Inside the palace, maids walked through the corridors beneath magnificent, glittering chandeliers.
Xia Jin stood in the hall with a calm expression, unfazed even when the maids looked her way.
She knew that most people in the palace wouldn't recognize her current appearance. Seeing this young girl, their only thought would be that she was a guest related to the royal family.
Sure enough, several people walked right past her.
Xia Jin found one of the girls' faces somewhat familiar.
She was likely part of the maid corps that used to look after her.
“A pity,” she thought, shaking her head inwardly as she headed toward her former room.
The palace was vast. Strictly speaking, it was a complex of palaces, but the different buildings were connected by underground passages. As long as one knew the way, they could travel safely.
The King usually stayed in the main palace and rarely came to this area.
The current building was something like a palace reception hall.
The headquarters of the knights were located on either side.
She entered one of the underground passages and, after about ten minutes, quickly reached her bedchamber.
Pushing open the door, a massive room of about two hundred square meters came into view.
The room was very clean, clearly maintained daily.
The tidy princess bed was spotless.
Outside was a balcony. Beyond the white marble-like railings lay a beautiful garden.
Green lawns and flower beds stretched far into the distance, with a blue artificial lake nestled among them. Further out, the elevated position provided a commanding view of the entire city.
Although the capital only had a population of several hundred thousand, most of the residences were villas with few high-rise buildings, resulting in a very large footprint.
The city's sewage facilities were highly advanced.
In fact, the kingdom's capital was nothing like the dirty, chaotic medieval cities of Earth. Instead, it was exceptionally clean and filled with an air of civilization.
Just then, a sound came from outside the door.
Xia Jin immediately leaped onto a tall cabinet beside the door, sitting on top and looking down.
Soon, a maid walked in.
This person didn't notice the petite girl sitting above her at all.
After entering, she took a clean cloth, dipped it into a bucket of water, and began wiping the cabinet next to her.
Moving along the cabinet, the maid eventually set down the cloth, rinsed her hands in the clean water, and walked over to the balcony.
She seemed to zone out for a moment, standing still for a long time before finally letting out a deep sigh.
“Your Highness, are you doing well?” she murmured to herself.
Sitting on the cabinet, Xia Jin felt a wave of complicated emotions.
This was her former personal maid. She was never responsible for low-level chores like cleaning; she had existed as the head maid specifically tasked with overseeing Xia Jin's daily life.
Since she had suddenly come here to clean, it was highly likely she was doing it voluntarily.
Perhaps she was still reminiscing about her?
As Xia Jin thought this, the maid in the distance suddenly sensed something and looked up.
Her gaze happened to fall right on the cabinet.
A black-haired girl with very slender legs was sitting on top of the cabinet.
The girl's appearance made the maid freeze for a second, followed immediately by alertness.
“Who are you? Why are you in Her Highness’s room?”
Xia Jin spread her hands and said with a smile, “This is my room. Why wouldn't I be able to come back?”
After saying that, she gave a light hop. Her appearance suddenly shifted into that of a white-haired girl.
However, it only lasted for a fleeting moment before she reverted to her black-haired state.
The maid stood dazed.
In that instant, she felt as if she had truly seen the princess she thought of day and night.
“Your... Your Highness?”
“It’s me.”
Xia Jin walked over to her, then stopped in front of a cabinet. She crouched down and pulled at it, revealing a small black box.
The box had a ten-digit combination lock. With a few skillful turns, the box clicked and opened automatically.
Pleasant music drifted out from within.
“It really is the Princess?”
Now, the maid believed her instantly.
With a look of joy, she ran forward and pulled Xia Jin into a tight hug.
“Mmph—”
A fragrant, soft sensation.
Her face suddenly buried in that great softness, Xia Jin hurriedly shook her head to break free.
Looking at the excited maid, she sighed softly and asked, “Wei Ya, how have you been lately?”
“Your Highness, I thought you...”
She stopped mid-sentence as a thought suddenly occurred to her, and she snapped her mouth shut.
Then, the maid cautiously ran to the door and pushed it shut.
After ensuring no one would hear, she let out a breath and whispered, “Your Highness, the palace isn't safe.”
“Oh? What happened?” Xia Jin asked.
“Do you know the reason you were exiled, Your Highness?” the maid asked, holding the princess’s hand with a worried expression.
“The ministers forced the King to banish me?”
“Yes, but also no.” The maid took a deep breath. It took a long time before she seemed to make up her mind, saying nervously, “It's not just that the King’s power has been stripped. The more troubling part is that most of the ministers in the entire court haven't actually been on our side for a long time.”
“What do you mean?”
“They are all puppets of the Empire.” The maid lowered her voice as much as possible. “The court has been hollowed out. On the surface, they're our people, but in reality, even His Majesty is an outsider in a certain sense now.”
Xia Jin fell silent.
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