Chapter 283

Chapter Seventy The Scheme

Pfft…

I don’t believe you—

My lips trembled a few times, but no words came out.

I was really a bit stupid, completely unprepared for the day when I would be so blatantly schemed against. It was obvious that the other party hadn’t even bothered to think, their intentions were too obvious, their methods too straightforward, just like those half-grown children who don’t understand love and are eager for results. At least come up with a tactful excuse!

For a moment, my head was extremely confused, and my emotions were unusually complex. My body tensed as I sat up straight, my little fists clenched under the table. Holding my breath, I stared at Victoria, and after a while, I couldn’t help but shout loudly at her, “No guest room?! Such a big manor, who are you trying to fool?!”

“There simply isn’t one,” Victoria replied calmly in response to my doubt.

…This woman must think I’m tempting her, right?

Look at her smug look now! Calm and composed… As if she’s already confident, thinking I’ll obediently say, ‘Oh well, there’s nothing we can do about it.’

You’ve had too much to drink…

“I don’t believe you!”

With a thud, I placed the wine bottle on the table and glared at her, “You just want—”

You just want to sleep with me; I know what you’re thinking… The words turned in my mouth and I didn’t dare to say them out loud.

“What do you want?” Victoria said indifferently, “Paillot, do you know… sometimes I have the urge to pry open your head, very curious about what’s inside.”

Her slender fingers tapped the tabletop, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“My manor never needs to prepare a place for anyone to stay. Apart from my bedroom on the second floor, the only other place that can accommodate someone overnight is a few servant rooms on the first floor. Other unused rooms are locked up, so when I say there’s no guest room, is there a problem?”

“Uh.”

Seems not…

My face suddenly flushed red, and I suddenly wanted to bury my head under the table.

“No…”

I don’t know, you didn’t explain it clearly to me…

“Since there isn’t one, why did you react so strongly? Paillot, what were you thinking just now?”

“Nothing…”

I dared not look at her face anymore, my gaze drifting aimlessly towards the distant sky, silently counting the stars in my heart.

“You’re acting strange tonight. I don’t understand why you won’t just sleep in your own manor, and I don’t want to ask you about the real reason you came here. But if you insist on staying, I’ll have Sharmen tidy up the study on the second floor, where you can spend the night.”

“Okay…”

So embarrassing…

It feels like I’m angrily telling someone, Stop following me! I don’t like you, don’t bother me anymore! And then getting a confused reply: Who the hell likes you? I’m just here to deliver a package.

Victoria could hardly have missed what I was thinking, she must have guessed… Ahh!

Self-flattering. How embarrassing…

Frustration.

But at the same time, I felt a sense of relief deep down.

“Come with me.”

Victoria slowly stood up and said this to me before heading toward the manor.

“Oh.”

I hurriedly got up and turned to take one last look at my own manor, then ran to catch up with her. When we arrived at the entrance of the manor, a familiar maid opened the door for us.

“Sharmen, tidy up the study, find a bed and move it in.”

The maid named Sharmen paused slightly upon hearing Victoria’s instructions.

“And send some more wine and fruit to my room.”

Victoria didn’t give the maid any further explanation, but instead gave her another task, then walked straight into the manor without stopping. I smiled at the maid standing there and followed her in.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the maid’s voice came from behind after a moment, “The water has been heated for you.”

“Mmm.” Victoria responded softly.

I walked to her side, frowning somewhat unhappily, “Why do you… still drink?”

“A glass of red wine before bed helps with sleep, it’s my habit.”

“…Excuse.”

“When you can’t sleep, you’ll understand how important it is.”

Hearing her say this, I frowned even deeper.

“Do you have trouble sleeping?”

Victoria nodded, “Only occasionally.”

“Then just now, you agreed with me, saying you wouldn’t drink.”

“I said I wouldn’t drink rum.”

“What a…”

This woman doesn’t keep her word.

If I see her drinking again later, I’ll go over and cause a commotion…

With such thoughts, I followed Victoria up to the second floor and to a room at the end of the corridor. A maid waiting at the door opened it for us. Through the candlelight inside, I saw a striking crimson large bed… I immediately stopped in my tracks.

“Victoria.”

“What?”

“This… isn’t the study, is it?”

“This is my bedroom.”

…Sure enough!

I said something seemed off. I remember coming to the study of the second manor before, its location was clearly… I forgot where exactly, but it definitely wasn’t here!

Thinking of this, I immediately became nervous, “Didn’t you say we were going to the study—”

“The study hasn’t been cleaned yet.”

Victoria quickly interrupted me, her tone calm but with a hint of impatience, “I rarely go there, the wick hasn’t been changed in a long time, what would you do by going there now?”

“…Makes sense.”

She does have a point.

