Chapter 22: Hidden Beauty, A Night of Passion!

Secrets remain secrets precisely because their value lies in being unknown to others.

If Willis’s threat came from a shameless person, they might have turned it around and used it to blackmail the world against her.

But obviously, Ofilia was not that kind of shameless person.

On the contrary, raised by nobility, she valued her reputation greatly.

Yet this world was exactly like that—the more you cherish something, the more others want to tear it apart.

Sitting inside Willis’s carriage, despite the extremely comfortable cushions and the assortment of snacks and incense filling the air with a pleasant fragrance…

And the faint, delicate scent emanating from Willis herself opposite her.

Still…

Ofilia felt as if needles pricked all over her body, as though she were trapped in hell.

“Have you said goodbye to the Matriarch of the Laiensi Family?”

Willis asked calmly.

The so-called Matriarch of the Laiensi Family was, of course, Ofilia’s mother.

Clenching her fists, the blonde girl was helpless, desperate, yet filled with a biting anger: “Yes, I said goodbye.”

“What did you say?”

Willis! You don’t get to push me around like this!

Ofilia trembled all over but finally managed to stammer, “I told my mother I wanted to visit the Third Princess.”

“That excuse will do. Don’t worry. With me, an Imperial Princess, here, no one will know you’re staying at my Caoque Imperial Palace tonight.”

Willis’s predatory gaze almost made Ofilia want to leap up and fight her, but she held back.

“By the way, why are you here? What is your mother doing there?”

Faced with Willis’s questioning, Ofilia had no desire to answer, but as Willis drew closer, she relented.

“Arranging a marriage… the Laiensi Family needs… needs to rely on my reputation and qualifications to secure a steadfast and powerful ally for the family…”

By the end, the girl’s pain was so deep she closed her eyes, but there was also a resigned acceptance.

Born into a great family, being treated as a tool for marriage alliances was normal.

Ofilia had been prepared.

But when the moment actually came, no one could stay calm. Most importantly…

“Oh? Marriage alliance? But if I remember correctly, that mansion belongs to General Taber, right? A lifetime of battles but no children, and he commands the army—but who do you think you’re marrying?”

Faced with Willis’s question, Ofilia lowered her head, biting her lip without answering, and Willis’s expression turned incredulous.

Then she smiled with amusement.

“That’s quite a heavy one. Is she really your mother?”

Willis clicked her tongue in appraisal.

Now, the girl before her, so shameful, helpless, desperate, and fragile, was a hundred times more captivating than the scenery outside the carriage.

“You don’t understand anything!”

Ofilia’s teeth clenched with a grinding sound.

“For the family, I’m willing to sacrifice myself!”

“Really?”

Willis showed nothing but disdain for the solemn righteousness the girl pretended to have.

At heart, she was still roaring and raging.

But Ofilia chose to endure.

That didn’t mean she was truly willing… Her leaving with Willis in such a beaten, resigned manner was proof enough.

It was hard to say there wasn’t a hint of self-destruction in her thoughts—perhaps thinking, “Compared to that old man, Willis might be better.”

“Since it’s a sacrifice anyway, you might as well give yourself to me.”

Willis’s tone turned serious.

“Ofilia Laiensi, listen carefully. You are my woman—yesterday, today, and forever!”

“If you dare let anyone else touch you, I will destroy the entire Laiensi Family. I always keep my word!”

As Willis finished speaking, Ofilia froze for a moment, a complicated expression flashing across her face.

Then she cursed and slapped her.

“Get lost! Even if I die, I will never be coerced by you!”

Smack!

Willis easily caught her small hand, sneering coldly: “You don’t get to decide that.”

“My mood has been terrible these past two days. I won’t let certain people have it easy. Do you want the Laiensi Family to suffer my revenge as well?”

“You!”

Ofilia’s chest heaved angrily, her face red with fury, her pale skin flushed.

Looking at the stunning, fair-skinned, golden-haired, blue-eyed girl in front of her, Willis couldn’t shake off a sense of frustration.

When the carriage entered the Caoque Imperial Palace, Willis ordered the guards—no one was allowed to leave, only enter.

She covered Ofilia’s face with a veil and forcefully dragged her inside.

***

The next day, well past mid-morning, Willis finally sat up from bed feeling completely relaxed.

Naked, she looked toward the dressing table in the room.

The morning sunlight sneaked in through the window, illuminating the girl’s golden hair, making it gleam brilliantly.

She seemed to have bathed; now she looked spirited, her complexion rosy and even more sweet and alluring than the previous night.

Only, when Ofilia noticed the movement and turned to look over, her eyes were filled with such hatred that if it weren’t for it, they might have been even more beautiful.

“Willis, I will kill you!”

Ofilia tied her hair tightly with a ribbon and whispered fiercely.

“Really?”

Willis said, sounding oddly familiar.

“Then why didn’t you kill me last night while I was asleep?”

Seeing Willis’s confident, playful smile, Ofilia angrily grabbed everything on the dressing table and threw it at her.

Of course, none of it caused Willis any real harm.

“I hate you! I’m going to kill you, definitely!”

Ofilia bit her teeth again, emphasizing her threat, though to Willis, it seemed there might be another target hidden within.

“If it weren’t for my family and my reputation, I would have chopped you to pieces and fed you to the dogs long ago!”

At those words, Willis couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You’re really bold. This is my territory, my room… and you still dare threaten me like this?”

Willis stood up, slowly closing in as Ofilia stepped back in fear.

“Looks like last night’s lesson wasn’t enough for you!”

***

Later that evening…

The maids had already boiled hot water seven times, yet not a single complaint escaped their lips.

When the First Princess Hill Yu entered through the main gate, Willis dressed properly and stopped her outside the room.

Inside the hall, Hill Yu gave Willis a cold, unfriendly look.

“Willis, tell me honestly—Is that Laiensi girl with you?”

Hill Yu liked to call herself “old lady” when angry, a boldness that was striking.

Of course, it had its own charm.

“Imperial Sister, why would you say such a thing?”

Willis replied, feeling clear-headed, her waist no longer aching, legs no longer sore, and her head free of pain.

Faced with Hill Yu’s pressure, she remained calm.

“What do you mean why? The matriarch even came to the door of Chris Eigbert’s palace, but Chris doesn’t have her daughter.”

“So you think I kidnapped her?”

Willis countered.

“Isn’t that so?”

Hill Yu pressed.

“That really breaks my heart,” Willis said lightly.

Then she led Hill Yu to her own room.

Clean, tidy, pristine white, fragrant, and clearly visible.

“Imperial Sister, look. There’s no one here.”

Willis looked confident. Hill Yu went straight to the open window and gazed into the distance…

Beneath the lush trees, a lone figure had already become a small dark dot disappearing into the distance.