Kissing The Wind

The copy of the video spread across the capital. The eldest miss of the Baronness who were active in spreading rumors about Sydnee paled when she checked the video that circulated overnight. It was her being tangled with the guard last year. Who recorded this video?

The eldest miss immediately summoned her maids and talked with her mother. She and Baroness Jenica went into the third prince’s manor to ask for help.

Meanwhile, in the fifth’s prince manor, the maid who picked up the memory card while buying something in the market yesterday was laughing with the other maids. They were maiden commoners who had not seen a naked man and they were fascinated with the ‘good’ body of the man in the video,

They of course, did not know who was the two people doing it in that video, but they enjoyed watching it. It spread in the whole manor and outside of the manor. The fifth prince who were stationed in the border did not know about this thing.

When the third prince’s lackeys investigated the incident, they found out that the video was from the fifth prince’s manor. The third prince then ordered his confidante to spread the rumors of Marquis Lehandro’s daughter having an affair with her half-brother.

It just so happened that the daughter of the Marquis was one of the misses who slandered Sydnee.

When the new rumor spread in the capital, Marquis Lehandro sent a message   to the fifth prince in the border. The letter contained the happenings in the capital lately. It did not take too long for the prince to reply.

He then ordered his confidante to investigate the maid who spread the video and who was targeting his mansion. But no matter how hard they tried to investigate, there was no good result. It seemed like all the incident in his mansion was just an accident. The prince brushed it off.

Amidst the bustling rumors spreading in the capital, Sydnee was enjoying her leisure time in the garden. She just received an interesting information that the fourth prince’s number one supporter, Ling Dun, was seen smuggling illegal logs from the neighboring kingdom.

It was good for her. Ling Dun’s second and third daughters were the ones who commented against her while she was confronted in the terrace.

Sydnee smiled. “Let’s erase Dun family in the capital. Blame it on the sixth prince,” she gestured to Katliya.

Katliya nodded and went out. When she walked through the doorway, she saw the Duke. She bowed in front of him. He looked down on Katliya and nodded. She immediately fleed. The Duke knew of the Young Lady’s moves, but he did not intend to stop nor encourage her. He would only stood up when a crisis arise.

Katliya sighed. The Young Lady was taking her revenge in every family who slandered her, but according to what she knew of her, the Young Lady was bullied in her elementary and highschool years, yet she did not take revenge on them. Why?All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Katliya could not understand why.

Sydnee, who was left in the garden, was silent. She knew that her actions were dangerous, because she was dancing with fire. But what else could she do?

No one would protect her reputation except her and no one would clear her name.

All the tutors were being bribed or being killed while travelling to the mansion. The higher officials were now suspicious of Duke Theodore. Sooner or later, those envious old men would take action.

Sydnee was just stalling for more time. She needed to clear her bad reputation first, while making sure that this household would maintain a neutral position in the court. Or else, they would also get drown in the power struggle in the capital. Stirring the power fractions in the capital would make those envious old men busy for awhile.

She sighed and took a sip on her tea. Katliya had informed her of the dark secrets behind every household who slandered her. Those households were supporting at least one prince, but there are some white-faced who were serving two masters behind the princes’ backs.

A smirk made its way to her lips. After a some time, Katliya returned with confirmation that the instructions were all delivered.

She nodded and then played with her fan. “Do you remember the names of those who were not loyal to one master?” she asked Katliya.

Katliya nodded. “I do remember them all.”

“Alright.” Sydnee squinted her eyes on the small dots written in her fan. It was the special code that was exclusive to her and the Duke. The code was a knowledge passed down by the Mondragon’s ancestors and no one in the kingdom except the duke and she could decipher the code.

“Let some of them lose their supporters, specially the second prince. There were many white-faced nobles behind his back. Let’s gift him something he should be grateful for.” Sydnee smiled sweetly and gently fanned her face.

She could still remember that the second prince was giving her a warning. Tch. Now’s the payback time. After this move, the second prince would come knocking on this household. But she would never let anyone accept the prince’s offer.

“Understood, Young Lady.”

Katliya then ran an errand once again.

In the next morning, Ling Dun, a sixth rank official was sentenced to death for treason and bribery. The members of his household would be executed three days later and all the wealth of the official would be confiscated.

Not long after Ling Dun died, another unfortunate event happened. At least seven ministers and twelve nobles were jailed because of bribery and criminal charges. But Sydnee knew that it was those princes behind the movement.

Now, the power balance inside the court was disturbed. It was also the time to put her men inside the court. Three newly appointed officials were under Sydnee’s command and she was satisfied with the result. She did not need a lot of men inside the court or else it would be easy to find fault with her.

But it was not enough. The commotion barely touched the higher officials. Sydnee wanted to turn the court upside down so they could not find time to reach their claws inside this household.

