Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Aria''s 50th Sacrifice (1)


    [Warning: Upsetting Content.]


    Long Xiurong was resting in her room, watching the euphoric soldiers from the window, and thought, ''If Princess Swan is a witch, then she must be a powerful one. Those soldiers looked genuinely happy.''


    Unlike Lady Jade or the others, she had no biased opinion against Princess Swan. They were just total strangers who met in the castle, and never once did the Princess ever lie to her, or try to sabotage her.


    Swan also never intimidated her just because Long Xiurong was technically the second wife.


    ''I have no right to get mad at Princess Swan for monopolizing His Majesty. Her love is pure. Even someone like me, who''s used to the harem intrigue can feel her sincerity clearly,'' Long Xiurong pondered.


    Knock. Knock.


    Long Xiurong turned her head and watched the door open slowly.


    The bunny maid walked inside the room. She looked timid as always, but Long Xiurong knew how much of a gossiper she was.


    "What do you want?" Long Xiurong asked with an unfriendly tone.


    "Um... Mdy, I''m your attendant. So I want to know if you need me to bring your lunch right now," Alice asked.


    Long Xiurong stared at Alice from head to toe. She was honestly tired of dealing with this bunny maid because it was obvious that her loyaltyy elsewhere.


    "Why didn''t you follow me when I left the castle ground just now? Do you need to meet with Lady Jade first? Are you her attendant or mine?" Long Xiurong asked. "You must''ve heard everything, right? I don''t have a good rtionship with her anymore. So, you don''t need to force yourself to be my attendant anymore."


    Alice was fuming in her heart. She hated Long Xiurong''s smug face so much.


    She never liked humans in the first ce. She hated that crippled bitch Swan, and she also hated this ungrateful Long Xiurong.


    ''Surely, these humans are the worst. The Kingdom of Beastman should''ve been exclusive to beastmen only. His Majesty is making a huge mistake by allowing these parasites to stay in the castle.'' Alice cursed in her heart but dared not to say it out loud. ''I can''t show any displeasure in front of her, or else she will suspect me of working with Lady Jade.''


    "Mdy, I have to talk with Lady Jade first because she demands that I exin everything about what happened during the coldest night. She was so angry, even beat me for no reason. Look at my cheek!" Alice showed her red cheek and rubbed it pitifully. "I was so scared. Please don''t kick me out, Mdy. I don''t want to be Lady Jade''s attendant. I don''t want to get beaten!"


    Long Xiurong might not like this bunny maid, but she wasn''t cruel enough tough seeing a maid getting beaten.


    Thus, Long Xiurong decided to give her another chance, "Fine, you can be my attendant. Just don''t feed me stupid gossip anymore. Do your job as an attendant and that''s it."


    "Y-yes, thank you. Mdy. I will prepare your lunch now!" Alice said as she quickly left the room. Her grateful smile disappeared once she was out of Long Xiurong''s room, and she muttered, "Just wait, I will get rid of you, Long Xiurong. I will poison your food slowly with Lady Jade''s poison, and you will die writhing in pain."


    **


    "How''s the people in the city? Do they still go on a protest?" Queen Anastasia asked her advisor.


    The advisor looked troubled as he nodded weakly, "Yes, Your Majesty. It''s the end of the year, and it''s genuinely the coldest month we have had for a long time. A lot of people are dying, especially now that they can''t get enough food to fend for themselves. Even the aristocrats who have money cannot use their money because there is simply no food to sell. I heard from a report that people start eating rats, cats, and dogs to survive."


    "Is that so..." Queen Anastasia didn''t have that big of a reaction, because those weren''t her biggest concern.


    True, her people were starving, and the demonstration kept on getting bigger. But thesemotions would eventually die down once the Beast King lifted the trade ban, which shouldn''t be a problem, as long as Swan pardoned them.


    Anastasia believed that crippled woman wouldn''t be cruel enough to let everyone in the Holy Achate starve and die. She had observed Swan from time to time since she was young and noticed that Swan always had that self-sacrifice trait in her.


    ''I remember that report when she


    was trying to save an old maid who identally stumbled and fell on Aria''s table while cleaning, and. ruined her favorite handkerchief. Swan pitied the old maid so much


    that she was willing to take the me. ''She got beaten until her face was swollen by a few guards,'' Anastasia recalled that incident when Swan was only ten years old. ''She pitied an old maid who never showed her any sympathy. Surely, she would pity the people in the Holy Achate too, right?''


    "P-pardon me, Your Majesty, but your reaction is a little... underwhelming," the advisor said. "The people are starving or freezing to death outside!"


    "I am concerned. I just don''t show a big reaction because I''m thinking hard about how to tackle it," Anastasia replied, but deep down, she was unbothered by it.


    ''I''m d that they haven''t noticed the missing children. I think I''ve kidnapped almost forty children at this point, right?''


    "Oh, and there is another problem with a serial killer in the city," the advisor added.


    .n


    "There have been at least thirty-eight children missing, ranging from age seven to ten. They are all peasants so it''s not a huge problem yet. However, this serial killer has been notorious, and they named him The Winter Killer, since he seems to start operating after the trade ban, Your Majesty," the advisor reported. "I suspect this serial killer has been killing off children to sell their meat at a cheap price since everyone is starving right now."