Stunningly beautiful yet wicked, she begins by conquering eight beast husbands.

Chapter 45 Scarlett, from this day forward you are the Duke of Merios.

Scarlett agreed with Riley's suggestion and immediately reported to the royal court that she disliked her physician, Bessie, and wanted to demote her to Parrar to be with the slaves.

They didn't say anything else.

It was common for wicked princesses to belittle people.

The imperial court was not surprised by this.

The message reached Queen Catherine.

After reading it, Catherine raised her eyebrows, a look of surprise flashing across her sharp face before disappearing into a smile. "Katrina."

Katrina was Catherine's lady-in-waiting, responsible for handling daily affairs and carrying out the Queen's decisions.

Upon hearing the Queen's call, Katrina rose from her seat, walked to the Queen's side, and curtsied, "Your Majesty."

Catherine said, "Have Scarlett come to the Royal Court."

Katrina: "Yes, Your Majesty."

……

……

Scarlett did not hold a position at the Royal Court; all her actions required a written application to the Royal Court and the Queen's permission.

Seemingly free, but actually not free.

After finishing the application, Scarlett stretched and felt much lighter, having solved another problem.

She glanced at the planting space; the ancient grass had 4 days and 8 hours left to be cultivated.

The seed that was once the size of an orange has now grown to half a meter tall, with a straight rootstock divided into nine sections. Each section has three pale purple flowers, and there are nine white, serrated leaves beneath the flowers, supporting the tiny blossoms as they sway.

The purple flowers and white leaves were more and more beautiful the more Scarlett looked at them, and she was quite mesmerized.

I reached out my hand, wanting to touch the white leaf.

At this time.

Lilia rushed in to report that the Queen had summoned her.

Upon hearing this, Scarlett quickly withdrew her hand and closed the space.

The Queen's summons was most likely due to that application.

As she changed her clothes, she racked her brains for a solution, mentally simulating the questions the Empress might ask.

A few moments.

The royal airship arrived at the royal court.

It was getting late at this time.

The pristine white buildings, bathed in the orange glow of the sunset, softened the awe-inspiring solemnity of the majestic imperial court.

Scarlett's nervousness did not diminish in the slightest. She held her breath and followed Katrina to the side hall where the Queen handled official business.

The Empress disliked extravagance, and the palace was decorated in a very simple manner.

The room was bathed in warm yellow light, lined with orchids, sat on an oak desk without sharp edges, and had a few black velvet chairs.

"Mother Queen."

Scarlett stood in front of the desk and bowed.

Catherine was engrossed in reviewing documents. Hearing the voice, she didn't look up until she finished annotating the document in her hand. Then she asked in a deep voice, "Scarlett, do you know your mistake?"

Ok? ? ?
Why does this sound so familiar?

It seems the Empress asked the same question during her last visit to the Imperial Court.

Scarlett paused, about to speak, when suddenly she thought of Holst.

According to the original plot.

This is the moment when Catherine is judging the original owner for being willful, which caused Holster to be unable to be appeased for a long time and resulted in the tragic death of innocent passers-by.

But now, no one is hurt.

Although Scarlett is timid, she won't take the blame for something she didn't do.

With her chin slightly raised and back straight, she calmly replied, "Your subject does not know."

"I don't know?"

Catherine picked up a new stack of documents and placed them in front of her. In the midst of her busy schedule, she glanced at Scarlett, her expression revealing nothing of seriousness, but her voice was sharp: "Holster's mental sea was injured. Why didn't you report it to the Royal Court immediately and seek comfort from a high-ranking female? Instead, you locked him in the treatment pod and let him fend for himself. Only when things got out of control did you think of seeking comfort from someone."

"Scarlett, you've gone too far!"

"Your Majesty, this is wrong."

After their previous conversation, Scarlett understood that Catherine was not a tyrant, so she was unafraid to defend herself, "When I learned that Holster was injured, I contacted the Royal Medical Institute immediately. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may order someone to confirm. Furthermore, Holster reverted to his beast form in the airship, becoming manic and irritable, and could no longer be controlled. In addition, all the calming agents were used up, and he could not be carried to the medical institute. His deputy had no choice but to send him back to Herda Palace. It was not that I forced him to stay."

"Given Holster's mental state at the time, if he hadn't been restrained, innocent people would have been harmed." "I was also surprised when I saw it, and immediately ordered Lilia to invite Princess Sophia, and also organized other female physicians to release their mental energy to soothe her."

"The princess arrived just in time and saved Holster. I also managed to call for help in time, preventing him from harming anyone."

"Your Majesty should not blame me, but should reward me and Princess Sofia."

After hearing this, Catherine raised an eyebrow slightly, said "Oh," and her expression softened. "So, I misunderstood you?"

