Volume 5, Chapter 40 – Eve of the Grand Ceremony (Part 2)

“I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw you from a distance. Looking closer, it really is Her Majesty the Queen. After so many years, Your Majesty has grown into such a big girl.”

As she spoke, the old woman made a gesture with her hands, as if to show how petite Andrea used to be.

Yisi tilted her head, asking with her eyes if Andrea knew this old woman. Andrea’s surprised expression indicated that she had not forgotten her.

“Village Chief? What brings you here?”

“Hehehe… I saw a squad of soldiers standing at the village entrance, so I thought some noble lord might have arrived and came out to have a look. I didn’t expect it to be Her Majesty the Queen. Are you here for the Festival of Original Sin this time as well, Your Majesty?”

“Yes.”

Andrea searched around constantly, trying to find a chair, but because this was a wheat field, there were of course no chairs. In the end, Andrea could only clasp her hands in front of her waist and smile awkwardly.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t prepare a chair.”

“You are as kind as you’ve always been. You are the Queen; I should be the one preparing a chair and tea for you. And this is?”

“This is Lady Yisi—no, Duchess Yisi Fred Alvier, and also my friend. Lady Yisi is very strong, you know. She defeated Boris in an instant.”

“Oh my, someone who can defeat Lord Boris, yet looks only a little older than Your Majesty. The young people these days are getting more and more impressive.” The old woman smiled, her gaze shifting to Andrea.

“Is something troubling you, Your Majesty?”

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“N-No, nothing special. Just some unimportant little things.”

“Is that so…” As if she were thinking about something, the old woman paused for a moment, her gaze pointing toward the village beside the wheat field.

“Someone in the village was injured when I came over. Although it’s very embarrassing to ask, could I trouble Your Majesty to have the soldiers go to the city and find some physicians?”

“Someone was injured? A member of the Blood Clan? I’ll go right now!”

Without the slightest hesitation, Andrea ran toward the village without even waiting to hear the rest of the old woman’s explanation, leaving only Yisi and the old woman behind.

Watching Andrea’s retreating figure, Yisi sighed helplessly. “You sent her away on purpose. Is there something you want to say?”

“As expected, I cannot deceive you, Your Grace… With someone like you protecting Her Majesty, I can also be at ease. Her Majesty is too kind and is easily taken advantage of. The last time I saw her, she had just ascended the throne. I didn’t expect that after five years, she hasn’t changed at all. Although I am very fond of the current Queen, I still hope she can grow up soon.”

“You’ve known Andrea for five years?”

“No, I had met Her Majesty even before she officially ascended the throne. At that time, the previous Queen brought her to the village for an inspection. Her Majesty wanted to live in the houses of us country folk, so she had a quarrel with the previous Queen. But the previous Queen couldn’t resist her pleas and let the current Queen stay in the village. At that time, Her Majesty stayed at my house, which is why I remember what she looks like.”

It sounded a bit complicated, but to put it simply, Andrea had stayed at the village chief’s house before.

The village chief turned slightly, gazing in the direction Andrea had left. “At my age, life and death are no longer important matters. I only hope that the next generation can grow up well. Your Grace, the Duchess, can you tell me how Her Majesty the Queen plans to deal with the southern nobles?”

“You mean the rebels?”

“Recently, everyone in the village has been very worried about this issue.”

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The old woman’s face still held only a serene smile. After thinking for a moment, Yisi answered. “What do you think Andrea will do, Village Chief?”

“If it is that kind Queen, she would probably be terribly troubled by the rebels, not wanting to let them seize the country, yet unable to bear letting her own people shed blood for battle.”

Yisi said nothing. The old woman’s words had hit the bullseye.

Without waiting for Yisi’s reply, the old woman slowly turned to her. “Judging by your and the Queen’s appearance just now, you wish for the flower bud to grow up quickly and become a flower, don’t you?”

“I was actually thinking of taking Andrea away, to let her get away from this place that endlessly brings her trouble.”

“Hehehe… that is also a good choice.”

“You’re not angry? Even though the rebels will occupy your village after I take the Queen away.”

The old woman did not answer Yisi’s question directly, but simply leaned on her cane and walked step by step toward the wheat field.

“Even the kindest person will grow up one day. It may be a few years, or it may be only a few hours. Pushing too hard is like pulling unripe rice from the ground, thinking it will make it mature faster. It will only cause the rice to wither. I believe Her Majesty must have a line she will not retreat from. For me, whose life is nearing its end, as long as I know that such a day will come for Her Majesty, the process does not matter. You must think so too, Your Grace.”

“If you place your hopes in me so readily, I might just let them fall, you know.”

“I have always been a good judge of character—Her Majesty should also be realizing that I was lying to her. Your Grace, I will go back and apologize now.”

“Andrea won’t blame you.”

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“Hehehe, I knew that, which is why I took advantage of her kindness.”

The old woman waved at Yisi and, leaning on her cane, walked away from the wheat field step by step.

Only the rustling of the waves of wheat remained.

A gentle breeze blew past the ears of wheat, and Yisi’s silver pigtails swayed along with them.

“A line that cannot be retreated from…” Yisi murmured in a low voice.

“Perhaps that’s right.”

[Short-Distance Teleportation].

Returning to the mansion’s basement, Camilla, Edith, and the others were still there.

Rubbing her face to restore her relaxed expression, Yisi pushed the door open.

The first person to walk up was Edith. “Did you find the person who created the nightmares?”

“Yes, I found him.”

“And where is he?”

“I didn’t bring him back, but I gave him a good beating and got revenge for you, Pepe.”

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“Really?” Edith narrowed her eyes, looking at Yisi with great suspicion. Yisi nodded with a straight face.

“Really. I used a very painful method of torture. It quickly broke his spirit and he lost consciousness.”

Not sensing any hint of a lie from Yisi, Edith pouted. “Tch, lucky for him. So, who was that guy? I’ve never heard of someone who can control dreams.”

“It was a fallen angel. A guy with not much fighting strength. His ability is to peer into people’s hearts and dreams, and he can also change their dreams according to his own thoughts. He confessed everything after a brief interrogation. But he hasn’t done anything truly evil, so I let him go.”

Edith frowned repeatedly. “You… you just let a fallen angel go? You should have at least captured him and placed a slave contract on him to make good use of him.”

“He was a muscle-bound man.”

“If he were a beautiful girl, would you have kept him, Onee-sama?”

“Err,” Camilla’s sudden comment made Yisi pause. She then answered with a very sunny smile, “Of course not.” ¹ heh

Then the group returned to Yisi’s room.

It was worth mentioning that, except for Edith and Refina, everyone slept in the same bed that night, to the point that Yisi woke up the next day with a sore body.

Both Camilla and Mary had constantly leaned in her direction, turning her into the filling of a sandwich.

It was just too crowded.