OHNIR - Chapter 99
Chapter 99: Joining
“I don’t even have time to discuss the engagement date with Gloria…” the brown-haired girl complained to the System while skillfully carrying out her assembly-line work.
With her left hand, she pulled a pile of documents waiting to be processed in front of her, scanned them ten lines at a glance, and after the System thoughtfully highlighted the key points for her, she extended her right hand to stamp them with different colored seals for “accept” or “reject.” This completed the initial processing of a document.
“The letter she sent me last night, I only found out about it after Grandmother personally brought it to my study!” Kelusta said indignantly. “It’s so annoying! Who knows where these nobles get all this damn business from… A tiny deal with barely any profit, I’ve already rejected it three times and they’re still harassing me! Who are they looking down on?!”
“Aside from the small number of collaboration requests with considerable scope and scale that need consideration, you should first focus on carving up the tobacco market with the Silentdis family,” the System suggested.
“Of course I know that… but the necessary procedures can’t be skipped,” Kelusta sighed, sounding a bit tired. “Grandmother is getting old, I don’t want her to do such high-intensity, mentally taxing work—at this rate, I probably won’t have time to meet with Gloria until the day after tomorrow.”
“…” The System couldn’t help but say sympathetically, “You’re so miserable.”
“Don’t worry. Things look better by comparison, and there are people more miserable than me.”
Kelusta lifted her chin, signaling for the System to notice the unfolded copy of the Brilliant Daily not far away.
On it, a headline was printed in exaggeratedly large letters: Prince's Fiancée Demoted to Commoner?! A Marriage That Ended Before It Began, A Detailed History of the Romance Between His Highness Satrick and Avia Charles.
“Satrick’s crafted persona of a deeply devoted lover is truly first-class—not a single member of Marquis Charles’s family met a good end. Oh, and honestly, wasn’t he one of the driving forces behind it all?”
Kelusta said with no small amount of sarcasm, “And now he’s transformed into the ‘victim’ who lost his fiancée, someone the public is rushing to pity and lament… Tsk, the unfathomable power of public opinion.”
“I have to say, the Royal Family’s move has almost completely absolved them of responsibility,” the System commented. “Not only did they minimize the risk of damage to their reputation, but they also managed to cultivate a righteous image of ‘upholding justice even against one’s own family’ in the hearts of the common people. Truly killing two birds with one stone.”
“Hmph, they’re lucky,” the brown-haired girl sneered. “If some brainless commoners were actually moved and started demanding the court release Avia—who wasn’t that guilty to begin with—to marry the prince… they’d probably be dumbfounded on the spot.”
The System couldn’t help but imagine the dramatic scene and sighed with regret, “What a pity, what a pity… If things had really developed that way, it would have been exciting.”
The two of them, while happily slacking off in the face of a mountain of documents, laughed together with schadenfreude at the theater playing out in their minds.
However, before the human and system duo could have their fill of fun, the study door was suddenly knocked upon three times with a very gentle and proper force.
“Come in.”
Kelusta immediately wiped the smile from her face and, like a proper heir, quickly lowered her head to continue her assembly-line work.
After receiving permission, the butler, Oliver, pushed the door open and entered. Seeing her so diligent, he couldn’t help but smile at her with a mix of relief and concern for her health. He said gently, “Young Miss, forgive the intrusion. I have come on Madam’s orders to escort you to the reception hall.”
“The reception hall?” Kelusta paused, raising her eyes in surprise. “But I don’t recall having any guests scheduled to visit today…”
“In fact, this distinguished guest did not inform us of his arrival in advance,” Oliver said. “Madam was also quite surprised when she received him and instructed me to let you know beforehand, so as to avoid any discourtesy—”
Kelusta stood and smoothed her skirt, asking quizzically, “A distinguished guest? Who is it?”
“It is His Highness, the First Prince,” Oliver looked at her and answered thoughtfully. “Satrick Nobili.”
“…”
Kelusta subtly pursed her lips and rolled her eyes in a most unladylike fashion in her mind.
Fine—it’s you again, Sticky Candy.
In the end, a member of the royal family had come in person and specifically asked to see Kelusta. Although she was unwilling to waste time exchanging pleasantries with him, she couldn’t afford to be impolite. She had no choice but to obediently follow Oliver to the reception hall.
“This pain in the neck is terrifyingly persistent,” she grumbled to the System. “I just mentioned him and he shows up at my door. How does he have so much free time? His girlfriend is crying behind bars, doesn’t he have PR to do?”
“I was just guessing that he must be much busier than I am,” Kelusta wrinkled her nose and unhappily declared, “Hmph, scumbag.”
The System prudently remained silent, even though it felt Satrick was a bit innocent to be labeled a scumbag for no reason.
Kelusta secretly rolled her eyes expressively behind the butler’s back, but the moment Oliver respectfully pushed the door open for her, she immediately recomposed her expression, lifted her skirt, and stepped gracefully and properly through the doorway into the reception hall.
“Miss Amirium.”
Almost the instant Kelusta appeared, the blond young man stood up, smiled, and bowed to her. His attitude was so humble it was unbelievable for a prince.
