Chapter 196 "I sincerely want to marry..."
I hadn't thought of this before, but the phrase "not her biological mother" aroused my suspicion. Since Crown Prince Ivanhoe suspected that Queen Nere and Prince Desen had an illicit relationship, he would also suspect that Queen Nere might strip herself of her crown prince status because she favored Prince Desen too much.
Therefore, Ivanhoe will definitely make a move, given the opportunity.
Two weeks later, the Four Borders Trade Conference began. Attis, the Grand Prime Minister of Achia, arrived on the first day, but I did not see him.
I was forbidden from attending by Bernot and was not allowed to leave the palace. The Four Realms Trade Conference was held in the largest trade hall outside the palace.
I couldn't even go to the Imperial Palace School. The school's administrators would come with me during the day, bringing materials to work with me, and then go back home at night.
I know this is why Bernard is so determined to prevent me from seeing Artis, my so-called ex-husband, fearing we might rekindle our old flame. I just find it laughable; what old flame? It was a marriage based on mutual benefit from the very beginning.
A few days later, I heard that Princess Yani had also arrived, but Bernard wouldn't let me see her.
After finishing up the affairs of the palace school, I was bored and listened to Hailuo talk about the booming trade in the four borders. Hailuo had also heard about it, "I heard that Prime Minister Atis's mistress is very beautiful, with a very delicate face."
Where is Princess Yani?
"Princess Yanni's lover has a very good physique, strong and muscular, and some men drool over him."
I laughed out loud. "You all like to focus on these things?"
"Everyone does it like this, either discussing whose mistress is pretty, or which princess's lover is handsome and muscular."
Hero chattered on and on, and I listened as if it were gossip.
After dinner, I went back to my study to read as usual. I had only been sitting for a short while when I suddenly felt something was amiss. I saw Artis standing in front of me.
I almost didn't recognize her; it had been so long. Her long, dark gray hair was tied back, with long bangs swept to the side, revealing her deeply sculpted features and a pair of deep, unfathomable dark gray eyes.
She still looks as aloof and arrogant as before, only now with a touch more maturity and world-weariness.
"Hi!" I quickly stood up to greet him.
I don't know how he got in, and I didn't ask. He must have his own way of getting in.
“I’ve always wanted to explain to you in person why I agreed to divorce you back then,” he said.
"No need to explain, I understand."
Initially, Di Yaruo negotiated with him, stating that if he divorced her, she would buy all the salt and iron needed for the royal city from him. He agreed.
If it were me, I would agree too. This small island nation is newly established and lacks manpower and resources. The Elven Realm is eyeing us covetously. I need money, and I also need to build good relations with other kingdoms.
What does romantic love between a man and a woman matter? It's worthless.
Besides, I don't have any feelings for him.
"I'm sorry," he sincerely apologized to me, "I caused you to be hurt back then."
"I didn't receive much. If it were me, I would have agreed too."
“I’m sorry,” he said gently, “I’ve been thinking about how I can make it up to you.”
"Give me the money."
He paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you need money right now?"
“Not now, but someday. Or we can give other resources. I can’t say for sure right now. We’ll talk about it when the time comes. Just remember your promise from today.” I said bluntly.
"Okay." He smiled slightly.
The Four Realms Trade Conference lasted a month, and I was imprisoned for a month. The conference was bustling, with people constantly coming and going, and different trade deals being struck every day. I heard that Bernot made a small fortune, signing about ten orders, while Crown Prince Ivanhoe signed even more, three times as many as Bernot. Because he is the Crown Prince of the Eastern Realm, everyone wants to cultivate a good relationship with him. The Crown Prince also has more resources at his disposal, and others trust him more.
On the day the meeting adjourned, I was finally released. There was a grand closing ceremony, followed by a high-class banquet. Bernard took me with him.
Princess Nora was also there. Under the dazzling crystal chandelier, she wore a rose-red evening gown, the hem of which was studded with sparkling pearls. She was radiant and full of life, looking at me as if I were a plaything, her eyes filled with amusement.
For the past month, she has stayed by Bernard's side, welcoming and seeing off guests for him and managing his various social interactions.
Bernard also noticed her gaze and gently comforted me for a while, "That's just how she is, don't worry about it."
"You can go over there and tell her to stop looking at me like that." I smiled faintly.
“The more you say that, the more smug she becomes, thinking she can influence you,” Bernard laughed.
“She was always the legal wife, so she naturally had the upper hand,” I said.
"Don't say that. You have everything the legal wife has."
"The only thing missing is a formal title."
"This thing is not important."
I just smiled. It's not so much that she lacks a title, but rather that she lacks status. How can a woman without status become a wife of renown? If I were a prince, I wouldn't marry a woman who offers me no benefit. Marriage slots for powerful and influential men are very precious; they signify a stronger alliance of interests.
