Finding a place to bury the body was secondary. Jane's main purpose in sneaking into the palace that night was to scout a few potential hiding spots.She wanted to avoid a repeat of the incident at Cloud Palace—being chased and forced to flee straight back to Zen Palace, inadvertently leading her pursuers there.Lily was still worried.The last time Jane infiltrated Cloud Palace, she ended up getting injured.Would there be any accidents this time?Meanwhile, at Serene Palace, upon hearing that the queen had been put under house arrest, Dina sighed deeply."A man's heart lies where his treasures are."The queen, new to the palace and without solid footing, has yet to win the king's favor. Even if she wanted the gold emblem, she shouldn't have acted so recklessly."Laurel shook her head as well."In my opinion, the only one who could take the gold emblem from Lady Helena would be Rosalie if she were still alive. Her Majesty, the queen, is merely chasing an unattainable dream."
The narrow underground chamber was filled with tension as their eyes met. The surrounding air seemed to grow colder.Jane wasn’t dressed in her dark cloak, disguised instead as an ordinary court lady. Unless absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to fight.First, the palace was on high alert for an assassin, which would complicate her future movements.Second, her internal injuries hadn’t fully healed.“I accidentally fell in here. Do you know the way out…”George’s expression changed slightly.This court lady didn’t seem to know who he was.Indeed, Jane had no idea that the man before her was her husband, the king, George.They had only met twice in total.The first time was on their wedding night, where the chamber had been pitch black.The second was the night the assassin was apprehended. He had stood behind her while she was in the bath, and she never turned to look at him.To this day, she didn’t know what he looked like.Similarly, George didn’t know that this court l
"Get off me!" George's voice was hoarse.During the flare-up of Thiberium poisoning, there were varying degrees of damage to his body. His throat felt as if shards of ice had gouged through it, making his voice raspier and more menacing than usual.Even uttering those three words caused unbearable pain.This woman was utterly infuriating."So, you can speak," Jane remarked, having assumed he was mute.In the next moment, her gaze fixed on his neck, and her expression changed. It was as though she'd stumbled upon something crucial.Jane stared at the silver line on his neck.She had been searching for Thiberium for a long time. To be precise, she was looking for the person who knew how to use it."Who used this poison on you?" Jane asked calmly. There was a slight glimmer in her eyes.George's expression remained dull. It seemed like he wouldn't tell her.Swoosh!He was caught off guard when Jane ripped his shirt open.Just as she expected, the silver line extended to his ch
Her sister was still alive! Jane clutched the note and clenched her fist before pressing it against her heart. Her eyes closed.She couldn't wait to see Wendy.-The next evening, Jane put on a disguise and snuck out of the palace. There was a carriage parked at the entrance of a remote alley. The young man driving the carriage saw her and immediately jumped out to greet her."Greetings, Commander Foster!"Wallace was one of her trusted advisors. He had followed her from the military camp all the way to the Royal City.When Jane had entered the palace, she had sent Wallace to Foster Mansion to secretly track down the bandits who had raped Wendy.She didn't expect such a big surprise from Wallace."Where is Wendy?" Jane asked softly while trying to remain calm.Wallace lifted the carriage's curtain. "I'll take you to her right away."Wallace explained everything to her while he drove the carriage."I noticed the butler's strange behavior that day and quietly followed him to t
All Jane knew was what Gloria had told her on the day of her wedding. Now, Candace revealed a lot more information."Ms. Wendy has been vomiting ever since she was sent home. She didn't throw up food scraps but human feces! They had the audacity to force that stuff down her throat! They didn't only rape her. They even used red-hot iron tongs to…! The physician said she won't ever be able to have children!"Not being able to bear children was a disaster for a woman in Nidora.Candace choked up several times and couldn't go on. Eventually, she buried her face in her hands and cried.Jane pursed her lips. She had a murderous look in her eyes. The cramped room was filled with an air of hostility.After a long while, Candace calmed down a little. She knelt in front of Jane again."Your Majesty, do you intend to kill Lady Helena in revenge?"Jane clenched her fists tightly with a cold expression on her face.Candace pressed on, "Your Majesty, when Ms. Wendy was still conscious, she a
Although Timothy was only a chamberlain, he acted in an arrogant manner. It was as if the queen had to give him what he asked for. However, after a long while, nobody answered the door.Instead, Maya came despite living further away. She seemed worn out. Since the queen wasn't favored by the king, Maya's status was even lower than the lowest-ranked servant from Cloud Palace."Timothy, please be patient. The queen is probably still in bed. I'll check on her," she said.Timothy lifted his chin. "Then hurry up!""All right, I'm going in right now."As soon as Maya entered the bedchamber, she saw Jane dressing. She immediately approached her, smiling."Your Majesty, Lady Helena has a headache. If you could give her some medicine, the king would certainly notice your kindness. You'd have a chance to start over. Don't you agree?"Jane slowly filled in her eyebrows in the mirror. She seemed completely unbothered."I've run out of the medicine."Maya's face fell. "Your Majesty, are
