"TSK! Are you sure she is Boss's woman? The way I see it, she is single as hell!" Rugged Woman spoke harshly, her voice thick with skepticism.
"Hey now, I am sure she is being forced into these things. These situations happen. You have to do things to save face," Oliver spoke defensively, though his expression remained conflicted seeing their intimate dance.
"Keke, fine, fine, whatever. Hey, little brother of Boss, where is the ladies' washroom? I don't want to see this stupidity anymore," Rugged Woman spoke while dragging Alfie along before he could say a word.
"Sorry, Mr. Oliver. She is just annoyed," Subordinate Woman apologized on behalf of her companion, dipping her head slightly.
"Don't worry. I can understand what she is feeling." Oliver sighed, watching the scene before him with a heavy heart as he muttered while watching Emmy "I guess I have done the same thing to her."
.
"Wow, just wow! Even I got embarrassed watching you guys dance! What a dance! WHISTLE! WHISTLE!" the second male friend teased enthusiastically, fanning himself like he needed a moment to recover.
"Stop it, you guys!" Natalia came over and joined the group, her cheeks still flushed from the performance.
"What is your next destination? According to the schedule, you have to visit the underground area and take a tour, right?" the second female friend asked curiously avoiding teasing her more.
"Hmm, yeah. It is a tiring day. Sighhh…." Natalia rubbed her forehead wearily, exhaustion already settling into her bones.
"I think you should skip the tour. It is just a useless trip. There will be nothing productive done there. If you keep doing this systematically, it will take the whole day to visit every rock, and it is not worth it. You have to take care of yourself. Don't push too hard," Little Man said with genuine concern, his eyes soft as he looked at her.
"Yes, right! There are only fancy shops, workshops, and a huge place where money makes more money. You will not find anything useful down there," the second male friend added in agreement.
"Hmm, I guess so. It will be very tiring and time-consuming," Natalia nodded, her thoughts already drifting inward.
Knowing the source of that strange energy is practically useless at this point. That dreadful man's group is clearly responsible since their energy matches. We should focus on removing their branches. My ceremony is close, and finding the root to pull it out completely will take far too long. I will explain everything to Fia and Maren afterwards. Sighhh…. I should have involved myself more in their discussions from the start. Too many time-wasting things keep happening.
She shook her head quietly and let the thought go.
"Hehe, good! Let's all support Natalia today, right everyone?" the third female friend thrust her fist forward with a bright grin.
"YEAHHH!" Other fists bumped together as laughter filled the air between them, the mood lifting for a moment.
.
"Hmm, what is she doing here?" the first female friend said suddenly, her gaze drifting past the group to where Oliver was standing.
"Who?" Natalia turned around and spotted a new woman standing nearby, talking with them.
"That woman talking with Oliver. She is one of the illegitimate daughters of one of my Dad's friends. I heard she once tried to seduce the fiancé of that house's eldest daughter but got caught at the very last moment. There is a rumour that her mother did the same thing and succeeded, which is why she was even born. I heard she was sent away somewhere, so seeing her here is a shock to me. What is she doing here?" the first female friend spoke with open disdain, her lip curling.
"TSK! Those bitches!" Natalia's jaw clenched hard, her eyes narrowing realizing how she is. Her gaze swiftly took note of her; she checked her whole body out with disdain gaze.
"Even that old woman is sitting there, enjoying herself. Princess, see? This keeps happening," the second male friend said with a shrug of tired disappointment.
It was true. Natalia looked around and saw several Crown people murmuring among themselves, their eyes on the expert Queen guards who were very clearly giving preferential treatment to the grandmother sitting nearby. Natalia rose to her feet sharply, her chair scraping against the floor behind her.
"Should I come?" Little Man stood up and reached for her hand, concern clear on his face.
"Ah, no. It is okay. Please sit. You must be tired from the dance. Let me and her handle this," Natalia said gently. She placed her palm flat against his chest and guided him back down, then glanced toward her friend, who gave a small smile and fell into step beside her.
Subordinate Woman looked up and saw Natalia coming toward them in long, purposeful strides with another woman at her side.
Shit.
Fear spiked through her chest. She looked around for somewhere to go and found nowhere. She settled for dropping into a quick, deep bow. "GREETINGS, PRINCESS!" Her voice came out louder than she meant it to, trembling at the edges.
Natalia barely glanced at her. Her eyes locked onto the first Queen guard with a sharp, piercing look. "Didn't I say to send them outside? Why is your grandmother still sitting here? Can't you see you are dragging my image down by disobeying my orders? Is that how my mother taught you to serve?" Her tone left no room for anything warm.
