Monster - Chapter 87
Chapter 87: The Princess from the East
Aztec Tower World, Great Britain, Litt Manor.
Twelve-year-old Zhao Jinyu wore an exquisite, ornate muslin gown, draped with a velvet cloak whose embroidered patterns carried a distinct Eastern charm. Around her neck was a white lace ruff collar, which made her neck appear even more slender and distinguished her entire bearing from the wildness she possessed before coming to Great Britain.
Nearly a year had passed since they left Aztec for Great Britain. She had gradually integrated into the life here, and now she looked like a true noble lady.
Just as it had been when they first arrived, winter had come to Great Britain. A light snow was falling outside. Litt Manor, where she lived, was blanketed in pristine white. The primeval forest surrounding the manor and the vast lawns were all covered in a thick layer of snow.
Exhaling a puff of white air, Zhao Jinyu's face was red from the cold. She knelt on the garden lawn, building a snowman. It was a chubby rabbit, but its long ears, which should have stood upright, looked rather short due to the limitations of the snow. Zhao Jinyu used a few twigs of varying sizes to give the snow rabbit its eyes and mouth.
In the vast expanse of white, she was alone in the enormous garden, with only Zhao Le—formerly known as Branch—standing a short distance behind her.
"Miss, it's almost time for Mr. Ascan's lesson," Zhao Le said, stepping forward cautiously. She sounded a little helpless. For the past few months, the God's Favored seemed to have been at odds with the Goddess, and she didn't know what to do.
"Mm," Zhao Jinyu replied, standing up and patting the snow from her hands. Zhao Le immediately stepped forward to help her put on a pair of white gloves inlaid with lace and pearls.
"The carriage is ready."
"Move aside a little." After putting on her gloves, Zhao Jinyu waved Zhao Le to the side. As the latter stepped away with a puzzled look, Zhao Jinyu lifted the hem of her voluminous skirt and, in a most unladylike fashion, spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick. The toe of her calfskin shoe struck the snow rabbit's head squarely. The head flew off, smashed against a nearby tree trunk, and shattered into pieces.
"Stupid rabbit," Zhao Jinyu cursed hatefully before lifting her skirt and walking away.
Zhao Le watched, at a loss for whether to laugh or cry, as Zhao Jinyu destroyed the snow rabbit that had taken her nearly an hour to build. Realizing her duty, she quickly followed after her.
"Le," a female voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
"Lady Goddess." Zhao Le immediately stopped and bowed to the empty air.
Although Lin Sandie had never told them to bow to her, after nearly a year in the strictly hierarchical circles of British nobility, Zhao Le and Zhao Tai (formerly Eagle) felt that certain titles and gestures were necessary to show their respect for the Goddess and to distinguish her from others.
It was unthinkable for them to bow and greet other nobles but show no such courtesy to the Goddess who was their benefactor.
"What time is it? Where is Little Fool going? And Zhao Tai?"
"The God's Favored is going to Field Manor for a Latin lesson with Miss Tudor. Tai should be discussing the addition of more bathrooms and toilets in the manor with the butler right now," Zhao Le answered respectfully.
"You go with Little Fool to her lesson. I'll go find him."
After asking her simple questions, Lin Sandie was already traversing between the various rabbit-themed objects placed around the manor. This was a skill she had upgraded after spending so long as a Guide in Aztec.
Traversal: The ability to bestow a spiritual imprint upon certain items with a unified symbol using one's own spiritual power, allowing one to descend upon them. The effect is determined by the depth of the relationship between the item and the caster, as well as the caster's spiritual power.
Currently, Lin Sandie's spiritual power was strong enough to cover the entire Litt Manor. As long as an object had a rabbit element and was within the manor's grounds, Lin Sandie could descend and possess it.
For convenience, she had previously purchased another Whisperer, planted it in a small glass bottle filled with soil, and had Zhao Le and Zhao Tai carry it with them. This way, she could contact them anytime her consciousness returned to Aztec.
As for contacting Little Fool, she naturally didn't need such things, but the girl had been ignoring her for months.
At this thought, Lin Sandie couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Nearly a year had passed since they left Aztec and came to Great Britain. Arriving in such a strange place, no matter how strong or smart Little Fool was, she was still just a child. She needed her. But Lin Sandie couldn't abandon her real life, nor was she in a position to do so.
Being able to come to Aztec now was already the result of Lin Sandie squeezing out every bit of time she could.
The Empire of Great Britain where they currently resided was a monarchy. The new king, Edward, was only ten years old. Due to his minority, his uncle, Seymour, was serving as regent.
Seymour was a man with a voracious appetite for power. After Edward's father, old Henry, passed away, he married the king's widow, Queen Catherine. Before that, he had been an ardent suitor of old Henry's two daughters, the elder Mary and the younger Elizabeth. He only settled for the queen dowager after Parliament rejected his proposal to marry a princess.
Having read her history books, Lin Sandie was well aware of the fate that awaited Lord Protector Seymour. She had also concocted a story for Little Fool and the other two.
A young princess from a distant Eastern kingdom. Her fleet had encountered a storm at sea, and everyone else had tragically perished, leaving only her, her personal handmaiden, and the eldest son of a high official. They had also managed to salvage a large quantity of spices, porcelain, fabrics, and other goods from their ancient Eastern country—gifts that no noble of that era could refuse, all of which were intended for the esteemed King of Great Britain.
Lin Sandie had woven a story riddled with holes but impossible to reject. On one hand, her time was limited, and she had to ensure their safety as quickly as possible before her consciousness returned to reality. On the other hand, she was at her wit's end dealing with the education of the "three savages" and simply lacked the energy to craft a more meticulous tale.
Nevertheless, the story worked. When Zhao Tai opened a large chest of peppercorns—each grain worth a florin in gold at the time—before Edward, Seymour, and the assembled ministers, Lin Sandie immediately noticed everyone in the room gasp. And that was before she presented the numerous chests of perfectly packaged white porcelain and the vast quantities of brocade, silk, and other fabrics that existed only in China at the time.
To make the story more persuasive, or rather, to prevent those listening from feeling like complete fools, the "Chinese Princess," who could speak the language of Great Britain, told Edward that they would do their best to contact her father, the Emperor, back in China. She then presented a letter written by her father (actually by Lin Sandie) on yellow silk.
During the audience with Edward, Little Fool wore a magnificent robe made of Suzhou Song brocade, a style never before seen in Europe. Her long black hair was coiled into a high topknot, with bangs and wisps at her temples that set her apart from European women's hairstyles. Her features were already exquisite, a fact no critic could deny. Coupled with the peculiar fantasy that Europeans of this period held for the mysterious East, the enthusiasm with which they greeted this Eastern princess was predictable.
Although her story was utterly fantastic, she had brought with her a fortune large enough to make anyone listen to any bizarre tale.
In an age where titles could be bought with money, Zhao Tai was duly created a Count, and King Edward even bestowed a manor upon them.
It wasn't impossible for Little Fool to avoid the royal court and live as a low-key commoner, but most educational resources at the time were in the hands of the nobility, and Lin Sandie wanted Little Fool to receive a proper cultural education as soon as possible.
And it seemed necessary for Zhao Tai to pose as Little Fool's vassal. From all the information Lin Sandie could find, without a male figure in a protective role by her side, Little Fool would face an endless stream of vexing harassment.
Lin Sandie felt an urgent need for a physical body to stand by Little Fool's side and play the role of protector, but the real-body shells available for point exchange were far too expensive—so expensive that Lin Sandie found it unreasonable.
The Chinese goods used to "buy the title" were a minor expense. What truly drained Lin Sandie's resources was the cost of cultivating Zhao Tai and Zhao Le. During their voyage across the ocean, she had felt a murderous urge rise within her while teaching them their lessons. The more she taught, the more she wanted to sink them both into the Atlantic.
But to be fair, it wasn't their fault. Lin Sandie had, to some extent, been spoiled by the child genius that was Little Fool, assuming everyone was like her. Zhao Tai and Zhao Le were the standard for ordinary people, perhaps even a bit better, but for Lin Sandie, who had limited time, it was completely insufficient.
So, upon discovering that she lacked the time to drag these "two pieces of rotten wood" out of ignorance, Lin Sandie could bear it no longer. She directly bought an Illiteracy Elimination Potion from the system screen bound to her and made them drink it. Next came a rapid language acquisition potion, allowing all three, including Little Fool, to master both Chinese and the language of Great Britain. Then she had to consider their Chinese temperament.
In a fit of desperate, reckless courage, Lin Sandie bought two skins for Zhao Tai—vassal and butler—and two for Zhao Le—personal handmaiden and bodyguard. For Little Fool, she bought a Chinese princess skin. The system screen had everything; Lin Sandie had no idea why it contained so many bizarre items. After a frantic session of "cramming," her bullshit story finally gained a tiny bit more persuasiveness.
During that time, every visit to Aztec left Lin Sandie in a state of frenzy, which also meant she had much less time to spend with Little Fool.
Coupled with her arrival in the Disorder Land in reality, where everything was spiraling out of control, the distance between her and Little Fool grew ever wider, and the latter became increasingly rebellious.
Lin Sandie wanted to have a proper talk with Little Fool but could never find the right moment. Either the girl would avoid her, or she would get defensive after just a few words, or Lin Sandie herself would have other matters to attend to. Sometimes, Lin Sandie would become so frustrated that the conversation couldn't continue. It was then that she once again felt how difficult it was to be a parent.
Now, Little Fool wouldn't go near anything related to rabbits.
Being a parent is so hard… Lin Sandie sighed softly again in her heart. Just then, Zhao Tai appeared in her field of vision.
"Tai," Lin Sandie greeted him.
Zhao Tai, who had been speaking with the butler, nonchalantly gave a few final instructions. After the butler left, he turned and bowed respectfully to the empty air.
"Honorable Goddess, you have finally returned."
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