Chapter 451

“You freaking idiot!”

After hearing the rare “outpouring of emotion” from the old king, the princess remained silent with her lips tightly pressed together. Meanwhile, Leon beside her almost burst out laughing.

Though aware that the old king had been unconscious for a long time and didn’t fully grasp the current situation, his words still delivered maximum comedic effect.

Currently, my faction’s rebels… cough cough… citizens inspired by the princess have already taken control of the royal palace and are confiscating the soldiers’ weapons.

As for the opposition members of parliament, they were all neatly caught by our space anomaly item wielders the moment they stepped into their carriages. They’re probably stacked in some dark room somewhere right now.

To say the least, within the entire capital city, there aren’t many people left who can make decisions. For at least these few days, the upper echelons of power will be in complete vacuum. We can pretty much take over however we want.

Even though the guard units rushing from a few streets away are hardcore loyalists to the old king, only following his orders and equipped with heavy firepower, the average level of our ‘citizen army’, composed of military academy dropouts, is simply no match. In theory, they still have a chance to turn things around.

But with the old king, queen, and prince all in my hands, how exactly do the guards plan to stage a comeback? When I hang those three outside the palace gates, you guys can fire your cannons if you dare. Kill one, face a military tribunal; kill two, get shot on the spot; if you manage to kill all three, the princess will ascend the throne immediately! To sum it up, this game is completely checkmated.

Now, instead of ordering Joshua to be kinder to Veronica, it would be better to seriously consider Joshua’s future marriage prospects—whether he should marry a slim or curvy female monkey.

…

Huh?!

From the princess’s silent silence, the old king vaguely sensed something amiss. His pupils couldn’t help but constrict sharply, and the fleeting warmth on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by an icy glare as he questioned: “Veronica? What have you done?”

“Father.”

The princess did not answer the old king’s question. After a brief pause, she directly met the old king’s cold, fierce gaze tinged with panic and responded calmly:

“I will be a good king.”

“…”

“Also, because of what you just said, I’ll treat Joshua well. If the Minister of Finance cooperates sufficiently, I won’t harm him or the queen. You can retire peacefully.”

“…”

Upon hearing the princess’s words and looking into her calm yet sorrowful eyes, the old king’s lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to speak. He turned his head and muttered softly: “Sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. Haven’t you always been like this?”

The princess bit her lips, pushed the old king’s wheelchair out of the study, handed him over to the waiting lady-in-waiting outside the door with instructions to take him to rest. Then she stood by the shattered window, gazing downward in a daze.

“Veronica?”

Sensing the princess’s emotions weren’t quite right—not the joy of a successful coup nor the relief after achieving her goal, but rather a hint of sadness—Leon couldn’t help but ask softly: “What’s wrong?”

“I… I’m actually fine…”

After hearing Leon’s inquiry, the princess bit her lower lip and then smiled faintly with red-rimmed eyes: “It’s just a little regretful, that’s all.”

“Regretful?”

“Yes, regretful.”

Placing her hand on the broken windowsill, the princess, facing the cold wind blowing inside, spoke desolately: “I regret that the only family member I truly care about has never acknowledged my feelings. Even now, when he wants me to promise something, he still resorts to tricks instead of openly discussing it with me.”

“Huh?”

“Do you really think my father said that because he was unclear about the situation?”

Glancing at a confused Leon, Princess Veronica sighed lightly:

“Although he’s been unconscious and unaware that you’ve already taken control of the palace, upon waking up and seeing you and me instead of the queen and Joshua by his side, he should have guessed part of the situation.

And knowing my character, seeing that I wasn’t busy tidying up after the coup but waiting for him to wake up, he must have realized we’ve completely stabilized the situation, and there’s no way Joshua could inherit the throne anymore.”

The old king knew? Upon hearing the princess’s words, Leon couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Since the old king had figured out the situation, why did he still say he’d let Joshua treat the princess kindly after ascending the throne… wait a minute! “Looks like you’ve figured it out too.”

Looking at a suddenly enlightened Leon, Veronica smiled faintly, then with red-rimmed eyes, mocked herself:

“Even if it’s just talk, since Joshua would treat me kindly as a sister after becoming king, naturally I should show some consideration after I ascend the throne. After all, I can’t be worse than Joshua, right?”

“…”

So… the old king was scheming, knowing Joshua had already lost, deliberately pretending to be crazy to trick Veronica into promising to protect his son’s life? Understanding the old king’s plan, Leon finally understood why the princess felt so sad but didn’t know how to comfort her. So he just stood silently by the window with her for a while.

A moment later, a cool hand reached out and grabbed Leon’s hand, shaking it gently in a pleading manner.

“Leon…”

Looking at Leon, the princess with red-rimmed eyes softly requested:

“I’m not lying, I feel a bit down right now. Can I lean on you for a moment?”

“Alright…”

“Thank you.”

Without any hesitation, the princess leaned against Leon’s shoulder, facing the cold wind blowing through the window, and spoke desolately:

“To tell the truth, I don’t feel disappointed that my father manipulates me. I’ve gotten used to that long ago. What truly hurts me is that even now, he refuses to ask me for anything.”

“Ask you?”

“Yes, ask me once, like a real family member, indulgently.”

Leaning closer into Leon’s embrace, the princess whispered: “It’s not that I want him to grovel before me for my satisfaction, but someone like my father will use everything that can be utilized.

If asking me would help, he wouldn’t hesitate to ask outright. The only reason he didn’t is because he doesn’t think this father-daughter bond has value—it’s not a good ‘card’.”

“Not necessarily…”

Seeing the princess’s increasingly red eyes, Leon couldn’t help but comfort her:

“Your father… maybe he just doesn’t know how you see him, thinking you don’t value him as a father, so he’s unwilling to ask.”

“No.”

The princess shook her head: “Father might not know how I view him, but he certainly understands how he views me. In such a short time, he can only instinctively measure my feelings toward him based on his own feelings towards me.

Since he made that decision, it proves that in his heart, the bond between us as father and daughter indeed has no value. Instead of using emotional appeals to beg me, it’s safer to scheme and trap me with words.

For me, he’s the only person I can cherish. But for him, I’m just a stranger. Using emotional appeals is a privilege among family members, and between him and me, there will forever only be interests and gains.”

“…”

“Sorry, I’ve told you so much nonsense…”

Letting out a low sigh, the princess looked down through the broken window, watching Joshua crying while hugging the awakened queen in the garden, and lamented:

“In fact, I envy Joshua very much.

He’s rash, impulsive, arrogant, childish, extravagant… full of bad habits, but Father truly likes this son of his. He has a mother who loves him deeply, and an uncle who forgives him no matter what mistakes he makes.

In every aspect, I’m better than him. I can handle everything perfectly, and countless people praise me. But since Mother passed away, there hasn’t been anyone who could love me so unconditionally.”

“…”

“Leon…”

Gently pulling on Leon’s collar, the princess nestled her head in Leon’s chest and asked with tear-filled eyes:

“Would you be that person for me?”