Chương 471: Chapter : 471

Zaima laughed a harsh, bitter laugh.

"A forgery? You are just trying to protect your guilty master! You are inventing excuses because you are trapped!"

"I do not invent excuses," Sayma countered smoothly.

"I rely on pure, unyielding mathematics. The numbers do not lie. This is a framed attack." Princess Iris stepped out from behind Naomi. She stood tall. She looked directly into Hestia's green eyes. She did not show an ounce of fear.

"I did not attack your unit, Hestia," Princess Iris stated with absolute clarity.

"I fight my battles in the open. I do not hide behind mutated monsters. You know my character better than anyone in this room. Do you truly believe I would assassinate my own sister?" Hestia stared at Iris. The two Royal Princesses locked eyes. The atmosphere in the white parlor became incredibly intense. The fate of their temporary alliance hung entirely in the balance. The true enemy was still hiding in the shadows, waiting for the two sisters to destroy each other over a forged piece of magic.

The pristine white parlor remained totally silent. The tension in the room was immense. Princess Hestia sat in her plush velvet chair. She looked at her older sister. She analyzed Iris's violet eyes. She looked for a single trace of deception. She found absolutely nothing. Hestia slowly raised her delicate hand.

"Stand down, Zaima," Hestia commanded softly. Her voice carried undeniable, absolute authority. Zaima froze. She turned her head and looked at her Princess in pure shock.

"Your Highness? The evidence is sitting right on the table! We cannot just ignore a direct assassination attempt!"

"I said stand down," Hestia repeated firmly. She smoothed the silk fabric of her dress. She did not break eye contact with Iris.

"My sister is incredibly stubborn. She is overly compassionate. She makes very poor choices regarding her wardrobe and her staff. But she possesses a rigid sense of honor. She is not a traitor. She would never commit such a heinous act." Princess Iris let out a quiet breath of relief. She offered a small, grateful nod.

"Thank you, Hestia." Zaima gritted her teeth. Her face turned a vibrant shade of crimson. She absolutely hated Princess Iris. She hated Sayma. She hated the entire 13th Unit. She wanted to crush them completely. She could not accept Hestia's decision.

"You are letting sentiment cloud your judgment, Princess!" Zaima argued fiercely. She pointed an angry finger at Sayma.

"They are lying to you! Sayma is using fake magical jargon to confuse the facts! The 13th Unit is a massive liability! They are trying to sabotage our campaign!" If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Naomi took a threatening step forward. Her green eyes blazed with intense, protective fury. She rested her hands on the hilts of her silver daggers.

"You call us a liability one more time, and I will show you exactly what my daggers can do," Naomi warned loudly. Her voice was totally fierce.

"We do not sabotage anyone. We win our points fairly. You are just jealous because we survive every single trap the Empire throws at us."

"You survive through pure, dumb luck!" Zaima shrieked wildly. She pointed her finger directly at Ken.

"Look at him! Look at your pathetic, lazy commoner! He is eating candy in a Royal parlor! He is a total joke! Your entire unit lacks basic discipline!" Ken stopped chewing his strawberry candy. He blinked his sleepy dark eyes. He looked at Zaima. He slouched his shoulders even further. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"Hey now," Ken mumbled lazily. He let out a loud yawn.

"I am a very disciplined candy eater. I never drop a single wrapper. You guys really need to stop yelling. The acoustic design in this room is terrible. The echoes are giving me a massive headache. Can we just agree that a secret bad guy is framing us and move on? This filler episode is getting very boring." Zaima looked like she was about to explode with pure rage. She raised her hand. Bright white magical energy flared around her fingers. She wanted to summon a sharp triangular barrier.

She wanted to smash the lazy boy against the wall. Before Zaima could cast a single spell, someone else moved. Elma stepped out of the 16th Unit's flawless formation. The blonde swordswoman marched straight into the absolute center of the parlor. She stood directly between Zaima and the 13th Unit. She wore her spotless white and gold uniform. Her golden curls bounced with every step. She stood up perfectly tall. She lifted her chin with intense, undeniable pride. Elma did not look at Princess Iris.

She did not look at Naomi. She turned around and faced her own team. She looked directly at Zaima and Princess Hestia. Her cheeks burned a bright, glowing pink, but her blue eyes were filled with absolute determination.

"You are completely wrong about them, Zaima," Elma declared loudly. Her voice rang clear and strong across the marble room. Zaima gasped in pure shock. She stared at her teammate.

"Elma? What are you doing? Are you defending these beggars?"

"I am speaking the absolute truth!" Elma shouted back passionately. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. She refused to back down.

"I fought right beside them during the tournament! I stood in the arena with the 13th Unit. They are incredibly strong. They are fierce. They protect each other with a loyalty that we completely lack!" Elma uncrossed her arms. She gestured toward Princess Iris.

"Princess Iris treats her servants like a true family," Elma explained firmly. Her blush deepened, but her voice did not waver.

"She does not treat them like disposable tools. She does not demand absolute perfection. Sayma is a brilliant tactician. Naomi is an unstoppable vanguard. Laxmi is fiercely brave. They do not use coward tactics. They fight head-on." Hestia sat in her velvet chair. She watched her elite servant defend the rival unit. She did not interrupt. She listened very carefully. Elma took a slow, shaky breath. She turned her head slightly. She looked back at Ken. Ken leaned against the doorway.

His white shirt hung completely untucked. His suit was wrinkled. He looked like an absolute slacker. He offered her a goofy, lazy smile. He chewed his candy happily. Elma felt her heart do a frantic flip inside her chest. Her face turned an even brighter shade of pink. She quickly looked back at Zaima. She raised her voice again.

"And you call Ken Eliot a pathetic joke," Elma stated fiercely. Her voice shook with genuine, intense emotion.

"You call him useless. But you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. When we fought in the underground bunker, a mutated monster tried to spear me in the back. I was completely frozen. I was entirely defenseless." Elma pointed a shaking finger at Ken.