Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 148
Queen’s personal maid, Felt, stood at the main entrance of the White Radiance Palace, holding a black umbrella. The heavy rain poured down, and despite the umbrella, several parts of her clothes were soaked. A squad of guards stood diligently at their posts in front of the gate, undeterred by the rain that drenched them. Felt thought to herself that the guard captain would probably only allow them to rotate shifts once the rain stopped, so passersby wouldn’t see the Royal Guard looking like drenched rats.
A black ground car pulled up in front of the gate, splashing water nearly half a person high, like a speedboat cutting through the water. Felt stepped back just in time to avoid getting soaked by the splash. A guard stepped forward to open the car door, and Felt approached with the umbrella held high.
“Welcome home, Your Highness,” she said excitedly.
Princess Alveira jumped out of the car and under the umbrella. Felt took her by the hand with her free one, and they ran together to the shelter of the White Radiance Palace’s eaves. Once they were out of the rain, Felt closed the umbrella and handed it to a nearby guard.
“Look, you’re all wet,” Felt said with concern, even though only a small part of Alveira’s clothing was damp. Felt had served the Queen for thirty years, watching Alveira grow from a baby into a young woman, and loved her almost like a daughter (though Felt thought it might be a bit presumptuous to think so). Seeing her beloved Princess rush back from the battlefield, rain-soaked, made Felt’s heart ache like a mother hen’s. (Oh, Lord, the battlefield! Felt thought. That dreadful place should be left to the men! Her little princess should be in the palace, playing the piano, reading, arranging flowers, and dancing. How could she go to such a dangerous place! And getting wet in the rain! What if she falls ill! Oh, merciful Lord!)
“You’re wet too, Felt,” the Princess said, seemingly amused by her concern.
“You came back so suddenly, without any notice,” Felt said as she instructed a nearby maid to bring a dry towel and directed others to help the Princess dry her face. The Princess had returned victorious, and there should have been a grand welcome on a sunny day, with the people of Nami carrying flowers and flags to greet her, and a red carpet stretching from the White Radiance Palace all the way to the spaceport.
“Felt, where is my mother?”
“Her Majesty doesn’t know you’ve returned yet. She’s in the greenhouse. You know, she always goes there on rainy days.”
The Princess frowned. “I should’ve known. On sunny days, she stays in the garden. On rainy days, she moves to the greenhouse. She’s like a potted plant.”
“Oh, Your Highness, how can you say that…” Felt gasped (though she privately thought the Princess had a point).
Alveira took the towel from the maid and dried her face. “I’ll go see my mother. Winnet is dead, and I’ve finally avenged my brother. I want to tell her the good news personally.”
“Of course.” Felt thought, even though Duke Winnet was guilty of many crimes, he was still the Queen’s cousin. Would she really be happy about his death? When Felt first entered the palace, Duke Winnet hadn’t yet married and lived in the White Radiance Palace—a dashing young man, always troubled by his secret love for Miss Stella. Now, in the blink of an eye, he and his wife were both lying side by side in the graveyard. The thought made Felt feel a deep sadness.
She followed Alveira to the greenhouse where the Queen was. Along the way, every servant they passed respectfully greeted the Princess, and Felt felt honored just to be in her presence. Her little Princess had grown up. She was now the Young Mistress of the White Radiance Palace and would one day become the regent of the Empire, perhaps even the ruler of half the galaxy. Time flies, forcing everyone to grow up quickly.
Felt wanted to tell the Princess to slow down. She could no longer keep up with her pace.
As they walked through a corridor, they encountered someone they least expected to meet at that moment. Alveira abruptly stopped, and Felt, following closely behind, nearly bumped into her.
“…What are you doing here?” The Princess frowned, looking at the man in front of her as if he were a stranger who had intruded into her home.
“This is my home. If I’m not here, where should I be, Alveira?” The man smiled gently. He was over fifty years old, with gray hair at his temples and many wrinkles on his face, but he was still handsome and charming, maintaining the same elegance he had in his youth, which captivated many women much younger than him. His smile, which should have been warm and welcoming, instead felt like a dry wind fanning a small spark into a raging fire.
