Chapter 281 "Haven't you ever thought about finding another man..."
Winter has come again, with snow falling heavily and the air freezing cold. Inside the banquet hall, the atmosphere is stiflingly hot and brightly lit. Elegant ladies sing on the steps, while a group of nobles enjoy the music below.
“I now demand that you return the army to me,” I said to Aurora, leaning back on the large, soft cushions.
“Didn’t Mother already give it to me?” Aurora chuckled.
“I’m just lending it to you, not giving it to you.” I took a small sip of wine. “When I saw you were desperate, I had to find a way to help you. Now that your crisis is over, it’s time to return the frontline troops to me.”
Aurora stammered, looking reluctant.
“Still leisurely drinking here, King Bernot is about to dump you.” The Duke of Avanna’s smiling voice rang out above me.
Aurora's expression changed drastically, but I remained calm.
The Duke of Avanna, dressed in a magnificent robe, sat down opposite us, leaning back on the cushions like I did, his long, straight, dark blond hair cascading over his shoulders, exuding laziness and arrogance.
"I have received news that King Bernard, in order to show his loyalty, wants to sever ties with you, and the breakup letter is already on its way."
Aurora's face paled slightly. "To whom should I pledge my loyalty?"
“Of course it’s my new love and her family.” Duke Avanna raised his long, golden eyelashes, his eyes sparkling.
I raised my glass to him, "Let's celebrate with a toast!"
"You don't seem sad?" Duke Avana also raised his glass.
I took a sip of wine before saying, "This has happened so many times, I'm used to it. I just hope he doesn't ask to get back together anymore."
"I'm afraid they won't be asking for it anytime soon." Duke Avana toyed with his wine glass. "The new family is quite powerful."
Aurora's face turned even paler.
I patted Aurora's hand. "He has done enough for us. You can't rely on others alone."
Aurora turned her face away.
Duke Avana smiled meaningfully, “It seems Lady Lana is quite confident in handling the expenses of the capital.”
There is never a dead end, only people's hearts are bound. There are paths ahead, behind, to the left, and to the right.
The Duke of Avana chuckled, "Haven't you ever thought about finding another man?"
I chuckled. "Where are you going to find that? You'd be better off thinking about how to make money."
Duke Avanner smiled. "Aren't the Prime Minister of the North and the Elven King waiting for you?"
I laughed too, "You overestimate them. They're too busy taking care of themselves to need a new lover even more than King Bernard."
Mia, radiating light, and Ares, in a light blue robe, approached and gave us a slight bow. Aurora's eyes lit up. "It seems you two get along quite well."
Mia laughed: "Ares is very interested in newspapers and wants to visit the printing plant, so I came to ask Grandma."
“Okay.” I looked at the thin Ares with admiration; I liked ambitious people. “I’ll schedule a time for you.”
Ares nodded quickly, "Thank you, Madam Lana."
After they left, Aurora smiled gracefully and said, "They got along well, so shouldn't we start preparing for the wedding?"
The Duke of Avana smiled but remained silent. Aurora's face darkened slightly again.
The following day, I received a dinner invitation from the Duke of Avana. Under the dim, orange candlelight, the pure white tablecloth was spotless. There was a large plate of fruit and vegetable salad, while the grilled fish, grilled meat, and seafood soup were served in small portions. It seemed he knew exactly what I liked to eat.
This is the most upscale tavern in the royal city, catering only to high-ranking officials and nobles.
"Lady Lanna must be short of money right now, I happen to have a way to guide you." Duke Avana leaned back in his soft chair, his eyes arrogant and unrestrained.
"Oh, please tell me about it." I was very interested.
"Once the internal strife breaks out, the capital of the Western Territory will be sealed off. But through me, you can get some inside information. If you publish it in the newspaper, nobles from all over the world will rush to read it. Your advertising fees will double, and you will make money."
"So, what are your conditions?" I'm not stupid; providing this kind of information can't be for free.
“I demand that you publish the breakup letter that King Bernard wrote to you in your newspaper.”
I paused, then asked, "Why?"
"So he won't bother you anymore." The Duke of Avanna leaned back lazily in his chair. "Once it's in the newspaper, everyone will see it, and he won't bother you so easily."
I remained frozen in my seat.
“I can consider your deal,” I said slowly, “but don’t think too much about anything else.”
"What do you think I'm thinking?" he countered.
"Don't overthink things about people who have nothing to do with you."
“I’m determined to do it.” He raised his long, golden eyebrows, his expression wild and untamed. “Are you still going to make this deal?”
I answered slowly, "I need to think about it."
In the dead of night, amidst a heavy snowfall, Aurora complained to me about being poor.
“Mother, if we don’t find a way, we won’t even make it through this winter. We can’t even afford the cost of heating the palace with its underground heating system.”
I sat on the carpeted armchair and opened the breakup letter I had just received from Bernard. "You've been a queen for so many years, can't you think of a way to deal with this?"
