CHAPTER 229: THE OGRESS OF THE PALACE

"Yes, exactly."

"Of course, Prince Lucaren."

Idiot! Amiri screamed in his mind. What are you saying, you fool?

He could almost hear a rumbling sound beside him, like the earth itself trembling.

Against his better judgment, he looked again and instantly felt his blood run cold.

There was a demon sitting there.

No, it’s a raging ogress.

"An old demon woman..."

The words slipped out before he realized it—his terrified thought escaping into the air.

Oh no.

The sound of shattering ice rang in his head.

I’m such an idiot!

The air froze solid. The room felt like it had dropped to absolute zero. Amiri stood rigid, completely frozen in fear.

Even the maids finally seemed to sense something. Their faces turned pale as they stood still.

Even his father was frozen in place with a plate of cake still in his hand.

A small piece of cake slipped from his fork and landed with a soft plop on his elegant clothes.

"Ho ho ho... it seems the ones responsible for guiding the royal children lack proper discipline. Very well. Starting tomorrow, I shall personally reeducate all of you. Your Majesty, I trust I have your permission right?"

As expected from brother Dominic’s mother, no one, not even the king or the maids, could refuse Ashe’s icy smile.

...

Later, as Amiri walked down the spotless corridor beside his father, he thought about how much the inner palace had changed. Ever since Lady Ashe began visiting as the instructor and supervisor of royal etiquette, the atmosphere of the royal residence had completely transformed.

First, the old chamberlain and the head maid were dismissed and the new ones were appointed. The new leaders were skilled but much stricter. Many attendants and maids were also replaced.

The rank and family name no longer mattered and anyone who is lazy or unfit for duty was dismissed without mercy. The reform among the maids was especially drastic. The old maids had only spoiled and pampered the royal children instead of teaching or disciplining them.

Amiri knew this well from his own experience.

After admiring his cousin Dominic for years, he had begun training with the royal knights once he came of age. Only then had he realized how sheltered and careless his upbringing had been.

Most of the palace maids were noblewomen seeking husbands among the royal guards or high-ranking officials.

Whenever a handsome knight visited, they would squeal and gossip endlessly.

Some had shown interest in Amiri or his younger brother, but royal marriages were usually arranged for political reasons, so the maids mostly treated them like children.

The maids were far more interested in dressing up and flirting with knights than doing their jobs. As a young man, Amiri couldn’t help but feel a little insulted and neglected.

So, when his Great Aunt scolded them harshly and dismissed them without hesitation, Amiri thought they fully deserved it. They had completely misunderstood their duties.

Of course, the nobles who supported those dismissed maids protested fiercely, trying to pressure the royal family.

For a noble daughter, being fired as a maid was a great disgrace almost like being branded unworthy of her status.

Such shame would make finding a husband nearly impossible.

But Ashe never wavered. She stood before the weeping noble girls and their furious parents.

"To think this is the result of your parenting... truly, I would like to see the faces of these girls’ parents," she said, right in front of them.

Then she added, "How could we possibly entrust the princes and princesses who carry the pride and honor of this nation to people like this?"

Her words were sharp, final.

The anger and resolve she had held for over twenty years made even the proud nobles turn pale and fall silent.

Watching from the side, Amiri’s legs trembled uncontrollably.

She was terrifying.

Truly terrifying.

Now, the maids who served in the palace worked diligently and properly. To Amiri, who had been spoiled all his life, they sometimes seemed a bit too strict but the results spoke for themselves.

Amiri and Serenya had both become far less selfish, learning to act with the dignity expected of royalty.

Most of all, Amiri’s mother now seemed happier than ever. Her face was brighter, her smile more relaxed.

The current maids treated the queen with the utmost respect, honoring her as their sovereign lady.

Ashe had even become her closest friend.

Amiri had never seen his mother laugh so freely, chatting so cheerfully with anyone before.

As he thought of her happy expression from earlier, warmth spread through his chest.

But then, at the end of the corridor, he spotted Ashe herself.

Oh no.

He had been skipping his duties to enjoy tea and had eaten far too many sweets and snacks.

If Lady Ashe saw him now, he was doomed.

When Amiri turned to look at his father in panic, the king was nowhere to be seen.

At the end of the hall, Amiri spotted his father’s back as he quickly slipped through a small service door meant for servants and disappeared inside.

"Your Majesty!"

"It’s dangerous to go through such a narrow passage!"

The startled servants shouted in alarm.

How awful... Father, that’s just cruel.

After being abandoned by his father, Amiri could only offer his Great Aunt a stiff nervous smile in return for her "perfectly beautiful" smile.

"Good day, Great Aunt. You look even more beautiful than usual today," he said weakly.

"Good day, Amiri. You’ve at least learned to greet others properly. As for your sword training, I’ll speak with captain Maximus and tell him to push you a bit harder tomorrow. You must become skilled in both words and strength," she replied while smiling sweetly but her beauty carried the sharp chill of a blade.

Then she turned her gaze briefly toward the closed service door. Clearly, she already knew everything.

"The chamberlain and the chancellor were looking for His Majesty," she added with a quiet sigh. "Truly, he never learns, does he?"

She gave Amiri a graceful nod and continued down the corridor, her elegant steps echoing softly.