Sydnee then ordered Catliya to spread rumors about an official who used his position to abuse a high school girl. The rumors came from the other neighboring teritory, where the crime happened.

After three days, the rumors spread across the kingdom’s teritories, and the commoners filed a petition to the king. In the capital, there’s a revolt. The commoners stood in front of the officials’ manor, yelling their protest to punish the official who committed the act.

The court was in chaos and the king was furious.

During this time, another rumor spread. It’s about the recently adopted daughter of Duke Theodore Mondragon, the duke of Obando, who protected a needy woman and son from the barbaric thiefs in the streets of Obando.

When the commoners heard of this heroic deed, they praised Sydnee and talked about the other ‘wonderful’ things that she did in Obando. They praised her wits and kindness to help the commoners. The people even called Sydnee as the only noble who truly understand the need of every commoners.

This good reputation spread across the teritories. After the bad picture painted by the bad official, hearing about a noble’s adopted daughter being kind to the commoner, it was like a sun shining in the darkness.

The commoners spread Sydnee’s good reputation and it did not escape the king’s ears. Because of the previous outburst of the people, the king immediately summoned Sydnee to the palace to elevate the ‘kindness’ of the noble. He wanted to reward this noble’s daughter so that he could make a good impression to the people. The king even helped spread Sydnee’s ‘kindness’ and making Sydnee as the standard of true virtue of a noble lady.

While everything in the kingdom was in chaos, the perpetrator was reading a book peacefully in the garden. Sydnee flipped on the next page and continued reading.

She knew that it was chaotic outside so she did not go out of the mansion these days, except when she would perform her ‘kindness’ to the people. Not that she was hypocrite, but Sydnee was not the kind of person with a big heart for the commoners. She was just using them to build her reputation, but of course, she would try to ask what things the commoners need so that she could provide it for them.

She was still the Young Lady after all, and she did not control the mansion, so it was impossible to help all of the commoners.

“Young Lady, there is an invitation from the palace. The king summoned you,” Katliya said while handling a letter.

She raised her head and took a glimpse on the letter before she nodded and gestured Katliya to put it away.

When she flipped on the next page, there was a smile playing on her lips.

What she did was just an experiment. She first let the people know of the bad things a noble did to the commoner. In this way, the people would go mad and would turn the palace upside down.

Then she would appear in the middle of the chaos like an angel to let the people believe that there is still kindness in the noble’s hearts.

Through this, she did not only soothe the anger of the people, the king would be grateful to her for soothing the people’s anger. Besides, these two variables would spread her good reputation and she would become a legendary figure in everyone’s eyes.

And seeing the invitation from the king, she knew that her plan had succeeded. She now had a good reputation, the duke’s prestige had increased, and there’s a favor of the king. These three things were enough for her to get an excellent tutor for her education.

Well, she had the chance to go back to the University, but she had no plans to go back anymore. During her stay in the mansion, she discovered that she could lessen her stress and she could have more time for herself. It was a nice.

When the duke arrived home, he beckoned Sydnee to dress up. He would take her to the palace. Catarina, who learned of Sydnee’s good reputation was in bad mood, and the was even more mad because the duke would not take her to the palace.

“Young Miss Catarina, the King only asked of Sydnee so the duke would only take the Young Lady.”

Catarina huffed in annoyance and glared at the butler. She rolled her eyes and marched out of the mansion. She wanted something to punch and the newly cut bonsai in the garden was good enough. She then destroyed it.

Duke Theodore and Sydnee arrived at the palace. There was already an eunuch waiting for them at the gate. He greeted them and led them towards the throne room where the king was currently sitting.

Sydnee could not help but to frown a little when she felt her palms sweating because of nervousness. She rolled her eyes inwardly and sighed secretly.

‘Come on, Sydnee. You were the one who planned it all, right? It has already went down to this point so what’s the fuss?’ she thought.

“The duke and Young Lady are here,” the eunuch said to the man beside the door.

The man looked at Duke Theodore and Sydnee. He greeted them and then shouted, “The Duke Theodore Mondragon of Obando and Young Lady Sydnee Mondragon have arrived!”

The two big doors opened. The first that caught her attention was the man sitting on the elevated throne with a golden crown upon his head. He was sitted like a laid back king in her imagination. Sydnee was surprised to know that what she imagined the king would be was quite… precise.

The Duke walked inside. Sydnee followed. She was walking beside yet behind a little to the duke. Since she was a girl, she was taught to walk behind a man. She did not mind it at all because she respected Duke Theodore in her heart.

“Greetings to His Majesty,” Duke Theodore bowed in front of the king.

Sydnee curtseyed to the man on the throne.

“My Duke,” the King greeted. He set his eyes on Sydnee. “This is the girl who is kind, compassionate, and gentle?”