As the music began and the first dance started, Bernard had to go over and invite Princess Nora, as it was the rule in high society that the first dance had to be with one's wife or fiancée.
I was scattered around the dance floor with another group of heavily made-up women, clearly mistresses. I chuckled to myself.
Princess Yani, dressed in her finest attire, came to my side with a wine glass in hand, tilted her head back and laughed loudly, “I never thought that the woman who once commanded thousands of troops to attack a city would now only be a mistress standing on the sidelines. I feel much better now. I used to think I was doing terribly, completely controlled by my stepmother.”
After several years, Princess Yani has aged considerably, though her makeup remains heavy and exquisite, and her eyes are sharp and much more mature.
"You mean I'm not doing well?" I laughed. "I'm doing very well. I have everything except a title."
“You think you’re so great, but you’re not.” Princess Yani laughed heartily. “You’re just a mistress. The day a man runs out of money and wants to please his wife, he’ll kick you out.”
"I'm not afraid even if that day comes," I said calmly.
“Yes, maybe you’ve found someone else.” Princess Yani swirled her wine glass and looked at Artis not far away. “Is it him? He’s the only one we can turn to.”
"Where are Manberia and the Elf King?"
“Mambaya is currently overwhelmed by the situation in the North and needs a woman with great manpower and financial resources, which you obviously don’t have.” Princess Yani chuckled. “The Elven King might be a possibility, but not by much. He has a good relationship with his new wife. Oh, he’s remarried; his first wife died in childbirth.”
"Yeah?"
Halfway through the dance, Bernard and Princess Nora began to twirl and dance, occasionally exchanging partners with others, and I suddenly felt like an outsider.
It's a strange feeling. Even though I'm with Bernard every night, and we're very close, inseparable, I still feel a distance between us.
"May I have the pleasure of dancing with you? Though it's only half a dance," came Prince Desen's cheerful voice.
Princess Yanni laughed, her eyes full of ambiguity, while I smiled faintly and accepted the hand that Desen extended.
I'm not very good at jumping; it was Desen who was guiding me the whole time.
"If I proposed to you, would you say yes?" Desen suddenly asked me in a low voice as he spun around.
I was slightly startled, then laughed: "Really?"
"real."
"Your high society is all about debauchery and fleeting romances; it's all just an act. How could I possibly believe you?"
“Indeed, I can show my sincerity tonight—I will take you to see my father and ask him to agree to our marriage.”
Looking into his beautiful, icy blue eyes, I murmured, "Where the superpowered woman is, that's where the turning point lies. Prince Desen, are you facing a problem?"
"No."
But I know he's lying.
"I will only be married or made a mistress or second wife by others when I am of use to them." For example, Manberia.
“I sincerely want to marry you as my legal wife,” he said.
"When a pie falls from the sky, a trap appears on the ground. Sorry, I refuse." I smiled and stopped dancing.
I have no intention of being someone else's stepping stone, allowing them to climb higher. I've done that too many times before, and none of it has turned out well.
I helped the Elf King seize the throne and restore him from paralysis; I helped Artis and Daio escape, discovered the mines of wealth, and helped build the island nation; I also helped Manberia regain power in the North and annihilate his political enemies; I helped Diaro and Atris seize the throne of the Great City; and I even helped Princess Yani—no, not helped, Princess Yani used me as a bargaining chip to get what she wanted from Manberia, but what did I get in return?
Oh, and there's Bernard. I helped him escape Castle Black, helped him gain a foothold in the wilderness, helped him fight off his father's favored bastard, and even took an arrow for him. But what did I get in the end? The position of chief mistress?
“You should help me,” Desen suddenly said. “I know you’ve helped many people, but you’ve overlooked me.”
“Forgot? What do you mean?!” I just laughed and turned to leave. But he stopped me. “You really forgot me. The gold anklet is Manboa, the silver anklet is Diya, the bronze anklet is Haiya, the tin anklet is Nasia, the lead anklet is Princess Yani, and you forgot an iron anklet, that’s me!”
I was stunned, frozen in place in shock.
“I was sent to Black Castle when I was very young because of my mother. My mother was Queen Nere’s cousin, and Queen Nere needed an inside man to report on Prince Bernard’s situation to her at any time. My mother said that Queen Nere promised that if I returned safely, she would adopt me as her godson and give me the same status and wealth as the other princes.”
The music ended, and Bernard walked toward me from a distance. Derson quickened his pace, “I know you want to go back to your own world, but you just haven’t been able to find a way. Have you ever thought that maybe your mission isn’t complete, or maybe you’re here on a mission that you have to complete before you can return to your own world and stop running back and forth?”
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Author's Note: Please add "Animal Farm" to your favorites!
You can also check out my other novels: *Cinderella Wants a Thrilling Novel Script*, *Love of Ice and Fire*, *All the Male Gods in the World Are in Love with Me*, and *My Girlfriend is a Genius*, which is nearing completion.
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