Chapter 224 "A simple thank you isn't enough."...
The days began to pass uneventfully, seemingly without ups and downs, but perhaps undercurrents were stirring beneath the surface. On the surface, I was the Prime Minister's wife, someone who didn't get involved in anything, but in reality, I was keeping a close eye on all sorts of developments.
The internal strife in the East is escalating, with various factions and interests vying for power, leading to fierce competition. Bernard has already been attacked several times, reportedly sustaining serious injuries, which is why he can't currently focus on fighting Artis for control. Meanwhile, trouble seems to be brewing on the Elven King's side, with disagreements arising between him and several major families. The emergence of overseas trade has fueled these families' desire for monopolistic resources, resulting in numerous bloody incidents.
The North is temporarily at peace. After a period of internal strife and conflict, Mamboa seems to be "resting and recuperating," secretly plotting something, supposedly related to a newly discovered mine in the South. The relationship between the North and South is delicate. Mamboa and Princess Yani have a very close relationship, more like siblings than anything else. However, Princess Yani is heavily influenced by her stepmother and is often forced to side with the South, further complicating her relationship with Mamboa.
King Midian of the West was paralyzed for a long time after his abdication, and the government was mostly controlled by his queen. The queen's new husband, Hyja, was just a figurehead, and a small part of the government was in the hands of powerful nobles.
But Hyja was not entirely without support. His relationship with his ex-wife, Beatrice, had somehow improved. With the support of Queen Beatrice—the queen of the largest independent royal city in the West—King Midan's queen dared not openly target Hyja, nor did she dare to poison or assassinate him.
The snow finally stopped. It had been falling for more than half a month, and as soon as it stopped, it started to melt. The sun was high in the sky, and the temperature quickly returned to above zero. The thick snow melted into water, which fell all over the courtyard.
I stood on the gray steps of the courtyard, quietly watching the maids sweep away the snow. I had originally planned to leave the palace to sweep the tombs, but the courtyard was too flooded and difficult to cross, so I had to give up.
After watching for a while, I turned back and ran into Artis.
"What are you doing here?" I asked in surprise. Shouldn't he be inspecting the various mine shafts and tunnels at this hour?
"The water is too deep everywhere, let's wait for the water to recede before going out."
He suddenly placed something in my hand, saying, "I have successfully obtained it."
I stared in surprise at the blood-stained handkerchief in my hand. "What is this?"
“I only got Haiya’s, not Nasia’s.” He smiled and said, “Nasia is more shrewd, so it’s not easy to get his. Haiya, well, you know, he’s a bit stupid. He could have succeeded by finding a voluptuous woman, but voluptuous women need time to infiltrate, which is why it took so long.”
"Thank you." So much has happened in this period of time that I almost don't remember this incident.
"Although Haiya is a bit stupid and easier to succeed with, it wasn't easy for him to get the handkerchief by breaking his skin. A simple thank you isn't enough," he said, feeling aggrieved.
I was taken aback for a moment. "So what do you want?"
Suddenly realizing what she'd said, her face flushed slightly, "Don't go too far."
He laughed, "You're overthinking it. I'm not forcing you to do anything you don't like. All I need is a kiss."
I disagreed, and said with a flushed face, "I'll thank you another time."
He laughed again.
At dinner, he sat next to the AI beauty. To be precise, it was the AI beauty who approached him, but he didn't refuse. The AI beauty was the most outstanding beauty in the "Big Fish Tank" of the Elf Realm, with delicate and exquisite features comparable to an AI, so I got used to calling her AI.
The AI beauty has now successfully secured her position as the most favored, clinging to Artis and refusing to let go. None of the other mistresses dare to voice their opinions, including the stunningly beautiful mistress who once spoke to me. That same beautiful mistress, who was extremely intimate with Artis in my dreams, has now been relegated to the sidelines.
She sat quietly beside Artis, not daring to make a move. The AI beauty was extremely arrogant and would not tolerate any attempt to "steal her man."
Seeing her dejected look, I suddenly stood up, raised my hand and slapped her across the face. The AI beauty covered her face and looked at me in disbelief, while the other mistresses were also shocked.
"Get down here!" I said coldly. "With me, your rightful wife, here, what are you anyway!"
The AI beauty was both surprised and angry, and looked at Artis, but Artis remained expressionless.
"From today onwards, any one of you who dares to seduce a man in front of me will be kicked out of the palace!" I said coldly.
The mistresses all stared at Artis, ignoring me completely. The AI beauty remained tightly embracing Artis's neck, unmoving.
He grabbed a water glass from the table, about to splash it at the AI beauty, but Artis stopped him even faster.
He gripped my water glass tightly.
Water splashed down and landed on our hands.
“Alright,” Artis said gently, “do as the lady says.”
The AI beauty reluctantly got up and returned to her seat.
