? 098 was still a bit dazed. According to this script, shouldn't the King have unjustly accused him and then thrown him into a dark and smelly dungeon for a few days before eventually executing him in front of the whole nation?

"098, you have quite an imagination," Ed Lintle's voice came.

098 was startled. "Host, how did you know what I was thinking?"

"You said it out loud."

"..."

As Ed Lintle stepped outside the courtyard, he caught sight of a figure disappearing at the end of the road not far away.

"Host, that person is from the Second Prince's side," 098 said.

"What?" Hearing the report from the servant, Rod, who was with the Second Prince, stood up abruptly. "That's impossible. His Majesty clearly said he was going to punish him severely."

The Second Prince also looked incredulous. Given the Third Prince's character, he should have been disdainful of defending himself. What method did he use to escape Father's questioning?

Both pondered but couldn't come up with an answer. After a while, the Second Prince said, "Perhaps Father feels that the images in the memory stones we provided aren't sufficient evidence and needs further confirmation." He smiled, "He got lucky this time. Let's plan carefully next time. The college competition is in two months. You prepare well, and I'll arrange for you to be in the same group as him."

Saying so, the Second Prince leaned in, and Rod leaned over to his ear. After a moment, both had smiles on their lips, and Rod clasped his hands together towards the Second Prince. "Second Prince is wise."

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