At the Snezhnayan delegation's residence.
Candlelight flickered softly inside the Snezhnayan Prince's chambers, releasing wisps of faint fragrance that refreshed the mind and sharpened focus.
These specially crafted candles were made from oil refined from a rare mutant whale found in the northern seas of Snezhnaya. They burned for a long time and emitted a subtle, soothing scent—something Severin was particularly fond of.
Their only drawback was the price.
Because these mutant whales were exceedingly rare and extraordinarily difficult to hunt, a single candle cost more than a bar of gold.
Even within Snezhnaya, only a handful of people could afford to enjoy such luxury at will.
The Snezhnayan Prince was, naturally, one of them.
Since Severin was working indoors that day, the Mirror Maiden had lit the whale-oil candle in advance.
"Your Highness," she asked hesitantly,
"I don't understand why you deliberately exposed your identity."
After Severin ended his communication with Yelan through the jade bangle, the Mirror Maiden finally voiced her confusion.
The Prince had perfectly impersonated Yelan's ancestor, Boyang, completely earning her trust—only to intentionally leave flaws and allow her to see through him.
"The Night Orchid of Liyue," Severin said calmly,
"her disguise and infiltration skills are second to none among the Seven Nations. She is Ningguang's primary intelligence source, possessing exceptional information-gathering capabilities."
He didn't spare his praise.
Toying with Yelan had merely been a side effect—helping Pantalone vent some frustration.
The true objective was always to have her and her family deposit their assets into Northland Bank.
Now that the goal had been achieved, there was no need to push further.
Moreover, Severin knew just how formidable Yelan truly was.
In intelligence work, she alone was worth an entire army.
Even Arlecchino, the Fatui Harbinger responsible for intelligence, might not surpass her.
Severin admired capable women—
in Snezhnaya, and in Liyue alike.
And after overhearing her conversation with Ningguang, learning of her desire to resist the Heavenly Principles, he had deliberately guided her during their exchange.
"Lady Yelan should feel honored to earn Your Highness's appreciation," the Mirror Maiden said sincerely.
This wasn't flattery—it was genuine admiration.
"Still," she added cautiously,
"she remains a citizen of Liyue… and one of the most troublesome opponents the Fatui face there."
Severin replied indifferently,
"If the Fatui are Snezhnaya's sharpest blade, then opponents like Yelan are the finest whetstones."
The Fatui could never rely solely on the Tsaritsa or the Prince.
The adversaries across the Six Nations were precisely what tempered their will and resolve.
"I was also worried," the Mirror Maiden continued,
"that once she realized she'd been manipulated, she might persuade her clan to withdraw the hundreds of billions they deposited in Northland Bank."
"That possibility exists," Severin acknowledged.
"But her clan was tempted by the high interest rates. They chose one-year fixed-term deposits."
"Ah—right. I'd forgotten."
The Mirror Maiden's last concern vanished.
Even if Yelan regretted it now, her family wouldn't be able to withdraw their funds for an entire year.
And by then, the Liyue Qixing would likely already have lost the commercial war.
This was precisely why the Prince wasn't worried about exposing himself.
"Speaking of which," the Mirror Maiden said softly,
"Lady Yelan has truly had it hard. Her entire team died gathering intelligence—she was the only one left."
"If not for Your Highness's psychological guidance this time, she might have collapsed eventually, made a fatal mistake on a mission, and died."
"Your Highness is a good person. You saved her convictions—essentially, you saved her life."
She looked at him with genuine respect.
"The path of resisting the Heavenly Principles," Severin said quietly as he toyed with the jade bangle,
"is itself a road destined for solitude."
"Are you prepared?"
"I swear to follow Her Majesty the Tsaritsa," the Mirror Maiden said solemnly,
"and to follow you, Your Highness."
"Good." Severin nodded.
"Now—bring me all of Liyue's legal codes."
The order caught her completely off guard.
Though she knew the Prince loved reading, his sudden interest in Liyue's laws was baffling.
Still, she obeyed.
Before long, the room was filled wall to wall with books.
Liyue was a nation founded on contracts.
Everything followed the law.
The law itself was the most important contract between Liyue and its people. Any violation of the law was considered a breach of contract—and punished accordingly.
Since its founding, Liyue had continually refined its legal system.
By now, countless statutes had been compiled into over a thousand volumes, totaling millions of words.
"Your Highness… do you need our help?"
The Mirror Maiden swallowed hard, staring at the mountain of books.
Just the thought of organizing them was exhausting—let alone reading them.
"No need," Severin replied calmly.
"All of you may rest."
She never imagined that when she delivered breakfast the next morning—
The Prince had finished every single book.
He sat composed in his chair, calmly sipping morning tea.
Seeing the disbelief on her face, Severin said casually,
"No need to be surprised. I used a bit of elemental power to assist—far more efficient than normal reading."
It was less "reading" and more "scanning."
Ten lines at a glance—memorized instantly.
Though efficient, it stripped away the joy and satisfaction of reading itself.
If not for the need to quickly familiarize himself with Liyue's legal system, Severin would never have used such a method.
"Your Highness…" the Mirror Maiden hesitated, then suddenly realized something.
"Are we… about to be sued?"
Only now did it click.
The Prince hadn't stayed up all night reading law out of whim—
he had foreseen something coming.
And law inevitably meant litigation.
Before she could say more, a female secretary from the delegation entered, head lowered.
"Your Highness, outside there is a lawyer claiming to be an expert in Liyue law, requesting an audience."
The Mirror Maiden said coldly,
"What expert? Never heard of her. Tell her to leave. His Highness doesn't meet just anyone."
A lawyer appearing uninvited was never good news—it meant trouble.
"I told her the Prince doesn't meet strangers," the secretary continued.
"But she said she came in good faith."
"She also said that if Your Highness refuses to see her, it would be considered contempt for Liyue's law, potentially resulting in a default judgment—damaging Snezhnaya's reputation in Liyue."
"Especially the reputation of Northland Bank."
The Mirror Maiden bristled.
"She dares threaten Snezhnaya? How bold. Even Tianquan Ningguang wouldn't speak to us like that. What is a mere lawyer compared to her?"
"Her name is Yanfei, isn't it?"
Severin spoke up calmly.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Let her in."
He continued eating breakfast, unhurried.
The Mirror Maiden hurriedly objected,
"Your Highness, you don't need to deal with someone like this. Leave her to me."
"Are you familiar with Liyue's legal statutes?" Severin asked.
The question instantly left her speechless.
"Your Highness…" realization dawned on her face.
"So that's why you read all those books overnight."
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