Chapter 34 Grand Ambitions You can hardly imagine that kissing you and this...
The tray with soup was brought directly to me.
"What is this?" I stared at the dark object.
“A tonic,” Bernard answered me directly.
What should I supplement?
Menstrual cramps.
I was stunned. He leaned close to me and whispered in my ear, "What if I suddenly turn back to normal? I'll have menstrual cramps again next month."
His breath was hot, and the sensation of his breath tickled me, making me feel a little uncomfortable.
I moved further away from him while sitting in my armchair, but then he moved closer. I moved further away again, and then he moved closer again.
I was squeezed to the edge and couldn't move any further. He moved close to me, this time whispering near my neck, "Mrs. Jane is still here. Act like the mistress of the chief."
Oh, I just remembered I'm the chief mistress.
I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck and said in a coquettish tone, "Lord, I want you to feed me yourself."
Her voice was coquettish and suggestive, making me feel disgusted, but he seemed to enjoy it. He suddenly laid me down in the armchair and covered me with his whole body... Mrs. Jane, who was by the door, immediately put down the tray and respectfully left, closing the door behind her.
As his lips were about to touch mine, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.
Just as our lips were about to touch, he suddenly released me, revealing a faint smile, "She's gone."
I sat up, my long hair disheveled and me in a sorry state, but my heart was still pounding.
It was jumping around wildly.
He sat back down at his desk, no longer glancing at me, and opened the official documents in front of him.
"Do you really want me to feed you?" he suddenly asked, but his gaze remained fixed on the documents.
"Oh no." I quickly picked up the soup bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and fled the study as if escaping.
***
I feel like our relationship is different now.
After he and I had a casual fling.
I have a feeling that I'm about to lose control.
I paced back and forth in my bedroom, repeatedly asking myself if I really wanted to start a relationship that had no future. Of course, the decision wasn't entirely in my hands.
Sigh, let's think more about the main problems we're facing now.
The main issue is how to get home.
My thoughts immediately shifted to another topic.
I was able to go home last time because I solved the Black Castle problem and found an opportunity while crossing the sea.
So now I should also look for an opportunity—I must resolve the current crisis in this castle.
It might be the snow disaster mentioned in the Elf Queen's dream.
The snowstorm is the territory's main problem. Solving the snowstorm will solve the famine, and solving the famine will revitalize the territory, meaning others will not dare to easily invade. Under favorable weather conditions, completely solving the zombie problem is only a matter of time.
I started looking up various materials.
Fortunately, I had moved a stack of documents to the dressing room in the bedroom beforehand, otherwise it would be inconvenient to go to the Imperial Study now.
I skimmed through it, even taking notes on several sheets of paper. Of course, I used my native language.
In the dead of night, the bedroom door opened, letting in a chilly gust of wind.
I looked up and saw Bernard taking off his black fox fur cloak and handing it to the maid at the door. "You've been watching for most of the night?"
I mumbled a vague "hmm".
The bedroom door closed again, and the cold air on my neck finally disappeared.
Bernard paused, glanced back at me, and asked, "Was it useful?"
His tone was ambiguous, carrying a hint of sarcasm.
I suddenly looked up. "Do you know what I'm looking at?"
He smiled wryly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I don't care what you're looking at."
It's hard to imagine that the man you kissed and the man who speaks coldly to you are the same person.
I felt a surge of anger welling up inside me, and then turned my gaze back to the documents in front of me.
...
This time I was very focused, and nothing around me affected me.
Two hours later, when I got up, yawning and stretching, I found that he was already asleep in bed.
The heavy, deep red bed curtains were all drawn, and soft, long breaths could be heard.
I tiptoed, intending to leave quietly, but just as I reached the door, I heard his slightly magnetic voice, "Wait a minute."
I turned around and saw that the bed curtains had been drawn back; he had already gotten out of bed and was wearing a light-colored robe that was placed beside the bed.
"Now that you're the chief mistress, how can you not have breakfast with us?"
His beautiful long hair was slightly disheveled, and his gorgeous features also showed signs of weariness.
It's morning now, and a faint light is seeping through the gaps in the curtains.
"Aren't you going to wash up and dress up?" I asked mockingly.
"No, thank you." He walked straight over and took my hand.
How come someone who cares so much about their appearance didn't dress up today?
“I’ve already washed up, I’ll take care of the rest later,” he explained, unusually. “I was worried you might be hungry.”
I was taken aback. When did this guy become so kind?
He held my hand tightly, so tightly that I even felt pain. I tried to break free, but I couldn't; his large hand was like a vise.
“You’re the chief mistress now.” He looked at me with a half-smile.
Yes, I can't let my public image crumble. I'm giving up trying to break free.
When he left the room, he saw a group of maids on duty, and they had to hold his arm as they walked.
When we arrived at the restaurant with its floor-to-ceiling windows, it was just getting light, and all the candlesticks in the room were lit.
