When Charles claimed he bore primary responsibility, Deputy Envoy Eldridge looked baffled. “What has that to do with me?”“Don’t take me for a fool,” sneered Charles, his tone dripping with scorn. “The commander of the escort assigned to your envoy delegation—rumor has it he’s your son-in-law, is he not? It was you who urged the Third Prince to reject the protection offered by Drakeland, insisting instead on using your own escort for the safety of the mission. The real aim, of course, was to give your son-in-law a chance to impress the prince with his skill in guarding dignitaries, to earn himself honors and rise swiftly through the ranks.”“Successes go to your family,” the Minister scoffed, “but if anything goes wrong, you expect Drakeland to answer for it? What kind of game are you playing? Do you think the world runs on such convenient terms?”“You’re spouting nonsense!” Eldridge snapped, his voice trembling with indignation.It was true—the commander in question was indeed his so
Upon hearing the Queen Dowager's words, Margaret was rendered speechless. She could no longer defend the Queen and had no choice but to pick her words carefully to offer some comfort and explanation.As the Queen Dowager listened to Margaret's attempts to console her, her thoughts turned back to the matter at hand. The Queen, not permitted to leave the palace as she pleases, had no means of contacting the Eldridge envoys directly—everything had to go through the Blackwell family. That meant the Blackwells were likely aware of the Queen’s schemes, yet chose to go along with her anyway… All these years she had shielded the Blackwells, and now they couldn’t even be bothered to inform her in advance? They simply carried out the plan behind her back—just because the Queen had Zachary, the boy who could become the next King, while she, the Queen Dowager, was already fading into obscurity…The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. But alongside that anger came a deep, bitter des
“Yes, that’s what I heard them say. Apparently, the assassins were very skilled—they killed many palace guards, as well as the maids and eunuchs who served in His Majesty’s bedchamber. Thankfully, the King wasn’t staying in his usual quarters that night, or he would have…” Miranda suddenly realized she had misspoken and quickly corrected herself, “...would have been terribly frightened. I also heard they did a headcount afterward—dozens were dead. It was even more brutal than the other palaces. Honestly, the way they described it—it was terrifying!”The Queen Dowager’s body suddenly tensed, her breathing growing rapid. After a long pause, she finally said, “Don’t listen to such nonsense. You don’t know what these palace guards are like—they love to exaggerate, making the assassins sound unstoppable and the casualties seem horrific. It’s just a way to claim credit and make themselves look like heroes. I doubt it was as bad as they said.”“True,” Miranda replied gently. “Back when the r
"I'm certain that the tonic contained herbs capable of causing infertility. The flavor was extremely faint, making it difficult to detect," Molly said quietly, after placing a bowl of fragrant petals that naturally perfumed the room to mask the medicinal smell. "That’s why I was extra cautious and thoroughly examined all of Miss Miranda’s food and drink. Fortunately, there was nothing unusual on her end."She lowered her voice even further. "Miss, it seems your strategy is working—the Queen Dowager truly believes your body is too weak to bear children and may have given up on the idea."The so-called heatstroke was actually induced by medicinal ingredients Molly had prepared in advance, designed to produce the symptoms of heatstroke and further reinforce the impression that Miranda was frail. Molly then deliberately spoke to Nina about Miranda’s condition, knowing full well that there were likely spies nearby watching and listening.Thus, Molly and Nina staged a performance—half true,
Before long, the conversation between the two maids reached the Queen Dowager’s ears. Upon hearing it, the Queen Dowager raised an eyebrow and said, “Is that so? Miranda might truly be unable to bear children?”Margaret nodded. “That’s what those two maids were saying.”The Queen Dowager mused, “Now that you mention it, I do recall the royal physician once mentioning, during Miranda’s examination, that she had suffered a serious illness as a child, leaving her constitution weak and her health lacking.” Recalling what had happened not long ago, she started to believe it. “Miranda’s body was already frail, and if her stepmother did something to her while she was gravely ill, then it’s entirely possible her foundation was damaged. That maid wasn’t necessarily lying.”“I also heard that at Lady Liudmila’s recent flower viewing banquet, Miss Miranda was invited, but she had to turn back halfway due to feeling unwell. It seems her health is indeed quite poor,” Margaret added, further reinfo
"Regardless, thank you for your reminder, Your Highness. If you ever need anything in the future, I will be sure to return the favor," Miranda said sincerely.Princess Gina smiled faintly at her words. Miranda was intelligent and composed—perhaps even more so than herself. With Miranda’s promise, Gina felt much more at ease.After parting ways with Princess Gina, Miranda slowly fell into deep thought as she reflected on their conversation.It now seemed that upon returning to her chambers, she would need to be especially cautious—particularly with her food and drink. However, if the Queen Dowager were to have something laced into the refreshments and insisted she consume them in front of her, there would be no way to refuse. The best solution would be to avoid the Queen Dowager from acting on such an idea altogether.As Miranda was pondering this, the young eunuch suddenly asked respectfully, "Miss Miranda, do you wish to report your encounter with Her Highness Princess Gina to the Qu