Austin, realizing the logic in her words, glanced at Olaf, almost seeking support or hoping for some kind of assistance from the seemingly clueless man.

Olaf glanced at Austin, and it was clear from the look in his eyes that he had no intention of supporting him in this matter.

From the moment the princess told them to vacate their spots, it was already a done deal. 𝒃𝒆𝒐𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝙘𝙤𝒎

Olaf knew he couldn’t risk the stability and growth of his family by opposing Candice’s directives. He wasn’t willing to stake the security of his family in an unwinnable battle.

It was a harsh truth, but survival and progress were paramount for him, even if it meant relinquishing his position. He had no intention of allowing his family to be consumed by the fires of power struggles or internal strife.

As such, he assumed the most subservient smile he could muster and said, “What does your highness propose then? You must have something in mind.” He turned his head to look at Austin before continuing, “Let’s hear what her highness has to say before you offer any resistance.”

Olaf looked stupid on the outside, but he could discern hidden intentions quite well. Otherwise, he would have long since been fooled into selling out his family.

Olaf, in a masterful display of diplomatic finesse, subtly discredited Austin, portraying any resistance as illogical and unwarranted. Simultaneously, he skillfully showcased his unwavering loyalty to the royal family, leaving no room for doubt about his commitment. It was a delicate balance, ensuring he stayed in their good graces while achieving his objectives.

Austin clenched his teeth in frustration as Olaf, the tactless oaf, had effortlessly shifted allegiance without a trace of hesitation. This maneuver had not only undermined Austin but had also tarnished his image in the eyes of the princess, who appeared to be scheming a plan involving their families.

Still, Austin wasn’t planning on following the Princess like Olaf. His ambitions and his efforts were worthless if all he wanted was to be a puppet being manipulated by the princess. It was unacceptable to him. Therefore, he couldn’t bring himself to stop even though his fellow family leader had already decided to be subservient to the princess.

“Forgive me for being blunt, your highness, but survival is the instinct of every human being. We do what we do to survive and grow. You might not be able to understand the ways of the common people since you have spent your life being nurtured in the royal family. Out here, not everything goes the way you want it to. We did our best given the circumstances and made the best of bad situations. Now that you have come here, you will likely learn the same lesson soon and will come to know how difficult it can be to make good in this world without royal backing.”

Olaf was taken aback, his eyes widening in disbelief as he turned to Austin. It appeared to him that Austin was treading on incredibly thin ice. His choice of words was so blunt and his demeanor so unyielding that it seemed stubborn to the point of risking an irreparable fracture in their relations with the princess. It was like watching someone walk on the edge of a precipice, tempting fate.

He only hoped that Austin’s suicide attempt wouldn’t rope him in with him.

If the princess ended up feeling offense due to his words, it was undoubtedly going to spell Austin’s doom. Olaf only prayed that the princess wouldn’t consider him to be Austin’s accomplice in this insult. Therefore, he acted as if he was overly indignant at Austin’s display of resistance.

Princess Candice’s face twisted unnaturally as she scoffed in an extremely sarcastic manner. She was thinking that if she didn’t know what survival of the fittest meant, then there was no one among the populace of the entire empire who could claim to be otherwise.

The survival of the fittest was the law that governed the politics in the royal family. She had grown up in that kind of atmosphere and here she was listening to an old fogey who wanted to teach her how the world worked when he had spent all his life hiding behind the power of his name instead of improving his individual abilities.

Her patience wore thin as the older man seemed utterly oblivious to the subtle cues, aggravating her further with his persistent verbosity.

“Well, it seems I’ll have to awaken that survival instinct of yours before you will pay heed to what I’m about to say,” she declared with a tinge of irony.

There wasn’t a hint of anger visible on her calm countenance but the threat in her words was far more effective than any display of anger she could have mustered.

She glanced over her shoulder at the old man who had been performing his duties as her bodyguard the entire time.

The old man seemed visibly excited that the princess had finally allowed him to take action. Listening to the two old men disrespect the princess had been infuriating but he hadn’t acted because the princess hadn’t ordered him to. In fact, she had forbidden him from taking action against them as it would only crumble the balance of the city further.

She didn’t want to lengthen her task in this city if she could help it.

Now that she had willingly lifted his restraints, the old man couldn’t hold himself back from teaching the two mongrels a lesson.

Her subtle signal allowed the old man to unleash the entirety of his magical might. The force of his magic wasn’t targeted, or the family leaders might have directly exploded to bits.

It was just a show of power that could hardly damage anyone with substantial power, but it was enough for old men like Austin and Olaf who had lived sheltered lives and were far from being truly expert mages.

The overwhelming power left Austin and Olaf shivering as their legs quaked in fear despite their substantial experience in dealing with those in a higher position than themselves.

Candice raised her willowy hand and the pressure vanished instantly as if it had only been an illusion construed by their ill minds.

They stared at the old man with horror. He had been standing to the side silently like a side character with little to no importance so far but had turned into a murderous demon at the slightest signal from the princess.

For now, he had already reverted back to his initial state but the two had already witnessed the terrifying aura he had released just a moment ago.

At that time, they understood what the princess wanted from them by summoning them to her workplace.

This wasn’t a negotiation at all like they had expected it to be. It hadn’t been from the moment she had called them here and insulted their intelligence without pause.

This was only a show of power of the royal family. It was a declaration that she had taken over the reins of the city and the top families had no option but to cater to her whims and wishes if they wanted to sustain themselves in a similar manner.

The Princess was like a common thug lord trying to lay claim to a foreign land after invading it through force. The two family leaders were like the original inhabitants who were being forced to bend to her will due to the visible gap in their respective strengths.

From what it seemed; they wouldn’t be able to say no to her even if they wanted to due to the presence of the elderly mage witnessing everything from the side.

Austin felt that the eyes of the old man were surprisingly icy as he stared at him. Feeling the murderous gaze, he knew that he had already lost any lifeline he might have had after insulting and refusing the favor shown by the princess.

As such, there was a one hundred and eighty degrees shift in his attitude as he humbly lowered his head in front of Candice before saying in a respectful voice, “I am sorry if I offended you, your highness. I am an unworthy man you need not concern yourself with. Please overlook my faults this time and I am willing to listen to any orders you have for me. I would be extremely obliged to carry them out if it pleases you.”

Olaf lowered his head as well even though he hadn’t exactly committed any fault. He just felt that it would be safer to do so than to earn the ire of the murderous old man watching them with his hawk like eyes.

“It seems that we can finally discuss reason among ourselves.”

Candice smiled slightly. It was just a casual curve at the edge of her lips, but it caused her entire demeanor to undergo a beautiful change.

Her smile was as beautiful as the sunset but there were hidden daggers in it which made it just as dangerous as it was captivating.

“Now, I know that your families have been vying to become the top power in this city, but you should forget about doing that while I am here.”

“We wouldn’t have dared to do that if you had said that to us sooner. If we had known sooner that you were interested in this city, we would have voluntarily offered it to you as a tribute.”

Olaf was an even bigger bootlicker than Austin had imagined. He didn’t let go of a single opportunity to cozy up to the princess. His words even earned him a soft look from the powerful old man.