Chapter 150 The Butterfly's Wings Flutter "You're willing to... before I leave this world..."
The first rays of dawn shone through the thin gauze curtains onto the bed.
Eleanor fluttered her eyelashes, and with a flick of her finger, she brushed past Andra's shoulder.
They woke up at the same time and remained silent as they nestled together.
Logically, the servants should have come to wake Guiqing long ago so that she could begin a whole day of writing at her desk.
However, no one disturbed us today; even the guards at the gate were far away, and we could not hear the slightest human voice or breathing.
Andra narrowed her eyes and leaned closer. Eleanor raised her hand to cover her lips, nodding helplessly, "Alright, time to get back to work."
Wang smiled gently and stubbornly planted a kiss on her neck: "It's not a big deal to take a day off once in a while, is it?"
Before yesterday, she was actually a little panicked: Could it be that my beloved minister really has no interest in me? We've been together for over a year and he's still so cold.
She didn't want to be fooled by the gods with the idea that "the most interesting person is the most boring to you."
Fortunately, the tenderness during their union gave Andra a much-needed boost: Hmph~ Your indifference isn't real indifference; your enthusiasm when you ask for something is truly endearing.
She deliberately ignored the unusual pleasure she was experiencing; it was just physical harmony, nothing to worry about.
"No, there are still many things to do."
Eleanor threw on her clothes and hurriedly went out to call her assistant.
Andra grabbed her sash and twirled it between her fingers, saying irritably, "Why don't you train a few useless... talents to help you? Are they really that stupid?"
"......"
Eleanor rolled her eyes at her with her back turned, then turned around, unable to contain herself any longer, and shouted, "Your Highness... you haven't been paying attention to the official transfers at all, have you?!"
"Well."
Andra choked up. She would never have been so lazy before, but since Eleanor came into her life, she hadn't paid attention to the affairs of the officials for a long time.
Guiqing was like an external brain to her, so Wang simply gave up thinking.
Andra hesitated for a few seconds, then sincerely apologized: "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help trusting you."
The king's voice trailed off as if he were being coquettish, which made Eleanor's lips curl into a smile.
She finally chuckled and explained, "This is already the limit. I've arranged for all the capable and virtuous people to be in place, but there's just too much to do."
In this era, no one promotes basic education, and many commoners who could have learned independently have died or become slaves, leaving them only to rely on the nobles.
Since the invincible Andra was a Hetuya, the large bureaucratic class was naturally dominated by Hetuya nobles.
The good news is that Eleanor is quite familiar with the officials of Hetuya, and can arrange things blindly, regardless of who is good or bad or who is capable.
The bad news is that the Hetuya nobility's initial education level was extremely worrying... While they wouldn't go so far as to ask, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?", it would be easier for them to hang themselves than to take detailed notes and submit reports through layers of official channels.
Not to mention grassroots work, most aristocratic officials nowadays only have the concept of "appointing supervisors, having supervisors appoint clerks, and finally wielding small leather whips to force slaves to work" in their minds.
As the two were talking, the servants finally appeared quietly.
They carried basins of water and towels to wipe and comb the Wang and Guiqing's hair, and someone brought them breakfast.
Andra glanced at it and figured out what was going on.
The servants brought two different breakfasts. The large plate on the left was clearly hers, with lots of meat and fried food served in different small dishes, along with a bowl of bean porridge.
On the right-hand plate is the same kind of snack: vegetables, eggs and meat rolled in a large pancake, then chopped into quarter-palm-sized pieces for easy bite-sized consumption.
The king stared intently at Eleanor's hands, watching as the noblewoman stuffed small snacks into her mouth one by one while the servants combed her hair.
After she finished washing up, she had just finished the last bite of her meal.
The little tongue almost licked the fingers, but the cumbersome towel wiped it away first, and the finger fell back into the basin.
Glug.
Andra swallowed hard and quickly drank some porridge.
After the servants helped tidy up the room and left one by one, Andra came up behind the girl and gathered up her long hair that she had just combed.