“Where am I supposed to find a way? We came to the capital penniless, without a single penny. It was King Benoit who supported us through the most difficult times, and it was King Benoit’s army that protected the capital. Now he wants to withdraw his investment and his army. How are we supposed to survive? Yes, I made some money through the capital’s trade, but it’s far from enough to cover the capital’s expenses, let alone support the army I recruited later. It’s simply not enough.”
"As the queen of the capital, you must find your own way; this is your mission."
"But Mother, you have to help me!" Aurora cried, "I've already contacted the South and the North, but neither of them is willing to lend us money at low interest rates, and we can't afford the high interest rates either."
Where is King Hyja?
“How could King Hyja lend us the city?” Aurora said angrily. “He would love for our capital to fall so he can reap the benefits and take it over to his western border.”
Looking at the letter in my hand, I sighed, "Where did this new love come from that is so powerful that he actually made King Bernard write such a letter?"
In his letter, Bernard made it clear that he would withdraw all financial support and garrison troops from the capital.
"I am deeply sorry and regretful about this. I hope you can overcome this difficult time and wish you all the best!"
The letter fluttered from my hand onto the carpet, and I said, "Why don't we try borrowing some money from your father?" The Elf King is wealthy and powerful, and we have several children; perhaps he would be willing to lend a helping hand.
Aurora looked troubled. "Jacob killed my father's illegitimate son to seize the fiefdom. He was already pardoned by my father for escaping the burning at the stake. He also granted us a second chance by letting us leave the secret realm to start over. He won't help us again to appease his subjects."
I sighed deeply. The Grand Master of the North was unlikely to lend us money; he was currently embroiled in internal strife and desperately needed funds. Princess Arnie of the South and her stepmother were both driven by profit and would never lend us money at a low interest rate.
“Mother, why don’t we try borrowing money from the Duke of Avana? I’ve heard he has a lot of money,” Aurora said.
I chuckled. "This duke seems cunning and calculating; why would he easily lend us money?"
"I think he's interested in you. He's taken the initiative to talk to you and even asked you out to dinner. Maybe he'll say yes."
My gaze turned cold. "Aurora, can't you figure something out on your own? Do you expect me to sell my body?"
“Oh, Mother, this isn’t about selling your body, it’s about saving our capital. If he had asked me out, I would have slept with him long ago. Men are always a little soft-hearted in bed.”
I was trembling with anger. "What do you mean by that?"
Aurora stood up and said calmly, "It means saving the royal city. The royal city may be insignificant to you, but it is everything to me and my two children."
"You're all I have, so go and figure something out. Why are you dragging me down with you?"
"What bedding? Mother, you eat and live in the royal city now, so you are also a part of the royal city. Shouldn't you do your part?"
"Didn't I do anything? If it weren't for me, Bernard wouldn't have helped you at all. Why should he help you? Who do you think you are?"
Aurora was trembling with anger. "You've never supported us for a single day. This is what you should do, not something I owe you."
I stood up abruptly. "Yes, I've never supported you, but that doesn't mean you can force me to sleep with men."
We left the living room at the same time and headed in opposite directions to our own rooms.
The following evening, I received another secret letter from Bernard. This letter was delivered by his most loyal bodyguard. It contained only one line: "Everything was out of necessity. Forgive me, wait for me." Enclosed with the letter was a silver note worth 100,000 gold coins.
I smiled at myself in the mirror at first, then I cried.
"You old fool, you've got so many tricks up your sleeve, over and over again. Don't you get tired of it?"
I took the money, but tore the letter to pieces.
In the middle of the night, I was awakened by a maid's whisper, "Madam, you must go and see, there's a commotion at the Queen's place."
"What's going on?" I forced my eyes open.
"The Queen sent Miss Mia to the Duke of Avana's room. Miss Mia went in naked and was forced out by the Duke of Avana with a sword to her neck."
"And then?" I was mostly awake now and sat up.
"The Duke of Avanna was furious and demanded an explanation from the Queen. He considered it an insult that his son's date had slept with him. The Queen apologized repeatedly, but he was relentless and insisted that the Queen compensate him for the damage to his reputation."
How will you compensate me?
"One hundred thousand gold."
When I arrived, Mia had already fled in disarray, while Aurora and the Duke of Avana were negotiating. Aurora was dressed in a deep red queen's robe, while the Duke of Avana wore soft pajamas. Aurora should have been taller, but in reality, she was half a head shorter.
Money is our Achilles' heel.
"Lady Lanna's arrival is just in time." Duke Avana smiled slyly. "Can you believe how a mother acts like this? Pushing her own daughter into the bed of her fiancé's father. She may be shameless, but I am. Although I have lived in the northern part of the West for many years, I am still a person of dignity and cannot be schemed against like this."
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Author's Note: "Lanna's Fantasy Tale in Another World" and "Those Things About Me and the Beautiful, Strong, and Sue" are quite interesting, [starry-eyed], but not particularly eye-catching. Any new ideas? Mwah~~
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