Mary felt a shudder from Luna and grasped Luna’s hand firmly. She lifted her head and encountered the side consort’s pair of furious eyes calmly; a courteous smile appeared on her face. “Sorry to let mother worry about Mary. Mary was being mischievous and wanted to scare Luna sis therefore she deliberately went to the backyard.”
“Oh really?” The side consort slowly approached, the evil look on her face made Mary thought of a poisonous snake, “Madam Barbosa has searched all place at the backyard but didn’t find you, where have you been?”
Mary raised her chin with an innocent look, “Mary heard that there’s an apricot blossom forest at Munashii Temple and wanted to have a look.”
“Was Mary sis that anxious?” Amy who was humiliated just now would not release a single chance to take revenge, “Haven’t we discussed it in the morning that we’ll have a stroll to the apricot blossom forest after we burn the incense? Why was Mary sis that anxious to go?”
“I was just wanting to have a look at the forest first and then bragged in front of Luna sis. Is it illegal to do so?” Mary gave a crafty smile and a meaningful look towards Amy, “Plus, I don’t want to go there with Amy sis. Is Amy sis satisfied with my answer?”
“How dare you talk to your third sister like that?” Not knowing whether it was because her aim was about to be achieved or she was determined that Mary would certainly not make it to the regent household, the side consort suddenly tore off her hypocritical mask and lifted her hand, wanting to slap hard on Mary’s face.
Mary was agile, she leant slightly to the side and her feet moved a little. Before the side consort’s slap had even landed on Mary’s face, she suddenly lost her balance and slammed to the floor.
It was too amusing to see and Luna who was crying could almost not hold back her urge to laugh.
Grace who acted calm could no longer endure it anymore and she held the side consort up with Mary. Mary even asked kindly, “Oh, mother, hasn’t your temper become bad enough? It’s not a good timing for mother to punish Mary, since Mary is the formal daughter while mother is just a side consort and is not eligible for the punishment.”
Her words had poked straight to the side consort’s weakness and her face flushed red. She could not bear to tear Mary apart who was standing before her! This slut dare to mock her side consort identity in front of so many people and said that she did not have the right to punish her? Humph, just like her foolish mother, yet she had no idea she would be doomed afterwards!
Mary continued, “Mother does not have to worry about disciplinary action towards Mary. Mother can tell father and let father handle it. During that time, Mary would say mother wanted to hit Mary for Amy sis and Mary should not have dodged and let mother fall down.”
Amy who was on her bed grunted angrily, “It’s because you have irritated mother with your offensive remarks, what does it have anything to do with me?” She was truly scared that Ralph would whip her once more.
The side consort also shot Mary a fierce glare and criticized, “What does it have anything to do with your third sister? Don’t you smooth talk me, there’s so many witness here and you can’t argue about it! It’s you who offend others first! If I did hit someone who doesn’t respect her sister, your father would not oppose me, but will even praise me instead!”
Luna was worried that Mary would be disadvantageous in the argument and she pulled her back gently, while Mary was secretly pondering—most of the people inside the room belongs to the side consort, even if there was some who didn’t, she was afraid that she would not make it back to the palace alive according to the side consort’s original plan. And even if she did make it back alive, who knows what tricks of the side consort were waiting for her?
Mary ignored Luna’s pull and beamed with her eyes arched, “Isn’t it just a statement about refusing to go to the apricot blossom forest with Amy sis? Did Mary say anything wrong? Amy sis looks so terrifying when she jabbed Brit with the golden hairpin like a dominatrix. Mary was faint-hearted and was really scared of Amy sis.”
Her witty remark had amused the maidens; some of them even chuckled softly.
Amy was apprehensive and she swept the tea cups on a small desk to the floor, she yelled, “I’m not a dominatrix, you are a dominatrix!” Her disheveled hair did make her look like one.
The side consort was frustrated; Amy’s bad temper was such a headache. It was time to let a disciplinary granny to discipline her after this thing was over.
“Grace, go tidy up your sister, her looks are too indecent!”
Grace gave a soft reply and scampered towards Amy. She wanted to tidy up Amy’s hair but was pushed by her until she almost fell to the ground.
Amy got in a rage and said, “Who asks you to tidy up my hair! You hypocrite! You’ve won mother’s favor but who knows how much you’ve laughed behind me!”
The side consort felt light-headed as she still had something big to do today, she then kept a straight face and said, “Amy, stop messing around! How could you treat your sister like that?”
Mary heaved a long sigh and spoke on time, “Yes, Amy sis. You should not treat Grace sis like that, it’s disrespectful towards Grace sis.” As if just remembered it, Mary continued, “Wait, Amy sis was disrespectful towards Grace sis too, why didn’t mother punish Amy sis? Could it be because Amy sis came out from mother’s womb?”
The side consort’s thought was revealed and her face flushed with embarrassment, as she wanted to explode, she saw Madam Barbosa throwing looks to her and she calmed herself down after a few deep breaths.
She still needed to bring Mary to the incense burning after a while and that was the crux of the matter. She needed to continue playing her role as a kind mother and could not make a mistake when things had finally gone to the final part.
The side consort then replied with a soft voice, “Alright, alright, it’s mother’s fault. Oh Mary, mother was being worried for you, you’re a noble mistress and have never been to Munashii Temple before. Mother was worried that you’ll encounter any bad people when you’re alone at the temple.”
Aren’t you the bad people? Mary snorted secretly yet she gave a sweet smile, “Thank you for your care, mother. Mary knows what she’s doing and she plans to return after a while.”
Mary then held Luna’s hands and asked, feeling sympathy, “I wonder who slapped Luna sis just now?”
“It’s me!” Amy who has been quiet sneered, “Why, has Mary sis’ heart ache?”
Mary’s smile suddenly faded away, she stared coldly at Amy with a pair of deep eyes, making her cringed and muttered, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Knowing that Mary would go doomed afterwards, Amy then continued boldly, “Luna sis stays with you and you two go back together to change clothes just now. Naturally she needs to hold responsibility when you ran away! It was already about time for incense burning and because of her incompetence, she lost you and made everyone waits, almost missing the good timing! Therefore as the elder sister, I have the right to punish her!”
Seeing Mary still staring at her coldly, Amy’s arrogance gradually died down, “Mary Debeur, are you thinking to take revenge for Luna by looking at me like this?”
Revenge is ought to be taken!
Mary clenched her fist tightly and gave a bland smile, “Amy sis, what were you thinking? I’m the youngest sister, mother would blame me for not respecting my elder sister if I hit Amy sis. I was just thinking that Amy sis’ dress looks exceptionally fascinating today.”
Amy became complacent when her dress was mentioned. The Caelorum Robe she was wearing came from the Rustica kingdom and its pattern was designed by Lord Mathilda of the kingdom herself. The robe was paid tribute to the Cynthian Empire and there were only four of them present in this world. The emperor had given one of them to Ralph.
Amy once saw Concubine Gerita wearing the Caelorum Robe in the palace and she pestered Ralph for it. After conceding the robe to her, she liked the robe and had worn it very often.
Amy smiled complacently, “This is the fabric of Caelorum Robe, and incidentally, it’s also your cousin, Lord Mathilda’s own creation. If you like it, I can give you the leftovers of the fabric and let Luna sis make some hankies for you,” yet what she had in mind was an evil thought: Although the hanky could only be used by you in hell.
Grace was combing Amy’s hair and she despised her greatly for showing off. She would have abandoned her if she was not her biological sister. How could there be such a barefaced moron in this world? While she was thinking, her strength increased and scratched Amy.
Amy gasped; she turned around glaring at her and growled, “What are you doing? You could say you don’t want to comb my hair instead of just acting kind!”
She then yelled, “Brit! Where the hell are you?”
Grace had not wanted to tolerate her sister since earlier, after getting rid of Mary and Luna today, there would be only her and Amy left in the regent palace. Until then, don’t dream of her tolerate her for everything! Because she was the eldest mistress of regent household!
Grace swiped Amy’s hair and stood beside the bed, looking down at Amy and said coldly, “Have you forgotten, Amy Sis? Brit was stabbed by your golden hairpin until she was all bloody. It’s true that she might have been in hell now.”
Having remembered that and looking at the golden hairpin blotted by Brit’s blood beside her, she felt a chill and tossed it afar, “What a dirty and unpleasant thing!”
The side consort felt headache and she spoke to Madam Barbosa, “Hurry up and tidy the third mistress’ hair.”
Yet to her surprise, Mary started forward and said, “Let me do it.”
The side consort gazed at Mary dubiously and asked, “Do you know how to comb?”
Mary gave a soft smile, “It’s the younger sister’s responsibility to comb elder sisters’ hair.”
Amy thought Mary had willing to give in and she patted her bed while shouted, “Hurry up and come here!”
Mary walked towards Amy’s back obediently and raised her hair. She followed Nean’s instruction and found the acupuncture point mentioned by him. She quickly pricked a tiny silver needle into the point when no one was watching.