Chapter 142: A Guide to Appeasing Little Devils
A new day dawned with a cool breeze and yellowing autumn leaves. The City of Mysteries gradually awakened from its slumber, its vitality returning. The streets became increasingly bustling, with a constant flow of pedestrians and vendors, showcasing a prosperity that surpassed its era.
The intelligence war of yesterday, with the Heavenly Dawn Army as its backdrop, had no impact on this city of over a million inhabitants. The news of the Dark Night Guard’s great victory in luring out Naliner was classified, prohibited from dissemination and discussion. Thus, only whispers circulated within a very small circle, and the public remained unaware of the incident.
To further entice Naliner, the Dark Night Guard had temporarily halted operations against the remaining Heavenly Dawn Army forces in other cities. Instead, they adopted a strategy of covert observation, awaiting “Shady” to rendezvous with Roger to regroup, after which further plans would be laid.
There was one detail, however, that was difficult to conceal: the area where the battle had occurred bore severe marks of magical bombardment. The official report issued by the City Guard attributed the damage to a chain reaction of exploding alchemical devices. It was fortunate that the Heavenly Dawn Army had deployed a magic circle to seclude the space. Once the battle commenced, no unintended witnesses could observe the personal display of Di Allure’s combat prowess.
Left Chancellor’s Mansion.
Within a cherry-pink canopy bed, exuding a girlish charm, Margaret rolled around on the bed, utterly conflicted. Should she have breakfast with that scoundrel Di Allure today? The little oscillating fan, sporting dark circles like a panda, had not only red eyes but also bloodshot visible throughout. Di Allure had caused her a sleepless night!
Yesterday, she had been caught in the crossfire of the Heavenly Dawn Army’s operation. While she herself was unharmed, her personal guards had suffered heavy losses. However, this operation had been approved by the Empress of Eternal Night, and capturing the Heavenly Dawn Army leader was strategically significant for Her Majesty. Therefore, in her view, the loss of those guards was a glorious sacrifice. They hadn’t chosen the battlefield themselves, but their commitment to their posts until the very last moment could be considered their ultimate loyalty to the empire. It was the duty of a soldier, and an unavoidable fate.
She had no reason to blame Di Allure for this incident, as she herself bore considerable responsibility for the circumstances. It was she who, provoked by Angelina, had become emotionally unstable and pestered Di Allure, leading to the Heavenly Dawn Army’s sudden change of tactics and creating an opening in the Dark Night Guard’s arrangements.
What angered her was a crucial point that dawned on her only after leaving the scene and returning to work at the military department: Di Allure’s cooperation with Roger in this matter clearly indicated a secret connection between the two! When combined with Di Allure’s previous admission of friendship with Angelina, and considering his unspoken rapport with the Dark Night Guard, it was easy to deduce a key point: Di Allure and Roger were at least friends, and possibly closer! Further investigation revealed that Roger had even acted as an advisor when Di Allure was compiling the imperial history, suggesting their relationship might be even more intimate than mere friendship… She dared not think about it further… Whimper!
Margaret’s seventeen years prior had been devoid of friendship and familial affection. She trusted no one but herself. Upon being acknowledged as a friend by Di Allure, she naturally cherished this friendship dearly. However, her joy lasted less than three hours. While enthusiastically handling her work, she suddenly realized that this scoundrel was also on good terms with Charles’ entire family? As for the few surviving members of Charles’ family, they were hardly the focus of the Little Auntie’s concern!
Margaret worried that after treasuring this friendship, she might discover that Di Allure’s friends were spread all over the City of Mysteries… In that case, what was she? So, was this how casually one formed friendships? No, she refused to accept it! Margaret indirectly asked a few of her subordinates about their definition of friendship: “We can talk and get along comfortably, that’s a friend!” “Having common interests, and knowing each other for a long time, counts, right?” “There are different friends for different stages of life…” “More friends, more opportunities. Why refuse friendship that comes your way?” “I have many friends, but no confidantes… *sob sob*.”
After a highly unscientific sampling, Margaret confirmed from these seasoned veterans that it seemed one didn’t need very stringent conditions to be considered a friend. This was a basic, common form of relationship? It wasn’t unique, nor exclusive. As long as one spent enough time together, it was practically a friendship? Hmph, Di Allure was clearly an idiot who didn’t choose his friends wisely! Hmph, even the Charles siblings could be his friends. She, who was so moved by being acknowledged as a friend, felt utterly embarrassed! Hmph hmph hmph, I am the Left Chancellor of the empire, Her Majesty’s most favored little devil! It was his good fortune to have extended an olive branch to me, and he should be deeply grateful!
