Seated on the throne, George carefully read through the petition, not missing a single word. After a while, he lifted his gaze to look at Wendy.Jane lowered her gaze to maintain a respectful posture. "I have no idea who brought this petition into the palace or why it was placed inside Lady Rachel's festival gift," she said.Wilhelmina looked at Wendy in surprise. She had informed Wendy that Rachel planned to tamper with Edward's festival gift.It wasn't surprising that Wendy had interfered with the other festival gifts, causing chaos to divert suspicion from herself. That much, Wilhelmina had expected. But the petition–this was beyond her expectations.To place it inside Rachel's gift was truly a ruthless strategy. In this moment, she could only feel relieved that she hadn't made an enemy of Wendy.Though Wilhelmina had realized it much later, she still cooperated seamlessly with Wendy."Your Majesty, if you hadn't ordered us to open our festival gifts, this petition would have
"Protect His Majesty!" Karlsen shouted, standing in front of the king.George rose to his feet, overlooking everything without a trace of panic.The same could not be said for the others in the hall. Chaos erupted as people scrambled to find places to hide."Escort Lady Teressa out first!" George commanded.Hearing this, Dina felt a chill in her heart.Gloria's first thought was her daughter, but Robin forcefully pulled her away, scolding, "There are plenty of guards!"Jane was no stranger to assassination attempts. Her keen eyes scanned the hall, sensing that if this were a well-planned attack, the arrows were merely a distraction, meant to disorient. The real killing blow would come from an unexpected place.Suddenly, she saw it.A man dressed as a chamberlain was using the chaos as cover, hiding behind a pillar, a concealed dart aimed directly at the king.Jane's composure wavered for the first time. Four words flashed through her mind. 'Protect King George! Timing!'Witho
Although Jane had given the order to remove the arrow, and even though she was the one who was wounded, the physician still waited for the king's command.George's expression was ice-cold. He nodded. "Do it."With his approval, the physician swiftly and precisely pulled the arrow out.Jane gripped the bedding beneath her tightly. She let out only a muffled groan before falling completely silent. Sweat beaded on her forehead, dampening the strands of hair at her temples.The physician inspected the iron arrowhead, his hand trembling slightly as he turned to George."Your Majesty, just as I suspected, it's poisoned!""Is her life in danger?" George asked, standing next to Jane."Fortunately, we removed it in time. Her Majesty will be fine." Saying this, the physician immediately began treating the wound.George remained standing beside the bed, watching with a cold, deep gaze.The physician cut open the back of Jane's robes. He needed to rinse the wound multiple times with a spe
Wilhelmina immediately knelt on the ground, her face still showing signs of panic.Dina no longer showed her usual kindness. She sat with a solemn expression."Explain yourself. How much were you involved in tonight's events?"Wilhelmina still wanted to deny it. "Aunt Dina, I didn't–"Dina cut her off. "From the moment the rumors started, I felt something was off. They say the queen and Edward met in Serene Palace and rekindled old feelings. "But that day, Edward came to see me. I refused to meet him and had him sent away. How, then, could he have remained outside all that time? If he had left immediately, would he have met the queen at all?"The more I thought about it, the more I realised the only person who could have influence in Serene Palace was you! You were the one who falsely passed off my orders."Wilhelmina anxiously defended herself. "Aunt Dina, I–""Don't interrupt! I'm not finished!" Dina said sharply. "I initially thought you were just displeased with the queen,
Lily wasn't sure whether she should announce that Jane had woken.Fortunately, at that moment, a voice came from behind the curtain. "Your Majesty, I just woke up."After hearing her speak, George lifted the curtain with one hand. His slender fingers grasped the fabric, leaving noticeable creases.Their eyes met. He gazed at the frail woman before him, his fists clenching slightly."Rest well."Beyond that cold, distant expression of concern, he said nothing more.Jane broke the tense atmosphere, supporting herself as she sat up.George frowned, stepped forward, and reached out to steady her by the waist. Unknowingly, he pressed against an old wound.Jane drew in a sharp breath and froze.George noticed her reaction. "What's wrong?"He rarely displayed such patience with her."It's nothing." Jane shook her head gently, though inwardly, she was rolling her eyes. Enduring the pain, she mustered her strength to sit up.George had no idea about the injury on her abdomen. When h
"Commander Foster, I bring dire news! Your sister was raped and committed suicide. Your mother wants you to swiftly return and take your sister’s place in the royal wedding!"At the border of Nidora, several horses' hooves thundered across freshly melted snow. Water splashed in all directions.Jane Foster's horse was in the lead. She wore a tight-fitting, plain dark battle robe. Her black hair was pulled into a ponytail that left loose ends which danced in the wind along with the hem of her dress. She looked aggressive and intimidating.Although Jane and her sister Wendy were twins, she had been raised away from her family due to a superstition that twins brought bad luck.Wendy was kind, gentle, and had never held a grudge against anyone.Jane couldn’t figure out who would hurt someone as pure and kind as Wendy. She wanted to skin that person alive.The royal guard soon realized he couldn’t keep pace with the speed she was setting."Commander Foster, two of our horses have alre
