Ch. 1621..1630
Chapter 1621: How to dispose of 1620
In the royal palace, Samiyi was having a headache because of the information passed on by the security squad. That area had been blasted apart, leaving a huge crater on the ground while the nearby houses had also been affected by the explosion. Many people had seen the explosion site; they had probably started to make a fuss about it already.
“Aunt, are you looking at the documents?” Laka brought in a few more documents, “The two on the left are the recent research results from Miss Rou’s team, and the three on the right are trade reports with some trade organizations.”
Samiyi briefly glanced over them, then had Laka put the material down, “Just leave the documents here, I’ll look at them later.”
After Laka put down the documents, he started asking about the rumors outside, “Aunt, I heard that there was a huge explosion and ground collapse in the royal city, and even a terrorist attack occurred, is that true?”
Samiyi answered, “The explosion and ground collapse did happen, but there was no terrorist attack. The people the residents saw were security guards I had dispatched.”
Laka said, “Was there a problem?”
Instead of answering Laka’s question, Samiyi asked him one, “Laka, have you ever heard of the Dawn Society?”
“The Dawn Society?” Laka looked puzzled, “I haven’t heard of it.”
Then Samiyi recounted the events of the past few days, including the explosion that morning to Laka. Laka listened silently for a long time after she finished.
“How should we handle this matter? There are a lot of people discussing it outside, and if it’s handled improperly, it will definitely cause panic,” Laka finally spoke.
“We can’t mention the Dawn Society to the public,” Samiyi said, “but we need to resolve the Dawn Society’s influence soon, we can’t let them continue to swagger around.”
“What should we tell the public about the explosion?” Laka asked.
Samiyi thought for a moment and replied, “Announce externally that this was an underground warehouse storing flammable and explosive materials, and the explosion occurred due to an accident. As for those security guards with guns, just say they were part of a search and rescue team.”
Laka felt that this explanation was inappropriate, “Aunt, I don’t think search and rescue teams carry guns, do they?”
Samiyi pressed her temples, “This explanation is the best we have now. Do you really want us to tell the public that there’s an evil organization making zombies?”
“Okay,” Laka conceded, “I’ll handle it now.”
Samiyi waved her hand, “Go on, let me rest for a bit, my mind is a bit jumbled.”
Laka reminded, “Aunt, you should rest early then.”
Samiyi hardly had any time to rest; one event after another had exhausted her both mentally and physically, “Okay, I know.”
Just as Laka was leaving, Tan Rou walked in. Her clothes were loose, clearly showing the bandages on her body.
“Miss Rou, does your wound still hurt?” Laka asked. “I just heard about your ordeal from my aunt, thank you for everything you’ve done, I speak on behalf of the kingdom when I say we’re grateful.”
Tan Rou waved her hand, “No need for thanks. I did not do this just for you, but also for myself. Moreover, I will be fully committed to combating the Dawn Society going forward. They hurt my loved one, and I must avenge him!”
Her gaze was fierce, causing Laka to shiver all over, “Alright, we will also do our utmost to assist you.”
Samiyi spoke up, “Laka, go handle your own matters, I have something to discuss with Miss Rou.”
Laka and Tan Rou said goodbye, “Then I’ll leave first.”
Tan Rou nodded, “Hmm.”
Seeing Tan Rou, Samiyi’s anxious mood slightly eased, “Rou, it seems you truly have a kind of Magic Power. Seeing you, I suddenly feel like all problems can be solved.”
Tan Rou said, “Now is a critical time, it’s good for you to relax a bit too. Being too tense can easily lead to a mental breakdown.”
Samiyi smiled, “Don’t worry, my mental state is still very good. I won’t fall apart until all the problems are addressed.”
Chapter 1622: 1621 lacks combat power
After some idle chat, Tan Rou and Samiyi started to discuss serious matters.
Samiyi asked, “You came to me, do you have something important to talk about?”
Tan Rou hadn’t healed from her injuries yet, and the doctor had advised her to rest more. Instead of resting, she bore the pain to come to Samiyi, which meant she had something very important to discuss.
“Yes,” Tan Rou nodded, “I want to talk to you about how to deal with the Dawn Society.”
As soon as this topic was brought up, Samiyi was all ears, as dealing with the Dawn Society was currently a major headache for her.
“Do you have a plan?” Samiyi said, “So far, the information I hold about the Dawn Society is too little, and I don’t know how to deal with them.”
Tan Rou said, “I also don’t have much information. I just know that their military strength is divided into two types, one is zombies who are not afraid of death and don’t feel pain, and the other is Dawn Guards who still retain some humanity. These Dawn Guards are very physically fit and can use guns.”
Samiyi had also seen some unique individuals in reports from the guard teams, which must be the Dawn Guards Tan Rou was talking about.
“Their physiques are indeed very robust,” Samiyi said, “The guards’ reports mentioned them. Most of the survivors are these people.”
Tan Rou said, “These people have also been fed poison. They follow Gand’s orders, but sometimes, they hesitate, or stop their actions. It seems Gand doesn’t have complete control over them.”
