The Princess of Hearts

”What do you have to say? Neylia, do you intend to attend a funeral? ” As he took his daughter away from the visitors, Niker questioned.

The young master of House Vermille, Clistaine, couldn keep his eyes off Neylia as the emperor excused himself with the Princess. He noticed someone for the first time in his monotonous life, but how could it be a royal Princess? Clistaine narrowed his eyes as he followed the disappearing individuals until he heard his father sigh.

”Cliataine, Im sure it was quite a surprise for you, ” Belvin said. He had shaken his right hand against his forehead.

The old mans eyes were fixed on his son the entire time. It had never given the young child any cause for hope.

”I don mind at all. If our goal were to succeed, ” said Clistaine

He had already known what he needed to do at such a young age. He concealed how firmly he was squeezing his fists for his life by placing them on top of his lap.

He narrowed his vision in front of him and focused on the closed door where the two had earlier left.

”After this, you might work well with Xyver. Hell teach you how to rule well in the future, ” when Belvin and Clistaine discussed taking the crown, Belvins lips rose unexpectedly while Clistaines eyes remained thin and his lower lips were never seen.

”Indeed, my Lord. ”

”Father, Im not going to someones funeral, ” Neylia said. She pushed her fathers hands away as her eyes began to droop.

She took a step back, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

”You might need to know that its mine if you believe Id go to whose funeral it is, ” Neylia shouted.

Her respiration initially became erratic as her chest moved up and down. Conversely, Niker shook his head and placed his palm on his forehead.

”What plans do you have? Remember, Neylia, you
e the one who asked this in the first place. ”

”I am aware, but it was a mistake. I don care for that youth. ”

”But you claimed to have liked him in the past. ”

”I guess Ive changed my mind after all. ”

”Too late now. Youll meet me there and be introduced, and if you still feel as though you two weren meant to be together after all succeeding years, let me know. The cancellation of your engagement must, first and foremost, be mutual. Go with the flow for the time being. ”

”Follow the current? What reason? Whats the deal, you two old noblemen? I detest being a pawn in negotiations, papa. ”

”Who informed you that you were a bargaining fragment? Neylia, never forget that you are a Princess! You aren anything or a trophy, either! ”

”You
e now referring to me as a trophy. I tell you what. I suppose Ill accept that offer. We
e not destined to be together for a year, as Ill demonstrate. ”

”I suppose you should first change into a new dress. ”

Neylia remarked as she stared firmly into her fathers eyes, ”Nope, like I said earlier father, its my own funeral, and Ill do what I wanted to do since well never last long in our engagement anyway, ” and eventually walked away as a genuine Princess should.

Her feet then began to go in the direction of where she had earlier fled.

Niker, in the meantime, furrowed his brows before heaving a further sigh. Its already difficult to discipline the Princess, so perhaps the earlier agreement he proposed was sufficient to ease his control over her.

Actually, he also wanted to watch how the individual would handle her daughter.

He exhaled, letting go of his fears, and turned to accompany his daughter to the guest room.

After a brief period of boring silence, Neylia and Niker entered the room. The two bowing again were hailed by the two nobles inside.

”Duke Belvin, please pardon my daughters rudeness earlier, ” Niker said.

”Your Highness, the Princess never treats us badly. After that, I assume she had some business to attend to, ” Belvin stated

Clistaine was unable to look away from the Princess. Although he may never know what would transpire later, he is certain that the young woman in front of him served merely as his instrument. He and his father came to that conclusion.

After viewing the Princess, he had a different reaction, though. He was briefly mesmerized by her beautiful brown hair and eyes and felt frozen in his place. His grip on his sides clenched hands had now loosened. Little did he know that he had been going on long enough for the Princess to thin her eyes at the sight of his crimson ones as his features softened.

Unconsciously taking a swallow, Clistaine turned away after first focusing on the Princesss brown eyes.

Neylia greeted everyone and bowed elegantly. ”Greetings, my Lord and young master. ” She was able to act like a princess in her basic black dress, which never escaped the young lords attention.

The Vermille familys Duke extended a second, more formal ”Greetings Your Highness and Princess Neylia, ” before tending to his kid.

The two elderly noblemen conversed with one another. Neylia behaved courteously across from Clistaine as they started speaking. She retrieved her cup of tea and drank from it as any proper Princess would. The Princess lips swelled to a superb length, disregarding the existing circumstance.

She would prefer a cool cup of tea for her thoughts. 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. ”