QT: Against My Will (Volume 2)

4.74 - Imperial Banquet - Dangerous Angels

It was challenging to differentiate Xuan Mu's personalities when they were with Bing Shi. But when outside, the provocative Xuan Mu was the most brazen and manipulative (the skill he honed up while knowing Bing Shi), the rude Ziek was the most selfish and rebellious, while the most experienced Ru Quan was authoritative and violent.

His concept of morals was scarily low; he had no problem burning the whole village if his contractor asked for it. There was something the public eye couldn't see, often comparing him to the prince of Rania.

The thin line that separated him from Zhao Rong was that Ru Quan didn't act on impulse. Having great self-control, he knew what he was doing. Add the way he treated his Bing Shi and one had a completely different man.

Ru Quan had seen so much; it was impossible to unsee. To build his credibility and net worth fast, the way to get respect was not to play nice but to be a cruel oppressor to his people and a threat to other nations. Playing nice would only win over the regular citizens, not an army of ferocious psychopaths and a corrupted government.

He broomed Edan to be a ruler, not a prince on a white horse. Trying to save and snatch a woman from someone way above her league? Prepare to be slaughtered.

Where did Edan come up with the idea that their boss-underling relationship changed into friendship? Probably thanks to Mao An's wrong assumptions.

Her saving grace was her quick learning skills, strength, and ability to kill anyone to reach a top position, which came with her dream of overthrowing him.

Well, some dreams should forever stay as dreams.

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"Who does he think he is? Hitting a princess in broad daylight?!" Mao An placed her medical bag aside after catering to Edan's injuries, stomping her foot on the ground, "I bet his little junior is as big as my pinkie!"

"Junior?" Edan asked confusedly; Sitting on the ground, she rested her body against a tree.

"Don't move! That's..." While Mao An tried to explain what she meant, Edan's mind wandered to Tian Shi.

Edan always wanted to follow her father's steps, to show that she could be as capable as her brothers, and to bring honor to the family. She always looked down at the sheltered young ladies who would scream at the sight of a spider. Weak and overdramatic, that was what they were. She wanted to prove that women could be strong too.

Only later did she realize something important. Edan was a rarity, different from most females. What was the point of acting like most men, when all it was proving was that only by acting like a man could women receive a well-deserved recognition?

Then, Tian Shi appeared, changing Edan's whole life. Spreading her wings far and wide, that angel turned the most unhonorable occupation into a terrifying force.

One female could hardly change the opinion of the population. The girls who always listened behind the hidden passage in Tian Shi's office were sent to manage one of the trading houses.

The all-hated slūts, dirty whōres, lowly farmers, and slaves got an opportunity to move the economics, even politics, not only of one kingdom.

Tianshies's purpose of preventing war and poverty wasn't any less honorable than the soldiers fighting at the fronts.

Taking a deep breath, Edan never felt prouder of a person before. She touched her beating heart. No matter what, she still preferred to act like a man, feeling more comfortable like this.

"Eehm..." Mao An coughed at Edan, whose gaze never moved from Tian Shi's carriage direction, "You really do love her, don't you?"

"What?" Edan turned towards Mao An, her heart rate accelerating in panic. She and Tian Shi? How was that possible? Both were females. She suddenly touched her bruised nose in realization. So the pain she felt whenever she saw them together, was... she... liking Tian Shi the whole time?! Then what about Ru Quan?