“Do we have a way to deal with these Dawn Guards?” Samiyi asked.
“Perhaps we could try researching an antidote,” Tan Rou analyzed. “We already have samples of two poisons. Next, we need to produce an antidote. The poison in the Dawn Guards’ bodies is probably different, and right now, we also have quite a few living Dawn Guards. We could collect their blood samples for research and make the antidote as soon as possible.”
Samiyi nodded, “If we can develop the antidote, we won’t have to worry about the Dawn Society anymore.”
“No,” Tan Rou said, “The military strength of the Dawn Society is still very strong, and currently we only know about the zombies and Dawn Guards. Who knows, maybe in places we don’t know about, they are researching something else.”
Samiyi shared the same concern. She sighed and said, “Ultimately, our military strength is too weak. If I had soldiers at my command, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
Tan Rou said, “You should withdraw those night patrol troops and then select some capable ones to form a formal army and let them handle normal law enforcement. That would reduce a lot of problems. Also, I think the regulation of not going out after 8:30 PM isn’t very appropriate. If possible, you better change it soon.”
Samiyi said rather helplessly, “I’m not yet the King. Where would I get such authority? My brother has the power, but he’s stubborn. Even lying in bed, he still refuses to amend those problematic policies.”
Then Tan Rou was out of options, “Didn’t you say that you would hire mercenaries?”
“Fiscal authority isn’t in my hands. If I hire fewer mercenaries, I could use my own private funds. But if I want to hire a large number of mercenaries, I need to go through a vote at the kingdom’s council,” Samiyi explained, “If those old fogies knew I wanted to hire mercenaries, they would probably wail at the palace gates.”
Imagining such a scene, Tan Rou found it slightly amusing. “Your Highness, you better become the King soon, otherwise you’ll always be restricted in what you do.”
Samiyi said helplessly, “There’s no way. My brother is still alive. How could I become the King? Moreover, I hope he recovers soon so I can travel the world. This incident has cleared my mind. I can’t just listen to him; I need to be myself.”
Tan Rou sadly told her, “I guess you can’t escape it. Even if His Majesty the King recovers, he won’t be able to work continuously. His health has been greatly overtaxed, and he will need to rest.”
Samiyi was only joking, “Yeah, I know. I’ve already prepared to spend my life here.”
Chapter 1622: 1621 lacks combat power
After some idle chat, Tan Rou and Samiyi started to discuss serious matters.
Samiyi asked, “You came to me, do you have something important to talk about?”
Tan Rou hadn’t healed from her injuries yet, and the doctor had advised her to rest more. Instead of resting, she bore the pain to come to Samiyi, which meant she had something very important to discuss.
“Yes,” Tan Rou nodded, “I want to talk to you about how to deal with the Dawn Society.”
As soon as this topic was brought up, Samiyi was all ears, as dealing with the Dawn Society was currently a major headache for her.
“Do you have a plan?” Samiyi said, “So far, the information I hold about the Dawn Society is too little, and I don’t know how to deal with them.”
Tan Rou said, “I also don’t have much information. I just know that their military strength is divided into two types, one is zombies who are not afraid of death and don’t feel pain, and the other is Dawn Guards who still retain some humanity. These Dawn Guards are very physically fit and can use guns.”
Samiyi had also seen some unique individuals in reports from the guard teams, which must be the Dawn Guards Tan Rou was talking about.
“Their physiques are indeed very robust,” Samiyi said, “The guards’ reports mentioned them. Most of the survivors are these people.”
Tan Rou said, “These people have also been fed poison. They follow Gand’s orders, but sometimes, they hesitate, or stop their actions. It seems Gand doesn’t have complete control over them.”
“Do we have a way to deal with these Dawn Guards?” Samiyi asked.
“Perhaps we could try researching an antidote,” Tan Rou analyzed. “We already have samples of two poisons. Next, we need to produce an antidote. The poison in the Dawn Guards’ bodies is probably different, and right now, we also have quite a few living Dawn Guards. We could collect their blood samples for research and make the antidote as soon as possible.”
Samiyi nodded, “If we can develop the antidote, we won’t have to worry about the Dawn Society anymore.”
“No,” Tan Rou said, “The military strength of the Dawn Society is still very strong, and currently we only know about the zombies and Dawn Guards. Who knows, maybe in places we don’t know about, they are researching something else.”
Samiyi shared the same concern. She sighed and said, “Ultimately, our military strength is too weak. If I had soldiers at my command, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
Tan Rou said, “You should withdraw those night patrol troops and then select some capable ones to form a formal army and let them handle normal law enforcement. That would reduce a lot of problems. Also, I think the regulation of not going out after 8:30 PM isn’t very appropriate. If possible, you better change it soon.”
Samiyi said rather helplessly, “I’m not yet the King. Where would I get such authority? My brother has the power, but he’s stubborn. Even lying in bed, he still refuses to amend those problematic policies.”
Then Tan Rou was out of options, “Didn’t you say that you would hire mercenaries?”
