Chapter 829

What happened after meeting with the Prime Minister?

Hearing the two ladies-in-waiting's words, the Princess instinctively touched her arm, a faint warmth stirring in her heart.

Of course, after meeting the Prime Minister, I was first injured by officers blocking my residence, then secretly climbed over the outer wall to find Li Ang—during that entire time, no word came back; Father would naturally worry, so of course he sent someone to check.

Let's go.

Nodding to the two ladies-in-waiting, the Princess set aside her turbulent thoughts and prepared to head to the upper levels of the Wang Gong—but…

Your Highness, it's not that way.

One of the ladies-in-waiting called out to stop her, then respectfully reported:

Your Majesty is not in his bedroom—he is waiting for you in the side hall on the fourth floor. Please come this way.

The side hall on the fourth floor?

Upon hearing this, the Princess was momentarily startled.

The side hall on the fourth floor of the Wang Gong is meant for receiving high-ranking officials, yet Father has always been unwell; at this hour, he should have finished his alchemical tonic and rested in his bedroom on the top floor—why would he be in the side hall?

Has an important guest arrived?

After a brief pause, the Princess, following behind the lady-in-waiting, asked with some confusion:

Is it the envoy from Heisen Kingdom? Or a diplomat from Saio Kingdom?

Neither, Your Highness.

The lady-in-waiting leading the way replied respectfully:

At least until we came here, there were no outside guests in the side hall.

No guests came?

Hearing the lady-in-waiting's reply, the Princess raised an eyebrow in surprise; she was about to ask further when the guide said:

Your Highness, our duty is only to guide you. As palace attendants, we must not speak of other matters—please ask Your Majesty yourself once you meet him!

…

Unexpectedly, merely asking about Father's condition had earned her a subtle rebuke; the Princess's brow tightened involuntarily, the warmth in her heart suddenly chilled.

Unlike me, Father does not value ability or character when selecting attendants—he values caution, deference, and the ability to precisely convey his will.

In other words, these two attendants are pure mouthpieces; their attitude toward me, in a sense, equals Father's attitude toward me.

And these usually timid women would suddenly refuse to answer my questions only if they had received specific orders—or if they had sensed something from Father's demeanor.

…

Following the two stern ladies-in-waiting to the fourth-floor side hall, the scene inside fully confirmed the Princess's suspicions.

In the side hall, meant for important guests, the old King was not alone; two middle-aged man and woman, with slightly similar features and around forty years old, sat on velvet-cushioned armchairs, waiting for her alongside him.

When the Princess appeared at the door, the older man offered a gentle smile and nodded slightly; the woman, with meticulous makeup and lavish attire, subtly curled her lip, revealing a barely concealed disdain in her eyes.

Veronika.

With a hoarse call, the old King, seated directly opposite the door, lifted his scepter adorned with crimson gems and pointed to the empty chair across from the middle-aged couple, his tone leaving no room for refusal:

Come sit. Tell me what happened today.

Yes.

Glancing at the Queen and the Minister of Finance, the Princess silently sighed, then stepped slowly into the reception hall and sat in the seat the old King had indicated, beginning her account:

This afternoon, I followed our scheduled itinerary to visit the Prime Minister's residence to discuss expanding suffrage. But just before the meeting ended, over three hundred officers of the rank of Colonel and Commandant, incited by "those with intent," blocked me inside the Prime Minister's residence.

When saying "those with intent," the Princess deliberately slowed her speech, casting a meaningful glance at the middle-aged couple across from her, then turned to the old King on the throne:

To gather so many military officers at once requires not only immense influence and connections, but also considerable time—at least a week to arrange, by distance.

Although the decision to implement the officer replacement order has become known to many recently, a week ago, I had spoken of it only to you. So could you tell me—who else learned this news from you?

Hearing the Princess's question, the Queen was startled, then gripped the armrest of her chair, irritated:

You what—

Sorry, the leak may have come from me.

Pulling the Queen's sleeve to halt her outburst, the elegant Minister of Finance sighed:

Upon learning that Princess Veronika intended to implement the replacement order, I immediately sent an internal memo instructing the Ministry of Finance to prepare accordingly—to clear overdue salaries for officers in coordination with your actions.

But despite my repeated emphasis that the memo must not be sent outside and must be handled within the Ministry, the Ministry has been overwhelmed lately due to your tax reduction policy, and someone still violated protocol by taking the memo home.

Although there is still no proof, I suspect the memo was seen by an official's family, who privately informed sympathetic nobles, causing the matter to leak.

Here, the Minister of Finance rose from his chair, bowed slightly toward the Princess across from him, and apologized with visible shame:

I apologize, Princess Veronika. It is likely my poor management that led to the premature leak, causing you to be surrounded by officers and even injured by stones. I take full responsibility.

…

"May" it was you who leaked it, "although" there is no proof, "mostly" your poor management… Hmph, your apology is perfectly calibrated.

Facing the Minister of Finance's "sincere" apology, Princess Veronika did not rise to accept it; instead, she turned her gaze to the old King on the throne, her bright eyes filled with unmistakable mockery and a hidden thread of expectation.

Veronika.

After calling her name, the old King—pale, aged, seated in a wheelchair, yet with a spine rigidly straight—thumped his scepter hard against the floor, his voice weary:

It was an unintentional mistake. Don't dwell on it. Besides, you only injured your arm—it will heal in a few days. Let's just drop this matter.

Unintentional mistake? Only injured your arm, and it'll be fine in a few days?

Hearing the old King's words, the Princess lowered her head to look at her arm. Though Li Ang had healed the wound, the dark brown bloodstains still stretched from her elbow to her wrist—clearly not a minor injury.

Moreover, Father hadn't even noticed: her sleeve remained smooth, not swollen from bandages—there was no trace of wrapping at all.

Hmm… now that she thought about it, it made sense. He hadn't even glanced at her injured arm since she entered—of course he wouldn't notice such a small anomaly.

Fine, then let's drop it.

With a self-deprecating smile, the Princess closed her eyes briefly, then stopped looking at the old King and fixed her gaze on the middle-aged couple across from her, asking calmly:

And then? You two came here late at night—surely not just to check on my injury?