Chapter 182: Elizabeth’s Courtyard
The Golden Palace is essentially the palace where King Godlin the Ninth has lived for generations, which means that according to the usual protocol, Prince Dexter and Princess Elizabeth cannot reside there for long periods. They are allowed to return only during holidays or family dinners.
According to previous customs, after reaching adulthood, princes and princesses would receive a piece of land to live on outside the palace, while underage princes and princesses would have to live in the Golden Palace for education and supervision. Isabel’s situation is similar; she returns to the Golden Palace after weekends at Saint Nali University.
However, the circumstances in the Golden Palace have changed significantly now. With King Godlin the Ninth’s health deteriorating day by day, he lacks the energy to concern himself with state affairs, let alone the education of the princes and princesses.
Currently, many state affairs are handled by the Crown Prince Dexter, while Lunsis is responsible for taking care of the King’s health, necessitating regular visits to the Golden Palace.
Sometimes Elizabeth resides in the Golden Palace, and at other times she stays in her courtyard in the suburbs, depending on whether she has official business. In reality, Elizabeth prefers to live in her assigned villa, where she feels much more comfortable.
Elizabeth’s villa is located on royal private land in the eastern part of Saint Nali. It is neither too large nor too small but is very exquisitely decorated.
The entire villa is painted in a pearly white color, and while it is three stories high, the actual floor space is not that extensive. The real large area is the backyard behind the villa, which occupies an entire small hill, making it perfect for exercise or walking. In the past, she even took Isabel horseback riding there.
Today is no different; without official duties weighing her down, Elizabeth is resting in her villa.
It is just after ten in the morning. In the courtyard behind the villa, a large sun umbrella covers a table and chairs. Dressed in a fitted home-long dress, Elizabeth sits gracefully on a chair, holding a feather quill as she writes. Lines of neat, elegant Nali script appear on the letter paper.
The villa is very quiet; besides a maid standing behind Elizabeth, it seems the only noise comes from the barking of dogs running around on the hillside behind the courtyard.
Upon closer inspection, there are about eight or nine dogs on the hill, various breeds and sizes, happily running and playing with toys on the ground.
Elizabeth loves raising dogs and has a variety of breeds. King Godlin the Ninth gifted her a purebred Nali Golden Dog for her eighteenth birthday, worth over a hundred thousand Nali, which is the tallest and most handsome among the group of dogs, and Elizabeth adores it.
Just two years after Elizabeth graduated from the Royal Academy, she took over command of the Royal Army. Having experienced thirty-three battles due to various skirmishes with Shvali and Cardu, she ultimately stabilized Nali’s external issues.
Her outstanding military command and operational capabilities have proven her position in the military. Subsequently, the Royal Navy and the Guards, also relegated by the increasingly frail King Godlin the Ninth, came under her command, making Elizabeth the Vice Commander of the Nali Royal Army, with the Chief Commander still being King Godlin the Ninth.
Over the years, wherever she went, if she heard about a region with specialty dog breeds, she would bring some back. Previously, when Queen Shval met her, she gifted Elizabeth a small dog, which shows her affection for these pets.
Among the dogs are Cardu’s sanctum breeds, Shvali’s combat dog breeds, and the long-haired Karmula dogs from the Northern Region, as well as three specialty breeds of Nali. Unknowingly, she has raised eight or nine dogs at home over the years.
The puppies are playfully roughhousing in the distance while Elizabeth quietly writes her letters. Beneath her letter lies a previous letter written to her by Fisher, describing his meeting with Dexter and the various intelligence that has surfaced recently.
Clearly, Elizabeth is currently writing a reply to Fisher.
“Your Highness, Prince Dexter has arrived.”
“Okay, I know.”
Just as Elizabeth was writing, another maid came out of the villa with her head bowed, softly reporting a few words to her. After waiting for Elizabeth’s nod, she placed her hands on her abdomen and slowly exited the rear courtyard, just as the handsome prince, Dexter, wearing a royal white garment, walked in.
Elizabeth dipped her feather quill into the inkwell and then slowly stood up, bowing to her brother.