Grandma rose slowly from her seat and spoke in a soft, composed voice. "Sorry, Princess. This old woman made a mistake. Please don't scold my granddaughters. They are innocent and only worried about me. I will go. I will go." She gave an embarrassed little laugh as she bowed and began moving toward the exit.
"Princess, we are sorry, but please reconsider. Our grandmother is old. How can she stay outside with no one to look after her? Please, Princess," the first expert Queen guard pleaded desperately, her voice cracking under the weight of the words.
The commotion drew people in from every direction. Curious whispers spread through the crowd.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?"
"PRINCESS'S GUARDS ARE DISOBEYING HER!"
"KEKE, WHAT A SHAME! SHE CAN'T EVEN CONTROL HER OWN PEOPLE! HOW WILL SHE EVER CONTROL THIS CITY?"
"I THOUGHT THE PRINCESS WAS GOOD, BUT HER MANAGEMENT IS CLEARLY LACKING!"
"EVEN A GUARD RAISED HER VOICE AGAINST HER! HAHA, WHAT A SHAME!"
"USELESS PRINCESS!"
The words hit like stones. Natalia's eyes went red, every cruel comment feeding the fire burning in her chest. She closed the distance to the expert guards in three sharp strides as she raised her hand upwards and moved it downward toward her face with full force.
SLLAAAPP!!
The slap landed with such force that the guard's mask nearly tore clean off. Her head whipped sideways, the crack of the impact cutting through every conversation in the room. The crowd fell silent.
"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME?! I SAID MOVE THESE PEOPLE OUTSIDE, SO DO THAT! USELESS GUARDS! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, ALL OF YOU!!!! AND SEND ME THE LEADER OF THE QUEEN GUARD TROOP!! GO AWAY! I WANT YOUR GRANDMOTHER OUT OF THIS CITY. IF SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANYONE TO TAKE CARE OF HER, THEN YOU DISOBEDIENT WOMEN CAN GO WITH HER!!! NOW GOOO!!!!" Natalia's voice tore through the hall, echoing off every wall.
The three Queen guards stood frozen, fists clenched at their sides. Their bodies were shaking. The first guard stared at Natalia for a long, unreadable moment, her face pale, before she gave a silent nod. She turned away and gently guided her grandmother toward the exit. Tears were already forming in both their eyes as they walked away.
A man came running over and dropped into a deep bow. Natalia addressed him without pause. "FORM A LINE! LET EVERYONE MEET THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AND HANDLE THINGS PROPERLY! I WANT NO MISTAKES, AND PREPARE TO MOVE TO THE 4TH ROCK SHORTLY!" She snapped the order and turned away without another word.
"KEKE, SHE IS INDEED DIFFERENT!"
"WHAT GUTS TO STRIKE QUEEN EXPERT GUARDS!"
"PRINCESS NATALIA SURE IS FIERCE!"
"I AM SURE THIS CITY CAN BE SAVED IF SHE BECOMES THE QUEEN!"
The positive voices washing back through the crowd eased something tight in Natalia's chest. As the crowd thinned, she finally turned her attention to Subordinate Woman, who stood visibly shaking beside Oliver. Oliver had no idea what to say. He looked between Subordinate Woman and Maid Emmy, who stood just as stunned nearby. His eyes caught Emmy's for a brief moment, but there was nothing there to hold. She looked back at him with cold, unreadable eyes and turned her face away without a word.
"Hey, you! What exactly are you doing here? Does your father even know his illegitimate daughter is wandering around out here?" the first female friend stepped forward, her voice carrying a cutting edge.
"Miss, I... I just... I..."
"Speak up! Are you from the tunnel?" Natalia cut through the stammering and asked directly.
"Yes, Princess!" Subordinate Woman answered, her eyes wide, her heart going too fast.
"You helped bring the book, so I thank you for that. But your work with him is finished. You don't need to come here anymore. Go, and don't come back. I can't stand your smell," Natalia said, her voice cold and flat.
"Hmm, did she do something to someone again? Hehehe, I told you, Natalia, this one is trouble. Must have seduced another man, right? Tsk tsk. First your own sister's fiancé, now someone close to Natalia. Should I tell Uncle? He must be around here somewhere," the first friend said, scanning the room with a cruel little smile already forming.
"NO! Please, no! I will go! Don't tell Father! I will go!" Subordinate Woman said in a rush, fear taking over completely.
"Keke, where do you think you're going?" the friend sneered, the smile sharpening.
"You seduced someone you shouldn't have. Just like before, the only way out now is to beg for her forgiveness. You're lucky she didn't have you thrown out on the spot."
"I didn't seduce anyone!" Subordinate Woman protested in a small voice, barely audible above the noise around them.
"Not Boss, and not my sister's fiancé! He was the one who came into my room!"
"See her nerve? I told you this woman has no shame!" The friend's glare turned venomous.
