Chapter 57: The Mysterious Woman

“My dear sister Tanasha, you saw it too—how could that rude man be a king with honor and grace? I think he is just a reckless, rude, and savage barbarian… He actually left us waiting on the side and completely ignored the majesty and dignity of our sovereign empire, the Zenit Empire…”

Little Prince Torbinsky nervously crossed the temporarily repaired broken bridge made of ropes and planks to the north bank of the Zuli River. As he entered the gate of Shampoo City, he kept complaining about Sun Fei relentlessly. Both the first impression of Sun Fei knocking him and his attendants off their horses and the later disrespectful act of leaving the empire’s coronation mission by the river made Torbinsky very, very dissatisfied with this king of Shampoo City.

In fact, Torbinsky was not the only one with such dissatisfaction. For the high and mighty knights of the Zenit Empire, coming to this remote area as the sovereign empire’s coronation mission was already a great favor to Shampoo City. As a little king of a Sixth-Class Vassal State who had not yet been formally crowned, he actually put on airs and did not hurry out to welcome them. Such an attitude made many people very unhappy. If Princess Tanasha had not expressed her opinion, many of them would have rushed into the royal palace to teach this rude king an unforgettable lesson.

“Dimi, the knight’s code teaches us that when blaming others for being rude, we should reflect on our own actions.”

The gentle voice in the carriage did not take her brother’s complaints seriously. Still speaking in her soft, unhurried tone, as the ambassador representing the Zenit Empire to crown the king in Shampoo City, Crown Princess Tanasha surprisingly did not mind the cold treatment the mission had received earlier. No one knew what the Crown Princess was thinking; she had remained inside the carriage without showing herself.

Under the gate of Shampoo City.

Mr. Best, the royal steward who had previously worn a rough linen robe of a coachman, now changed into a magnificent black robe, making him look even more elegant and noble. He stood respectfully at the city gate with two servants.

Seeing the princess’s carriage approach, Best quickly bowed and explained, “Your Highness Prince, Your Highness Crown Princess, our king was seriously injured in the recent battle and could not come to greet you in person. He deeply apologizes for this. However, we have prepared accommodations and a feast to welcome the mission.”

To be honest, the past three to four hours had kept this handsome older man extremely busy.

While the young and spirited His Majesty Alexander focused entirely on caring for his soldiers and subjects, Best had to brace himself to deal with the Zenit Empire’s coronation mission. The broken stone bridge outside Shampoo City was quickly repaired under his arrangement. Initially, Steward Best’s reputation in Shampoo City had hit rock bottom due to the ’embezzlement and escape’ incident, and few were willing to give face to this cunning, greedy ‘pretty boy.’ But the old fox was indeed clever. He only said one thing: “If we don’t repair the stone bridge quickly, the coronation mission will revoke Alexander’s official coronation.” Immediately, the soldiers and civilians of Shampoo City threw themselves into the repair work with boundless energy. Even some lightly wounded soldiers volunteered to join the effort. Soon, countless ropes linked the two sides of the broken bridge, and sturdy planks were laid on top, allowing carriages and knights to pass.

Best was astonished by what he saw.

The entire process was even two hours faster than he had expected. Alexander’s prestige in Shampoo City was unmatched, far surpassing that of the Old King. It seemed that if necessary, these soldiers and civilians were even willing to die for their king.

“Lead the way.”

After hearing Best’s words, the voice of Princess Tanasha, who had remained hidden in the carriage, came out. It was still soft and gentle, yet cold and detached. No one could glean any information from her response. The Crown Princess of the Zenit Empire seemed to always remain in the same emotional state, without any variation.

Best nodded gracefully, bowed, and turned to lead the way ahead.

He was used to this. Throughout the journey from the Zenit Empire’s capital, St. Petersburg, this mysterious Crown Princess had always maintained this attitude. Best had gone from initial curiosity to complete calm—in fact, he was now entirely accustomed to it.

After entering the city, the Royal Coronation Mission was settled in the residence of Military Judge Conca.

Since Military Judge Conca had been executed by King Alexander for treason, this luxurious and spacious mansion had been confiscated and became the property of Shampoo City’s royal family. Best had previously selected and arranged for many servants to clean the entire mansion thoroughly and even redecorated it slightly. This arrangement satisfied the picky and complaining Prince Torbinsky and those high and mighty knights.

The royal mission brought along many servants and maids, so Best did not have to worry much about that. However, this handsome older man still used his administrative skills. No matter what cold looks these haughty knights gave him, he always treated them with courtesy, neither subservient nor arrogant, without any neglect or rudeness.

“Respected Crown Princess and Prince, King Alexander will hold a victory banquet in the Shampoo Royal Palace to celebrate the success of Shampoo City’s defense. If you both could attend the banquet, it would be our greatest honor.”

Before leaving, Best gracefully extended the invitation.

In truth, Sun Fei himself had no intention of inviting the Royal Coronation Mission to the evening banquet. But in the handsome Best’s view, this banquet might be a good opportunity to improve relations and resolve previous misunderstandings, so he took the initiative to extend the invitation.

“What? A victory celebration? Ha, and he has the nerve to celebrate? All the enemy soldiers in black were completely wiped out outside the city by our cavalry… If not for the brave and skillful Zenit Empire cavalry arriving in time, that king would probably have been captured and thrown into a cage, becoming a ruler of a fallen kingdom! Ha, fine. Tell your foolish king that I will definitely attend. I want to see how that shameless guy claims others’ achievements as his own!”

Little Prince Torbinsky answered angrily.

…

The setting sun was as red as blood.

Shampoo City, surrounded by mountains, bathed in golden light. Against the backdrop of the rushing river outside the city, it appeared unusually tranquil and peaceful, like a beautiful landscape painting that captivated and enchanted.

On the stone streets of the city, many people were coming and going.

Although the king’s defense battle had been won, and King Alexander had carried out many follow-up tasks, there was still much for the subjects of Shampoo City to do. Many door panels, stones, and heavy objects temporarily dismantled and used as defensive logs and rolling stones on the city walls needed to be moved back home. The bodies of fallen soldiers needed to be collected, and the enemy corpses left below and outside the city needed to be burned to prevent rotting and causing plague or disease… The end of one battle meant the beginning of another tedious task.

No one noticed that new guests had arrived on the city streets.

A mysterious woman with a black veil over her face casually strolled under the protection of a fully armed female knight. Behind them, a tall, smiling golden-haired warrior followed silently.

“Your Highness, I didn’t expect this small city to have such lovely scenery. The streets are quite wide and tidy. Although it can’t compare to St. Petersburg, for a mere Sixth-Class Vassal State, it is quite remarkable.” The female warrior occasionally observed the buildings on both sides of the street, seeming very curious. However, when she saw the royal palace in the distance, she frowned. “But I guess that king named Alexander must be a very greedy and extravagant fellow. Otherwise, why would he build such a grand and huge palace for himself?”

“Susan, my view is the opposite of yours…”

The mysterious veiled woman gently shook her head and said slowly, “Earlier, there were rumors in the Imperial Capital that this king named Alexander was a fool with the mind of a three or four-year-old. Now, that claim seems incredibly foolish. Look at the commoners on the streets. Even though they just experienced a brutal war, and some even lost their loved ones, the smiles on their faces are genuine expressions of happiness. Did you hear them greeting each other with shouts of ‘Long Live the King!’? Would a foolish king receive such loyal support from the commoners? As for that grand palace… if you look closely at the color of the stone, it must have been built over eighty years ago. It seems to have little to do with this king named Alexander…”

At this point, the mysterious veiled woman paused and added, “Susan, I suddenly feel interested in that victory banquet tonight. Go back and prepare; come with me to attend later.”

“Hehe, Your Highness, this seems to be the first time you’re willing to attend such a banquet voluntarily. I’ll immediately notify that steward named Best and have him send someone to escort us…” The young swordswoman Susan seemed a bit surprised.

“No need to notify him. Let’s just go and take a look quietly… Didn’t they say that this banquet requires no invitation and that everyone, whether commoner or noble, can attend? We can pretend to be ordinary people.” The mysterious veiled woman said.

“Ha, that’s even better. At least we won’t have to deal with those annoying noble lords at the banquet, hehe… By the way, Your Highness, what about this annoying guy?” The swordswoman pointed at the golden-haired warrior who had been following them silently.

“Knight Commander Roman, you come with us too.” The veiled woman’s words sounded like a suggestion, but her tone carried an undeniable authority.

The smiling golden-haired warrior nodded. “It would be my honor, Your Highness.”

…

The sun set in the west, and night began to envelop the land.

Lights flickered on throughout the city. The King’s Hall in Shampoo City was brightly lit, and more and more residents began to gather there. In less than half an hour, almost everyone in the entire castle, except for the soldiers guarding the walls, appeared at the King’s Hall.

The victory banquet was about to begin.