Inside the house, Jane narrowed her eyes.Regardless of the examination's outcome, the Foster family would lose. Helena Larson must have definite evidence that the Foster family’ daughter was no longer a virgin, and was now using it to cause trouble.If Jane, her sister's substitute, was found to be a virgin, it might help stop Helena's plot. However, it would definitely arouse her suspicion. Once it was discovered that Jane was a substitute and not Wendy, she would be convicted for deceiving the king. That would bring disaster to the Foster family!Jane looked ahead. She calmly applied makeup to her face using the hand that was used to holding a spear.Her master had taught her the art of war and the ways of government.Her master's wife had taught her a woman's role in the family, including necessary household skills. Although she had learned it all, she had never thought these skills would come in handy.She had aspirations and didn’t want to be trapped in a house as an obed
Serene Palace was where Dina Augustus, the queen dowager, lived.After hearing about the incident at Foster Mansion, Dina seemed somewhat joyful. She turned to look at her maid, Laurel."I met Wendy last year during my birthday celebration. She seemed too docile in nature. I felt then that it would be hard for her to become the queen. I've changed my mind about her. I'm impressed."Laurel had served the queen dowager for a very long time. She knew all about the struggles of living in the palace. She poured her mistress a cup of coffee."But based on the king's favoritism towards Lady Helena, the queen won't stand a chance against that woman from the Cloud Palace, no matter how smart or brave she is," Laurel said. "We can't be sure Lady Helena won't make her suffer tonight."It was clear that she didn’t think the new queen would be capable.The smile on Dina's face faded."You're right. I still remember the day Wilhelmina entered the palace. George was all set to go and pamper he
Lily wasn't sure whether she should announce that Jane had woken.Fortunately, at that moment, a voice came from behind the curtain. "Your Majesty, I just woke up."After hearing her speak, George lifted the curtain with one hand. His slender fingers grasped the fabric, leaving noticeable creases.Their eyes met. He gazed at the frail woman before him, his fists clenching slightly."Rest well."Beyond that cold, distant expression of concern, he said nothing more.Jane broke the tense atmosphere, supporting herself as she sat up.George frowned, stepped forward, and reached out to steady her by the waist. Unknowingly, he pressed against an old wound.Jane drew in a sharp breath and froze.George noticed her reaction. "What's wrong?"He rarely displayed such patience with her."It's nothing." Jane shook her head gently, though inwardly, she was rolling her eyes. Enduring the pain, she mustered her strength to sit up.George had no idea about the injury on her abdomen. When h
Wilhelmina immediately knelt on the ground, her face still showing signs of panic.Dina no longer showed her usual kindness. She sat with a solemn expression."Explain yourself. How much were you involved in tonight's events?"Wilhelmina still wanted to deny it. "Aunt Dina, I didn't–"Dina cut her off. "From the moment the rumors started, I felt something was off. They say the queen and Edward met in Serene Palace and rekindled old feelings. "But that day, Edward came to see me. I refused to meet him and had him sent away. How, then, could he have remained outside all that time? If he had left immediately, would he have met the queen at all?"The more I thought about it, the more I realised the only person who could have influence in Serene Palace was you! You were the one who falsely passed off my orders."Wilhelmina anxiously defended herself. "Aunt Dina, I–""Don't interrupt! I'm not finished!" Dina said sharply. "I initially thought you were just displeased with the queen,
Although Jane had given the order to remove the arrow, and even though she was the one who was wounded, the physician still waited for the king's command.George's expression was ice-cold. He nodded. "Do it."With his approval, the physician swiftly and precisely pulled the arrow out.Jane gripped the bedding beneath her tightly. She let out only a muffled groan before falling completely silent. Sweat beaded on her forehead, dampening the strands of hair at her temples.The physician inspected the iron arrowhead, his hand trembling slightly as he turned to George."Your Majesty, just as I suspected, it's poisoned!""Is her life in danger?" George asked, standing next to Jane."Fortunately, we removed it in time. Her Majesty will be fine." Saying this, the physician immediately began treating the wound.George remained standing beside the bed, watching with a cold, deep gaze.The physician cut open the back of Jane's robes. He needed to rinse the wound multiple times with a spe