"I am sorry. I will go," Subordinate Woman said quietly, turning to leave.
The friend shot a hand out, grabbed her by the hair, and shoved her down hard to the floor. "KYAA!" She hit the ground and her bag flew from her hands. The contents spilled out in full view of everyone still watching. A torn piece of clothing, her waist cloth, and a small stack of cash lay scattered across the floor.
"Hehehe, see? I told you! Look at this, Natalia. Sexy torn cloth and a bag of money. She is exactly what I said she was!" The friend laughed, pointing at the mess on the floor.
Most of the crowd had already filtered out by now, used to scenes like this playing out. The big shots nearby didn't even glance back. Only a handful of people were still paying attention.
TSK! This bitch. And why did Zack give her money?! Zack, you are really giving me a headache. I told you so many times not to stay close with these women, but even after getting me, you still played around with them and even paid them!
"KNEEL AND SAY YOU WILL NEVER GET CLOSE TO YOUR BOSS EVER AGAIN!"
"Agh! Sobb, sobb!" Subordinate Woman gathered herself up from the floor and grabbed the torn cloth with trembling hands, pulling it tight to her chest. Her face was wet with tears, but she shook her head over and over. She would not promise that. Not this.
"Nat, this is too much! They helped you! Why are you doing this?!" Oliver stepped in, his voice rising sharply.
"SHUT UP! YOU MEN NEVER UNDERSTAND HOW WE FEEL, ALWAYS PLAYING AROUND! SHUT UP AND STAY THERE!" Natalia snapped at him, stopping him cold.
Maid Emmy looked his way too, but her face gave nothing away. Oliver fell silent, shame washing over him. He had no ground to stand on.
Natalia glanced back and noticed more people drifting in from outside, pulled in by the noise.
Sigh.
"You go back. I will come after I speak with her," Natalia said to her friend, who let out a disgusted grunt and walked away.
"Stand up," Natalia ordered.
Subordinate Woman pressed the cloth tightly to her chest and rose to her feet. Tears were running steadily down her face, her whole body still trembling.
Natalia stepped closer and spoke in a low, measured voice. "You like Zack?"
"Hmm, yes," Subordinate Woman nodded, her eyes cast downward, her fingers locked around the fabric.
"But Zack loves me dearly. You know that, right?"
"Umm, yes."
"Then you trying to win him over is just the act of a whore. Are you a whore?" Natalia's gaze cut straight through her.
"AGH! I... I..." Subordinate Woman opened her mouth but nothing came out. The words lodged in her throat and stayed there.
"HUMPH! Don't think too hard about it. You are a whore. Knowing a man already has someone, you went ahead and put your feelings on him anyway. Zack is a good person, so he hasn't pushed you away, but understand this. His woman is a Princess. I will not have some useless woman hanging around him. Clearly your father had no use for you, so he packed you off to the tunnel to work. You never had any skill worth keeping around, did you?" Natalia's voice stayed quiet and even, and every word landed harder because of it.
Subordinate Woman's eyes went blank. Memories surfaced on their own. Every time she had tried to do something right for her father. Every attempt to be seen. Every moment he simply looked past her like she was not there at all. All those years of rejection came pressing down at once, heavy and suffocating.
"Leave and take nothing of Zack's with you. I don't want you holding on to anything tied to his memory," Natalia said, reaching toward the cloth.
"NOOO! PLEASE, NOT THIS! PLEASE!" Subordinate Woman snapped out of the fog and yanked the fabric away hard, shaking her head over and over. Her grip on it was fierce.
"Just give it. Live a life far away from him," Natalia said quietly, her hand reaching out again.
TAAP!!
"Hey there, Boss's woman! You came all the way over to us. I am happy about that!" Rugged Woman appeared from nowhere and stopped Natalia's wrist with a firm grip.
"YOU! The second woman herself! Every bitch just keeps showing up! Don't you have any shame coming here? Hitting on my man and now standing in front of me. Let me make this very clear. Zack is mine. He always has been, and he always will be. I don't like women who try to get close to him by getting naked in the bath!" Natalia's glare could have scorched the floor.
"Oh my, what a sharp tongue you got there, Princess!" Rugged Woman smirked but released her wrist and stepped between them without hesitation. "First of all, I know Boss loves you. Second, she is not a whore. I am…. She only so-called seduced him that one time in the bath, and that was entirely my pressurizing against her will. I pushed her into it. She is just a girl who happens to love our Boss. Me, on the other hand? I have tried multiple times. Even today I gave it a shot." Rugged Woman smiled without a trace of apology. "But you know, every single time, Boss just glares at me. Not that I mind him putting his hands on my throat, but we both know how much Boss loves you. He walked straight into enemy territory just to bring back that notebook. For you!!"
