Petrus (10)
When Mi visited Derek's Palace again, Beatrice and the other girls listened to Beth sing. Beth was the royal opera singer, a gifted coloratura soprano with a melodious and flowing voice. For this reason, Beth also served as the music teacher for the Derek royal family. Princess Denise was her only student. Princess Denise was difficult to please, so Beth suggested to the King that the hostages from the neighboring city attend classes together.
Beth showed special favor to the talented girls, while giving those without talent a cold shoulder: "You're only good because you were born into good families, otherwise you wouldn't have the chance to come to my class." Haina was wealthy and often bribed Beth, so Beth, feeling obliged, would say, "Even if you're not talented, you still have to practice hard. Look how diligent Miss Haina is, and look at you."
Beth was petite, with a round face no bigger than a palm, round eyes, a round nose, and a full bust, making her resemble a newly made clay pot. Yet, her waist was so small it could be pinched in one hand. With her curvaceous figure, Beth was a famous "gourd" in the royal family. It was said that King Derek was particularly fond of her waist, and in recent years, a slender waist had become fashionable throughout Sun City, leading to the inexplicable rise in popularity of corsets. Queen Angelus, seeing the gourds filling the court, suddenly fainted during a council meeting. The physician said that the corsets were obstructing the Queen's breathing and causing significant damage to her ribs. The Queen issued a decree that corsets were forbidden in the court. Logically, corsets should have disappeared, but unexpectedly, they became popular among the common people, especially among theater actors and women who earned their living through their bodies, all wearing corsets that accentuated their figures.
But Beth's coloratura singing was indeed beautiful. Even though Beth was so arrogant and picky, all the girls would come to her classes. Today, Beth was going to give Princess Denise special training, which was related to a special talent show in the Flower Kingdom. The entertainment industry in the Flower Kingdom was thriving, with many fans of drama and opera. Every spring, there were two competitions held by all the residents of Sun City: the Dahlia Voice and the Dahlia Shadow. One was for the most beautiful voice of the year, and the other was for the most beautiful woman of the year.
Princess Denise will be ten years old after the New Year, and she will be competing in the Dahlia Voice Contest this year. Beth has to give Princess Denise special training during the holidays so that she can record better vocalizations. While Beth is busy working on Denise's voice, the others in the class have more free time. Everyone gathers around the wardrobe to look at Beth's beautiful performance outfits, while Beatrice sits alone in the corner of the classroom listening to Princess Denise sing.
Princess Denise, King Derek's youngest daughter, bears no resemblance to Queen Agnes. She inherited the Derek family's distinctive grey eyes and upturned nose resembling an eagle's beak. Prince Ryan also possesses the Derek family's grey eyes, but his straight nose resembles Queen Agnes's more.
Princess Denise showed a talent for singing from a young age, and at the age of four, she was able to perform at a state banquet. King Derek, holding his little daughter, said, "This is Derek's Nightingale." Princess Denise's fame spread quickly, and the nobles all said that Princess Denise's voice was like silver bells, and that when she was a few years older, the crown of the Nightingale would surely be placed on Princess Denise's head.
Princess Denise began learning from Beth at the age of eight. For over a year, Beth had been reporting to the King how beautiful and melodious Princess Denise's voice was, ensuring that the next year's dahlia crown would surely belong to her. With only a few months left until the new dahlia singing competition, Beth became increasingly attentive to Princess Denise, giving her individual tutoring whenever she had free time, even on holidays.
"Petrice, could you go get me the sheet music?" Beth instructed Petrice to go out.
Bertram left through the door and turned past Beth's office, with Lily silently following behind. Bertram entered Beth's empty office and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Lily, could you please ask Teacher Beth which sheet music she needs?"
Lily turned and left. Bertram looked around the room. There was a large mahogany table, a harp by the window, and two music stands next to it. To the left was a huge bookshelf filled with all sorts of sheet music. Bertram wandered around in front of the bookshelf.
Mi slowly appeared in the office, placed the package on the mahogany table, and held the wooden sign that Di had given her: "Hello, Petrus."
The abrupt sound interrupted Petrus's admiring steps. Petrus turned around and looked at the suddenly appearing Mi, a middle-aged woman, slightly thin, with a very ordinary appearance, wearing a black shirt. In Sun City, a woman wearing a shirt could only be an adventurer. Petrus frowned in confusion. When did her mother become so close to adventurers?
“Hello,” Petrus approached and gracefully curtsied. “I am Petrus. Thank you for sending me the letter.”
"Hello, this is something your mother and some friends from Lincheng 17 asked me to bring to you." Mi stepped back slightly, revealing the package on the table, and quietly stood by the door.
Bertram opened the package. Inside were several garments with large stitches. "Mom," Bertram murmured, picking up a garment that was clearly a child's and clutching it to her chest. "Mom, Mom..." Bertram cried for a while, then quickly composed herself, put down the garment, and continued looking through the package. There were letters from Zara, as well as letters from Yana and Qiu. Bertram gripped the letters tightly, her fingertips turning white and her whole hand trembling. She quickly wiped away her tears and turned to Mi by the door. "Hello, may I ask who you are?"
"I am a friend from Lincheng 17."
"My mother is gone, isn't she?" Beatrice's voice was weak, carrying a sense of certainty mixed with a hint of reluctant expectation.
