Chapter 4
“Sixth Prince, what are you doing here?” Una Rhodes reached out and pulled Ingrid Johnson up from beneath the bridge. She stared at the dirty little girl before her.
With a sigh, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the dirt from Ingrid Johnson’s face.
“I…” Ingrid Johnson felt the handkerchief against her face to be incredibly soft. Even the person standing before her seemed like a fairy. “May I call you ‘sister,’ just as my eighth brother does?”
“Of course.” Una Rhodes smiled, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.
A prince whom Una Rhodes has never even met managed to survive all this time by sheer luck. If anyone thinks she has a kind heart, then Enid Johnson must have misjudged her.
“I know you rejected Third Brother’s marriage proposal.” The little hand tightly clutched the hem of Una Rhodes’s dress. The sixth prince raised his head, his face still marked with baby fat.
Placing the soiled handkerchief in Ingrid Johnson’s arms, Una Rhodes rubbed Ingrid Johnson’s head and said, “Prince, be careful with your words and actions.”
After leaving the palace, Una Rhodes returned to Rhodes Castle by carriage. Servants were already waiting there to assist Una Rhodes inside the house.
“Change your clothes and wash your hands. Throw away this outfit.”
Dressed in her pajamas, Una Rhodes stood barefoot on the carpet, washing her hands. Her thoughts wandered. Today, she had made a solemn vow, and she must now act with sincerity in the future.
Moreover, Robert Johnson said that the emperor’s preferred heir was his sixth son, Enid Johnson. But upon meeting her today, there wasn’t anything particularly surprising about her.
……
Staring blankly at her handkerchief, Enid Johnson watched as Una Rhodes walked away. Only then did she slowly make her way back to the almost empty Yuanhua Palace.
After struggling to push open the palace doors, Aunt Fang rushed forward. Seeing Ingrid Johnson’s dirty clothes, she felt heartbroken.
“Sixth Prince, why go out for no reason? We’re also of the dragon lineage. There’s no reason we should be humiliated by them like that.”
“Nanny, it’s nothing.” Ingrid Johnson comforted Aunt Fang a little. In this vast palace, with someone having died here, only three people now lived here.
Enid Johnson, Aunt Fang, and a little maid.
While helping Ingrid Johnson change her clothes, Aunt Fang glanced at the handkerchief in her hands, and her heart trembled with emotion.
“This is a gift, made from the finest materials! Prince, where did you get this handkerchief?”
“Don’t worry about it. Give me the handkerchief.” Ingrid Johnson awkwardly snatched back the handkerchief and hurried inside to read. Yet, the hem of Una Rhodes’s dress kept coming to mind.
With his birth mother dying early and the king showing no interest in him, Enid Johnson learned from a young age to hide his intelligence. Though he had an excellent memory, he pretended to be foolish in the presence of the king, ensuring that his brothers paid him no attention.
She had originally planned to wait until she reached adulthood before leaving the palace. But now, Ingrid Johnson had other thoughts. After all, a graceful and virtuous woman is the ideal partner for a gentleman. If her third brother could propose marriage, then surely he could too.
Wait, he still doesn’t know who that woman is?
The smile on Ingrid Johnson’s face instantly faded.
……
“Mother, I want to go to school. Please take the trouble to arrange it for me.” Una Rhodes patted Lady Rhodes’s shoulder gently, acting coquettishly.
“You’re thirteen years old this year. Children your age have all passed the examinations to become ‘child scholars’. Yet you can barely read a few words. Have you thought about what to do?”
Enjoying Una Rhodes’ attentiveness, Lady Rhodes was very pleased. She patted Una Rhodes’ back of the hand, signaling that Una Rhodes could take a rest.
“Please, sir, come to our home to teach Una how to read. Once Una is able to keep up with her studies, she can go to Shangshu Yuan to continue her education. Would that be possible?”
Una Rhodes had already thought of a plan last night. Today, she answered all questions effortlessly, much to Mrs. Rhodes’s satisfaction. She immediately decided to hire the lady in question.
Una Rhodes waited in the study, with ink, paper, and a brush ready, for her husband to arrive. Suddenly, someone pushed the door open. Una Rhodes looked up and saw a woman, her hair tied back with a wooden pin. She was dressed simply, and her serious expression suggested that she wasn’t easy to get along with.
“Good day, sir.” Una Rhodes stood up and bowed respectfully.
“You needn’t be so formal. My name is Mike Wells. Starting today, I’ll be in charge of your studies. Miss Rhodes, I have high standards. If you fail to meet them, the consequences will be severe. Please think carefully before deciding.”