“Fiscal authority isn’t in my hands. If I hire fewer mercenaries, I could use my own private funds. But if I want to hire a large number of mercenaries, I need to go through a vote at the kingdom’s council,” Samiyi explained, “If those old fogies knew I wanted to hire mercenaries, they would probably wail at the palace gates.”
Imagining such a scene, Tan Rou found it slightly amusing. “Your Highness, you better become the King soon, otherwise you’ll always be restricted in what you do.”
Samiyi said helplessly, “There’s no way. My brother is still alive. How could I become the King? Moreover, I hope he recovers soon so I can travel the world. This incident has cleared my mind. I can’t just listen to him; I need to be myself.”
Tan Rou sadly told her, “I guess you can’t escape it. Even if His Majesty the King recovers, he won’t be able to work continuously. His health has been greatly overtaxed, and he will need to rest.”
Samiyi was only joking, “Yeah, I know. I’ve already prepared to spend my life here.”
Chapter 1623: 1622 Busodi came
Another day passed, and as Samiyi was busy dealing with the matters of the Dawn Society, she suddenly heard that Busodi had requested an audience with the King. This time, Busodi wasn’t rash; he waited quietly at the main gate of the palace for the King’s summons.
Samiyi found it strange; having not seen him for a while, how had Busodi become so well-mannered that he even waited at the gate for the King’s summons? Could it be that he had truly realized his mistakes?
“Take him to see the King,” Samiyi ordered, “I will first ask His Majesty the King to come here, and once His Majesty is ready, then you can bring Prince Busodi in.”
The guard nodded and said, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Samiyi hurriedly put down the documents she was holding and ran towards the King’s sleeping quarters. The King’s health had improved slightly; he could now sit up, otherwise Samiyi would not have dared to risk letting Busodi see the King.
When she arrived, Tan Rou was also there. Although Tan Rou had been injured, she had not neglected the King’s treatment and visited him every day.
“Your Highness has arrived,” Tan Rou greeted Samiyi. “Today’s treatment has just been completed, and His Majesty the King is recovering very well. You can talk more with His Majesty today.”
Samiyi said anxiously, “I don’t have time to talk with my brother right now, Busodi is waiting outside, and he wants to see the King. His attitude is a bit odd today, so I think it’s necessary for him to meet with my brother.”
Tan Rou said, “That’s fine, His Majesty is in good condition today and can leave the room, but he shouldn’t stay outside for too long. He needs to come back to rest after an hour.”
“Alright,” Samiyi nodded and then said to Tan Rou, “Rou, you should also get some rest soon. Your wounds haven’t healed yet, and the weather is quite hot; be careful of inflammation.”
“Don’t worry,” Tan Rou replied, “I have a special medicine here that will help me recover quickly. But you are right, I do need some rest.”
“Mhm,” Samiyi urged, “Go on then.”
After Tan Rou left, Samiyi had the maids lightly make up the King so that his complexion wouldn’t appear too pale.
“Samiyi, how have things been outside recently?” the King asked.
Samiyi honestly answered, “A mysterious organization called the Dawn Society has appeared in the royal city. They have many members and are also very wealthy. From what we currently know, it is a cult that worships the ‘God of Dawn’ and is secretly researching terrifying things.”
“What God of Dawn?” the King asked, frowning. “Do people really believe in such a jumbled mess of a deity?”
In her heart, Samiyi thought that if it weren’t for his mismanagement of society, the people wouldn’t have turned to worshipping the God of Dawn.
“When did this organization appear?” the King inquired further.
“I only discovered them recently, but from what I’ve learned, they have existed for at least four or five years,” Samiyi said.
The King’s expression hardened, and he stated, “We can’t let them disrupt the peace of the royal city.”
“Yes, I will deal with them,” Samiyi assured, “but they are very strong, and with our current military strength, we probably can’t defeat them.”
After a moment’s thought, the King said, “In a few days, I will call a kingdom meeting and in front of all the nobles, I will transfer the military authority to you…”
Before he could finish, Samiyi interrupted, “If you transfer the military authority to me, it will definitely cause dissatisfaction among the nobles. We can’t afford more trouble during these difficult times, so please, transfer the military authority to Laka instead; let him handle some matters.”
The King found this proposal acceptable. “Alright, after we finish speaking, call Laka over; I have something to discuss with him.”
“Alright, I understand,” Samiyi responded.
“By the way, did Busodi say why he wants to see me?” the King asked again.
Samiyi hadn’t seen Busodi yet; she had rushed over as soon as she got the message.
“I don’t know,” Samiyi replied. “Perhaps he wants to say some parting words; his confinement period has ended, and he is to be sent to the mines in a few days.”
“Mhm,” the King said. “Let’s go and see Busodi.”
Chapter 1624: 1623 Farewell
Busodi had been waiting at the door for about forty minutes before someone finally came to call him in. Throughout his wait, not a word of complaint escaped him; he merely stood there quietly.
The guards at the door were amazed; it was the first time they had seen His Royal Highness Busodi so well-behaved. Usually, when Busodi was in a hurry to see the King, he would just barge in.
