Chapter 140: Episode 16: Chapter 4 (1/2)

Chapter 140: Episode 16: Chapter 4

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In a blink of an eye, two months have passed. It was now summer in Dulin. People switched to thinner clothes, especially ladies, who had their snow-white chests exposed under the sun, unbothered by men's gazes and the marks imprinted by chest binders.

Wutong trees bloomed, casting shadows onto the narrow streets. Not much attention was paid to the sun's heat and the fishy stench, except for passers-by occasionally throwing out complaints about Dulin's drainage system and the hot weather.

At the end of the city's drainage, the Private Prison under the Secret Service Department welcomed another day. The guards, people who had once committed mistakes or were unfavorable to their superiors, often vented their anger and stress of being placed in this hell on the prisoners. Because of that, these ugly pale people would come up with a variety of creative methods, enabling them to relieve their stress while achieving ulterior aims.

The howls of the wind could be heard from the dark underground waterways, along with the occasional gut-wrenching cry. Going through past the dark tunnel, over a river of stinking water and through an archway, the scene brightened into a spacious underground clearing lit by torch-fires, as though it was burning.

”I can't stand this place!” Roment Huga Andeses, Titan Empire's high official of Ministry of Justice, complained lowly.

Rudolf Hoss smiled at his long-time colleague, ”Sorry, I don't really want to be here either, but our predecessors just had to build the damned prison at this place!”

”How was the trial?” the high official of Ministry of Justice finally recalled his purpose of coming here.

The Secret Service Officer shrugged, ”Almost done!”

”That's good!” Roment sighed. He warily touched his colleague's arm.

”Hey! Don't you think… What I'm saying is … isn't the investigation going a little too fast and too smoothly? I feel like we are nearing success rather easily.”

Without giving himself away, Rudolf Hoss curled his lips. ”Isn't that good? All this while, His Majesty has been asking me about the shooting incident's progress every day, I've had enough of his saliva on me! Don't torture me anymore!”

”That's not what I meant!” the high official frowned. ”You think I would have fewer mistreatments than you? What I'm trying to say is that, is it really the Southern thugs who invoked this incident? Were there not any elements of conspiracy?”

”A conspiracy?” Rudolf halted his steps and looked around. At his side were all his trusted aides. ”Sir, let us be frank! Even if there really are conspiracies involved, so what? Now that all witnesses, evidence and the most important testimonies have been settled, my investigation has come to an end. I don't want to trouble you, you know?”

”What do you mean?” Puzzled, Roment looked at the Secret Service Manager.

Bearing a strange expression, Rudolf laughed, ”What I meant is that I don't believe that the southern bandits have that much guts. But since evidence is pointing in that direction, I have nothing to say.”

The high official was silenced. He understood that he would not be able to probe anything special out of the Secret Service Manager.

”Alright! Since you said it, we'll let it pass!” Roment retreated sensibly. ”Let me take the criminal and let's leave this damned place quickly! Oh my god, it's only been so long and I'm close to getting rheumatism again!”

Rudolf nodded, ”That's right, that's right! You take the criminal and deal with him however you want!”

The high official stared at the man on the rack in a daze; he did not know how he should deal with this criminal whose human exterior was no longer recognizable. It could be observed that the captured rioter was one of strong will, white bones protruding from below his knees and a burnt stench lingering on his body. ”Who is he?” Roment pointed at the prisoner.

Rudolf grunted, ”Person-in-charge of the Southern Rebel Army's assassination operation, a convenience store owner, also the largest ordnance distributor of Faran's black market.”

”What?” the high official was puzzled.

The Secret Service Manager looked at the prisoner in disgust and nodded affirmingly, ”That's right! Relying on the black market to secure funds for the Rebel Army, the war needs money, so do we, and so do the thugs. They plant poppies at some warm secluded valleys in the South, refine opium and trade the opium for food and weapons on the black market.”

”Haha! Look, these are the professions undertaken by bandits who claim to be advocates of freedom!” Roment growled.

