CHAPTER 877: CHAPTER 877: EIGHT FIANCÉES

It’s one thing for others to misunderstand, but if Warren Vance’s own father also misunderstands that there’s something going on between them, that’s not a good thing.

The Old King, however, was quite interested and asked, "Do you truly not consider becoming a royal daughter-in-law? If you marry Bunny, you’d be the Queen of Gothasen, second only to one."

Warren... Umph, cough.

Ann Vaughn pressed her lips to keep herself from laughing out loud inappropriately.

Every time she heard Queen Manfrieda call Warren by his nickname, Ann Vaughn would laugh every single time, while Warren would helplessly watch them, never contradicting.

"Haha... cough, thank you for Your Majesty’s favor, but please allow me to decline." Ann Vaughn almost burst into laughter when she spoke, but managed to stabilize herself with a light cough.

"Oh? Why?"

Ann Vaughn thought for a moment and deliberated, "Because I can’t accept sharing my husband with multiple women."

Her country values monogamy, so it’s perfectly normal for her to reject such an idea.

Unexpectedly, the Old King waved his hand and said—

"Is that really a problem? Once Bunny ascends, changing that law wouldn’t be difficult. If you don’t want to share Bunny, then we simply won’t."

The secretary standing by immediately coughed, subtly reminding the Old King to mind his dignity.

"..." Ann Vaughn had never found this ruler so silly before, truly.

Is it really okay to just change such a law??

"Your Majesty, to be honest, I already have a fiancé and a smart, adorable child with him." Ann Vaughn resisted the urge to twitch her lips, trying to remain calm, "I hope Your Majesty will allow that."

"No problem," the Old King said generously, "Bunny wouldn’t mind you having a fiancé and a child. He has experience; he’s had eight fiancées before."

He almost went on to say as long as you’re alive, everything else doesn’t matter.

Ann Vaughn: "..." So tired.

However, she’d never heard of Warren having eight fiancées before?

"What do you think?" The Old King asked again.

"...Is Your Majesty experiencing poor sleep lately, often sweating profusely around four in the morning, with a heated back?" Rather than arguing with an old man, Ann Vaughn simply changed the subject.

The Old King’s attention was indeed captured, and he asked with curiosity, "How did you know?"

Ann Vaughn smiled lightly, "Just now I heard Your Majesty’s voice was slow and slightly weak, lacking in energy, so I boldly guessed Your Majesty’s health might be a concern."

"Just from the voice?" The Old King laughed in amazement, "In such a short time, your medical skills have improved again."

"Thank you for Your Majesty’s compliment."

"Then give me a look, how should I treat this ailment?"

Ann Vaughn extended her hand and, under Betty’s guidance, placed it on the Old King’s wrist, examining his pulse carefully.

The Old King’s pulse was weak and thin, indicating a lack of liver nourishment and an excess of yang heat.

Soon, Ann Vaughn withdrew her hand, "Luckily, it was discovered in time, or if left unchecked, it could soon risk leading to a stroke."

The secretary immediately panicked at those words, "Her Highness the Princess, can His Majesty’s ailment be cured?"

"Of course, it can be managed with proper treatment, and make sure not to overwork in the future." Ann Vaughn instinctively wanted to grab a pen and paper, then remembered she’s "blind" now, so she let Betty fetch them instead.

The secretary hastily said, "Princess, I have paper and pen here, could you dictate, and I’ll write?"

"Alright." Ann Vaughn nodded and began slowly dictating the prescription.

The more he looked at her, the more the Old King’s fondness for her grew, yet so did his sighs of regret.

After finishing the prescription, Ann Vaughn stayed for tea with the Old King for a while before leaving the sunroom.

The Old King put on his glasses again, picked up the prescription, and studied it.

"Your Majesty, Princess is truly the esteemed Divine Doctor. A few days ago, the doctors couldn’t detect anything during your checkups, but Princess sensed it just by hearing your voice." The secretary marveled, "No wonder the public holds such high regard for the Princess."

"Who wouldn’t agree?" The Old King chuckled, finally with some sentiment, "It’s a pity her heart isn’t with Bunny, there’s no forcing it."

The secretary concurred.

"Instruct them to ensure diligent treatment for her eye injury, and don’t restrict the medicines she uses anymore," the Old King ordered.

"Understood, I’ll take care of it right away."

...

On the way back, Ann Vaughn recalled what the Old King had said and asked Betty beside her, "How come Warren had eight fiancées in the past, and why didn’t he marry any of them?"

Betty’s face instantly turned very pale.

Ann Vaughn noticed her abnormality through the gauze but didn’t call it out. She was about to say it’s okay if it’s inconvenient when she heard Betty speaking with a trembling voice.

"Princess, please never bring this up in front of His Highness."

"Hmm?"

"When His Highness first came of age, the Old King and Queen had chosen candidates for his future Princess, from noble women of prominent families, daughters of wealthy merchants, to princesses of neighboring nations... There were eight in total." Betty shivered all over, "But none survived past the engagement night."

Hearing this, Ann Vaughn paused in her steps, somewhat astonished.

"All dead?"

"...Without exception."

For some reason, although standing under the blazing sun, Ann Vaughn felt a gust of cold wind behind her, sending chills throughout her body.

People say each castle carries countless untold stories, often bloody or dark, rarely perfect.

Ann Vaughn never found that particularly frightening before, but now standing here...

It’s terrifying.

Ann Vaughn tried hard to forget what she just heard, memorizing the surrounding landscape, and rehearsing it in her mind.

Just then, a maid carrying a tray of delicate desserts accidentally bumped into Ann Vaughn, almost knocking her over while she was lost in thought.

"Princess, watch out!" Betty promptly supported Ann Vaughn, averting what could have been a disastrous fall.

The maid turned pale, hurriedly bowing to apologize, "I’m sorry, Your Highness, I didn’t mean it."

"It’s alright, I wasn’t paying attention while walking, that’s not your fault." Ann Vaughn clenched her right hand, speaking calmly.

"Thank you, Princess, thank you!"

After the maid left, Ann Vaughn feigned discomfort, leaning against the wall and weakly saying to Betty, "Betty, could you get me a cup of hot water, I feel a bit dizzy."

"Princess, are you alright?" Betty asked worriedly, "Is it because of too much sun? I should have insisted on bringing the carriage, even if you prefer not to draw attention."

The Royal City is incredibly vast, and the royal family members mostly travel inside with carriages, being both convenient and environmentally friendly.

But Ann Vaughn, wanting to memorize the landscape, stubbornly walked over to be prepared for any situation.