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At that moment, Ludovico Sforza entered with another strong young man, his voice once again filled with warmth and enthusiasm. "Your Majesty, please allow me to introduce another member of the Sforza family—he is a rising star in Milan, impeccable in both knowledge and conversation."
With a smile, Hedy extended her hand, and the young duke bent down to shake it.
The next moment, Nino, the guard standing by Hedy's side, suddenly kicked the man to the ground. Within seconds, he was straddling the man’s chest, raising his hand to pull out a sharp object from the sleeve: "Why are you carrying this?! What do you intend to do to the queen?"
As the struggle ensued, the crowd around them gasped and retreated in shock.
Hedy's eyes reddened as she took two steps back, her voice trembling with the sting of betrayal: "Sforza—this is how you treat me? Introducing an assassin at a time like this?!"
Before the duke could resist, two more guards dashed over with lightning speed, one pinning his side while the other stuffed a cloth tightly into his mouth.
"Don’t move—there’s an assassin in the palace!" Niccolo shouted harshly. "Take Mr. Sforza away! Anyone who approaches the queen is to be treated as a rebel!"
Dechio took two quick steps to position himself in front of Hedy, speaking clearly: "Lock the gates of the Doge’s Palace now, and no one is to leave until the investigation is complete."
Clarice let out a sigh of relief and took the children back to her bedroom to rest.
She was already weary of the tangled web of lies and truths around her, and she didn’t want her children involved in such matters anymore. If Lorenzo had still been alive, perhaps she would have had ambitions and hopes to cling to.
But in the current environment, all she could do was minimize the risks and stay by her children’s side, watching them grow up safely.
The guests were all quite surprised, but none of them wanted to admit they were from Sforza’s camp. Even many of the distant visitors from Milan were trying to clarify their positions, expressing their admiration and loyalty to the queen.
— The son of a mercenary leader had only risen to power a few years ago, and he was in no way worthy of being compared to these old nobles.
Even though over the years this lord had done much to ingratiate himself with them, those efforts were like jokes in the eyes of the nobility. They felt far more aligned with Hedy’s identity and background.
The Medici may not have a long history, but at least it spanned several centuries.
And so, with so many fence-sitters in the palace, it seemed only right to imprison the entire Sforza group.
Sforza, bound hand and foot, finally realized he had been tricked by that woman.
This couldn’t be happening—how did she pull this off?!
Was Orlando her accomplice? No, that was impossible. But how did she know about this?
When Orlando had bowed just moments ago, he had deliberately angled his body to block her view, yet the guards seemed to be ready for it, as if they knew exactly what would happen!
He was bound tightly to a chair, even having his teeth checked for hidden poison, locked away like a donkey waiting for castration in a corner.
Several quiet hours passed before the queen slowly approached, accompanied by her attendants.
"My lord," her tone still carried a faint smile. "It seems a bit cold here. Tonight, I'll have some hot soup prepared for you."
"You..." Sforza's expression turned cold, and he showed no sign of yielding. "You’ve bound the lord of Milan here—have you considered the consequences?"
"Consequences?" Hedy sat down in a chair pushed toward her by a servant, casually stroking Leonardo’s arm beside her. As she lowered her gaze, her smile deepened. "The nobles are already inquiring about working with me. I wonder how much I should lower the interest rates?"
So she hadn’t been avoiding his cooperation because of any principle—she had already planned to recruit and win over those fools!
Sforza’s voice grew icy, his words nearly biting as he spat them out. "You are declaring war on Milan."
"You declared war on me first," Hedy said, reclining against the velvet cushions. Her gaze lingered on the disheveled old man, his figure looking absurd and pitiful. Her eyes remained gentle and calm. "Otherwise, how do you explain the actions of that young duke?"
"He must be mad; he has nothing to do with me!" Sforza spat out coldly. "Release me!"
"Since you refuse to admit it, there’s no need for pleasantries anymore." Hedy raised her chin, and Niccolo immediately presented the document in front of the man’s nose. "Sign it, and you can return to your warm bedroom and rest well."
