Gardenia of Blooming Desire - Chapter 233: A Heroine called Merry

“Aahh, this is boring!” Merry screamed out of her frustration. She had been holed up in this Sun Palace for almost a month. Although the treatment given by King Chandra was amazing, she still felt bored.

While waiting for Prince Rama to return after his trial, she was treated as a first class guest. She would be given the best food of the palace, probably the same food that His Highness Prince Rama ate daily, and she was given the biggest guest room. There were a dozen maids serving her, from her dress, her needs for jewelries and even her nail care.

She looked at three maids around her that were patiently polishing her toe nail, and messaging her shoulder and holding the fruit for her to eat. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, she kicked the maid who polished her nail on the jaw and the maid fell backward. She was holding the pain, she immediately prostrated in front of Merry and asked, “D—did this lowly maid make a mistake, Miss Aster? Begging for graceful Miss Aster to forgive this lowly maid.”

Merry was even more annoyed, she slapped the fruit tray from another maid’s hand and the tray fell to the ground, “Don’t call me Aster! Call me Miss Merry instead!”

The maids looked at each other and then replied, “But, Your Majesty King Chandra said that we should address you as Miss Aster no matter what, this is the sign that you are our Prince Rama’s future wife.”

“Urgh! Get out!” Merry kicked all of them. The maid hurried and left the room, leaving Merry alone with her muddle thought. She thought that pretending to be Aster, with Aster name would be easy.

‘What would Aster do anyway? He was born lucky, he was born wealthy, with a good family! I bet he is always laying around, doing nothing and sometimes fucked with Ramuja when he wants. I bet he doesn’t even need to work. Pfftt, what an easy life.’

Well, she was living like Aster, at least this is what she thought what Aster would do daily, just being an idle prince. But turned out, being too idle was not good either, she became bored fast.

‘Ah, I miss Ramuja. He must’ve been thinking about me while doing his trial. The servants said that his trial was really rough and time consuming, but once he finished it, he will be crowned as the next king.’

‘I can’t wait to be the next queen,’ Merry jumped around her bed, she was still happy that her first love turned out to be a jackpot, ‘At that time, I thought love didn’t need money at all. But, after I know about the truth, turns out money is everything! Ah, I’m so glad that Ramuja and I are in love!’

‘Wait until we got married, and he got a child in me. Then he will be completely in love with me and our children~’ Merry was imagining her life as a queen. Surrounded by many great servants, and with King Rama as her beloved one, it would be the perfect life that she had always dreamed off.

‘I must be a heroine in a novel!’ Merry giggled happily. Then, the door was knocked. Merry stopped jumping around, she sat gracefully on the seat and said, “Come in.”

Golden Camellia’s guard showed up and said, “Miss, Emperor Charles has replied to your letter, this is his letter.”

The guard handed a letter stamped with Golden Camellia’s royal wax. She smiled and raised her chin in front of the guard, “Even Emperor Charles has been admiring me, ah, who should I pick? Prince Rama or Emperor Charles?”

The guard was silent the whole time, and then lowered his head and excused himself. Merry laughed as she imagined about it, “Maybe Emperor Charles does have a feeling for me? Maybe he already moved on from bitch Aster! I mean, I am really beautiful, I have a great voice, and I helped him through his invasion.”

Merry started imagining the scenario where Ramuja, as King Rama fought against Emperor Charles, they would be fighting for her love. And she had to separate them, “Hmm… who should I pick? I mean, I like Ramuja-type more, he is vigorous, handsome, and still looks humble. Emperor Charles is indeed really handsome, he has that unmatched sculpted face, and he is really charming, but sometimes, he feels unreal, I don’t think I can match him,” Merry thought for a second and then recused herself, “But I am a noblewoman now! I should aim higher!”

“Alright, I will just marry both! Since they are in love with me so much, when both of them proposed to me, I will say that I can marry both of them!” Merry giggled happily, “Merry, you are a genius! You will be the queen of two powerful monarchies!”

Merry hurriedly opened the letter and read the content;

*By the time this letter arrives, you must have been living in Sun Kingdom for about a month. Ramuja might return soon, I advise you to leave the palace, return to Golden Camellia soon. Don’t worry, even if you return without Ramuja, he will chase you as long as you said this to his father and possibly all his family, ‘The real Aster is in Golden Camellia, he has been bedded by the Emperor and he is begging for his Ramuja.’ Merry, you need to return soon, I cannot wait to see you and your progress.*

Merry’s heart was beating loudly, she didn’t expect that her guess would be right. Emperor Charles must’ve been in love with her, at least he slowly developed that feeling for her, this was his way to separate her from Ramuja.

