Chapter 58 Miguel Invites Cressida to His Residence Late at Night?
Evening came, and the lead-gray sky hung low. Fine spring rain fell like gauze, soaking every crack in the stone-paved road.
As night deepened, the rain kept falling, pattering on the fig tree leaves in the courtyard with crisp sounds like silver spoons tapping porcelain plates. Cressida wrapped herself in a tea-brown cloak embroidered with blue morpho butterfly patterns. With Emma and Verity following behind, she hurried toward the back door. The black carriage Miguel had sent was already waiting in the shadows, its gold royal emblem faintly visible in the dim light.
Cressida bent down and stepped into the carriage. The cushions still held warmth from the heater. The carriage rolled smoothly toward the royal palace where Miguel was.
The moment she stepped through the palace gates, Cressida felt the grandeur and strict atmosphere of the royal residence. The guards leading the way wore silver-white armor and took her through seven archways and eight courtyards before reaching Miguel's outer study where he handled official business.
Inside, candles blazed brightly, making the family crest on the stone walls especially clear. Cressida knocked lightly on the oak door. Miguel's consistently cold voice came from inside: "Come in."
Miguel looked up from behind his desk covered with a leather pad. His gaze fell on the figure at the door. Behind her was endless darkness, and only the candlelight on the desk outlined her silhouette more clearly.
Cressida had a highly distinctive appearance, combining the heroic bearing of a knight with the cool elegance of a noble lady. Her eyebrows arched slightly upward like a drawn bow, adding sharp definition to her otherwise soft features.
"Your Highness." Cressida curtsied slightly. Her hair still carried dewdrops from the night rain, which slid gently down her dark brown strands.
"I heard that on the day Marshall visited The Hamilton Mansion, there was another dispute in your family?" Miguel's voice was calm and flat, revealing no emotion, yet carrying an inherent sense of distance.
He stood up and walked to the fireplace, gesturing for Cressida to sit in the armchair with velvet cushions nearby. Flames burned in the fireplace, driving away the damp cold of the rainy night.
Cressida sat down as instructed, her voice as steady as if describing something unrelated to herself: "Yes."
She slowly recounted the internal family dispute from that day. She knew clearly that even if she kept silent, Verity would report everything to Miguel anyway.
Miguel listened quietly, the ivory ring on his fingertip lightly tapping the marble mantelpiece. His expression remained unchanged throughout.
"Your Highness Miguel, I truly don't know why Prince Marshall suddenly came to visit." Cressida added, meeting his gaze openly.
"That's normal." Miguel turned around, firelight dancing on his golden hair. "All sides are watching your family closely, especially someone as ambitious as Marshall."
His tone made it clear that he and Marshall didn't get along well. Cressida lowered her lashes without responding, quietly waiting for him to continue.
"I called you here because I need your help with something." Miguel's voice suddenly dropped lower. "Your hidden arrow skills—have you ever used them to hurt anyone?"
Hearing this, Cressida looked up sharply, meeting Miguel's unfathomable eyes. She thought for a moment and answered honestly: "I've never hurt a person, but when hunting, I've never missed."
"That's enough." Miguel walked to the desk and pulled out a rolled parchment. "On the night of the Flower Festival, get rid of someone for me."
"Who?"
"Richard, the Deputy Royal Finance Officer. He just returned to the Emerald City today after accompanying Marshall as an imperial envoy to inspect the southern commercial ports."
The flames in the fireplace suddenly leaped higher, and Cressida's heartbeat skipped a beat. Getting rid of Richard Simmons, a royal envoy who had just returned to the city—this was like pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth. If she failed, not only would she be in danger, but the entire Hamilton family could be implicated.
She immediately understood the key point. Marshall had recently investigated corruption cases, and this Richard must be a core participant. But what if Richard was innocent? Wouldn't she become an accomplice to evil?
"What, afraid?" Seeing her long silence, Miguel's tone grew more oppressive. He stood in his formal attire, posture straight as a pine tree, his presence enough to make anyone feel suffocated.
Cressida fell silent. She should have known that to use Miguel's power, she would have to pay a corresponding price. But she never wanted to harm the innocent. On the battlefield, she had killed enemies and traitors, but never raised her hand against innocent people.
