ebookland Chapter 542 Wardrobe
Chapter 542 Wardrobe
What should a legendary emperor’s study look like?
Giselle didn't know either.
She had never had the chance to visit this place when Lady Zora was still alive. But she felt that it shouldn't be like this...
Under Catherine's cover, the female elf successfully passed the strict inspection outside the palace and finally sneaked into the study. However, she never expected that the first step she took after opening the door would sink into the thick and soft fur carpet. When she raised her head again, she could not believe her eyes.
Twelve enormous mirrors stood guard around the walls, each reflecting a different angle of extravagance: silver fox furs draped from malachite-encrusted hangers, hundreds of pairs of satin shoes displayed in crystal cabinets, three gilded mannequins displaying shimmering ivory bustles, and uncut organza tutu piled haphazardly into a mountain nearby...
Not to mention that the entire east wall had been transformed into a treasure house, filled with gemstone jewelry arranged according to color and cutting process. The night vision ability that the night elves were proud of became a burden at this moment. Even if the curtains several meters high were all tightly drawn, those gems were as dazzling as burning in her eyes.
"Damn it..." Giselle covered her eyes and cursed silently.
The little princess had told her that the layout of the Bishep Palace had undergone several adjustments. What was once Zora's palace now belonged to successive queens of the Gaia Dynasty.
The air was thick with the aroma of rose essential oil. Giselle paused for a moment, pressed against the door. Even with her centuries of experience and experience, she was dazzled by the extravagance before her. This wasn't an exaggeration, though. Regardless of race or method of conflict, it was all about filling their own granaries. The Bishop family had ruled the Gaia Empire for nearly a thousand years, so their wealth and extravagance were unsurprising.
But what she didn't expect was that the current queen had turned the Human King Zora's study into... a wardrobe???
That's Zora! Giselle felt absurd, even suspecting she'd made a mistake. She'd carefully explored the room three times, but hadn't found even a scrap of parchment! How did humans view their ancestors? They left no evidence of her existence.
Was it going to be another empty-handed one? Listening to the footsteps of the guards passing outside and feeling her perspective much lower than usual, Giselle irritably threw herself into the pile of gorgeous clothes.
……
"You look unhappy, Margaret. Has anyone been giving you any trouble these days?"
The princess came to Highgarden not only to help the elves sneak into the palace, she also had her own work to do. The traces of the previous peasant uprising had to be cleaned up. After finally being able to meet with her confidants, she arranged the next work deployment in one go, and then she noticed Margaret's slightly pale face.
"No, but I will definitely have a nightmare tonight, Your Highness." Margaret touched her chest with a pale face and scolded softly.
The two ladies were strolling in the gardens of the palace's front hall, but the beautiful spring scenery could not soothe Margaret's shock today. She lost her usual ease and complained bitterly:
"Why don't you explain it more clearly? I never thought I would face that kind of situation..."
Miss Margaret, who came to report on her work happily, was caught off guard by the bloody internal strife of the Russell family, which frightened her so much that she was just pretending to be calm in front of others.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't expect Angie to be so decisive." Catherine's face showed an apologetic look when she heard this. She quickly dug out a tranquilizer and handed it to Margaret. "I heard that the search has been going on for a few days. Are your 'birds' implicated?"
"Of course not." Margaret opened the lid and sniffed the potion. Talking about her work, she exuded complete confidence: "I told you, they're 'invisible.'"
Margaret had already woven her own information network in High Court over the past few years. She had developed numerous downlines, including barmaids, maids, laundresses, midwives, bathhouse attendants, and even mobile vendors selling eggs and jewelry, and so on and so forth...
They are everywhere in the streets and alleys of this city, coming in and out of the front and back yards of every important family, but no one ever cares about their existence.
How could a nobleman pay attention to an old woman hunched over, washing clothes? How could merchants be wary of the attentive smile of a girl selling eggs? In the eyes of these men, they were no different from furniture or walls. Some even had no qualms about discussing family secrets, hidden from outsiders, in front of these numb-faced women.
That's why Margaret calls them "invisible birds." The birds toil daily, and just by listening a little longer, they can earn extra income from Margaret to improve their families' lives. So, they maintain a secret tacit understanding and work together to maintain this high-paying job.
"That's good. When I came here, I heard those white-robed priests still claiming that Lilith's divine descent was a pagan conspiracy. I thought the Knights of Light would conduct a large-scale search for young girls. It's great that they were not affected." Catherine breathed a sigh of relief.
"I will ensure their safety, please rest assured." Margaret drank the sedative potion, and her heartbeat finally stabilized. However, the potion was a bit too strong, and a drunken expression appeared on her face.
"Perhaps these raids are just a show for the people. Once they announce that the heretics have been brought to justice, perhaps they can stop some people from fleeing. Haven't you noticed that Highgarden has become much quieter?"
Ever since the chaotic disaster a month ago, Highgarden has been shrouded in a haze, with no one knowing whether the black dragon would descend again to burn, kill, and loot. The repeated searches during the lockdown have left the people in a state of daily fear.
Unrest spread among the crowd, and all kinds of rumors seemed to have wings. No matter how cold and solemn the sound of the knights' iron boots hitting the ground was, they could not be suppressed.
Many nobles valued their lives and had already secretly packed their belongings before the city was closed. As soon as the city gates were opened, they quietly left and chose to return to their own fiefdoms. Even some civilians were shaken by this and their determination to settle down in the capital was shaken. They followed the bigwigs' convoys on foot.
The prosperous capital suddenly became quiet, even the palace was the same. This magnificent palace, like its current owner, exuded a decadent and decayed temperament.
"We still can't let our guard down." Catherine pondered for a moment. "He's spared no expense in capturing elves, pouring in manpower and resources for years, leaving the borders empty. How could he give up so easily? A dying man, on the verge of running out of medicine, no one knows what crazy actions he might take. We'd better find out the results of their search."
"Yes..." Margaret quickly straightened her expression and agreed, but she couldn't help but say, "Then you still want to bring an elf into the palace..."
If she were caught, wouldn't she be walking into a tiger's mouth? Furthermore, the king would realize that the princess already knew his secret, and wouldn't Her Highness herself be in danger?
"This is a deal," Catherine continued, glancing around and whispering, "I have to take some risks to prove I'm a reliable ally."
Margaret's eyes lit up, and she whispered excitedly, "We've formed an alliance with the night elves?!"
"That depends on what the teacher has learned today." Catherine took a deep breath.