“Your Highness, thank you for waiting,” said a guard as he jogged over. “His Majesty the King was handling official duties which caused a bit of a delay, but now you may go and see him.”
Busodi showed no intention of complaining. He smiled at the guard and said, “You lead the way.”
The guard assigned to lead the way was taken aback. He impolitely stared at Busodi. Was this the His Royal Highness Busodi he knew? Since when had Busodi become so polite?
Busodi smiled again and said aloud, “Shall we not go?”
The leading guard came to his senses and quickly lowered his head, saying, “I apologize for my rudeness, Your Highness.”
Busodi did not hold his rudeness against him, instead saying, “It’s alright. Let’s hurry and not keep His Majesty waiting.”
The guard led the way and Busodi followed at a steady pace, still not uttering a word.
The weather was hot, and the nervous guard was sweating profusely by the time they reached the King’s study.
“The weather is a bit hot. Remember to drink plenty of water and not let yourself suffer from heatstroke,” Busodi kindly reminded him.
The guard nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, I understand.”
Then, Busodi knocked on the door of the King’s study, “Your Majesty, are you inside?”
The King said, “Come in.”
Busodi straightened his clothes before pushing the door open, “Your Majesty, I am entering now.”
The King sat in his chair, his desk covered with official duties, and Samiyi stood beside him.
Had it been another time, Busodi would have likely mocked Samiyi for being there.
However, today Busodi was different; he spared no mocking words but greeted Samiyi warmly instead, “Good morning, Your Majesty, Your Highness the noble princess!”
Hearing this, Samiyi felt utterly bewildered, wondering if the Busodi before her was an impostor—why else would he speak to her this way?
The King also felt uneasy but did not show it, “Busodi, do you have something to discuss with me?”
“I am here to bid you farewell,” Busodi said respectfully. “My confinement period is over and, I am about to leave for the mines soon. Each trip to the mines makes it long before I can return, so, before I leave this time, I wanted to say ‘goodbye’ to Your Majesty and hope for your approval.”
The King truly could not understand what Busodi was intending to do, as he had never said “goodbye” to him before like he was planning to do now, but had just left with his men.
“Hmm, I understand,” the King said calmly, “Be careful on the road.”
“I will depart tomorrow afternoon,” Busodi continued, “After I leave, I hope Your Majesty can take good care of my wife and children. If it’s inconvenient for Your Majesty, then perhaps Her Highness the princess could look after them.”
Samiyi asked bluntly, “Prince Busodi, are you serious about that?”
Busodi responded, “Everything I say is sincere.”
Samiyi said, “Monica and I usually do not get along. If you ask me to take care of her, don’t blame me if she ends up upset.”
Busodi chuckled, “No, that won’t happen. After this recent incident, Monica and I have both recognized our mistakes and we will not make them again. I hope you can refrain from anger and not dwell on past happenings, Your Highness.”
Samiyi initially intended to refuse, but then she recalled something Tan Rou had shared with her a few days ago, and her attitude shifted, “Alright then, Monica is my sister-in-law after all, it’s only proper that I look after her.”
Busodi said gratefully, “Thank you, Your Kind Highness the princess.”
Chapter 1625: Scout for information in 1624
Samiyi said, “Don’t mention it, these are all duties I am obliged to perform.”
Busodi gave a slight nod, then said to the King, “Your Majesty, I have said all I needed to say, please allow me to leave now, as I still need to go back and prepare a few things.”
Both the King and Samiyi couldn’t wait for him to leave, yet from the moment Busodi entered to when he finished speaking, no more than five minutes had passed. Having waited nearly an hour, only to listen to him speak for less than five minutes, could this man really be Busodi?
“Alright, go ahead,” the King said, “Be safe on your way.”
Busodi bowed to His Majesty the King very politely, then left the palace with elegant steps.
Once he saw him off, Samiyi turned back to the King and said, “It’s been many years since I’ve seen him this polite, his demeanor seems unreal.”
“The man is off, but he certainly hasn’t forgotten his manners,” replied the King.
“Don’t forget, Busodi is also royalty,” Samiyi added, “Whatever education we received, Busodi received the same.”
“Mm,” the King then said, “Regarding Busodi’s request, what do you plan to do?”
Samiyi shrugged her shoulders helplessly and said, “What else can I do? I can only send someone to look after his wife and children. If I have time, I might even invite them to play inside the palace.”
The King smiled and said, “Didn’t you forbid Monica from entering the palace again?”
“Huh,” Samiyi scoffed, “Now that Busodi has asked me to take care of his family, and I have agreed to him, wouldn’t I be breaking my promise if I failed to do so?”
The King offered Samiyi some advice, “You haven’t chatted with the other noble ladies for a long time, why not host another gathering, and this time invite a few more people?”
“Will you attend it?” Samiyi asked with some sadness, “You fell ill after attending the poetry gathering last time, I worry…”
“I won’t be attending,” said the King, “I am about to go back and rest, and I’ll leave the rest for you to handle. There’s no need for a large event, just hold an afternoon tea party, sit with everyone, have a chat, and incidentally gather some information about the outside world.”
