45 Dragon and Phoenix Jade (1/2)

Lancaster Mansion.

Rachel was walking down the dark corridor back to her room after having used the bathroom. Even though she was a goddess on campus, she was still a human at the end of the day. Like everyone else, she had to answer it when nature calls. There was no shame in it.

On her way back, she noticed there was still light in the room with a half-opened door. It was her mother's study room.

'What's mum doing up this late?'

Rachel decided to check on her mum. Opening the door, she saw her mum sitting at her desk, reading through a pile of reports with a frown.

Putting down the report in her hand, Amelia rubbed her temples before noticing Rachel by the door.

”What are just standing around there for, my little girl? It's getting late. You should be in bed.” Amelia said with a smile, relaxing her frown.

”Mum, I told you. I'm not little anymore.” Rachel pouted as she made her over and hug her mum's arm, while glancing at the bunch of report papers on the desk. ”What seems to be troubling you so much, mum?”

Hearing her daughter's question, Amelia let out a long sigh along with her accumulated stress. ”I originally thought I had a good lead on the whereabouts of the missing prince… but sigh… the only clue we had ended right where it started.”

”What do you mean it ended where it started, mum?” Rachel asked. Although she wasn't interested in where the missing prince was and hoped he was never found. However, she also did not want to see her mother so troubled and want to share some of the burden. She was not happy with her parents arranging her marriage, but she still loves her parents dearly, just as they love her.

She also understands that things cannot continue like this. With the king in coma and the queen without the heart to rule, the kingdom was slowly falling apart. Things would only turn for the better if the prince was found.

”I told you previously that we found out that the prince was sent to an orphanage during the chaos 17 years ago. Originally it shouldn't be hard to find the prince if we can locate the right orphanage and inquire the people working there about it… but none of the orphanages are open anymore. The people there are all gone. Every one of them.” At this point, Amelia had a look of extreme hatred and disgust in her eyes.

Such a look startled Rachel greatly. She had never seen her mother express such look of loathing and disgust at anything before. Was this still her gentle and kind mother?

Seeing her daughter's startled expression, she smiled wryly.

”That's a good thing.” Rachel was confused. It sounds like they receive plenty of donations, so why did they all close?

”However, those donations stopped coming in for many years. Instead, people even take the money from the orphanages.” Amelia sighed with a clenched fist that was visibly shaking, showing her agitation.

”What!? Who dares to steal donation money from the orphanages!?” Rachel felt angry for the children. Were they forced to starve? And where did they all go now?

”Who else but the nobles that raise the donation money?” Amelia did her best to keep her temper under control.

The nobles participated in events to promote their images for their own self-interest. It wouldn't be strange if they ordered people take the money back secretly if they did not actually want to give away such a large amount of money.

What made her extremely angry was how ignorant they have been of the evil befalling the Lower District in all these years. Nobles had they own circle in the Upper District and rarely visit the Lower District unless they are leaving the capital or have business to attend there.

She had personally paid a visit the Lower District to check the orphanages and she had notice that although things look normal on the surface, there was no vitality in Lower District.

She had paid a visit to her best friend, the queen, to update her on her findings and they had shared what they have uncovered together. They knew the nobles were corrupted but they didn't realized how deep the corruption ran until now. All sorts of evil had taken place in the Lower District in the name of profits.

Hallucinogens like the Fantasy pill and forced protection money were just on the lighter side of things. There were forced prostitution, human and organ trafficking as well. The kingdom was just a shell of its former glory.