Chapter 73 Some men are born to prey on women...
I've been locked up.
That day, he didn't catch me, and I escaped into my room.
Unexpectedly, the next morning, a group of guards took him from his warm and comfortable room to a cold and damp dungeon.
I don't regret it.
It's better to be a prisoner than a lover.
The sounds of artillery fire could be heard intermittently; the war was not yet over.
Time flies, and half a month has already passed.
Mamboa had never been to the dungeon, but I wouldn't cry and whine like some little women.
Even if the straw bed in the dungeon is terrible, and the food is awful, I will not compromise. To compromise would make me a mistress.
I know perfectly well that this man only sees me as a plaything. He's incredibly handsome, rich, and powerful, so why is he clinging to me? It must be because I possess something he needs, and he wants to obtain it at a low cost.
Forgive me for not being love-struck; I was convinced he was a playboy, no, a prince charming.
Five or six days later, I vaguely heard that the enemy seemed to have found a way to put out the fire.
The day after I heard about it, countless vultures flew in from afar, scattering yellow dust everywhere. I coughed a few times and quickly moved to another corner.
Even I, in the dungeon, was choked by the dust drifting in through the skylight, which shows how heavy this dust rain was.
Twenty minutes later, I heard the guards cheering and excitedly discussing how the fire in front of the palace had shrunk and the thick smoke was gradually dissipating.
But three days later, the earth-shaking war drums sounded again, and the shouts of battle rose up suddenly, causing chaos and panic in the palace.
I tapped my fingers, wondering if Manberia was about to fall this time.
But to my surprise, the next day, a group of maids came to the prison and took me out. I was stunned. "Where's Mamboya?" I asked. "Has he fallen from power?"
The head maid frowned, ignored me, and directly dragged me out with the other maids.
I was taken back to my original room, and the moment I stepped inside, the door was closed and locked from the outside. I was completely bewildered and had no idea what was happening.
I barely slept all night, tossing and turning.
Before dawn, I put on my robe, got up, drank a glass of warm water, and sat down in front of the fireplace, which was almost extinguished.
Suddenly, I noticed that the incessant gunfire seemed to have stopped. I immediately stood up, opened the French windows, and a cool breeze blew in. I could faintly hear birds chirping, and the sky in the distance was beginning to brighten, emitting a soft white light. Everything seemed calm and peaceful.
What exactly happened?
I walked to the door and tried turning the lock again. To my surprise, it opened easily. I was overjoyed, but after taking only two steps down the corridor, two tall maids suddenly appeared, blocking my way and bowing respectfully. One of them said, "The prince has been busy all night. Please stay in your room until he arrives."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
The two maids looked ahead, ignoring me.
I went back to my room and, bored, went back to sleep.
I slept until noon.
Lunch was already laid out on the table covered with a fancy tablecloth—someone had come in. I jumped out of bed and ran to the door, but this time I couldn't open it; the door had been locked from the outside again.
My heart skipped a beat, and I pounded on the door, yelling, "Open the door! Open the door now!"
I knew there were people at the door, but no one paid any attention to me.
I kept banging until I collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
After a while, I ate half of my lunch, read for a few more hours, and then fell asleep again.
When I woke up, the plates had been taken away. Looking at the dark sky outside the window, I guessed it was midnight again.
Just as they were about to knock on the door again, it suddenly opened, and a line of maids filed in, carrying basins of water, towels, beautiful clothes, and jewelry boxes.
Before I could speak, the head maid said with a smile, "I'm sorry to bother you, but it will be dawn in a few hours and the prince's wedding will begin. You don't have much time to try on your dress and jewelry, so you can't rest now."
I didn't quite understand. "Your prince is getting married? Isn't there a war going on right now?"
The head maid laughed and said, "With something as good as marriage, why bother with war?"
I was utterly shocked. There was clearly a war, a huge fire, and war drums, so how did it turn into a wedding? I wanted to ask again, but the maids surrounding me prevented me from speaking.
Trying on clothes, shoes, altering sizes, trying on jewelry, applying makeup, and combing hair—it was all so busy that I couldn't interrupt or ask any questions. As dawn broke, several maids appeared at the door to lead us to the hall, and I was still completely bewildered as I was being dressed.
As I walked on the smooth, shiny black and white patterned floor tiles and past the exquisitely carved columns, I sighed softly.
To this day, I still don't understand what happened, what caused the conflict, or why Manberia suddenly got married. Nobody told me, and I can't figure it out myself.
After turning several corners, I and the maids arrived at the main hall. Two extremely tall guards opened the beautifully carved and gilded doors on both sides for me, and I was stunned by the splendor and magnificence of the room.
Bright crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling every ten steps or so, exquisite food is laid out on beautiful white tablecloths, elegant and comfortable high-backed chairs are provided, and soft vermilion carpets with gold trim adorn the entire hall, making it luxurious and dazzling.