Samiyi was startled, “The outside world?”
The King nodded, “Yes, Your Majesty the Queen, you should learn more about the outside world.”
Samiyi complained, “It’s all because of you, my terrible brother, otherwise I wouldn’t be so ignorant.”
The King stood up, gently touched Samiyi’s head, and said tenderly, “Go on, Samiyi, try to have some fun.”
Samiyi counted on her fingers how long it had been since she last rested. It seemed ever since the King fell ill, she had not had a good rest. Maybe she should seize this opportunity to rest a bit, and it would be a perfect time to hear about the news from outside from the rich madams and noble ladies.
After handling urgent official duties, Samiyi arranged for the preparation of the afternoon tea party, and she even informed Tan Rou, hoping that Tan Rou would also attend this tea party.
Tan Rou originally planned to stay in her room and study the locator signals with Zhuang Liu, but once she saw the list of guests invited to the tea party, she immediately changed her mind.
“Do you know this Alisa?” Tan Rou asked.
Samiyi glanced at the list and said, “I have some impression, her husband seems to be a real estate tycoon. I don’t know much else. This list wasn’t drawn up by me, it was sent by Monica.”
“No wonder,” said Tan Rou, “Her husband is just a real estate businesswoman, not a traditional noble, so she shouldn’t be eligible to attend this tea party.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Samiyi said, “I am hosting this tea party with two objectives in mind, one is to relax a bit myself, and the other is to find out what’s happening outside.”
Tan Rou thought this was a good idea, “I’ve met this Alisa; the last time was in a cafe. I also heard something else, but at the time I was so shocked by Monica and Kudu’s affair that I forgot to tell you.” She wondered if Alisa’s plan had succeeded.
“What is it?” asked Samiyi.
Tan Rou answered, “It’s something that concerns you.”
Chapter 1626: 1625, do you want to be queen?
Tan Rou simply repeated what she had heard, and after listening, Samiyi grew so angry that she tore the invitation list she held in her hands in half.
“This is too much!” Samiyi slammed her hand on the table and said, “How can they be so selfish? In their eyes, it’s just a piece of valuable land, but for those people living there, it’s their most beautiful home!”
Tan Rou hadn’t expected Samiyi to become this angry, it seemed even when she had spoken to the King, he didn’t react as strongly. It looked like Samiyi was more suited to be king than her brother because she truly cared about the common people.
“Keep calm,” Tan Rou said, “they want to see you now probably because things haven’t been finalized. You can take this opportunity to ask how far they’ve gone with their plans.”
Enraged, Samiyi said, “If they’ve really done something to harm the people, I’ll throw them in jail right now, sentence them to life imprisonment, and let them spend their lives behind bars, even if Monica is the queen consort, she won’t escape punishment.”
Tan Rou stood calmly by the side, “Hmm, they indeed deserve to be punished. But first, calm down, you’re almost tearing the list to shreds.”
A somewhat calmer Samiyi put the torn paper back together, then rewrote the list, “Alright, I’ll invite the guests according to the list Monica gave me. I’d like to see what kind of monsters and demons she has invited!”
Soon it was time for Samiyi’s afternoon tea party, and the palace was bustling that day. Luxury carriages kept stopping at the palace gates, and those rich madams and noble ladies who were dressed beautifully entered arm in arm, attending the afternoon tea party hosted by the princess.
“It has been many years since Her Highness the Princess hosted an afternoon tea party, hasn’t it?” a rich madam said, “The last time, she did host a poetry gathering, but she invited so few people. I wasn’t even invited.”
A noble lady said, “Yes, I wasn’t invited either at that time, it really was a shame.”
“Hey, I heard that last time Monica was invited, but she didn’t stay until the end. Do you know what happened?” another noble lady asked.
“No idea.”
“How could we possibly know?”
“I heard she offended Her Highness the Princess.”
The rich madams and noble ladies discussed the last event in bits and pieces, which infuriated Monica. Damn Samiyi, damn that foreign woman, if not for those two, she would not have suffered such embarrassment.
But no matter, she could come to the palace now, and she believed that it wouldn’t be long before she could stay in the palace forever.
Thinking of this, a smile surfaced on Monica’s face.
“Queen Consort Monica, what are you smiling about?” Alisa asked.
Monica composed herself, responding very arrogantly, “Nothing, I just thought the weather was nice today, perfect for afternoon tea.”
Alisa agreed, “Yes, this place is just perfect for afternoon tea. And it’s my first time at the palace, it’s so beautiful. If only I could come again in the future.”
Monica generously said, “I will bring you here in the future. You can come as many times as you want.”
“Oh my, what does Queen Consort Monica mean by that? Is the palace something where just anyone can come and go as they please?” Elinka said with a laugh, “Do you think you’re the queen? Or is it that you want to be the queen?”
