Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 123 - 119: Melia’s Ambition

Chapter 123: Chapter 119: Melia’s Ambition

Luo’er ascended the creaky stairs to the second floor. The room before him had its door slightly ajar, soft candlelight seeping through from inside.

As Luo’er pushed the door open, his eyes met with another woman cloaked and hooded, but differing from the woman downstairs. This woman was young, the gentle candlelight casting an enchanting halo on her fair face. Her eyes were bright and captivating, their beauty touched with craftiness and cunning.

On seeing Luo’er, the woman reached up and lifted her hood, revealing a cascade of silky flaxen hair. Her head was not adorned with many decorations, only a delicate blue butterfly hair clip rested on her forehead, adding an alluring touch to her beauty.

However, Luo’er was not a man to be easily swayed by beauty. He smiled gently at the woman before him, and began, "I wonder why Princess Melia has invited me to this dilapidated inn."

"It seems you already suspect it’s me," Melia responded with a charming smile.

"I merely perceived it. I didn’t expect it to truly be Her Highness," Luo’er replied.

"Luo’er, we’re both intelligent people. Let’s not beat around the bush. We should speak our minds," Melia put away her smile and stared intently at Luo’er.

"I don’t really understand what you’re suggesting, Your Highness," Luo’er replied, matching her unwavering gaze.

"You aren’t adventurers, are you?" Melia scrutinized him.

"What do you mean by that, princess?" Her words startled Luo’er, but he feigned calm and responded.

"Do you need me to guess your true identities?" Melia continued to study him.

Luo’er clenched his teeth and fell silent for a while before finally acknowledging indirectly, "Since the princess already knows our identities, why have you not arrested us?"

"We aren’t enemies. I don’t have the time to bother with you all. Moreover, maybe we have the chance for cooperation. What do you think?" Melia suggested, her inscrutable eyes fixed on him.

"What does the princess mean by cooperation?" Luo’er asked cautiously.

"Since we’re to cooperate, we need to express our respective demands to each other, agreed?" Melia proposed, turning her back towards him and playing with her silky hair. "As for what I want, I believe you should already know."

"Your Highness wants the throne of Masya, am I correct?" Feeling that there was no need to keep secrets at this point, Luo’er spoke candidly.

"Precisely!" Melia turned to face Luo’er, nodding affirmatively.

"Then what does Your Highness mean by cooperation?" Luo’er asked.

"You’ve not yet stated the reason for your presence." Melia twirled her hair and continued to question Luo’er, "Exactly what are you trying to accomplish in Masya?"

"This..." Luo’er was taken aback by her query. He wasn’t sure whether he should reveal their true purpose for the journey.

"Sir Luo’er, do you know why I chose to meet you in such a place?" From her position opposite Luo’er, Melia asked quietly.

"Why?" responded Luo’er.

"This is not a palace. If something happens to me, there’s a chance for you to escape, " Melia added, a charming smile playing on her lips once again. "And also..."

"And also what?" asked Luo’er.

Melia didn’t answer further. Instead, she unbuttoned her cloak and spread it open. Luo’er was momentarily stunned before quickly turning his blushing face away.

Under her cloak, she wore only thin underwear. Her flawless, fair skin was instantly exposed. Luo’er, although already approaching thirty, had never witnessed such a sight. He reddened and turned away, unsure of how to react.

"Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?" Luo’er asked, his ears burning.

Melia, seeing Luo’er’s reaction, grinned self-satisfyingly. She then slowly fastened her cloak, and said seductively, "This is to show you that I am unarmed."

"That’s enough!" Only after ensuring that she had fastened her cloak, Luo’er turned back and looked at her composedly, "You go to such lengths to ingratiate yourself with me, what exactly are you trying to achieve?"

"This is to gain your trust, Sir Luo’er. Can we now discuss our cooperation?" Melia kept her face serious after withdrawing her smile.

"What is it that you want?" Luo’er asked.

"What exactly do you want?" Melia counterasked.

Despite his reservations, Luo’er decided to reveal their aim: "We want to know the precise movements of the Odelanqi troops and the Church Court’s mage battalion dispatched to Masya."

"You are indeed no simple affair!" Melia chuckled.

"Now your turn, what do you want?" Luo’er enquired.

"It seems our demands don’t conflict. That implies we could indeed cooperate." Melia remarked, unable to suppress her smile.

"What exactly do you want to achieve?" Luo’er inquired.

"I want you to jeopardise the relationships between Masya and Odelanqi!" After a lengthy conversation, Melia finally voiced her true intention.