Rudolf shrugged, ”I think these people don't really have a choice. The Southern Army has locked down the mountains and restricted the inflow of resources. If the Rebel Army is to survive, they would have to be independent. They don't have much choice.”

”How so?” the high official raised his voice. ”They can go die! The God of Light will never forgive them! Hell's gates have long opened for these sinners!”

”I hope so!” Rudolf nodded. ”Alright! He is yours!”

Roment rubbed his palms together, ”Thank you for your generosity! The Ministry of Justice will treat him well!”

Rudolf and his colleague looked at each other and smiled. They were both highly skilled in the torturing of prisoners.

Kenshin Palace was showered with summer's sunlight yet shaded by greenery. The pillars and ceiling of the palace were radiating heat as well. It seemed that only the balcony, decorated with silk, and the windows had traces of a cool breeze. Even so, summer in Dulin could only be described as depressing.

Alanis opened her eyes slowly, the cotton blanket tangled around her. Despite the thick layers of curtains blocking out the scorching sunlight, the princess' body was drenched with sweat.

Swatting away her cotton blanket, Alanis' matured body was entirely exposed to the air. With some struggling, she pushed her upper body up. Waking moments were the worst! Especially at the legs! Alanis held her ankles and felt as if the searing numbness from her thighs was occupying her every thought.

He's not there! The married princess then realized that the other side of the bed was empty! Alanis sighed in exhaustion, who said that those things could lift your spirits? Alanis cursed lowly, liar! Big liar! Her waist hurt as if it was broken, and it took half a day to regain the senses in her lower body.

The weary princess tackled her pillow, upon which, a male scent lingered! Unconsciously, Alanis smiled softly. She liked the feeling of being a wife and was also charmed by the living patterns of not waking up regularly, or not waking up at all.

”He was so strong!” the princess suddenly recalled the events that had transpired last night or the night before, numerous shadows overlapping each other, the rough pants of a man and the feminine cries of a woman replaying in her ears. Alanis stuffed her face into the pillow, not knowing if she should feel ashamed or fortunate, ashamed by her lewdness, but fortunate for her not-too-late discoveries of the joys of being a woman.

Finally, Alanis pressed on the bell at her bed front, of which its mechanism was buried underground and connected to the outside. Madam Keegan, who had been on standby the whole time, entered the room upon hearing the bell. The housewife of lowly status looked at the princess, now dressed in pajamas. My goodness! Madam Keegan sighed softly; never had she thought she could ever serve a princess of the royalty.

It had been a month since Alanis had first arrived at Kenshin Palace. Other than the few suitcases which were filled with her favorite clothes, she did not bring along any maidservants. According to her words, although she was the hostess of Kenshin, she did not want to interfere in any of her husband's businesses.

”Do you want to bathe, your Imperial Highness?” Madam Keegan courteously stood at the door side, waiting for her master's orders.

”Of course!” Alanis answered weakly. ”However, do not call me by such an outdated title 'your Imperial Highness', you can call me ma'am!”

”Yes, ma'am!”

Alanis nodded in satisfaction. She wanted to get out of bed but the pain in her legs made her lock her brows.

”Let me help you!” Madam Keegan moved forward, looking at the weak princess with a bright demeanor. ”Young couples are all like this, you'll get used to it soon enough!”

”Oh…” Alanis blushed. ”Are you joking?”

”Hehe! I dare not!” said Madam Keegan while helping the princess into the spacious washroom. Not long after, the pleasant sounds of running water could be heard.

His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil sat on the main seat. While sunlight penetrated through the glass house and glowed upon him, everything seemed so vibrant. However, his Imperial Highness Prince was just dully flipping through the newspapers and the various documents sent by the Military Intelligence Bureau early in the morning.

It seemed that this ”man who gets injured easily” was recovering rather well; his chest bandages had already been removed a month ago. To this day, there was still news commenting on his life force with people claiming that the Titan clan was a shield created by the Gods.