“Elizabeth.”
“Brother.”
Dexter waved his hand and naturally sat down at the other corner of the table under the sun umbrella. After scanning the letters spread out on the table, he easily noticed the names on them since Elizabeth didn’t hide them.
After that glance, Dexter looked up at Elizabeth with a smile.
“It seems your relationship is better than I imagined. Do you two often correspond?”
“Not frequently, but more so recently.”
“That’s some progress, though it’s quite bold for a princess to initiate so much. That boy is indeed a little excessive. I pointed it out to him when I met him, and hopefully, he can take it to heart.”
Hearing her brother’s words, Elizabeth shook her head with a smile, her golden eyes looking at the dogs playfully tussling in the distance.
The “woof-woof” sounds of the dogs on the hill were too noisy as background noise, so Elizabeth lightly waved her hand, and the dogs immediately stopped playing, obediently running back to her, raising their heads and panting as they crouched beside her.
This scene truly surprised Dexter; it was his first time seeing such obedient dogs. He rarely conversed with his sister, let alone visit her villa. He had only called on her once when he was first assigned private land, and if it weren’t for an official matter, he might not have had the time to come.
“You raise them very well. How do you do it?”
“The thoughts of puppies are simple; they are quite obedient. They begin to understand my commands after some time. You could try raising some too, Brother. Enough about this; are you here because of Lunsis?”
“Ah, since Fisher mentioned it, that makes things easier.”
Dexter looked at the group of puppies beside her, playfully sticking out their tongues, and said,
“I’m going to utilize the army for the charity dinner this weekend. Lunsis is being too excessive, and it’s time to teach him a lesson. Besides, he is backed by Blake. Even though he is father’s friend, I still must teach him a lesson. I will seize the Healing Room.”
Elizabeth waved her hand, and the group of dogs nearby obediently ran back to the doghouse on the side of the villa. She quickly agreed without much pause,
“Okay, I will dispatch soldiers to the Healing Room. But Brother, regarding Father…”
As previously mentioned, Lunsis and Blake are seeking that subhuman for reasons beyond their personal interests; behind Lunsis stands the bedridden King Godlin the Ninth. The King’s time is limited, a truth known to everyone inside the Golden Palace. Hence, Lunsis’s motive for searching for subhumans is straightforward.
Humans sometimes fight back against predetermined outcomes, showing a courageous desire to challenge unfair fates. However, the cycle of life and death is something even one’s own children struggle to understand and support.
Dexter smiled helplessly and said to Elizabeth,
“Father is getting old; it’s natural to be muddled in the face of life and death. We cannot demand too much. This matter can be deemed my recklessness as a prince; I believe Father will understand.”
Elizabeth’s golden eyes looked at her brother for a second or two before she nodded in agreement,
“I understand. It seems that after this matter, everything will settle, and it’s about time I should let go, rest, and pursue my own life. I have been too busy with various matters over the years, and my feelings and personal life have been greatly hindered. After you become king, it is also time to bring my relationship with Fisher onto the agenda.”
Upon hearing Elizabeth’s words, Dexter’s eyes brightened slightly. How could he not understand her meaning?
Elizabeth has been granted the power over the Nali Army by their father. However, various supervising measures have also been imposed to ease the concerns of the future successor, Dexter. Still, as the saying goes, no amount of supervision can compare to having one’s power firmly in hand.
Furthermore, with Elizabeth’s relaxed tone, she did not wish to put Dexter in a difficult position, which Dexter clearly understood.
Elizabeth has stayed in this position for six long years, and now that she is freely transferring power, her contributions to Nali and the royal family cannot be erased. Dexter, being a kind-hearted person, certainly wouldn’t treat his sister, who has always looked out for him, unfairly.
With that thought in mind, Dexter generously said to Elizabeth,
“Alright, it’s a blessing for me to have you by my side helping me. So, I’ve finalized matters with you and Fisher and father’s situation will also be resolved in a few months. November is the royal family’s wedding month; I will decree that he marries you in late November. How does that sound?”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows slightly, clearly surprised that her brother would take such a hard line on arranged marriage. His behavior of forcing his sister into a marriage made Elizabeth shake her head with a smile, but after contemplating for a second, she rejected it.
