Chapter 58 Bernard's Current Situation "Only a princess like her deserves..."
The sun was blazing, and the heat was unbearable.
I've been here for three days now, and it's confirmed that we were chosen to be the maids of the royal women—more precisely, the maids of Princess Yanni. I learned this from the gossip of the veiled girl before she went to sleep.
Unfortunately, after I overheard this, the astute girls in the veils seemed to realize something, and they stopped talking whenever I was around.
My days began to get boring. Every day, besides listening to endless rules, I would eat, drink, and sleep. Occasionally, I would have a chance to go out for a short break after lunch. The weather here is hot, and people have the habit of taking a nap or resting. However, the tutor who taught me and the other three girls needed to sleep for at least an hour before he could continue teaching us.
I started using this time to gather insider information.
Since I had no money to bribe the maids and servants, I decided to hide in places where women gathered, such as the kitchen and laundry room, to eavesdrop.
One woman is like five hundred ducks, a group of women is like thousands of ducks, and there will always be a few ducks who can't help but gossip.
It was an extremely hot day, and most of the cooks had gone for their afternoon nap. The huge kitchen only had one fat cook and one thin cook. I stood on a large oil drum and eavesdropped behind the window.
"Anything fun happening lately?" the chubby cook asked the shrewd, thin cook.
"The natural disasters in the Eastern Empire have finally stopped. They've been going on for years," the skinny cook said, clicking her tongue.
"How did it stop?" the plump cook exclaimed. "Now the Southern Border, the Western Border, and the Northern Border are all in turmoil."
“That’s right,” the skinny cook said. “Didn’t you see that Princess Yani’s status has suddenly changed? It’s because the Queen was panicked about the chaos in the East and hurriedly pushed Princess Yani to marry into the West. Princess Yani has been neglected for many years, and now she has finally seen the light of day.”
The plump cook shook her head. "Princess Yani was thrown into the Land of Death before. After returning, she was forced to marry the son of a general who had no real power. Her husband died, and she remained a widow for many years. Now she is being forced into another marriage. It's truly tragic."
The skinny cook chuckled, "Marrying a prince is the dream of so many girls, but she, a widow, got to experience it. How many women would envy that?"
The plump cook was displeased. "I heard that the little prince of the West is a violent man, and several of his wives have died."
The thin cook said, "You don't understand. Even if the Western Prince is tyrannical, he's still a prince. If she marries him, she'll be a queen. If she's clever, she might still have a chance to live. But staying in the Southern Territory will only make her worse off than dead. She's been to the Land of Death, is widowed and childless, and the Queen is only her stepmother. When the Queen's son ascends the throne, she might..."
The thin cook suddenly lowered her voice, almost whispering in the fat cook's ear.
I didn't hear it, but the fat cook looked horrified.
I stood on tiptoe to try and hear them talking, but the chatter of five or six cooks carrying food baskets came from the corridor not far from the kitchen, so I had to leave in a hurry.
On the run, I tried hard to remember who "Yani" was and why the name sounded so familiar but I just couldn't recall it.
The next day at noon, I sneaked into the laundry room again.
There weren't many laundry workers at midday, but there were a few more than in the kitchen. The kitchen was just too hot, so those who could avoid working and take a nap did so.
The laundry workers murmured amongst themselves as they did their laundry.
"I heard that Prince Bernot of the East is getting married again, this time to the young princess of the West who has just come of age."
"I heard that this little princess is very beautiful and stole the show at the Westerlands social ball."
"Only a princess like her is worthy of the number one handsome man on the mainland."
"I heard this handsome man's ex-wife is his godfather's daughter. Why did they divorce?"
"The apparent reason was that the couple's relationship had broken down, and he discovered that his wife had another lover."
"It sounds like there's a deeper reason?"
“I heard it’s because he and his godfather have different political views,” the laundry worker said in a low voice. “There are also rumors that he switched his godfather’s son with his daughter, and the two fell out. How could his godfather still want his daughter to continue living with him?”
Hearing this, I felt extremely uncomfortable.
I can't quite explain how I feel about that person.
At the same time, I was also puzzled. Wasn't his first marriage to Eve, the sister of Rosie's mistress? How did she become a stuttering girl?
On the third day, I intended to sneak into the women's bathhouse to eavesdrop, but unexpectedly ran into the little maid who had been eyeing me with curious eyes in the garden that day.