‘Hm… I should say that to King Chandra, well, I need to return home soon! This hot kingdom is blegh!’ Merry called all the maids and her Golden Camellia’s guards. She ordered them to pack her things because she wanted to return home as soon as possible.

As the maids and servants were busy with her stuff, she walked around the corridor and happened to meet an open door, she peeked and saw a woman that was in her late pregnancy. She was drinking an herbal tea, and when she saw Merry, she was instantly on guard, “Excuse me, but who are you? This is my private room,’ she asked.

Merry raised her chin up and replied, “Don’t you know me? I am Miss Aster, I am the future queen of Sun Kingdom!”

Anya who had been hearing about the rumor of this so-called ‘Miss Aster’ had finally met this girl. She was beautiful, with dark hair and a sweet face. Maybe it was her own intuition, but Anya could feel the ruthlessness of this girl.

Since Arjun had accompanied Ramuja to his trial and she was in her late stage of pregnancy, she couldn’t confront this con artist before. She chuckled, “Miss Aster? Are you really Aster?”

Merry’s expression turned sharp instantly, she gritted her teeth and stormed in, she pointed her fingers directly at Anya, “How dare you! I can call the guards and you will be executed for that! Don’t you know that Ramuja has a deep love for me?!”

Anya smiled faintly, “I know that Ramuja has a deep love for Aster. Aster is the sun in his heart, Aster’s place is irreplaceable even if there are countless men and women offering themselves in front of him. But you missed one point,” Anya grinned, and her grin turned into hostility in her expression, “Aster is a man. Ramuja said it himself, that he is in love with a man called Aster.”

Merry was shocked with this girl that suddenly knew about Aster’s real identity, “G—Guards!”

“Don’t you try, your position here is still a nobody. Since Ramuja hasn’t confirmed it himself, your place is still in jeopardy here,” Anya said, “How do I know about Aster? Well, because I am Ramuja’s older sister, so, if you are really my brother’s future wife, you ought to behave in front of me.”

Merry felt that her feet were shaking, “I—I don’t care! Hmph, yeah, I’m not that bitch Aster, I am Merry! But Ramuja loves me more, he just got brainwashed by Aster!”

“You can say all you want, you are just an imposter. I suggest you leave the kingdom now before King Chandra knows and you will be executed here,” Anya said calmly.

“I am going to leave! Just you see, when I become the queen of the Sun Kingdom, I will order an execution to you myself!” Merry threatened. She saw the pregnant belly of this woman and she raised her hand. She wanted to punch Anya’s belly, but Anya immediately caught her hand and twisted it.

“I will not let anyone touch my baby,” Anya said calmly, but her eyes revealed extreme hostility. Merry got scared with her stare and she ran away immediately, before she slammed the door, she said, “The real Aster is in Golden Camellia, he has been bedded by the Emperor and he is begging for his Ramuja!” Then Merry slammed the door.

She hurried back to her room and saw that everything had been unpacked, she immediately informed the palace head servant that she needed to leave right now, because something urgent had happened in Golden Camellia.

Thus, the chain of events led to King Chandra hurriedly accompanying Miss Aster back to her ship. In the harbor, Merry met King Chandra who had been standing near her ship and smiled faintly at her, “Miss Aster, why are you leaving so suddenly?”

“Ah… uhm… something bad is happening in Golden Camellia, I cannot leave my noble house, I’m sorry for leaving in a hurry like this. Also, thank you for your hospitality, Sun Kingdom is really a great place! I cannot wait to reunite with Ramuja again later!”

Merry fished something out of her pockets and handed it to King Chandra, “This is my note for Your Majesty, this is my gratitude. But please, open this once you’ve returned back to Sun Palace, I want to keep it a secret.”

King Chandra was slightly surprised, but he nodded, “Alright then, farewell, Miss Aster. I will inform Ramuja as soon as possible about your arrival here.”

Merry nodded and she boarded the ship immediately. The Golden Camellia ship left the harbor shortly after.

King Chandra watched the ship going further and further, he returned back to Sun Palace, and then sat in his office. There was some doubt in his heart about the identity of this girl called Aster, ‘She sings often in the corridor and balcony, but Ramuja once said that Aster is talented in everything other than art. He said that Aster is really bad with any kind of art.’

King Chandra opened the note that Miss Aster had left for him, and his hands trembled in great anger once he read the content, ‘The real Aster is in Golden Camellia, he is a man and he has been bedded by the Emperor and he is begging for his Ramuja.’

King Chandra glared at his guards and then roared, “GUARDS, FIND PRINCE RAMA, I WANT HIM TO RETURN NOW!”