### Couples in Crime
A chill seeped deep into Morin’s soul, wrapping and stinging every cell like an invisible tide—more biting than ice flowers on the morning dew.
In the presence of the Silver Dragon Queen, Morin couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly weak and powerless.
The Queen’s eyes seemed to have the power to slice through souls. Those deep, gem-like silver orbs, even when partially obscured by flowing silver hair, radiated an awe-inspiring light that screamed dignity and power. She stood there, like a snow-capped peak—silent, stern, and summiting the impossible.
Morin’s attempt to retreat made her feel downright pathetic.
Her knees trembled instinctively, as if announcing that the last vestige of resistance had been mercilessly snuffed out. The sound of her leather boots scraping against the gravel was a pitiful whisper of despair.
The Queen’s presence snuffed out any will to survive within her, like a delicate snow lotus hesitant before the cliff of fate.
In that moment, her movements were awkward and slow, as if each sinew was being pulled tight—she was a marionette yanked unceremoniously in the depths of Hell. Chains visible on her joints jingled ominously, turning her doll-like smile to one of utter sorrow and decay.
With each step the Queen took closer, the weight of her authority seemed to freeze the air, making Morin feel like she was standing in a cemetery on a winter’s night—quiet and lifeless.
The flowers around them had lost all color, swaying as grey shadows in the breeze. The fire in the Queen’s eyes burned like stars falling from the night sky—terrifying yet irresistible.
With a thud, Morin found herself kneeling.
If she had continued to struggle, that oppressive weight seemed poised to snap her spine right in two.
Her hands pressed against the ground; cold sweat dripped from her nose and chin as she breathed heavily, her gaze filled with terror.
It felt like she could already foresee her end—
No, she didn’t need a crystal ball.
Just ten minutes prior, when Sherry had visited her, the message was crystal clear—the fate of a traitor was nothing but a d*ath sentence.
The tip of an exquisite high-heeled shoe came into view.
Morin didn’t dare lift her head; even breathing felt like a Herculean task.
In the next moment, the sound of fabric rubbing against skin reached her ears as the Queen slowly squatted down.
With a long finger, she lifted Morin’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze.
Morin’s teeth chattered, her trembling pupils looked ready to shatter.
The Queen was expressionless, but the anger and disappointment in her eyes were impossible to conceal.
Morin had imagined there might be a glimmer of “why would you do this” in her expression.
After all, it was a long-standing maid betraying her—surely she must be a tad curious about the reason behind it?
But after a brief internal debate, Morin quickly grasped the answer to that question:
The Silver Dragon Queen had no need to understand.
When the truth spilled out and her identity was revealed, the Queen felt nothing but anger and disappointment towards Morin.
“You just now…”
The Queen’s icy voice pierced through Morin like a shard of bone-chilling ice.
“When you said you were going to get rid of me, there was no guilt in your heart at all, was there?”
“Your Majesty…”
“Do you think you still have the right to call me ‘Your Majesty’?”
“…”
“I was about to give birth then—bringing forth a new life for the Silver Dragon Race—yet at that moment, you chose to betray me. Do you know, Morin? Without my husband, not only would you have killed me and my daughter, but countless other Silver Dragon kin too.”
The reason for Roswiser’s fury could be summed up in two simple points.
First, the method of reproduction. Not just for Silver Dragons, but for the entire Dragon Race, the birth of a new life was something of utmost importance, especially in a viviparous context—it was a big deal.
Second, Morin’s treachery could lead to the mass d*ath of Silver Dragon kin.
Constantine’s power was well-known. Anna could be considered a strong contender below the Dragon King level, but even she would meet a disastrous end in front of Constantine.
So truly, what Roswiser said was no exaggeration—if Leon hadn’t intervened, the Silver Dragon Race would be history.
Of course, Roswiser understood that Leon’s actions and the safety of the Silver Dragons were not directly related.
He had chosen to act to protect his daughters and… her.
Well, that was a matter for another day—the immediate priority was dealing with this traitor.
“I won’t dispose of you right away, Morin. Do you have any intelligence I don’t know yet but would like to share?” Roswiser asked.
Morin clenched her fists, feeling the warmth of Roswiser’s fingertip. Gathering her courage, she looked back at her.
