Chapter 18: Insignia
The magpie’s body was completely cold.
Its blood-red eyeball had fallen out of its socket. The once glossy black feathers were disheveled and curled, revealing the grayish-blue dead skin underneath.
Its beak was open, because it had been screeching and roaring in the second before its death.
Lina shot to her feet, cold sweat quickly soaking the inner lining of her long dress. “It was sentient! It could understand human speech…”
Only at this moment did she realize that although Herte was gone, his eyes had always been there.
The person watching from downstairs that night was perhaps just a decoy. Her existence, or rather, her exposure, was to cover for this magpie.
The manor was built in the last century. The buildings inside had been weathered by wind and rain, and all had a faint, damp, musty smell. That’s why Lina didn’t have the habit of closing her windows, even at night.
She and her teacher had slept in each other’s arms, played with building blocks together, read books together… Hadn’t all of this been seen by this magpie!?
Lina’s face turned pale. The disgusting feeling of being watched, of being monitored, instantly surged up her throat.
She wanted to vomit again.
Faster than the dry heaving were Adele and Herlkin.
“Feeling unwell again?” Adele supported her left arm. “Sit down quickly.”
“You’re coming with me.” Herlkin grabbed her right arm. “I’ll find you the best physician.”
“Mmph—I want…” Lina managed to say with difficulty.
Adele asked, “Want what?”
Gentle and patient, as always.
Herlkin said directly, “Whatever you want, I have it.”
Forthright and assertive, as always.
Lina used her two ears to scratch the two people holding her, as if begging for mercy, and said in an obedient voice, “Teacher, Aunt, I’m going to be torn apart.”
Adele: …
Herlkin: …
“Aunt, Teacher is a good person.” Lina took the initiative to hold Herlkin’s hand, a sincere smile appearing on her pale little face. “She’s been protecting me. She even had this dress made for me.”
Herlkin said sarcastically, “I know. That magpie confessed everything after I slapped it twice. She really has been raising you well. Raised you right into her bed.”
Before she could finish, Adele turned red from head to toe. A person who wouldn’t fly into a rage even when angry was, for the first time, flushed with agitation. “You! What do you mean, raised me into her bed! I didn’t do anything…”
The out-of-control chase in the illusion, the restrained sniffing in the night—all of it was irrefutable evidence. Halfway through her sentence, Adele suddenly lost her confidence and said stubbornly, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Look, look!” Herlkin pointed at Adele. “She’s getting flustered.”
“You!”
When a scholar meets a soldier, they can only be frustrated. Adele was so angry she wanted to whip the person before her to death with her tail.
She didn’t want to leave a frivolous impression of having ulterior motives in front of Lina. Besides, it would also scare the little rabbit ball…
“I was the one who wanted to sleep with Teacher,” Lina suddenly said, pushing the chaotic scene to a climax.
Adele: ?
Herlkin: !!!
“Well, well! You bastard! How old is my niece!” Herlkin’s nails grew three inches. “I’ll scratch you to death!”
Lina threw her arms around her and blurted out, “We didn’t do anything!”
Such extreme directness would make any adult accustomed to subtlety freeze on the spot.
The air was quiet for a few seconds. Herlkin sat down in silence. Adele wiped the sweat from her forehead and also sat down.
“What kind of life have you been living all these years.” After a long silence, Herlkin’s voice choked. “If I had known about you earlier, I would have taken you away immediately…”
Adele sighed softly. “You can’t take her away now either.”
“Isn’t it just because that bastard has her registration papers.” Disgust flickered in Herlkin’s eyes. “I’ll have someone tie him up in the countryside. Either he chops off his hand, or he hands over the papers.”
The moment Adele heard the words “chops off his hand,” she let out a “tsk.”
Herlkin also realized her slip of the tongue and slapped her own mouth in annoyance.
The two of them exchanged a look, and for a rare moment, they had a tacit understanding when it came to protecting the little rabbit’s mental health.
Lina asked in a small voice, “Aunt, are you in the mafia?”
“How could I be?” Herlkin’s eyes darted around. “J-just a joke.”
“The registration papers themselves aren’t important. The key is that Lina’s information is already registered under Herte’s name. As his daughter, it’s perfectly legal for Herte to report her missing to the authorities.”
Unless Herte died.
Adele didn’t say those three words out loud.
How could a person who had been around the block for years not understand the implication? Herlkin said tactfully, “I can make that happen too.”
Make a person disappear without a trace.
“It wouldn’t be legitimate.” Adele said calmly, “If Herte disappears under unclear circumstances, dead or alive, Lina, as the heir to his property, will definitely be targeted by the scoundrels at the Asset Appraisal Bureau. If she dies, this manor and Herte’s businesses could be embezzled by them. Forget freedom, she might even be framed for murdering her own father.”
Adele squeezed Lina’s hand tightly.
Herlkin’s attitude toward her softened considerably. “You’ve certainly thought this through. I just don’t understand, with no ties of kinship, why are you so good to my niece?”
“I have no ulterior motives. I’m helping her simply because she deserves better.”
Adele wanted to let go of Lina’s hand but was held tightly. She struggled slightly but couldn’t break free.
“Then what’s your plan?” Herlkin glanced at their joined hands, a mix of emotions in her heart.
Adele repeated her idea of getting close to Huaguang. “As long as the princess gives the word, executing Herte will be legitimate, and Lina’s inheritance will also be legal. She’ll be a free person then.”
“Huaguang is no simple character. Her two older brothers were both killed by her schemes. If you approach her rashly, she might not accept you.” Herlkin paused and said, “I have a spy in the royal court. I’ll first find out what Huaguang likes. Since we’re trying to get close, we have to cater to her preferences.”