Although it’s true, I feel a bit…

As I hesitated,

Victoria suddenly grabbed my hand and gently pulled me into her room. As soon as I entered, I smelled a refreshing, delicate fragrance, the unique scent of the blonde beauty.

A particularly comfortable smell…

“Rest here until the servants finish tidying up over there,” Victoria turned to me and said.

“Oh.”

I nodded slightly, unable to resist my curiosity and began to look around.

The Queen’s private bedroom… It doesn’t seem particularly special.

The room was mainly decorated in red tones. There was no desk or bookshelf, but there were several wardrobes. The decorative items were minimal, giving a plain overall layout, yet one could sense an understated luxury upon closer inspection. The bed in the center of the room was larger than the one I had at Schtelberg, with a gold-threaded silk sheet that felt incredibly soft and luxurious.

Surely, sleeping on this would be wonderful?

I was lost in thought when Victoria suddenly said, “Go take a bath.”

…

“Why!”

Perhaps I was overly sensitive, but I instinctively asked a question even I found foolish.

“Because Shalman just heated some water.” Victoria frowned at me, “What are you thinking about? Why is communication so difficult?”

“Mm—”

Don’t say it, I feel embarrassed…

To hide my embarrassment, I lowered my head and pretended to smooth out my skirt.

Although I had just taken a bath not long ago, after that nightmare… I had sweated again, feeling sticky. I really wanted to wash again.

The bathroom was on the right side of the bedroom. I expected it to be similar to the 3rd Mansion, but when I opened the door, I discovered something different—a small bathhouse inside. The bathhouse was filled with hot water, with wisps of steam rising from the surface.

It looks so hot… Will the water be too scalding?

After taking off my shoes and entering the bathroom, I suddenly remembered I didn’t bring any clothes to change into, so I turned back to Victoria, “Victoria, I didn’t bring a nightgown. I want—”

I looked at Victoria by the door, intending to say I would go back to get a nightgown, but she interrupted me halfway through.

“It’s fine, I’ll have someone prepare one for you.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

… Have someone prepare one?

The key to the 3rd Mansion is with me. How can you have someone prepare one… Ah!

Instinctively, I touched my skirt pocket, but found nothing. I then remembered that I was in such a hurry when I left that I didn’t have time to grab the key.

“I didn’t bring the key…”

“You don’t need the key,” Victoria said calmly.

“No key?”

“Yes.”

?

I opened my mouth to say more.

“I have your clothes.”

The bathroom door clicked shut tightly.

…

She has my clothes!

Not only in the palace, but also here!

At this moment, I felt a sense of unease, as if I had walked into a tiger’s den.

With a heavy heart, I took off my clothes, threw them haphazardly into a basket beside me, and stepped into the bathhouse, submerging myself in the hot water, letting out a long sigh.

“Haa—”

The water wasn’t as scalding as I imagined; rather, it was just right. After sinking in, I felt relaxed, but after a while, it became somewhat suffocating.

Cold water feels better…

… Is it still possible to leave after finishing the bath?

But if I go back to the 3rd Mansion, I will be alone there… Victoria should be in the bedroom outside now, right? I didn’t hear her leave… Thinking this, I felt a bit reassured.

As long as someone is nearby, I won’t be afraid.

Click.

Suddenly, there was a sound of the door opening outside, as if someone had entered the bedroom… She was talking to Victoria. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the voice sounded like Shalman, the maid. It seemed Victoria was instructing her to clean the study?

Soon after, their footsteps grew closer… They were coming this way.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door.

“What do you want!” I felt nervous again.

Creak—

The door was suddenly pushed open.

I was startled, immediately covering my chest and diving into the water, only leaving my head above the surface, then turning to see Victoria in a red dress walk in.

“Oh! How did you just come in!”

“Since we’re both women, what are you afraid of?”

Victoria walked quickly to the basket containing my clothes, bent down to pick them up, handed them to the maid Shalman behind her, and took a wooden plate from her hand.

“Go down.”

“Yes,” Shalman bowed and retreated.

Victoria carried the plate towards me, “Do you want some fruit?”

I looked at the plump and juicy fruits in the plate and blinked.

“Yes.”

These are Ackri fruits!

I remember these. She gave them to me when we first met, and they were delicious.

I stared at Victoria’s hands, watching her place the plate next to the bathhouse, and immediately stretched her right hand out of the water, grabbed the largest fruit, held it in front of her, and took a big bite.

… So sweet!

My eyes involuntarily narrowed, and I looked happily at Victoria, but saw her untying the ribbon of her dress… I suddenly froze.

… What is she doing!

In the next moment, Victoria seemed to recall something trivial and casually said to me, “There are no extra beds in the mansion tonight, so you’ll sleep with me.”