The coldness that penetrated Maureen’s soul was like an invisible tide, enveloping every cell in her body, stinging more sharply than the frost on morning dew. 

Standing before the Silver Dragon Queen, Maureen felt utterly powerless and weak.

The Queen’s gaze seemed capable of slicing through souls, those deep, gem-like silver eyes gleaming sharply even as her silver hair swayed in the wind. Despite the obscuring strands, her gaze radiated an unbearable dignity and strength, like a snow-covered peak—cold, distant, and unreachable.

Maureen's feeble attempts to retreat filled her with a profound sense of self-pity.

Her knees instinctively trembled, as if signaling the last flicker of resistance being mercilessly extinguished. The soft scrape of her leather boots against the gravel emitted a faint yet helpless sound.

Her survival instincts were being ruthlessly crushed by the Queen’s overwhelming presence, like a fragile snow lotus caught on the edge of fate’s cliff.

At that moment, her body moved stiffly and sluggishly, as though each of her strings were being pulled tight, a puppet being dragged through hell. The chains that bound her soul seemed to jingle at every joint, the puppet’s smile already shattered, leaving behind only deep sorrow and despair.

With each step the Queen took, her imposing presence seemed to freeze the air around them, making Maureen feel as if she were standing in a cemetery on a cold winter’s night—silent and lifeless.

The flowers in the surrounding bushes had lost their color, appearing as mere gray shadows trembling lightly in the wind. The fire in the Queen’s eyes, however, burned like a falling star from the night sky—terrifying and unstoppable.

Maureen collapsed to her knees with a thud.

If she tried to resist any longer, the pressure would surely crush her spine.

Her hands pressed against the cold ground, beads of sweat dripped from her nose and chin, and her breath came in heavy, ragged gasps, her eyes filled with terror.

She didn’t need to predict her fate.

Ten minutes ago, when Shirley came to her, everything had been made perfectly clear—the fate of a traitor was a dead end.

A pair of elegant high heels appeared in Maureen’s line of sight.

She didn’t dare to look up. Summoning even the strength to breathe felt difficult, let alone the effort it would take to raise her head.

The next second, the soft sound of fabric brushing against skin filled the silence as the Queen slowly crouched down.

Her long, slender fingers hooked under Maureen’s chin, forcing her to lift her head and meet her gaze.

Maureen’s teeth chattered uncontrollably, her pupils trembling as though they were about to shatter.

The Queen's face was expressionless, but the fury and disappointment in her eyes could not be hidden.

Maureen had expected there to be at least a trace of confusion in her gaze.

Betrayed by a maid who had served her for over a decade—wasn’t the Queen even a little curious about the reason behind it?

But after a brief moment of self-questioning, Maureen quickly realized the answer:

The Silver Dragon Queen had no need to understand.

Once the betrayal was exposed, the Queen's only feelings toward Maureen were anger and disappointment.

“You...”

The cold voice was like ice cutting through Maureen’s soul.

“When you spoke of eliminating me just now, you felt no guilt at all, did you?”

“Your Majesty…”

“Do you think you still have the right to call me that?”

“…”

“I was on the verge of giving birth at that time. It was a crucial moment for the Silver Dragon Clan’s new life to be born, and you chose that moment to conspire with the enemy and betray us. Do you know, Maureen, if it weren’t for my husband, you wouldn’t have just killed me and my daughter—you would’ve caused the deaths of thousands of Silver Dragons as well.”

Rosvisser’s anger stemmed from two simple reasons.

First, because of the way dragons reproduce, not just the Silver Dragons, but the entire dragon race views the birth of a new life as something of great importance, especially in cases of live birth—it is the highest priority.

Second, Maureen’s betrayal could have led to the mass slaughter of Silver Dragons.

Constantine’s power was well-known. Even Anna, who could be considered one of the strongest below the Dragon King level, would be no match for him. So Rosvisser was not exaggerating—without Leon, the Silver Dragon Clan might not exist anymore.

Of course, Rosvisser also knew in her heart that Leon’s intervention had little to do with the fate of the clan’s safety.

He acted to protect their daughters… and her.

Well, that was a matter to discuss another time. Right now, the priority was dealing with this traitor before her.

