Chapter 32 (Changed Settings) [VIP]
The publicity for the banquet was a great success, and Opesa was surrounded by enthusiastic nobles.
Surrounded by aristocrats eager to place deposits and invest, wine glasses were frequently passed to her, and polite words were repeated over and over again. Her eyes were hazy, the alcohol already taking over without her realizing it.
She smiled mechanically and responded to everyone.
After finally coaxing those nobles away, Opesa finally took a break and ate some dessert to replenish her energy.
The banquet reached its climax and everyone began to dance under the organization of the count.
Anastasia and Dusula naturally would not miss the opportunity to join in the fun, and chose the men they liked to dance on the dance floor.
She stood at the edge, looking at them with a smile.
But soon, she realized something was wrong.
Where is the prince?
She is not here just for sales, finding the prince is the most important thing.
She quickly checked the men and women on the dance floor, but didn't see any man wearing the royal emblem.
He won’t not come, will he?
No, this earl is an important figure in the country and a relative of the royal family. He will definitely give him face and attend the event, right?
Wondering, Opesa felt a little dizzy, as if she had drunk too much.
This body couldn't hold its liquor very well, and the banquet hall was filled with strong rouge and powder, so Opesa just felt uncomfortable.
Let's go out and get some fresh air. Thinking of this, she put down the cup, wrapped herself in her robe, and took advantage of the highest atmosphere to carefully touch the door of the side corridor of the banquet hall.
She must not be discovered, otherwise it would be considered disrespectful to the master.
The bold act of going out was drowned out by the clamor of the crowd, and no one noticed her disappearing at the edge.
Opesa closed the door carefully, holding onto the wall, and tried to move forward steadily.
Outside, a waning moon hung high in the sky, and the stars twinkled like scattered diamonds. A gentle evening breeze wafted across my nose, bringing the fragrance of the rose garden below.
A greenhouse was specially built in the Earl's palace so that the roses can bloom beautifully even in the deep winter.
But Opesa had no intention of appreciating the beautiful scenery. She only wanted to get away from the noisy banquet hall as soon as possible and find a quiet place to clear her mind.
But the alcohol made her steps unsteady. She staggered and suddenly bumped into someone walking towards her.
She slammed into the person, her forehead hitting him hard, and she missed the step, causing her body to tilt suddenly. She reached out hastily but only grabbed the rose branch. Opesa gasped in pain, and even the pain in her head woke her up.
Opesha: QAQ
"Hiss..." She raised her trembling hand to herself. The thorn had pierced a deep bloody hole in the palm of her hand, and blood was gushing out.
"It hurts..." Opesa, already irritated by the headache caused by the alcohol, simply took advantage of the alcohol to yell, "Who doesn't look at the road when walking?"
"…Excuse me, ma'am?"
It was a very pleasant voice, with the inherent clarity of a teenager.
Looking up, she saw a young man with a delicate face looking at her worriedly.
Another very handsome young man.
"Who's a lady? I'm only twenty!" Opesa wrinkled her nose in anger. "I'm very young! I'm still a girl!"
What's the point of looking good? Her hand is broken! She hit her head! It hurts!
Henry helplessly spread his palms on both sides of his face and responded dryly: "Okay, okay, Miss... are you okay?"
He couldn't tell that such a low voice belonged to a girl...
What's more, the girl was covering her face.
He was still complaining in his mind when the "lady" in front of him suddenly pushed him away: "Go away! I need to bandage my hand!"
Henry didn't move much, but Opesa was shaken left and right by his collision.
Henry laughed. After all, he was a 187cm tall man. What was this woman thinking? He held Opesha firmly, with helplessness in his eyes: "Hey, it's not that bad, is it?"
Opesha waved her hands: "Don't touch me!"
"Okay, okay, I won't touch you." Henry had no choice but to let her go. However, he couldn't bear to see her bloody hand, so he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and asked, "Will you bandage it?"
"Oh." Opesha took the handkerchief sullenly and started fiddling with it herself.
Seeing that this idiot had finally quieted down, Henry wiped the sweat from his forehead and prepared his next words.
But his vision suddenly darkened.
Yes, it was just a moment, and it suddenly became dark.
Henry's face was frozen as he watched the handkerchief slowly slide off his forehead.
"You're so inconsiderate!" Opesa pursed her lips, her cheeks puffed up. "Help me, I can't possibly do it with just one hand!"
Henry: ...
After all, he is a prince of a country and has always been treated with respect. How could he be ordered around like this?
He couldn't help but say: "You..."
"What do you mean by 'I'?" The other party directly extended his hand in front of him, "Hurry up."
The woman was speechless for a moment, and could not find any words to refuse, so she could only slowly stretch out her hand.
Very soft.
This was his first reaction when he touched it.
He subconsciously looked at the hand.
It is very white, very thin, and very soft, with a tender pink fingertips and neatly trimmed nails. It is a very beautiful hand.
Very support, entwined with fingers, fragile, innocent, yet with a temptation that leads to violence.
He suddenly smelled a rich fragrance.
A scent different from roses, he was sure.
It’s lighter, but surprisingly addictive.
"Hurry up, the blood is about to be blamed, and he didn't notice the stunned person in front of him, and also the family badge.
He used to be calm and rational, and only wanted to vent his dissatisfaction.
Henry couldn't help but find it funny when he saw her like this. Instead of being angry, he thought she was cute in a different way. "Okay, I'll bandage you."
He gently wiped the blood off her hands and said casually, "Did you hear what the owner of Whispering said? What do you think her original intention was in designing those clothes?"
