Transmigrated to the Interstellar Era to Raise Mermaids GL - Chapter 36

The car drove along the noble avenue bridge leading to the Imperial Palace and into the opulent palace walls. Orsha got out at the main entrance, seeing Gano, who was waiting under the portico, rush toward her with a look of anxiety.

“You’ve come too?”

Orsha saw that Gano was wearing a formal, elaborate gown, adorned with the gold-inlaid blue badge symbolizing nobility on her chest, indicating her status today was not as a military lieutenant colonel but as a member of the Lasea family.

“Duke Jonathan sent messages to the entire family overnight. Everyone in the Capital was summoned and is waiting for you in the State Reception Hall!”

Hearing Gano’s low whisper, Orsha asked, “How is Anglu settled?”

“As you commanded, he’s locked up in the military’s highest-security prison. I set an order on the gate that no one except you can take him out.”

Gano followed her toward the Reception Hall, saying worriedly, “When Duke Jonathan was interrogating me inside just now, many people were supporting him, and Her Majesty didn’t intervene to stop it. I could only use the excuse of being unable to disobey military orders to escape! It seems he intends to use the pressure of the entire family to force you to release his only son this time!”

“Exactly what I want.”

Orsha calmly pushed open the door to the Reception Hall and stepped onto the crimson carpet covering the floor.

The nearly hundred people who were quietly discussing along the sides of the red carpet instantly fell silent. Only Duke Jonathan, standing to the left of the throne, quickly stepped out of the crowd, pointing at her and furiously scolding, “Orsha, you’ve finally shown up! Do you know Her Majesty and I have been looking for you all night! Such disrespect for your elders, where did all your court etiquette go?”

“I was recovering from a severe injury and was utterly exhausted last night, so I went to bed early after pacifying the populace.”

Orsha walked to the steps of the throne without changing her expression, knelt down, and bowed to the middle-aged woman wearing a crown and a platinum-white elaborate dress: “I greet my Mother and wish her well.”

“Rise.” The Empress’s delicate features held an inherent majesty. She looked at the person kneeling before her with lowered eyes with a complicated expression.

From the moment she learned Orsha had secretly left Cizer Planet, the Empress knew her daughter had become an excellent heir, and she also knew she could no longer control this daughter who was so outwardly deferential to her.

Orsha stood up and proactively nodded to Jonathan, who was huffing and puffing beside her: “I greet my Uncle and wish him well.”

“You arrested my son, and you’re feigning politeness by greeting me!”

Jonathan walked up to her and demanded, “Tell me quickly, where did you take Anglu!”

“Are you referring to the suspect who planted a bomb in the church?”

Orsha showed an understanding expression: “Of course, I arrested him and locked him in the military prison to interrogate the case!”

“What suspect! How can you treat Anglu as a criminal!”

Duke Jonathan was furious: “Even if a member of the Lasea family makes a mistake, they should be brought before Her Majesty and discussed by the elders for punishment. Release him at once!”

The crowd standing nearby also chimed in: “That’s right, that’s the amnesty granted by the Founding Emperor! Even if Anglu did something wrong, it should be handled within the family!”

“Her Highness the Princess is setting such a precedent before even inheriting the throne! Have you forgotten the Lasea family’s contributions to the Royal Family and the Empire? Do you intend to undermine our family’s authority in the Mus Star System!”

“Since you still know I am the heir to the throne, then shut up!”

Orsha suddenly yelled to stop the crowd, her gaze as sharp and cold as a blade as she stared at them: “I read Anglu’s memory! The images in his mind clearly show that he was the one who was first ambitiously coveting the throne, privately tampering with the memory of a Royal Guard member, and planting a bomb to injure me! Should I indulge him to continue his misdeeds and watch him snatch the right of succession from my hands!”

The moment she spoke, the scene instantly fell silent.

Since this was merely an internal struggle between the Princess and the Prince for the throne, the uneasy people suddenly felt a considerable relief.

Duke Jonathan knew he was in the wrong. He reined in his arrogant demeanor and said with heartbreaking anguish, “Although Anglu was wrong first, you are safe and sound now, but he was forcefully subjected to memory reading, and his spirit must have suffered enormous harm!”

He fell to his knees before the Empress with a thump: “Your Majesty, it’s all my fault for voluntarily giving up the right of succession back then, which allowed Anglu to harbor improper thoughts! But I only have this one child. I beg you, in consideration of my many years of dedicated service managing the Senate, forgive him just this once!”

Hearing Jonathan deliberately drag this matter back to the issue of succession in front of the entire family to excuse Anglu, the Empress was highly displeased. She said coldly, “I have seen the video of Orsha interrogating Anglu. His fault this time is significant and he should indeed be punished. Since he is in Orsha’s hands, let’s hear her thoughts first!”

Jonathan quickly turned to plead with Orsha: “My dear Princess, Anglu is already injured. Let’s consider this matter settled! Hand him over to me, and I promise to discipline him well in the future and absolutely prevent him from having any further improper thoughts!”

