Chapter 627 -536: The Crown Prince’s “Mistresses
Joseph, who had been anticipating a relaxing time, realized he had severely underestimated the explosive force of the delicate hands behind him and the massage skills of their owner.
Camellia pressed down in all the wrong spots, her fingers frequently landing on the points where tendons meet; she also added “techniques” such as twisting and pulling that, combined with the strength she gained from cleaning and carrying soup pots every day, made Joseph’s tears nearly burst forth within a few moves.
“Ah—stop, stop!” Joseph cried out with a sob, “I’m dying, I’m dying…”
What he really wanted to shout was, “I confess, I confess everything!”
Soleil, who had just entered the room, was startled by the screams. Peering through the dim light, she saw a woman pressing the Crown Prince against a “long table,” one hand on his neck and the other holding something dark, seemingly about to smash down.
With the Crown Prince shouting “I’m dying,” Soleil was struck by a chilling realization: someone was attempting to assassinate him!
...
Fortunately, she had stumbled upon the scene, and her chance to redeem herself to His Highness had arrived!
Without even having time to draw her sword, she leaped toward the massage bed and sent the “female assassin” flying with a swift kick.
Kesode, hearing the Crown Prince’s cry from outside, felt his heart sink. He rushed into the room, sword in hand, just in time to see Soleil, with her hood obscuring her face, kick Miss Camellia into the air, and she was in the midst of drawing her sword!
Could it be she was the one attempting to assassinate him?!
The Captain of the Guard didn’t have time to think and leaped forward, his drawn sword whistling through the air toward Soleil.
Her sword had just been unsheathed and was not yet ready to strike the female assassin when she caught a glimpse of cold light and hurriedly raised her sword to block.
With a sharp “clang,” Kesode’s powerful strike sent the lady’s Swift Sword flying, and then, pressing his arm down, the tip of his sword was already against the “assassin’s” chest.
Joseph, hearing Camellia’s muffled groan and rubbing his nearly crushed shoulder, sat up and saw the Captain of the Guard fighting a figure in black right beside him.
Both Soleil and Kesode, seeing the Crown Prince rise, turned to shout at him, “Your Highness, watch out for the assassin!”
Camellia also struggled to her feet, looking at the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, run! There’s an assassin…”
Shortly afterward, over a dozen of the Crown Prince’s Imperial Guards rushed in with their guns drawn and surrounded the few people in the room. Then someone turned up the gaslight.
Joseph finally saw the pretty face under the hood and said in surprise, “Soleil? How did you get in here?”
“I…” Soleil glanced at the Maid beside her and anxiously said, “Your Highness, she was just about to assassinate you!”
Joseph then looked toward Camellia, who was clutching her shoulder, her face pale with pain, “Ah? Are you alright? She might have been a bit heavy-handed just now, but it wasn’t to the point of assassination.”
Ten minutes later, the Crown Prince’s Imperial Guards had all withdrawn, and Kesode was looking sternly at Soleil.
The “Stealth Agent” Miss, her face flushed with shame, kept her head low, pushing 5,000 francs toward Joseph, “Your Highness, I truly only came to repay the money. I was afraid you wouldn’t accept it, that’s why…”
After explaining, she turned toward Camellia, who had tears rimming her eyes and was having her shoulder tended to with the help of a maid. Bending forward with a full show of regret, she said, “I am truly sorry, esteemed Miss. It’s all my fault… I will compensate you for your medical expenses, please forgive me…”
After confirming with the Imperial Physician that Camellia’s injury was merely superficial and no cause for great concern, Joseph finally breathed a sigh of relief and handed back the thick stack of notes to Soleil, “You are mistaken; in fact, I only placed a bet of ten leva on you that time. Cough, it’s not that I lack confidence in you, I just don’t like gambling…”
Soleil stood frozen for a moment, then her face turned red and then pale, looking at the 5,000 francs in her hand. Recalling her belief that the Crown Prince would have placed a heavy bet on her victory, she felt so embarrassed she could dig a hole through the floor of the Palace of Versailles with her toes.
Joseph exhaled wearily and felt even more exhausted. He said to Kesode, “Please take Miss Frey back.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Soleil placed the money back on the table and whispered, “Your Highness, I am grateful for your forbearance. Please consider this money as compensation for disturbing your rest…”
Joseph naturally did not wish to accept it.
After some back and forth refusal, Joseph said helplessly, “Very well, I will invest this money in the Royal Fund in your name, and you can receive dividends each year.”
Soleil, flustered, made a bow and then fled toward the main door as if running away…
Two days later.
In Lavoisier’s home, Madame Lavoisier Marianne was wiping her tears and speaking to her close friend Perna, “It’s all Antoine’s fault for letting the Devil blind his soul, leading to those indecent acts… and now he is filled with regret.”
After being sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by the High Court, Lavoisier himself was terribly frightened. He intended to seek the Crown Prince’s pardon but feared His Highness would scold him since the tax reform was under the Crown Prince’s direction, and his actions could be considered as undermining him.
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Fortunately, he had heeded His Highness’s advice and stopped his tax farming business two years prior, or he might have been punished even more severely.
So he asked his wife to bring Doctor Perna, a trusted confidante of the Crown Prince, to help plead his case. Unbeknownst to him, Joseph had already secured a pardon letter from the King for him.
Perna consoled Marianne in a soft voice, “You must pay the fine promptly, and I will definitely ask His Highness for assistance on your behalf. Oh, you might also need to prepare bail money.”
“Thank you so much, my dear Perna, you are the only one who can save Antoine now,” Madame Lavoisier cried again, holding onto Perna.
The two friends talked until the afternoon, and after receiving repeated assurances from Perna, Marianne then expressed concern, “By the way, have you heard about the matter concerning His Highness the Crown Prince’s mistress?”
“Mistress?!” The female doctor’s heart tightened all at once.
“I heard it’s a wild girl named Soleil and the Crown Prince’s maid,” Marianne obviously knew about her friend’s feelings for the Crown Prince and said with gravity, “Inside the Palace of Versailles, everyone is talking about how they fought over His Highness out of jealousy the night before last. The Maid was injured…
“Dear Perna, perhaps, you should be more assertive. You were the earliest beside the Crown Prince… cough, you should display the demeanor of the Chief Mistress and let those two know their place!”
Perna was caught off guard and started coughing violently. It was the first time someone referred to her as His Highness’s “Chief Mistress.”
Marquis of Launay said, “I just passed by the Noble’s Cell, and I saw that the furnishings inside were still overly luxurious. Given the current financial strain on the state, let’s do without anything unnecessary except for tables and beds. Oh, and it’s best to make the cells single occupancy; it will benefit the prisoners more when it comes to concentrating on their reflections.” The King did not remarry a foreign princess suitable to his status but instead secretly married the Marchioness of Mantenon, who was already over fifty years old at that time.