"Protect His Majesty!" Karlsen shouted, standing in front of the king.George rose to his feet, overlooking everything without a trace of panic.The same could not be said for the others in the hall. Chaos erupted as people scrambled to find places to hide."Escort Lady Teressa out first!" George commanded.Hearing this, Dina felt a chill in her heart.Gloria's first thought was her daughter, but Robin forcefully pulled her away, scolding, "There are plenty of guards!"Jane was no stranger to assassination attempts. Her keen eyes scanned the hall, sensing that if this were a well-planned attack, the arrows were merely a distraction, meant to disorient. The real killing blow would come from an unexpected place.Suddenly, she saw it.A man dressed as a chamberlain was using the chaos as cover, hiding behind a pillar, a concealed dart aimed directly at the king.Jane's composure wavered for the first time. Four words flashed through her mind. 'Protect King George! Timing!'Witho
Seated on the throne, George carefully read through the petition, not missing a single word. After a while, he lifted his gaze to look at Wendy.Jane lowered her gaze to maintain a respectful posture. "I have no idea who brought this petition into the palace or why it was placed inside Lady Rachel's festival gift," she said.Wilhelmina looked at Wendy in surprise. She had informed Wendy that Rachel planned to tamper with Edward's festival gift.It wasn't surprising that Wendy had interfered with the other festival gifts, causing chaos to divert suspicion from herself. That much, Wilhelmina had expected. But the petition–this was beyond her expectations.To place it inside Rachel's gift was truly a ruthless strategy. In this moment, she could only feel relieved that she hadn't made an enemy of Wendy.Though Wilhelmina had realized it much later, she still cooperated seamlessly with Wendy."Your Majesty, if you hadn't ordered us to open our festival gifts, this petition would have
George's command to open the festival gifts left everyone no choice but to comply. Soon, someone discovered the unexpected. "Frostbite ointment! I found an extra box of it!"Rachel's expression shifted subtly. Just as she was about to react, Wilhelmina, who had aligned herself with her, interjected. "Your Majesty, even if something's found, it still doesn't prove the queen–""Lady Wilhelmina, what's that?" Josephine was quick to seize the opportunity, and before anyone could stop her, she opened Wilhelmina's gift and revealed an unsettling discovery. "Ahh! A dead mouse!"Wilhelmina's face turned pale, and the rest of the concubines began to scream in horror."The cakes have been gnawed at! How disgusting!""What is this?" Another voice joined in.Even Dina's gift contained a soldier's belt. Her eyes met Teressa's. "At my age, I would never cause such disorder in the harem!” she said to Teressa. Then she turned to George. “Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly!"Chaos eru
Looking at the fragrant pouch and handkerchief, Edward's expression changed as he realized that he and the queen had been set up.Robin and Gloria exchanged glances, both filled with confusion.The chamberlain who had knocked over the gift box knew he had done something wrong. He scrambled to clean it up.Nearby, a mischievous child from the royal family ran forward, picked up the handkerchief, and, thinking he knew some words, began to read from it."'Bidding farewell from across the bank, who knows the sorrow of parting? Tears fill your eyes, and tears fill mine. The heart-shaped knot of the silk ribbon remains unmade, while the tide at the river's end has already calmed.'"Dad, this poem is so sorrowful! It doesn't sound related to Autumn festivities at all!"The concubines gasped in shock, looking at each other in bewilderment. This poem expressed the sorrow of hearts that were connected but could not be united. The gift box had been prepared by the queen to be given to Edw
The first to react was Lady Joanna. "Good heavens! Blood!" she screamed.Everyone turned to look.The shard of porcelain in the maid's hand had cut Jane's hand, and beads of blood welled up. The maid grew even more terrified and knelt once again.Lily was furious. "You did that on purpose!" she shouted.On the throne, George's face was ice-cold as he looked at the maid. "Reckless fool. Take her away!"The maid cried for mercy as she was dragged out. Another maid stepped forward to tend to Jane's wound.Jane remained indifferent, as if she hadn't noticed the maid's action.From the side, Robin watched with concern.No one noticed that the maid beside Robin was holding a silver needle. Under the pretense of pouring wine, she aimed at Robin's hand where it was resting on the table. Her movements were so swift that they were nearly impossible to guard against.Robin suddenly felt a sharp sting and instinctively lifted his hand. Seeing a hard-shelled insect on the ground, he assume
At the Morris family's residence in Marvick City, Marissa had arrived.Fortunately, Jane had informed them in time, allowing Marissa to make arrangements in advance so that Leia remained unaware of her grandson's untimely passing.Leia laid in bed while holding her daughter-in-law's hand."I'm just an old bag of bones. You didn't have to trouble yourself with such a long journey just to accompany me for the Autumn festivities."Marissa offered a faint smile. "Kennedy misses you too. We haven't been back in three years. Please forgive us.""Loyalty to the king and service to the country–every member of the Morris family should be like this. By the way, how is Stanley? He fought against Romenia this time. Was he injured?"Leia was deeply concerned about her grandson, her eyes filled with urgency, afraid of hearing bad news.Marissa, of course, only shared the good and withheld the bad."Stanley has already come of age," Leia said afterwards. "As his parents, you should start thin