The monk said, “Willow branches drive away evil. Use this willow branch to whip the body, and it will expel evil spirits.”

After speaking, he snapped off a willow branch. Grace Baker was held down by two palace maids, unable to move. The willow branch was long and thin; when it struck the back of her hand, it immediately left a red mark, making her shudder from the pain.

From childhood until now, no one had ever dared to hit her like this.

Grace Baker gritted her teeth and took a deep breath.

I want to be a good person, a good... To hell with that, whoever wants to be one can be one, I can’t take it anymore.

Chapter 3 【03】

The most urgent thing now was to avoid this beating.

Never act rashly—Queen of Green Tea can bend and stretch, with self-preservation as the top priority. First, make a tactical retreat, then plan a counterattack!

Grace Baker immediately held her breath. Before the willow branch could fall a second time, those around saw the little princess break out in a cold sweat and faint.

Violet Morgan let out a scream, actually breaking free from the maids’ grip and rushing over. Edward Harris looked on in shock and suspicion, exchanging glances with the two monks. She was actually afraid of causing real harm, which was why she chose the willow branch—just to make Grace Baker suffer a little physically. How was it that before it even started, the child had fainted?

At first, she suspected the little girl was faking, but upon closer inspection, Grace Baker’s brows were tightly knit, her face pale, and her sweat was real—her heart skipped a beat.

The two monks were disciples of the eminent monk who had come to the palace with Lady Mildred to exorcise evil. They had only said what they did because Edward Harris had bribed them. Now, seeing the girl faint, they immediately panicked.

Edward Harris stiffly said, “It seems the evil has been expelled. Once the Fifth Princess wakes up, she should be fine.”

With that, she hurriedly left with her people.

Violet Morgan held Grace Baker, too busy to care about anything else, and together with Lillian Reed and Hazel, carried her inside. Grace Baker, not wanting to frighten them—after all, Violet Morgan’s frail body couldn’t take a shock—opened her eyes “weakly” as soon as they entered and called out, “Mother Consort.”

Violet Morgan was in tears, wiping her down with hot water while telling Lillian Reed to fetch the imperial physician.

It was actually good that this matter had blown up. For a concubine of the rank of “Cairen” to dare lay hands on a royal princess—though currying favor and kicking people when they’re down was common in the palace, this level of bullying was going too far.

Grace Baker didn’t stop them, lying on the bed with her eyes closed, thinking about what to do next.

She now understood—the harem was a place where trouble found you even if you didn’t seek it.

The fate of being a good person was to end up like Violet Morgan, stepped on by everyone.

Children in ancient times were prone to early death. She was only five years old now; even if she was strong inside, her body was still that of a little girl. If she really suffered a blow, it was hard to say if she could survive it.

If even growing up safely was a luxury, then her life would be wasted.

She had thought this was just a retirement side quest, but it turned out to be a battle quest.

A battle quest was good—otherwise, with her high DPS, it would be a waste not to fight monsters. She wanted to see how many rounds of violent output the bosses of this harem dungeon could withstand.

The imperial physician, upon hearing that the Fifth Princess had fainted, arrived quickly. On the way, Lillian Reed tearfully recounted what had happened, and he too thought Edward Harris’s actions were outrageous.

The original owner’s body was already weak, and she had recently fallen into water and not yet recovered. The physician took her pulse and concluded she was overly frightened and physically frail. He prescribed medicine and reminded Violet Morgan to pay attention to her diet and nutrition.

Violet Morgan wanted to supplement her diet, but thinking of the meager food stores, she burst into tears again.

When everyone had left, she sat by the bed, holding Grace Baker’s hand and choking with sobs: “It’s my fault, I didn’t protect you, Lu’er.”

Samuel Baker was crying too, saying between sobs, “Punish the bad people! Punish the bad people!”

Grace Baker felt a headache coming on.

Violet Morgan suddenly reminded her of a college roommate.

She was good-looking and had a nice temperament, but she was weak and insecure, always afraid when things happened, only knowing how to cry when bullied. Even when her boyfriend was stolen, she didn’t fight back, just hid in the dorm and cried for days, as if it was her own fault.

Grace Baker actually found people like that quite annoying.

Annoying as it was, she still helped her out, easily snatching her ex-boyfriend back from the other woman, then breaking up with him, letting the scumbag experience the pain of being dumped.

In truth, most people in this world were like Violet Morgan—always trying to minimize trouble, thinking that not fighting or competing would keep the peace. Always looking before they leap, afraid of causing trouble.

But that was normal. If everyone were like Grace Baker, the world would probably have been destroyed long ago.

Grace Baker calmly tried to get information from Violet Morgan: “Mother Consort, why doesn’t Father Emperor like us?”

Violet Morgan didn’t think much of it: “Because I am not favored, so His Majesty doesn’t like you either.”

Grace Baker asked again, “Mother Consort, you’re so beautiful, even more beautiful than Consort Lady Mildred. Why doesn’t Father Emperor like you?”

Violet Morgan was stunned for a moment, her expression a little lost in memory. She didn’t realize her daughter was probing for information, only thinking she was frightened and aggrieved tonight. After a while, she replied softly, “These things shouldn’t be told to you, but... given how things are, there’s nothing to hide. Before I entered the palace, my heart already belonged to someone else. After entering, I couldn’t pretend in front of your father, and I was always sick. His Majesty found me cold and dull, so he gradually stopped coming to Mingyue Palace. Later...”