Chapter 41 Margaery was also taken aback . 45 % 38 ) It wasn't her first time meeting the High Priest of the Eastvale Empire , Simon Browning , but this encounter felt different . She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about him , though she couldn't quite put her finger on it . She thought , " The High Priest rarely leaves Fretilo Mountain , so why has he shown up today ? ' Still , since they had met before , Margaery bowed respectfully . " High Priest ." Simon nodded . Then , he turned to Estelle and Joshua , letting out a cold sneer . " If I hadn't shown up , were you planning to twist the truth and throw all the blame on Margaery ? " As he spoke , he stepped forward to stand on Margaery's other side , shielding her completely behind him . His sharp gaze swept over Joshua and Avery , his words cutting straight to the point . " Both last night and the night before , you two came running to the Hall of Divinity , insisting Margaery was possessed by some evil spirit . I already told you - she's the Star of Fortune . And now , you still want to ruin her ? Just what are you trying to pull ? " Simon's words made Joshua and Estelle's faces change in an instant . The Star of Fortune was someone who boosted the King's luck . In other words , just by being alive , Margaery could make the King's fortune stronger - she was basically a walking shield for him . Who would dare mess with someone like that ? Especially for the King's own kids , they should be scrambling to suck up to her , just to show how much they cared about the King . " Tessa , I really didn't expect you were full of it , " Nathaniel said , and his face darkened as he glared at her . " So this is the real you - the so - called Lady Tessa of the Chancellor's estate , who's supposed to be a thousand times better than Margaery ! What a joke ." Then he shot a look at Joshua . " Lord Joshua , you've seriously disappointed me ! " At this point , he had no choice but to throw his lot in with the Star of Fortune and give up on currying favor with the Chancellor's estate . Joshua never expected things to turn out like this . He was completely at a loss , not knowing what to do . Dominic was also breaking out in a cold sweat . He wasn't about to let Margaery walk away with a total victory , so he quickly scrambled for an excuse . " That's not how it happened ! The incense on the third floor was laced with aphrodisiacs . Margaery was the first one up there . She must have tampered with it , then sent Paige to call Tessa over ! " She did all this just to frame me and Tessa on purpose ! " Dominic glared at Margaery , his eyes bloodshot . He wouldn't believe Margaery could still talk her way out of this . No matter what , he wasn't going to let her walk away with 1/3 38 Chapter 41 her reputation intact today . A flicker of malice flashed in Dominic's eyes , barely noticeable . Margaery looked at him , feeling sick to her stomach . " Why would I even bother framing you ? And even if I really did send Paige to get Tessa , why would she even bother to show up ? " Are you telling me someone as sickly as she would risk her own neck just because she's worried her would - be brother - in- law might get set up ? Does that even make sense ? " The others nodded in agreement . " Yeah , Margaery has a point . Even if her maid went to get Tessa , why would Tessa even bother coming here ?" Tessa burst into tears . " That's not true ! Paige told me that Margaery was going to poison Avery to take revenge on him , so I came to stop her … " That actually makes sense , " one of the onlookers nodded . " She came to save Avery , and that's reasonable . " " Margaery , what else do you have to say for yourself ? " Avery seized the opportunity , staring at her with bloodshot eyes , putting on a wounded expression . " I've always treated you like a treasure since we were kids . Why would you try to poison me ? " As he spoke , he managed to squeeze out a couple of crocodile tears . Margaery was cornered again . Seeing her speechless , Avery felt a surge of satisfaction . But just then , Quinn Thornton , the deputy chief of the Inquisition Court , burst in with a squad of officers and cut in loudly , " Enough ! Stop arguing . The aphrodisiac was planted by Avery . " " What ? " The crowd , who thought it was a done deal that Margaery was behind it , all widened their eyes and whipped their heads toward Quinn in shock . Even Margaery herself was stunned . Why is he here ? ' Margaery wondered . But she quickly realized Dashnell was behind all this . When she went upstairs earlier , Dashnell had told her , " Go on . Leave everything to me ." Back then , she hadn't understood what he meant . Now it all made sense . He'd been pulling the strings from the shadows , protecting her every step of the way . That was how he could swoop in at the most dangerous moment , gather all the witnesses she needed , and clear her of every false accusation . He hadn't shown up himself , but every big shot who came there was because of him - this was all Dashnell's handiwork . That kind of protection made Margaery's eyes well up with tears . Margaery turned to look at the person behind her , her throat tightening with emotion . It was Quinn , the deputy chief of the Inquisition Court . He turned to Avery , a cold sneer in his eyes . " While I was investigating Titan Wheeler , I discovered that Lord Avery had visited Mercelo Pharmacy . The materials he purchased ? All were ingredients for concocting aphrodisiacs . " 2/3 11:02 Thu , 21 Aug Chapter 41 45 % As he spoke , he flicked out a prescription from his hand and displayed it for everyone to see . " This is the prescription , and it even bears Lord Avery's fingerprints . " " Avery ? " The crowd was floored , staring wide - eyed at the usually gentle and refined Avery , shock written all over their faces . " So it was you who drugged Lord Dominic and Tessa , and then tried to frame Margaery for it ? " " Sheesh , the Chancellor's estate really is wild . What kind of people are they ? " Someone even shuffled a few steps away , like just being near Avery might get their own reputation dirty . " It wasn't me ! I swear I didn't do it … " Avery blurted out , his voice trembling as panic crept into his eyes . But with everyone staring , that prescription slip was irrefutable evidence . And with Quinn , the deputy chief of the Inquisition Court , who oversaw all criminal investigations , presenting it , his word was as good as law . At this point , nothing Avery said could change a thing . It was all over . Seeing that things were getting completely out of hand , Joshua could only try to defend Avery , his voice sounding desperate . " That prescription is fake , right ? Why would Avery do something like this ? He has no reason at all ! " As soon as Joshua spoke up , Bernard , the heir to Morales's estate , stepped forward . " Lord Joshua , don't bother making excuses for yourself . Bet you didn't know , but Pero Cela is my place . And that room upstairs ? You booked it yourself . " Plus , before Margaery went up there , you , Lord Dominic , and Lord Avery were all there first . I was right in a room on the second floor , having coffee . If you still want to deny it , we can have Lord Thornton bring in everyone from the restaurant and question them one by one ." A mocking smile tugged at the corners of Bernard's handsome face . That hint of mockery , amplified by his natural playboy arrogance and roguish charm , made it all the more striking . " Everyone here works for you , so of course you can twist things however you want ! " Joshua's eyes were bloodshot with rage as he jabbed a finger at Bernard , accusing him of being in cahoots with Margaery . " When did you start scheming with Margaery behind our backs ? " Are you even aware she's already engaged to someone else ? " At that point , the only thing left was to drag everyone else down with him . No one was getting out of there with their reputation clean today . Avery immediately caught on and chimed in , " Yeah , that's right ! You and Margaery must have been working together to set us up ! " 3/3 AD Comment Send gift No Ads 11:02 Thu , 21 Aug Chapter 42 Chapter 42