George pursed his lips and tried to suppress his anger.The medicine the queen had sent the last time was effective. He had asked the physician to research how to make it. However, there had been no progress due to the lack of a few important ingredients.George had thought the queen was truly kind-hearted, but it turned out she had been waiting. She wanted to use the medicine to get what she wanted from him. If that was her game, so be it!George was annoyed and asked, "What else did she say?" Timothy's forehead was covered in sweat."The queen said that the longer you hesitate, the longer Lady Helena will suffer from the headache. If you don't agree, she won't give you the medicine even if she has to destroy it. She even said that a verbal promise isn't sufficient. She requires a written decree from you."Timothy's limbs were weak. He felt doomed. Was the king going to kill him?After listening to what Timothy said, George's facial expression turned gloomy.There was dead
After the king left, Helena's maid, Clara, became deeply worried."Your Highness, if the queen truly gains the king's favor, your position in the palace will not be unique," she said.Crash!Helena threw a vase near her bed, and it broke into pieces.Clara immediately gathered up the pieces and knelt on the ground. "Please calm down, Your Highness!" she begged.Helena sat sideways on the bed, clutching the mattress with one hand. Her eyes were gloomy. She stared ahead as she screamed in a frenzy, "How could the king favor her?!"The queen had long lost her virginity. How dare she brazenly compete with her? She was over-estimating herself.-Meanwhile, several other concubines gathered in one place.They had never been favored by the king and were not as angry as Helena. However, they still felt affected by this."Ahh! In the end, the queen proves to be capable. The king actually agreed to her demands."Julie, who had always sided with Helena, couldn't stand it and started mo
As she heard Jane's order to kneel, Jocelyn hesitated instinctively. But she remained standing.Jane's gaze was cold."When I tell you to kneel, you do not remain standing. As a subject, do you not even understand such basic etiquette?"Jocelyn felt as if something were stuck in her throat. No matter how eloquent she was, she could not defy royal authority.Before this, Jane had always cared for her. She had never made her kneel, or even keep her standing for too long. The stark contrast was hard for her to accept. She remained in place, unmoving.At Jane's command, royal guards entered the chamber.Seeing this, Jocelyn was reminded of the military camp. Jane had been the same there–whenever she called out, soldiers immediately stepped forward to receive orders.This was power.As a commander, Jane had authority. As queen, it had only grown."Jocelyn has spoken disrespectfully to me," Jane said sternly. "Take her outside and make her kneel for an hour."The guards obeyed with
"You have been in the palace for quite some time now," Teressa said seriously. "It wouldn't be appropriate if you went even longer without having served the king in bed."She had intended to arrange this matter earlier, but the king had been unable to perform due to his medical troubles, which had delayed things. Now that he had regained the ability, there was no reason to postpone it any longer. Besides, he had always respected her as his grandmother.Back then, even Wendy had remained a virgin after her wedding. It was only after she had issued a strict order that George had finally consummated their marriage.Rachel's turn to attend to the king was something she had full confidence in arranging.Rachel lowered her gaze, her face tinged with a soft blush, and replied in a gentle voice, "I will do as you please."She appeared docile and obedient, yet a flicker of ambition flashed through her eyes. Entering the palace as a concubine and giving birth to a royal heir had always been
Maya couldn't suppress her curiosity and opened Wendy's letter to her family. Strangely, the contents were nothing more than ordinary words of concern.Why did such a letter need to be secretly sent out of the palace? It seemed completely unnecessary.Then again, perhaps the queen was testing her capabilities to see if she could be trusted with more important tasks. With that thought in mind, she followed the order and secretly delivered the letter to the eastern gate.Someone was waiting there to receive it.Wallace quickly received the letter. At first glance, it seemed like a simple message, but it was encoded in a cipher.Jane often used the 'three-four-one-five' method–circling the third, fourth, first, and fifth words of each sentence in that order would reveal the true message.[Jocelyn has an accomplice. Investigate.]After reading it, Wallace burned the letter.-Meanwhile, in Zen Palace, it was the first day of the new year, and all the concubines had come to pay the
