“How about a cup of tea before we get to know each other better?”
After dinner, the two of them went to the room in this residence that belonged to Hilvi.
Once dusty and forgotten, the room was now completely renewed, and the thoughtful servants had even prepared a pot of hot tea for them.
Prince Valenrian picked up his cup, and Hilvi took a delicate sip as well. This tea was provided by Su Yao.
True to its name, “Jasmine Tea” had a fragrance as though a sea of flowers bloomed at one’s nose, its mellow and gentle taste beloved by noble ladies.
But for some reason, perhaps due to the brewing technique, this particular pot of tea tasted a bit sour.
“Let’s not beat around the bush, Your Highness. What exactly are your intentions? Are the Chamber of Commerce’s promised donations not enough? Fifteen thousand gold coins per quarter—the royal tax revenue can’t be much higher than that, can it?”
“That really breaks my heart. Could it be that my burning love for you simply cannot reach your heart?”
He pressed his hand flamboyantly to his chest, his expression a blend of sadness and intoxication.
What a waste of talent that this prince never starred in an opera.
“Prince Valenrian, could you stop your poor act? I’m not entirely ignorant of the rumors in the palace.”
“Tch.”
Exposed, the man muttered under his breath and put away his flamboyant gestures, though his face remained confident.
“Is there really something about me that you’re dissatisfied with? Even I would be hurt by being rejected again and again like this.”
Dissatisfied? What on earth is he talking about?
Shouldn’t he be asking, “Is there anything about me that satisfies you at all?”
“I dare not say. It’s just as I’ve said—I’m not suited to be your wife, nor do I hold any ‘love’ for you. Surely, you are not lacking in noble women who would make better matches. Please, choose one of them.”
“It’s true. If I made you Crown Prince Consort, the criticisms from the nobility would never cease, so I never intended to do that.”
“In that case!……”
Hilvi’s questioning was interrupted by Valenrian. “In that case, I also won’t break off this engagement. You should know the reason better than I do.”
“It’s all for gold coins, isn’t it? Fine, I’ll raise the ‘donation’ to twenty thousand gold coins per quarter, will that do?”
Even if a robber dons fine clothes and a noble title, he’s still a robber at heart.
Unfortunately, Hilvi had focused so much on how to reject this marriage that she forgot the best way to deal with a “robber” was never to yield.
Meeting the demands of the Vichy Royal Family with money was like throwing chunks of meat to a pack of wolves—once the meat is gone, the wolves will never simply disperse.
“No, no, Miss Hilvi, do you still not understand? It seems you’re far less clever in dealing with people than you are at business.”
Indeed, now she understood what it meant to attract trouble by standing out. In order to become the heir to this land, she had achieved “merits” she never should have.
The funny thing was, Willey still never saw her as his daughter. In the past, she had nearly been sold to an impoverished old noble; now, she was to be sold to the prince of an enemy nation.
It seemed that everyone in this world saw her as nothing but a hen that lays golden eggs. No one really cared about her as a person…
Was it really just like that?
“Hilvi, don’t just bury yourself in work. Take a break and spend a little time with me, won’t you?”
Moments she’d shared with Eveleel surfaced in her mind.
How foolish she had been—in those small, overlooked moments, the treasures money could never buy might have already come to her side.
At first, Hilvi had thought Eveleel clung to her only for her “Money Tree.” But after spending so long together, she understood—Eveleel was not like the others.
She admitted she was gambling, but it was only a Chamber of Commerce. She could afford to lose.
“I understand. I’ll replace the Chamber of Commerce’s entire management with your people. I can even step down as president—will that satisfy you?”
Business, the Chamber of Commerce—once she made up her mind, none of it mattered.
Money could always be made again. If she could use a Chamber of Commerce to find out whether Eveleel would return her feelings, it was a bargain well worth making.
Now that “making money” could no longer earn Willey’s approval, she was willing to entrust everything to this new person in her life, someone she could finally call a “lover.”
Hearing these words, Valenrian was momentarily stunned. What he’d always wanted was being handed to him, yet he felt no sense of “victory.”
Perhaps it was this woman’s desperation to escape from him that irked him. The proud prince had his own dignity—how could he let a country noble’s illegitimate daughter look down on him so?
At that thought, his smile returned, this time more like that of a devil.
“Hilvi, you still don’t understand. As long as I have you, everything you possess is already mine. Do I really need to say it so plainly?”
“You… don’t you dare!”
She’d yielded this much, and this man still wanted to force her.
There was nothing more to discuss. With her own ability, she would escape and find another chance to see Eveleel.
With that thought, she tried to stand up—but to her surprise, she found her legs wouldn’t obey her.
Not just her legs—her entire body was limp and powerless, as though struck by “Magic Disorder.” Her body, her magic, nothing would respond.
The “Jasmine Tea” she’d drunk at the start! The sour note masked beneath that strong fragrance was definitely suspicious!
Her eyelids met, and though she forced them open, before long she couldn’t even muster the strength for that.
The last thing she saw before her vision faded was that despicable man walking toward her.
……
“Your Highness.”
A maid entered from outside. Willey, engrossed in playing with his engagement “gift,” did not notice that a few unfamiliar faces had mixed in with his servants.
“Well done, though this potion did take a bit long to work.”
“My apologies. If the dose was too large, your fiancée might have noticed.”
“No matter. Have your people tidy up. Hilvi is asleep. I’ll take her away and settle her in first. The rest of the plan can wait until she wakes.”
“As you command.”
Prince Valenrian carried his fiancée out of Willey’s residence, while the muddle-headed Marquess cheerfully saw them both to the gates of the estate.
He was probably fantasizing about riding to the top through a royal marriage. What a shallow fool.
Valenrian courteously bid farewell to his new “father-in-law.” Before leaving, the latter handed him an Invitation to an Auction.
“If Your Highness is bored, you might want to have a look. My daughter seems to have gotten her hands on quite a few novel things this time.”
“Is that so? I thank you very much. By the way, here’s the ‘Engagement Banquet’ Invitation. Please be sure to attend—Hilvi will surely be happy to see her father.”
The portly noble accepted the invitation, waving as the “princess” and “prince” boarded their carriage.
Not far from the estate, in the branches of an old tree, a crow flew toward the inn where Hilvi was staying…