“I didn’t know, Miss Beatrice,” Mi looked at the little girl who was not yet eleven years old with a pang of pity. “When I left Lincheng 17, they were all fine. Zara was fine too. She was very strong and had a very loud voice.”
Beth lowered her head, clutching the corner of her bundle tightly, tears streaming down her face. After a long while, Mi whispered to her, "Your maid is back."
Bertram quickly wiped away her tears, and touched the contents of her bundle with lingering affection, saying, "Could you please keep this for me? When it's convenient for me..." Bertram fell silent, wondering when that day would come.
"What about these letters?" Mi didn't say no, nor did he ask about the time.
"I, I..." Bertram stammered, avoiding Mi's gaze. She didn't know how to explain. She so desperately wanted to keep these letters, but she couldn't. She didn't even dare to open the envelopes. She could only keep muttering, "Please, I beg you." Bertram watched the package disappear and the table return to its spotless state. She reached out to grab it but then curled her fingers and put her hands behind her back.
"When are you free? I can bring it over to you," Mi asked.
"I have no idea."
“Then I’ll keep all of these. I’ll give them to you when you want to look at them.” Mi looked at Beatrice, who silently turned around and walked to the bookshelf to admire the sheet music, as if she had been searching for it all along. It was a cloudy day, and the cold wind howled outside the window. The room was dark, and it was hard to see the expression on her face from a distance. Mi quietly concealed herself and hid.
“Miss Beatrice,” Lily knocked lightly twice and pushed the door open, saying, “Miss Beth said the sheet music next to the piano stand would be fine.”
“Okay,” Petrus said calmly, turning around and walking steadily to the harp. She took the sheet music from the music stand and walked towards the door. Petrus’s face was still a little pale, and her eyes were still a little red, but her breathing was steady and her tone was as usual. Lily stepped back slightly outside the door, and only after Petrus turned around did she gently close the door and follow her out.
Mi looked at the package that Petrus had returned. She had been to the palace several times already; Petrus's room was only so big, and even an extra piece of paper would be immediately noticed by Lily. These hostages received a good education and were meticulously cared for in their daily lives, except for the lack of freedom. These hostages usually attended classes with Prince Ryan and Princess Denise, and they could certainly gain the friendship of the prince and princess, but this friendship was fraught with competition. Unable to send the package for the time being, Mi thought of sending Petrus something else, such as food, as long as she could keep Lily away.
The royal ball continued into the evening. The opening dance was performed by Prince Ryan and Princess Denise. The King and Queen were in the government office upstairs, where the King had just signed the official appointment letter for the Lord of the City of Qiu.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for Colin to be released and socialize.” The King watched as the Queen placed the letter of appointment into an envelope, sealed it with wax, and then sighed. “I know you feel sorry for Beatrice. How about this, I’ll arrange for Beatrice to recuperate at the Hot Springs Palace for a while.” The Hot Springs Palace was located outside Sun City and contained several enormous hot springs, making it a perfect place for the royal family to recuperate.
“Your Majesty, the Lin City 17 delegation requests that Petrus be taken back,” Queen Angelis put down the envelope. She nodded to Wen, who left with the stamped appointment letter, leaving the Queen and King behind. Queen Angelis lowered her head. “Your Majesty, it is illegal to keep Petrus here. I cannot refuse the request of Lin City 17.”
"Your Majesty, Zara is dead." Derek stood up and put his hand on the Queen's shoulder. "I know you are very sad and have always loved Petris like your own daughter. But since Petris entered Sun City, Acropolis 17 has never been breached. Which acropolis can hold out for three years without being breached by the Shali? Ang, the strength of Lin City 17 is no longer what you remember it from back then."
“Your Majesty,” the Queen said, her face pale, her lips trembling, tears dripping onto Derek’s hand, “I can’t, I can’t.”
“Let me play the bad guy,” Derek said, pulling the Queen into his arms. “I will summon the delegation. As long as the Queen persuades the Adventurers’ Guild, I think the Adventurers’ Guild will know the importance of Petrus.”
“Colin is Qiu’s eldest son.” The Queen lowered her head, making a last-ditch effort: “Your Majesty, no mother can abandon her child.”
“Your Majesty,” Derek released the Queen and walked to the window, looking at the dazzling lights outside, “you know I’m not capable, but I always make choices. I chose you against everyone’s wishes because I knew you had the ability. Today I’m choosing to keep Beatrice because Beatrice is worth the sacrifices of the 17th City. That woman Zara, even after you’ve been away from her for so long, you still take care of her daughter. Qiu and Yana will only cherish Beatrice even more.”
The Queen raised her head, her eyes red as she stared at Derek. This man had never changed. She sighed, "Then let's not send Beatrice to the Hot Springs Palace alone."
“Ang, there will be no more Beatrice in this palace from now on,” Derek turned around. “You can’t cause panic and opposition in all the neighboring cities.”
“That won’t do.” The Queen raised her head. “Your Majesty, I will find a way to get the Council of State and the Adventurers’ Guild to pass the Double Proton Act. Bertram cannot live alone in the Hot Spring Palace.”
“Ang, you’re always so soft-hearted.” Derek shook his head. “Then I’ll let Beatrice go to the spa palace to recuperate for a while. Beatrice is only ten years old, and it’s better to keep some things from her, don’t you think?”
"Your Majesty is right."
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