Chapter 7: Chapter 7
"talking" (Mc to system) [System]
Perhaps it wasn't her time to go.
As Ifia was about to fall forward, ready to utter her last words, a stroke of luck within the misfortune occurred. Her neckline got caught by a partially untrimmed branch, halting her in place.
After her numb legs gradually regained sensation, a tingling pain, as if countless insects were biting, surged through.
Unfortunately, she couldn't move now!
The sound from the bushes was not loud, and, combined with the distance, it didn't catch Carloy's attention. He watched as Amelia approached, her eyebrows still tightly furrowed, clearly in a bad mood.
Despite having a ten-year friendship with Amelia aside from the engagement, it was evident that their relationship was ordinary, lacking the warmth and telepathy of childhood friends.
Instead, they appeared distant and indifferent, their gazes showing disdain.
"Amelia, I know you don't like me either. Why don't you propose to your father to annul the engagement!"
Carloy looked at Amelia's exquisitely beautiful face, resembling a flawless doll in a shop window. However, he felt no affection for her. In fact, he even disliked her. The smirk on his lips carried sarcasm, and his words, spoken with anger, completely disregarded the manners expected of a gentleman.
His bitter complaints were forceful, causing his originally handsome face to lose some of its luster.
However, Amelia did not panic in response to this questioning. She opened the folded fan in her hand with a 'swish,' and the delicate gold-thread embroidery on the fan surface sparkled in the sunlight. With a gentle wave, a rich and sweet fragrance wafted through the air.
With a polite smile on her captivating face, Amelia's violet eyes shimmered with a glint of mystery as she responded without losing ground, "Your Highness, why not approach King Majesty himself to annul the engagement?"
"You!"
Amelia knew how to target weak points.
As she observed Carloy's face reddened with anger, she couldn't help but chuckle lightly and continued, "The mysterious Eastern realm has a saying, 'Do not treat others in ways you would not wish to be treated!' Your Highness can seek to annul the engagement from King Majesty, Duke Barlen, or even the Archbishop, who can assist those who have lost their way. However, you cannot expect me to charge ahead… after all, I am just a fragile woman, unable to influence the decisions of our elders."
In an instant, it was as if she had stripped away all his clothes, standing here bare.
His thoughts and schemes were laid out in the open.
Carloy's face turned red. Suppressing the urge to turn and leave, he took a deep breath, feeling that he couldn't waste this chance encounter.
He didn't want to spend the rest of his life as Amelia's husband!
"Amelia, I think we both share the same mindset! We don't want to be pawns in others' hands, used at will. Instead, we want to control our own lives and freedom."
Amelia's mockery indicated her resistance.
This prompted Carloy to adjust his approach, and then he continued sincerely, "If the engagement proceeds smoothly, Duke Barlen will have to pay a considerable price, possibly even forfeiting his maritime operating rights. Even considering your family's well-being, please cooperate with me."
Carloy made no attempt to conceal his intentions and directly invited Amelia to resist the arranged marriage together.
Although the cost of breaking the engagement was somewhat significant, it was within an acceptable range.
As the sole heir to the royal family, even if his father got angry, it would only be a matter of time.
Rather than using the marriage alliance to bind the Barlen family to the side of the royal family, Carloy preferred to use his power to make the Barlen family submit.
Even destroying the Barlen family for good.
With these thoughts in mind, Carloy lowered his gaze, his eyes filled with determination.
While he could proceed with the engagement with Amelia and then find other reasons to deal with the Barlen family later, marrying would create a close connection, posing obstacles to any future actions.
Furthermore, once he ascended to the throne, there should be no stains on his record.
Therefore, it was necessary to break off ties now. Carloy had shared his thoughts with his father before, but the current king hesitated and lacked courage, sternly criticizing Carloy for his audacity.
His father's weakness disappointed Carloy, but it didn't matter.
His father was already old.
He would soon inherit the throne.
"Your Highness, please don't take me for a fool. It's best to keep your schemes hidden well, or else, if someone finds out, it could be disastrous."
Amelia dismissed Carloy's invitation with disdain. She raised her folding fan to partially cover her face, raised an eyebrow, and her purple eyes carried a mocking expression, as if ridiculing Carloy's poorly disguised efforts. It seemed too easy to see through his leaked ambitions.
Even in front of her, he was putting on a clumsy performance, which she found uninteresting.
Compared to the dull Prince Carloy, Amelia would rather play with playful little birds. At least, the cute little creatures would delight her eyes and lift her mood.
The last time they met, she was on guard and wary. She wondered how their encounter would unfold this time.
Thinking of pleasant scenarios, Amelia couldn't help but let her eyes narrow in a smile. However, Carloy, standing opposite her, thought she was mocking him, and he clenched his fist in anger.
There wasn't a single good thing about the Barlen family!
The young prince's manners were far from refined. Angrily, he turned away without even offering a polite farewell. Such unreasonable behavior should not be expected from a noble.
However, Amelia didn't mind. Treating Carloy as an unimportant figure, she considered him unworthy of her attention. In her current thoughts, she pondered how to capture the cute little bird.
Walking directly towards it might scare it away!
Should she use some little tricks?
While Amelia was contemplating these thoughts, Ifia saw the prince leaving. Although she wanted to greet Amelia and compliment her on how good she looked in the school uniform dress, considering the inappropriate scene at the moment, it was better to sneak away as if she wasn't there.
After all, the conversation between the prince and the duke's daughter should not be spread, and Ifia had heard everything from beginning to end!
In case she was caught, it would be impossible to wash away the repercussions, even if she jumped into the Yellow River!
Ifia surreptitiously raised her hand, trying to release herself from the state of being entangled with the southeast branch. However, whether it was due to improper technique or insufficient strength, no matter how she tried, she couldn't separate her collar from the tree branch.
It seemed to be getting tighter and tighter.
Did this tree branch become sentient or something?!!!
'Meow!!!'
While Ifia was struggling with the tree branch, a shrill cat cry suddenly sounded at her feet, startling her. She shivered, and her whole body almost tumbled out along with the tree branch.
Looking down in surprise, Ifia saw a black cat that had come from who knows where, circling around her feet obediently. It occasionally rubbed against her legs, looking quite cute.
Except for its mouth, where the noise emanated from.
It felt like being on the set of a horror movie.
"Oh, Asmodeus, you're here too? Come out quickly, it's time for us to leave."
The cat's continuous meowing not only startled Ifia but also attracted Amelia.
Ifia quickly raised her foot and nudged the black cat with the tip of her toe, hoping it would realize it's time to leave!
However, the black cat seemed to think Ifia was playing with it and not only didn't leave but also increased its meowing.
Seeing this, Ifia could only hold the tree branch tightly, pretending she wasn't there, adopting an ostrich mentality.
At this moment, Amelia, following the cat's meowing, arrived at the thicket. She seemed to spot the black cat and crouched directly in front of Ifia, with only a layer of tree branches and leaves between them.
Luckily, Amelia's attention was all on the cat, or else she would have noticed Ifia in the bushes.
At this critical moment, as Ifia subconsciously held her breath, accompanied by a 'crack' sound, the damn tree branch unexpectedly broke. She immediately lost control and fell forward.
This time it was really over!
Holding the broken branch in her hand, Ifia closed her eyes tightly, anticipating the miserable result of landing face down. However, after waiting for quite a while without feeling any pain, it seemed like she had landed on a soft cloud.
Confused, Ifia opened one eye and discovered, coincidentally or not, that she had fallen onto Amelia. Her face was buried in the ample bosom.
Help! She was struggling to breathe!!!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone