Chapter 4: Chapter 4
I grimaced and asked the young lady "Can I help you?"
She smiled "Yes and I can help you too, Miss Williams."
I raised my brows and muttered "Oh."
"I can help you deal with the aristocrat that made you get expelled." She smiled triumphantly. "Though you have to do something-"
"Oh, sorry not interested." I interrupted her, saluted and left before she could say anything else. 'After all it was Rowena's fault anyway.' I thought.
"What in the world was that Rowena?" I asked as soon as I got back. "I couldn't analyse her emotions properly."
"I'm sorry." She said gloomily.
"I want to know what's going on." I said helplessly.
"I still can't tell you yet." She pouted.
'Fine.' I sighed. Seeing how she was still sulking I tried to distract her. "The orphans living in the streets are few."
She blinked surprised at the change of topic and replied "There are orphanages all over the kingdom, after all the late empress was an orphan. She became an orphan at a young age and with no relatives had to hold onto the throne on her own."
"Alright." I said bringing out the food in the basket "Let's check the items I brought back."
Excited she responded "Oh yes, the bread can stay until next week although it would get moldy and we can consume the others this week."
I kept the food aside and brought out the others "They are quite novel the soap is really fragrant" I was impressed with the designs. "Why would they share such nice things? Aren't they expensive?"
"These things don't have much sales in the capital. They are first used by the royals and the aristocrats but if they are not impressed with them or it's liked by only a small portion of them, the merchants would lose money due to lower sales. So they'd rather sell them cheap to others outside the capital. It's inexpensive and if they receive good feedback from the commoners then the royals pay more attention to them." Rowena explained.
"So they aren't defective?"
"They wouldn't dare to share defective products the royals and upper-class aristocrats wouldn't stand for it."
"Even if it's defective how would they know? After all they aren't using them or are they being monitored?" I was perplexed.
"Yes, the royal family don't even need to act just the upper class aristocrats that are funding the merchants in the capital would do so because if there's anything shady the royal family would order an investigation on those businesses. If there's an investigation there would be confiscation of illegal or stolen goods and since there are no sales of such goods it's leads to less profit. The late empress put in many countermeasures." She answered admiration written all over her face.
"Late empress hmm why didn't I get that information from your memories." I glanced at her. 'Seriously, I couldn't get anything important from her memories' I thought
"Sorry my memories are jumbled up." She shrugged "She died a year ago. The princess should be just out of isolation."
"Isolation?"
"It's tradition for the remaining members of the direct line to the empresses to go on isolation for six months after they die but the princess's isolation was extended due to the trial"
"Trial?" I asked and she pursed her lips "Don't you think it's time you tell me about the princess. I don't even know your plans, how am I supposed to help her?"
"Fine, fine" She relented "The princess is a genius. She's well-versed in almost everything. Military strategies and fighting techniques, the ways of the scholars, trading techniques are but a few. Now you might be thinking 'how can someone so talented exist?' it's true she's just that amazing but there's only one flaw in her character. She's too indifferent, doesn't care about the people around her. In conclusion, her social skills are dead which makes her vulnerable especially now when there's no one she's close to."
I raised my brow and she added "Her father is dead too and she's the only child hence she's the perfect target for rumours. She didn't cry at her parents and then she's the one who killed them, someone bumps into her if she didn't react she did it on purpose and if she did react she's a tyrant. I tell you the people in the capital are blind, can't they see that she has problem with her emotions. I wish I could give them a big slap on their heads." She fervently demonstrated.
I shook my head and pointed out "Something tells me you where once like them."
Blushing she retorted "Do not bring up the past."
"So what's your plan?"
"Imitation. That means you'll get her to imitate someone else." She smirked.
"Which is?"
"The pitiful type." She said pensive "Those girls who get hurt easily"
"What? You just said she's the indifferent type I don't think she'll want to do that. Wait, can she even act?"
"You know I said she's well-versed in almost everything, that includes acting." I shook my head 'I'm not doing this.'
"Come on I think this is the only thing we can do to help. She needs supporters."
"What if they find out that she's just pretending?" I responded exasperated.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
"You're crazy and you've obviously read too many novels."
"Well you're not the first person to point that out. Let's just stick to the plan. Alright?"
"Alright."
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