The Princess of Hearts

ughts. She used to enjoy the aroma of warm chamomile tea, but after being resurrected, she discovered another flavor and it quickly replaced chamomile as her favorite.

The young lord of the Vermille household muttered, ”Delicious, ” but then almost choked.

”Clis, how are you doing? ” Belvin questioned his kid.

”Oh, Im alright. I suppose I was just thinking about something. Please pardon me, father, and Your Majesty and Princess, ” Clistaine kept his composure while speaking and resumed cleaning his face.

Neylia couldn help herself and managed a mocking laugh in a matter of seconds. Well, thats what her father had heard, but Clistaine and the Duke found it to be a perplexing action.

”Oh, my bad. I suppose theres just something funny in me. Father, I must excuse myself for a moment. Please continue. Please, Lord Vermille, ” Neylia had a smile on her face as she talked.

Saying a nobles surname was just another way the imperial household member could exercise her imperial power as a Princess.

By the time Neylia spoke those, the aristocrats in front of them had already decided that she wouldn return, so Belvin politely nodded and smiled in response.

After a little moment, Niker tightened his fists and widened his eyes as he stared at his daughters vanishing form. Belvin softly nodded as he gazed at his kid.

”Your Highness, may I have your indulgence for a moment? ” Clistained questioned

Belvin reacted to Nikers daughter, and so did the Emperor. The debate between the two nobility of the empire then changes from one of engagement to one that is more hazardous.

”Your highness, I haven spoken to Mr. Bakers. I believe that his actions had already been rendered ineffective. ”

The Princess walked out of the room where she was feeling choked and headed straight towards the garden. Sitting on the grass distant from where everyone could see her, she closed her eyes.

Neylia took off her hat and leaned back against a big tree, leaving no traces behind. She thinned her eyes as she turned to face the sun, raising her lips to do so.

She mumbled, ”Ive never thought this was how it felt to be exposed to the light, ” as she was aware that in her previous existence, she had always worn long sleeves or even a wide hat to protect herself from the sun.

But this time, she was only interested in having it pierce her skin. She decided that closing her eyes for a moment would be the wisest course of action given that no one must have known where she was.

However, she was startled when someone from behind her spoke to her.

A small kid started to say, ”Princess Neylia, I——, ” but Neylia interrupted him. When she heard that tone of speech, she immediately raised one hand, narrowed her eyes, and turned to confront the young boy she had once loved but no longer did.

”Don approach me any closer, ”

The little boy halted and began speaking, then Princess Neylia closed her eyes, ”I didn mean to startle you, Princess Neylia. ” This time, she let out a big sigh, then quickly shook her head and got up from her seat.

”Tell me what you wanted, please. ”

After Neylia looked into his blood-red eyes, Clistaine was once more unable to finish his sentence. ”I beg your pardon, Princess—- ”

”Young master Clistaine, Im not joking when I ask you that question. I guess I actually learned about what was going on in front of me for the first time, ” In front of the young lord, Neylia spoke.

Before gulping, Clistaine widened his eyes.

Again, Neylia interrupted him, ”I—-. ”

”Okay, let me be open with you if you
e not ready to say those things. Lets work out a deal, ” Neylia remarked as she took a step back. The corners of her lips then abruptly raised.

”A deal? ”

”Yes. Do you not desire it? In the end, we would receive a half win-win. ”

”Win-win? ”

”You are aware that no deal has losers. Is it okay with you that we would profit from the deal, to be more specific? ” Neylia made a suggestion in a way that made it hard not to accept it.

The Princess waited for a whole minute before receiving a response, but it wasn what she was expecting.

”Before I agree, will you please explain what kind of agreement it was? ”

”We are in this arranged marriage, right? We both know that. ”

”Yes, I am fully aware, and since it came from you, I figured you must be much more knowledgeable given what you said previously. ”

”We don love each other, then, is that right? ”

”Right, ” Clistaine replied honestly. Neylia took a long breath and gently nodded before continuing.

”Lets get to the point where we agree to call off our engagement if, after a year, we both discover that we are truly in love with someone else. I have a strategy to get the emperor to concur, so don worry. ”

”Are you certain it wouldn damage the reputation of my family? ”

”As anticipated. Not at all, no. We would still get along great, but we shouldn be forced into this loveless marriage, right? ”

”What if we didn find our true love by the end of the year? ”

”Are you going to agree or disagree? Other than that, that will never happen because Ill make this plan work? ”

”Therefore, it seems like a good deal to me. ”