Evangeline clenched her fists behind her back.

'Am I being too trusting of Lilias?'

Was she being excessively biased? If so, then that would hurt her own judgement.

But then she shook her head.

'No, I shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions! I have to hear them both out first!'

Evangeline turned her attention to the old woman and opened her mouth with a resolute expression.

⪡"Tell me in detail what happened. What exactly is the reason you are after Lilias's life?"⪢

The more elaborate and complex the command, the more mana it consumed. And making someone talk was no simple order, so Evangeline's mana was being depleted at quite a rapid pace.

The old woman gritted her teeth.

"The island had been rich in resources when our ancestors first settled here. There was no lack of food since not only could we grow crops on the empty land, but we could also hunt sea creatures and eat their flesh. There was no lack of ore either, and land was abundant as well. This island had been like a paradise for our ancestors."

Evangeline glanced at Lilias as the woman continued speaking. The girl was listening with a frown.

"But this island is not the same paradise for us. The population has grown significantly, and there is no longer enough land for people to build homes, let alone farm. The seas have also become far more dangerous because of the Conqueror of the Sea. The sea beasts and monsters are gradually becoming stronger. The attacks from the sea creatures are becoming more frequent by the day, and the guardians are struggling more and more to repel them."

'That sounds rather bad.'

Merely listening to the old woman made Evangeline feel as though living on the island was extremely difficult, so she couldn't even imagine what it would've been like for the inhabitants.

"Things are only going to get worse as time passes. So the council made the decision that it was now time to abandon this island and move somewhere else. But no matter how much we searched, we could not find another island that fit our requirements. With no other choice, the council and the Guardian Order decided that all of us would return to the continent. But the previous ruler didn't approve this decision, not allowing it to take effect—"

"But Mother had her reasons!" Lilias suddenly interjected. "The continent is dangerous. Living there is hell. Wasn't that the entire reason why our ancestors left and settled on this island in the first place?"

The elderly lady frowned; there was a look of suspicion in her eyes.

"Is the continent really dangerous? Have you seen that danger, Princess? Because I haven't, just like everyone else. You say that living on the continent would be hell, but is that not the same here? Things might not be too bad right now, but it would only get worse with time. Most of us would rather choose the hell of the continent than this one, especially after that attack by the Conqueror of the Sea all those years ago."

She paused, then added while looking directly into Lilias's eyes.

"Princess, does danger exist on the continent? Or is it that you simply want us to believe that it does?"

Lilias's frown deepened.

"Teacher, where are you even going with this? Why would I want the people to believe that the continent is dangerous if it weren't?"

The old woman smiled knowingly.

"Because that is the only way you can maintain your status as the ruler, isn't that right?"

Lilias froze as she heard the old woman's answer. Her expression made it look as though the girl had heard something absurd.

The elderly lady continued.

"The previous two kings had been kings in name only; they had no power or authority. All they had was the title of king. But if the people leave the island and return to the continent, then would they even be left with their status of ruler when the land they used to rule was gone? To me, this 'danger' seems like their desperate attempt to hold power."

Evangeline interjected and asked in confusion.

"Then why don't you all just leave? Who is even stopping you?"

The king had no private army and thus had no way to enforce his will. The council and the Guardian Order could just not listen to the king, and nothing would happen. There was no reason to kill Lilias.

But the old woman shook her head.

"If only things were that simple. The ship that our ancestors had used to reach this island has turned into a Grade Two relic, just like this castle. Its ownership gets transferred to members of their bloodline when the current owner passes away. We don't have enough materials to build a ship large enough to carry all the people here either. And the only way we will be able to access the current ship is when the royal bloodline is completely exterminated."

Evangeline's mana had long run out, yet the old woman continued to speak.

And when she finished, a heavy silence settled in the room. Lilias and the old lady continued to stare at each other while Evangeline observed them tensely.

'So that is how it is…'

In essence, this was simply a matter of trust. Evangeline didn't know whether what the old woman was saying was really true. But in a way, she could understand her.

The people of this kingdom no longer trusted their king.

"Now what, Princess?" The old woman finally broke the silence. "Are you going to kill me since you have extracted all the information from me that you needed? Or are you going to use me as a hostage to save yourself? Know that this old woman's life is not much of a leverage—"

Lilias suddenly raised her hand and hit the old woman on the back of her head before the lady could react, knocking her unconscious.

"How long are you all going to call me princess? I am now the fourth rightful ruler of this land, so it's 'Queen' to you, understand?"

Then she turned to Evangeline.

"Well? Did you get what you are looking for? Now what is the plan after this?"

Evangeline pursed her lips.

'What now?'

It was Lilias's word against the old woman.

Evangeline simply couldn't judge who was correct or who was lying. But it was likely that Lilias was also telling the truth that she believed. After all, the girl had most likely never left the island, so she couldn't know for sure whether the continent was really dangerous.

Evangeline could also technically tell Lilias that the continent was safe and it was okay to migrate there. But…

'I have no idea what the current situation of the continent actually is. If I lie that it's safe, and it actually turns out to be dangerous, then that would be a really horrible thing to do.'

After hesitating for a bit, Evangeline asked.

"Why don't you just let them go? That way, they wouldn't kill you, at least."

But Lilias firmly shook her head.

"No, I will not. I will not make a decision that can ruin the kingdom for good, no matter the cost. I don't think that my mother or grandfather was lying to the people to keep their status alive. They were not that kind of people."

Evangeline gritted her teeth.

'What now?'

It didn't seem like Lilias was going to budge from her position. The people also had a valid reason to get rid of her. In the end, things just had to be complicated.

Suddenly, Lilias's words entered her ears, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"I somewhat get it. I know the reason why they are so doubtful of the crown now."

Evangeline tilted her head.

"Huh? There is some other reason?"

"There is," Lilias nodded and continued. "The trust between the people and the crown used to be quite high. Trust was largely the reason the people in the past had followed my great-grandfather to this island. He was made the ruler for that same reason. And that trust had been carried over to the next generations as well. Even though my grandfather was deemed incompetent by my great-grandfather, the people still trusted him. But that was not the case for the previous generation. And the reason for that… was probably my mother…"

Lilias paused, as if hesitating to continue. But in the end, she did.

"My father was the successor to the throne and the carrier of the royal lineage. My mother… wasn't even from this island. She was one day found in the belly of a large sea creature that the people brought back. Her condition hadn't been good at the time, but she had still been alive. According to her, she was the daughter of one of the sea hunters whose boat was attacked by a swarm of massive sea creatures. All of the people on her ship were eaten, including her parents and her. But she was still able to somehow survive in the creature's belly since she had been swallowed alive."

There was a reminiscent look on Lilias's face, as if she were recalling a fond memory.

"When my father's turn came for marriage, he chose my mother to be his wife. Things had supposedly been rather good for a few years. But everything changed… when the Conqueror of the Seas attacked this island."