章節 3: Her Next Strategy.
"Sister! This is not how the princess of the Clariant Empire should behave!" Abella rose, her brows bunched into a frown as she glared at Meliora, her shoulders shaking in rage.
"But I am not a princess; I am an abandoned princess," Meliora corrected, her tone firm without leaving any holes for Abella to poke in. She was speechless, her lips parted, about to say something, only for them to close once again.
Her knuckles had turned white from pure rage, and Johan, who saw and felt the violent energy she was brewing, immediately clasped her hand with his, calming down the storm she was about to unleash.
Meliora watched in amusement. She wondered how she had even fallen for a man like that. It was obvious what he was planning with the way he was calming Abella down.
"Enough!" The King thundered, and both princesses turned to their father, quite surprised. "Princess Abella, I trust you were going to show the Duke around the palace's white garden?" Which meant, leave us.
Meliora's face squeezed as she tried to hold back her laughter. She succeeded anyway, and with a smug look on her face, Abella raised her chin when she looked at Meliora and left with Johan.
Johan thought she was going to stand up to follow them or cause another drama, but to his shock, she waved them both goodbye and then continued eating her food.
He felt that something was odd, but he didn't show it. With a warm smile on his face, he walked away with Abella, who was angry and couldn't control the vicious look on her face.
'That damned ugly wench, when did she become so bold? I will have to teach her a lesson so that she knows her place!' She gritted her teeth as she glared into the distance.
"Stop, you will hurt yourself," Johan cooed as he circled his arm around Abella's waist as they walked. The corners of her lips tugged into a weak smile.
While Meliora was having fun eating, the King was staring down at her, and she began to worry. Isn't this what he wanted? Didn't he want her to go to the Arcania Empire and spy on the king?
So agree already?!
"Father—"
"When did you become so bold, Meliora?" He started, and Meliora flinched, her gaze turning cold as she looked at the King. "You used to be like a meek little lamb, but right now you are like a dragon who repaired her wings."
Meliora didn't know if it was a compliment or if it was meant to demean her, but she was not having it.
"So are you letting me go for the concubine selection or not?" She drawled lazily. There was a spark of interest in his eyes, and looking at it this way, Meliora wasn't interested.
"Princess Meliora!" The Queen rebuked, slapping her hands against the chair. She was about to say more when the King raised his hand and stopped her. She coughed awkwardly, adjusting in her seat.
She thought doing this would make the King forget the clothes incident, but she didn't know that he never takes matters related to the royal family lightly.
"I was about to talk to you about the concubine selection. How did you know?" He asked, his voice returning to a monotone, and he narrowed his eyes at her. If eyes could kill, then it would be the King's knife-cutting gaze.
It was as if he was trying to trap you in his cage, and you could only squeak like a rat begging for mercy, but the intimidation bounced off Meliora and was swept away with the cool breeze.
"I told you, little rats told me." She shrugged, standing up on her feet to leave. "Don't worry; I am just letting you know that I am going, and the meal was just a goodbye token.
But it will help if you provide me with clothes, money, and a good maid. I don't need a knight....hmm." She listed while counting her fingers and getting lost in thought.
"Insolent brat!" The Queen sprang up on her feet, her fist clenched to the side, and her chest rose and fell in rage. But Meliora just glanced at her before she turned to the King, who spent his time studying her.
"So what do you say? Your Majesty?" She grinned while rubbing her fists together, with a smug look on her face.
[This is not how Meliora normally behaves, Master.]
"Oh shut up, Crucifix! Can't you see I am with the King? Who cares if I am not behaving like her; this is my body now, so they have to stick with it," she said in a hushed voice while keeping an eye on the royal couple.
Their brows formed a crease. Meliora stopped talking and flashed a weak and wry smile at the King. He sighed heavily as if he had made a decision, and for some reason, Meliora felt like a heavy weight was lifted off her shoulders.
Her shoulders, which she didn't know had stiffened, relaxed on their own. She didn't know that the aura of the King really did affect her, even if she didn't want it to.
He beckoned for the man behind him. Judging by the way he was dressed, he must be the King's assistant or some kind of aide. He whispered some things into the man's ear, and the latter nodded and left.
"Your clothes, jewelry, and a chest full of gold coins will be delivered to your estate. I will send girls so you can make your choice. As for the knight, you need one." He stated firmly, not giving Meliora the chance to refute his words.
Meliora's eyes glimmered at the mention of gold, and if someone wasn't blatantly looking at her, she could have been drooling.
"Well, fine, fine, but he has to be hot, though. Very handsome," she said with a smirk. The Queen's exterior cracked, but this time she didn't yell at Meliora.
'The more she talks, the more she doesn't respect the royal family! We should have taught her etiquette a long time ago. This is truly my fault for not watching over her, and now she will disgrace us all.' The Queen shook her head.
A feeling of dread ran down her spine, and she shivered, but she was right about one thing: Meliora would make them pay.
Pfft. The King couldn't hold his laughter any longer, and he let it out loudly, echoing across the dining hall. Who knew he could laugh like that? Even the Queen sat there, surprised.
[I think your old man has some screws loose in his head.]
"You can say that again," Meliora scoffed, agreeing with Crucifix's words, but something wasn't right. "I didn't program you to talk like that."
[Trust me, Master, I have been restraining myself.]
****
Meliora never imagined they would converse that long, and now her body energy was all spent. As she dragged herself back weakly, she realized that she needed to start working out if she wanted to survive in this world.
In her past life, she only needed her games, and life was good.
Maria opened the door for her, thinking she was going to toss herself into bed, but to her dismay, when she looked up, she saw a line of six girls waiting for her. She froze up immediately.
'That old man!' She cursed internally, while the old man in his study wrinkled his nose, knowing someone was cursing him.
Meliora stood ramrod straight, their heads hung low, waiting for a command. Unlike how she thought they would behave, they were actually quite calm.
As if they revered her and were willing to work for her.
"Raise your heads," Meliora commanded as she sat on the bed, crossing her legs. The girls slowly raised their heads, and upon meeting Meliora's glare, they screamed.
Meliora's gaze darkened as she looked at them. She just needed one sane person, and all of them were screaming in fear. Really? She knew her face had that ridiculous scar, but it wasn't that scary.
The first girl had slumped on the floor, her body trembling, her face already wet with tears, and her eyeballs trembling. The second girl had a disgusted look on her face, but one thing you could notice was her trembling legs, easily seen despite the gown she was wearing.
But then the third girl—she seemed rather odd. She was staring at Meliora with a hardened gaze but a relaxed expression. She reminded Meliora of a cold soldier in Call of Duty Mobile, and it piqued her interest.
Even her posture was tight and straight, as if she were in a battlefield, ready for war. Meliora didn't know if she was related to the game because she didn't do this in the game.
She wasn't following the storyline.
"Maria, send these bunch of fools out and leave only this one girl." Meliora hummed in approval as she pointed at the girl with a steely expression on her face.
The girl reminded her of a mindless robot like Crucifix, and she was in for a whole lot of fun!
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