At first all Natalia could feel is anger but hearing that last part, made her feel proud for just a few milliseconds.
"But, but, BUT! Here is the thing, Princess...... You don't own him. He loves you, yes, but we have every right to pursue him.... There is no law in this world against loving a man who already has a woman. We are not sneaking around behind your back. We are standing right here in front of your face, saying it out loud. You don't have the right to look down on us for that.... Our Boss never looks down on us, even knowing everything about where we come from..... I respect your fire, Princess, I truly do. But don't think for a second that Boss belongs to you. He is his own person. It is his choice whether he loves us or not." Rugged Woman's voice held steady throughout, without a single flinch. "And one more thing. Don't reach for what she is holding. The blood on those clothes are from people who disrespected Boss and people who try to take that book... For your own sake, don't cross her last line." Rugged Woman glanced back at Subordinate Woman.
Natalia followed her gaze, and caught something shining hidden in the clothes, a small, sharp object, half-hidden inside the fold of fabric. "Keke, don't worry. All she would have done is scratch you. What she fears most in this world is Boss's anger," Rugged Woman said with a short laugh.
"For a pair of bitches, you two are awfully bold. Tsk….. That Zack, bringing me trouble when I am already stretched thin."
Natalia's glare moved between them slowly, taking account of their faces.
Rugged Woman let out a soft chuckle, the smirk settling comfortably back on her face. "You are a spoiled brat, aren't you? I saw you getting all cozy with that man over there." She tilted her head slightly, eyes catching the sunlight. "After doing all that yourself, you still stand here looking down on us this confidently??? Aren't you doing the exact same thing we are?"
Her smirk held just a moment longer to make Natalia really irritated.
"So what is he to you exactly? Your lover or something?"
TWITCH! TWITCH! Natalia's eye twitched noticeably, irritation flooding through her expression.
"I am doing what a Princess is required to do. He is a close ally and a friend. I am a Princess, people attach their faith on me, they look at me with hope, the one who will make this city great!! I am not some roadside person with no responsibilities…... I have to take care of this entire city. Maintaining relationships with key people is part of my role, and Zack is fully aware of that. So don't try to twist this on me" Natalia spoke sharply.
"Oh, what a magnificent Princess! Our saviour! Wooowww!"
CLAP….CLAP…..CLAP…..
Rugged Woman began a slow, deliberate clap, each one landing with purpose. "Hearing you speak like that, I almost believe it myself. Boss must endure a great deal to keep loving someone as uptight as you." The clapping stopped and her expression settled into something more honest. "But tell me. When I look into their eyes, why don't I feel any of that greatness you are speaking of?"
She glanced past Natalia's shoulder.
Behind her, a row of people stood waiting for the Princess's next words for them. Their faces were not full of faith towards her Princess, but their faces hold mix of doubt, uncertainty and dissatisfaction.
"TSK! What do you know about being a Princess? Just leave…. I don't want to look at either of you anymore." Natalia turned around, and the shift was immediate. Her posture softened, a bright smile spread across her face, and she swept forward to greet the waiting crowd in full royal form, her mask back in place without a crack showing.
"Let's go, Rugged Woman. I don't want to stay here anymore," Subordinate Woman murmured quietly, tugging at her arm.
Rugged Woman let herself be pulled away, but her eyes stayed on Natalia back. Her face had the knowing smile as if trying to tell her that she knows what kind of person she is and she knows what will happen if she stayed on that path. But the Princess never looked back.... at least no until both ladies were vanished out of sight.
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END OF CHAPTER
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Author Blabbering
We give advice easily—but living by it is another story.
This gap is far more common than most people realize.
It's easy to see clearly from the outside. Other people's lives look simple, editable, fixable. But when it comes to ourselves, the mirror gets foggy. Judging yourself honestly is one of the hardest skills a human can learn. Not everyone can do it—and that's not an insult, it's reality.
Some people can judge themselves, but they do it too harshly. Their inner voice isn't a coach; it's a critic. They notice every flaw, replay every mistake, and call it "self-awareness," when it's really self-punishment. That kind of judgment doesn't lead to growth—it leads to paralysis.
Balanced self-judgment is rare. Extremely rare.
It's the ability to say:
Yes, I messed up—and yes, I can improve.
This is my responsibility—but this is not my entire identity.
If you can do that, you won't transform overnight. There will be no dramatic glow-up, no instant success story. Instead, something quieter happens. You improve slowly. One small correction at a time. One habit. One thought. One decision.
And that's how people actually go far in life—not by sudden breakthroughs, but by consistent, honest adjustments made without self-hate or self-delusion.
So before judging others, try listening to the advice you give so freely. Not with cruelty. Not with excuses. But with patience.
Because the person hardest to guide…
has always been yourself.