"Hey, it's you? Stop right there!" She was young, but she had quite the presence.
I had no choice but to stop and turn my back to her.
“I recognize you,” she said, walking up to me. “Did you impersonate a noble lady and sneak into the selection process that day?”
I remained silent.
“I later saw the real Moira passed out drunk in the hallway.” She suddenly lowered her voice and said, “Are you going to tell the supervisor the truth now, or should I drag you there?”
I said, "I didn't mean to. I was scared at the time, so I just grabbed a dress that someone else had taken off and put it on."
She kept staring at me for a while before saying, "Do you know that the real Moira is dead? She was drunk and naked, and was dragged into a dark room by several customers and tortured to death."
I flinched in fright.
She pressed on, "Tell me, who exactly are you? Are you a spy who infiltrated our ranks?"
“No, I’m not,” I said.
"Then who are you?"
"I...I don't know how I got here."
"I'm asking you who you are."
"My name is Lana, and I come from... a very, very far place."
Just then, several maids walking together passed by us. Her voice lowered again, "I heard that you were chosen as Princess Yani's bridesmaid?"
"yes."
“Listen, I don’t care who you are, if you take me with you, I won’t reveal your secret.”
I was stunned.
She said, "Moira is her family's illegitimate daughter, raised in the countryside since childhood, and hasn't met many people. If I don't tell you, you won't be easily exposed."
"Okay." I gritted my teeth.
I didn't care whether I could actually do it or not, I just agreed first.
I have little interest in being a maidservant in a wedding party; I might even run away halfway through. But I can't let anyone discover my true identity right now.
I didn't sleep well that night, and I got up before dawn.
Standing on the porch in front of the garden, gazing at the pitch-black night, I worried about my fate.
"Have you figured out how to get me in? You're leaving at dawn." A familiar female voice sounded behind me.
I turned around, and there she was again—the girl who had threatened me during the day. "Were you following me?"
“I’ve been watching you,” she said coldly. “What if you try to run away halfway through?”
"Escape? Impossible. This place is heavily guarded."
“Who knows?” Her tone was even colder. “You were able to sneak in, and maybe you can sneak out too.”
"Where exactly is this place?" I suddenly asked. "You have to tell me something before I can help you. I was knocked unconscious, and when I woke up I was here, and I've been in a daze ever since."
Her eyes clearly showed disbelief, but she still led me to a strange place—underground.
There was a secret, magnificent hall underground, along with several beautiful rooms. The entire hall was bathed in pink light, and the carpet underfoot was softer than a sponge.
The girl and I each put on a white mask.
Everyone here wears a mask, some black, some white. The people in black masks are adorned with jewels, their skirts embroidered with exquisite patterns trailing on the ground; the people in white masks are simple maids like us.
"It's not dawn yet, so there aren't many people. Hurry up and finish reading, then we'll leave," she said.
"good."
I followed her into a room and squatted down by the fireplace in the corner to tend the fire.
The room is quite luxurious, with wallpaper in the color of flames, a deep red and exquisite carpet, and luxurious and beautiful beaded candlesticks.
Two elegantly dressed ladies and young, handsome men were playing cards and musical instruments, with shouts of "We won again!" and the sound of a harp being played. Several strong, muscular men were performing wrestling or dancing, which amused the three elegantly dressed women on the beautiful floor mats.
"Lady Vicky, I heard your husband has gone to the Eastern Territory again," a noblewoman holding a long white feather fan said to another noblewoman who was drinking tea after laughing. "Is it still about that wretched matter?"
“Indeed,” the noblewoman put down her teacup, “it’s that same old story again. When will the rumors in the Eastern Territory ever stop?”
“If we don’t stop, we’ll run out of silk to wear again,” a noblewoman covering her mouth while yawning added.
“What is the brain of the Eastern Border Benoit made of? How could they come up with such a despicable method?” the noblewoman with the white feather fan complained. “They bribed wandering painters, refugees, and theater troupes to spread their scandalous affairs far and wide, causing the Silk Road to go on strike.”
A round-faced noblewoman playing cards laughed and said, "Perfect, my cotton cloth will sell perfectly." She then pointed at a muscular man dancing and said with a smile, "You, sing that 'illegitimate child' song."
Several ladies spat at her, and everyone burst into laughter.
That muscular guy actually started singing and dancing:
"There was an illegitimate son named Rosie, who was vicious and cruel by nature."
