Chapter 17: Opportunity, Seized in the Afternoon Room
“Don’t worry, I’ll be very gentle.”
In the puzzled expression of the old servant Kafu, I, Loka, made a shushing gesture and tiptoed quietly into Yiwen’s bedroom.
The dim bedroom was so quiet that only faint footsteps could be heard.
Carefully, I crept to the bedside.
In the curled-up bedding, only a pale, delicate face was visible.
Yiwen, with her eyes closed, was breathing softly and peacefully.
I sat by her bed, my restless hand instinctively reaching toward her cheek.
She seemed completely defenseless now.
Should I take care of her now?
Or perhaps leave something to hold over her, making it easier to control this unpredictable variable in the future.
In the hand hidden behind my back, a silver dagger rested quietly.
Then, a gust of wind blew past the window, and a purple amethyst was neatly placed by the pillow.
The dagger was casually thrust into the back of the door.
Forget it, forget it.
She posed no threat now, and her being alive was far more valuable than her death.
Just as I dismissed the bad idea and prepared to get off the bed, my other hand was suddenly gripped tightly.
Looking down, I saw Yiwen, half-awake, opening her eyes and lying on the bed, silently watching the drama of my inner struggle.
“What, not going to kill me anymore? I was quite enjoying your performance.”
“You… you saw everything?”
“Mhm~”
Despite having the soul of an adult, half my face flushed red instantly.
I stammered, looking at Yiwen’s intrigued expression, unable to say a word.
My mind grew dizzy with panic.
“I just love watching you want to get rid of me but not quite wanting to.”
Yiwen reached out and pinched the flesh on my stomach, then suddenly flipped over, pulling me, bedding and all, into the covers.
“Your Highness, ouch, be gentle!”
“Less nonsense, get in here.”
In the warm bedding, we were squeezed into a tight space.
Yiwen’s body lightly pressed against mine, her hand reaching out to pinch my cheek again.
The warm environment slowed both our breathing.
“Speak, what do you want with me, young lady of the Duke’s mansion?”
“Isn’t it just that I missed you?”
Yiwen ignored my attempt to act cute and change the subject, staring at me seriously, her face almost touching my nose.
I couldn’t stand her gaze and reached out, trying to push her aside.
“Do we have to talk like this? It’s so hot here, and Your Highness, you’re too close.”
“No way, I want to sleep.”
We tangled for a while, but I finally gave up struggling and spread my hands out.
Yiwen propped herself up on her arms, leaning over me, asking in a soft voice.
“Have you confronted that Duke?”
“It was bound to happen sooner or later. I just gave him a warning in advance.”
Yiwen looked speechlessly at my nonchalant expression, then fiercely pinched the soft flesh on my stomach again, making me itch so much I nearly yelped.
Not one to back down, I took advantage of Yiwen’s distraction and reached out with my mischievous hands, pinching her stomach hard.
We ended up tussling in the bedding, pinching and poking each other, bouncing around on the bed with the covers.
“Your Highness, the strangers around the palace have been dealt with… What are you two…”
Kafu had cleared out the unfamiliar figures near the palace and was about to use his usual methods to handle them when he remembered his position and decided to let the sixth princess decide.
However, when he gently pushed open the bedroom door, he saw a shocking scene that made the old man question his life experience: two girls hugging each other, both with flushed faces, hands vigorously pinching each other’s stomachs.
“Ahem, my apologies…”
This old man should get back to work.
The young mistress must have her reasons for doing this, yes, that’s right.
“He’s gone, aren’t you going to let go?”
“Your Highness, shouldn’t you let go first?”
We both released each other at the same time and sat up on opposite sides of the bed.
Yiwen, suppressing her embarrassment, tried hard to maintain a calm posture.
I, incredulously, touched my own cheek, wondering if something was wrong with my soul.
“Ahem, anyway, you still need to be careful with that Duke. He won’t agree to your conditions so easily. You might have been fooled by his facade.”
After straightening her disheveled pajamas and hair, Yiwen got dressed and pulled me, equally disheveled, out of the room.
Kafu had long been waiting in the hall with a group of tightly bound masked figures.
“Your Highness, how should we deal with these people?”
Looking at these struggling figures, I finally understood why Yiwen had pulled me into the bedding to talk.
It seemed not only I, but Yiwen, who had been stealing the spotlight, had also been targeted by certain people.
But grabbing my soft flesh, pressing against me, and loving to pinch my face—was that all part of the plan?
It had to be… right?
When I curiously looked at Yiwen, she turned her head away, her face red.
But facing the intruders before her, she reverted to her cold expression.
“Handle them your way. Make them reveal their identities and the mastermind behind them.”
“Yes.”
Kafu took the bound figures away, and we could finally have a proper conversation.
“Your spotlight might be even bigger than mine now, young lady.”
The return of the Duke’s daughter had sparked heated discussions across the empire, especially about the lofty Duke Victor and his late wife’s story, which became a topic of speculation and thought.
Moreover, the Emperor personally announcing my identity in front of everyone made my existence known to all.
For the Empress, who had thought she had the upper hand, this was a very troublesome factor.
Originally, the Duke only had Balesha as a child.
Even with an illegitimate daughter like me, as long as the Empress exerted a bit of influence over public opinion, a girl with unacknowledged blood could never inherit the Duke’s title.
The Duke’s only child had ties to the Clover Family through his mother, which would surely make the Emperor wary of the Duke, putting him in a difficult position.
At such a time, just a small spark could completely tear apart the Kelake royal family and the Alva Duke’s mansion.
The Clover Family could then sit back and reap the benefits.
But my appearance became the biggest variable in their plan.
In my previous life, the Empress likely thought the same and, considering my male identity, had repeatedly tried to eliminate me.
Unfortunately for her, her plans failed.
Now, my identity as a girl had relatively lowered the Empress’s guard, but that didn’t mean I was safe.
After all, my bloodline was still there, and the possibility of me becoming an heir remained.
Thus, she wouldn’t let it go easily.
Thinking this, I felt my plan could no longer wait.
“Your Highness, I want to find someone through you.”
“A lunatic expelled from every academy in the empire.”