Prince Brad’s residence, on the southern banks of Claudine River, located within the southern district of Gabriels City, the capital of the Gabriel Empire. Bella was hiding inside the mansion, as she was taking a break before infiltrating the palace to visit Princess Kriss and the others that night. The southern district was filled with all sorts of separatist forces, which made things rather tricky.
Emperor Alfred the Third was planning to organize a large-scale matchmaking event—the Hundred Flowers Festival. There were still a few days to go before it began, and everything was in urgent preparation stages. The Hundred Flowers Festival was a traditional festival held every summer. The Gabriel Empire was located at the southernmost point of the Coristel Continent, and all sorts of flowers would bloom during that time of the year.
As the flowers bloomed, countless young men and women would swarm into Gabriels City, the capital of the Gabriel Empire. The city was also known as the “City of Flowers” since various exotic flora and fauna from all over the empire would be sold there. After some time, everyone began to call the activities during this season the “Hundred Flowers Festival”.
Since many young men and women headed to the capital during the Hundred Flowers Festival, it quickly became the biggest lovers’ festival in the southern region and was now the best opportunity for one to profess their love. For the last decade or so, the Gabriel Empire had been the official organizers of the Hundred Flowers Festival, and there was now a political aspect to it.
Bella wanted to relax, but there were too many people on her trail. The moment she entered Prince Brad’s mansion, the powers immediately found out about it, and all sorts of messages began to spread like wildfire. Many were speculating that the Grand Duchess Bellina (Bella) might be switching political sides at the last minute and would abandon Prince Frauer for Prince Brad.
Many individuals from the different powers were keeping a close eye on the entrance to Prince Brad’s residence, which made it extremely difficult for Bella to even eat in peace. The lolis, Demon God Angel and Evil God Mia, who were acting as Bella’s maids-in-waiting, quickly noticed those with clumsy stalking and surveillance skills. Bella changed into the standard white formal clothes worn by the nobility and did not bother to use any masks to conceal her appearance. Instead, she accessorized her outfit with a ceremonial sword and went out for a stroll with Demon God Angel and the others.
Initially, Bella wanted to stay at Prince Brad’s mansion until night fell. After all, the two young mistresses, Cathy and Sarah, basically obeyed her every command, and Bella was not done enjoying their benefits yet. However, there were too many “flies” buzzing around outside the door. In the end, Bella decided to seek shelter somewhere else to prevent any outsiders from guessing her true political motives.
Gabriels City was a supercity with a population of more than twenty million, and every single one of them was aware of the tense situation outside. However, there were no signs of panic. After all, five hundred thousand Royal Guards loyal to the Emperor were stationed within the capital. As the armies outside belonged to four other powers respectively, none of them wished to be the first to stick their head out in fear of being at a disadvantage.
Since no one took the lead, the situation quickly evolved into a strange sort of stalemate. The peace within the city was merely temporary. Strolling along the streets of the southern district, Bella found that there were as many florists as there were shops selling equipment for swordsmen. Looking at the large variety of fresh flowers lining the streets, Bella realized that there were many different species of flowers in this Other World too.
“Roses for sale! Red roses are ten silver coins each, blue roses are eight silver coins each, black roses are twelve silver coins each, and white roses and the others are all five silver coins each!”
“Wild roses are buy one get one free—regardless of color, they are all going for seven silver coins each. If you buy more, there will be free gifts too!”
“New arrivals! Precious swords! Come take a look; don’t miss out! These are the newest products forged by the master craftsmen of the Dwarf Race. They will be put up for auction tomorrow, so buy them now if you would like to get them at a lower price!”
The streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of the crowds. All sorts of salesmen could be heard peddling their wares throughout the district. Instead of perusing the weapon stores that sold equipment for Swordsmen, Bella made a beeline for the florists. After all, she was not of the Swordsman profession and was not interested in their equipment. Demon God Angel and the other lolis accompanied her into the various florists. Other than Time Space Magic Demon Noesha, who was an erotic loli, the other three lolis could not help themselves around all those beautiful flowers.
Noesha scanned her surroundings for pretty girls. This was the heat of summer in the southern region of the Human Continent. The temperature was high, and the beauties roaming the streets wore thin outfits, revealing their figures. Although none of them wore dresses that showed their shoulders or backs, the fabric was sheer and did not leave much to the imagination.
“Noesha, you don’t like flowers? Come on, stop looking around so casually. You’re lucky that you’re such an adorable loli; otherwise, by leering at other girls like this, others might take you as a pervert.”
“Hmm hmm, Older Sister Bella, no flower can compare to the beauty of a pretty girl. Also, you’re quite lucky, too; there’s no blocking cupid’s arrow for you. There are two pretty girls who have been staring at you in secret for some time!”
With Noesha’s hints, Bella quickly noticed the two gorgeous young ladies who had been observing her. As for their identities, she could make a guess based on their family’s insignia. These two young mistresses must not have any intention of hiding their identities, as they had placed their family’s insignia at the most prominent location on their bodies.
One of them was Miss Doris, the daughter of Bella’s temporary political ally—Prince Frauer, who was also the Emperor’s younger brother. The other was Miss Irina of the Ignaz family—one of the three main families of the Gabriel Empire. Irina was the “Darkness Swordsman” Elena’s younger sister. Like her older sister, she was a beautiful girl with striking black hair and matching irises. Although, she was a little shorter than Elena and had a similar body type. However, her chest was much larger.
Irina was dressed in a formal black swordsman outfit and was standing outside another florist across the street as she observed Bella. She was the first younger sister whom Bella had met to have a larger chest than her older sister. As Bella had already frolicked between the sheets with Elena, it would not be wrong to consider Irina her “younger sister-in-law”.
There was a complicated expression on Irina’s face. She had been tasked by the current clan leader of the Ignaz family, Duke Ignatius, to invite Bella to their residence. As he was well aware of Bella’s unique preferences, Duke Ignatius had sent Irina on purpose. If Elena was not around, her younger sister, Miss Irina, was the most beautiful young lady in the family.
On the other hand, Miss Doris was a little more mature and was wearing a white, full-length, princess-style dress. Her slender hands were covered with a pair of white lace gloves, and a pink rose rested just above her chest. Miss Doris had long, pink hair and matching pink irises. In comparison to Miss Irina, it was obvious that she had taken much more care to doll up before leaving her home. She also had a few fresh lilies in her hair, acting as accessories.
Doris was seated at a random cafe behind Bella and the others. Poised and elegant, she sipped her coffee as she glanced over at Bella. She looked like the perfect picture of a young mistress from a noble family who was waiting for her “boyfriend”. Bella’s only regret was that Doris’s dress was of a conservative style, and it did not reveal her shoulders or collarbones.
It was a pity. Just by looking at her, Bella could tell that Doris had an ample bosom. In fact, her chest was even larger than Irina’s. It was a shame that it was all covered up, and no one could admire it. Obviously, she was here on a date, yet she did not reveal any of her benefits at all. How insincere. Just like Irina, Miss Doris was here to invite Bella to her family residence.
Prince Frauer also knew that Bella, his political ally, had arrived at Gabriels City. As the situation was getting increasingly chaotic, he decided to send his own daughter. There was no way of knowing if he had any other motives at the moment. Every single young master and young mistress of every single prominent family within the capital had received a personal invitation to the Hundred Flower Festival from Emperor Alfred the Third.
However, as many of the noble families were afraid that the Emperor would hold their children hostage to gain the upper hand, they had all sent their sons out of the capital. The young ladies were the only ones left behind. Typically, only sons had the right to inherit the title of Duke, which meant that by sending them away, it would prevent Emperor Alfred the Third from imprisoning their heirs. Since daughters could not inherit the titles, they were useless as hostages.
When the Hundred Flower Festival activities officially began, the noble families would then arrange for their proper heirs to participate. The festival was not held within the palace’s northern district. Even if Emperor Alfred wanted to take them all hostage, he could not do so outside of the palace.
Irina was a Swordsman as well, and she was just as powerful as her older sister. Although she was looking at Bella with contempt, based on her skills, she would not last long before being pinned down and bullied by Bella, like her older sister Elena. Bella was more concerned about Miss Doris, who was no regular Swordsman. She was a Magic Swordsman and was much more powerful than Irina.
After looking at the two beautiful young ladies who had been following her, Bella thought for a moment. She then walked over to the empty seat in front of Miss Doris and casually sat down. Doris had ordered another cup of coffee and placed it at the seat in front of her, which made it clear that this was an invitation. Once Bella was seated, she simply picked up the cup and drank the coffee without saying a word.
A flicker of surprise appeared on Doris’s elegant face. She actually disagreed with her father, Prince Frauer, and his actions relating to the rebellion. This time, she had been forced out of the house after much pressure from Prince Frauer. Furthermore, the meticulous dressing up was merely part of Doris’s own routine and was not for Bella’s sake at all.
“Grand Duchess Bellina, that’s so ungracious of you! How could you just sit at someone else’s table?”
“Miss Doris, aren’t you here with an invitation for me? Fine, I’ll go look for Irina over there then. She seems much easier to talk to.”
“Grand Duchess Bellina, could you please give up your partnership with my father? If this goes on, the Empire will fall into chaos.”
“No, the empire is already chaotic—it has been for a long time. The only problem is that there are many who refuse to admit it.”
Bella had heard a word about Doris’s anti-war stance. She did not like war and had chosen to be a Magic Swordsman, which was considered to be heresy to the others within the profession. This also meant that Doris did not need to slaughter her enemies at a close distance. A pacifist like her would definitely flourish during peaceful days. However, in wartime, it would be tough for her to survive.
It seemed as though Prince Frauer was not that fond of his “naive” daughter, as he did not even send a guard along with her. Usually, when the young mistresses from a prince’s family left their residence, they would be accompanied by a guard, like Miss Cathy from Prince Brad’s family. The only young mistresses who were unaccompanied by guards were the ones who had lost the favor of their fathers. One example would be Miss Cathy’s younger sister, Miss Sarah.
“Grand Duchess Bellina, based on your current power, you’re much stronger than the other warlords. If you were to support Emperor Alfred the Third, none of the other Princes would dare to do anything at all.”
“Support? You must be kidding. We, the alliance in the south, have been fending off the invasion of the Beastmen for decades, but the Empire did not bother to help us at all. Moreover, the food supplies that we have to pay to the Empire have not decreased either. Tell me, why should I support him? It seems to me that it doesn’t matter who the Emperor is!”
“This… but the Southern Alliance cut off our food supplies, and the price of food supplies in the Empire now has skyrocketed. The people are suffering. They are innocent! It’s too unethical of you to do something like that.”
“Miss Doris, the Manasvir Empire has offered to purchase our supplies at a high price. We are just doing business as per usual—does the Empire want to interfere with this too? The Empire’s prices have always been low. You’re constantly trying to pressure us to lower our prices even more. Also, before cutting off the supply, the sale prices of food supplies weren’t too low either.”
It was clear that in terms of political debates, Miss Doris was no match for Bella, who was an “old hand”. Soon enough, Bella’s rebuttals had rendered Doris speechless and red in the face. When forced to consider the harsh reality, a pacifist’s points were weak. However, it was not Doris’s fault. The Empire was not as good as she had thought.
For many years, the Gabriel Empire had been purchasing the crops from the south at extremely low prices. Back then, most of the duchies were not united and could not put up any resistance against the pressure from the Empire’s policies. After purchasing the supplies, the Gabriel Empire would sell them to the general public at relatively high prices. The Empire had been enjoying this high-profit margin for a long time.
At this point, the Southern Alliance had used the reason that they were “selling their supplies to another empire” to reject the Gabriel Empire’s request for food supply. However, the Manasvir Empire did not purchase the Southern Alliance’s supplies. They were merely used as a smokescreen. Bella was more concerned about the fact that the other powers had a general idea about the size of her Sarnia Duchy’s army. By right, they should not know anything about it. How could Miss Doris know that her army was larger than her father’s?
However, after Demon God Angel sent her a long-distance telepathic message, Bella soon found out the answer to her question. There were two extremely powerful pretty sisters hiding stealthily nearby. They should be related to Doris. Once Bella noticed that someone was monitoring the conversation between her and Doris, she decided to take a step back.
“Alright, there’s no end to our debate. Miss Doris, this was a delicious cup of coffee. I’ve already paid the bill. Hopefully, I will get another opportunity to hear your thoughts. By the way, the extra gold coins are for the two young ladies over there who had been peeping at us the whole time.”
“Grand Duchess Bellina, hold on. I… there’s no one beside me.”
As Bella turned to leave, she grabbed on to Miss Irina and pulled her away. Angel and the other lolis had already left. Miss Doris, who remained rooted to the spot, was filled with embarrassment. She did not know if she wanted to laugh or cry as she stared at the gold coins in front of her.
The two blurred figures now stood near Doris. These two beauties had appeared in the palace before. They were the twins from the Hilikas family, the top guardian family of the Gabriel Empire. They were also the ones who secretly instructed Doris to make contact with Bella.
Even Miss Doris’s father, Prince Frauer, had no clue that his own daughter was working with the Hilikas family. Doris had made the choice of deviating from Prince Frauer’s arrangements. According to the Hilikas family’s plans, they hoped to break the alliance between Bella and Prince Frauer. If they destroyed their relationship, even better. That way, the Hilikas family could reap the benefits after they destroyed each other.
However, the newest intelligence stated that Grand Duchess Bellina’s Sarnia Duchy alone had the ability to overthrow the Gabriel Empire without forming an alliance with anyone else. This meant that the Hilikas family had no choice but to change their approach. Now, they hoped that Bella could act as a mediator to stop the insurgence within the Empire.
“Guardians, I’m sorry, I was unable to persuade Grand Duchess Bellina. She was not ladylike at all, her gaze constantly lingering around my chest. Seriously, she’s so naughty. I’ve never met anyone like her!”
“You do not have to blame yourself. This Grand Duchess is different from the norm. Now, return to Prince Frauer and tell him that Grand Duchess Bellina would not be working with him anymore. In fact, try to drive a wedge between them, the deeper, the better. Then…”
“Oh, pretty sisters, you can stop with your scheming. Especially you. You talk of peace, yet you do not mean it, and you’re conspiring with the two of them.”
A loli with red twin pigtails suddenly materialized beside Doris and the others. She was Noesha, the Chaos Bringer’s Time Space Magic Demon, who had been acting as Bella’s maid. She was also an entity who enjoyed the erotic and shared “interests” with Bella. She did not leave with Bella, as she had been given a command to remain behind.
“You are… Hey, where’s Miss Doris!?”
To their surprise, this red-haired loli managed to disappear Miss Doris right in front of their eyes. This power was terrifying to behold. Noesha was dressed in a dark-red gothic maid’s outfit and had an innocent smile on her face. She did not look like an entity that could make someone vanish into thin air.
“Mmm, a lying pretty sister needs to be punished. As for the two of you, bye then. See you next time!”
“Stop right there. Come—”
By the time they reacted, Noesha had mysteriously disappeared.