George's anger was written all over his face, especially in his eyes.Every single concubine in the harem longed for his favor. But Wendy, of all people, wanted it but refused to admit it. She played hard to get in front of him.If she hadn't wanted this, why had she taken the initiative last night?And now, after everything was done, she was putting on this act and making it seem like he had forced her.How could he not be furious?Jane responded seriously, "Your Majesty, it is you who have suffered a loss."The coldness in George's demeanor did not fully fade, but his tone softened slightly, "If you know I've suffered a loss, then you should make it up to me properly. If you do conceive, then it will be a joyous occasion for all."As for those contraceptives, if you dare touch them again, I will kill that ever-loyal maid of yours."He would not tell her that, seeing how drunk she had been last night, he had never actually gone through with it in the end. For once, he had chos
Contraceptive medicine was not something that could be taken openly, especially by members of the harem.Jane instructed Lily to sneak some medicine while bestowing rewards upon the physicians.Lily handled the matter swiftly, successfully obtaining the medicine and secretly brewing it in the kitchen. However, Maya caught sight of this.Lately, Maya had been in high spirits. With Wendy pregnant, her position as chief maid was no longer the same as before. Now, she was on guard against anyone trying to harm the queen's child, keeping a close watch on everyone in Zen Palace.She had never expected to catch someone in the act.Lily was acting suspiciously, brewing medicine that had not been prescribed by any physician. Something was off. She first had someone divert Lily away, then quickly lifted the lid to inspect the contents. With her seasoned experience, she immediately identified the presence of musk, a powerful substance.This was outrageous.If the queen suffered a miscarr
George sat upright, his robe loosely draped over him. It exposed his toned waist and abdomen that were still marked by the scratches she had left the night before.He gripped Jane's chin, turning her face toward him. His gaze, once predatory, had softened into something almost tender, an emotion Jane had never seen before."Last night–"Jane's gaze remained calm. "I was drunk. If I offended you, please forgive me. This won't happen again."His brows furrowed, and whatever warmth had been in his expression vanished instantly."You promised last night that you would conceive an heir as soon as possible. Is once truly enough?"Jane frowned. How could she have agreed to such an absurd thing?"The words of a drunkard cannot be taken seriously," she said.Upon hearing this, a chill settled in George's eyes."So, because you were drunk, it didn't count? Wendy, you were the one who initiated it last night. You held onto me and begged me to take you! Did none of that count either?"Hi
In the abandoned temple, one man after another came and went.At first, Jocelyn cried and screamed, but eventually, she fell silent. She lay on the pile of straw, her eyes wide open, staring at the door. Like a soulless clay doll, her entire body had gone numb.She never could have imagined that Jane would do this to her. It hurt so much. Jane had promised to protect her for a lifetime. Jane was a liar.-Meanwhile, at Zen Palace, outside the inner chamber's cedarwood door, Lily had intended to bring in some coffee, but she suddenly heard strange noises. The moment she realized what was happening, she froze.Her jaw dropped in shock, and her heart pounded with fear and anxiety.Just then, Steven appeared out of nowhere and yanked her away.Lily's face went deathly pale.She wanted to rush into the inner chamber and stop it from happening, but she couldn't. She was useless. She couldn't protect Jane.-In the banquet hall, after the king left, the concubines quickly lost int
All was harmonious in the palace hall during the New Year's Eve Banquet.For the time being, the concubines set aside their usual rivalries, laughing and chatting as they made wishes for the coming year. It was a lively occasion. Only the queen's seat remained vacant the entire time.George glanced at that empty seat multiple times.Dina noticed and asked, "The queen isn't feeling well. Should we summon a physician to check on her?"Rachel rose to her feet. "Lady Dina, I stepped out earlier to check on Her Majesty. She was exhausted and had already fallen asleep."Rachel had always been kind and meticulous. It wasn't surprising that she had thought of visiting the queen. No one suspected anything.Dina smiled kindly."Pregnant women do tend to be drowsy. George, you should take good care of her."George's gaze turned ice-cold. He lifted a cup of wine and drained it in one go.Everyone assumed he had ignored Dina's words. But as soon as he set his cup down, he stood up."Grand
"If Commander Morris dies, the north will fall into chaos. Do you know how many tribes are hungrily eyeing Nidora?""Do you really think you're Stanley?" Jane asked in a deep voice.Jocelyn gripped the blade of Jane's sword with her bare hands, preventing it from piercing deeper. Blood trickled from her palm. She spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered, unafraid."Yes, I impersonated Stanley. But you, Jane, married into the palace by pretending to be the queen! Besides, I'm an orphan with no father, no mother, and no siblings. But you? You have the Foster family behind you, and you care about the Morris family."Between the two of us, whose crime is greater? Who will drag down more people?"Blood continued to flow from Jocelyn's wounds. She gazed at Jane pitifully, then grinned menacingly."Think carefully, Jane. If you kill me, plenty of people will die along with me. I have people waiting outside. The moment I die, your secret–how you replaced the real queen–will spread everyw