My face was a little stiff.
Suddenly, he also stood up, walked to the last seat at the table, and sat down far away from Artis.
All the mistresses gasped in shock.
Before Artis could speak, I said coldly again, "Do you marry me to treat me as a tool or a decoration? If so, I won't say a word from now on. But if you treat me as your wife, then everyone else will have to obey you."
Artis actually smiled and said, "You're right."
He waved his hand, and two burly, burly guards entered. "Expel Lady Marneline from the palace. She may take her personal belongings, but nothing else is permitted."
"yes."
The AI beauty's expression changed drastically. She rushed to Artis, hugged him, and cried, "My lord, you can't do this to me! You can't be so cruel!"
Artis coldly shoved her away, "You've ignored the lady's orders, so get out!"
"I won't do it again, I won't do it again." The AI beauty cried and rushed over to hug him, but he shook her off again.
Two guards immediately stepped forward and dragged her out of the restaurant.
Before being dragged out, she glared at me with hatred, her eyes like poisoned knives.
I actually shivered a little.
Artis frowned. "Gouge out her eyes."
A sharp wail rang out again, and she cried out, "No, sir, I'll never do it again..."
She was dragged out like that, but her sharp cries echoed for a long time, and the atmosphere in the entire restaurant was stiff and terrifying.
In the end, her eyes weren't gouged out, and I pleaded with Artis for her life.
Artis looked at me with amusement. "Are you sure?"
“There’s no need,” I said. “She didn’t make any major mistakes.”
“Once she gains power or has the opportunity, she will definitely take revenge. Not only will your eyes be gouged out, but your limbs will also be cut off.”
"How could that be? I saved her this time."
"But she was also driven out of the palace because of you. She won't be grateful to you. She'll only think that it's only right that her eyes weren't gouged out, and that it's only right that you died."
"Forget it," I said again, "It's too much to take away someone's eyes for this."
“Alright, whatever you say,” he said with a smile. “After all, you are my new wife, and I have to please my new wife.”
The next morning, Artis got up before dawn to go on patrol, and I hid in the bathroom and covered the yellowed paper with Hya's bloodstained handkerchief.
It's clearer now, even clearer. The lines of the map are clearly visible one by one. Only one last interface is needed. Once this interface is connected, the entire map will be complete.
After thinking for a while, I drew part of the map and then went to the reading room.
In the reading room, there was a member of the clan organizing ancient books and materials. I took out this part of the map and asked her, "Do you know where this is?"
She looked closely, a puzzled expression on her face. "I'm not quite sure."
Seeing the disappointment in my eyes, she added, "There's an old man in the reading room who has read almost all the books here. Maybe he knows." She also added, "He's my maternal grandfather."
The grandfather didn't look old at all; perhaps people here marry young. He looked closely for a while and said, "I don't know, maybe someone here knows."
"Who is it?" I asked.
"my mother."
Soon, I met my maternal grandfather's mother. The old woman was very old, her face was covered with wrinkles, and she had a kind and gentle appearance.
"I've heard that our Prime Minister has gotten married. Is this the lady?" the old mother said with a smile. "She looks so approachable."
My elderly mother pushed up her reading glasses and said to me with a smile, "You look so fortunate, I wonder how much good fortune the Prime Minister can enjoy."
I chuckled and said, "How could that be? The Prime Minister also has a very auspicious appearance."
The old mother just smiled without saying a word, took the map I handed her, and said with a smile, "This place seems familiar. Is your map incomplete?"
I nodded. "The other half is missing."
My elderly mother chuckled as she looked at me. "If it's only half, it's hard to say where it is."
"Where do you think it is?" I asked anxiously.
My elderly mother was still smiling as she looked at me. "Oh, I need to think about it. I'll tell you later."
I was a little disappointed, but there was nothing I could do but leave.
I couldn't sleep at midnight, lying awake until Artis returned to his room. I curled myself up in the blanket, and he laughed, leaning over to ask, "Are you having trouble sleeping because the old steward wouldn't tell you about the map?"
I was a little annoyed, so I threw back the covers and sat up halfway. "Does everything I do have your eye on?"
“Not necessarily,” he said, leaning against the headboard next to me. “Unless my subordinates find it strange, nobody tells me about trivial matters.”
"Oh, so what do you consider trivial matters?"
"For example, jealousy and bickering between women, or some everyday little things."
I yawned. "Alright, I'm going to sleep. You can go sleep on the sofa chair."
He looked at me with a wronged expression, but had no choice but to pick up his bedding and sleep on the sofa chair.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Please support "All the Male Gods in the World Are in Love with Me," "Love of Ice and Fire," and "My Brilliant Friend"! If you have a strong heart and love fantasy, you can check out "Cinderella Wants a Satisfying Novel Script," mwah!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
