NOVEL NEXT Chapter 89 - Princess
Although the Blue-Black Empire practices imperial rule, it is not as autocratic and oppressive as the empires of Water Blue Star before the late century.
In the Blue-Black Empire, the parliament and the imperial authority have a check-and-balance relationship. The balance of power between the two depends on who controls the military power.
Since the founding of the Blue-Black Empire, most of the military power has been held by the royal family. It wasn’t until the current king came into power, who was weak and ineffective, that the parliament gradually gained the upper hand.
However, this phase was brief. The parliament did not have time to overthrow the regime before the assertive King Gujia came to power. After taking office, he began to purge traitors, consolidate the royal family’s influence, and with an outstanding heir like Prince Arthur, the royal family gradually regained the upper hand.
However, the constitution of the Blue-Black Empire stipulates the rights of the royal family. Although they hold high status, they are still required to abide by the law.
Even ordinary people, when dealing with the royal family, are protected as long as they do not commit crimes or violations. On the surface, the royal family cannot take any action against them.
For someone like Mai Dongzi, who comes from a prominent family or is a direct descendant of powerful officials, as long as they have the capability, they are treated with equality in relation to princes and princesses.
However, this equality only applies to princes and princesses without real power. For someone like Prince Arthur, who possesses both exceptional ability and significant authority, only those with higher cultivation or greater status dare to look him in the eye. Otherwise, people show him great respect.
Therefore, Mai Dongzi was not at all flustered when she noticed the hostility in Princess Mary’s gaze.
She knew that although Princess Mary was the only daughter of King Gujia, she was just a student at the academy and not particularly outstanding in her own right. The power behind her came from the king and queen.
However, King Gujia is famously known for his clear separation between public and private matters, and his stringent demands on his children are widely recognized.
Two years ago, the Second Prince used his position for personal gain, and when the judicial authorities uncovered it, he was heavily punished with public shaming, which became widely known throughout the Blue-Black Empire.
This incident, while not insignificant, would have been resolved quietly from the start if King Gujia had chosen to protect his son; it would never have become public knowledge.
However, ordinary people do not dare to confront Princess Mary due to her status alone, which is enough to intimidate them into silence.
In contrast, those from prominent families have different standards. As long as they have not offended Princess Mary without cause, she cannot do anything to them.
Therefore, even when Mai Dongzi saw the cold look in Princess Mary’s eyes, she maintained a respectful but assertive attitude while greeting her along with Yue Guangxi.
Princess Mary’s gaze fell on Mai Dongzi, and with an almost dismissive tone, she asked, “Are you the so-called ‘fake heiress’?”
“I’ve already been registered under my biological father’s name. Whether fake or real heiress, it doesn’t matter. You may address me as you wish, Your Highness,” Mai Dongzi replied naturally.
“If I remember correctly, your father was an illegitimate child, right?” Princess Mary asked knowingly.
“Yes, and so what? Does the princess have any objections to my father?” Mai Dongzi’s tone grew firmer.
The princess didn’t seem like a foolish person, so why would she bring up Atom Xi? Didn’t she know that Atom Xi’s death was related to Prince Arthur’s enemies?
Since Princess Mary dared to mention Atom Xi, Mai Dongzi felt less need to hold back in her response.
Princess Mary was momentarily at a loss for words. She intended to exploit Mai Dongzi’s weaknesses and strike at her vulnerabilities.
However, Mai Dongzi wasn’t intimidated by the label of being a fake heiress or the daughter of an illegitimate child. Instead, she responded with calm confidence, leaving Princess Mary unable to do anything further.
Mai Dongzi’s background and status were not something Princess Mary could casually criticize, especially given Mai Dongzi’s self-assured and proud demeanor.
When Mai Dongzi questioned whether Princess Mary had any issues with Atom Xi, Princess Mary actually couldn’t admit to any.
Aside from the issues of being a fake heiress and the daughter of an illegitimate child, Princess Mary couldn’t think of any other weaknesses to exploit.
Just as the atmosphere grew slightly tense, a girl beside Princess Mary spoke up, saying, “Princess Mary only thinks that your adoptive father treated you well, so it wasn’t really necessary to sever ties.”
This girl, despite her speech and appearance being somewhat similar to Wu Xuejie from the art department, had a touch of condescension, unlike Wu Xuejie’s genuine warmth.
“May I ask who you are, what your parents’ names are, what their occupations are, what your cultivation level is, and your status within your family…” Mai Dongzi raised an eyebrow and asked.
“Student Xi, how come you’re asking such personal questions right off the bat? This is really uncouth…” The boy behind Princess Mary couldn’t help but say.
However, before he could finish, he noticed Mai Dongzi’s half-smiling expression and realized that his words had hit a nerve. His face turned bright red.
The expressions of Princess Mary and the girl changed immediately. Mai Dongzi raised her eyebrows slightly and gave a meaningful smile.
After snorting, Princess Mary turned and walked into the Command Department. The girl, Bai Zhizhi, glanced at Mai Dongzi before following Princess Mary inside.
Mai Dongzi had definitely offended Princess Mary this time, but she had no regrets. In fact, she felt quite exhilarated.
Since she chose to align herself with Prince Arthur, she and Princess Mary were on opposing sides.
Among the four children of the current King, aside from Prince Arthur, the other three were born to the second Empress.
Prince Arthur’s mother, feeling stifled by the royal life, divorced King Gujia when Arthur was three years old and pursued freedom elsewhere.
Even among prominent families, half-siblings often fight over power and wealth, let alone in a royal family where there is a throne to inherit.
Mai Dongzi was aware that the discovery of energy plants on Water Blue Star primarily benefited Prince Arthur, the star lord. Hence, it was expected that Princess Mary would dislike her or even harbor hostility.
What Mai Dongzi didn’t expect was to have a run-in with Princess Mary on her very first day at the Imperial Capital University.
From Mai Dongzi’s intuition, Princess Mary seemed merely to dislike her and wanted to make things difficult for her verbally, without any real intent to harm.
Even though Princess Mary left angrily, her anger seemed to be just that—anger, without much malice.
Mai Dongzi felt that the girl with the surname Bai who was with Princess Mary was the one who truly harbored significant hostility, making her the real threat.
However, Mai Dongzi had no information about this Bai-surnamed girl in her memories, indicating that the original owner of her body did not know her at all.
“Who is that girl with the surname Bai?” Mai Dongzi asked Lan Ruonan as she turned around.
For such potential enemies, it was essential to find out more about their backgrounds.