Chapter 489 --489
Heena paused, looking at the mountain of meat accumulating in front of her, and gave him a sharp side-eye. "What exactly are you doing?"
"Fattening you up," Samuel replied smoothly, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her eat with an annoyingly fond smile. "If you are going to march into the palace and start a political earthquake, you need energy. And besides... someone needs to make sure you don’t actually pass out from exhaustion."
His tone was perfectly light and teasing, but his dark eyes held a heavy, knowing weight. He hadn’t forgotten her sudden collapse yesterday, even if he was playing along with her ’I’m entirely fine’ act.
Heena didn’t bother arguing. She just ate, devouring the savory meal with ruthless efficiency. She needed a full stomach to anchor her artificial energy.
Once breakfast was finished, the atmosphere in the room shifted. It was time.
Heena stood up, wiping her lips cleanly with a silk napkin. The dark wine-colored robe flowed around her like a shadow, making her look imposing, untouchable, and incredibly dangerous.
Grandfather Marcuset stood up as well, sheathing his broadsword with a loud, metallic ’clack’ that echoed through the dining hall. He looked at her, his playful demeanor vanishing as his voice dropped into the absolute, commanding tone of the Vanguard General. "The carriage is waiting at the front gates. Two squads of my elite shadow guards will escort you directly to the palace steps. They will hold the perimeter and will not leave until you return."
"Remember," Grandma Marcuset added, her voice chillingly calm as she took one last sip of her tea. "You bow to absolutely no one but the Emperor and the Empress. If any lesser concubine, arrogant prince, or useless minister tries to force you to kneel... break their legs."
Heena smiled, her fox-like eyes glinting dangerously in the morning light. "I will keep that in mind."
She turned and walked purposefully toward the grand entrance of the estate. The morning sun was bright, but as she stepped up into the heavily armored, marked carriage with her family symbol, her aura was entirely cold.
Stepping up to the carriage, Heena was genuinely taken aback. When she finally climbed inside, she had to take a moment just to process the sheer, ridiculous wealth of the Marcuset household.
This wasn’t a normal carriage with a flimsy fabric curtain. It had a solid, sliding ’’wooden door’’. Not only that, but it actually had a small set of retractable stairs to make climbing inside easier. Once the door was pulled shut, the interior was completely sealed off from the outside elements.
Sitting down, Heena finally understood the massive gap between the nobles and the commoners in this era. In a standard wooden carriage, riding over cobblestone streets meant being tossed around like a loose ball in a wooden box. Passengers would tumble left, right, forward, and backward. There were actual, comedic rumors in the capital of lesser nobles literally falling out of their carriages after hitting a bad pothole. While Heena had never fallen out, the constant motion sickness and banging her head against the wooden frames usually left her nauseous and miserable.
But this carriage? This was the ancient equivalent of a luxury armored tank.
Instead of a hard wooden bench, the interior was lined with an incredibly thick, plush set of velvet cushions that absorbed every bump in the road.
As she looked around, it felt like she had stepped into a miniature treasure hunt:
’ ’’The Bookshelf:’’ Built right into the wall was a perfectly crafted, two-story miniature bookshelf holding about ten different volumes to pass the time.
’ ’’The Drinks:’’ A custom-carved rack held several ceramic and wooden bottles securely in place so they wouldn’t spill.
’ ’’The Lamp:’’ A small, secure glass lamp was affixed to the corner. At first, Heena panicked, thinking it was highly flammable kerosene that might spill, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was a safely enclosed wax candle lamp.
’ ’’The Arsenal:’’ Strapped securely to the opposite wall were four gleaming swords. Three of them bore the proud, heavy crest of the Marcuset family. But the fourth...
Heena paused, looking at the fourth blade. It was a completely unmarked, ’’blue-steeled sword’’ without a single family emblem on it.
She immediately remembered her grandfather’s terrifying advice from earlier: ’’Just chop their heads off... but when you do it, use the blue sword.’’
Heena couldn’t help but smirk. Now she understood the old man’s brutal logic perfectly. If you assassinated a political rival with an unmarked blade, who was going to question the Vanguard? They could just raise their hands and innocently claim they had nothing to do with it.
But the true masterpiece of the carriage was the small, built-in wooden cabinet tucked beneath the bookshelf.
Heena pulled open the first drawer, and her eyes instantly lit up. ’’God, Grandpa, I freaking love you.’’
Her grandfather really was an absolutely awesome man. The first drawer was packed entirely with savory, heavily spiced potato chips. She eagerly opened the second drawer—more spicy snacks.
She pulled open the third drawer and found a stash of custom-made candies. These weren’t the sickeningly sweet, honey-drenched candies of the capital. She popped one into her mouth. It hit her tongue with an intense, mouth-puckering sourness, melted into a brief moment of sweetness, and then exploded into a fiery burst of spice. It was absolute perfection.
She opened the fourth drawer to find it completely stuffed with premium, spicy beef jerky.
The entire cabinet was a dedicated arsenal of savory, spicy food. Sitting back against the cushions and chewing on a piece of jerky, Heena finally understood the universal truth of being ruthlessly spoiled and fattened up by your grandparents.
As the luxury carriage rolled out into the main streets of the capital, Heena peeked through the small window.
Navigating the bustling streets was usually a nightmare for most nobles, but the moment the commoners saw the heavy, imposing crest of the Marcuset family on the carriage doors, the crowds literally parted like the Red Sea. No one dared to block their path.
But it wasn’t out of fear. It was out of sheer reverence.
The Vanguard family were basically superstars in the empire. As the carriage passed by, children abandoned their games and started running excitedly behind the wheels, cheering, ’"It’s the Vanguard! The Vanguard is here!"’ The common folks stopped their work, pointing and jumping happily, trying to catch a brief glimpse of the young Madam through the window.
Suddenly, right next to her ear, a loud digital voice echoed in the quiet cabin.
’[Host!]’
Heena violently flinched, her chest physically jerking back against the cushions as her heart skipped a beat. She clutched her chest, glaring murderously at the glowing digital lion that had just materialized on the empty seat next to her.
"Kill me," Heena hissed through gritted teeth. "Just kill me right now, you absolute moron."
The System blinked its digital eyes, looking entirely offended. ’[What the heck? Why are you using such abusive language this early in the morning?]’
"What type of nonsense is this?!" Heena whisper-shouted, keeping her voice low so the shadow guards riding outside wouldn’t hear her. "How many times have I told you to announce yourself before just shouting in my ear?! Do you want me to have a literal heart attack?!"