Volume 1 Chapter 131

Volume 1 + Chapter 131: A Foreboding Premonition

When it came to Pipim’s uncle and aunt, Chancelianne could be said to know their family situation inside and out.

She knew very clearly that a luxurious countryside villa like this—complete with its own courtyard and a carefully maintained garden—was, by all logic, far beyond what their family should have been able to afford.

It was not that she harbored any prejudice against them. In fact, Chancelianne had always held a certain degree of respect for them. It was simply that, based on her understanding of the family, she had arrived at this conclusion.

She remembered distinctly that she had once brought people to investigate their household. At that time, while the house was not impoverished, it was nowhere near this level of extravagance.

Even the garden outside had not been carefully tended, overall, it had felt like nothing more than an ordinary rural residence.

Yet less than a year had passed, and the villa before her eyes had become resplendent and magnificent, with even the flowers and plants lining the paths arranged with meticulous care.

Chancelianne could not help but feel puzzled. Even if they had suddenly struck it rich, being able to achieve this scale in such a short time was truly baffling. Even sudden wealth should have been accumulated gradually, step by step—shouldn’t it?

Coupled with the incident of Pipim rummaging through trash in the imperial capital, which had been far too shocking, Chancelianne’s mind still had not found peace from it to this day.

That scene had been not only an insult to Chancelianne personally, but a desecration of the dignity of the entire imperial royal family. It caused a great deal of anger to build up in her heart, and a faint killing intent had already begun to surface in her eyes.

Even so, with Eve present, she forcibly suppressed her fury and did not erupt on the spot. After all, Chancelianne knew well that losing her composure in front of Eve was by no means a wise choice.

However, Alice, standing nearby, had already keenly sensed the abnormality in her mother’s emotions.

From childhood until now, she had never seen Chancelianne this angry before.

Her calm and rational mother had actually displayed such intense anger today, which made Alice’s heart tighten.

She could not help but hurry to Chancelianne’s side and whisper a few words, trying to divert her attention and ease her emotions a little.

The anger on Chancelianne’s face gradually faded, returning to calm. She gently waved her hand, signaling to Alice not to worry and not to overthink things.

“Let’s go in and take a look first. I wonder if, after such a long time, this family still recognizes me.”

As she spoke, Chancelianne pushed open the courtyard gate and walked straight in.

But she had not taken more than two steps when a woman with a rather kind-looking face came out of the house.

When she saw Chancelianne, her eyes widened instantly.

Her entire body froze in place.

“Empress Consort… Y-you really came?”

Hearing this, Chancelianne—who had been wearing a trace of displeasure—was taken aback instinctively.

What kind of remark was that? How had the roles suddenly reversed?

Chancelianne had not even spoken yet, and the other party had already questioned her instead.

“What do you mean?”

Chancelianne’s face turned cold. Her voice was low, her gaze deep, carrying a hint of probing and restrained displeasure. Her patience was limited, especially when faced with something so inexplicable—she had no intention of beating around the bush.

Sensing Chancelianne’s attitude, the woman dared not be negligent and quickly explained, “His Majesty said that you would definitely come today. And that you would bring Her Highness the Princess and another important guest with you. He specifically instructed us to receive you properly and to ensure your safety at all costs.”

Listening to this matter-of-fact explanation, Chancelianne’s brows knit even tighter, a vague sense of unease rising within her.

Those words sounded as though His Majesty had foreseen everything long ago, even knowing her itinerary better than she herself did. The feeling of having all her actions anticipated in advance made her deeply uncomfortable.

“What are you talking about?”

Her sharp gaze fixed on the woman before her, her voice growing even colder. “Aren’t you Pipim’s aunt?”

The woman paused briefly, then nodded. “I am… But are you here this time because of Pipim? Pipim has been out of contact for quite a long time. Wasn’t she taken away by her own mother?”

The moment these words were spoken, Chancelianne froze. Alice, standing beside her, also widened her eyes slightly. Mother and daughter exchanged a glance at the same time, both seeing the same confusion in each other’s eyes.

What was going on? They had indeed come because of Pipim, yet the woman’s reaction did not seem to treat this as an obvious reason at all…

And she even claimed that Pipim had long since been taken away by her mother?

Both mother and daughter were utterly baffled. The situation before them seemed to be growing increasingly difficult to untangle.

“Let’s sort this out step by step.”

Chancelianne took a deep breath, forcing her emotions to settle. Her voice was steady, yet carried an unquestionable authority. “Who told you that I would come looking for you today? Was it His Majesty?”

Her gaze was sharp, locking firmly onto the woman’s face, not missing the slightest change in expression. The woman seemed intimidated by the sudden pressure, froze for a moment, then hurriedly nodded and spoke quickly, “Let’s go inside and talk. We shouldn’t stand here.”

Her tone was somewhat tense, as if she feared that lingering here might attract unnecessary attention.

But Chancelianne did not agree so easily, her tone sinking. “Explain it clearly first.”

The woman pressed her lips together, as if organizing her thoughts. After a moment, she slowly spoke, “All right… It was indeed the Empire’s Emperor, His Majesty. And as early as a year ago, we had already received word.”

“What?”

Chancelianne’s pupils contracted slightly, a rare trace of shock appearing on her face. Her brows furrowed as a faint sense of foreboding rose within her.

A year ago?

His Majesty had already known a year ago that they would come here? How was that possible?

Even she herself had not planned this in advance, yet His Majesty had somehow known ahead of time?

“What else did he say?”

Chancelianne pressed on.

“You should come inside first. I’ll show you the letter His Majesty personally wrote to us. It has the date and His Majesty’s seal.”

Chancelianne frowned deeply. After thinking it over, she decided to take a look first before saying anything more.

“Eve, don’t you think something feels a bit off?”

“Off?”

Eve instinctively looked toward Alice.

“What’s wrong?”

“It feels like the weather’s changed…”

“Are you cold? Then I can lend you my coat.”

“No… I just feel something’s strange. I have this really ominous feeling—like there’s a chill all over my body.”

As she spoke, Alice gently pressed down on her fluffy skirt.

“Did you go out without wearing underwear again?”

“No!”

Alice was clearly flustered now.

“I’m serious! I really have a bad premonition!”