“Don’t call me by my name!” Alveira shouted.
Felt’s heart pounded with fear. She tugged at the Princess’s sleeve and whispered, “Your Highness, Your Highness, don’t get angry. Calm down, you’re about to deliver good news. How can you be angry now? Besides, he’s… Everyone’s watching. This isn’t the time…”
She hoped the Princess wouldn’t suddenly lose her temper and would instead ignore the man in front of her, treating him as air or an insignificant insect—anything would be better than starting a confrontation.
As she tried to calm the Princess, Felt also shot a pleading glance at the man, urging him to leave. But not only did he ignore Felt’s goodwill, he even stoked the flames further. “Felt is right, Alveira. Is this how you speak to your father?”
The man was none other than the Princess’s father, the Queen’s husband, and the other master of the White Radiance Palace—Prince Sorey. He and his wife hadn’t spoken to each other for a long time, and his relationship with his children was even worse. Prince Annot had at least maintained the basic respect expected of a son and a prince, but Alveira could not. Whenever she and Prince Sorey met, it was like sodium reacting with water, always leading to an explosion.
“Father?!” Alveira laughed bitterly. “Besides being my mother’s husband on paper and providing half of my genetic material, in what way have you ever acted like a father?”
“Alveira, how can you say that!” Prince Sorey’s face darkened.
The Princess showed no sign of stopping. “Oh, I almost forgot, you’ve provided your genes to quite a few people. The number of people who could call you ‘Dad’ could form a whole battalion. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I just added a faint voice to the chorus, right, Fa—ther—” She deliberately emphasized the last two syllables.
The Prince’s expression turned grim. “Look at what your mother has turned you into!”
“Ah, well, I’m sorry about that. But who’s to blame for not giving me any fatherly guidance?”
“Then I’ll teach you proper manners right now!”
“The only good thing about ascending that lousy throne,” Alveira said, baring her teeth in a grin, “is that I’ll have the right to kick you out of here and never have to see that disgusting face of yours again! Just thinking about it keeps me so excited I can’t sleep!”
“You…!” The Prince was furious, but before he could vent his anger, Alveira coldly brushed past him, not even turning back as she headed toward the greenhouse. Felt awkwardly bowed to the Prince and hurried to catch up with the Princess. After walking some distance, she turned back and saw that the Prince was still standing at the end of the corridor, watching them. His figure, silhouetted against the curtain of rain, looked like that of a lonely sentinel.
After turning a corner, he was out of sight. Felt sighed and followed the Princess into the greenhouse.
The scene inside the greenhouse was entirely different from the storm raging outside. The ceiling was a display screen that could show different weather patterns. While it was storming outside, inside the greenhouse, it was a gentle drizzle, reminiscent of a delicate spring rain.
The greenhouse was filled with a variety of blooming flowers, genetically modified and carefully tended by gardeners to bloom year-round, creating a paradise of eternal spring.
The Princess paused by a cluster of crabapple blossoms. Felt noticed the Queen standing on the opposite side of the flower bed, with her back to them. As always, she was dressed in black, wearing a black hat with a long black veil hanging down. She held a pair of gardening shears, trimming the rose bushes with delicate care, shaping them into beautiful forms. Every few minutes, she would stop and remain still for a while, either admiring her work or pondering some deep thought.
Alveira stood still, watching her mother tend to the flowers. After a moment, she turned and left the greenhouse.
Felt, puzzled, hurried after her. “Your Highness, aren’t you going to report to Her Majesty?”
“Mother is busy working. It’s not the right time to disturb her,” the Princess said, her expression complex, a mix of disappointment and dejection. “I’ll tell her later.”
Her voice was soft, and Felt thought that the Queen hadn’t heard her, as she continued to focus on her gardening, seemingly unaware that her daughter had returned from a distant campaign and was now standing right behind her.
<<< || Table of Contents || >>>
Kinky Translations 