The Royal Business Chair
Li Lianying understood that in her dream, she was meant to be a crown princess, and for some unknown reason, she did not possess any magical powers. She concluded that this dream was meant to be more on the realistic side rather than the fantastic one.
She suddenly heard a loud continuous noise, it sounded like a herd of ostriches rushing towards something. And that something was… her! The pompom ladies from earlier were rushing towards her! They all seemed quite panicked and out of breath. Li Lianying turned towards them and gave them an awkward smile. The ladies stared at her like she was some kind of alien.
At that moment, she heard another loud "diiing" and she saw several video game bars floating above the heads of the people surrounding her. Some other icons were also appearing and indicating all kinds of different information. Li Lianying narrowed her eyes and read some of the bars: they were "loyalty" scales that went from -10 to +10. Most of the bars were at -5 or -8 ...
Li Lianying grimaced. Obviously, the people around her were absolutely hostile towards her. Her little escapade from earlier only contributed to their hostility. Determined to find out what was going on around her, Li Lianying decided to stay as docile as she could in order to not lose any more loyalty points. She said : "Please excuse me for my hurry earlier. I felt sick and wanted to go out to get some fresh air. Although my demeanor was rude, I did this out of panic because I was feeling nauseous. "
The ladies stared at her for a moment, and one of them, who was obviously the leader of the group, replied : "It is understandable, Your Royal Highness. However, next time, be sure to warn us so as to let us know instead of giving us such a shock. You could have just asked us to open the window."
Li Lianying did not know what to respond. Taken aback, she nodded, "Yes, ma'am. I'll be careful about that next time." She saw the loyalty level of most of the women around her increase. The loyalty bar above the leader's head went from -8 to -7. Reassured, Li Lianying understood that there was still a chance for her to make herself less despised by those around her. All she had to do was to speak politely and modestly!
On the way back to her bedroom, Li Lianying inspected curiously her surroundings and the various loyalty bars. These bars reminded her of the affection bars in otome games. Strangely, her dream really did look like one of those games! The fact that she was a crown princess, that she lived in this beautiful palace, and even the European royalty theme… everything looked like the setting of an otome game! Since when had her dreams become so cliché? However… experiencing such an immersive otome game was pretty good, especially if she managed to ignore the stinky smell that was emanating from some of these mob characters! Her gaze lingered on the beautiful walls and ceilings of the gallery in front of her. Then, she wished wholeheartedly not to wake up right away. After all, this dream was so visually stunning! She didn't know when she could have such an immersive and detailed dream again.
Back to her bedroom, Li Lianying was guided towards her bed. There, someone brought a pierced chair and asked her to sit on it. Shocked, Li Lianying looked at the twenty or so ladies, then at the chair. She stayed there, immobile, stunned and not comprehending what was happening. Wasn't that the equivalent of our modern toilet ?! How could she use a toilet in front of twenty people ??! What kind of debauchery was this! It was then that she remembered Louis 14's legendary royal pooping sessions. Li Lianying felt herself falter. Now, she understood everything. It all made sense! The fact that the people here spoke French, which, strangely, she spoke wonderfully well, the fact that the women's make-up looked like what clowns would like to wear, the constant stench around this group of women, and finally, the pooping sessions in public !! She was dreaming about court life in France in the 17th century! Was she now going to dream of Louis 14th? Was she going to be able to meet Monsieur, the Duke of Orléans? She looked again at the women around her. No, they weren't part of Louis 14's court. Their clothes were way too cute. Women's clothing under Louis 14th was solemn and splendid. These, on the other hand, were pastel in color, adorned with flowers and ribbons, and looked like pink pompoms or clothes for children's dolls. It was like stepping out of a Disney movie or a Japanese lolita fashion show. Japanese Lolitas… Rococo! This was the Rococo period! The period of beautiful cute dresses and flowery architecture! The period of the Marchioness De Pompadour! Thus, they were under the reign of Louis 15th! Li Lianying smiled, delighted to finally understand what had inspired her dream.
But the women around her grew impatient. Li Lianying had been standing in the middle of the room, staring at random things and doing nothing. In the end, Li Lianying had to do what was expected of her : she awkwardly followed the French etiquette and sat on the toilet in front of some of the noblest women in the kingdom. Either way, it was just a dream, she thought! She could dream of the worst and most embarrassing things, but it would not affect her real life! At that moment, she remembered a very important detail: if she did her "business" in her dream, she might end up really doing it during her sleep! She didn't want to wake up in a messy hospital bed soaked in her bodily fluids and organic waste! Worried, Li Lianying decided to pretend to relieve herself so as not to make a "mess" for the next day.