It felt so awful. Di Allure was a good person, so why was he friends with the Charles siblings? Margaret pondered this from the military department all the way home, tossing and turning in her bed. In the end, she didn’t figure out what she should have, but she thought of a lot of things she shouldn’t have! For instance, Roger arranging for Di Allure to be bait clearly showed that Roger was well aware of Di Allure’s hidden strength. Her Majesty knew and approved of this operation, which indicated she was also aware of Di Allure’s capabilities. Perhaps Her Majesty was also friends with Di Allure! After all, it was she who had introduced him to the cabinet. So, was everyone in the world except herself in the dark, the ignorant clown?
The more Margaret thought about it, the more she felt wronged and miserable. She pounded the bed… She had agonized over a mere friendship for half a month, only for Di Allure to agree so readily. It wasn’t because she was special, but simply because the word “friend” was not worth much? Although it was unrelated, the little oscillating fan felt like she was being betrayed. In short, though they were merely friends, she felt jealous. Her first friend in life was a social butterfly with a plethora of friends. She hadn’t slept all night, feeling so miserable that she couldn’t bear it until dawn.
Because she had never experienced warmth, she was extra cautious with even the slightest flicker of it, appearing incredibly sensitive. Similar to a stray cat that had been abandoned, it would be more wary than an ordinary house cat, always fearing that offering its true feelings would ultimately lead to abandonment, and thus would simply refuse to offer them. Margaret was in a similar state. Not trusting others, if you thought deeply about it, stemmed from a lack of self-confidence, believing she was not worthy of trust. This ultimately led to endless overthinking and a night of turmoil.
Finally, after tossing and turning until dawn, her dilemma of whether to sleep was resolved. Now she had to grapple with whether to invite Di Allure for breakfast today! Without her, couldn’t he dine with other friends? Her presence wouldn’t make a difference, nor would her absence. Appearing before others would only be a nuisance, wouldn’t it… But if she didn’t go, and couldn’t even maintain her friendship, wouldn’t that be akin to surrendering to the Charles family? An angel and a devil fought within Margaret’s mind, and ultimately, the side that preferred to die standing rather than live kneeling emerged victorious.
“Hmph, I won’t be outdone by the Charles family!” Margaret jumped out of bed, picked out her prettiest dress, dressed up meticulously, and, carrying the breakfast prepared in the kitchen, headed towards the commercial district.
…
…
Commercial District, Di Allure’s Residence.
The magic circles and traps set by the Heavenly Dawn Army had been dismantled. Today, Di Allure was once again impersonated by a shadow puppet, maintaining the semblance of daily life. This daily routine also included having breakfast with Margaret.
“Perhaps the alchemical device explosion is equivalent to a gas pipeline explosion in this world…” Roger looked at the news published in a corner of the “Long Live the Empress Newspaper” and gave a wry smile.
The transparency of politics was always a fallacy. The information possessed by both sides was asymmetrical, their ability to interpret information differed, and their points of focus were varied. If everything were completely transparent, it would likely lead to major chaos and be exploited by those with ulterior motives for rampant manipulation. Fortunately, the empire’s job postings stated “suitable for males,” so no one would question this as gender discrimination and occupy the already strained resources of the administrative departments by demanding responses to baseless issues.
Human society always needed appropriate lies and deception as lubricants. If everyone spoke their minds directly, conflicts would erupt every moment, leading to self-destruction. Why did Roger think of these things? Because Margaret, sitting opposite him, had dark circles under her eyes, clearly having not slept well last night, and was currently giving him the silent treatment. A flicker of curiosity had just crossed her eyes, wanting to ask about gas pipelines, but she suppressed it, continuing to engage in a silent battle with the creamed mashed potatoes in front of her.
This girl, besides saying “Good morning” upon entering, hadn’t spoken a word to Roger. Roger couldn’t help but wonder if his identity had been exposed and his lie revealed, leading to her suspicion and subsequent cold shoulder treatment? However, a mature actor could not proactively confess due to the fear of their actions being exposed. Expecting leniency due to honesty? That was truly naive! Forgiveness was the other party’s right, and more tragically, making incorrect judgments, revealing information the other party did not know, could lead to even more dire consequences. Moreover, Roger was certain that the current issue between him and Margaret was not serious. Her behavior, clearly a childish sulk, was a message conveying “Hurry up and coax me.” But if he coaxed her simply because she asked, wouldn’t that be losing face? If he coaxed her the first time, wouldn’t it escalate for the second and third times, becoming impossible to appease no matter how much he tried? He absolutely could not indulge her!
