Chapter 417

As the bright, long whistle sounded, two groups of giant winches emitting white steam simultaneously exerted force, opening the night gate of the Capital City canal. Dozens of cargo ships from the outer river sailed into the port of the Capital City together with the morning霞.

And when the sun broke through the morning霞and leaped off the ground, using its irresistible brilliance to completely drive away the remaining dark night sky, the Capital City that had slept for a night under millions of nightmare corpses finally began to slowly awaken.

“Hmm…”

As the sunlight crossed over the tower bridge on the canal, passed over the top of the clock tower, and entered the windows of the Royal Palace, the woman’s body lying on the desk trembled slightly, gently pulled out of her dream by the warm sunlight.

I… fell asleep? The princess who woke up from her dream moved her somewhat stiff body, then hugged her knees and sat in the large chair, staring blankly at the desk in front of her.

I remember before last night’s sunset, I brought back all the execution documents for the tax system reform, the proposal to expand citizens’ voting rights, and the selection order for military officers of the third rank, intending to work through the night.

But just as I crossed out the stall tax for small handicraft workers and wrote down two rebuttal opinions, a strange drowsiness suddenly rushed into my mind, and then I knew nothing…

Hmm… or maybe not entirely nothing.

After rubbing her cheeks that felt numb from sleeping, the princess couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl slightly as she remembered the strange dream she had after falling asleep last night.

In the dream, she finished reviewing all the documents, then a few days later in parliament, her words were like knives, cutting deeply and hurting everyone. She scolded the Minister of Finance until he fainted on the spot, directly handing over the Ministry of Finance.

Then she took the opportunity to rally the parliament, pacified the old nobles who wanted to cause trouble, and in one breath grabbed control of all seventeen major departments of the kingdom, beginning sweeping reforms.

After that, the kingdom gradually became stronger, and in the dream, she inherited the throne, married Joshua off across the sea to a female monkey, made Leon a prince, and even gave birth to an entire football team… cough… well, it was a pretty good dream anyway.

She took a sip of already cold coffee, feeling quite pleasant, the princess stood up from her seat, picking up the coffee cup and walking to the window of the bedroom, actively catching the sunlight streaming through the window.

Although she accidentally fell asleep and didn’t handle those documents in time, the result seemed not bad. For herself, who had been plagued by nightmares for years, this kind of easy, almost ridiculous dream was actually a very rare experience.

“Princess Veronica!”

Just as the princess was basking in the warm morning sun, enjoying her rare leisure time, there was a sudden knock on the door of the bedroom, and outside came the somewhat panicked voice of the night-duty lady-in-waiting.

“I am Lily, responsible for duty last night. Sorry, Your Highness, I… I seem to have fallen asleep as soon as it got dark…”

“It’s fine.”

After finishing the bitter black coffee in her cup, Princess Veronica put down the cup and stretched, saying calmly:

“I also went to sleep early last night. If there is anything to do, I would have woken you up. But remember, next time it’s your turn for night duty, make sure to rest more during the day.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. I will remember that.”

Upon hearing that she hadn’t delayed the princess’s affairs, the lady-in-waiting outside the door couldn’t help but secretly sighed in relief, then earnestly reported:

“Your Highness, according to the original schedule, after breakfast time, you will receive the president of the Capital City Chamber of Commerce. If we can finish within two hours, then you will also need to receive several newly elected district representatives, and after lunch, there will be messengers from the Black Forest Kingdom… Do you want me to summon a maid to help you wash up?”

“…”

What a pity, such a rare moment of leisure… But important matters come first. The parliament will convene again in a few days, and now isn’t the time for me to enjoy leisure.

After listening to the full pressure-filled inquiry from the lady-in-waiting, the princess couldn’t help but sigh softly, then reached up to rub her temples: “A little later… How about the afternoon schedule? What time can I be free earliest in the afternoon?”

The lady-in-waiting outside the door cautiously reminded: “Your Highness, your schedule today is quite tight, it’s booked until 8 o’clock in the evening, dinner has to be postponed until after 9:30… However, if you really need some downtime, I can try to rearrange your schedule for you, postponing the meeting with the Minister of Defense to tomorrow afternoon.”

Postponed to tomorrow afternoon… then the things scheduled for tomorrow afternoon will have to be pushed back again?

Moreover, the selection of military officers cannot be delayed. After all, Leon has always wanted to dissolve our engagement. To prevent any mishaps, it’s best to get everything done while this alliance is still stable…

“Never mind, no changes needed, just follow the original schedule!”

After weighing the importance of the matters, Princess Veronica frowned and thought for a moment, then gave instructions:

“In that case, I won’t have dinner tonight, leave the time after nine o’clock for me.”

“Your Highness?”

Upon hearing the princess’s words, the lady-in-waiter outside the door was slightly startled, then worriedly suggested:

“Let me rearrange your schedule for you. Your stomach ailment has never been cured, it’s really unsuitable…”

“You misunderstood.”

Interrupting the lady-in-waiter’s words, the princess smiled and said: “I’m not skipping dinner, I’m just not returning to the palace. Please invite Lord Leo… Invite the Duke of Lionheart on my behalf, telling him I wish to have dinner with him.

The location should be decided by him. If he has no objections, choose one of the two restaurants I often visit, with plenty of empty seats, preferably a private room near the river.”

“Understood, I’ll arrange it right away!”

“Go ahead.”

After the lady-in-waiter left following the instructions, the princess returned to her seat and continued working diligently. Behind her, on the shelf, an iron doll with half its cheek broken blinked its green glass eyes quietly.

…

From east to west, the sun rises and sets.

The radiant sun of the morning circled around the misty sky of the capital city and sank back below the ground.

Immediately afterward, the tall street lamps lit up along the streets, faintly illuminating the dark night, and a plain carriage without any markings passed through the curtain of night drawn by the streetlights, finally stopping in front of a restaurant on Taole Street in the canal area.

“His Grace, we’ve arrived.”

After proactively bowing and opening the carriage door, the lady-in-waiter with chestnut short hair smiled warmly and said to Leon:

“You can go straight to room number seven. Princess Veronica’s meeting with the prime minister has just ended, and she should arrive within fifteen minutes at most. Please wait a moment.”

(End of Chapter)