Monica immediately countered Elinka’s words, “Miss Elinka, what I mean is that as long as Her Highness the Princess invites me to the afternoon tea parties, I will bring my friends. I never said I wanted to be the queen!”
Elinka said mockingly, “Only Her Majesty the Queen and the Princess are allowed to invite guests to the palace’s afternoon tea parties. If you want your friends to come to the palace, you’ll have to be the queen.”
Monica indeed wanted to be the queen, but this was not something that could be known by others.
“Elinka, I advise you not to speak carelessly, or you will be in big trouble!” Monica warned.
“Oh dear, Queen Consort, why are you getting so angry?” Elinka smirked, “Did I hit a nerve?”
Chapter 1627: 1626 exposing each other’s shortcomings
“Elinka, are you asking for a beating?” Monica finally lost her temper, “I am a princess, and you are just a marquis’s daughter, by what right do you speak to me this way?”
Elinka leaned in, provocatively saying, “Then hit me!”
Monica couldn’t hold back anymore. She raised her hand to slap Elinka across the face, but Elinka dodged faster than Monica’s hand could reach. Elinka quickly moved aside, and Monica ended up slapping someone else on the shoulder.
The person struck was a very gentle rich madam, who after being hit, furrowed her brows and said, “What are you doing? We are all guests invited by the princess; why are you fighting here? When the princess arrives and sees us fighting, do you think she will invite us again?”
Monica rubbed her sore hand and then said, “It wasn’t me who wanted to fight, but someone was deliberately provoking me.”
The rich madam persuaded, “Your Highness, your status is very noble, how can you just hit people like that?”
Monica glanced at her, planning to scold her as well, but Alisa stopped her, “Your Highness, we are not here to quarrel; please, do not delay our important matters!”
Monica calmed down a bit, nodding her head saying, “Um, I understand.”
But Elinka did not plan to let it end there. She continued, “Those women from minor households just don’t know the rules. They’re so young, yet instead of doing something worthy, they prefer to marry someone as a concubine. Every time they go out, they take a crowd with them, as if they are afraid others won’t know she is someone’s mistress.”
Monica truly became angry now; she cared no longer about maintaining her ladylike demeanor and charged at Elinka, grabbing her hair and shouting, “You vile woman, how have I wronged you for you to keep insinuating things about me? My relationship with His Royal Highness is a matter of mutual love, not an affair, how dare you demean me?”
After she had disheveled Elinka’s hair, she ran to the side and cried, saying amid her tears, “I really am a miserable woman, all of you say that marrying His Royal Highness is my great fortune, but His Royal Highness is hardly ever at home, and if I am bullied, there is no one to speak for me! Look now, a marquis’s daughter dares to scold me outright.”
Although those noble women generally did not regard the common-born Monica highly, they liked seizing the opportunity to educate their peers, so many came to speak on Monica’s behalf.
One rich madam said, “Miss Elinka, this is where you are wrong. Her Highness did not offend you, why must you speak ill of her?”
Another rich madam said, “His Royal Highness is not at home, and Miss Elinka can say anything she wants about Her Highness, but what if His Royal Highness came back? Aren’t you afraid that he’ll settle scores with you?”
Elinka, who had become heated in the moment, actually did not want to offend Monica, but every time she saw Monica acting that way, it infuriated her. If Monica had not acted first, then it could have been her, Elinka, becoming the princess of Busodi.
Monica lamented, “Had I known it would turn out this way, I wouldn’t have come to this gathering. Rather than being bullied here, I might as well have stayed home to take care of the children.”
Those noble madams and misses collectively criticized Elinka’s behavior, although they might not really think that Elinka did anything wrong, but they merely wanted to feel a sense of achievement by scolding someone else.
Their accusations gave Elinka a headache, and she yelled, “Enough already,” then sat down next to a table.
Alisa, seeing Monica being bullied, felt very angry and really wanted to teach the arrogant Elinka a lesson.
Just then, a daughter of an Earl came over and whispered to Monica, “Your Highness, I have a secret about Elinka, are you interested?”
Monica, who was faking her cries, rubbed her eyes and returned to her former composure, “You wouldn’t be asking me to give something in exchange for Elinka’s secret, would you?”
The Earl’s daughter smiled and said, “Of course not, I simply cannot stand Elinka’s behavior.”
Chapter 1628: 1627 Elinka and Monica
Monica didn’t want to bother with details anymore and said directly, “Spill it, if your secret is useful, I’ll reward you.”
The earl’s daughter shook her head and said, “I don’t want any reward, but I’ll still tell you the secret.”
So, the young lady started to tell Monica about the quarrel between Elinka and Mia. It turned out that this young lady was also involved in the incident that day, only her presence was so low that nobody noticed her.
“Ha ha ha ha…” Monica laughed so hard her stomach hurt after hearing Elinka’s secret, “Everyone outside says that Miss Elinka and Miss Mia have a great relationship, like they’re real sisters, but it looks like their relationship isn’t that strong after all. Miss Mia still despises Elinka and has pushed her aside.”
