Quick Transmigration: Saving The Crazy Villainess

Chapter 353: Agatha (51) <2-in-1>

Upon leaving the palace, the system, the childish version, asked Jiang Li why he did all that he did in the throne room.

"Host, if you really want to save the leads, but why do that? I mean, why did you only speak out after the arrest warrant for Andre Grey is issued? Wouldn't that mean Adam being the distraction wouldn't serve any purpose? I'm confused."

Jiang Li arrived in the inn and jumped into bed after. He was hungry, but his desire for sleep triumphed over it. After all, he was truly spent and had to hurry over the palace even though he had yet to recover from the extreme fatigue and splitting headache. His mood was still terrible too due to knowing that the headache would persist for about a week.

He answered grumpily to the system, "What else could be behind my actions? I simply want chaos. Two male leads confronting each other, with Dong Lan caught in the crossfire. If he survived, how great. But if he did more than surviving, it would be more awesome. I believe before I leave this continent, it would be very nice to watch him receiving the wrath of the plot first."

'That sounds like. Awesomely nonsensical' thought the system discreetly as that was the first impression it got after hearing those words, but it didn't voice them out when it realized what he really wanted to imply. In the end, it's all about Dong Lan.

"I see. Since you mentioned the plot, the same thing that kicked out the fortune-teller, you're worried that the king, if he Andre is really branded as a criminal, would receive real retaliation from the plot or from Andre once he's pushed into a corner. For now, all that was confirmed is a warrant of arrest."

Jiang Li didn't reply for a minute. When he opened his mouth again, a tired voice came out of it. "Well, let us just say you guessed it, right. Adam is okay to offend because he's just a strong knight from Borley."

No continuation was needed for the system to get the latter part. He had just indirectly said Adam was a different case though. The duke couldn't be pushed into a corner because he was a native of Holon. The duke also had backers and territory here, and most importantly, with a great army belonging to him.

If Andre really made a move and play all his cards right, usurping the throne would not be impossible, not to mention killing a mere consort. Once a male lead stooped low, they could even beat all criminals in shamelessness. Agatha could be branded witch without a trial. The church of the God of War had a high chance of backing him in this after all, because Andre's was the Pope's relative.

As Jiang Li was sure Dong Lan, that was, Francis IV, had no other skill that could overpower the male leads apart from divination, which couldn't even be used in direct confrontation, Jiang Li did the minimum he could to ensure Andre wouldn't target the king and Agatha.

"Host, wait. But if it's your intention is for Adam to distract Andre, how will that knight do that if he is to be branded as an assassin from another kingdom?" This was really a point that confused the system.

In a way, the question served as a reminder to Jiang Li that he might be missing out on something. But the guy was only annoyed. He explained impatiently with closed eyes, "There is no need to worry. As long as it's not a crime done by the male lead, the plot will ensure that his name is cleared. There happens to be somebody who can vouch for him in the palace. So yep, I'm very sure Adam will regain his freedom very soon and in turn, have the time and capability again to do his real mission for coming to this kingdom."

"Oh." Awkward laughter echoed. If the system probably had a body, it would be scratching its head at this point. Its head would be bobbing too as it replied, "Okay, I get it now. You mean that once Adam is freed, he can go trouble Andre by pestering his wife, or even kidnapping her, back to Castle Obson. Those two male leads will indeed have a good clash, one abducting, the other rescuing. But even if the former is accused of violating the chivalric codes, he wouldn't relent. He recognized Marian after all, even though she is in a different body."

The latter part of its sentence pissed off Jiang Li so he coldly asked, "Are you done bullsh*ting?"

'Ah. What did I do to suddenly anger him?'

The system felt baffled, but since the danger it heard was not an illusion, it remembered that it was only unmuted because it promised not to talk too much more than necessary. The system then hurriedly shut up. Although it was used to being muted, it was still hard to give up on something regained. It was like a person caught into a lockdown would very much prefer not to undergo that painful self-quarantine again once freedom was reclaimed.

Jiang Li was finally satisfied as he had one less headache to endure. But, just in case something unexpected happened, he told the system, "I will be going to sleep now. Don't wake me up unless necessary. If ever, the emergency should better be the type where a knife is only a centimeter away from my throat."

" If that something unexpected will result in the death of someone major?" It braved asking since the matter it put forward would indeed be concerning if ever it happened.

To this, its host whose soul was halfway into the dreamland, answered slowly and half-heartedly, "If so, then it's a pity. Agatha's death would mean I would have to go to another world sooner than planned. The others' would mean I would have a grave to dig or funeral to visit. Simple as that. Now, advance thanks for shutting up."

""

The system obediently stopped speaking. It was left speechless anyway. And even if it was not, it knew manners and would not rouse a sleeping ancestor.  

Humans were not made omniscient as not even the legendary angels could claim such. They were still at an era where the human brains could not breakthrough some inherent and ever-present limitations.

As much as he wanted for everything to just go his way, a nature present to all humans, what happened next in the palace deviated a bit from Jiang Li's prediction.