Sure enough, she’s not easy to get along with. Una Rhodes nodded in agreement, though inwardly she was pleased. Right now, she needed exactly this kind of demanding teacher to keep her on track.
The man first asked Una Rhodes to write a few words, then asked about the books she had read. After listening, he shook his head repeatedly.
“The characters are delicate and graceful, but lack a sense of elegance and grandeur. Moreover, not much is read from these writings.”
The lady picked up her pen and wrote several bold characters on the paper: “People Among Dragons and Phoenixes”. The characters truly resembled flying dragons and soaring phoenixes, exuding a grand and imposing aura, along with a sense of solemnity.
Full of admiration, Una Rhodes kept praising him non-stop, but to no avail. Holding the writing paper given by the gentleman, she wore a sad expression.
Mr. Wells had classes only in the morning. Afternoons were reserved for Una Rhodes to do as she pleased.
That being said, Mr. Wells still assigned plenty of homework. Not to mention the memorization tasks, there were also twenty pages of writing to complete.
Una Rhodes knew full well that she wasn’t particularly intelligent. All she could do was work harder. Yet, even with non-stop writing, she still wouldn’t finish by dinner time.
Mrs. Rhodes waited for Una Rhodes to have her meal. Seeing that Una was rubbing her arms, she smiled and said, “Don’t think that studying is easy. With your delicate physique, you need to exercise more.”
“What the mother said is, why not bring Master Wu here tomorrow, so that the daughter’s muscles and bones can become stronger?”
Stumped by Una Rhodes, Lady Rhodes shook her head helplessly and agreed to Una Rhodes’ request. She would regret it only when Una Rhodes returned from her martial arts practice tomorrow, with a sore back and tired limbs.
Mr. Wells arrived as scheduled the next day to assess Una Rhodes’ progress in her studies.
“Heaven and earth are mysterious and vast; the universe is boundless and ancient. The sun and moon rise and set in cycles. The stars are arranged in their patterns. Winter gives way to summer, autumn to winter. Leap years ensure the proper passage of time. The rhythms of nature regulate the flow of energy…”
Una Rhodes stumbled through half of it, then couldn’t remember the rest. She blushed with embarrassment, lowered her head to the table, and bit her lower lip.
“Snap!” The ruler struck the table hard. Mr. Wells said, exasperated: “Clouds give rise to rain; dew turns into frost!”
“Sorry, sir.” Una Rhodes frowned, then remembered the rest. “I wrote in large characters yesterday and went to bed too late. I completely forgot about it this morning when I woke up.”
After reading Una Rhodes’ handwriting, Mr. Wells was still dissatisfied. With a cold expression, he said, “Hold out your hand.”
Stretching out her small, fair hands like scallions, Una Rhodes stared at the ruler, unable to resist the urge to pull her hands back.
“The other hand.” Mr. Wells picked the hand that wasn’t writing and gave it a hard slap.
“Ah!”
Una Rhodes quickly pulled her hand back, protecting it with her right hand. Her once fair palm was now red and swollen. In both of her lives, Una Rhodes had never suffered such punishment before.
“This one point is for not memorizing your lesson.”
Under Mr. Wells’s threatening gaze, Una Rhodes still reached out her hand again, keeping her eyes tightly closed and her head tilted away, too afraid to look directly at him.
“This one inch is a punishment for writing the characters poorly.”
“This one inch is a punishment for making excuses.”
“This one inch is a punishment for you withdrawing your hand.”
After being scolded like that, Una Rhodes was in tears. Her left hand was also badly swollen. But Mr. Wells paid no attention to this and went on to teach the day’s lessons as usual.
“Tomorrow, I’ll still check your homework. If you still can’t do it properly, you’ll have to kneel in the yard as punishment!”
“Madam, General Rhodes is returning!”
The servant at the door entered the main hall with a cheerful expression and reported to Lady Rhodes.
Una Rhodes, who was patiently preparing the ink, was overjoyed. She quickly grabbed the servant and asked in detail, “Is my father coming back?”
The steed came to a slow stop at the entrance to Rhodes Castle. Una Rhodes went forward to greet it.
“Dad, you’re back!”
The man in armor dismounted, removed the fierce mask from his face, and stepped forward with heavy strides.
“Una, you’ve grown so big now.” General Rhodes gently touched Una Rhodes’s face with affectionate care. But then, he awkwardly stopped himself. “My hands are rough. I don’t want to ruin your face.”
Seeing her father’s much younger-looking face, Una Rhodes couldn’t help but shed tears.
Contrary to the Rhodes family’s reputation on the battlefield, Glen Rhodes had the appearance of a delicate scholar. He more resembled a refined and learned man than a general who slaughtered countless enemies.