“Forget it, Brother. I’ll handle it myself.”
Dexter frowned, quite confused as to why Elizabeth hesitated on this issue.
How long have she and Fisher been dragging this out? He’s already thirty-four with three children! Although all are daughters, he can still have more!
Looking at his sister, who is nearly twenty-nine and still tangled up with Fisher, one might think she is acting in a tragic play.
“Elizabeth, don’t blame me for being too direct; it’s all for your own good. You’re almost twenty-nine! That Fisher… let’s be straightforward; he’s clearly the highest-caliber gentleman in Saint Nali. Not to mention his various good qualities, he doesn’t seem like the type to be singularly honest.”
Elizabeth rested her chin in her hand and looked at Dexter, signaling him to continue.
“You see, he’s been keeping himself in check and has managed well all these years, probably because you’re around in Saint Nali. Without your watch, I’m afraid he would have a lady by his side every night and could frequently be found at the Pink Pavilion. Or, I’ll say this: many of the men in Nali are like this; they need the constraints of family and responsibility.”
“You’ve been too lenient on him. You’re a woman, and showing your gentle side is not wrong, but you’re also Princess Godlin, and your dignity and status need to be showcased. I learned about him before meeting him; if I’m not mistaken, that female subhuman who escaped from the Royal Academy is likely by his side. Elizabeth, don’t you understand? A female subhuman is with him!”
At the last part, Dexter raised his voice slightly, emphasizing the seriousness of the situation to Elizabeth.
But Elizabeth smiled, holding her chin as she explained Fisher,
“He is a scholar; even if that female subhuman is by his side, it’s only for research purposes. Don’t you remember? He has published many articles about subhumans from the Southern Continent in academic journals. I’ve heard that the ‘Southern Continent Subhuman Protection Association’ was inspired by his writings.”
“The ‘Southern Continent Subhuman Protection Association’? What is that?”
Dexter expressed confusion, indicating that he had never heard of that name. Elizabeth shrugged and skipped over the topic.
“Just a tool for the New Party to garner votes…”
“Well, I mean, you’ve put too much pressure on him. Gentlemen, men, at twenty-eight, in the prime of their life, are without a lady by their side. What if, under your pressure, he ends up unable to interact with a proper lady and instead turns to a female subhuman?”
Hearing her brother’s words, Elizabeth parted her lips, momentarily stunned by his shocking statement.
After a long silence, she finally shook her head with considerable stiffness and said,
“Fisher… would never be that sort of person, Brother, so you needn’t worry. I will manage my relationship with him appropriately; I… can’t wait any longer.”
Upon receiving her sister’s response, Dexter smiled and nodded, standing up to take his leave.
“Alright, as long as you are aware. I’ll return to the Golden Palace early; there are still things to handle. Please rest well, and I’ll rely on you for the weekend matters.”
“Sure.”
Elizabeth stood up to see Dexter off, but he waved his hand to indicate there was no need.
It was evident that Dexter was in a good mood; he had reaped significant rewards from his visit to the villa today. Not only was Elizabeth’s assistance towards seizing Lunsis during the weekend a bonus, but he also secured Elizabeth’s promise to transfer power to him. For the future of Godlin the Tenth, he was certainly satisfied.
Watching Dexter leave the villa, Elizabeth’s expression remained calm. She slowly returned to her previous seat, while the group of little puppies happily ran out to squat beside her. The Nali Golden Dog repeatedly bumped its head into her hand as if asking Elizabeth to pet it.
Elizabeth smiled and turned back, her empty gold gaze resting on the group of small dogs. She reached out to pat the golden dog’s head.
“Go and play.”
“Awoo!”
“Woof~”
The dogs raced off wildly, dashing back up the hill to play.
Elizabeth watched the group of dogs run far away, then reached out to fold the letter she had written. She took the messenger Fisher had given her earlier, slipped the letter inside the paper airplane, and tosses it out, directing it towards the suburban Klein Mountain.
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(The End)
