Just like that, Amelia was tied together with Eileen. The rope pressed slightly into their skin, bringing a strange sensation.
Although the rope wasn’t tied extremely tight, it still pressed Amelia and Eileen close together, so much so that Amelia could clearly feel Eileen’s body heat.
Normally, it was perfectly normal for girls to hug and cuddle; no one would think anything strange of it.
But ever since that day when Eileen took the Holy Spirit Potion, Amelia always found it difficult to be at ease about such situations. Whenever some rather intimate action occurred between them, she couldn’t help but let her thoughts run wild.
‘Amelia, oh Amelia, stop overthinking. You’re both girls. How can you have such strange thoughts? Just sleep peacefully.’
Thinking to herself, Amelia closed her eyes, trying her best to fall asleep.
But often, the harder one tries to sleep, the more elusive sleep becomes. Amelia was just like that. She closed her eyes for a long while but still couldn’t fall asleep.
Filling her nostrils was Eileen’s scent.
She could also vividly feel Eileen’s body temperature.
The other party was so close to her, so close it seemed she could do whatever she wanted.
Amelia couldn’t help but open her eyes and look at Eileen again, only to find that Eileen had already quietly fallen asleep.
‘Already asleep? Then I mustn’t move around and risk waking her.’
Amelia knew Eileen’s perception of the outside world was very sharp. If she made even the slightest movement, the other party would immediately notice and wake up. So she couldn’t move.
Looking at Eileen’s face so close at hand, Amelia couldn’t help but smile.
Unknowingly, this face had become so familiar to her. They would continue to become more familiar with each other in the future, wouldn’t they?
Eileen’s peaceful sleeping face finally calmed Amelia’s somewhat restless heart, and she closed her eyes.
==========
When Amelia woke up, Eileen had already woken up and left at some point, and the rope binding them together was naturally untied.
Amelia looked out the window and saw dewdrops dripping from the branches of a White Maple Tree. Only then did she realize that a light rain had fallen on Bild City the previous night.
She propped herself up and looked at her body. As expected, faint rope marks had appeared on her skin, and she felt resigned.
Then, she put on the thermal top and thermal tights that Eileen had long since placed nearby, covering the various marks on her body. After that, she put on a white dress before walking out of the bedroom.
Just as she entered the living room, Amelia was surprised to find a guest already there. “Verna, why did you come to see me so early?”
On the sofa in the living room sat Verna. Her long red hair was tied into its usual low ponytail hanging behind her. She wore a black dress and carried an innate air of nobility.
Hearing Amelia’s voice, Verna, who had been lost in thought, came back to her senses. “You’re finally awake, Amelia.”
“Do you have something to tell me?” Amelia sat down beside her.
Verna nodded, speaking seriously. “The Grand Duke may be nearing his end.”
Amelia was stunned.
The Grand Duke was naturally Grand Duke Ogden, Verna’s father.
The man who ruled the Luban Duchy was dying?
Hearing this from Verna’s mouth, Amelia always felt it was strange. Verna’s attitude was too calm, so calm that the person she spoke of seemed not to be her father.
“Grand Duke Ogden, how did he suddenly develop a problem?” Amelia asked.
As she inquired, lines of bullet comments floated before her eyes. Seeing those comments made her even more concerned about this matter.
[Grand Duke Ogden is dying? That shouldn’t be, right? In the original plot, he didn’t die this quickly.]
[In the original story, Grand Duke Ogden died next year, didn’t he? Before his death, there didn’t seem to be any health problems. Why is it earlier this time?]
[Could it be that Dwight’s death stimulated Ogden? After all, that was his son. His son died and they still haven’t found the culprit. Depressed and frustrated, perhaps he fell gravely ill.]
[If Ogden’s health fails, can Bild City remain peaceful? Those eyeing the position of Grand Duke will surely make their moves, no matter what, right?]
[Has the competition for the next Grand Duke started early?]
The original Grand Duke Ogden wasn’t supposed to have problems at this time?
Amelia watched the bullet comments drifting before her, deep in thought.
“Last night, the Grand Duke suddenly fell ill. I’m not sure if it was because the weather suddenly turned colder. Now, based on projections, he might not last much longer,” Verna said gravely. “This nation is about to change hands.”