“Uncle, don’t worry. I will send people to properly treat my cousin!”

Orsha turned sideways with her hands behind her back, appearing unyielding: “Say no more. I will not hand him over to anyone. Let him stay in the military for a while and cool down by himself!”

“You! You! You!”

Seeing that she was immune to both soft and hard tactics, and then noticing the Empress’s cold expression seemed to acquiesce to Orsha’s statement, Jonathan was so angry he pointed a finger at Orsha and shouted, “Fine! I’ve worked so hard for the Royal Family all these years, only to receive such a reward! I’ll say it right here: if you don’t hand over Anglu, I will make the Senate go on a complete strike starting today!”

With that, he raised an eyebrow and signaled to a few nobles closely related to him. The few immediately responded: “That’s right! If the Lasea family’s rightful interests are not protected, why should we continue to sacrifice for the Royal Family! Unless Anglu is released, we will all withdraw from the Senate!”

Hearing the sporadic, quiet voices around him, Orsha disdainfully dismissed Duke Jonathan’s rallying power in her heart.

She suddenly turned around, her face deliberately stern as if she were throwing a tantrum: “Withdraw, then withdraw! Is the entire operation of the Senate going to fail just because a few of you are missing from such a large family! And by the way, Allen, Milo, Karl, you were bribed by Anglu to amend the law of succession. What nerve do you have to remain in the Senate? How about you go to the military to have some tea and calm your minds with Anglu?”

The people she named were the heads of several collateral branches of the Lasea family. This instantly ignited everyone’s fury.

Seeing the Princess so worried about Anglu stealing the throne, the crowd exchanged glances and decided to teach this seemingly strong but inwardly weak heir a lesson, letting her know that an emperor who had lost the Lasea family’s support was like a house with only one beam of wood, utterly incapable of sustaining the operation of the entire nation!

“Since Her Highness the Princess is so heartless, then we apologize for our actions! Unless you personally release Prince Anglu in front of everyone, we will all take a leave of absence starting today. Your Majesty, the Allen family collectively bids farewell!”

“The Milo family also bids farewell!”

“Presumably the Princess has spent too long in the military and picked up many of the soldiers’ bad habits. Please, Your Majesty, educate Her Highness the Princess properly! The Karl family is leaving with me!”

In a blink of an eye, only a handful of people were left in the vast State Reception Hall. Gano and Ouda looked at each other, enduring family pressure and remaining in place.

Seeing this familiar scene, the Empress forcibly suppressed her anger and bitterness. She stood up and waved her hand, her voice tired: “The rest of you may leave as well…”

Seeing Orsha remain rooted in place, seemingly shocked by the scene, she added, “Orsha, we haven’t seen each other for a while. Stay and have lunch with me!”

“Yes, Mother.”

Orsha walked over and respectfully supported her arm as they walked to the dining hall, an almost imperceptible smile flashing in her downcast eyes.

Hojia woke up around noon. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, seeing that the blackout curtains were completely blocking the light from outside. She reached out and felt the pillow beside her, which seemed to retain a trace of residual warmth, and couldn’t help but smile softly.

In a good mood, she got dressed and went downstairs. While eating a delicious Western-style brunch, she opened her phone and used the one-click translation function to message Orsha.

“Hello, I’m awake! How are things on your side? Did Her Majesty the Empress not make things difficult for you because of Anglu?”

“Everything is going smoothly. I have to go to the Senate after lunch at the Palace, and I’ll be back before dinner.”

Hojia searched for the Senate. It was the highest political organ of the Mus Star System, managing finance, foreign affairs, legislation, and many other matters. All positions were held by nobles from the Lasea family.

“Okay, go be busy! I’ll go out and explore after I eat!”

“Teacher He, don’t you know you’ve become an overnight sensation in the Mus Star System? The petition on the Royal message board demanding a dedicated column for you has already garnered millions of signatures, and even my mother knows about it.”

“Eh! Is it that exaggerated?” Thinking that many people might be waiting outside for her, Hojia felt glum.

“Don’t worry, someone will come to solve that problem for you shortly.” Orsha said, “I have to take my seat to dine with Mother now. I wish you and her a pleasant afternoon.”

“What’s with the secrecy!” Hojia finished her lunch distractedly. The butler walked up to her and said, “Miss Hojia, your guest has arrived.”

“Is someone really looking for me?”

Hojia followed him to the Reception Hall with suspicion, seeing a young girl in a pink dress sitting on the sofa.

The young girl had long dark brown hair, a petite and lovely figure, and looked only seventeen or eighteen years old. Her posture was exceptionally straight, to the point of being somewhat deliberate.

The moment she saw Hojia enter the Reception Hall, she immediately stood up, holding her skirt with both hands, and respectfully said to her, “Good afternoon, Miss Hojia. It is an honor to meet you for the first time.”

“You are…”

The butler introduced her: “This is Her Highness Princess Anthea, the younger sister of Her Highness Princess Orsha.”