"marry me."
"...Are you trying to kill me with work? No way." Eleanor paused for only a second, then calmly unrolled the scroll and began her day's work.
There was no need for many words between them; what Andra was asking for was undoubtedly the position of queen.
But why bother?
Even setting aside past lives and the hardships, what did those people in the palace do wrong?
Whether in the first life or this life, Andra never saw them.
Focused and ruthless.
"Yes, there are just too many things to do."
The person behind her gently wrapped their arms around her shoulders, their strong arms completely embracing her body—yet without adding much weight, only allowing the warm touch to seep through her robes.
Wang whispered in her ear, "I don't need that many people, I only need you. Let's find a chance to get rid of them later."
Just like before... Eleanor put down her pen and leaned against Andra's face.
Even someone as arrogant as Andra, who has lived to this day, becomes cautious when faced with things he truly cares about.
"You don't need them, but they can't live without you."
She firmly stated before Andra could retort, "And it's your fault."
Wang was speechless.
Yes, she married many people and killed many people for wealth, "stability" and fun, and these facts cannot be erased by a single sentence.
She was embracing the person she liked, yet she felt that the person was very far away from her.
Wang stopped speaking and quietly stayed by Eleanor's side, like a big cat that had just broken a teacup.
Andra's posture gradually changed from hugging to leaning, and when the servant whispered "The Twelfth Prince has arrived," she was lying on Eleanor's lap with her eyes closed, resting.
After the attendant finished announcing, Princess Twelfth—who is also the Queen's daughter Andrea—entered carrying her work.
Although it had only been a year, the princess cherished the time she spent learning from her mentor, Lord Guiqing...
Andrea stood frozen by the door, watching as the teacher reached out and pinched her mother twice, but couldn't get the pinch off.
The king, who was always very dignified in front of his mother and sisters, smiled gently at this moment and raised his paws to play with Guiqing like a cat.
"Why......"
Eleanor shook her head, sighed, and beckoned to Andrea. "Give me your homework, wait...wait, I'll explain it to you now."
This time she used a lot of force to push Andra off her knee.
Andrea gripped her work, her fingers taut, the paper making a crisp cracking sound.
Her breathing quickened, and she raised her voice before they could speak: "If you truly love Lady Guiqing, then marry her!... Please let my mother and me go to the territory."
The girl's voice grew softer and softer, and her tall frame shrank under the gaze of the two men.
Andra's eyes lit up, and she looked her up and down as if she were seeing her daughter for the first time, then smiled and said, "Oh? You don't want to be king anymore?"
"...Ah, you know, that's never been possible."
Andrea lowered her head, trying not to let her mother see her sarcastic gaze.
How could she possibly become a queen? The age difference between her and her mother is so small; even if she is the legitimate daughter, so what?
From the very beginning, her small body was lifted up and declared to everyone, "This is my heir, and I will not consider establishing another crown prince before she dies." The malice contained in this statement was clear to all her sisters.
She knew from a young age how powerful her arrogant mother was.
The harder you practice martial arts, the more you will discover the insurmountable chasm between strength and talent.
Andrea clenched her fists nervously.
Even if she's acting like she's given up now, there are some things she'd rather die than say.
In fact, in the early days when the noble ministers assisted in managing state affairs, quite a few people—including ministers and concubines—actually harbored thoughts of assassination.
But she suppressed all the commotion on her mother's side.
On the one hand, she was deeply impressed by the teacher's talent, and on the other hand, she noticed the change in Wang.
A mother who could make all her daughters draw their swords against each other at her birthday banquet, and who could make commoners draw their swords against her daughters, has a heart that is so cold and hard that she doesn't even need to try.
Even without Lord Guiqing, I imagine Mother would find time to waste their lives on meaningless entertainment.
Thinking of this, she raised her head, her gaze deep and unfathomable.
As always, there was only a glint of wicked amusement in the mother's eyes.
Just as Wang was about to say something, a pair of hands gently pushed his shoulder.