Yet she had no choice. When she promised Miguel to "eliminate traitors for you," she should have known that in the royal power game, so-called "innocence" was always blurry—there were only different sides.
Cressida raised her head, her eyes determined: "I understand. Where does Your Highness want me to act?"
"Tomorrow evening's Flower Festival. My people will meet you at the pleasure boat. Find the right moment to strike, and someone will arrange your escape afterward." Miguel finished speaking and pushed the parchment toward her. It marked Richard's schedule.
Cressida quickly scanned the contents, already forming a plan. She nodded in agreement. Seeing Miguel had no other instructions, she stood up to take her leave.
"Wait." Miguel stopped her and took out a crimson velvet box from the drawer. "This is for you. You always wear plain clothes. If your family won't buy you jewelry, I will."
His words carried some care, though his tone remained cold and hard. Cressida opened the box. A pair of delicate gold pearl earrings came into view—the gold pearls were carved with intricate patterns, with fine gold tassels hanging below. Most exquisite of all, each gold pearl had a pigeon-blood ruby embedded in its center that would sway gently with movement, dazzling in the candlelight.
"Your Highness."
"No need to thank me, just take them."
"Forgive me for being direct, but I don't have pierced ears." Cressida stated honestly.
Miguel frowned, his gaze falling on her smooth earlobes, confirming she spoke the truth. "You're different from other noble ladies. No wonder I've never seen you wear earrings."
Cressida's heart jumped. He had noticed even this detail? Actually, she wasn't born without pierced ears. At fourteen, to disguise herself as a man and join the border army, she deliberately let her piercings close to avoid exposing her identity.
"I was afraid of pain as a child. Later, when I went to the military fortress, Cameron focused entirely on teaching me riding and archery, so I paid even less attention to these feminine decorations." Cressida's tone was sincere. Fortunately, Miguel didn't suspect anything. In his eyes, Cameron was indeed an iron-blooded tough guy who only understood military affairs, naturally unconcerned with Cressida's jewelry and adornments.
Cressida lightly touched her earlobe, about to say "I'll handle it myself when I get back," when she heard Miguel say: "Wait here. I'll have someone help you."
He called out toward the door, instructing a guard to fetch Quiana, the head palace maid. Moments later, a middle-aged woman in a neat uniform entered the study and bowed respectfully.
"Pierce her ears." Miguel pointed at Cressida.
Cressida sat frozen in the armchair, finding it absurd that on such a rainy night, she was in the royal palace waiting for an ear piercing arranged by Miguel.
Quiana agreed and took out two sterilized silver needles from a medicine box, heating them again over the candle flame to sterilize them, then walked over to her. "Ms. Hamilton, bear with it. It'll be quick."
Before Cressida could react, she felt a slight sting on her earlobe, and then it was over. During the piercing, Miguel walked to her side and leaned down slightly to watch, his focused gaze making her somewhat uncomfortable. Her neck stiffened as she maintained her position, not daring to move.
Quiana inserted silver ear sticks into her piercings to prevent them from closing, then gently applied herbal ointment. Cressida thanked Quiana and bowed to Miguel again to take her leave.
"It's late at night. Anthony is already asleep. I'll let you see him next time." Miguel said.
Cressida nodded silently. "Next time"—this meant Miguel would summon her to the palace again. Although she had long accepted herself as Miguel's follower, such close contact was unprecedented. Even when they had fought side by side on the battlefield, they had never interacted like this.
Cressida thought to herself that she still needed to train her composure. She firmly believed Miguel would become a wise ruler. Her judgment wouldn't be wrong. She clearly remembered that in her memories of her previous life, Miguel had ultimately defeated both Yosef and Marshall's forces, coming within one step of the throne—though for some reason, he ended up launching a coup.
After returning to her room, Cressida checked in the mirror. Quiana's technique was extremely skilled, leaving only two light red dots on her earlobes. Cressida reviewed tonight's words and actions, confirming she hadn't aroused Miguel's suspicion, before washing up and going to bed with peace of mind.
Just before closing her eyes, Cressida knew clearly: tomorrow's Flower Festival was destined to be anything but peaceful. If she could complete the task successfully, she must make a request to Miguel and get some benefits for herself.