Chapter 174: slap

Two days until Eren visits the royal Eren visited a private, soundproofed VIP suite of an elite café owned by House Reedings, Aria elegantly lifted a teacup to her lips. She took a sip, crossing one slender leg over the other.

"So," Aria began, a mischievous glint in her golden eyes, "what warrants such an urgent, dramatic summons, Your Highness? Especially after you threw that tantrum over Eren’s scandalous antics at our last meeting?"

Sitting across from her was Princess Seraphina, dressed in a flowing, magnificent white dress. Her mesmerizing silver hair tumbled in soft waves over her shoulders, but her pretty face was mostly hidden beneath the wide sunhat.

Seraphina let out a weary sigh, staring down at her cup.

"I am here entirely because of that idiot’s reckless advice," Seraphina muttered. "He truly is an insufferable, terrifying madman."

Aria arched a brow, setting her cup down with a quiet clink.

The silver-haired princess slowly removed the oversized sunhat, placing it onto the table.

Aria’s golden eyes instantly widened in horror. Her hands flew up to clamp over her parted lips.

"What the hell..." Aria gasped.

Across Seraphina’s pale cheek was a red handprint of a nasty, full-force slap. The skin was still noticeably swollen, sharply contrasting with the cold, lethal beauty of her striking, blood-red eyes.

In a heartbeat, Aria abandoned all aristocratic decorum. She bolted upright, rounded the table, and dropped to her knees beside Seraphina’s chair. Her fingers hovered inches from the bruising, trembling in frantic fury.

"Who did this to you?!" Aria demanded, her voice dropping into a hiss. "Who dared lay a finger upon the imperial princess?! Was it that wretched Second Consort? Did that faction try to intimidate you?!"

Seraphina offered a faint, calm smile. She gently grabbed Aria’s trembling hand, her thumb soothingly brushing the villainess’s knuckles.

"Calm down, Aria. You’re jumping to wild conclusions," Seraphina murmured. "The Second Consort didn’t touch me. This was delivered by my own mother."

Aria froze.

Her mind ground to a dead halt, her brain effectively entering offline mode. She slowly slid into the vacant armchair beside the princess, staring at her like she had grown a second head.

"The... the Queen?" Aria stammered, utterly bewildered.

Seraphina picked up her coffee, taking a quiet sip before letting out a soft chuckle. "She hit me with everything she had yesterday afternoon. It’s still stinging, honestly."

"Why would she do that?!" Aria demanded, completely failing to wrap her head around the situation.

"The Queen has despised you since the day you were born! She locked herself in the inner palace, severed all ties, and refused to let you anywhere near her presence for over a decade simply because you carry the blood of the Emperor she despises! Why would she strike you now? Did her hatred truly run that deep?!"

"No, she struck me...because she loves her daughter."

Aria blinked, baffled. "What do you mean, because she loves you? Sera, you don’t express maternal affection with a palm strike to the jaw!"

Seraphina let out a laugh.

"I thought the same thing," Seraphina murmured, the empire’s cold princess persona finally beginning to fracture. "I spent my entire life planning to take away that throne for her, desperate to earn a single glance from her. And when that idiot bluntly told me to tell all my plans... I genuinely thought she would throw me out of her annex."

A shimmering tear welled at the corner of her red eye.

"She didn’t strike me out of spite, Aria," Seraphina whispered, her voice cracking with the heavy, overdue weight of an unraveled truth. "She slapped me because she was terrified. The moment I outlined my ambition for the throne, she lost her mind. The isolation, the coldness, the refusal to acknowledge me... it was never hatred."

"It was her pathetic, dumb attempt to keep me as far away from the imperial succession slaughterhouse as possible. She made herself an abusive ghost so the Emperor and his concubines wouldn’t see me as a threat. And I was such an arrogant, blind fool for never seeing the cage she built to protect me."

Sniffling softly, Seraphina raised the back of her gloved hand, wiping away the tears before her icy facade could fully melt.

"We will dissect this tomorrow," Seraphina said, her tone snapping back to business. "Right now, you need to see something more."

"A clue on The Substance distribution line?"

"Worse," Seraphina replied.

She pulled out a piece of folded parchment and slid it across the table.

"I found this pinned to my bedroom door this evening. The palace wards didn’t trigger and not a single surveillance device captured whoever planted it."

Aria picked up the note, unfolding it carefully.

Her golden eyes dilated as she read the brief words written on it.

****

Twenty-four for Eren’s visit to the royal palace.

Eren dropped his pen onto the open book, leaning back until the chair groaned in protest. He threw his arms up, rolling his stiff neck until his vertebrae gave a satisfying pop.

"I voluntarily signed up for this mess, and now I’m paying the absurd fee," Eren muttered to the empty ceiling, rubbing his stinging eyes.

A mug of freshly brewed black coffee hovered beside him, steam curling into the air of his study with the rich aroma of roasted beans.

Eren blinked, tilting his head up.

Standing beside his desk was a busty red-haired girlfriend beaming down at him as she offered him the hot brew with both hands.

"You look awfully tired, Young Master," Mira teased softly, her green eyes scanning his dark eye circles with concern. "Are you holding up alright?"

"Physically? Hanging on by a thread," Eren chuckled raspy, taking the warm mug and savoring the sip. "Being a boyfriend while managing other things has made my sleep schedule into a mess."

"Then it’s my duty as your devoted maid and girlfriend to help you recover," Mira announced cheerfully.

Without waiting for his permission, the busty redhead stepped into his space, turned around, and planted herself right into his lap.

The plush, comfortable weight of her soft thighs settled over his knees, her back leaning snugly against his chest as she reached behind his neck, pulling his head forward so he could bury his face into her warm, fragrant shoulder.

Eren let out a long, vibrating sigh, wrapping tightly around her waist to anchor her in place. The sweet scent of her skin worked better than any healing spell.

Mira truly was his ultimate stress therapy. Her bright, unbothered warmth, her playful banter, and that perpetually radiant smile had a miraculous way of sweeping the conspiratorial rot right out of his head.

"You’re an absolute lifesaver, my little sugar baby," Eren mumbled affectionately against her collarbone, his fingers lightly digging into the curves of her waist.

Mira giggled, the vibration humming pleasantly against his cheek. "If you think I’m just a pretty face to cuddle, you’re severely underestimating your return on investment, young master."

Reaching across the desk, she slid open the bottom drawer and pulled out a thick financial ledger.