The earl’s daughter added, “At that time, Elinka was trying to help Mia get revenge, and that’s why she provoked that person, but in the end, Mia was not only ungrateful but even wanted us to apologize to that commoner woman, which was really too much!”
Monica smiled slightly, “Your information is very useful, you are my friend from now on, and next time I’ll invite you to my estate as a guest.”
The earl’s daughter was very happy and said, “Thank you for your invitation, I would be delighted to visit your home.”
After getting Elinka’s secret, Monica couldn’t wait to confront her. She had just lost a round to Elinka and now she had to win it back.
“Ouch, Miss Elinka, why are you sitting here sulking all by yourself?” Monica asked cheerfully, “Why didn’t your good friend Miss Mia come with you?”
Elinka glanced at her and said unhappily, “That seems none of Her Royal Highness’s business, does it? Whether Mia comes or not is her choice. If she doesn’t want to, I can’t drag her here.”
Monica said, “But I heard that Miss Mia had an argument with you, and it seems like she doesn’t want to be friends with you anymore.”
Now it was Elinka’s turn to be angry, “Can you mind your own business? Whether we are friends or not, what’s that to you?”
Monica wasn’t upset either; she smiled and said, “I thought Miss Elinka and Miss Mia were very close, I didn’t expect you to fight over such a trivial matter. Seems like your friendship isn’t that solid after all.”
Elinka was now most annoyed to hear anything related to Mia. After their fight, she considered reconciling with Mia, but Mia showed no signs of wanting to make up and even had a servant come out to tell Elinka she wasn’t receiving guests because she was ill.
Elinka didn’t believe for a second that Mia was sick. She was fine the day before, and it couldn’t be a sudden illness; it had to be an excuse.
But no matter what she said, Mia refused to see her. In a fit of anger, Elinka vowed to cut ties with Mia. From then on, Mia was no friend of hers.
“I’ll say it again, you don’t need to meddle in my business with Mia. If you’re free, why don’t you go home and take care of your two sons instead? So you don’t have to explain yourself to His Royal Highness if something happens to them,” Elinka said rudely.
“You dare curse the little princes?” Monica said with a look of surprise, “If anything happens to the two little princes, I’ll never forgive you.”
Elinka slammed her hand on the table and said, “When did I curse the young princes? I’m just telling you to go home and take care of them, I didn’t say anything else, and it was you who mentioned going back home to look after them.”
Monica wouldn’t listen, she latched onto one point and started arguing with Elinka again.
Elinka wasn’t easy to push around either, she also stood up and started quarreling with Monica. And so, the venue that had just quieted down a few minutes earlier became noisy once again.
Everyone watched the drama unfold while also checking to see if the princess had arrived. It was odd, the princess had invited everyone over, so why hadn’t she shown up yet? Maybe she overslept?
In fact, Samiyi and Tan Rou had arrived early, and they were hiding just behind the flowers nearby. Samiyi had Tan Rou install listening devices and mini surveillance equipment there.
Initially, Samiyi had hoped to get some useful information from these people. But, in the end, she got nothing but recordings of their arguments.
Chapter 1629: Enemy of the enemy 1628
“These two seem to have some contradictions,” Tan Rou observed for a while, then said to Samiyi, “Did they have issues with each other before?”
Samiyi recalled a moment and then spoke, “It seems there was a bit of contradiction, I heard it from others. There’s an old gardener in the palace, he loves to gossip with people, and I sometimes listen to their conversations there, so I heard about the issues between Monica, Busodi, and Elinka.”
“Could it be a love triangle?” Tan Rou asked with interest.
“It’s not,” Samiyi said. “Royal family members can’t really find love, my situation is an example.”
“What kind of contradictions did those three have?” Tan Rou curiously inquired.
Samiyi spoke, “You might remember the incidents with the previous wives of Busodi, right? Although those poor women died, it hasn’t stopped the nobility from wanting to push their daughters onto Busodi, and Elinka was one of them.”
“Um…” Tan Rou thought for a moment then frowned, “Busodi is old enough to be Elinka’s father, and she, a noble lady, is marrying Busodi to become who knows which number wife. Is this for real?”
“Ah!” Samiyi sighed, “A noble lady’s status is given by her family, and what are they without their family? Thus, even though Busodi is quite old, many still want to marry their young daughters to him; even if the girls are unwilling, for the sake of their family, they must agree.”
“But I heard Elinka agreed to this marriage, and she was quite willing to marry Prince Busodi. Prince Busodi was also quite pleased with her and was planning to make her his new wife,” Samiyi added.
“Then something unexpected happened?” guessed Tan Rou. “Busodi fell for Monica?”
Samiyi nodded and said, “Yes, during a banquet Busodi saw the beautiful Monica and fell madly in love with her. He quickly married Monica and brought her home. You know the rest, Monica bore Busodi twin sons, and he grew even more fond of her.”
“So that’s how it was,” Tan Rou stroked her chin, pondering. “Elinka wanted to marry Busodi but was cut off halfway by a woman with low education and poor background; she couldn’t swallow her pride, so she started opposing Monica.”
