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Chapter 447 – External Trouble and Internal Disaster
Claire was indeed different from usual, otherwise, the guards would have recognized her. Usually, she would walk upright with her head up and from far away she would look like a handsome prince, but today she ran absent-mindedly with her head down, it was hard to connect her current appearance with the Leopard Queen.
What was stranger was that one of the more acute guards noticed that the corners of her eyes were red and slightly wet like she just cried and it seemed her earlobes were injured.
Was she bullied by someone?
“Princess, w-why are you crying?”
The guard foolishly spoke without thinking and really angered Claire.
“Are you blind? Which one of your eyes did you see me crying from!?”
She sternly asked while wiping her eyes.
“Ah? I’m not blind, both my…”
“Idiot, just stop talking!”
Thankfully the guard was stopped before he said too much and before Claire poked both his eyes out.
“Stand guard properly, don’t slack off! If anything happens to my father, I’ll kill you two first!”
“Yes!”
The guards quickly sheathed their swords and stood up straight while saluting.
“Also… I won’t be seeing any visitors from now on. If anyone comes for me, tell them that the king is ill and I can’t see them and to come another day.”
“Yes, princess Claire! But… are you not going to take any visitors?”
“Hm? Do you not understand what any means? If you let anyone in, I’ll decapitate you!”
“Yes! Princess! We won’t let anyone in! We understand!”
The two guards trembled at Claire threats and responded in unison while Claire helplessly shook her head and chuckled, like she was laughing at herself for taking her anger out on them. She patted their shoulders and then walked into the yard.
The two guards knew that Claire was just angry so they could only continue doing their jobs while silently remembering to absolutely not allow anyone in!
Claire walked forward and slowed down their pace as she skillfully maneuvered her way throughout the house and arrived at a small room.
Cough, cough, cough…
She didn’t mind the familiar coughing sound and gently closed the door. At that time, a servant by the bed stood up and was leaving with a bunch of medicine bottles and a small bowl. They politely nodded and quietly said princess as they silently left.
“Who is it?”
“Father, it’s me.”
“Oh, Claire.”
“Father, how are you feeling?”
Claire walked towards the voice and sat next to the white-haired old man while gripping his hands.
“Hehe, still the same, coughing non-stop, but it gets better after taking the medicine… Claire, am I also infected with the plague and about to die?”
The old man struggled to keep his eyes open as he squinted at his daughter while holding her hands. He looked extremely old with a head full of white hair and a face full of wrinkles. His arm was just skin and bones and his voice was lethargic. It was hard to believe he was only fifty years old.
Monroe George, King of Gotham Kingdom, fell ill half a year ago to a strange disease and still hasn’t recovered. He has gotten more ill by the day, especially recently, he was always coughing and his body couldn’t hold on any longer but was afraid of revealing this information, so he moved to this place outside the palace.
“Father, what are you saying? You can still live a long time! As for the plague… your symptoms are completely different and Saintess Snow has started researching an antidote and I believe she’ll succeed very soon. At that time, we can regroup and wipe out those rebels once and for all!”
“Cough… is that so? Claire, you don’t have to lie, I know you’re comforting me. The plague may have come to an end, but it has done its damage. With such a large plague zone, how much land has been abandoned, and how many people died? Even if we get the antidote right now, with the money and food we have left, what will we use to fight the rebels?”
King George knew the situation of his country better than anyone else. In order to reassure the refugees and control the plague, their funds have run dry. King George even had to pay out of his own pockets to find a doctor and for medicine. If the rebels really went on an all-out attack, they could only surrender.
And there was something even more difficult, the internal politics!
Gotham Kingdom didn’t just have the rebels to deal with, they also had to take care of the domestic factionalism!
“I know that the military isn’t solid either. Grand Marshal Barrett‘s side wants to take the initiative and attack the rebels and General Hardy’s side wants to use cession of land and reparations as conditions to negotiate with the rebels… Those two sides are fighting nonstop, and I heard recently they want you to participate in some war meeting?”
“Yes father, since you’re unwell, they can only have me participate in the meeting for you.”
“Bullshit! They don’t want you to participate, they just want to argue in front of you and get you to decide on a victor! I! Cough, cough…”
“Father, calm down, I know this, neither side will back down and they’re planning to use this chance to suppress the other side and stuck in a difficult spot between them.”
“Since you know, what are you planning to do?”
“I have to go no matter what, I can’t let them look down on me!”
“Hm, you’re right… then do you have any plans?”
“N-no…”
“Sigh, it’s hard on you… Claire, you’re a girl, I never wanted you to get involved with politics. I just wanted you to practice archery, kill some demonic beasts, marry a good man and have a happy life, but who would have thought that now you have to deal with those malicious old bastards… sigh, I’m too useless as a father.”
“Father, d-don’t say that! If it weren’t for your illness, those guys wouldn’t dare! Now that you’re sick, I’ll also do the same to make them listen!”
Though George knew that with her daughter’s simple personality, there was no way she could deal with them and would surely be humiliated, but he didn’t have the heart to tell her.
“Hehe, yes, you’re my daughter after all, even if you don’t understand politics, you can surely take care of those bastards, Leopard Queen isn’t just a name for show.”
“Eh? Father, w-why do you say that? I hate that nickname!”
“Cough… okay, okay, then I won’t. Right, where did you go in such a rush today morning? Why did you just come back.”
George coughed again and changed the subject.
He was just casually asking, but Claire couldn’t answer which confused him. So he curiously inspected her and instantly cried out in alarm.
“Claire, who bullied you!?”
“Eh? N-no one, I’m fine.”
“You’re lying! You just cried, your makeup is ruined and your ears are injured… tell me, who did that? I won’t forgive them!”
“What? Injured? Makeup? How…”
Claire was even more shocked than her father, she quickly stood up and found a small mirror to look into and finally saw her appearance.
No wonder those guards were talking so much, her appearance did look pitiful.
“You’re still saying you’re fine? Look at yourself, you don’t even know your ears are injured, were you that focused on crying?”
George couldn’t imagine what caused such a strong girl to act like this.
“Claire, tell me honestly, what did you go to do!?”
Claire couldn’t lie and put her mirror down, she walked weakly in front of her father and lowered her head like she was a child who did something wrong.
“Father, I-I went to see someone…”
“So, did they cause the injury on your ear? … How dare they hit you!?”
“No, no, no! That’s not it, I injured myself…”
“Yourself? Aren’t you too careless. So, who is that person?”
“He’s called Lin Xiao.”
“Lin Xiao? I’ve never heard of him… why did you go see him?”
“I wanted him to be my helper and attend the meeting with me.”
“Oh, I see… wait, what? You want him to go with you?”