Chapter 357: Chapter 357: 355 Means (Below) _1

The night grew darker.

The dim moonlight showered the tranquil forest trail.

Prince Harrison followed behind Colin with his head down, matching his pace, his cheeks puffed out in apparent resentment.

“Do you think I’ve ruined your plan?” Colin asked without turning his head, seemingly already anticipating Harrison’s expression.

Prince Harrison didn’t say a word in his stubbornness, but merely nodded in resentment.

A slight smile curled at the edge of Colin’s lips as he nonchalantly said, “Do you know that sometimes, it is most apt to stop a plan midway?”

Prince Harrison lifted his head in surprise, his face full of confusion.

Colin suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes piercing into Harrison’s pupils, and abruptly asked, “Is Princess Judy allergic to willow catkin?”

“Ah… What?” Harrison was taken aback, his eyes darting around in surprise, and he began to stammer.

Colin chuckled, “And you want to frame Joyce with that kind of skill? If anything big happens, are you sure you won’t let the cat out of the bag during questioning?”

Harrison hung his head, seemingly deflated, probably due to the hit at his ego.

Colin didn’t attempt to comfort this overly naive prince of the Empire. He just calmly continued, “Your method of setting up a trap is too crude and full of flaws. That’s why, setting Joyce free was actually for your own good.”

“Just let Joyce go like that? But he’s really annoying!” Harrison mumbled under his breath, still sounding a bit disgruntled.

Colin put his hand on Harrison’s shoulder, looking him in the eye, and said, “Remember Harrison, never let your emotions cloud your judgment. That will only make you extreme and even forget your original goal.”

Harrison looked up at Colin and nodded in semi-understanding.

Colin continued, “Do you remember what our original goal is?”

“Original goal?” Harrison thought for a moment, “It was to chastise Joyce, so he would stop trying to get close to Judy.”

“If that’s the case, do we need to convict Joyce?”

“Ah?” Harrison looked at Colin in confusion, clearly not understanding what he meant.

Colin explained with a smile, “Your story is full of holes. It might not fool me, or most clever people, but do you think Judy would believe you?”

Harrison’s eyes lit up as he finally understood, and excitedly said, “Of course she will! I get it, teacher! When Judy wakes up, I’ll tell her everything that happened tonight. Then she’ll definitely despise Joyce and won’t pay him any attention!”

Colin approvingly nodded and said, “Exactly. Joyce is just an insignificant plaything to us. There’s no need to risk our own reputation to take him down.”

Harrison finally understood Colin’s point and earnestly expressed his gratitude, “I’m glad you stopped me, teacher. If things had blown up, it’d be troublesome if the royal family and the St. Hilde family sent people to investigate.”

Colin gave a faint smile, leaned in closer to Prince Harrison, a chilly light flickering in his eyes, and said,

“And also, we may not be able to convict Joyce, but we can certainly destroy him.”

Prince Harrison’s eyes lit up immediately, and he hurriedly asked, “Really? Teacher, how do we do it?”

“To destroy a person, you don’t necessarily have to convict him, or physically eliminate him. You can also attack his reputation.”

“Reputation?”

“Yes. The events of tonight will certainly spread amongst the servants. They don’t know what actually happened, but they must have guessed something.”

“If you get indignant and reveal some things deliberately… in addition to Joyce’s nighttime exit from Agate Manor and his return to Lion Roar Castle,

“What do you think those servants will think of Joyce?”

Prince Harrison’s face turned red with excitement as he immediately added, “They’ll definitely think that you let Joyce go deliberately to save the face of the St. Hilde family!

In doing so, it seems like Joyce won’t be convicted, but he’ll also lose his chance to clear himself.

Because you’ve ‘forgiven’ him, there won’t be anyone thoroughly investigating this matter, which would reveal the holes in the story. If Joyce wants to clear his name, he won’t know where to start!”

Colin nodded with satisfaction. He thought Harrison was bright enough, though a bit naive, but already had some of the qualities a seasoned Silver coin should have.

Perhaps this was genetics?

“You know what to do next, right?”

“I know, teacher!” Prince Harrison confidently nodded, “Rest assured, this time I won’t disappoint you! In no time at all, Joyce’s reputation will be unbearable! He won’t be able to get close to Judy ever again!”

Colin nodded with satisfaction and said, “Alright, it’s late now, go rest.”

Prince Harrison didn’t leave, but asked anxiously, “Teacher, can… can I go with you to the Half-Elf Kingdom?”

Colin smiled and nodded, “Alright, when I go to Silver Moon City, I’ll take you with me.”

“Thank you, teacher!” Harrison shouted excitedly, bowing before happily running off.

Watching Harrison’s bouncing figure, Colin couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head.

He’s still too naive, showing all his emotions on his face.

As for teaching his student these dark strategies, Colin didn’t have much of a burden.

Although Harrison was still young, given his status, he could never be seen as an innocent child.

If Colin just told him “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” all day and taught him virtues like integrity, honesty, and fairness, that would truly harm him.

After all, it was inevitable that Harrison would get drawn into the deceitful world of politics. Rather than a simple and happy childhood, he needed these dark strategies more.

Besides, judging by his smooth attempt at framing Joyce earlier, it was doubtful that the Emperor and Queen’s education of him could be too innocent.

As for Joyce, who was framed, Colin felt a twinge of guilt, but he would not hesitate to act when the need arose.

Once Harrison weaved the story the next day, Colin would secretly add fuel to the flames, spreading this far and wide across the North Territory, practically giving Joyce a “social death.”

If this youngster isn’t willing to behave, then to Colin, he wasn’t an underage child, and certainly not a “little brother-in-law”, but a political enemy that needed to be dealt with seriously!

Moreover, Colin was very clear that this political enemy already has a considerable force behind him.

Now, he had only taken care of the core of this force, and there was still some trimming to be done. This way, he could confidently leave the North Territory.

Thinking of this, Colin looked towards the direction of Winterfell City, his eyes cold.