“I won’t deal with you immediately, Maureen. Is there any information you possess that I don’t know about, something you now want to tell me?” Rosvisser asked.

Maureen clenched her fists, feeling the warmth of Rosvisser’s fingers against her skin, summoning the courage to meet her gaze.

“I have nothing to say, and neither does Shirley.”

Upon hearing this, Rosvisser paused, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

Maureen was dumbfounded by the laugh.

What… was she laughing at?

“My husband once told me, ‘You can never truly know a person’s heart.’ A seemingly ordinary and obedient girl can be full of schemes.”

Rosvisser continued, “Even now, Maureen, you’re trying to drag your accomplice Shirley down with you.”

The simple phrase “and neither does Shirley” revealed the filth lurking beneath Maureen’s harmless exterior.

From Maureen’s perspective, Shirley had treated her quite well. After all, she had offered to take her along when escaping—even though they got caught, it was clear that Maureen wouldn’t have escaped the internal investigation that was bound to follow.

And yet, in this final confrontation, Maureen tried to implicate Shirley, giving her no chance to atone for her crimes.

Did she really think Rosvisser wouldn’t notice?

Well, no matter.

Because—

“If you turn around now, you’ll notice that your 'Sister Shirley' isn’t kneeling here beside you.”

“W-What…?”

Maureen turned her head and, to her shock, saw Shirley still standing there, watching her coldly.

“Shirley, you! You tricked me?!” Maureen shouted in fury after a moment of disbelief.

“Does a traitor have the right to feel angry at being deceived by others?” Shirley replied calmly.

“You…”

Maureen wanted to curse them as shameless.

But those words shouldn’t come from the mouth of a betrayer.

It would be completely absurd.

But someone else spoke on her behalf.

From behind the trees came the voice of the Queen’s husband.

The black-haired man emerged from the shadows, speaking slowly.

“You might think our little sting operation was unethical, even shameless, but we’re not here to follow some legal procedures. As long as we catch the traitor, no matter the method, does it really matter?”

Leon understood the essence of using the right methods for the right circumstances.

He wasn’t a law enforcement officer who needed a warrant to arrest a criminal.

Likewise, to catch a spy, there was no need to follow the process of ‘clue → evidence → deduction → identity confirmation.’

In simple terms, whether it’s a black cat or a white cat, if it catches mice, it’s a good cat.

“But how did you know it was me…” Maureen asked the question all spies and traitors ask when they’re exposed.

Leon was familiar with that question.

Victor had asked a similar one when he was unmasked.

However, Leon was kind enough to explain.

“Do you remember the day my wife gave birth, when you came to the room to notify me? You said there was a safe route to escape from the back mountain, but I simply tested the area with a blessing formation for her birthday, and that’s how I lured out the ambush of the Flame Dragons.”

Maureen’s mind flashed back to that day.

Before launching the attack, she had received instructions from Constantine to lead Rosvisser along that back mountain path.

She had followed the plan meticulously.

But what she hadn’t anticipated was that the seemingly ordinary ‘nanny prince’ would have such sharp instincts for warfare, noticing her odd behavior while remaining cautious.

“So, that’s how it was…”

“Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to be absolutely sure you were the traitor,” Leon added.

“Then… when did you become certain… that I was the spy?” Maureen asked.

Leon pretended to think deeply before answering seriously, “Ten minutes ago.”

“Ten minutes ago…” Maureen felt utterly insulted.

That’s how sting operations work.

After all, the other side didn’t have to follow “standard procedures.”

And Leon wasn’t just conducting a simple sting; his actions were always bold and cautious.

Choosing the middle of the night to have Shirley conduct the operation, even if Maureen wasn’t the traitor, wouldn’t have caused suspicion from the real spy.

But as it turned out, General Leon’s judgment had been spot on.

Rosvisser released her hold on Maureen and stood, looking down at her from above.

“I’m not interested in the reasons for your betrayal. My husband told me that the moment a traitor makes their choice, any reasons behind it become meaningless. And I happen to agree with his other statement.”

“A traitor must never be allowed to remain.”

Rosvisser turned to the head maid.

“Anna, take her to the dungeon. We’ll deal with her later.”