The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power Chapter 356: Prince Niall's Ambition

Prince Adam's POV:

The snowstorm was still raging as we traveled back to the Royal Court.

Cindy sat inside the carriage, but unlike the journey here, she didn't discuss anything with Viola. Instead, she leaned quietly against me, resting her head on my chest as she listened to the steady beat of my heart.

The entire journey passed in silence.

I didn't speak either. I simply wrapped my coat tightly around her and gently caressed her hair with one hand, offering silent comfort.

I knew she was gathering her strength.

Only when the carriage was about to enter the towering gates of the Royal Court—when the silver totem banners hung along the walls for the Moon Goddess Festival came into view—did she finally lift her head from my chest.

"Adam."

She looked into my eyes. The sorrow that once filled her silver eyes had vanished. What remained was a chilling clarity and unwavering resolve.

"There is something I must tell you right now."

Seeing the seriousness in her expression, I immediately straightened my posture. All tenderness disappeared as I shifted into the mindset of a grand marshal preparing for battle.

"Go ahead."

She took a deep breath and repeated every word of the shocking secret Sephiria had revealed to her with her final breath.

"Before Sephiria died, she told me that Prince Niall had been pretending to be foolish and useless all these years. He deliberately created the reputation of being a reckless womanizer and an incompetent ruler. He even expelled his own Luna for the sake of a mistress, just so everyone would think he was a man without any principles."

She stared at my suddenly shrinking pupils. "He did all of that to deceive His Majesty. It was all to hide his true ambition.

"With financial support from Princess Margaret and the local influence of the Scarlet Pack controlled by Leanna's family, he has secretly been recruiting soldiers all this time. He's building an army."

"An army?" I blurted out.

In peacetime, if a prince stationed so close to the Royal Court expanded his army without informing the King, there could be only one explanation—treason.

"Where? How could he possibly hide an army right under my father's nose without being discovered?" My breathing grew faster.

She closed her eyes and slowly spoke.

"Bloodridge Mountains."

Buzz!

The carriage fell into a deathly silence. Only the creaking sound of wheels crushing snow echoed from outside.

My face turned pale.

"Bloodridge Mountains..." I murmured. As the former grand marshal of Southreach, I knew exactly how special that place was.

"That's Princess Margaret's private territory!" My fist slammed against the wall of the carriage with a loud bang. "The terrain there is dangerous and steep. The entire area is covered in poisonous fog all year round. The Royal Court's regular army cannot station troops there. Most importantly, it borders the Vampire Empire. It is truly a lawless zone that no one controls."

At that moment, every clue suddenly fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

Princess Margaret had been collecting money like a madwoman in the Royal Court. She had even stolen Cindy's bethrothal gift and tricked my mother out of her private savings.

Uncle Niall had abandoned his Luna in order to control more resources, supporting the Scarlet Pack that controlled the mining industry.

And after hearing that Cindy had accepted me, he had immediately tried to marry Viola, hoping to bring the immense wealth and trade routes of the Blaze Pack in the south under his control.

Behind all of this lay a conspiracy so vast and bloody that it was almost unimaginable.

"Who would have thought..." I leaned back in my seat, a trace of cold dread in my eyes. "The weak man who only drank and chased women was secretly sharpening a dagger, ready to strike at the throne!"

He hid too well, and his disguise was perfect.

If Sephiria hadn't paid with her life to reveal this, and if he had actually managed to secure a marriage alliance with the Blaze Pack and enough funding for his army...

Once the hidden army in the Bloodridge Mountains launched its attack and coordinated with forces inside the kingdom, my father's throne would surely be plunged into a storm of bloodshed.

"Adam." Cindy grabbed my hand, which had grown tense with anger. Her gaze was as cold as frost.

"Sephiria told me not to provoke him and to live a good life. But she was wrong."

A cruel smile curved on her lips. "I've never been the kind of woman who hides behind a man and prays for a quiet life.

"Since Prince Niall dared to set his schemes against Viola and me, and drove Sephiria to the brink, then no matter what it takes, I'll smash his entire game to pieces!"

I turned my hand and gripped hers tightly. A blazing fighting spirit burned in my golden eyes.

"Good," I said in a low, steady voice, as if making a sacred vow. "No matter how dangerous the road ahead is, I'll fight this battle with you to the very end."

Soon, the carriage passed through the gates of the Royal Court.

Above us, a full moon slowly emerged from behind the clouds.

The Moon Goddess Festival was about to begin.