For him, Alfa III His Majesty had gone out of his way to strengthen the guards. Kenshin Palace now had a cavalry squadron of two hundred knights as his escort. For these loyal knights, Oscar designed a coat of arms, distinctive from that of the Capital Security Division. A shield of the Fierce Tiger of Narcissus was drawn. It seemed that His Highness adored the name his people called him by.

”Good day, your Imperial Highness!”

”Mes!” Oscar beamed at his old friend, ”You came at the right timing. Come, have a seat!”

Messier bowed respectfully and proceeded to sit beside his Imperial Highness Prince. He was not really fond of courtesy, especially in times of trouble.

”You have to see this! The Deiss branch just sent this!” with a stern expression, the Head of the Intelligence Analysis Department presented a document stamped with red words.

”Level 1 classification?” Oscar received the document with skepticism. He only made it past the first line when he let out a shocked cry.

”The King of Deiss is dead?”

”That's right!” Messier nodded affirmingly.

Oscar redirected his gaze to the document, ”This was … this was signed by Deiss' Branch Director on 6th June which was … four days ago! But is the source reliable? Why didn't we receive any official notification?”

”I'm not sure either!” Messier replied in confusion. ”The Deiss branch would never make jokes like this! They must have secured solid evidence before transmitting encrypted data back to the headquarter. I just spoke with a few colleagues, they may not have any sound explanation, but there was one thing which everyone came to agree! That there might very well be big moves by the Deiss on the battlefield!”

Oscar momentarily stunned. He started to search on the dining table.

”This is it!” His Imperial Highness Prince got hold of a document which the Combat Department had sent to the Military Intelligence Bureau. ”Wasn't Alan's summer attack progressing smoothly? Could this be … could this be a facade?”

Messier let out a heavy sigh, ”It seems like it! Marshall Alan had no choice but to cancel the spring plan due to various factors and focus his offense in the summer plan. However, things are never so simple. The Northern troops sustained huge casualties earlier in the year. Even though reinforcements have entered the scene, they will never be the Deiss Army's opponent, having just recovered just a portion of their strength. At least, not for now!”

Oscar calmed down. He thought that something was missing in the Deiss branch's report.

”What is her Royal Highness Princess Opareal Roulexberg, acting King of Deiss busy with? If her brother has died, she should have immediately succeeded the throne! The Empire's attacks are still continuing, could it be that … the Deiss are worried that the news of the king's passing will waver the troops' resolve?”

Messier shook his head, ”Doesn't seem like it, or shall I say, it is just a part of the reason! According to the earlier reports of the Deiss branch, Princess Opareal Roulexberg had been avoiding the heat in her summer palace while the government and military were being put under the control of her husband and the Supreme High Commander respectively.”

Oscar's demeanor froze, ”Mes! I'm asking … what is Opareal Roulexberg doing?”

Glancing at the Prince's expression, Messier sighed. He knew that his master could never be fooled so easily.

”Your Imperial Highness, one thing … There is one thing still under investigation…”

”Speak! I'm running out of patience!” Oscar hastily cut off the words of the Military Intelligence Bureau Head.

”Okay okay! I'll speak!” Messier scratched his head, ”There is evidence showing that acting King of Deiss, Opareal Roulexberg is expecting, and it is only due to her health concerns that she stepped down.”

”What is she doing in the summer palace?”

”Weren't you listening? I hear that …”

”Don't use the words 'I hear'!” Oscar yelped softly.

”Alright! Alright! The Deiss branch did not confirm the news' legitimacy, they only mentioned that the possibility of Princess Opareal being pregnant and expecting is high! But there's still one thing requiring our attention. It was rumored within the Deiss Palace that acting King and her husband sleep in separate rooms after marriage, which is why we are doubting the news of pregnancy…”

”Enough!” Oscar waved his arms about. He suddenly thought of Vijdeline in the faraway North, it had been like that once! Could this be the second occurrence? But to Opareal … Oscar knew that he was not as confident on this as compared to his own child with Vij.

