The Mirror Maiden recalled what the Prince had said casually the night before—
"Those you pity will not pity us."
That single line now reinforced her suspicions.
The Prince had foreseen, as early as last night, that a lawyer would come knocking today—and had prepared for it overnight.
Replaying the entire sequence in her mind, she arrived at a clear conclusion:
After realizing she had been played, Yelan must have entrusted a Liyue legal expert to seek redress.
From the moment his identity was exposed last night, the Prince had already anticipated Yelan's countermeasures.
Such precise prediction of an opponent's thoughts bordered on the miraculous.
At first glance, the whole affair seemed baffling.
But when carefully unraveled, every step followed a logical trail.
Only—
For someone like her, a mere mortal, the crucial pivot points remained unfathomable.
Only the Prince could see through people's hearts—
and through Yelan's.
Still, one question lingered.
Who exactly was this lawyer named Yanfei, to warrant the Prince reading law books all night?
It wasn't that she underestimated the profession.
Snezhnaya valued strength and force. Conflicts were usually settled through combat, not litigation. As a result, lawyers held little status there and had almost no business.
Seeking a lawyer was often seen as a sign of weakness.
The strong have no need for lawyers.
That was Snezhnaya's prevailing belief.
—
"See? I told you already~"
"Your Prince understands the importance of law. Of course he'd agree to see me."
"Honestly, the Snezhnayan Prince is very law-abiding. He cares about national credibility—especially the reputation of the Northland Bank. That makes him easy to talk to."
"Oh right—some colleagues in Snezhnaya told me people there don't like lawsuits. Is that true?"
"Huh? Why are you so cold? Not even answering me."
Before she even arrived, Yanfei was already chatting enthusiastically with the staff leading her in.
The conversation was entirely one-sided.
Her lively, talkative demeanor stood in stark contrast to her appearance—
Coral-colored waist-length hair concealed the small antler-like horns at the back of her head. A crimson legal cap sat neatly atop her head, complemented by the thick volume slung at her waist—The Comprehensive Liyue Legal Codex.
She looked professional, sharp, and elegant all at once.
The Mirror Maiden was momentarily taken aback by her beauty.
Yanfei, meanwhile, was stunned by the sight before her.
Stacks of books filled the room like a miniature mountain.
She circled the "book hill" three full times before stopping.
"My goodness… did you buy every law book in Liyue?"
"This is even more complete than my personal collection."
Only after marveling did she finally turn her attention to her true objective.
The Snezhnayan Prince—
Was calmly eating breakfast.
His brows and eyes carried a distinctive heroic air—handsome was far too simple a word. Upon closer inspection, there was both scholarly refinement and quiet authority.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Yanfei bowed properly.
Since this was official business, courtesy was non-negotiable.
After all, this was a man even Rex Lapis had once tried to win over—nearly appointing him as Liyue's Regent.
Anyone acknowledged by the Geo Archon himself was not to be taken lightly.
"Miss Yanfei," Severin said calmly as he looked up,
"You were sent by Yelan?"
"As Your Highness surmised," Yanfei replied, instantly switching into a professional tone,
"I am here under Miss Yelan's commission, acting as her full legal representative in this economic fraud case."
"This is the complaint. Please review it."
She had intended to personally hand it over—also hoping to observe the Prince more closely—but the Mirror Maiden intercepted her.
The document was taken and passed to Severin.
"You're here to mediate," Severin said flatly after reading it, setting the papers aside and continuing his breakfast.
Yelan's accusation was that he had impersonated her ancestor Boyang, thereby defrauding her and her family of their assets.
An exaggerated claim—clearly designed to tarnish his reputation.
But such deviation from factual circumstances could easily be judged as false accusation, ultimately harming Yelan instead.
Therefore, Severin was certain—
Yanfei had come for mediation, not a courtroom battle.
Settling outside the court, calmly and rationally, would benefit both sides.
Litigation was always the last resort.
The Mirror Maiden's brows twitched.
Yelan had actually sued the Prince—
for economic fraud, no less.
A true waste of His Highness's goodwill.
But then she understood—
This was exactly Yelan's nature.
The intelligence officer who had given Snezhnaya endless headaches.
If she swallowed the grievance silently, she wouldn't be Yelan.
And using rules to fight back—
Was, in itself, respect for a powerhouse like the Prince.
"Your Highness," Yanfei continued,
"Miss Yelan requests that you return the principal deposited into Northland Bank—both hers and her family's—along with interest accrued during this period, as well as litigation costs."
"My legal fees aren't cheap either. Based on the case value, they'll exceed one million Mora."
"Oh—and originally, I suggested claiming compensation for emotional distress."
"But Miss Yelan explicitly told me you caused her no psychological harm, so that claim was excluded."
This part sounded odd to outsiders.
But Yanfei knew—
After reading so many law books overnight, the Prince would understand the implication.
In Liyue, emotional damages were standard in such cases.
Yelan had voluntarily waived that right.
Yanfei wanted the Prince to understand Yelan's true stance.
"Your Highness," she added seriously,
"while you are not a Liyue citizen, Northland Bank operates within Liyue. As such, it must comply with Liyue's laws."
Yanfei had handled many cases involving foreign dignitaries and delegations.
Experience taught her one thing—
The principle of equality before the law must be stated clearly.
Even foreigners were not exempt from Liyue's legal system.
"There are three points," Severin said, finally setting his tea down.
"First—Yelan and her family made fixed-term deposits."
"Under Liyue banking law, these were voluntary, with no coercion. Funds cannot be withdrawn until one year has passed without breaching the commercial contract."
"Second—as long as I have not used those funds elsewhere, but merely held them in the bank, this cannot legally be defined as fraud."
"Only if the funds were misappropriated would fraud apply."
"Third—the person who encouraged her family to deposit funds into Northland Bank was Miss Yelan herself."
He looked directly at Yanfei.
"Miss Yanfei, the charge of economic fraud does not stand."
"At most, you could argue inducement."
"But inducement does not constitute fraud."
"I am not at fault—
therefore, reconciliation is unnecessary."
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