“What are your thoughts, then?” Amelia asked after thinking for a moment.
“This happened too suddenly. I wasn’t fully prepared, so I came specifically to discuss it with you.”
Clearly, Verna’s eyes only showed concern for the competition over the title of Grand Duke. She didn’t care much about Grand Duke Ogden’s health. It was a chilling pragmatism that made one sigh.
Amelia thought for a moment and said, “In that case, I suggest you go stay by Grand Duke Ogden’s side.”
“Stay by his side?” Verna was taken aback, then understood. “I see, Amelia. The Grand Duke probably knows his body can’t hold on. He might decide who the next Grand Duke will be. As long as I can stay by his side, I can learn of any information on this matter immediately and have a chance to respond.”
Amelia: “…”
That wasn’t what she meant.
She meant it very simply: when a father’s body couldn’t hold on, it was better for his children to be by his side.
But how could she say that to Verna?
“I understand what to do now. I’ll take my leave then, Amelia. If anything happens, I’ll come find you.”
Verna put on a smile, bid farewell to Amelia, and then hurriedly left to go “fulfill her filial duty” by Grand Duke Ogden’s side.
Seeing this situation left Amelia feeling complicated inside, unsure of what to say.
‘Forget it. Even Verna herself doesn’t care much about this. Why should I dwell on it?’
Amelia thought, and then began pondering her own situation.
Grand Duke Ogden’s critical illness was no small matter. He might pass away at any moment. When that happened, the entire Luban Duchy would undergo violent upheaval. And where in all this should her Silent Throne act?
As Amelia pondered this, winds were already rising and clouds surging throughout Bild City.
==========
“It’s too early. Why did he develop problems so soon? My preparations are still insufficient.”
In a room, First Prince Vincent slammed a fist against the wall, causing the entire wall to crack on the spot. The fissures spread rapidly, covering the entire surface.
At this moment, Vincent had completely shed his usual simple and honest demeanor. His sharp-featured face was cold, and his crimson eyes seemed to flicker with dancing flames.
“Harley, is the Grand Duke truly critically ill? Not just faking it?” Vincent turned his head and asked.
There was another person in the room.
He was a scholarly-looking middle-aged man wearing a monocle, named Harley Thomas. He was a Viscount who also held an important position in the military—a man of power and influence who couldn’t be ignored in the Luban Duchy.
Hearing Vincent’s question, Harley answered unhurriedly, “According to the information, the Grand Duke is indeed genuinely critically ill, with no other factors involved. The cause of the critical illness has also been found. They say that in a state of mental and physical exhaustion, the cold air invaded his body, and he just collapsed.”
“Mentally and physically exhausted?”
“Yes. It should be the death of His Highness Dwight that pained the Grand Duke. That’s why this happened.”
“Is that so?”
Vincent smiled upon hearing this.
He seemed to have thought of something and said, “Harley, under these circumstances, if another prince were to die, would that give the Grand Duke an even greater shock?”
“…I believe it would,” Harley understood Vincent’s intention.
“Then pick someone and kill them. In short, I don’t want to see the Grand Duke decide who inherits his title before he dies,” Vincent’s tone was exceptionally chilling.
If Grand Duke Ogden were to decide the next successor, it definitely wouldn’t be him, Vincent.
Even if he stopped feigning simplicity, even if he showed all his strength, Ogden’s choice still wouldn’t be him. It would still be Bennett.
Vincent had known this for a long time.
After all, this was a preference that had existed since childhood. Bennett could always curry favor with Grand Duke Ogden. That kind of favoritism couldn’t be offset by any outstanding ability.
‘Why? My father, I am clearly your first child, yet your eyes always fall on Bennett… You forced me, you forced me to do this!’
It seemed as though fierce flames were burning in Vincent’s eyes.
==========
Time quickly reached noon.
Although Grand Duke Ogden’s critical illness was a major event for the entire Luban Duchy, the internal operations of the Duchy continued as usual, without stopping.
Amelia also went to the Harp Class as usual, learning some knowledge about the harp.
After finishing the morning class, Amelia pondered a question.
Did she still need to continue being a Student at White Maple Academy?
She had made that choice before because she was worried that people from the Red Moon Society might target her for an attack. But now that Eileen was already a High-Rank Apostle, trying to harm her wasn’t so easy anymore.
