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Conversation
While Irina was respectfully sent to the Imperial Palace, the guards and maids in the palace didn’t recognise her. Ling Yue didn’t live in the Imperial Palace but would often appear. As for Irina, it was their first time seeing her. The maids and guards didn’t know how to treat her, the grandiose Imperial Palace intimidated her, to be honest.
A maid walked over and bowed to Irina. With a smile, she asked, “Ma’am, please follow me to the guest hall. Do you have business at the Imperial Palace?”
The maid was different to the other maids. Her uniform was a tad different. To add to that, it seemed as though she was more experienced than the other maids and had a better attitude, which calmed Irina down to an extent. She followed the maid into the interior of the Imperial Palace.
Irina cautiously answered, “I want to see His Majesty… King Troy…”
The maid responded with a nod and smile: “Consort Irina, am I right? King Troy informed me already; however, he and Princess Freya are currently attending a meeting. Therefore, he cannot see you right away. Please wait for him in his office for now. You can use the break room next door to rest. Would you like a cup of nice tea, or would you like a tour of the Imperial Palace, perchance?”
“I will just wait in the break room.”
Irina felt a little nervous at the thought of wandering such a large palace. The maid gave her a smile, which gave the impression the maid had a prank in mind. The two went along the stairs to Troy’s office. Irina enviously surveyed at the office before her. She emotionally remarked, “I have never seen his residence. I have only ever heard of it. It seems that his living conditions are good.”
“Not exactly. After all, he is often tired from work. When he has a lot of work, it is normal for him not to return to his room. The recent conference is important, so it has been a long time since he has had any decent sleep. He is virtually meeting with people from the two parties if not in a meeting.”
“Has my visit caused him trouble, then…? I said that I would not cause him any trouble… Should… I have not come…?” asked Irina.
The maid smiled and pulled open the door: “Not at all. Though I am not informed of the past events, as His Majesty did not fill me in on much in regards to it, he does care about you and your child. He once had Tanya take things to you. Knowing that you would visit today, he had me wait in the Imperial Palace to welcome you. I forgot to introduce myself. I am King Troy’s personal servant, Luna.”
Irina exclaimed, “Ah! His Majesty told me about you. He said that you are his only personal servant.”
Luna subtly smiled: “Yes. There are already people waiting inside, so I need not see you in. You and her should get to know each other. You may seek her out in the future, after all.”
“Ling Yue…?”
“Yes. Consort Ling Yue and Princess Liu Yue are both inside at the moment.”
Irina fearfully looked inside the room. The very thought of a fox being inside oddly scared her. Ling Yue’s noble attitude evoked an inferiority complex, which was why she didn’t want to face Ling Yue. However, Luna, who was next to her, had an upward curve to her lips. Thus, Irina had no choice, but to muster up her courage and step inside to meet Ling Yue.
Irina egged herself on in her mind: “I must be confident. I must be confident. I am also Troy’s woman. I have a child, as well. I’m not inferior to Ling Yue.”
After Irina entered, Luna gently shut the door.
The break room wasn’t large. It was a standard rectangular room. A long coffee table was placed in the centre where teacups and a teapot rested on top. There was someone sitting with an upright posture on a long sofa to the side of the table, quietly enjoying a cup of tea.
Irina went red in the face because she realised Ling Yue overhead her conversation with Luna. Fortunately, her fear wasn’t heard.
Liu Yue was sprawled out with her head on her mom’s thigh, sleeping off the fatigue from the trip. Irina carefully sat down on the sofa opposite Ling Yue. Feeling awkward, she didn’t know where to look. Ling Yue gently set down her teacup then picked up the teapot. She poured Irina a cup of tea in an elegant manner. She gently placed it in front of Irina. Irina jolted and then quickly picked the cup up. Voice soft, she said, “Thank you very much.”
“There’s no need to feel tense,” said Ling Yue, as she gently put the teapot down. “Since you’re in a relationship with Troy, it’s inevitable for you to meet with lots of people. If you’re so nervous, Nier and Lucia will see through you. You might not harbour those ideas, but, at least, don’t let the two of them look down on you.”
“Yes….”
In truth, Irina met the two before. After that meeting, Irina decided to never meet them again… Their first meeting wasn’t a happy one, after all. She always felt ashamed for the reason that she stole their man. She may be a dragon, and she did it to save the dragon race from their crisis, but she didn’t want to do it.
“So then, may I ask what you came to see Troy for? You would not come here unless something came up, right?”
“Mm… I came here to ask about my child… I cannot let my child be without a father forever. Moreover, my child has grown up. I thought that he could get a job in the Imperial Palace. Our dragon race has always lived in seclusion, but I do not want for my child to continue living in seclusion in this world. I would assume there will not be many places for us to live in seclusion in the future. That is why I really want for Troy to give my child a job.”
“I see.”
Irina shifted her gaze to Liu Yue. With a smile, she said, “Your daughter is so cute.”
“Indeed.” Ling Yue didn’t bother with modesty as she elaborated, “After all, she has Troy’s blood. She’s pretty and adorable. I came here for my daughter, as well, and to partake in a meeting while I’m at it. The anthropoids are involved in this matter, which is why I need to be involved.”
“I heard that His Majesty is in the middle of a meeting. Do you know what it is about?”
“It is about business. The North is well-known for being a location where fur is produced, particularly the fur of animals in the North. In saying that, the North processes them where they are produced. There is a limit to how much of the raw material is exported. Unfortunately, the anthropoids are willing to sell it to some humans at a high price. That, therefore, makes it hard for the North’s factories to receive goods. Businessmen from humanity and the North’s lands are in conflict over it. That has put His Majesty in a tight spot. That’s why he’s holding a meeting for the three parties involved, namely anthropoids, the North and humans. The people outside the city are humans awaiting the news from the meeting.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Mm, it has nothing to do with you, so you don’t need to worry about it. It’s just that His Majesty will be quite tired from dealing with it, as he can’t disappoint humanity’s businessmen. Hence, we may have to wait here for a long time.”