Adele nodded. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll run away with her.”
“If it doesn’t work, I have a sea route for smuggling sausages. I can send you far away. At least for a year, no pursuers will be able to catch up.” Herlkin also took Lina’s hand. “If that still doesn’t work, Aunt will find a scapegoat for you. Don’t be afraid.”
It was the first time Lina had felt familial love. She awkwardly squeezed Herlkin’s hand back. “Thank you, Aunt.”
“Don’t cry now.” Herlkin tapped the bridge of her nose, then said to Adele, “I can’t stay here long. Coming back to supervise you on behalf of that bastard was just an excuse. I’m leaving Lina with you for now. I have to go back to contact my spy.”
“Okay.”
*
The princess’s bedchamber was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Lady-in-waiting stood on either side of the chaise lounge.
Huaguang lay in the middle, her brow slightly furrowed.
“Apologies, Your Highness. We have not yet found a cure for your headaches.”
Huaguang waved her hand silently. Her personal maid immediately handed each lady-in-waiting a heavy bag of gold coins.
“No rush.”
Huaguang lifted her eyelids and spoke calmly, “I’ll give you time.”
There was no warmth in her eyes. Her entire being exuded the oppressive air of a superior.
Even though she was lying down at this moment, her face as pale as paper, a master was still a master.
Although it was a pardon, it still made the ladies-in-waiting terrified. It didn’t matter whether the money bags in their hands were a reward or a warning. Just holding them felt like holding hot coals.
“Your Highness.”
Yuan You appeared at the door like a savior, breaking the oppressive atmosphere in the room. “I’ve returned.”
Huaguang gave her personal maid a look. The latter nodded slightly and said to the ladies-in-waiting, “My ladies, please follow me.”
Soon, there were no outsiders left in the bedchamber. Yuan You still stood obediently at the door.
“Come here.”
Although she had been to the princess’s bedchamber many times, either openly or secretly;
Although she had messed around on Huaguang’s sofa, bed, and windowsill…
Still, she didn’t dare to act rashly without an order.
The reason she could be a little puppy was because her underlying nature was obedient. One who thought about insubordination day in and day out was a bad dog.
Yuan You wore a thin silver armor on her upper body. Her long boots encased white riding breeches. One hand held a sword, the other was wrapped in linen cloth. Specks of blood had soaked through to the back of her hand.
Cold and tough, the battle damage added a touch of brokenness to her.
Huaguang’s gaze never left her for a moment. “Want to get beaten again?”
“I was wrong.” Yuan You took off her mask. She would only show her full face in front of Huaguang.
“Where were you wrong?” Huaguang propped herself up listlessly and took a box of fine ointment from the collection cabinet behind her. “Give me your hand.”
Yuan You knelt on one knee, the standard posture for a knight receiving a reward.
She unwrapped the cloth from her wrist, revealing a sword wound. “I don’t know where I was wrong, but if you want to hit me, I should take it.”
A smile grew on Huaguang’s lips. She was pleased. Her long fingers scooped out a dollop of milky-white ointment and smeared it on Yuan You’s wound.
“Mmph—”
Yuan You hadn’t expected it to hurt so much. Caught off guard, she let out a muffled grunt.
“The matter of the insignia, how is the investigation going?” Huaguang seemed not to feel the trembling of the hand she held. The motion of applying the medicine did not stop.
Yuan You trembled all over in pain. A thin layer of sweat broke out on her neck. Even though the pain was so great she could barely kneel, she still remembered the rule to answer immediately.
“I-I didn’t find that family. The pattern of a rose pierced by a dagger, the College of Arms has no r-record of it.”
“So it’s a fake?” Huaguang showed mercy and temporarily stopped.
A faint sob entered Yuan You’s voice. “It’s real. I had my own people verify it.”
Huaguang understood and started moving again. “So the insignia is real, but the College of Arms has no record of it. Then they’ve been derelict in their duty. Does the certification office have no record either?”
Yuan You shook her head.
Huaguang suddenly pressed down on her wound. “I told you to speak.”
Yuan You flinched in pain. Her one-kneed kneel quickly became a two-kneed one. A sticky, damp feeling appeared. The tips of her ears burned red, and she knelt even more awkwardly. “Neither has a record.”
“Something’s not right. No record in one place could be an oversight, but no record in two places at the same time is no coincidence.”
Huaguang let go of her hand and took out a silk handkerchief to wipe her fingers meticulously.
Yuan You’s knees were weak. She supported herself on the floor with one hand and didn’t dare to move.
“Tomorrow, go to the Oakwood Market and bring that traveling merchant who was selling the insignias in.”
“Yes.”
After finishing with official business, Huaguang leaned down and said, “Now do you know where you were wrong?”
Yuan You’s eyes were moist and red. She shook her head in a flinch. “I don’t know.”
“Your hand is injured and you didn’t bandage it properly. Are you planning to get it amputated?” Huaguang hooked her silver armor. “I told you last time to take better care of your body.”
“I know I was wrong.” The wound on Yuan You’s wrist had already completely healed. The elven ointment was just that effective. She crawled forward half a step on her knees. “I was just too eager to see you and forgot.”
“Yuan You…” Huaguang touched her face. “My headache is acting up again. I feel like going crazy.”
Yuan You lowered her eyes submissively. “Please, Your Highness, vent.”
“They are all afraid of me when I have an episode. Aren’t you afraid?” Huaguang asked, knowing the answer.
“I’m not afraid.”
