Chapter 854

You're dreaming!

After hearing the old king's rare display of genuine emotion, the princess clenched her lips in silence, while Leon nearly laughed in anger.

Although he knew the old king had been unconscious early and was unaware of the current situation, his words still delivered maximum comedic effect.

Right now, the rebels under my command—ahem, the enthusiastic citizens inspired by the princess—have largely taken control of the palace and are confiscating the guards' weapons.

The opposition senators, as soon as they left the parliament and got into their carriages, were all captured by space anomaly holders among the rebels and are now probably stacked up in some dark little room.

In short, there are hardly any people left in the entire capital who truly "call the shots"; at least for the next few days, upper power will be in complete vacuum—perfectly open to whoever wants to seize it.

Although the guard army arriving from a few streets away are the old king's loyalists, obeying only his orders and armed with heavy firepower, they cannot be stopped by the average level of these "enthusiastic citizens," who are mostly military school dropouts—technically, there's still a chance for a comeback.

But now that the old king, the queen, and the prince are all in my hands, how exactly are the guards supposed to turn things around?

When we hang those three outside the palace gates, if you've got the guts, go ahead and shell us—shoot one, you face a military tribunal; shoot two, you're executed on the spot; if you kill all three, the princess takes the throne on the spot!

In short, this game is already checkmated.

Right now, instead of ordering Joshua to treat Veronica better, you'd be better off helping Joshua seriously consider whether to find a slim or a curvy monkey bride.

……?!

Sensing something from the princess's silent silence, the old king's pupils sharply contracted; the faint warmth on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a dark, stern glare as he demanded:

"Veronica? What have you done?"

"Father."

Without answering his question, the princess, after a moment of silence, met his sharp, ruthless gaze—tinged with faint panic—with calm composure and replied:

"I will be a good king."

"…"

"Also, considering your words just now, I'll treat Joshua well. If the finance minister cooperates fully, I won't harm him or the queen—you can rest easy in retirement."

"…"

Hearing the princess's words and seeing her calm yet sorrowful eyes, the old king's lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately said nothing, only turning his head away and whispering:

"I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Haven't you always been like this?"

The princess bit her lip, pushed the old king's wheelchair out of the study, handed it to the maid outside, instructed her to take him to rest, then stood by the shattered window, staring blankly downward.

"Veronica?"

Sensing something off about the princess's mood—not joy from seizing power, nor relief after achieving her goal, but a hint of sorrow—Leon couldn't help asking softly:

"What's wrong?"

"I… I'm actually fine…"

Hearing Leon's question, the princess bit her lower lip, then smiled with reddened eyes:

"Just a little regret."

"Regret?"

"Yes, regret."

She gripped the broken windowsill, facing the cold wind blowing in, and whispered with quiet loneliness:

"I regret that the only family member I ever cared about never once acknowledged my feelings. To get me to agree to something, he still wouldn't dare speak up and negotiate—he'd rather play tricks right in front of me."

"?"

"You don't really think my father said that because he couldn't see the situation, do you?"

After glancing at the bewildered Leon, Princess Veronica sighed lightly:

"Though he's been unconscious and unaware that you've taken control of the palace, when he woke up and saw you and me waiting for him—not the queen and Joshua—he should've guessed part of what happened."

"And since he knows my character well, seeing that I didn't rush to clean up after the coup but waited here for him to wake up, he realized we've fully seized control—Joshua has no chance left to inherit the throne."

The old king knew?

Hearing the princess's words, Leon froze slightly, then unconsciously frowned.

If the old king already guessed the situation, then why say he'd let Joshua inherit the throne and ask him to treat the princess well… wait!

"It seems you've figured it out."

Seeing Leon's dawning realization, Veronica smiled faintly, then, eyes reddened, spoke with bitter self-mockery:

"This is how royal families show affection. He feared that after I took the throne, I'd kill Joshua, so while he still had some control, he pretended not to see anything and deliberately said that one line."

"Even if it was just words—if Joshua, after inheriting, could treat his sister well, then I, after inheriting, must also show some mercy. After all, I can't be worse than Joshua, can I?"

"…"

So… the old king was playing mind games? Knowing Joshua was already defeated, he pretended to be clueless, using words to trap Veronica, hoping to save his son's life?

Understanding the old king's plan, Leon finally grasped why the princess felt sad—but didn't know what to say, so he simply stood beside her at the window for a while.

Soon, a cold hand clasped his, gently tugging at it as if pleading.

"Leon…"

Looking at him with reddened eyes, the princess whispered:

"I'm not lying—I'm feeling a little broken inside. Can I lean on you?"

"Sure…"

"Thank you."

Leaning against Leon's shoulder, facing the cold wind pouring through the window, the princess spoke with quiet desolation:

"Actually, I'm not disappointed that my father played mind games with me—I've long been used to it. What truly hurts is that even now, he wouldn't dare beg me outright."

"Beg you?"

"Yes. Beg me like a real family member—like a child throwing a tantrum."

Snuggling closer into Leon's arms, the princess whispered with clenched lips:

"I don't want him to grovel and make me feel satisfied—I mean, someone like my father uses every possible tool to his advantage.

If he thought begging me would work, he'd have done it without hesitation. The only reason he didn't is because he believes this father-daughter bond has no value—it's not a good 'card' to play."

"Not necessarily…"

Seeing the princess's eyes grow redder, Leon couldn't help comforting her:

"Your father… maybe he just didn't know how you saw him, thought you didn't care much for him as a father, so he didn't dare ask."

"No."

The princess shook her head:

"He may not know how I see him, but he knows exactly how he sees me as his daughter. In that short moment, he could only use his own feelings toward me to unconsciously gauge mine toward him."

"Since he ultimately made this choice, it proves that in his heart, our father-daughter bond truly had no value. Rather than beg me emotionally, he chose to play a small trick and trap me with words—it was safer."

"For me, he's the only family member I ever cared about. But for him, I'm just a stranger. Emotional appeals—those childish, heartfelt requests—are privileges reserved for true family. Between him and me, there's only profit and loss."

"…"

"Sorry—I've said so much nonsense…"

Letting out a quiet sigh, the princess looked down from the broken window, watching Joshua sobbing over the awakened queen in the garden, and whispered with desolation:

"Actually, I really envy Joshua."

"He's reckless, hot-tempered, arrogant, childish, wasteful… he has so many bad habits, but Father truly loves him as a son. He has a mother who adores him, and an uncle who forgives him no matter what he does."

"I've done everything better than him—handled every task with precision, earned countless praises—but since Mother died, no one has ever loved me unconditionally."

"…"

"Leon…"

Gently tugging Leon's sleeve, the princess, nestled in his arms, looked up with tear-filled eyes and whispered:

"Will you be that person for me?"