Chapter 451: The Inherited Mind Games
Chapter 451: The Inherited Mind Games
What the hell are you thinking?!
Upon hearing the rare display of genuine emotion from the old King, the Princess pursed her lips, remaining silent. Meanwhile, Lyon, standing beside her, almost burst out laughing at the King's words.
Although the King had been unconscious early on and was unaware of the current situation, his words had indeed created a comedic effect.
At this moment, the rebels—cough, cough—the enthusiastic citizens inspired by the Princess, had already taken control of the palace and were confiscating the guards' weapons.
As for the opposition party's senators, they had been caught by the rebels' anomaly holders as they left the parliament and boarded their carriages. They were now likely being held in some unknown dark room.
It could be said that, at this moment, there were hardly any influential figures left in the capital who could make decisions. For the next few days, the upper echelons of power would be in a complete vacuum, allowing the rebels to take over as they pleased.
Although the Royal Guard, the old King's loyal followers, were rushing towards the palace from a few streets away, and they were well-equipped with heavy firepower, the rebels, with their average military academy drop-out level, couldn't possibly hold them off. Theoretically, there was still a chance for the Royal Guard to turn the tables.
But with the old King, the Queen, and the Prince in the rebels' hands, how could the Royal Guard stage a comeback? If they dared to fire, the rebels would hang the King, Queen, and Prince outside the palace gates. One death would result in a military tribunal, two deaths would mean execution on the spot, and if all three were killed, the Princess could immediately ascend the throne!
In short, this game was over, and the rebels had won.
Instead of ordering Joshua to treat Princess Veronica better, Lyon thought it would be better to consider Joshua's future. When finding a wife for him, should she choose a slender or a voluptuous woman?
...
Sensing something from the Princess's silent contemplation, the old King's pupils constricted slightly. The hint of warmth that had appeared in his eyes vanished, replaced by a stern gaze as he asked, "Veronica, what have you done?"
"Father."
Without answering the old King's question, the Princess remained silent for a moment before meeting his gaze—a gaze that was fierce and sharp, yet held a hint of panic. With a calm expression, she said, "I will be a good king."
"..."
"Also, considering what you just said, I will treat Joshua well. If the Chancellor cooperates, I won't do anything to him or the Queen. You can retire in peace."
"..."
Hearing the Princess's words and seeing the hint of sadness in her calm eyes, the old King's lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he turned away and whispered, "I'm sorry."
"There's no need for apologies. You've always been like this, haven't you?"
The Princess bit her lip, wheeled the old King's wheelchair out of the study, and handed him over to a female official, instructing her to take the King to rest. She then stood by the window that Lyon had blown open, gazing down in a daze.
"Veronica?"
Sensing that the Princess's emotions were off, Lyon couldn't help but ask softly, "What's wrong?"
"I... I'm actually fine..."
Hearing Lyon's question, the Princess bit her lower lip, and her eyes reddened slightly as she smiled, "It's just a bit of regret."
"Regret?"
"Yes, regret."
Leaning on the broken windowsill, the Princess faced the cold wind, her voice carrying a hint of loneliness, "The only family member I've been thinking about didn't acknowledge my feelings from start to finish. Wanting me to agree to something, yet not willing to discuss it until now, and instead choosing to use tricks in front of me."
"?"
Looking at Lyon, who was confused, Princess Veronica sighed, "Although he's been unconscious and doesn't know that you've already taken control with your people, when he wakes up and realizes that it's you and me waiting by his side instead of the Queen and Joshua, he should be able to guess part of the situation.
And he also understands my personality. Seeing that I'm not busy dealing with the aftermath of the coup but waiting here for him to wake up, he'll know that we've completely controlled the situation, and Joshua will never have the chance to succeed the throne."
The old King knows?
Upon hearing the Princess's words, Leon couldn't help but pause, his brows furrowing slightly in thought.
If the old King has already guessed the situation, then why did he say to wait until Joshua succeeds the throne and ask him to treat the Princess well... Wait a minute!
"It seems you've figured it out too."
Looking at Leon, who seemed to have realized something, Veronica smiled. Her eyes were red with unshed tears as she spoke with a hint of self-mockery.
"This is how royalty shows family affection. He's worried that after I succeed the throne, I'll take Joshua's life. So, while he still has control over the situation, he pretends not to notice and deliberately says such a thing.
Even though it's just talk, if Joshua can treat me well after he succeeds the throne, then I should naturally do the same for him after I take the throne. After all, I can't be worse than Joshua, can I?"
"..."
So... the old King is being cunning. Knowing that Joshua has already lost, he pretends to be crazy and foolish, trying to trick Veronica into speaking up to save his son's life?
After understanding the King's plan, Leon finally realized why the Princess felt so sad. But not knowing how to comfort her, he could only stand by the window with her for a while.
A moment later, a cold hand reached up and grasped Leon's hand, shaking it gently in a pleading manner.
"Leon..."
Looking at Leon, the Princess's eyes were red as she spoke softly.
"I'm not lying, I feel a little upset right now. Can you let me lean on you for a moment?"
"Okay..."
"Thank you."
Leaning on Leon's shoulder, she faced the cold wind blowing in from the window. With a lonely expression, the Princess said,
"Actually, I'm not disappointed that my father is playing mind games. I'm used to all this by now. What truly saddens me is that, at this moment, he won't even ask me for help."
"Ask you?"
"Yes, like a real family member, asking me selfishly just once."
Cuddling closer to Leon, the Princess pressed her lips together and spoke softly.
"It's not that I want him to beg me so that I can feel better. It's just that someone like my father, who can use anything to his advantage, will do so without hesitation.
If he thought asking me would be useful, he wouldn't hesitate to do it directly. The only reason he didn't is that he feels this father-daughter bond has no value, and it's not a good 'card' to play."
"That's not necessarily true..."
Looking at the Princess's increasingly red eyes, Leon couldn't help but offer comfort.
"Your father... perhaps he just doesn't know how you feel about him and thinks you don't value him as a father, so he's unwilling to ask you."
"No, that's not it."
The Princess shook her head.
"Although my father doesn't know how I feel about him, he must understand how he feels about me as a daughter. In such a short time, he can only subconsciously measure my feelings for him based on his feelings for me.
Since he made this decision, it proves that in his heart, our father-daughter bond has no value. Instead of pleading with me emotionally, he'd rather play a little mind game and use words to trap me, which is safer.
For me, he's the only family member I can care about. But to him, I'm just a stranger. Playing the emotional card is a privilege only for family, and between us, there's only interests and gains."
"..."
"Sorry for rambling on about all sorts of things..."
With a soft sigh, the Princess looked down from the broken window. She gazed at Joshua, who was crying in the garden, embracing the Queen who had just woken up. With a lonely expression, she sighed.
"To be honest, I'm truly jealous of Joshua.
He's reckless, hot-tempered, arrogant, immature, and loves to spend money... He has so many flaws, but my father genuinely loves him. He has a mother who adores him and an uncle who forgives him no matter what mistakes he makes.
I do everything better than him, and I can handle any situation perfectly. Countless people are willing to praise me, but since my mother's passing, not a single person has shown such unconditional favor towards me."
"..."
"Leon..."
Gently tugging on Leon's collar, the Princess, leaning against his chest, looked up with tearful eyes and asked softly.
"Will you be that person for me?"
(End of Chapter)
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