The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power (by Emily Reed) novel Chapter 173

Chapter 173 The Public Opinion Offensive

Cindy’s POV:

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Late autumn in the capital always carried a damp chill. These past few days, the air seemed to hold more than the rot of fallen leaves. There was something fouler mixed in, something aimed directly at me.

Prince Adam had gone to the academy, and even now, no letter had arrived.

Meanwhile, Princess Margaret’s retaliation had already crept in quietly.

The gates of the Silverpeak Ducal Estate were shut tight, but they could not block out the noise beyond them.

“Ms. Cindy, you can’t keep putting up with this!”

Jewel rushed into the study with red-rimmed eyes, clutching a small tabloid that had been crumpled into a

mess.

Printed in cheap ink was a crude cartoon. A seductive-looking she-wolf stood atop piles of men’s corpses, clawing her way toward a towering throne. Hanging from the wolf’s neck was the unmistakable crest of the Silverpeak Pack.

“The bards outside have gone completely insane,” Jewel said, trembling with anger. “They’re singing filthy songs in the taverns. They say you… they say you’re impure, that you were already marked by that useless James, and that you lost the right to serve the Moon Goddess long ago. They also say…”

Jewel choked and could not bring herself to continue.

I already knew the rest.

The rumors spread like a plague. They said I had seduced the innocent Prince Adam with witchcraft. They said I was power-hungry and meant to hollow out the monarchy from within. They claimed that if royal blood married a twice-married, non-virgin woman as queen, the Moon Goddess would curse the land and plunge the kingdom into eternal night.

“They’re calling me a whore who slept her way to power, right?” I set down my quill and looked at Jewel calmly.

“How can they say that?” Jewel finally broke down crying. “You were the one who fought for everyone in Southreach. You were the one Prince Adam chased after. And just now … Jasmine from the kitchen went out to buy supplies. A group of thugs surrounded her, threw rotten vegetables at her, and called her a lackey of a ‘used-up duchess…”

At the mention of Jasmine being humiliated, my wolf spirit, Diana, let out a low, dangerous growl.

That was her warning sign.

“Was Jasmine hurt?” I asked.

“She wasn’t injured, just shaken up,” Jewel said as she wiped her tears. “Your Grace, everyone in the pack is

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Chapter 173 The Public Opinion Offensive

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furious. If you give the order, they’d rush out right now and rip the tongues out of those foul-mouthed scum. Or… or maybe you should go to the palace and ask His Majesty to have the royal court issue a clarification.”

“No.”

I stood and walked to the tall window.

Outside, several furtive figures lingered near the gates of the estate. They were spies sent by Princess Margaret.

“Jewel, what do you think Princess Margaret wants most right now?” I asked, my eyes on the scene outside, a cold smile forming. “What she wants most is for me to lose my temper and rush out to defend myself, or for Prince Adam to use royal authority to crush the rumors.”

“Why?” Jewel asked, confused.

“Because defending myself would look like guilt, and suppressing it would look like tyranny,” I said as I turned back, my gaze sharp as a blade. “Once we do that, the people who were just watching for entertainment will start to believe I’m not only impure, but also arrogant and abusive. That’s when real public anger ignites.”

I returned to the desk and picked up a gold coin, rolling it lightly between my fingers.

“Besides, at this point, this fight is no longer about reputation. It’s about resources.”

“Resources?”

“Princess Margaret may be the eldest princess, but she doesn’t control any territory. She lives entirely on a royal allowance,” I said, flicking the coin into the air and watching it gleam under the lamplight. “Do you know how much it costs each day to place bards in taverns across the city, hire street thugs in the lower districts, and buy space in the newspapers?”

Jewel froze and shook her head.

“For the past three days, Princess Margaret has been spending over a hundred gold coins a day,” I caught the coin and slapped it onto the desk. “For her, that’s carving flesh and bleeding herself dry.”

“A hundred gold coins?” Jewel’s eyes went wide. That was ten years of expenses for an ordinary werewolf family.

“She’s gambling,” I said coldly. “She’s betting that I’ll collapse under the rumors. She’s betting that Prince Adam will be forced to break off the engagement. But she miscalculated one thing. I crawled out of a mountain of corpses. This kind of spit and filth can’t even danipen my fur.”

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