Chapter 290: Elvira’s Bedtime Reading

Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Elvira’s Bedtime Reading

Deep within the Platinum Velvet Palace, in the Iris Flower Royal Capital.

Having just completed a high-intensity expedition in the Underground City, Elvira was now walking down the long corridor back to her chambers.

She had just finished bathing, and the faint scent of roses clung to her.

At this moment, she wore only a pure white silk nightgown.

The nightgown was of the finest quality, its collar and hem adorned with the Dark Gold iris flower embroidery that symbolized the Royal Family.

But what was most eye-catching was that the nightgown barely reached mid-thigh.

It left her long, toned legs completely exposed to the air.

This was a world away from the skirted armor or extravagant formal gowns she usually wore.

A single, glistening droplet of water, not yet wiped away, trickled slowly down her smooth inner thigh, tracing a graceful curve past her calf before finally landing on the floor and splashing apart.

’Still no news...’

Elvira sighed softly to herself, padding along on her bare feet.

For the past few days, she had been using her authority as a Princess to have her handmaidens inquire about the "Summer Crown" event across the various Underground Cities.

She had scoured the Adventurer registries and ranking reports from several of the major surrounding Provinces.

But that man’s name was like a stone tossed into the ocean, vanishing without a single ripple.

This added a thread of irritation to her Spirit, which was already weary from the high-pressure battles in the Underground City.

’Did he not participate in the Summer Crown this time?’

’Or did he go somewhere more remote?’

’Or...’

’Is his name not Lance?’

The thought was too terrible to dwell on. It felt as if accepting that possibility would render everything that had happened between them a lie.

Just as Elvira was lost in thought, her head bowed, a stern scolding cut through her reverie.

"Do you have any idea where you are? This is the crown prince’s bedchamber!"

"How dare you bring such a publication into the palace, let alone secretly pass it around to the other maids?!"

Elvira quickened her pace.

Outside the ornate, partially open doors to her chambers ahead, stood her head maid, a woman renowned for her strictness.

Lady Eleanor, her face a stern mask, was loudly reprimanding a young maid kneeling on the floor.

The young, trembling maid was one of the very ones Elvira had specifically assigned to run her errands and gather intelligence on the Summer Crown.

A pile of paper documents lay scattered on the corridor floor.

Amidst the intelligence reports detailing activities in various Underground Cities was a magazine with a strikingly garish cover: *Midnight Rose*.

It seemed Lady Eleanor had found it while searching the maid’s room during a routine inspection.

To the traditional Lady Eleanor, such reading material, filled with romantic fluff and high-society gossip, was a corrupting influence on the palace’s morale.

This maid was usually out running errands for Elvira and was rarely in the bedchambers, which was why Lady Eleanor had waited until evening to corner her here.

"What’s happened, my lady?"

Elvira walked forward, her clear voice echoing in the hallway.

Lady Eleanor turned. Seeing the Princess in nothing but a thin nightgown, her brow furrowed instantly, but she still performed a respectful curtsy.

"Your Highness, why are you not wearing a robe after your bath? You’ll catch a chill."

Straightening up, Lady Eleanor pointed at the magazine on the floor, her voice laced with anger. "She dared to bring a vulgar publication like *Midnight Rose* into your chambers! This is a desecration of the Royal Family’s dignity! I was just about to have her dismissed and expelled, in accordance with palace rules."

Hearing the word "dismissed," the kneeling maid’s eyes instantly filled with tears. She looked pleadingly at Elvira.

Elvira’s gaze swept over the intelligence documents on the floor, then flickered to the copy of *Midnight Rose*.

She couldn’t, of course, let a maid who was helping her get expelled over such a trivial matter.

"My lady, you’ve misunderstood."

Elvira’s expression was calm.

"I was the one who had her buy it."

"You?" Lady Eleanor was stunned.

Without batting an eye, Elvira offered an excuse.

"As the crown prince, I need to understand the cultural zeitgeist of all social strata in the Royal Capital. If this publication is so popular among noblewomen, it must have its unique merits. I had her procure it to study the current conversational trends within high-society circles."

With that, Elvira bent down and personally picked up the intelligence reports and the copy of *Midnight Rose*.

"She was only acting on my orders. Let’s let the matter drop, my lady."

Lady Eleanor looked into Elvira’s eyes, her lips parting slightly.

’How could she not see that Her Highness was protecting her own?’

But seeing the unconcealable exhaustion at the corners of the Princess’s eyes, Lady Eleanor’s heart softened.

She knew how desperately Her Highness had been fighting in the Underground City every day for the sake of the Summer Crown title.

"If it was Your Highness’s command, then I have overstepped my authority."

Lady Eleanor sighed and shot the maid a glare. "Go inside and attend to Her Highness."

"Thank you, my lady! Thank you, Your Highness!"

As if granted a royal pardon, the maid scrambled up from the floor, gathered the remaining documents, and followed Elvira into the bedchamber.

Inside the chamber, the door was gently closed.

Clutching the documents, the maid’s eyes were red-rimmed. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. "Your Highness... thank you for speaking up for me just now. I’ll never dare bring anything unauthorized in again."

Elvira turned and looked at the terrified young woman.

As the heir to the Red Dragon Bloodline, she possessed a natural charm that was both commanding and intensely captivating.

She took the documents from the maid’s hands and gave her a smile.

Then she leaned in a little closer and made a joke.

"If you really want to thank me, you should share it with me next time you bring one in."

Seeing the Princess’s smiling face so close, combined with her teasing tone...

The young maid’s face flushed crimson in an instant, her ears turning so red it looked as if they might bleed. She stammered a series of nods before fleeing the room as if escaping.

With the closing of the door, the bedchamber fell completely silent.

The smile on Elvira’s face slowly faded. She walked over to the large velvet sofa and sat down.

She casually smoothed the hem of her nightgown to one side to prevent it from wrinkling.

The posture fully revealed one of her legs, which gleamed under the light. She casually crossed her right leg over her left, her toes pointed slightly, creating a graceful arc.

She patiently began to look through the intelligence reports the maid had gathered that day.

「Ten minutes later.」

Elvira tossed the last piece of paper onto the table in frustration.

"Still nothing."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

’That guy... where on earth did he go? Doesn’t he know how much I...’

Her gaze drifted, landing on the copy of *Midnight Rose* she had brought in with her.

She was not entirely unfamiliar with the publication—though only by reputation, of course.

In the female social circles of the Royal Capital, from debutante balls to the afternoon teas of noble ladies, the magazine’s name came up with remarkable frequency.

However, Elvira’s upbringing had been exceptionally strict, and her reading list had consisted entirely of dry academic works like *Continent War History*, *Ethereal Energy Science*, and *Evolution of Monarchy*.

Under Lady Eleanor’s watchful guard, she had never actually read this kind of popular gossip magazine.

’In any case, I’m too annoyed to sleep tonight after failing to find any information on him.’ Elvira told herself.

Elvira picked up the thick magazine, rose from the sofa, and walked straight to her soft bed.

In truth, deep down, she loved stories, especially the Legends of various powerful figures.

She pulled back the thin silk blanket and leaned against the soft headboard, her two long, straight legs faintly visible beneath the covers.

’I’ll just think of it as a way to relax my mind before bed,’ Elvira thought.

Then, the young woman destined to one day be crowned king extended a finger and opened the magazine to the first page.

The first article to greet her eyes had a title printed in large, ornate script.

*Night of Melting Snow: The Fall of the Snow Woman*.