It was not Benedict, the prince from Borley, who released Adam. But Francis IV. As a result, the royal envoy who Jiang Li had hoped to get on the bad side of the Holon locals, was kept out of the mess. The best scenario did not happen, Benedict did not personally do the releasing of Adam and thus, managed to appear clean from records in the eyes of the nobles and royals. It was really quite unfortunate because Jiang Li knew the prince's reason for traveling to Holon and wanted that goal to fail. How easy would it be if Prince Benedict was detained or made into a hostage of the kingdom so he wouldn't be able to do the trade with the villainess? 

However, whatever would go wrong would go wrong.

The king did not order the investigation of the royal envoy from Borley as he had already uncovered the real story through his divination. Prince Benedict was not involved. Also apart from the Duchess' pleas, although the so-called 'spy' did trespass into the Duke's manor, the reason was at least not the one Jiang Li told everyone.

'As expected, that person is a lying bastard.'

'If we ever meet again, I hope it will be in a new world where he could not wield magic so I could beat him up for doing this to me.'

Francis IV nursed a headache upon realizing why that dreadful guy did everything he did in the meeting.

The latter was indirectly warning him not to make any more moves against Duke Grey. At the same time, Jiang Li wanted him to release the spy and even gave him a meaningful look before he left. This was what prompted him to do the divination. Given the results, even though Agatha was opposed to it since it would mean showing support to Marian, he had no choice but do so, because Adam was actually not just a simple knight. The man was another child of fate!

Why was this world with two of them? He wondered with a frown.

It was her adoptive mother's teaching to avoid confronting them as much as possible, and while Francis IV was not really obedient due to his current identity and position, he was not senile yet to antagonize two male leads at the same time.

Actually, at this rate, even the most minor act of antagonization was already bad enough. From his perspective the fact that a world could have two pairs of lead meant the world's consciousness was quite powerful. How could he dare to provoke it?

And thus, the knight was released just like that, albeit not treated since it was the man who chose to depart as soon as his chains were broken.

After all was said and done, the king realized he had gotten nothing from the most recent turn of events.

Andre Grey would definitely not be caught. The man was too slippery and with no emotional burden whatsoever since he was not worried that something untoward would happen to his wife, she was the king's daughter after all.

There was no use torturing or interrogating servants too as they knew nothing.

He also would not be able to use the knight as a reasonable excuse to sweep away all the envoys and foreigners in the kingdom in the name of cleaning up spies. 

All those efforts and the suffering from abdominal pain went for naught.

Naturally, it would be hard to be in a jubilant mind state.

Due to this, Francis IV was quite in an unhappy mood since the court session yesterday, unable to erase his frown while working on the stack of documents to process. 

He was in this state when somebody unexpected went to visit him.

"Who are you?!" The thunderous voice of the captain of his royal knights echoed upon the entry of a hooded person in the private resting room of the king.

Meanwhile, Francis IV's froze in place for a moment, then went to inspect the newcomer who had barged in from the window.

He might be a wife slave, but he still recognized his daughter from one of his dead ex-lovers. But it came as a bit of a shock to him because this aloof and prideful daughter hiding in the guise of a pitiful forgotten princess, took the initiative to find him.

'Has the sun risen from another direction today?' He wondered.

Margarette was looking at him intently. A bit of shame wormed into his heart as he remembered what kind of treatment he gave to this young princess from she was a toddler until she grew up into what she was now. Even after his memories of past lives returned, he chose to maintain the status quo since it was when the girl was already by Jiang Li's side. It was no wonder her attitude was so cold. 

"Your Majesty. Good day, and I hope to speak with you about a very important matter," she greeted blandly, confirming to him that his daughter had no high impression of him as she chose to hide her identity. She was also speaking in a distant tone as if the one before her was not her father.

Margarette took advantage of the fact that she was in a different body, and propped up her mysteriousness by showing off her prowess as a witch.  

When the loud-mouthed beefy knight roared at her again, "I will be asking you one more time, who are you? Don't you know the place you trespassed into is the king's property? Guards!"

"Silence," she only said as a reply, her voice very quiet and calm. 

The next thing that took place, all the hidden guards, maids, and knights in the room suddenly fell to the floor. Nobody managed to react when she put everyone to sleep.

As for the king, while he did not fall into slumber, he couldn't help but glare at his daughter after discovering the sudden oddity in him. 'I'm stuck side an invisible box again?' 

It was the first real meeting between the father and daughter in years and the latter was even in a special circumstance. But there was no warmth or anything alike in this reunion.

Margarette raised her cold face towards the king. Her eyes were a bit reddish due to the previous day spent on crying.

Towards this man who, in her memories, was nothing but a failure of a father, there was not much affection or respect in her heart to speak of. If given a choice, due to her pride as a woman who became the Queen of Commerce without this person's support, she would rather never see him again.

Unfortunately, the past day had been quite torturous for her mind so she temporarily cast away her prejudice and snuck into this place. She only came here for two reasons: first, to gauge Francis IV's unexpected relation to Jiang Li, and second, to make him help her locate the latter. 

Apparently, the news about the appearance of some Supreme Magician Jiang in the palace had reached her ears. In turn, it reminded her of what Jiang Li last said to her before he disappeared...