Scarlett swallowed the "yes" that was on the tip of her tongue, smiled brightly, and her survival instinct kicked in. "Your Majesty is not wrong. It was your son who failed to report to the Imperial Court immediately, which led to Your Majesty's misunderstanding. If anyone is wrong, it is this part."

Catherine stared at Scarlett for a few seconds, paused for a moment, and then scolded, "You're such a silver tongue."

A hint of maternal love finally appeared in her eyes as she praised, "Scarlett, you're becoming more and more like an imperial princess."

Catherine put down her pen and beckoned to Scarlett. "Come here, let the Queen Mother take a good look at you. You seem to have grown taller and more handsome in just a few days."

The physical structure of interstellar orcs differs from that of humans on Earth. Their average lifespan is three hundred years. Their appearance and physique are fixed after adulthood, and they only age rapidly as they approach the end of their lifespan.

Catherine's words were merely polite, but Scarlett understood perfectly well. She raised her small face, stepped forward as instructed, and softly called out, "Mother Queen."

Catherine took her hand and examined her closely. Her curved eyes bore a resemblance to Scarlett's, but over the years, the influence of power had made her features more sharp.

She looked at Scarlett, her hand silently stroking the back of her neck, her fingertips lifting a fine red thread that flew into Scarlett's skin.

Scarlett felt a chill on her neck and reached out to touch it, but couldn't feel anything.

Perhaps the Empress's majesty was too overwhelming, and she was a little intimidated.

Catherine looked at her brow and smiled, "Your mental strength has reached level D. It seems you've spent a lot of time leveling up in the Lost Continent."

Scarlett nodded: "Your subject must participate in the resource competition, so naturally we cannot slack off."

Catherine raised an eyebrow slightly and said casually, "Actually, you are a princess, and your beast husband is so powerful, why bother with all this hardship, leveling up one rank at a time? Besides, the Lost Continent is too filthy and unsuitable for females."

Females in the royal and noble families all have powerful beastmen to marry, so they don't need to go to the Lost Continent to level up.

Only females in the civilian areas need to bring their beastmen into the Lost Continent to level up.

They lack privileged backgrounds and robust physiques; how far they can go in the future depends entirely on themselves.

Scarlett understood what Catherine meant.

She had been married to eight men for over a year, but they had not consummated their marriage, which would be a laughing stock for anyone.

of course.

It wasn't just her who was laughing; her beastly husband was too.

The key point is that matters like consummating the marriage are linked to mental strength. A high-level mental strength can see through the level of a low-level mental strength at a glance, so it's impossible to hide it.

Scarlett gave an awkward smile, quickly finding a reason. She looked up at Catherine, her clear eyes filled with admiration, and said, half coquettishly and half respectfully, "Mother, I am trying to emulate you."

"Oh, follow my example?" Catherine asked, puzzled.

Scarlett nodded, her eyes sparkling: "I heard about your deeds when I was in the slums. As a princess, you never acted arrogantly because of your status. You often went to the common people's area and enjoyed yourself with them. You would work with them, level up with them, live in the same room, and sleep in the same bed with them."

"After you ascended the throne, you greatly improved the environment in the commoner districts and gave slaves in the slums the opportunity to get rid of their lowly status."

"That is why I was able to grow up safely. So I want to learn from you and take each step steadily."

After listening.

Catherine paused, her eyes flickering with an inscrutable expression.

He was smiling, but the smile was extremely stiff.

Like a marionette controlled by thin strings, every expression and every movement is meticulously designed, making it look incredibly gorgeous, but it lacks the most important thing: popularity.

It resembles a human, but is not a human.

It inexplicably exudes an eeriness.

Fortunately, Catherine recovered quickly, and her complexion returned to normal in the blink of an eye.

"Grumpy."

Scarlett, her mind racing, lowered her eyes and pondered silently, oblivious to Catherine's unusual expression. She continued to smile and act coquettishly, "What I said is the truth."

Catherine's bright eyes flickered, and she suddenly asked, "Scarlett, do you want to be empress?"

The voice was soft, almost like a murmur in a dream. Scarlett didn't hear it clearly and responded in surprise, "What?"

Catherine smiled and pretended nothing had happened. She picked up an antique pen case next to the documents, opened it, and found a black pen embedded in the blue velvet.

The pen looks quite old, with mottled marks all over the body, and in some places the paint has even peeled off, revealing the silvery-white base color underneath.

A emerald is set on the top of the pen cap, its brilliance highlighting the pen's exceptional value.

Catherine took one last look at the pen, reluctantly closed the pen case, and handed it to Scarlett.

“Scarlett, from this day forward, you are the Duke of Merios.”

(End of this chapter)