“I have nothing to say to you. Neither does Sherry.”
At that, Roswiser paused for a moment, then surprisingly let out a cold laugh.
Morin was taken aback by the laugh.
What on earth was so funny?
“My husband told me—knowing a person’s face but not their heart—a girl who seems ordinary and obedient often has a scheming heart,” Roswiser said. “Even now, you’re thinking about dragging your partner Sherry down with you, Morin.”
‘Sherry too’—these five simple words exposed Morin’s filthy heart beneath her seemingly innocent exterior.
From her perspective, Sherry had been rather nice to her; after all, she was even thinking of taking her along when escaping—even if they had been caught. However, after tonight’s internal audit, Morin likely wouldn’t escape unscathed.
Yet in the final moment of confrontation, she had tried to drag Sherry down, denying her a chance at ‘redeeming herself.’
Did she really think Roswiser wouldn’t catch onto that?
Whatever, it didn’t matter.
Because—
“If you turned around right now, you would see that your sister Sherry isn’t kneeling here like you.”
“W-What…”
Morin turned and was stunned to find Sherry still standing there, coolly eyeing her.
“Sherry, you!—Did you deceive me?!” After a brief shock, Morin angrily confronted Sherry.
“Does a traitor have the audacity to get angry over someone else’s deceit?” Sherry replied casually.
“You…”
Morin wanted to condemn this bunch of people for their shamelessness.
But those words shouldn’t be coming from a traitor like her. That was cosmic injustice.
Fortunately, someone else stepped in to say it.
From behind a tree came the voice of the Queen’s husband.
The man with black hair stepped out from behind the tree and slowly said,
“You might think our sting operation is somewhat unethical, even shameless, but rules don’t need to guide this—it’s not like we have to follow legal procedures. As long as it exposes a traitor like you, who cares about the methods?”
In what circumstances one chooses the means to deal with something, Mr. Casmod truly grasped the essence of that statement.
He was no officer who needed a warrant to catch a murderer;
Likewise, capturing an undercover agent didn’t require following the “clue → evidence → inference → confirm identity” protocol.
In simpler terms, it doesn’t matter if it’s a black cat or a white cat; as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat!
“But how did you know it was me…” Morin asked, the classic question asked by traitors and undercover agents when discovered.
Leon was familiar with this line of questioning.
Because Victor had also asked something similar when he was exposed.
However, he was willing to simply explain it to this traitorous lady,
“Do you remember your Queen—tch.”
He paused, realizing that wasn’t quite right, and quickly corrected himself.
“Do you remember the day my wife gave birth? You came to the bedroom to inform me about an escape route from the back mountain, claiming it was safe. But I merely used the birthday blessing array to casually test the waters, which revealed the ambush of the Crimson Flame Dragon lying in wait on that very road?”
Morin’s thoughts drifted back to that day.
True, she had received instructions from Constantine to lure Roswiser down that back mountain path right before the attack.
And she had diligently followed that order.
What she hadn’t anticipated, however, was that this usually seemingly clueless daddy prince was so adept at leading troops and was meticulous enough to notice her odd behavior…
“So that’s how it was…”
“Of course, just that alone cannot definitively confirm you as the traitor,” Leon remarked.
“So when did you confirm… that I was a traitor?”
Leon pretended to ponder seriously, then replied, “Ten minutes ago.”
“Ten minutes ago…” Morin felt deeply insulted regarding her intelligence.
That’s how sting operations went.
After all, the other party didn’t have to follow a so-called “proper procedure.”
Moreover, Leon wasn’t merely conducting a standard sting operation; he always acted boldly and cautiously.
Choosing to have Sherry fish at night meant that even if Morin was innocent, there would be no alarm raised to alert the real traitor.
But now, it seemed General Leon’s judgment was spot on.
Roswiser released her and stood back up, looking down at Morin.
“I have no interest in your reasons for betraying me. My husband told me, at the moment a traitor makes their choice, all reasons become meaningless. Of course, he also said something else I think makes quite a bit of sense.”
“A rebel must not be left alive.”
Roswiser turned her gaze toward the Head Maid.
“Anna, lock her up in the dungeon, and determine her fate later.”