Wearing a pink dress and a velvet coat, Eve smiled at us and said, "My lord, I noticed you enjoyed my breakfast last time, so I made some more today."
My eyes lit up instantly.
On the table were steaming blueberry cake rolls, pumpkin cheese bread, and a plate of egg tarts.
I forgot that I was now the chief mistress and reached out to grab her, but Eve's maid stopped me without batting an eye and said with a smile, "Lady Lanna, please sit here."
I snapped out of my daze and gave an awkward smile.
He had taken his seat in the host's seat, and a faint smile could be seen on his lips.
According to custom, the lord must eat first, and only after he has finished can others begin to eat. Only the lord's principal wife is allowed to dine with him.
Watching Bernard eat so slowly made me anxious.
Why be so elegant? Elegance can't put food on the table.
During this time, Eve tried several times to get Bernard to talk, but Bernard just smiled faintly and remained silent.
Eve is supposed to be a formidable woman, but she's completely useless in front of Bernard. He ignores her entirely; what can she do?
Half an hour after lunch, Bernard's spies intercepted a message carried by a messenger. I was in my bedroom eating my packed breakfast when I glanced at the contents of the note:
“Brother, Bernard has no interest in women, and his mistresses are probably just for show. He is also not interested in men, so he is most likely frigid or impotent.”
I spat out a mouthful of breadcrumbs.
Bernard immediately stepped aside, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.
Even during a small meeting in the Imperial Study, I couldn't stop laughing. Despite my best efforts to control myself, my facial muscles kept twitching.
"My lord, I have obeyed your orders and opened your private treasury to purchase two thousand catties of flour from the neighboring lands. The grain has already been distributed to the common people," a gray-haired general said to Bernard.
"Okay." Bernard's expressionless face remained completely blank.
I was quite surprised and stopped smiling. Benoît actually opened his private treasury to distribute grain; I had thought he would hold onto his wealth because he was so poor.
“My lord, there are signs of an increase in black ants on the cesspool pipes,” the castle steward said as he stepped forward. “Although we have been thoroughly cleaning it every day as you instructed, the number of black ants is still increasing. We are also clearing the green grass at the bottom of the cesspool every day, but new grass grows back every day.”
Bernard remained silent.
“You must give me an answer today,” the castle steward said boldly, clearly indicating the urgency of the situation. “If there is no effective solution, the black ants and green grass will grow wildly and are already showing signs of getting out of control.”
The Imperial Study erupted in chaos. Bourne and the other generals and officers whispered among themselves, their faces showing anxiety.
Bernard stroked my long hair like he would stroke the fur of a Persian cat. I was lying in Bernard's arms, my arms wrapped around his waist—the standard pose of a chief mistress.
I wasn't sure what Bernard was thinking, and just as I was about to ask him, I suddenly felt dizzy and found myself sitting in an ornate high-backed chair.
My subordinates were discussing something in front of me, and my hand was still on the head of the "Persian cat" in my arms.
—Damn, I've turned back into me—I've become Bernard!
I looked at the "Persian cat," and the "Persian cat" looked at me too.
“My lord, we just had a discussion,” Burnley said, stepping forward. “Why don’t we just set the cesspool on fire every day? That way we can get rid of the new grass that grows every day.”
I stroked the Persian cat's fur back and forth. "In that case, I'm afraid you won't be able to stand the smell, and the cost of burning fuel every day is not small."
“Hey, what time is it now? Who cares about whether you can stand the smell or not?” Byrne said.
I looked at a servant beside me and said, "Have Mrs. Jane bring me the red backpack from my room."
Everyone was taken aback, wondering what I was up to. Even "Persian Cat" looked at me curiously.
"Call the plumber and drainage foreman over here," I said.
The group looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was ready. I took out two books on drainage pipes from my backpack. When I opened the detailed pipe diagrams, the pipe foreman and the drainage foreman exclaimed in surprise.
"Absolutely ingenious."
"It's so exquisitely drawn."
The castle steward in charge of internal affairs looked at me in astonishment. "My lord, where did you find such a detailed drawing?" Other generals and supervisors gathered around curiously. Although they couldn't understand the drawing, they still marveled at it. "Such a realistic pipe diagram, such precise lines."
When I moved the book away, the plumber and the drainage foreman couldn't resist standing on tiptoe to take one last look.
"I want to renovate the entire castle's sewage system, dividing the existing cesspool into several medium-sized latrines. The sewage from all the latrines will then be piped into all the underground farmland to prevent concentrated pollution. Grass only grows in the cesspool, indicating that the cesspool is its habitat. If we destroy this habitat, we can cut off the source of pollution. We can't demolish the cesspool; the castle can't be without a place to dispose of waste, so we have to renovate the pipes. Furthermore, directing the sewage into the underground farmland will also solve the problem of insufficient fertilizer."
They were all stunned by my "grand plans," their mouths agape, speechless for a long time.
A note from the author:
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