Yvette sagged on the bed. The princess's lovely body was exposed, exposing every inch of her skin to the elements. Her hair was strewn all over the pillow. Beautiful almond-shaped eyes scowled at the man who was busy changing clothes.
Marius smiled mockingly as he met Yvette's gaze.
"Third Princess, thank you for your service. It was extremely satisfying." Marius smiled broadly and exited the room.
"You bastard!"
Yvette clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white and let out a muffled growl. Slowly, tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, forming a small, clear stream.
Mithreene came in quickly. She was taken aback when she saw Yvette's humiliating state.
"Oh, Princess!" She cupped her hands in front of her mouth and made an exaggerated expression on her face.
Yvette had no time to think about Mithreene. Her delicate hand wiped away Mithreene's tears and motioned for her to come closer.
"Come here and help me clean up," Yvette said.
"All right, Princess."
Mithreene assisted Yvette in getting up and dressed. She then left Yvette to prepare bath water for the Princess.
Yvette sat on the bed's edge. Her eyes remained wet, and her cheeks were flushed with rage.
The sticky sensation in certain body parts reminded her of an embarrassing incident in which she was forced to lie helplessly on the sheets with her naked body and allow herself to be touched by people she didn't like.
"I will return your humiliation many times over! You cretin!" Yvette muttered as she squeezed the corner of her dress tightly.
Her heart was broken because of what Marius had done to her. How could she have known that the person she thought was innocent and easy to control was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing?
Marius only pretended to be weak in order to catch her off guard. In fact, having arrived at this point, Marius had made no effort to conceal his true nature.
Every time she remembered that man's emotionless gaze, piercing through her as if she could see through her heart and mind, Yvette shivered.
"The Royal Father made the incorrect decision! He turns out to be worse than Eugene! I must immediately inform the Royal Father of this!"
Yvette, agitated, did not wait for her maid to arrive. She even forgot about the ambiguous taste and odour in her body. She dashed into the king's study after slightly improving her appearance.
Someone's voice inside brought the third princess to a halt just as Yvette's hand touched the gold-plated doorknob.
She peered through the door's gap.
Not far from the king's desk stood the figure of a majestic man. Yvette recognised the figure as Marius Laverty right away. The anxiety was returning to Yvette's heart.
"My recommendation is correct. Simply dispatch the Marquess of Northland to negotiate with the kingdom of the Central Plains."
Marius' voice was firm and did not sound like he was giving advice. He appears to have the final say.
The king, on the other hand, spoke somewhat haltingly.
"Yes, yes, yes. Your Highness the Fourth Prince is correct. Your Highness devised an excellent plan." In an exaggerated tone, the king praised him.
"Allow him to make the negotiations successful. Remember, he has to leave in another week and will be surrounded on his way home. Send the most capable assassin squad you can muster."
"One week? Willn't the negotiation agreement be implemented next?"
"I rescheduled the time. Leaving a week later, it only takes about three days to reach the borders of the Eastern kingdom." Marius took a breather "I've already set the time. It is no longer changeable. Is the King bothered?"
"No. Obviously not."
"Excellent. Make sure everything goes as planned, because this is our first step as allies. If the first one doesn't go as planned, I might not want to work with Zizvania again."
"Yes, yes, yes. You should not be concerned. This king will follow the instructions of the Prince."
Yvette stepped back, not wanting to hear any more.
Yvette was terrified because her royal father, King of Zizvania, was so obedient in front of the man named Marius.
Her bare feet ran back into the room, barefoot on the cold floor.
"This is insane! What happened when he was so obedient to the royal father? Wasn't it our original intention to use Marius' power to our advantage? Why is it that it is now the other way around?"
Yvette's mind was racing with questions she couldn't answer.
When Yvette entered the room, she discovered Mithreene and some of the maids there, complete with a tub of water and all the other toiletries.
"I was surprised you weren't in the room when I returned. I was worried that something bad had happened. It's a good thing you've returned." Mithreene greeted Yvette as soon as the door opened.
Yvette was reminded of what had contaminated her body by the water in the tub. She was immediately disgusted.
"Stop with the nonsense. Please assist me in taking a shower as soon as possible."
"Alright, Princess."
The maids work quickly. Yvette was dressed in a thin nightgown that Mithreene had picked up at random earlier. The dress quickly fell to the floor, revealing the third princess's lovely curves once more.
Yvette was escorted into the bathtub. Her tense and hot body instantly relaxed in the warm water scented with fragrant flowers.
However, she needed to clean a private area, which she couldn't do in front of these few pairs of servant girls' eyes.
"You all leave. Allow me to soak in peace." Yvette motioned with her hand.
"All right, Princess."
Another maid left the room, but Mithreene remained seated.
"Why don't you come along?" Yvette inquired, dissatisfied.
"I apologise, Princess. But only because I'm concerned about you. I'm afraid you'll doze off in the tub. So, just in case, please allow me to accompany you here. I can also provide you with a massage." Mithreene made her point with gusto.
