The Villain Princess survived the Imperial Riot

The treasury mentioned by the elves mainly refers to the princess's treasury and bank accounts. The income comes from regular remittances from the Finance Office of the Grand Duke of Lorraine and various assets under the name of the princess.

The food, drink, defecation and urination of thousands of people is not a small number and is complicated to manage. Iyana is not sure about the role of the head of housekeeping.

"Don't you oversee the Bank of Lorraine?" Hestia asked.

Although it is called the Bank of Lorraine, it has been open for less than half a year and has nothing to do with the Grand Duke of Lorraine. The main managers of the bank are all Lorraine's retainers. After a period of loyalty, they have now become loyal servants of the princess.

"Yes, I'm not very familiar with these businesses, so I haven't been too involved... Should I get a loan from the bank?" Iyana thought about it and felt that this approach was feasible. Besides, the bank was the princess's property, so allocating funds would be a simple matter of a word.

"It's not that troublesome. From now on, the servants in the Princess's Palace will be employees of the Governor's Office, and their salaries will be paid by the Lorraine Bank." Hestia waved her hand.

Now the Bank of Lorraine holds the right to mint coins, and all the civil servants in Yunling depend on her printing press for their livelihood. Does she still need some imperial maids?

"Ah? Isn't this a bit of, public, public property for personal use?" Iyana held it in for a long time before she spoke out what was in her heart.

"You're wrong. We call this doing good deeds and accumulating virtue," Hestia said. "Think about it: wages are essential for the common people to survive, to buy the goods they need, and to promote the development of Yunling's industry and commerce. Only then can more common people find jobs to earn a living! How can my support for the people of the world be considered a private matter? At most, I'm just doing things for the public good."

"Um……"

Iyana shifted her shoulders nervously. She couldn't understand if the princess had made a bargain with the myth of the Void Path, allowing her to produce an endless supply of rice from thin air.

She had some knowledge of money printing. The nations minted coins with gold and mithril, which were tangible, visible money. Even when issuing paper money, it had to be based on the amount of gold reserves and mining to ensure its value.

The result of excessive issuance of banknotes is like the empire printing a bunch of waste paper.

Yet, far from becoming worthless, the princess's Fran actually soared, poised to replace the Golden Shield. If the myth of the Path of Silence hadn't unearthed gold, then the myth of the Path of Creation had bestowed upon the princess some kind of cornucopia or Midas Touch. Otherwise, there was no way a pile of waste paper could have flourished.

"What?" Hestia looked at the elf.

"Nothing..." Iyana didn't ask any further, hiding her doubts in her heart.

"You're going to hide it from me too?"

Hestia took the hand of the elf maid-mother, who did not resist and fell into the princess's arms.

"I don't have any... I'm just worried about the same fate as the Fran and Krona notes." Iyana raised her swan-like neck and skillfully kissed him. After exchanging lips, she hesitated and said, "Hetty... didn't you make any deal with the evil god? When you faced Bai Yu in the cave, you didn't use the power of order."

She used a more intimate title, and at this moment, the two were no longer master and servant, but intimate sisters and lovers.

"I thought so." Hestia smiled. "Do you remember your mother's relics?"

"The box?"

"Yes, there are supreme secrets hidden in it," Hestia scratched the elf's chin and asked, "Do you want me to tell you?"

"If that's the case, then don't tell me." Iyana shook her head. "Then is Fran's matter also related to the secret treasure?"

"That's not much of a secret treasure," Hestia sneered. "The value of Fran is ultimately that it can be used to settle Fran's territory. My fool, you think of Fran's land as gold, don't you?"

Iyana thought about it and suddenly understood, feeling relieved. "Your Highness is truly clever! I never imagined such a method could be used... But I still don't understand. Haven't those territories already been purchased? Logically, they're no longer official 'gold', so how can they be used to print money?"

"Ah, who knows? Maybe the Frans are all kind-hearted." Hestia yawned and didn't say anything else. Otherwise, the elf would be depressed all night because of the dragon's accomplice. So she said, "This is normal business law. Don't think too much. Leave the good and the bad to the market. Don't you also dislike the Empire's strong intervention?"

"I don't have any, Your Highness..."

"Your Highness again. There is no Your Highness here now, only..." Hestia hugged the elf and whispered soft words of love in her ear, "I like you, and you like me."

The tender hands play with the red grapes, and peel the onions in a dreary manner.