Kelusta blinked. While curtsying in return to Satrick, she shifted her eyes to glance discreetly at her grandmother, who was slowly rising with the help of her cane.
Duchess Isabella clearly received her questioning look and gave Kelusta a reassuring smile, which immediately put her mostly at ease.
Looks like the pain in the neck won’t be particularly troublesome today, for a change?
With this speculation in mind, the brown-haired girl formally took her seat. Satrick sat opposite her, his back straight, his sky-blue eyes clear and bright, nodding to her with utmost sincerity.
Kelusta: “…”
Hmph, what an act.
“Your Highness,” no matter how much she scoffed internally, she had to wear a formulaic, faint smile on her face. Her voice was calm as she said, “You sought me out specifically. Is there something you need?”
Seeing her get straight to the point, Satrick didn’t seem troubled. For once, the prince didn’t waste time with pleasantries. Instead, as if he had expected it, he followed her lead and spoke directly:
“Duchess Amirium said that this matter should be discussed with you—that is why I have taken the liberty of disturbing you. Please do not be offended, Miss,” Satrick said. “I have come as an uninvited guest today, not on behalf of the Royal Family, but solely for myself.”
“…I’m listening.” Kelusta narrowed her eyes, skillfully concealing the inquisitive look on her face.
“Lady Gloria announced at the royal ball that she will soon be engaged to you… and as everyone knows, the Silentdis family has always been a staunch supporter of my sister, Starangui.”
Although he was describing a situation quite unfavorable to himself, the prince’s expression was composed, showing no hint of worry or sorrow.
He raised his eyes and looked directly at the pensive Kelusta, saying with complete confidence, “However… as far as I know, before you recovered your status, you were framed multiple times by the Second Princess, were you not? Including that extremely perilous incident at the tea party?”
Kelusta was silent for a moment.
After a long pause, she finally nodded and patted the back of Duchess Isabella’s hand, who looked worried, in a reassuring manner.
Seeing her admit it so readily, Satrick’s slightly tense body immediately relaxed, and he couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh of relief internally.
“It seems I was correct?” The blond man smiled and said calmly, “You and Starangui share a life-and-death enmity, so I assume you would naturally be unwilling to help her?”
As soon as he said this, Kelusta instantly understood his purpose for coming.
“Since I chose to restore my noble status, I inevitably had to step into the arena of choosing sides. I’m aware of that much.”
The brown-haired girl said lightly, “So, your purpose in coming here today is to persuade me not to stand on the same side as Lady Gloria, but to choose you—the first in line to be the next king—as the one the Amirium family will support?”
She fully expected an affirmative answer; after all, everyone knew the prince had an extraordinary obsession with the heir’s crown.
However, to her surprise, Satrick actually shook his head slightly.
Under Kelusta’s astonished gaze, the young prince’s lips curved into a deep smile that did nothing to hide his ambition.
“No—or rather, my purpose is more than just that.”
Satrick said politely, “Frankly, I came here today not only to win the opportunity to cooperate with you… If you agree, then on top of that, I have another goal: to use you to change the stance of Lady Gloria, and indeed, the entire Silentdis family—”
He raised his azure eyes and smiled slightly. “I hope to make the two oldest ducal families in the kingdom both choose to abandon Starangui and support me instead… in ascending to the final throne.”
“…”
Kelusta was silent for a long time. The look in her eyes as she gazed at Satrick had changed somewhat. She sighed, “You surprise me, Your Highness.”
“I never considered greed a flaw,” Satrick laughed. “On the contrary, in my view, only those who have obtained absolute power are qualified to possess such a trait as ‘greed’.”
Kelusta narrowed her eyes.
While winning over Amirium, he also wants to use her to win over the Silentdis family, the princess’s ironclad supporters…
Alright, when he’s not being a Sticky Candy and a pain in the neck—I have to admit, I’m starting to admire the prince’s cunning.
“You are correct… only the strong dare to reveal their ambition, dare to realize the greed in their hearts,” Kelusta smiled faintly and said lightly. “But I must be blunt, Your Highness—Amirium believes in the strong and respects the strong, but we will only maintain a consistent cooperative relationship with the strong. We will never accept becoming a vassal that can be manipulated.”
She smiled and gave a slight nod. “I hope you understand.”
…That was as good as an agreement.
A great weight was suddenly lifted from Satrick’s heart.
As long as he could win Amirium’s support… how could he possibly refuse such a condition?
“I, too, respect the strong,” he promised. “I am willing to guarantee you this: you and your family will forever enjoy an absolutely equal status to mine until the day I take the throne.”
Kelusta was taken aback. She turned to exchange a glance with Isabella and saw satisfaction in the other’s eyes.
Amirium was about to step into the spotlight, and the power of a ducal family would inevitably become a point of contention between Satrick and Starangui… Rather than standing behind that venomous Second Princess, it was better to help Satrick win the throne. It could also be considered revenge for Kelusta for those life-threatening grievances.
And considering the world line mission, with the prince’s help, Kelusta undoubtedly had another weight tipped in her favor for victory.
As for Gloria’s side…
“I believe in the power of pillow talk,” the brown-haired girl said to the System in her mind with a grin. “The plan to redeem the behind-the-scenes villain officially begins with this step.”
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