chapter 38
38. What are you looking at? You can’t possibly be messing with me, can you?
Though anxious, Valentina managed to maintain a minimum level of decorum, choosing not to sprint through the palace but instead walk quickly, much like her half-brother, Mori.
Saying she turned into the wind might be an exaggeration, but she certainly walked with purpose, her beautiful silver-white hair billowing behind her as she moved swiftly.
Those who happened to witness Valentina at that moment were taken aback by her inexplicably commanding presence, too intimidated to approach her.
It was mainly Valentina’s cold expression, born from anxiety and dissatisfaction, that made people think it was best not to provoke the princess, who seemed upset for reasons unknown.
“Isn’t that Tina? What’s going on? You look so serious.”
However, there are always exceptions; while most people wouldn’t dare to speak up, there are always those who will.
The one who boldly called out to Valentina, completely unfazed by her commanding aura of “No one dare interfere with me!” was none other than the renowned scholar Mr. Allen.
Today, he still presented himself as the handsome man favored by women, a guise he had carefully crafted. With his intellectual attire paired with a gentle smile, he was simply unbeatable.
He knew that young girls were easily drawn to such men, and even the princess was no exception.
“Mr. Allen… no, it’s nothing serious, just a personal matter I need to attend to.”
In truth, that was indeed the case; Valentina had briefly paused her steps to greet Allen.
However, the truth was that Valentina would have stopped for anyone who spoke to her.
She merely exuded an air of unapproachable coldness because she was eager to know the answer; deep down, she remained the approachable, illegitimate princess… at least for now.
Seeing the princess, who despite pausing still couldn’t hide her anxious demeanor, Allen immediately understood.
Got it! That incompetent, weakling Clyde must have been bullied by someone! Otherwise, how could the princess be so anxious?
“I see, then I won’t pry further. The only thing I want to say is, be careful, Tina. It’s good to be eager, but remember not to lose your composure.”
Believing he had seen through Valentina, Allen quickly adopted a teacherly demeanor, seizing the opportunity to showcase his admirable character.
“Thank you for your advice, Mr. Allen. I will keep it in mind. Farewell.”
If she were an ordinary woman, she would have been captivated by Allen’s reliable and wise demeanor by now.
But Valentina showed no special reaction at this moment, even colder than usual.
Without saying another word, she nodded to Allen and strode purposefully toward the exit.
Her attitude… yes! It must be about that boy!
It was precisely Valentina’s reaction that further confirmed Allen’s speculation.
After all, the only one who could provoke such a response from Valentina was that weak childhood friend of hers.
“Heh, things are starting to get interesting. Have the other foolish royals finally made their move?”
Watching Valentina disappear from his sight, Allen’s eyes gradually narrowed, a hint of an intrigued villainous smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Though it was just a slight change in expression, the aura he exuded instantly shifted from that of a gentle, intellectual scholar to that of a refined rogue.
He knew the other royals wouldn’t remain indifferent after Prince Mori was slapped in the face by Valentina.
Last time, he was merely a passive observer since Clyde wasn’t involved.
But it seemed this time he might have to take action.
Noticing Valentina’s unusual anxiety, Allen abandoned his original plan and chose not to enter the palace to visit the royals. Instead, he walked out of the palace with a malicious smile.
He decided to pay a visit to some pawns he had thoroughly exploited without their knowledge, to facilitate his ultimate goal of seizing the entire kingdom.
Of course, Valentina was unaware of the turbulent undercurrents surrounding her; many had begun to take action because of her.
She was simply exerting all her effort to search for that suspicious and detestable black figure throughout the capital.
Naturally, she couldn’t rely on the city guards to help her find him, and she didn’t have much of a clue about where Noah might appear.
—
So she could only run to a few places where she had once seen Noah, like the street where they first met, the commercial street where Noah had given the noble son a good thrashing, and even the private residence of Prince Mori.
However, aside from scaring the servants of Prince Mori, who thought they were about to settle accounts with her, Valentina did not find Noah.
Not to mention him personally, there wasn’t even a trace of his presence.
As time passed, Valentina found it increasingly difficult to hide her terrible mood; her once-cold expression now bore a look of grim determination.
It was as if a knife-like, biting wind had swept directly across the frozen snowfield.
Damn it! Damn it! I can’t find him! Where on earth is he!
He wouldn’t have gone to find another woman, would he?
What a joke! How many people does he want to drag into this misfortune? He should just focus on me! I won’t yield, no matter what!
Valentina couldn’t help but think this as she searched for Noah’s figure, and at the slightest rustle, she would glare with a terrifying look.
Even a thief, intimidated by her strong demeanor, confessed to his own theft.
This only slightly improved her reputation among the common folk.
Of course, she couldn’t find Noah, because he had actually been floating not far behind her in an unobservable state, watching Valentina’s actions during this time like a ghost or a stand-in.
He was watching her emotions deteriorate right before his eyes.
To be honest, he had begun to enjoy the feeling of being disliked by the beautiful girl.
But one mustn’t overdo things; it was enough for Princess Valentina to search for him for two or three hours.
So, just as Valentina happened to pass by, Noah appeared at the café across from the shop where he had taught a certain noble son a lesson, pretending to sit there elegantly, sipping coffee and reading the novels provided for free.
“Ah, what a delicious coffee, don’t you think, Your Highness?”
When he noticed Valentina approaching with a grim face, Noah put down the coffee he had just bought two minutes ago in his pedestrian guise and asked her, who had never even tasted coffee, if she felt the same.
He was playing the role of an incredibly annoying, selfish, and wicked deity.
“…I understand, the answer is ‘yes,’ right?”
Valentina, who had been anxious when she couldn’t find Noah, calmed down upon seeing him. She looked down at Noah with a cold expression.
At that moment, she stood very close to Noah, who was seated, no longer asking anxious questions but choosing to make a cold statement instead.
“Isn’t it obvious, Your Highness? You don’t really think you’re the only one, do you?”
Although Valentina’s imposing presence had frightened the passersby around her, Noah maintained a leisurely attitude as if on vacation. After mocking Valentina as usual, he continued to sip his coffee with ease.
He was playing a dangerous game, but one he couldn’t lose.
It was laughable; after all, Valentina could never win against him, so what did he have to worry about!
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