When a certain prince kicked the iron-clad head of the queen, and then directed the guards to open the door to invite the robbers, "Princess Veronica" had already led the queen’s attendants to find the old king who was reading in the study.
Noticing the familiar figure outside the study door, the old king, whose body was covered in rust and even his glass eyeballs had a murky hue, frowned and said:
"Didn’t I order you to be locked up for a week? Who let you out?"
Outside the door, the princess gracefully bowed, her green glass eyes full of gratitude, and said:
"Because I knocked over a cabinet and made some noise, mother was worried I might have been hurt inside, so she had me released."
After listening to the princess’s explanation, the old king’s frown did not ease up at all; instead, it furrowed even deeper.
After calling out the princess’s name, the old king, who was basking in the sun by the window, placed the book he was holding on his lap and then asked gloomily:
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
The princess outside the study raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked with some confusion:
"I’m not planning to do anything. Why would you ask that?"
Not immediately replying, the old king waved his hand towards the attendant behind him, signaling him to turn his wheelchair to face the door, directly confronting the princess outside the study.
Then, the old king, with his back to the sunlight, lifted his head. On his rusted iron-clad face, his murky gemstone eyeballs, like a hawk, stared at the princess and said word by word:
"You never called her mother before!"
The princess at the door blinked, her clear and bright gemstone eyes meeting the old king’s gaze, smiled, and said:
"Now is different from before. The next king can only be Joshua, and I no longer have any chance to inherit the throne, and I will be married off far away.
And a princess like me, when married far away, whether life is good or bad depends on the attitude of the kingdom towards me. To avoid losing support from the kingdom after marriage, of course, I need to start pleasing Mother and Joshua."
Throughout listening to Princess Veronica’s reply with furrowed brows, the strange feeling in the old king’s heart not only didn’t disappear but became more intense.
Although the current situation is as Veronica said, a princess married far away would certainly struggle without the kingdom’s support, so she should indeed work hard to strengthen her relationship with Joshua and his mother, but...
Is this something Veronica would do?
Looking at the princess who was still smiling in front of his interrogation, although no matter how he scrutinized her, she was indeed his daughter, the old king just couldn’t convince himself; he always felt something was wrong.
The Veronica in his memory, although not inflexible, was actually very stubborn in many ways, with a temper much more stubborn than it appeared.
If she could figure out something and was willing to bow to the queen and Joshua for a better future, why didn’t she bow to me earlier?
If she was willing to abandon those silly notions and continue fulfilling her duties as a princess, always putting the royal family first, the throne would surely be hers, and Joshua wouldn’t even stand a chance!
"You’re not Veronica!"
Gripping the wheelchair’s armrest firmly, the old king narrowed his eyes and sharply demanded:
"Speak! Who are you really?"
The "princess" outside the study blinked and said in surprise:
"What are you saying? How could I not be Veronica? I am your daughter!"
The old king retorted without hesitation:
"Veronica is much more arrogant than you. Although she manages to remain polite, she’s never respected my queen, let alone Joshua.
Someone like her might compromise temporarily for her absurd ideals, but would never bow to someone she looks down on just for a better future!"
"Father, you’ve misunderstood."
Facing the vigilant old king, the princess at the study door sighed and said:
"People always grow and change... I was indeed like that in the past, but I’ve come to understand now.
Although Joshua and mother’s abilities mean nothing to me, they have the finance minister and your support behind them, so I should give them due respect.
Therefore, I am not respecting them per se, but the things that support them... Do you understand what I mean by saying this?"
People always grow and change...
Upon hearing Princess Veronica’s explanation, a hint of hesitation flashed through the old king’s eyes. After a long silence, it seemed he was convinced; his rigidly straight back relaxed slightly, leaning back into his wheelchair.
Shaking his head slightly, the old king in the wheelchair sighed with a weary expression:
"Now, everything is already fated, and I can’t change it even if I wanted to... In terms of both ability and character, how could Joshua ever compare to you? You’ve always been my preferred heir, oh, how much better would it have been if you’d grown up a bit earlier?"
Watching the regret and sighs on the old king’s iron-clad face, which seemed genuine, the princess outside the study bit her lip and then, somewhat agitatedly, walked into the study.
Looking at the old king in the wheelchair, Princess Veronica earnestly said:
"You are the only king of this country. As long as you are willing, it’s never too late!"
As if moved by the princess’s words, the old king, whose back was not as straight as before, leaned powerlessly against the backrest and sighed:
"Whether it’s you or Joshua, you’re both my children. Since I’ve already promised him... Hmm? Joshua?"
As if realizing something significant, the old king looked at the door in shock and confusion, asking with a perplexed expression:
"Weren’t you in a meeting at the parliament? How did you suddenly return?"
Hearing the old king’s words, Princess Veronica’s expression slightly froze, and she instinctively turned her head to look towards the door.
At that moment, the old king, leaning against the backrest, suddenly pulled out a large-caliber nail gun from beneath the wheelchair seat, aimed it at the back of the iron-faced princess’s head, and unhesitatingly fired a shot!
Caught off guard, the iron-faced princess was knocked to the ground by the immense force from behind. Before she could get up, the old king behind her coldly raised the gun and fired again.
The sound of four gunshots echoed, and the iron-faced princess’s shimmering metal right knee joint was not only deformed by the impact but firmly locked by four nails, rendering her completely immobile.
Throwing the nail gun to the attendant behind him, the old king in the wheelchair raised his rust-stained, yet shockingly steady hand, pointing at the iron-faced princess on the ground, and shouted:
"Arrest her for me! And send someone to Princess Veronica’s room... No! First, check on the queen to see if she’s still alive!"