"I don’t quite understand!" Luo’er said.

"The Odelanqi army and mage battalion have already entered Masya. I want you to devise a way to incite them into battle against Masya’s army, stirring up the relations between Masya and Odelanqi." Melia, with a serious face, articulated her wish clearly, "As recompense, you can obtain any information you desire from me."

Witnessing Melia’s expression, Luo’er couldn’t help but gasp. This lady was indeed no simple affair. She was aiming to destabilize Masya and Odelanqi relations, igniting turmoil between both armies. One must know, the Masya army was already retreating on all fronts, having no choice but to rely on Odelangi reinforcements. If, at this crucial point, both armies were to fight amongst themselves and the rebels seized the opportunity, the consequences were beyond imaginable.

"Can I ask why?" After pondering for while, Luo’er couldn’t help but question.

Melia glanced at him, turned away and faced the wall, staying silent for quite some time before she spoke, "I am sure you’ve already heard the argument between my father and me."

"Your highness, you mean the decision of your father to marry you off to Odelanqi?" Although he had his suspicions, Luo’er wanted confirmation.

"My father doesn’t want me to meddle with Masya’s politics, in order to ensure my brother Oliver’s smooth succession to the throne, he even doesn’t hesitate to marry me off to Odelanqi, far away from the political centre of Masya." Melia said, her teeth clenching with resentment, "Despite me being the most qualified to rule Masya, all just for his son with the queen, the mediocrity who is my brother Oliver."

Luo’er wisely remained silent, knowing that in Earth’s Eastern culture sphere, an illegitimate child had no advantages against the legitimate first-born, let alone any power struggles.

"They have already privately decided. After spring, I will be wed to Odelanqi." With Luo’er refraining from interrupting, Melia continued to indulge in her resentment, "I refuse to accept this lying down, giving them their desired win. I want to disrupt the relations between both countries, thoroughly cancelling this arranged marriage."

Seeing Melia gritting her teeth so fiercely, Luo’er couldn’t help but gasp. An angry woman can indeed be terrifying. Melia was even resorting to stirring up hostility between the two nations. Masya was currently in a state of decline, doesn’t she fear the rebellion exploiting this situation?

"So, your highness planned to have us instigate this discord between the two nations?" Luo’er asked.

"Exactly, as long as you do it cleanly and beautifully, they won’t suspect anything. They want me to leave Galan, but I won’t give up so easily!" As Melia pointed out, a cold smile formed on her face.

"So your highness stepping up to speak for us in front of the king was due to this, right?" Luo’er continued to probe.

"Of course," Melia nodded, then looked at him and said, "The moment you asked to join the Masya army, I knew you were not an ordinary bunch."

"Your highness has good discernment. Just..." Luo’er paused, deciding to raise his question, "Given the current weakness of the kingdom’s army, aren’t you afraid that the rebels will take advantage of the situation by instigating a rebellion?"

Melia scoffed, followed by a cold laugh, "No matter how fierce the rebellion, what can they do by occupying a city, ten cities? The southeast food production area is firmly under the control of the kingdom. Will they change anything by having a short-lived advantage?"

She turned her back to Luo’er and continued, "The civil strife in Masya originates from the decadence of the upper-levels. If you wish for change, it must start from the top. I want to change all of this, but first, I need to secure the throne of Masya."

"As for the rebels," Melia turned back to face Luo’er, "they are opportunists who have been emboldened by the involvement of foreign nations. If reforms are successful, it would be an easy task to handle them."

Luo’er looked at Melia, his face grown grave. Melia was indeed extraordinary. She possessed a political acumen far beyond her years, grasping the root cause of Masya’s civil strife at a glance. She knew her ultimate goal. There isn’t a doubt in his mind that if she becomes Masya’s monarch, she will grow to become the very Yekaterina II of this Otherworld.

However, her path is fraught with obstacles, not least of all that the king favoured his eldest son, Oliver. Even if Melia gained the power of Masya, she would still need the Pope’s coronation to be recognized, another hurdle she cannot circumvent easily.

Regardless, Melia had revealed her plan to him. Although a bit concerned, Luo’er saw this as an excellent opportunity to complete the mission.

Her candidness indicated that currently, she had no way or bargaining power to deal with this harrowing matrimonial arrangement. Thus, out of desperation, she was risking a partnership with Luo’er.

Melia was a competent politician, and Luo’er knew that without any conflicts of interest, she had no reason to deceive them. Currently, both parties shared common interests, which meant they could indeed establish some cooperation.

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