Yvette wasn't in the mood for a debate. After all, Mithreene's retort was for her own safety, so the lovely princess let her go.
"After that, massage me."
The third princess closed her eyes and relaxed while having her shoulders and back of the neck massaged. The massage was extremely relaxing. Yvette knew Mithreene was skilled at massage, but this time it was much more relaxing than usual.
"Has the party ended?" Yvette inquired.
"Yes, Princess," Mithreene replied, her fingers still moving.
"Really? Is it then past midnight?" Yvette smirked.
"You are correct, it is past midnight."
Yvette exclaimed. Surprisingly, it turns out that Marius threw and abused her in bed for so long that she didn't realise the party was over.
Yvette's heart boiled again as she remembered her first experience of being kidnapped by a jerk like Marius.
"Totally immoral!" Yvette growled, biting her lip so hard that blood dripped from it.
Mithreene paused her massage, staring at Yvette, as she detected the faint scent of blood. She couldn't hold back her rage and screamed.
"Why are you here, Princess? Stop biting your lower lip. It's already gushing!"
The third princess was unconcerned about her maid's distress. Marius' words from the king's study had just rang in her ears at this precise moment.
"Allow the Marquis of Northland to negotiate with the kingdom of the Central Plains. Then dispatch a team of assassins to intercept him on his way home."
"Is he going to expel Edgar?" Yvette mumbled.
"It's fine to simply dispatch him to negotiate. But what about acting immediately after? Furthermore, assassins are being dispatched! That's a lot, isn't it..." Yvette continued to mutter.
The princess's emotions were complicated at the time. On the other hand, she knew that keeping her family's power meant getting rid of the kingdom's powerful people, including Edgar Baldwin. Yvette, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. She did so because she adored Edgar.
She once discussed with her royal father the idea of the king simply "acting" on Edgar rather than killing him. They only needed to make the man lose everything and commit himself to Yvette's side.
The king did not object to his beloved daughter's request, which pleased Yvette greatly.
However, the situation was not as he had anticipated. The decision, as Marius had stated earlier, was not as simple as simply taking away other people's power. The man desired to draw the power of the barrier to the root, killing all of them.
"That lunatic! How are things going? Should I intervene to save Edgar from his impending doom? Mithreene, tell me what I should do." Yvette inquired inadvertently.
"Hm? What's the matter, Princess? I'm not sure what you're saying."
"Forget about it, forget about it. Assume you didn't hear anything."
Yvette was deep in thought once more, but she couldn't come to any conclusions.
Her thoughts returned to the first time she met Edgar. She fell in love, but Edgar married another woman instead. Yvette's heart was filled with jealousy.
Then a devious thought flashed through Yvette's mind. The corners of her mouth raised into a smile.
"Mithreene, send out invitations for me to noble ladies; the Third Princess is having a small tea party in a week." Remember to invite the Marchioness of Northland as well..." Yvette couldn't help but smile even wider when she mentioned the latter's name. "... from the Xander El Nix building, a woman named Elena."
Mithreene couldn't understand why the third princess wanted a tea party at this time. But she knew she couldn't call the decision into question. Because she was only a servant, she could only agree.
"All right, Princess."
-
A messenger from the palace arrived at the Baldwin Mansion a few days later, carrying an order from the king to the Marquess.
Edgar went to the palace at the request of the king. The king stated there that Edgar would be in charge of negotiating with the kingdoms of the Central Plains.
"Do you mind if I do this, Marquess?"
"Certainly not, Your Majesty."
Even though the order came unexpectedly and the scheduled departure time was short, it couldn't be ignored.
Despite the fact that he had to leave the next morning.
"Harold, start preparing for my trip right away."
"All right, Marquess."
While Harold went to make preparations, the Marquis remained at ease by spending the day with his wife.
-
The following morning,
The man stood by the bedside, staring at the round-faced young woman lying beneath the blanket.
His large hand brushed against her cheek, chin, and then down her flat stomach. Then, in the order of caress, follow it up with kisses.
Cheryl is irritated by Edgar's behaviour.
"English... Are you awake? Hm? Why are you suited up so formally so early?"
"The king specifically directed me to go negotiate with the Central Plains kingdom. I have to leave now."
"Why the sudden change? Isn't it still a little early? You didn't say anything to me about it..."
Edgar only smiled. He kissed her once more.
"That's because the order came so unexpectedly. Isn't it fine? Yes, the Central Plains kingdom is very beautiful. They have a lot of interesting items. Is there anything you'd like? I'll return it to you."
"Gifts? What exactly is that? I'm not familiar with the local legends. If you don't mind, you can bring me some tasty food gifts or snacks."
"Is that all?"
"Hmm!" Cheryl gave a nod.
"You've discovered that you're a very easily satisfied wife, huh? Fine, I'll bring you all the delicacies of the Central Plains. Wait at home obediently." In a pampering gesture, the man rubbed his woman's head.
Edgar Baldwin and the elite group from the Baldwin Mansion left that morning.