Chapter 157

The royal crest… a robin adorned with a diamond crown?

After glancing through the rear air vent of the carriage, the young woman inside the two-wheeled carriage couldn’t help but grow serious upon seeing the elaborate robin emblem carved on the front of the luxurious carriage. The cheerful and cunning smile instantly transformed into boundless anger akin to an impending storm.

“Behind… it must be Prince Joshua’s carriage.”

Looking at the delivery carriages shoved off the road that had tipped over, and the small merchants who scrambled out to pick up their goods, glaring helplessly at the lavish carriage, the middle-aged noblewoman also wore an unpleasant expression.

Though equally dissatisfied with the other Highness’s conduct, after noticing the deepening anger in the young woman’s eyes, she hurriedly interjected:

“Princess Veronica, you’re out here privately today, without any ceremonial entourage or even a guard detail.

If you go out now, not only will you disrupt Duke Lionheart’s investiture ceremony, but if the rebels find out you’re here, there will definitely be chaos!”

“Hmm… I know…”

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the previously lively and open-hearted girl completely disappeared, reverting back to her usual dignified and solemn self.

After another focused gaze toward the luxurious carriage behind her, the young woman—Princess Veronica—retracted her gaze and calmly instructed: “Drive the carriage off the road. Let Joshua’s carriage pass first. After the investiture ceremony is entirely over, have someone write a booklet from the perspective of those small merchants about today’s events and give it to me. Try to make the content as tragic as possible.”

The middle-aged noblewoman was slightly startled by this, then asked somewhat perplexed:

“Are you planning to take this booklet to His Majesty to complain and ask him to restrain Prince Joshua’s behavior?”

“No, during the past struggles with the nobles for control of the Ministry of Finance, Father owed too much to Joshua’s mother, so he’s overly indulgent towards him. Even if he knows what Joshua has done, at most, he’ll just scold him verbally.”

The princess shook her head, while watching the rapidly passing luxurious carriage, and said indifferently: “If I truly want to solve this problem, this booklet should be leaked to the lower house and handed over to those few parliamentarians who’ve been scrutinizing my every move, giving them an opportunity to exploit it.

There’s nothing I can say that will help; only when the entire royal family’s reputation is tarnished and substantial interests are stripped away will Father finally slap Joshua, making him understand what he should and shouldn’t do.”

“Your Highness, you really are…”

After hearing the princess’s words, the middle-aged noblewoman couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, then shook her head while looking at the departing luxurious carriage:

“Given His Majesty’s nature, Prince Joshua is going to be in quite a bit of trouble this time. If you, under the ‘pressure’ of those parliamentarians, end up having to give up something, Prince Joshua probably won’t have a carriage to ride for half a year.”

Just getting slapped and not having a carriage for half a year counts as being miserable? Upon hearing the middle-aged noblewoman’s words, the princess didn’t respond but instead looked out the window toward the dozens of overturned carriages by the roadside and the large and small cargo boxes scattered along the side of the road.

It had rained lightly the night before, and even though Red Pine Avenue had been carefully repaired, there were still muddy spots and puddles of varying sizes along the sides.

Among the goods transported by these small merchants, broken ceramics and lamps go without saying, but coal, flour, spices, and such items cannot come into contact with water.

As for the velvet ribbons used to decorate the investiture ceremony, once stained with mud, the Lane Family would never accept them. It’s certain they’d have made a wasted trip.

And yesterday, Chal Department Store, in order to protect itself, had no choice but to continue selling goods at low prices for more than half a month. The lives of small merchants were already very difficult. This supply for the Lane Family’s investiture ceremony was a rare opportunity for them.

If I leave it alone, more than half of these carriage owners might go bankrupt, and those dressed rather shabbily, who are crying while collecting their goods, will soon appear in the slums of the Capital City…

“Forget it, I’m not attending the investiture ceremony.”

Looking at the silk ribbons covered in mud and the merchants weeping by the roadside, the princess couldn’t help but shake her head helplessly, waving her hand listlessly:

“Let’s go, we’ll find Joshua’s guard unit first, and let him compensate these people. Otherwise, some of them might…”

“Clear the way! Hurry up and clear the way!”

“How did freight trucks get onto the expressway? Get down quickly!”

“Push them all down! The duke’s carriage is coming, and the time for the investiture ceremony is going to be delayed!”

Hearing the commotion from behind again, the princess’s eyebrows involuntarily furrowed, and she leaned out of the carriage window to look back.

This new carriage was pulled by eight tall and strong Shire horses, almost completely occupying the nearly ten-meter-wide road. Its luxury far surpassed Joshua’s carriage.

The rosewood carriage, engraved with the crest of the golden-crowned lion, was not only adorned everywhere with gilded copper nails, but its walls were also embedded with large pieces of jewelry. Even the white steel wheels had imprints resembling animal paws, leaving patterns like lion paw prints on the ground as it drove, reaching perfection within every regulation.

Not a single mistake in the content in 69 Book Bar!

The Lionheart Duke’s carriage? Troublesome…

Looking at the chaotic road again, the princess couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

To avoid Joshua that scoundrel, most of the carriages ahead had gone down from the expressway. Many had just barely returned to the road, and restoring order would take at least twelve to thirteen minutes, leaving no time for further avoidance.

And the newly appointed Lionheart Duke, if he wants to reach Leon Manor within normal time, will likely have to follow Joshua’s example and forcibly push these carriages down, which will probably ruin even more things…

…

“Everyone stop!”

Just as the princess was hesitating whether to reveal her identity and chat with the Lionheart Duke to buy some time for these small merchants to move their carriages, a head suddenly popped out of the carriage window and shouted, stopping the attendants who were preparing to overturn the carriages.

“What’s the rush? Isn’t this wide enough road… uh…”

After looking at the expressway occupied halfway by the carriages in front and estimating the width of his own flashy carriage, realizing it wasn’t enough, Leon silently swallowed the latter part of his sentence. He then turned and glared at the well-dressed old man beside him, who was sweating profusely, and complained unhappily: “I told you it wasn’t necessary to take the carriage. Walking wouldn’t take long either. But you guys insist, and now I have to come back and walk again… Look! It’s blocked!”

Having his words hit home, the former duke’s old steward felt quite aggrieved but had no real way to counter. He could only force a smile and persuade earnestly: “Duke大人! Entering the estate in this ‘Lionheart Carriage’ is a tradition of our Lane Family and part of the investiture ceremony. Please endure just a little longer, just for a short while!”

(End of Chapter)