The elves didn't understand why the princess, who had lived behind high walls since childhood and received military education as a teenager, could be so charming and seductive?

She watched the princess grow up, and even though the princess was rebellious and domineering, she watched her development right before her eyes.

"Hetty, you know I don't care, but..." The elf couldn't help asking, "How many women am I to you?"

"Idiot, you've watched me grow up, and you've never had other women?" Hestia bit the elf's ear and said softly, "Listen carefully, you are Hestia Lorraine Herboeus's first woman. Don't let my little maid get jealous. Got it?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Iyana murmured.

really……

The elves could only attribute this to the princess's natural talents. She was both a naturally feared tyrant and a beloved enchantress, her every word swaying her into obedience, addiction, and inextricable self.

Princess...

The figure that was once so clear now became increasingly blurred in her memory.

Iyana no longer wanted to find out what kind of person Princess Lorraine was, or whether she really went to the capital during the years she was missing.

"Hetty." She raised her face with a blushing look, her waist straightened, catering to the posture of a princess, and her silver-haired and beautiful face occupied all eyes.

It's really strange. Lorraine and Herbos are both descendants of the noble God-Emperor, but the princess does not have the iconic blonde hair. Instead, she is as pure and cold as snow.

But those eyes were like the pupils of a royal dragon, as bright as sunlight.

The elf held up the princess's face.

"uh-huh?"

"Hetty, take me..."

"You don't have to say it."

The wind is coming late at night.

Volume 96: Caged Bird: . The Obscure Path

As the sun rises, the fish market is already busy. The pungent fishy smell is mixed with the smell of rotting offal. Cats and rats are running around, flies and mosquitoes are flying. Job seekers with nowhere to go gather at the dock, their eyes dull, waiting for the recruitment of fishing boats to go out to sea.

Viola, carrying a bulging waist bag, walked through the busy city amid scattered malicious gazes and came to a stone church on the coast.

The church is not grand, but pitted by the erosion of the sea breeze. On a sunny day, clothes are hung out to dry in the open space beside the stone path, and rows of salted fish are waiting to dry on the racks.

The black-haired girl raised her head. The blind, hunchbacked old man rang the morning bell, and the heavy and tall oak door slowly opened to welcome the believers for morning prayer.

Behind the church is a small monastery, which is Viola's destination.

【Dark Light Monastery】, a secret society hidden in the bustling city.

Rather than calling it a cohesive organization, it would be more appropriate to call it a secret study society. Members of the monastery are usually believers of the Radiance, but they do not join the church system. At the same time, members of the association share and exchange experiences on the path, have no subordinate relationships, and can come and go freely. Apart from the consensus prohibiting the abuse of secret arts and the prohibition of recruiting disciples, there are basically no additional restrictions.

Viola nodded to the convent's gatekeeper, asked Clara to wait outside the door, and walked into the courtyard alone.

Huiguang Monastery is far quieter than the fish market across the bridge. There are only about sixteen or seventeen people in total, half of whom are homeless elderly mortals. They stay away from the hustle and bustle and spend the whole day accompanied by the ringing of the church bells.

The girl had been here several times and was particularly fond of the peaceful environment of the monastery. She thought that many years later, living in seclusion with His Highness in such a place and growing old together would be a perfect ending to her life.

She knocked on a plain red-painted wooden door.

"Come in." An old and kind voice came from behind the door.

Viola pushed the door open and walked in. The old woman in a woolen shawl, brown-green cotton coat, and gold-rimmed glasses put down the book in her hand and squinted at her.

"Miss Leland, please take a seat."

"Yes, Lady Gwenland."

The girl walked into the room, which was a spacious and well-equipped office. Nine old women and Ai Shanni were hunched over heavy desks, and a rich collection of books filled the bookshelves.

The woman was very old, but not as skinny as Aynive. She tied up her white hair with a hairpin, her face was full of wealth, and her clothes were neat, simple but elegant. Her figure had become shorter due to her old age.

Gwenlan turned to the girl and said gently, "I see an undue impatience on your face. Have you been troubled by trivial matters lately?"

"I just feel powerless when facing many things..." Viola shook her head. "Lady Gwenland, I want to become better."

"But," Gwenlan emphasized, "the path you are pursuing may not be enough to realize your wish."

"I don't understand, ma'am."

"What do you think is the path of secret cultivation?"

"It is... the philosophy followed by the secret practitioners. It guides us to ascend to the heavens of dreams and become a purer and greater existence." Viola quoted from a book.

