The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power Chapter 281: Support from My Crew

Cindy's POV:

Prince Adam's Manor—my manor now, I supposed—felt like a furnace tonight.

It wasn't just the Royal Court's refined champagne and wine flowing here—it was hard liquor and wild spirit from every corner of the continent.

The dukes and counts who normally looked polished enough to faint at a raised voice were now staring, slack-jawed, at the center of the hall.

Because that's where my people were going absolutely feral.

"Come on! For our Cindy—finish the whole barrel!"

Toast had one boot planted on a gold-trimmed oak table, hoisting an oak barrel nearly half his height with one hand as he threw his head back and drank like it was water.

Liquor ran down his thick neck, soaking the silk formalwear he'd put on for the wedding—already stretched tight across his muscles like it was losing a fight.

"Drink!"

The leader of the Crimson Dragon Mercenary Company—a scar-faced brute rumored to be able to solo a dragon—lifted a barrel, too.

The celebration was crude and savage and loud—full of life—and it smashed straight through the Royal Court's dead-eyed social rules.

And not a single person dared to look down on it.

Because Dean Dross had just done something.

He walked to the head table with a wineglass in hand, flanked by Selvaryn, Reginald, and a full sweep of the academy's professors and students.

King Ryken sat there with every first-rank duke in the kingdom.

"Your Majesty." Dean Dross didn't bow. He simply lifted his glass like an old friend. "I'm handing my disappointing student over to your family from here on out."

Then he turned, letting his gaze sweep the room. Those half-lidded, supposedly dull old eyes flared with a sharp light that made hearts stutter.

"Academy folk don't understand court etiquette, and we don't play those little twisting mind games either. We only recognize one hard truth—"

His voice wasn't loud, but with wolf power behind it, every word slid cleanly into every ear.

"Cindy Spencer is the pride of Moonridge Martial Arts Academy. Behind her stand our 3,000 teachers and students, our alumni spread across the continent, and every guild leader sitting in this hall."

He paused, and his presence dropped like a landslide, like a tidal wave—

"Anyone who bullies her because she has no parents, anyone who thinks Silverpeak Pack has fallen and she can be squeezed at will... That's a declaration of war against all of us!

"To the Duchess of Silverpeak! To our 'little princess'—cheers!"

"Cheers!!!"

The roar that exploded through the hall was so strong the crystal chandeliers trembled.

In that moment, I saw King Ryken's expression shift.

He had to stand—and he actually raised his cup with both hands to return Dean Dross's toast.

If the king was on his feet, what noble dared remain seated?

In an instant, the whole hall stood.

Even the ladies who used to sneer and gossip behind my back now forced their sweetest smiles and lifted their cups toward me.

I stood beside Adam and watched it all, my eyes burning.

This was my backbone.

This was my family.

In this Royal Court full of cold calculation, they had used the most direct and overbearing method to forge an absolute safety net for me.

Adam squeezed my hand and murmured in my ear, "See? I told you no one would dare bully you. With a lineup like this, even I'm scared."

I laughed through the heat in my eyes and squeezed his hand back.

But even in the middle of all that joy, my werewolf instincts caught something off.

In a shadowed corner of the banquet hall, Princess Margaret was holding the Queen's hand, their heads pressed close as they spoke in low voices.

The Queen's face looked tight and ugly, her gaze flicking between Dean Dross and me—jealousy and unease swirling there, along with the panic of someone who suddenly realized she was being pushed to the edge.