For the sake of the supreme crown, they secretly plotted to raise an army and rebel.
Unexpectedly, the conspiracy was leaked, and the clever prince knew everything.
To prevent the conspiracy from reaching the main city, Rosie secretly orchestrated the entire operation.
They brutally destroyed three villages and then burned down the town in their quest to seize it.
The kind-hearted king and queen were blinded by Rosie.
Rosie plotted against the prince once again, and the poor prince was badly injured.
Rosie threw dirty water back, all because of the prince.
The prince remained noble and silent, while the scoundrel Rosie shouted and jumped.
..."
Before the song was finished, the women burst into laughter again.
Standing in the corner pretending to fiddle with the fireplace, my cheeks were burning—this ballad was written by me, ostensibly cursing Rohi, but actually criticizing the king for letting his son commit atrocities.
Back then, when I became Bernard, to protect myself, I used a method similar to cyberbullying, spreading rumors and adapting Rosie's previous methods of committing crimes—the framing method (wiping out villages), the zombie method (zombie rampage), and the mistress method (stealing plant seeds)—into comics, limericks, and plays, spreading them everywhere so that the whole world would know about their shameful deeds. This way, the king, who was suspected of murdering his son, would not dare to easily touch me again.
Then the noblewoman with the white feather fan said, "This method really works. I haven't heard of the King of the East making things difficult for his eldest son since, at least not openly. I heard that the King of the East originally supported Rosie to destroy Bernot's army and take back the territory. He even prepared the army, but he didn't dare to take action because of the rumors."
The noblewoman who had been drinking tea earlier laughed loudly, "Afterwards, not only did Bernot completely control the territory, but he also dared to openly fight against Roshi, reclaiming the villages and towns he had previously lost, and incidentally occupying one-third of Roshi's territory, expanding his own territory. The King of the East didn't even dare to fart, for fear of being accused of favoring his illegitimate son again."
The noblewoman at the card table sighed, "I never imagined that public opinion would have such a powerful influence, causing such an unprecedented upheaval. Even some nobles are supporting Bernard's open confrontation with Rosie."
“These are all old-school nobles,” the noblewoman who had been drinking tea earlier couldn’t help but say. “How can an illegitimate child overshadow the direct bloodline? Otherwise, it would be a subversion of orthodoxy. It was one thing for the King of the Eastern Territory to secretly favor his illegitimate child, but once it’s out in the open, it’s inappropriate for him to help the illegitimate child anymore. No matter how thick-skinned the King of the Eastern Territory is, he doesn’t want to be condemned like a sieve. Speaking of which, the old nobles of the Eastern Territory still have considerable power.”
When the topic turned to sensitive issues, the ladies quickly and cleverly changed the subject.
"That wrestler is pretty good, his butt is nice and round."
"Yes, it must feel great to the touch."
The noblewoman who had been drinking tea earlier looked embarrassed, while the noblewoman with the white feather fan gave her a mocking look.
The elegant lady at the card table stepped down, suddenly hugged the muscular man who was wrestling, and gave his shapely buttocks a hard pinch. "Today I'm the big bad wolf, and you're the little white rabbit."
The muscular man cried out in pain, and the women burst into laughter.
A maid came in carrying a tray full of masks. The noblewoman first picked up the white rabbit mask and put it on the muscular man's face, then took the big bad wolf mask and put it on her own face. Suddenly, the white rabbit picked up the big bad wolf and carried him to the opposite room. The big bad wolf let out an ambiguous gasp...
Imagine the fierce battle that is about to unfold. The other ladies scream and rush towards the other handsome men, clinging to them and climbing on them like ferocious wild beasts…
"Next, they will be quickly taken to a room where they can enjoy themselves to the fullest." Leaving the underground hall, in the dimly lit corridor, the girl who brought me in said to me, "Here, an old woman in her seventies or eighties can enjoy a young and strong man according to her preference."
"Who was that elegantly dressed old woman from before?" I asked. "She had quite the entourage."
“Of course,” she said. “She is our Queen’s biological mother.” She added, “and also the former King’s chief mistress.”
I couldn't believe it. "She's so old." She's practically a grandmother.
She said calmly, "Yes, she is twenty years older than the king."
"Now you know where this place is, right?" she asked again.
"This is a brothel, a brothel exclusively for women's pleasure."
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