"I'm not full yet," Francis said, feeling aggrieved to be chased away so soon. When Harper came over,
she heard what he said
and she gave Matthew a reproving look, as if she demanded to know what was going on here.
Matthew reached out to take her hand and pulled her down to sit next to him. "Do you want some
more?" he asked Harper.
"No, I've already had a good enough lunch at the Kong Clan's mansion. Has Felix left?" Harper asked
as flatly as she could,
hoping that she wouldn't have to see that man.
"Yes. When he walked away, he stared fiercely at the dog several times as if he desperately wanted to
fight it." Matthew reported
this amusing detail.
With a wicked smile, Harper commented, "If that had really happened, then the rumor that Felix had
lost his mind and was
fighting with a dog would spread all over the imperial capital tomorrow!"
"Ha ha." Francis laughed out loud. When Harper and Matthew turned their faces to him, he smiled
awkwardly and asked, "I had
no idea there was actually such a disease that could drive people so mad that they would fight with a
dog. Is that really
possible?"
"Of course there is such a disease. It's known as the mad dog disease," Harper explained. "Just as the
name suggests, a person
with this disease behaves like a mad dog. He will bite anyone or anything that he sees. So he would
also fight with a dog, just
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtthe same as a mad dog."
Francis opened his mouth slightly, as if he were totally dumbfounded by this extraordinary thing. But in
a moment he realized that
Harper was implying that Felix was like a vicious, violent mad dog.
"So, was Felix suffering from that disease from the moment he came here? He was acting as if he
wanted to tear me apart. It
was really creepy," Francis asked. Teasing Felix was a clever strategy to ingratiate himself with Harper.
Harper didn't like Felix,
so he wanted to emphasize that he didn't like him either. Felix made his life difficult wherever he went,
and he was nearly at his wit's end to deal with that. But Harper merely gave him a bland smile in
response. Seeing the two of them both smiling, Matthew felt a bit jealous and uncomfortable. Then he
picked up a piece of braised pork and took a bite from the fatty section of it, and then offered it to
Harper. "It tastes excellent. Have a try," he suggested. Harper then took a bite and chewed it slowly,
savoring the quality. "Mmm, it tastes good. Megan's cooking is improving."
Matthew's mouth curved into a smile. It was clear that he was in a good mood. Francis also kept the
smile on his face, but his smile was fake. The scene of domestic happiness in front of him became a bit
hard for him to see after a while. He then said, "It's obvious that you love each other very much. I really
admire it. Well, I think I'd better leave now, so that I won't disturb you. I'll pay you a visit another day."
Francis got up slowly and walked out steadily. As his figure receded, Matthew lifted up his eyes to
Harper. He then said, "Harp, I want to have the exquisite lotus-nut sweet soup made by you." "Okay, I'll
cook that for you later, but you have to eat lunch first now," Harper replied obediently. Francis,
meanwhile, could hardly keep himself from smiling as he heard them talk from behind. Now he
understood that
Matthew, who was cold and indifferent to everyone and everything else, only showed love and affection
in front of his wife.
Francis felt infinitely jealous that Matthew had such a tender and warm domestic life. He wished that he
were Matthew, so that he
could act like a spoiled child in front of Harper.
After Felix left Matthew's mansion, he went directly into the Imperial Palace to speak with the empress.
The empress was still worried about Francis' rising. She did not yet know that after Felix had spent
some time with Francis, he
realized that his weak brother was harmless and that Matthew was the real danger.
"Your Majesty, Prince Felix is here," Nancy reported to the empress.
"Oh? Bring him in!" the empress said eagerly. She was holding a hand warmer in her hands. When she
saw Felix appear grumpy as he entered, she frowned and said, "Don't your servants take care of you?
They haven't even prepared a hand warmer for you. It's so cold today. You might catch a cold."
"Mother, I'm not fragile like an old man," Felix said with a wry smile. Then he threw his cloak off. Nancy
quickly rushed over, took the cloak, and placed a hand warmer in his hands. Even though Felix said he
did not need one, as servants, they had to have everything prepared. That was their responsibility.
Although Felix thought that holding a hand warmer was a bit feminine, he decided to humor his mother
and obey her request.
Accordingly, he accepted the hand warmer like a good son and sat opposite the empress.
"So, did you gain anything today at Matthew's mansion?" the empress asked softly. Matthew's attitude,
state of mind, and
positions were what they cared about now. The emperor intended to assist Francis to make an entry
into court life because
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmFrancis had saved him. This coming change greatly threatened Felix and the empress. After all,
Francis always had a force
behind him that was as powerful as the empress's family. Moreover, Sherry was a favorite of the
emperor. If Francis really began
to work as an official, he would become a great opponent for Felix. In that event, Felix would be
desperate for Matthew's support.
"A bumper harvest," Felix said as the maid gave him warm tea and he opened the lid. The tea leaves
floated in the warm water.
"Francis knows little of politics, and cares even less."
"People from the royal family know how to disguise themselves. There is no one in the world who does
not want to sit on the
throne," the empress asserted confidently. "You must be careful. Don't be fooled by him."
Felix frowned and said, "Francis' health is greatly improved now, but he is still very weak. He saved
Father at the expense of his
own body. He is just a feeble invalid and we have no reason to be afraid of him. What's more, Francis
is a coward. He even
didn't dare to contradict me after I gave him so many provocations today. I don't think we should spend
too much time or energy
on him."
"Francis..." the empress murmured as she tried to recall what he looked like. Although he had lived in
the Imperial Palace for
many years, she had actually seen him very few times. That was because he had been bed-ridden
most of his life. The
impression she had gathered from her few sightings of him was that Francis was a very sick man, with
a weak body but a
handsome face. That was the empress's impression of him.