An Understated Dominance

“Excellent work. Reedcrest managed to contain this outbreak so quickly thanks to everyone’s dedicated efforts,” Grace said after listening to Sadie’s report.

She felt the weight lift off her shoulders. The infected patients had been quarantined, and having additional skilled doctors to treat them took a huge burden off her plate.

All that remained was to hunt down the remnants of Skull Covenant operatives, and their mission would be complete.

“It’s all because of your excellent leadership, Your Highness. Anyone else wouldn’t have been able to pull this off,” Sadie replied with a smile.

“Let’s not pat ourselves on the back just yet. There’s still work to do,” Grace

replied, her tone shifting to business. ” What’s the update on Lauren, the woman I asked you to investigate?”noveldrama

“We’ve finally got an update on that,” Sadie reported. “Our investigation confirmed that Lauren did go to Harbortown and has been in close contact with several Nexology members there. I’ve already sent a team to make the arrest. We should have news soon.”

“That’s great.” Grace nodded, then suddenly asked, “By the way, how many cities in Ashen Coast are dealing with the outbreak now? How bad is it?”

Sadie reported, “Four out of seven cities have reported outbreaks, namely Reedcrest, Harbortown, Thornwick, and Sommertown.

“As for Reedcrest, well, we’ve already got that under control, but the situation in the other three cities is getting worse.

According to the reports we’ve received, the three princes have each arrived in one of the cities. With proper handling, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

“My three brothers are here at the Ashen Coast?” Grace seemed surprised.

As soon as she heard about the outbreak in the Ashen Coast, she rushed over without knowing anything else that was going on. She hadn’t expected that by the next morning, her three brothers would be gathered in the region.

“It was the King’s orders,” Sadie explained. “Right after you left Oakvale, all three princes received royal decrees and rushed over right away. Looks like they’re here to compete for merit and recognition.

“It seems my father intends to use this outbreak as a test to evaluate their crisis management abilities.” Grace quickly pieced it together.

If the goal were simply to contain the outbreak, such elaborate arrangements wouldn’t be necessary, nor would they require deploying all three princes at once. The only reason for this approach was to test them.

This meant Valon’s health must be declining faster than expected, and he was feeling the pressure to choose an heir.

“The three princes are certainly accomplished, but they still fall short compared to you, Your Highness. It’s just a shame that…” Sadie’s words trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Grace glared at her. “Just focus on your duties. The three princes are not for you to judge, unless you want to bring trouble upon yourself.”

“Forgive me, Your Highness. I spoke out of turn.” Sadie quickly apologized, lowering her head.

“Sadie, you’re my most capable assistant. I don’t want anything to happen to you, and I certainly don’t want you getting involved in the power struggle for the throne. Do you understand?” Grace said sternly.

In the palace, loose lips could sink ships. What passed for harmless gossip today could become a death sentence tomorrow.

“You’re right, Your Highness. I’ll keep that in mind.” Sadie held her tongue and said nothing more.

“Good. Let’s put this matter behind us. Regardless of what others may do, our immediate priority is controlling the outbreak and minimizing casualties,” Grace said.

She then ordered, “Send a few people right now with the prescription Mr. Rhys wrote for treating the plague. Have them deliver it to the three princes so they can administer it accordingly and stop the outbreak from spreading.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Sadie responded before hurrying off.

“I overheard that your three beloved brothers have also arrived at the Ashen Coast?” Dustin asked as he walked through the door, yawning.

He had spent the entire day training the so-called renowned doctors and finally gotten them to a decent level of competency. Their treatment methods remained somewhat sluggish, but that would improve with practice.

“My father sent them here because he wants to test them,” Grace replied without hiding anything. “He’s using this outbreak to decide who will be his final heir. In the end, it all comes down to how capable my three brothers are.”

She had done everything she could and was helping to the best of her capacity. Besides, she had no intention of interfering with their trial. Right now, her only concern was seeing the outbreak contained as quickly as possible.

“Using this outbreak to test someone’s capabilities? The King certainly has a unique approach,” Dustin said with a wry smile.

Grace shook her head. “Perhaps Father doesn’t have much time left, so he’s been forced to resort to such desperate measures,”

When charity became mere performance and saving lives got entangled with personal interests, everything became corrupted.

“I won’t comment on what the King chooses to do, but I don’t trust your three brothers,” he said bluntly. “If they’re treating this outbreak as a competition, then given their hunger for power, there’s no telling what unexpected actions they might take.”

“Unexpected actions?” Grace raised an eyebrow. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“You’re smart, so you know exactly what I’m referring to,” Dustin replied calmly. ” As a precaution, you should have your people keep watch over those three. That way, if something does happen, there might still be room for damage control.”

“I will.” Grace nodded without elaborating further.

She understood what he was implying, but she didn’t dare let her thoughts venture in that direction. For now, she could only hope that everything would develop in a positive direction. That was all she could do.