Everywhere you look, people are dressed in luxurious robes and elegant gowns, and jewels glitter everywhere.
I walked into the hall alone, while the maids who had accompanied me were kept outside.
Just as I was hesitating whether to sit down at the table with food, an elegant waitress walked gracefully towards me and very politely invited me to sit on the side seat on the highest step.
I stammered somewhat pathetically, "No, no need, I can sit here."
That seat was incredibly luxurious, inlaid with shimmering pearls and gems; sitting in it would make you feel like a person of high status.
The maid smiled and said, "Don't worry, that seat is reserved for you."
"No, thank you." I refused again.
The maid still smiled, "The prince's wedding ceremony will be held in the main hall. This is just the banquet hall, so you don't need to worry about feeling uncomfortable sitting there."
I still refused, saying, "Really, I don't need it."
The maid was about to persuade me when a long horn sounded from outside the hall. Everyone immediately stood at attention, separating to the sides and leaving a passageway in the middle.
The exquisitely carved and gilded gate opened again, and a rich scent of perfume wafted out. I opened my eyes wide in surprise and saw Manberia walk in, wearing a luxurious snow-white robe and a five-layered blood-red gemstone necklace. His complexion was made even better by the jewels, and he showed no signs of the fatigue caused by the war in the recent period.
My God, he really got married!
His strong arm was linked with that of a very special bride.
She was special because she was extremely fat; she was the fattest person I had ever seen here.
He looks only 150cm tall, but his weight should be over 200kg.
At first glance, it looks like a round little meatball.
But his facial features are passable; he has a chubby face, big round eyes, and an innocent expression, just like a child.
She was also dressed in a luxurious outfit adorned with jewels, but standing next to the 190cm tall groom, she looked rather odd. She could only walk on tiptoe, linking arms with the groom, and even in high heels, she could only walk with a tiptoe.
Someone made a strange laugh, but it was so low that it was almost inaudible.
I was about to laugh, but seeing the bride's slightly disheveled expression, I bit my lower lip.
The bride and groom walked along unsteadily. The bride strained with all her might to keep up with the groom's already slow pace, which looked somewhat comical, and her low laughter grew louder.
When they were just a few steps away from the main seat on the highest step, the groom suddenly picked up his chubby bride and sat down with her on the main seat.
Many people let out soft gasps, as if they had finally breathed a sigh of relief, and so did I.
After the banquet began, with toasts and music playing, people quickly forgot the awkwardness of the moment.
I was no longer forced to sit to the right of the main seat, and the maid who had tried to persuade me earlier had left sometime earlier.
I pretended to pick up a glass of chilled orange juice, then squeezed into the area with the most women and found a corner to sit down.
Listening to their chatter, I learned that the bride was the eldest granddaughter of the largest wealthy family in the North. Due to her appearance and low intelligence (the mental capacity of a child), she had never been married.
But she is the granddaughter of the largest conglomerate, so even with all her problems, she can still get married. However, she also suffers from androphobia, which causes her to go crazy whenever she sees a man. She either kills or is so frightened that she hides under the table or under the bed. Apart from her father and a few close male relatives, she is completely unable to get along with men.
“But she treated Prince Mamboa differently,” a noblewoman wearing an emerald headdress said mysteriously. “It is said that she was captivated by him at their first meeting. When Prince Mamboa greeted her, she, who was playing hide-and-seek with her maid, suddenly crawled out from under the table and looked at him with a grin.”
“Handsome men are just different,” another noblewoman wearing a silver and pearl necklace chuckled. “Even a foolish woman would like them.”
“Indeed,” a noblewoman chimed in, her voice tinged with envy. “Prince Manberia is the most handsome man in our North. When he’s dressed up, he can’t even compare to Prince Bernot of the East.”
"How could this stupid woman have gotten away with this?" a sarcastic noblewoman said indignantly.
“My goodness, she has a very generous dowry,” the lady with the emerald headdress said again. “I heard that when Mamboa’s father learned that he had signed a marriage contract with the eldest granddaughter of the Parus family, his face changed.”
“We’ve been unable to conquer it for a long time and our finances are tight,” the noblewoman with the silver and pearl necklace sighed. “As soon as the former prime minister’s allies heard that Prince Manboa was about to receive two gold mines, three silver mines, and the dowry of five royal cities, they immediately withdrew from the alliance.”
"With such abundant wealth, they can hire powerful mercenaries. Manberia's father will only be defeated. His allies are about to lose everything, so why would they accept such a loss?" The noblewoman with the emerald headdress sighed.
The group started talking about the Palus family again. If it weren't for the fact that the grandchildren only had this one daughter, the family elders wouldn't have been willing to give such a large dowry.
Some men are just born to live off women.
This was true for Mamboa, and it was also true for Bernard.
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Author's Note: After three years, I'm finally updating again. Having experienced the ups and downs of inspiration, I'm grateful for everyone's continued support.
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