Chapter 164

Chapter 136 – Morning Matters

In my dream, there were ripples of light and wisps of fragrance.

I vaguely heard the sound of goat cheese.

“Ba—”

“Ba—!”

The hoarse calls came one after another, growing clearer in my ears, until they made me frown slightly and groggily reach out in front of me, trying to grab something to throw at that damned bird outside the window.

A warm, soft sensation came from the palm of my hand.

…?

What is this… a doll? A pillow? No…

My still not fully awake brain couldn’t figure it out.

Sniff… It smells so good…

Not the usual scent of lilac…

After a slight tremor of my eyelashes, I opened my eyes.

Before me was a golden color.

Dazed for a few seconds, I realized it wasn’t sunlight.

That was… someone’s hair! Someone is sleeping with me!

I woke up instantly, sitting up abruptly, and looked dazedly at the spot beside me.

A blonde woman was quietly sleeping beside me.

She was facing away from me, her tall and slender body slightly curled up. Her shoulder was exposed, and her silky long hair was scattered messily on the white sheets. A few strands framed her side profile, touching her lips, rising and falling with her steady breathing.

That was Victoria.

When she slept, she lost her usual intimidating aura, resembling an insecure, high-bred cat. Her bare hand reached out of the covers, tightly gripping the sheet. Whether she had a nightmare or not, her delicate frown showed a fragile vulnerability that pained me, making me frown as well.

There was a mild pain in my lower abdomen.

Gently pressing with my left hand, I lifted my head to look around. The familiar wardrobe, the familiar vanity mirror… This was indeed my bedroom.

What happened last night?

Tilting my head in thought for a moment, memories came flooding back intermittently.

Last night… Victoria and I were on the terrace, she was drunk, and I asked her to teach me how to sing. Later… later, I felt thirsty and seemed to have resisted drinking wine… I drank another glass of wine… Victoria and I started clinking glasses and drinking foolishly, saying nonsense, but I forgot what we said, then I got sleepy…

And then nothing else happened.

I don’t remember how I got to bed, nor do I know why Victoria is sleeping here.

Lifting the blanket gently, I found that I hadn’t changed out of my pajamas; I was still wearing last night’s dress… Could it be that Victoria carried me over? But she was also drunk, and she fell asleep here…

Alcohol really is amazing…

Thinking of this, I subconsciously raised a finger and quietly poked Victoria’s face.

Slap.

Before my finger could touch her fair skin, my wrist was grabbed forcefully.

…Huh?

Just as I was stunned, a sudden gust of wind blew through the bedroom, followed by a sharp pain in my wrist. In the next moment, a delicate yet powerful fist, carrying a strong breeze, struck directly towards my face.

Damn!

I dodged the attack by tilting my head, scrambling off the bed with my hands and feet while shouting loudly at her, “Don’t hit! Victoria, it’s me! It’s me!”

Whoosh—

Amidst the flying sheets and pillows, Victoria leaped into the air.

She slowly opened her eyes in mid-air. Her golden pupils, like the sun, regained their usual coldness after a brief moment of confusion.

That aura returned.

“What are you doing,” Victoria asked me with a detached tone, her gaze fixed on me.

She lowered her guard. Holding her pale arm, which contained terrifying order force, down to her side, I finally let out a sigh of relief.

But it scared me half to death…

I rolled my eyes at her, emphasizing her question again, “What are you doing?”

Victoria’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She slowly landed on the ground, standing by the bedside, her gaze sweeping淡淡地扫视屋内，几眼之后，似乎明白了情况。

“下次不要再这样。”她说。

下次？

下次你让我这么做我也不会了！哪有这样的起床气！这女人太危险了…这里可是我家诶！

…嗯？下次？

“我会把你当成刺客。”

“There’s no such thing as a cute assassin!” I said, huffing.

Does Victoria often encounter assassins?

Thinking about yesterday… There must be many people who want her dead.

Living like this is too exhausting.

I looked at the woman in front of me with some sympathy. She was so beautiful, almost like a divine work of art.

Victoria hadn’t taken off her clothes either. After sleeping through the night and going through several intense moments, the thin, wrinkled emerald green dress she wore had slipped off one shoulder, exposing half of her delicate collarbone and a cleavage that, though not deep, was enough to make me envious.

Tsk.

If only I had squeezed it just now…

Wait, her dress is dirty!

She sat on the terrace chair without wiping herself yesterday! It was covered in dust!

Ah! My bedsheet!

I immediately widened my eyes, unable to hold back and wanting to check it out. Just as I took a step forward, that familiar sticky feeling between my legs returned.

I froze.

“What’s wrong?” Victoria asked.

“No, nothing.”

I forced a smile and glanced briefly at the bedsheet… good, there was no blood.

The padded super-thick leak-proof sanitary belt is no joke. Thankfully, I had the foresight. Otherwise, I would have been embarrassed.

My lower abdomen hurt more and more… This time, something felt different.

Victoria probably noticed something odd, but she wasn’t the type to pry. Seeing that I didn’t want to talk, she let it go and walked over to open the bedroom door.

A group of young, beautiful maids were already standing by the door. They all bowed their heads when they saw her.

Victoria didn’t say anything; she just waved them over lightly. She turned to walk to the dressing table, and the maids followed behind her, heads down, holding wooden basins and combs, ready to help her with her makeup and face wash. They held splendid gowns, ready to assist Her Majesty in changing.

I stood aside, staring at her nearly perfect figure. Then I noticed some maids sneaking glances at me, their eyes seeming to carry… an ambiguous look?

I pursed my lips.

Are you guys misunderstanding something? Never mind, it doesn’t matter.

I turned toward the bathroom, washed up, and came out. By then, Victoria was already fully dressed.

The elegant dark-colored gown, the sun hat adorned with delicate feathers, the long boots encrusted with gems… The regal and aloof queenly demeanor was perfectly accentuated by this attire.

She ordered someone to call Rector over.

“Are we ready?” Victoria asked.

“The council will convene at noon today, and they require your presence,” Rector replied from his position by the door. Victoria nodded.

“Head to the palace.”

“Yes, Your Majesty…”

Rector seemed hesitant to speak further, which made Victoria look at him again.

“There’s no need to worry about the church,” she said.

“I understand.”

I heard Rector breathe a sigh of relief.

Click, click.

Victoria walked outside with clear footsteps. Just before leaving, she seemed to remember something and turned back.

“Sylvia,” she called me without adding “miss” this time, “thank you.”

A rather cryptic statement.

“Mm…”

I responded dumbfoundedly, still pondering the meaning behind her gratitude, while Victoria left surrounded by a group of people.

Soon after, I heard the sound of a door closing downstairs.

What an unpredictable woman.

But she no longer annoys me.

She must be going to deal with those troublesome people from yesterday… No, there will be more people today, and the situation will be even more severe.

I couldn’t help but worry for her.

From what I know, Victoria has become an enemy of the upper echelons of the country, including her own mother. She will likely face many challenges ahead.

I don’t have the qualifications nor do I wish to get involved in the power struggles of Ethanbell’s upper class. These battles are fought without smoke, and I believe Victoria won’t fight unless she’s confident. But if… something happens to her someday, I’ll do everything in my power to save her life.

As for me… Today, I’m going to the Cataloma Orphanage.

It’s been a while since I last saw Elie. I miss that lively and adorable girl.