Furthermore, men’s and women’s thinking was different. Approaching her with a direct coaxing line of thought, typical of a straight man, could easily lead to a divergence, making things worse. For instance, some people tried to break the ice by picking a fight, forcing conversation, which ultimately turned a minor issue into a major problem, and the other person’s emotions would explode on the spot… Therefore, when a woman is angry, attempting to appease her through coaxing is a very unwise choice, requiring effort and bringing no reward. The correct way to appease cold violence is to change the subject, diverting attention, and not opening a new battlefield on issues that might lead to conflict. Once communication is established and the other party’s point of contention is understood, then find a way to resolve it, rather than forcing a breakthrough under direct fire. If all topics fail, then give the other party a cooling-off period, and once she has had time to think, launch a surprise attack. When the enemy advances, I retreat; when I retreat, I advance; when the enemy stays, I harass; when they are weary, I strike – this is the master of tactics!
Of course, there was a more serious reason for Roger’s choice. He and this half-breed little devil were friends, but only friends. Throwing a temper tantrum and needing to be coaxed was not a friend’s responsibility. After throwing out several conversation topics that Margaret ignored, Roger prepared to try one last subject. If the little oscillating fan continued to sulk… then he would temporarily leave her to her own devices! This was not because Roger was heartless, but because, having grown up in a normal environment, he could not fathom that Margaret was jealous over something as irrelevant as him having too many friends. In the best case, it was a sign of caring, but from Roger’s perspective, this child was truly inexplicable. He could sympathize and understand Margaret’s subtle thoughts at times. But he was not her mind-reader, and could not always comprehend her sensitive and strange notions.
Roger turned a page of the newspaper, pretending to read casually. “Mary, regarding what I promised you yesterday, I’ve thought of a way to handle it that should increase Her Majesty’s favor towards you.”
Margaret’s fork clinked audibly against her plate. She looked up, her gaze towards Roger filled with disbelief. He, he remembered what he promised her? And had he already thought of a good solution so quickly? Concerned about the Empress of Eternal Night, Margaret couldn’t afford not to care. Besides, wasn’t the initial reason for seeking an alliance with Di Allure to have him help her gain the Empress’s favor?
Suddenly, the little oscillating fan was conflicted again. Should she continue to sulk and miss this opportunity? In fact, she hadn’t come here specifically to sulk with Di Allure. She just wanted to perform well and surpass the Charles siblings in Di Allure’s heart through her own charm. But when she opened the door and found that Di Allure’s reception and attitude were no different from yesterday, Margaret felt immensely disappointed, so much so that she didn’t want to speak. She had inexplicably entered a sulking mode. Afterward, she would think that since she was already sulking, she might as well go all the way, to test how much he cared about her as a friend. These were all childish behaviors that Roger easily saw through. As a result, he remained calm throughout, conversing as if it were any other day. Margaret ignored him, and he seemed unfazed. By maintaining his usual demeanor, all of the little oscillating fan’s clever tricks hit a brick wall, naturally leaving her extremely frustrated. She felt that Di Allure completely didn’t care about her, that she was like a lonely blade of grass…
Unexpectedly, Di Allure suddenly said he remembered his promise to her, had thought about it, and reached a conclusion? After the extreme disappointment earlier, seeing hope now made Margaret’s heart melt. Perhaps he was too tired from thinking last night and was currently exhausted, hence overlooking her emotions. So, she shouldn’t be too harsh on a friend, right? Margaret finally found a way to step down. She continued to gently poke her mashed potatoes and responded in a casual tone, “Then, if it’s convenient, could you simply tell me now?”
Roger’s gaze drifted downward, observing the little hand tucked beneath the table repeatedly rubbing her skirt hem. Evidently, her true feelings were not as calm as her tone suggested. As expected of a fervent fan of the Empress of Eternal Night, merely mentioning something related to the Empress made her anxious! Alas, I, Roger, have worked so hard for internal unity in the empire. Her Majesty should grant me a pay raise. A few cherries would be nice too~
