Chapter 528
A tall figure appeared at the door.
Xander was wearing a black outfit, with a black casual suit over it. His hem was still stained with dust and grass clippings, but he didn’t look disheveled at all. His broad shoulders and narrow waist were accentuated by the close-fitting clothes, making him look even more upright. It made his aura even more fierce. His long hair was tied up with a hairpin, and his jawline was stern. Only when his eyes fell on Athena did they soften.
Xander’s eyes swept over Athena before he coldly looked at Princess Diana. His eyes held no anger, but were like ice-tempered blades, carrying the oppressive aura of someone who had been in a high position for many years. Just one glance at Diana made her shrink back subconsciously.
“Prince Xander,” Diana said as she stood up and curtsied to him.
Xander glanced at her casually, making Diana tremble violently, but she still stood firm, not showing any fear.
Seeing how scared Princess Diana was, Kally couldn’t help but sweat for her. After all, she was the King’s sister; how could she be so afraid of a Prince Xander? She sighed inwardly at Princess Diana’s lack of ambition.
“Prince Xander, if you want to punish someone, then punish this old servant. It’s all my fault, please don’t blame the princess.” Kally knelt on the ground, looking as if she was ready to be beaten and punished. She was certain that Xander wouldn’t dare to punish her. If word got out, Xander Manor’s reputation would be tarnished.
Xander glanced coldly and said in a cold voice, “Someone, take this ignorant thing out and give her thirty strokes.”
As soon as he finished speaking, both Princess Diana and Kally were stunned. Kally was so scared that her soul almost left her body, and she rushed towards Diana, screaming, “Your Highness, save me! This old servant is doing this for you!”
Diana also panicked and quickly stood up to stop him, “Your Royal Highness, you can’t! Kally is my nanny, and even if she’s wrong, I should take her back to the Princess Manor to deal with it. How can you privately use torture in the manor?”
“In my manor, I will deal with it.” Xander’s eyes turned cold, and he had no intention of backing down. With a wave of his hand, the guards came in and dragged Kally out. She was pressed on the execution bench, and the plank was raised and started to hit her.
Ansel had long disliked this old woman and gave the people under him a wink. Those people understood, and the board hit very hard. With one hit, Kally screamed like a pig being slaughtered. “Ah…”
“Prince Xander,” Princess Diana became anxious. “Kally is old, thirty strokes will kill her.”
Xander glanced at her casually. “Who gave a mere nanny the audacity to come into my residence and show off before my Princess Consort?”
“I think she’s strong enough. Thirty strikes won’t kill her.” Then he looked at Ansel and said, “Give her a Life-Sustaining Pill to keep her alive.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Ansel nodded, stepped forward, pinched Kally’s chin, and stuffed the pill into her mouth.
Athena clicked her tongue secretly. Xander was clearly furious. The Life-Sustaining Pill was a life-saving pill she had refined. One pill could keep a seriously ill patient alive for a month. It was a pity to give such a precious thing to that old thing.
Diana’s face turned pale. ‘What’s the reasoning behind this?’ ‘Is he afraid of beating someone to death, so he fed her pills to keep her alive?’
The sound of the plank continued, and Kally’s wails were sharp and piercing. After only a dozen strikes, Kally’s clothes were soaked in blood. Her back was torn and bloody, a scene that sent shivers down the spine. But precisely because the Life-Sustaining Pill kept her alive, her mind remained fully conscious—she couldn’t even faint if she wanted to. She could only clearly feel the excruciating pain of each blow landing on her body. The pain felt like fire, burrowing into her bone marrow along with her flesh. It then spread through her blood vessels to all parts of her body, making every breath feel like swallowing knives, driving her to wish for death.
‘Princess, just ki–kill, kill, this servant… ah…” Bloody foam spilled from Kally’s mouth as she looked at Diana in front of her with desperate pleas in her eyes.
Diana looked at the horrific scene in the courtyard, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. She didn’t dare to step forward and beg for mercy. If she provoked Xander again, she would probably embarrass herself.
“Kally…” Princess Diana sobbed and cried.
Xander listened to the wails outside with a blank expression. His eyes fell on Diana, and his tone was icy. “Princess, see clearly, this is the consequence of disrespecting the Princess Consort in Xander Manor.”
“In the future, whether it is the people around you or yourself, remember that the Princess Consort of this Prince can not be touched."
Diana looked up and met Xander’s cold eyes. She only felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She quickly lowered her head, her voice trembling. “I will remember.”
The thirty strokes of the staff finally ended, and Kally collapsed on the bench like a pile of mud. Her breath was weak, and there was no good flesh left on her back. But she was still hanging on by a thread, without the strength to even move a finger.
The guard stepped forward to report, and Xander said indifferently, “Send someone to take her back to the palace, and send an imperial physician to treat her injuries.”
Hearing Xander’s words, Diana felt as if her heart was tightly clutched by a large hand. He hit someone and still wanted to send an imperial physician to treat the injury. This was a favor granted to her.
“Thank you, Prince Xander.” Diana’s voice was full of grievance and forbearance.
‘What kind of logic is this?’ ‘Why should I be bullied like this?’ Tears welled up in her eyes, and finally, she couldn’t help but let them fall. She left the manor with Kally.
In the front hall, Athena looked at Xander’s tight jaw and whispered, “Actually… there’s no need to be so ruthless.” Even though Kally was hateful, Diana was still the eldest princess. She was the King’s sister, and such an uproar would inevitably cause discord between the monarch and his ministers.
Xander turned around and took her hand, his tone firm. “Being ruthless to her is the only way to make her remember the lesson, so she won’t dare to bully you again in the future. If I’m not ruthless this time, you will hardly have peace in the future. How can I allow my Princess Consort to be bullied by a nanny?”
Athena saw the intensity of his anger and kept her expression grave. She hurried to calm him down. “Okay, okay, don’t be angry. It’s already done, what else can we do?”
Athena poured Xander a cup of coffee, her brows still furrowed.
Xander knew what she was thinking, took the coffee, and said nonchalantly, “Don’t be afraid of implicating the reputation of the Xander Manor. All of that is nonsense. I have never cared about it.”
“Besides, no one dares to point fingers at me, unless they don’t want their heads.”
Athena felt a surge of comfort in her heart when she heard such domineering words. It seemed that ever since marrying him, she had never been wronged or humiliated again. Not to mention a mere nanny of a princess, Xander would likely dare to speak back, even to the King.
Athena was afraid that he would get too angry, so she had to follow his words and said, “I know, you love me the most. I am enjoying it.” After speaking, she gently hooked Xander’s finger.
Xander raised his eyes to look at her and saw her picturesque eyebrows and eyes, and the serene smile on her face. The fire in his heart was like encountering cold water, and it was instantly extinguished.
“In the future, you don’t have to worry about me. Hit if you should hit, kill if you should kill. I married you to let you enjoy happiness, not to be angry.”