Chapter 190 - 136: Bathhouse Negotiation

Chapter 190: Chapter 136: Bathhouse Negotiation

Mary gazed into Lian’s azure eyes, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

The swirling steam blurred their view of each other, and a seductive atmosphere filled the spacious bath chamber.

Carved Angel sculptures on the walls continuously spouted streams of water into the pool, the babbling flow like background music.

"You’d best not get involved directly. I’ll help you suppress the news about Catherine annulling the engagement for now."

Mary said slowly.

"If that’s the case, we won’t have a sufficient pretext to attack Blue Moon Territory."

Lian looked troubled.

"No, we have ample reason."

The corners of Mary’s lips curled upward. "Lorne’s death is the perfect reason."

Lian froze.

’So after all that, this is what she was getting at.’

Mary had known all along that he had saved Lorne Jackson. And now, she wanted him to personally kill Lorne Jackson to get her plan back on track. Catherine would be framed as Lorne Jackson’s murderer. Then Mary, to avenge her third husband, could wage a war of "revenge" against Catherine. She would conveniently be single again and could seize Blue Moon Territory in one fell swoop, either claiming it as a widow’s inheritance or propping up a puppet "Jackson" as the Lord, thus circumventing the resolutions of the Empire’s old aristocratic ministers.

This was Mary’s scheme.

Lian realized Mary was a brilliant strategist, luring him step by step into a rift with Catherine.

First, she had Nancy Stuart approach him, use her beauty to seduce him into taking her as a mistress, and drive a wedge between him and Catherine.

Second, she seized the opportunity—despite the opposition of every Minister of Foreign Affairs—to recognize the legitimacy of Lian’s inheritance documents. She even ceded half of Yusofa to him, luring him with the promise of profit.

But that was far from enough. Just by marrying Catherine, Lian could ascend into the ranks of the Empire’s new elite. The Jackson Family, despite its recent upheaval, still had deep roots. If Lian married Catherine, he would not only gain the approval of Duke Moria but also receive olive branches from the other Creed Clans.

Therefore, she needed to make her third move.

Third, make Lian her husband or lover. With the Southern Dominator backing him, Lian would gain even more power and status. This would be equivalent to gaining the support of half the Frank Clan—and the Frank Clan wasn’t just any Creed Clan, but the true Imperial Family, the ones who held real power at the apex of the Empire.

This way, Lian wouldn’t feel he had lost anything by giving up Catherine. Instead, he could maintain a close, seamless partnership with Mary, bringing him firmly onto her side.

Mary was sending a clear message: anything Catherine could give him, she could give him, and more.

Compared to a naive young woman just dipping her toes into politics, the Southern Dominator, Mary, was clearly the more suitable partner.

Anyone would be left reeling by this combination of moves, ready to submit willingly.

But Lian saw it with perfect clarity. The more Mary did, the more it proved how threatened she felt by Catherine.

This once-insignificant player had now grown to a level that forced Mary to see her in a new light.

Catherine had managed to evade the Red Itch Plague, keep the Disease Witch in her service, persuade Lian to accept and assist her, resolve the crisis with Lorne, and win the approval of all the nobles in Blue Moon Territory in an incredibly short time. This was a Power not to be underestimated.

No one knew if, left unchecked, she would become their greatest threat.

Mary didn’t like to gamble. She preferred to secure victory through steady means, strangling her opponents in the cradle.

Blue Moon Territory was a prize she had to claim. She needed it, and her conflict with Catherine was irreconcilable.

She wanted Catherine and Blue Moon Territory to perish together.

Henceforth, a new Blue Moon Territory would become nothing more than a fiefdom of the Southern Dominator.

The Blue Moon Ore would bring her endless economic benefits and support for her war machine.

As for the adjacent Green Shade Territory, she only needed Lian to willingly submit to her as a vassal, and that land could be won without a fight.

Of course, if Lian was unwilling when the time came, Mary wouldn’t mind resorting to other methods—both carrots and sticks.

Noticing the hesitation on Lian’s face, Mary gave her maids a look.

They ushered Lian into the pool and began to attend to him intimately.

Lian instantly felt as though he had walked into the Silk Cave.

But their technique was shockingly good, as if they had been professionally trained, rivaling the starlets of the most exclusive clubs.

"Lord Lian, what do you think?"

Mary raised a glass of red wine in her right hand, watching with amusement as her maids attended to Lian in the pool.

"While I was able to save Lorne Jackson, that doesn’t mean I can kill him. In truth, I wasn’t the one who saved him; I merely provided a special method."

Lian composed himself and said, "Building churches for the Golden Goddess and believing in her—that is the real reason Lorne Jackson was saved."

"Then we will simply destroy all the Golden Churches in Blue Moon Territory. That won’t be difficult. We just need to speak with the Church Court and have them declared a heretical organization."

Mary said slowly.

Lian swallowed hard. ’This woman is absolutely ruthless.’

"If that’s the case, then you won’t be able to build Golden Churches in Yusofa and Rose Territory either. You would be unable to receive the Goddess’s blessings of luck and wealth, wouldn’t you?"

Lian knew that Mary had already ordered her people in Yusofa to find a suitable location for a Golden Church.