”What are you discussing?” the hostess' cheerful voice sounded from the hall.

Baron Messier stood immediately and retreated to the side in respect.

”Good day, your Royal Highness Princess!”

Oscar's expression turned brighter. Remaining seated, he accepted his wife's hugs and kisses.

The graceful Alanis looked as though she'd regained her previous shine. Her dress swept up fragrant breezes when she turned.

”Mes! I've lost count the number of times I told you? Please call me ma'am! And, what are you doing? Quickly, have a seat!” the princess called while pointing at the seat to her husband's right while she was seated to his left.

”Oh … ma'am! This is not right, this makes me …”

”Enough, Mes!” Oscar waved. ”This is my home, don't mind the rigid rules, hurry and come sit! We shall enjoy our lunch together! To be honest, I'm dying of hunger but my hostess didn't want to get out of bed, what could I do?”

Alanis blushed and pinched her husband's arm hard.

The trio's lunch was scrumptious. Oscar was ravenous; his appetite since his injuries had been shocking and he seemed to be hell-bent on eating himself into a fatty.

While the roast lamb steak was meant for three, half of it went to his Imperial Highness Prince. He sprinkled a generous amount of Jerusalem artichoke powder onto the crispy lamb steak. On Oscar's dining plate, there was also a considerably large portion of pea puree seasoned with olive oil. Other than that, there were meat cubes cooked with tomato sauce and the attention-stealing shrimp soup with white vinegar.

”Okay!” near the end of her meal, Alanis sighed in satisfaction. She put down her cutlery and turned to her husband who had been eating in silence.

”You should be telling me what happened by now! Your sour demeanor can't be hidden from me!”

Oscar stopped and threw a look at Messier without giving himself away.

”Oh! Ma'am, it's like this!” Messier understood what to do and wiped at the corners of his mouth while talking. ”His Imperial Highness Prince and I were just discussing a worrisome matter and according to the sources at hand, Alan's new round of assault on Deiss may face some troubles!”

”Hehe! Is that so?” Alanis smiled knowingly. ”Let us start praying! Pray for Marshall Alan and his military operation to not encounter any surprises as the nobles of Dulin are all waiting for the news of Marshall's misfortune!”

Oscar was shocked out of his stupor and looked at his wife incredulously.

With feigned surprise, Alanis met her husband's eyes. ”What's wrong? Is that not so?... Even a fool can see that Marshall Alan's political stance will not waver. If the war he himself invoked is to end in defeat, the royalties despising him will surely seize the chance to create trouble, forcing him to step down.”

His Imperial Highness Prince and the Head of Military Intelligence Bureau glanced at each other. It seemed that they'd come to some sort of enlightenment.

On the seventy-eighth day following the verification of the Treaty of Afternoon Tea, the Commander of the Guards tore the thin piece of agreement to pieces. On one side of the battlefield, Titan Empire's Northern Army began its advancement towards Deiss' capital. It had been more than a month through the summer attack, but the speed of the Guards' advancement could only be described as that of snails moving.

”Which is saying … Alan never wanted to win!” Oscar finally voiced out his deduction. Messier, who stood at the side, nodded in agreement.

The Military Intelligence Bureau Head recalled the past battle reports and expressed his concerns too.

”At Alborto Fortress ----- Borensberg, the Deiss has set up two troops each consisting of fourteen corps, both backing up each other. It's impossible for Marshall Alan's eight-corps troop to invade the Deiss capital no matter what! I think that… he and Northern Army's encounter will be extremely tragic!”

Oscar chuckled coldly. While he had been distracted by Opareal's news, he had now calmed down completely. So what if Opareal was expecting? She would be the future Deiss King and would no longer have any interactions with a Titan Prince, it would all be a mirage of the past.

”Alan's calculations are very predictable! The attack is fake! The restructuring of the capital is true!”

Alanis looked at her husband questioningly but she was never slow-witted. It only took a while for the sharp-minded princess to fully understand.