Hearing this question, Opesa paused her complaints, tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, "She probably wants to make money... and then hopefully bring some order to this messed-up world... even if her power is very weak. You know, the divorce rate in Furlan is very high, and marriages need something special to add interest and mystery. She also probably wants women of all shapes and sizes to find a style that suits them; it should embrace every kind of beauty."
Henry lowered his eyes, listening quietly, his fingertips pinching the handkerchief and slowly twisting it. "Oh? Do you think the world in Furlan is a mess?"
"Anyone with eyes can see it, right? Look at what's going on out there. There are so many women's houses, and the black market is so rampant that people are even trafficking in lives." Opesa looked at Henry as if he were an idiot, unhappy. "The king is still busy finding a wife for his son..."
Henry smiled bitterly: "Oh... That's true. There is a dance every month to gather girls from all over the city."
"Really? I don't know. I just got here, and I feel like even if this prince takes the throne, nothing will change in Furlan."
"Aren't you afraid of being heard?"
"What are you afraid of? If you have a clear conscience, why should you shut me up?"
"Yes, yes, you are right."
"I just feel that this is not a good thing, and I want to do my best to do something before I leave."
And... she was silent.
Sinderel.
Opesa became more and more absorbed in her speech, completely unaware of the identity of the person listening to her.
After complaining about the morals of Furlan, Opesa couldn't help but start complaining about the party: "This party is all about exchanging interests, or leftover men and women looking for excitement. Even the air smells bad. Everyone is hypocritical, and nothing they say is sincere." She frowned, her face full of disgust.
Henry raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and said softly: "It's the same at the royal ball."
Upon hearing this, Opesa couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and said in surprise, "You've been to the Royal Ball?"
Her eyes were full of suspicion. In her opinion, the man in front of her was just an ordinary nobleman. She didn't expect that he had participated in a royal ball.
Henry looked at her surprised expression, raised his eyebrows and said, "Yeah, it's weird?"
Opesa frowned, her eyes inadvertently falling on the badge on Henry's chest that was glowing with a faint golden light.
She looked at the emblem, then at Henry: "...Royal emblem?"
Henry smiled and nodded: "Yeah."
Her mouth felt dry. "Yours?"
Henry continued to laugh: “Mine.”
She held her face in her hands. "Are you Prince Henry?"
Henry blinked innocently: “Don’t you think so?”
Opesha: ...
The drunk suddenly woke up.
I woke up completely and couldn't go crazy anymore.
What is she doing?
What was she doing just now?
She actually acted crazy in front of the prince?
And you complained about his country in front of the prince?
Henry looked at her helpless behavior with a smile in his eyes.
Opesha: Holding her head and screaming.JPG
She hastily lowered her hands from covering her face and hurriedly saluted, trying to make one last desperate effort: "Your Highness, please forgive me! Your Highness, please spare my life! I was really drunk, and what I said was not sincere at all!"
Opesha's knees went weak.
Alcohol is misleading... It's really misleading...
Henry suppressed his laughter, deliberately kept a straight face, and cleared his throat: "Well, you are committing a crime of insubordination. How are you going to make amends?"
Opesa clutched the hem of her clothes, her mind racing: "This...this..."
She can't die to atone for her sins, but this is indeed a capital crime.
She lowered her head in panic: "I...I don't know."
The faint noise of the scattered tourists could be heard in the distance, and Opesa's mood became even more confused.
Oops, it’s over.
Henry looked at his helpless expression and couldn't help but relax his expression, his eyebrows curved, "Forget it, I didn't hear anything."
When Opesha heard this, she raised her eyelids and asked, "Really?"
Henry seemed to see a kitten with drooping ears suddenly prick up its furry ears.
He suppressed a laugh: "Really."
Opesha breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he wasn't beheaded.
However, she seemed to hear Anastasia calling: "Where is Mother?"
The voice was clearly heard by Opesa in the night wind, and her heart instantly rose to her throat.
Then, the sound of people leaving the banquet gradually became clearer. The noisy footsteps and conversations seemed like a death warrant, making Opesa even more nervous.
"But in exchange, you have to tell me your name." Henry said at the most inappropriate time.
Cannot be recognized by the prince.
If she was recognized, her plan to attract investment would be ruined. After all, her ex-husband, who had died early, had messed up the royal military deal, which was why her whole family was blacklisted.
She was anxious in her heart, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Find a way to slip away, quickly.
Anastasia and Dusula must be tactless, and I will be exposed as soon as they appear.
what to do?
Opesa took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
Oh, right. Why did she have to use her own name?
She raised her head, looked at Henry, and said quickly, "My name is Sindriel."
After saying that, she turned and ran, the hem of her skirt flying high in the night wind, sweeping past the rose beside her and dropping a few petals.
Her steps were hurried and frantic, as if a flood or a beast was chasing her.
She once again forgot about the steps at the edge of the rose garden, and in her haste she stepped with her left foot and dropped one of her shoes.
Oh no! Her heart sank.
Isn't this Sinderel's plot? How did she trigger it by accident?
Seeing Anastasia and Dusula walking towards the rose garden, with Henry following behind them, she tried to walk in slippers, but it was difficult to run in high heels, so she simply took off her shoes and ran away barefoot.
"Hey, hi! Where can I meet you?"
Henry took two steps forward, and his outstretched hand only touched the end of Opesa's hair.
The captivating fragrance appeared again, forcing him to stop.
He stood there in a daze, looking at Opesa's hurriedly leaving back, muttering to himself.
"Sinderel...?"
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