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Chapter 426: Nevermind
Chapter 426: Nevermind
What happened after the meeting with the Prime Minister?
Hearing the two ladies-in-waiting's words, the princess subconsciously touched her arm, feeling a slight warmth in her heart.
That's right, after the meeting with the Prime Minister, she was first injured by the officers who surrounded the residence, and then she secretly climbed out from the outer wall to find Lyon. During this time, there had been no news from her, so it was natural for her father to be concerned and send someone to check on her.
"Let's go."
Nodding at the two ladies-in-waiting, the princess temporarily set aside her chaotic thoughts and prepared to head towards the upper levels of the palace. However...
"Your Highness, it's not that way."
After calling out to the princess, one of the ladies-in-waiting respectfully reported, "His Majesty is not in his bedroom. He is waiting for you in the private lounge on the fourth floor. Please come this way."
The private lounge on the fourth floor? The princess was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
The private lounge on the fourth floor of the palace was used for receiving important guests. At this time, her father should have finished his alchemical tonic and be resting in his bedroom on the top floor, but why was he waiting in the small reception room?
"Are there very important guests?"
After a moment's thought, the princess, following the lady-in-waiting, asked with some confusion, "Envoys from the Black Forest Kingdom, "Is it the envoy from the Black Forest Kingdom or the diplomat from the Saeo Kingdom?"
"Neither, Your Highness."
The lady-in-waiting leading the way respectfully said, "At least before we arrived, there were no foreign guests in the lounge."
No guests? Hearing the lady-in-waiting's response, the princess's eyebrows rose in surprise. Just as she was about to ask further, she heard the lady-in-waiting say, "Your Highness, our duty is only to guide you. As ladies-in-waiting, we should not speak too much. Please ask His Majesty directly after you see him!"
"..."
Unexpectedly, just asking about her father's situation, the princess received a vague rejection, causing her eyebrows to furrow slightly. The warmth in her heart suddenly turned cold.
Unlike her, when her father chose his ladies-in-waiting, he didn't value talent or character, but instead, he valued caution, obedience, and their ability to accurately convey his will.
In other words, these two ladies-in-waiting were pure messengers, and their attitude towards her was, in a sense, equivalent to her father's attitude towards her.
Following the two ladies-in-waiting who were not given to laughter, the princess arrived at the private lounge on the fourth floor. The scene inside confirmed her suspicions.
In the lounge, meant for receiving important guests, there was not only the old king, but also two middle-aged people with slightly similar features, appearing to be in their forties, sitting in armchairs upholstered with velvet, waiting with the king.
When they saw the princess appear outside the door, the older-looking man smiled gently and nodded at her, while the other woman, with her exquisite makeup and lavish attire, secretly sneered, her eyes revealing a hidden disgust.
"Veronica."
Accompanied by a hoarse voice, the king, sitting directly across from the room, raised the staff adorned with a ruby in his hand, pointing to the empty chair across from the middle-aged couple, and said with an unrefusable tone:
"Come and sit. Tell me about today's events."
"Okay."
Glancing at the queen and the minister of finance in the lounge, the princess sighed inwardly and slowly walked into the reception room, sitting in the designated seat. She began to narrate:
"This afternoon, according to the scheduled itinerary, I visited the prime minister's residence to discuss the expansion of universal suffrage. But just as the meeting was about to end, more than three hundred captains and lieutenants, incited by someone with an agenda, blocked me at the prime minister's residence.
"When I mentioned 'someone with an agenda', the Princess deliberately slowed her pace, glancing meaningfully at the middle-aged couple across from her before turning to face the elderly King on the main seat."
"To gather so many military department sergeants at once, not only do you need a very strong background and connections, but also a considerable amount of time. Even if we just consider the travel time, it would take more than a week."
"As for the decision to implement the officer replacement decree, although many people have found out about it recently, a week ago, I only discussed it with you. So, could you please tell me who learned of this news from you?"
?!
Upon hearing the Princess's inquiry, the Queen across from her was slightly startled, then tightly gripped the armrest of her chair, her annoyance evident as she spoke:
"You..."
"I'm sorry, the news might have leaked from me."
Grabbing the Queen's sleeve and pulling her back from her impending interrogation, the refined Chancellor of Finance sighed and explained:
"After learning that Princess Veronica was preparing to implement the replacement decree, I immediately sent an internal letter, requesting the Ministry of Finance to make corresponding preparations and clear the backlogged salaries of the sergeants in advance, to cooperate with the Princess's plans."
"But unexpectedly, despite my emphasis that the letter must not be sent out and should remain within the ministry, due to the recent cooperation with the Princess's tax reduction policy, the Ministry of Finance has been extremely busy. Still, someone violated the rules and took the letter home."
"Although there is no evidence to confirm it yet, I personally suspect that it was most likely seen by the relatives of the officials, who privately informed their friendly nobles, causing the news to be leaked."
At this point, the Chancellor of Finance stood up from his chair, bowed slightly towards the Princess across from him, and apologized with a guilty expression:
"I'm sorry, Princess Veronica. It was probably my careless management that led to the premature leak of the news, which caused you to be surrounded by sergeants and even injured by thrown stones. I am willing to take full responsibility for this matter."
"..."
"It 'might' have been you who leaked it, 'although' there is no evidence yet, 'most likely' it was your careless management..." Hmph, your apology is so precise.
Facing the Chancellor of Finance's "sincere" apology, Princess Veronica did not stand up to accept it. Instead, she turned her head away from the King and stared at the middle-aged couple across from her, her expression calm as she asked:
"And then? You two came here late at night, it can't just be to check on my injury, can it?"
(End of Chapter)
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