Una Rhodes inherited her parents’ good looks. While she lacked masculinity, she had great charm. Her stunningly beautiful face made her unpopular among the ministers in her past life, who felt she wasn’t fit to be queen.
“Mr. Rhodes, who is this?” A delicate voice came from behind Glen Rhodes. Lais Jody, dressed in coarse linen clothes, spoke up.
Seeing her shy and fearful demeanor, Una Rhodes’s gaze darkened. Since some things couldn’t be stopped, she would let Eileen Rhodes see what other tricks she could pull out.
No, this woman doesn’t deserve to bear the Rhodes surname anymore.
“This is my daughter, Una Rhodes,” Glen Rhodes didn’t notice the spark between the two girls at all. He carefully instructed, “Take her and get her settled in for now. I need to go into the palace.”
Accepting this task, Una Rhodes brought Les Jody into the mansion.
Looking at the grandeur of Rhodes Castle, Les Jodi was completely dazzled. She was just an ordinary farm girl. If it weren’t for accidentally saving General Rhodes, Les Jodi probably would never have had the chance to set foot in the town, let alone enter the capital now.
“I still don’t know how this young lady should be addressed?” Her voice was soft and gentle. Though it was merely a simple greeting, her presence alone overshadowed Les Jody. Les Jody, who already had little experience in such matters, instinctively felt fear toward Una Rhodes.
“Just call me Les Jody.”
Tsk, even the name was chosen so that the family could have a male heir: Les Jody.
He’s just a pitiful wretch.
Looking at Una Rhodes’s luxurious silk garments and the gold hairpins in her black hair, Lais Jodi hid the jealousy in her eyes, maintaining her seemingly harmless demeanor. “I’ll follow Miss Rhodes’s instructions.”
When they arrived in the hall, Una Rhodes introduced Les Jody to Mrs. Rhodes. Upon hearing that Les was a girl brought back by Glen Rhodes, Mrs. Rhodes paid more attention to her.
“Please, take care of yourself, madam.” Bowing respectfully, Les Jody appeared to be a simple-minded man from the countryside.
The person was arranged to stay in the guest room in the west wing. Una Rhodes bowed slightly and said calmly, “This is Monroe, my personal maid. She’ll show you around the place. I have matters to attend to, so I can’t stay longer.”
After leaving the guest room, Una Rhodes returned to her study to practice calligraphy. But no matter how many times she wrote the characters, her mind couldn’t settle down.
Eileen Rhodes from her past life—with her fair, delicate appearance and kind-hearted nature, who won Robert Johnson’s heart—seems nothing like the malnourished, blond-haired girl we see today.
Glenn Rhodes returned quickly. After entering the palace, the emperor merely asked a few questions before releasing him. This was out of consideration for the eldest princess’s longing for her husband.
“Madam, I’m back!”
Accustomed to being ignored, Una Rhodes cleared her throat twice before the two lovers, lost in each other, came back to their senses.
“Father, the young lady Les Jody that you brought back has been settled in for now. I wonder how long she’ll be staying here?” Una Rhodes pretended to be unaware of anything.
“Yes, madam,” Glen Rhodes said, holding Lady Rhodes’s hand. “It was she who saved me at the border. Her family is poor, and her parents are very strict. So, I took her to the capital to give her some protection.”
“Since that’s the case, bring her here and ask the girl what she thinks.”
Mrs. Rhodes had no objections. After all, she was willing to return the favor to the man who had saved her husband’s life.
Les Jody sat in her chair, feeling uneasy. She had no idea why Una Rhodes had sent someone to bring her here.
“Miss Les Jodie, I’ve heard that you saved the general’s life. Such an act of kindness surely deserves to be repaid. I wonder what your thoughts are regarding becoming a foster daughter of the Rhodes family?”
When Les Jodie shamelessly followed Glen Rhodes to the capital this time, she never expected such good fortune to happen. After all, being a concubine to a local landowner was no different from being a concubine to a general.
Glenn Rhodes, with his gentle and refined demeanor, had also slain thousands of enemies on the battlefield, possessing a true heroic spirit.
He was also extremely handsome, far more so than any of the landowners in town who could have been her grandfather.
These days, the Rhodes family actually proposed that she become the adopted daughter of General Guidé. This was a gift from heaven. How could she possibly refuse? She immediately agreed.
Kneeling on both knees, Les Jody said excitedly, “Thank you, Lady General, for your kindness. Les Jody is deeply grateful.”
Una Rhodes sipped her tea in her armchair, unconcerned by the matter. Not to mention that her parents were deeply in love, but considering their ages, her father was twenty years older than Eileen Rhodes. That was simply too much—like an old bull trying to mate with a young cow.