And she also had the Silent Throne…
“Perhaps I should return to my homeland and develop there… Well, no matter what, since the matter of the competition for the next Grand Duke of the Luban Duchy has been brought forward, I’ll at least wait and see the final outcome.”
Amelia had already made a decision in her heart.
At this moment, she also walked out of the teaching building. Eileen was very thoughtfully waiting for her below.
“Eileen,” Amelia walked over. “You haven’t been standing here all morning, have you? Even if you want to wait for me under the teaching building, you could find a place to sit.”
“It’s fine. This can also be considered a form of training.”
“What kind of training is that? It’s just purely exhausting. Look, you even have some sweat on your forehead.”
As she spoke, Amelia took a tissue from her pocket and raised her hand to wipe the sweat from Eileen’s forehead.
This action immediately flustered Eileen. She hadn’t expected Amelia to wipe her sweat and was completely at a loss for how to respond.
“Alright, let’s go back.”
Amelia threw the tissue into a nearby trash can, took Eileen’s hand, and started walking back.
Being pulled along, Eileen said in a low voice, “Miss Lily, our behavior doesn’t quite seem like that of a lady and her maid. If others see this, they might become suspicious.”
“It’s fine. Let others think what they want. Oh, what’s going on up ahead?”
As Amelia spoke, she looked forward.
Over there was the entrance of White Maple Academy. A large crowd had gathered there now, and the scene looked exceptionally chaotic.
“I’ll go check it out. Miss Lily, please wait here for me.”
Eileen said, quickly freeing her hand from Amelia’s grasp and hurrying towards the distance.
Watching Eileen’s departing figure, Amelia couldn’t help but smile.
She didn’t have to wait long. Eileen soon returned, and her expression had become especially solemn.
“Miss Lily, the Fourth Prince Salit is dead.”
“The Fourth Prince?”
Amelia couldn’t help but ponder.
She wasn’t familiar with Fourth Prince Salit. Only upon hearing his name now did she gain a slight understanding of this person through the content of the bullet comments.
He was a relatively unpopular prince among many, but because of his good looks, he was rather favored by Grand Duke Ogden.
This person was dead?
Dead right when Grand Duke Ogden had just fallen critically ill?
No matter how Amelia looked at it, she found it hard to see this as a coincidence.
“Eileen, do you know how Salit died?”
“It’s still unclear. Someone just discovered his body in a small alley outside White Maple Academy. His Guards also died at the scene.”
“His Guards, they were all Mid-Rank Apostles, weren’t they?”
Amelia’s expression couldn’t help but turn serious.
Killing more than one Mid-Rank Apostle… the amount of force required was obvious.
“The competition for the next Grand Duke has already begun… Let’s go. We’re heading to Harold’s place.” Amelia planned to find her people to discuss the situation.
Harold didn’t know that Amelia also had the identity of Lily Hicks. If he wanted to contact Amelia, he could only leave a message in the newspaper’s message board section.
But Amelia could directly find Harold and the others. She knew which inn they were currently staying at.
Amelia took Eileen back to the dormitory first, then boarded the carriage and left White Maple Academy.
A short while later, Amelia appeared in a room at an inn.
In the clean, simple inn room, Harold and Nicole were both present.
“Your Majesty, this is…”
Seeing the disguised forms of Amelia and Eileen, Nicole looked somewhat surprised.
If she hadn’t just met Amelia the previous night, seeing Amelia now so suddenly, she probably wouldn’t have been able to connect Amelia with this current appearance.
“Her Majesty is just in disguise to conceal her identity, nothing to be surprised about,” Harold explained, seeing through the situation at a glance.
“Oh, oh, I understand,” Nicole nodded obediently upon hearing this and sat quietly in her chair.
Amelia looked at Harold. “Harold, you should already know why I’ve come, correct?”
Harold smiled. “Today, the Luban Duchy can truly be described as undergoing tumultuous changes. If I still hadn’t grasped the situation after a whole morning, I would be far too negligent. So, Your Majesty, what are your plans given the current circumstances?”
“Since the situation is still unclear, it’s not good to rashly formulate any actions. But we should also make some preparations. Here’s what you all should do…” Amelia began giving instructions.
