Chapter 248 Her eyes, as always…
In the center of the square, all the male members of the Grand Duke of Ssack's direct line of service were bound to stakes. At a command, the executioners raised their swords and accurately struck the necks of the male members of the family... The onlookers gasped in shock, and the women screamed in terror.
Thick, fresh blood flowed slowly, soaking the entire square.
The sun was high in the sky, golden sunlight, a sea of golden blood.
The scene is the same as in the dream.
However, the person who got slashed was someone else.
“I didn’t expect you to be so amazing.” Princess Yani walked up to me, giggling. “We all underestimated everyone.”
I watched her quietly.
Princess Yanni laughed and said, "When I was woken up by my maid in the middle of the night, I thought I was dreaming. I didn't expect that the weather would change so suddenly after I got dressed."
"Have you received any messages?" I asked slowly.
"What news?!" Princess Yani looked bewildered. "What kind of news could I possibly receive?"
"Grand Duke Ssack's plan is meticulous, but with so many guards involved in the coup, there's bound to be some information leaked to you."
"Hey, if there was any information leaked to me, why wasn't it leaked to you?"
"Because you intercepted it."
Princess Yanni was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "What nonsense are you talking about?! How could that be? Me, intercept me? Am I crazy?"
"Because you and your stepmother planned to quickly take control of the entire capital city after my death. You didn't take Duke Ssack seriously because you believed that with the military strength of the South, you could definitely take down Grand Duke Ssack."
I found it strange that I hadn't received a single tip about such a large-scale plan. Someone must be behind it. After capturing several informants, I subjected them to severe torture and managed to extract information about Princess Yani from one of them.
However, this person's testimony alone is insufficient to prove Princess Yanni's guilt.
Princess Yanni can provide further "evidence" to prove that this person framed her.
I'm just trying to get some information out of her to vent my anger.
Princess Yanni, as expected, denied it and laughed, "I advise you not to be deceived. At this critical juncture, you have too many enemies, while I am your ally. If you kill me, you will lose an arm."
“You’re right, I really shouldn’t have fallen for it,” I said. “I’ll leave the cleanup to you. We’re allies, I should trust you.”
Princess Yanni's expression changed slightly, but only for a moment before she smiled again, "No problem, leave it to me."
Cleaning up the mess is a thankless and arduous task. Many nobles are now quite resentful of me, and quelling their anger will not be easy. But Princess Yanni must do this well in order to dispel my doubts.
When I returned to the palace, it was past noon. I was exhausted, so I leaned back in my rocking chair and slowly ate some dry bread.
"Mother, when did you find out that Paria betrayed you?" Anrea had come to my side at some point and sat on a soft chair opposite me.
The chair was too high for her; she had to prop herself up on her hands to sit down and even swung her legs a little.
"I had a dream." I smiled and took another bite of dry bread.
Everyone says you're a woman with superpowers. Is having superpowers your dream?
"Sometimes it's my dream."
"Was this dream given to you by the daughter of the Houns family?"
I paused for a moment. “Do you remember?” Anrea said, “Your Elf Queen is the daughter of the Houins family.”
“I remember,” I said.
"Here, take this. Aunt Imera asked me to give this to you." Anrea took a small embroidered portrait out of her pocket and handed it to me.
I took it with surprise. The small embroidery looked like it was embroidered on a silk handkerchief; it was very beautiful and lifelike, as if it could walk off the handkerchief.
"Aunt Imera told me that you've always wanted the portrait of the Elf Queen of the Houns family, but you haven't been able to get it. She managed to get this embroidered portrait from the head lady of the family and asked me to bring it to you."
How did she get it?
"I need money."
"Where did she get the money?" This portrait should be quite valuable. Imera used to be a female slave, and after taking care of Anrea, she was just a nanny. Where did she get the money?
An Leya laughed like a little adult, with an ambiguous tone in her laughter. "She was my father's concubine, and she was once quite favored. My father bestowed upon her some jewelry and ornaments, which were money."
"A concubine?" I was stunned.
"Yes, many years ago when Aunt Imera carried me back to the Secret Realm, Father was very disappointed because he couldn't bring you back. He asked Aunt Imera about you many times, and over time, they somehow ended up together. Aunt Imera also became pregnant, and Father took her as a concubine, but the child was later miscarried."
For some reason, I felt a little weak. "Your father has never mentioned Imera to me."
"Why would he tell you about her?" Anleya asked in surprise. "Women are all petty, including you, Mother. If you found out that your former slave girl slept with the same man as you, you would be furious."
Aren't you afraid I'll get angry now?
“I owe Aunt Imera a favor, and to repay her, I promised to embroider the portrait of the Elf Queen for you.”
My fingers touched the delicate and exquisite embroidery, the cool, soft smoothness seeping into my skin, and I smiled faintly. Exchanging gifts felt more like a display—a display of a former slave girl becoming the king's darling.
"Do you know why she bragged to you?" Anleya was incredibly intelligent, asking me like a little adult.
"Why?!"
"Because she's pregnant again."
"What does her pregnancy have to do with me?"
"She hoped to give birth to a son and become a princess through her son. But she knew that as long as you were here, she could never become a princess, even if she gave birth to a son. Your father would consider your reputation and feelings and would not make a former maidservant of yours a princess. Only if you left would it be possible for her. She told me that you had always wanted to get the portrait of the Houinse family's daughter, but you always wanted to leave. Perhaps this portrait could help you."
Imera is very clever; she can deduce certain facts from subtle details.
Of course, if she weren't clever, how could she have won over the Elf King? In the strictly hierarchical Elf Realm, even a female slave wouldn't easily become a concubine.
Her boasting to me was more of a show, something for others to see—she wanted An Leya to safely deliver the embroidered portrait to me so that I could leave sooner. An Leya pointed this out directly.
“You are very clever, even more clever than Imera.” I came up behind Anrea and combed her slightly messy hair. “The fact that you could guess all this shows that you are much smarter than Imera. She is an adult, and you are still a child. Starting tomorrow, you will stay by my side and be my personal maid. Of course, not doing the things of a maid, but staying by my side and observing everything.”
The children here are precocious, and intelligent children like An Leya, who are precocious, need even more challenges.
That night I went to sleep with the embroidered portrait in my arms. Actually, I didn't fall asleep; I was in a drowsy state.
Suddenly, the Elf Queen, dressed in a long white gown, strode towards me, grabbed my arm, and I followed her in a daze.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"I missed you, so I came to see you."
"Didn't you say you wouldn't come to see me?"
I miss you again.
She suddenly turned around, and we looked into each other's eyes. Her eyes, as always, were beautiful and clear, so clear that they seemed bottomless, like a deep pool or an unfathomable sea.
I was so captivated that I stood rooted to the spot.
“You are in danger right now, so I came to find you,” she said. “Come, come with me, don’t stop.”
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Author's note: Please continue to support me, muah~~
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