Samiyi mentioned, “This is the first time I’ve seen them fight like this.” She didn’t even want to look at the two; one was the duchess, the other had been taught noble etiquette since childhood, but both threw etiquette away and made a scene in public, truly losing the nobility’s face.
“Samiyi, I suddenly have a great idea,” Tan Rou’s mind sparked with a plan to deal with Monica, “Since there’s a conflict between Elinka and Monica, why don’t we use that to our advantage?”
“We could leak news of Monica’s affair to Elinka. Elinka wants to marry Busodi so badly, what do you think she will do when she hears about Monica’s affair?”
Samiyi was also very surprised, “Right, if Elinka finds out, she will definitely cause a commotion, and then Duke Busodi’s house will be too disturbed to bother with me.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” said Tan Rou. “I dislike Monica, the same goes for Elinka. Let them fight between themselves; it will save us some trouble.”
Samiyi asked curiously, “Do you have a grudge against Elinka?”
Tan Rou replied, “I ran into her on the street a few days ago; she deliberately blocked my way and was so arrogant even after I scolded her. I wanted to beat her up, but Miss Mia from Duke Delder’s House stopped me.”
“Mia?” Samiyi also remembered the name, “Is that the person who stole your things?”
Tan Rou laughed, “That’s all in the past now, let’s not bring it up anymore. Miss Mia is now my friend; I wouldn’t want to make my friend uncomfortable.”
Samiyi said no more, “Alright, it’s your call.”
Chapter 1630: 1629 hard to change one’s nature
Since Samiyi thought it would be best to send Elinka to deal with Monica, she decided to intensify the conflict between them, starting now.
“Are you sure you want to throw the pebble?” Tan Rou held a smooth pebble in her hand. “Once I throw this, Monica’s back is definitely going to bruise badly.”
Samiyi replied confidently, “Hurry up and do it. If you don’t do it now, their fight will be over and we’ll miss our chance.”
Samiyi’s plan was to have Tan Rou launch a surprise attack on one of them from a distance, inflict injury, and then have her blame the other person.
Since the princess had asked Tan Rou to take action, Tan Rou had no choice but to throw a pebble at Monica, hoping only that Monica wouldn’t be so fragile as to die from the blow.
Tan Rou’s arm injury had not yet fully healed, reducing her strength, but even without full power, she managed to hit Monica hard enough to make her jump.
“Little wretch, what did you hit me with?” Monica angrily asked, grabbing Elinka by the hair.
Elinka grabbed Monica’s hair in return. “I want to ask you what hit my leg!”
Monica said, “I didn’t hit you with anything.”
Elinka replied, “I didn’t hit you with anything either!”
Samiyi, who had overheard their conversation, asked, “Rou, did you throw two pebbles?”
“No,” Tan Rou showed her the palm of her hand. “This one I just picked up. I haven’t had the chance to throw it yet. I only threw one at Monica, the other person wasn’t hit by me.”
“Then let’s wait a bit and see if the other person acts again,” Samiyi suggested.
Before Tan Rou could respond, she heard Monica shout, “Was it you who had someone hit my shin?”
Elinka also said, “I was about to ask if it was you who hit my back!”
Samiyi and Tan Rou exchanged glances, tacitly searching the crowd for any suspicious individuals.
Before they found anyone, they were spotted by a rich madam who had come to admire the flowers; she was startled at first by the sight of two big people just standing there but then realized one of them was the princess herself.
“Your Highness, why are you standing here?” the rich madam called out.
Samiyi was startled by her loud voice, “Uh… I…”
Tan Rou quickly responded, “Her Highness was about to head over, but you can see for yourselves what you’re doing—such a noisy place. What if Her Highness was disturbed?”
The rich madam nervously said, “I… I’ll go make them quiet down right away.”
Samiyi did not stop her but responded mildly, “Yes, you go ahead. I will come over once they have quieted down.”
The rich madam rushed into the crowd. “Stop fighting! Her Highness is nearby and watching. She thinks we are too noisy and won’t even come over to talk to us.”
Those who had been pulling each other’s hair looked over and said in unison, “Where is Her Highness?”
The rich madam pointed to the flower bushes not far away. “Her Highness is standing back there.”
Monica and Elinka let go of each other. Their makeup was already ruined, and they must reapply it before the princess arrived. It would be too rude to appear disheveled before Her Highness.
Now realizing their makeup was undone, they wondered why they hadn’t considered how rude their behavior had been when they first started fighting.
Samiyi shook her head helplessly. “Monica is a commoner’s daughter and hasn’t learned noble etiquette. Busodi indulges her and won’t force her to learn. I am not surprised by anything she does in public. But what about Elinka, why is she also fighting in public? She doesn’t have the decorum expected of a noble lady.”
“Maybe that’s just Elinka’s true nature,” Tan Rou said. “I had met her only once before today, and neither encounter left a good impression. She is quite rude and tends to bully others, leveraging her status.”
Samiyi also knew little about Elinka and added, “Heh, no wonder she is set to marry Busodi—both are quite rude.”