"I don't think so." Gwenlan smiled.

"Is there anything wrong with this sentence?"

"It's not about right or wrong, Miss Leland. Whether this statement is meaningful depends solely on whether it suits you," Gwenland said. "You need to view the Tao as a way of life. It doesn't determine whether you are excellent or not; it simply places you where you should be."

"I... don't quite understand."

"Because you haven't found your own life yet. You're following the Tao, like a child imitating an adult. You believe they can do what you can't, and therefore they represent greatness and righteousness," Gwenlan said patiently. "You'll eventually discover that the life you're imitating isn't for you. You belong only to yourself... However, many practitioners fail because of this statement. The path they've taken throughout their lives is nothing but an illusion cast by dreams."

"This... seems to be different from the principles of the Obscure Path."

What Viola understood was a path that followed the source of the hidden, leading to the shining light. This path was called the Obscure Secret, also known as the New Moon.

The followers are the recorders of the "light", traveling in the shadows, mirrors and memories of the world. They are invisible people isolated from the world and never stand in a conspicuous position.

Therefore, from the very beginning, the mystics of the Obscure Path did not represent a complete individual. The "Glow Light" shines everywhere, and only then will there be an echo. The vast majority of mystics on this path will worship the Radiance, and use it to complete the foundation of the path.

Viola feels that she is illuminated by the princess and regards her as a beacon. Only by interweaving her life with the princess's can her life be complete.

"The path of the Tao is not fixed. The new moon you see is the path once trodden by the Infinite Light. Countless people followed it, ultimately making it the standard." Gwenlan shook his head slightly. "I say this not to seduce you from the right path proven by countless secret practitioners, but to let you know that it is merely the life you emulate, not a monument. It is not pure, nor great, nor unique. Such a life will not bring you reputation. After all, we walk in the darkness, unseen by the world."

"I understand, Lady Gwenland, perhaps you are right," Viola said. "However, I only wish to be able to lean on her shoulder at any time and look her in the eye." She smiled softly and happily. "Perhaps this is a revelation from the Light, asking me to become her shadow and watch over her territory and people... I know it sounds a little ridiculous, but I am striving for such a qualification."

"That princess." Gwenlan still maintained her usual smile and nodded. "Have you really decided? Do you want her to illuminate your shadow?"

"Please guide me, Lady Gwenland...teacher."

Gwenland said nothing more. She left her chair and opened the secret room behind the bookshelf. A cross shrine, like a dark moon, stood there quietly. Only the edge of the moon emitted a cold light, as if a little wisdom overflowed from the endless secrets.

"I study the secrets of the Light. In that vast darkness, there's no distinction between holiness and corruption, cruelty and compassion are commonplace, yet history always portrays Him as the Savior," Gwenland said. "I don't believe in the Light, Miss Leland. Do you know why I'm telling you this?"

"Uh... why?"

"I don't believe in the aura, but I still follow it. There are differences between bright lights, just as you and I see history differently." Gwenlan shook his head slightly. "You hope to become the shadow of the statue, but how can you be sure that the statue you firmly believe in is what you believe it is? Mystics on the path of wisdom pursue the truth, but I must say that truth never truly exists. It always floats in illusions that you cannot grasp."

"No matter what, Your Highness's dream was meant for good," Weilongao Ba Lawu whispered, "and that is precisely the meaning of my existence. The more filthy a place is, the more it needs the light of your lamp."

"Are you lighting her, or is she lighting you?" Gwenlan sighed softly, then continued, "I have prepared the ritual. Sit cross-legged in the center of the circle. Remember, the new moon is a true silhouette, a silent history. You will face endless thoughts and memories along the way. Many reckless beginners lose themselves in this process, becoming ghosts wandering the hidden treasures... If Hestia Lorraine Herboeus is not enough to be your light, pray to the Radiant Light as soon as possible."

……

There is no time in the dream, and when Viola left the monastery, it was already evening.

Clara sat on the stone pier outside the church, watching the sunset sink into the skyline. She had been sitting there for a whole day. Many believers looked at her strangely, but after seeing the black Iron Army uniform, they fled as if they were avoiding the plague.

As a result, the church did not receive any donations for the entire day. The priest presiding over the church could only look at the heavy figure with helplessness, and together with the old people in the monastery, he packed up the clothes and dried fish and closed the door.

"Clara."

Hearing a voice behind him, the Knight Commander turned around.