“Andra, let me speak with her alone.”
Okay~
Unexpectedly, the arrogant king stopped smiling, shrugged, and walked out.
Even though she gave her a wink before leaving, hinting that she would come back to ask, Andrea was still surprised and her heart skipped a beat.
"Okay, relax."
Eleanor's expression softened. She rose from her seat, took the child's hand, and led her to sit on the couch as well.
Andrea tensed her muscles and slowly sat down, her buttocks so stiff that she only sat on one side.
This child… Eleanor pursed her lips helplessly, placing the brewed tea on the edge of the table, even though she knew the child wouldn’t drink it.
To avoid putting more pressure on her, she took Andrea's hand directly and said gently, "Don't worry, I have no designs on the position of queen. I—will only be the queen of my beloved." Or king.
The little princess's eyes widened: "Is it okay to say such things?!"
She could already guess how furious her mother would be when she heard this!
"Which, which king?" she asked instinctively, her teeth chattering.
Eleanor knew the child would tell Andra everything, and smiled as she replied, "Her name is Andra too."
"Huh?" Is this some kind of special way to confess?
"They are different."
Guiqing shook his head: "I met Andra in the past, and we will meet again in the future. And this place is merely a fleeting glimpse of Andra."
She looked at the bewildered girl before her and gently patted the back of her hand. Then she leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"I believe you will become a better king; you have a kind heart."
This wasn't just said to the child.
During the year she spent with her, Eleanor actually thought about a lot of things—a lot of her former children.
They are not stains, but real lives.
Even if their birth was not based on love, but on the exchange of interests and the desire for power, their lives should belong only to them.
In the initial timeline, whether before or after her illness, she did everything she could to hope that these children could live happier lives.
She was deeply terrified—was it because of her own cowardice that these children were born? Would they hate her?
She dared not ask, dared not think, yet the thoughts of the Mother Goddess touched her heart.
Of those dozens of children, most of them see you as their real mother.
"Your... Your Excellency..." Andrea's eyes were filled with tears, a mixture of immense joy at being recognized and immense fear, including the fear of death.
"Don't be afraid."
She embraced her, as if embracing the children she had never had and the children she once had.
Eleanor whispered a vow in her ear: "Now that I have come here, I will do everything I can to give back to this world."
If Andra is willing to become a wise king, I will bring her a better situation; if she is not... I will still do my best to nurture you all.”
Why? Why?
How dare you say such things to me?
Andrea didn't understand, but her passionate heart vaguely sensed something unusual.
She didn't get an answer from her teacher that day, and that same evening she relayed her conversation with her teacher to Andra.
No matter how small the matter, it was all done with the teacher's tacit approval.
She did not die.
Things don't seem to have changed.
For the next three years, Lord Guiqing remained the king's most trusted deputy, the true prime minister.
Under Eleanor's leadership, countless inventions fell like pearls into a jade plate, and were implemented one after another amidst the melodious tinkling of the hammers.
The court became quiet because many servants and nobles were conscripted, and everyone had something to do.
The princesses, in particular, were all dragged out by their teachers and thrown into their fiefdoms to try to apply the knowledge they had been taught.
Only Andrea delayed her departure, remaining in the capital to receive a true education befitting the monarch.
The twelfth princess was highly suspicious: even her mother couldn't have learned these things when she was young.
"...Slavery will end sooner or later."
After finishing the day's lessons, the teacher closed the book and said, "As long as productivity develops to a certain level, this system that deprives people of their initiative will be replaced by a more advanced system. I hope you can become one of those who pioneers this era."
And what about the mother?
"And what about me?" Andra leaned against the door frame, her face ashen.
Andrea couldn't help but look up at her teacher.
Lord Guiqing smiled, his usually somewhat aloof face blossoming into a sweet and radiant smile.
Would you like to travel with me before I leave this world?
She reached out her hand to the king, and the bright red silk shawl fluttered in the wind like a butterfly about to take flight.
"Andra".
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