Chapter 40【VIP】
Prince Henry's carriage stopped at the door, and Opesa and her family immediately packed up.
"Dusula, take off the ribbon on your head, it's tied in a mess."
"Anatasha, the powder on your face isn't evenly spread. Hurry up and wipe it off!"
"Why is His Royal Highness Henry coming to our house?"
"Did you take a fancy to me during the last hunting meeting?"
"Dusula, you've gained a lot of weight compared to a while ago. How can I still like you?"
"Anatasha!"
The two daughters were chattering while preparing themselves. Opesha turned back to the kitchen. Sinderel was still kneading the dough, not caring about anything.
"Sinderel!" Opesa grabbed Sinderel's shoulders while he was still kneading the dough.
"Stop kneading the dough, wash your hands, and put on that skirt."
Sinderel's face darkened, his brows furrowed, and he had no desire to greet Henry. "I'll be in the kitchen. There's still soup cooking in the pot."
He was also wondering why the prince knew his home address.
If he is being followed, his "spies" around him will tell him immediately.
Opesa responded sternly, "Today is different. The prince has come specially to our place, and we must welcome him with our whole family."
"Mrs. Opesa!" Henry's voice came from the door. "Are you home?"
"Yes, Your Highness, I'll be right there!" Opesa turned around and pushed Sinderel to the basin. "Hurry up and wash. I'll go open the door."
Watching Sinderel washing his hands reluctantly, Opesha hurriedly tidied her hair and walked towards the door to open it.
The two daughters also dressed themselves up, and finally stood behind Opesha with their hair straightened, looking expectant.
The door opened and Henry stood at the door, wrapped in a brand new fox fur cloak, his long light hair neatly combed, and holding an exquisite red velvet box in his arms.
"Good morning, Your Highness." Opesa led her two daughters in saluting.
Henry returned the gift and thanked her politely, saying, "Good morning, Madam, Miss. I'm sorry to bother you so early." He handed over the red velvet box in his hand. "Here are some gifts. I heard that your family has three daughters, so I had four pieces of jewelry prepared. I hope you don't mind."
When the box was opened, four necklaces and four rings were neatly placed inside, all inlaid with different gemstones, and the quality was obviously excellent.
Opesa and her two daughters' eyes were suddenly hurt by the flash of the gems.
"Oh, yes, there's this." Henry raised his hand, and a guard came up behind him, carrying a wild pheasant on his shoulder. "I heard that Miss Sinderel is very good at cooking, so I went to the hunting ground early this morning... ahem, and hunted one."
Opesa took the pheasant and almost couldn't hold back her laughter. There were still grass scraps on its wings, clearly it had been taken from the hunting grounds and hadn't been cut at all. It was obvious that she had just bought it in a hurry. But she naturally couldn't let the prince down, so after thanking him, she invited Henry into the house.
The charcoal in the fireplace was burning brightly. Sinderel came out of the kitchen with a bowl of soup and paused.
His eyes were like freshly sharpened swords, piercing straight at Henry who was sitting at the dining table.
"Sinderel, why haven't you changed your clothes yet? Didn't I tell you to stop working?" Opesa walked over to him, pulled off his apron, and gently poked his lower back. "Hurry and salute Prince Henry."
Xindrel lowered his eyes and put the soup bowl on the table: "Your Highness." His voice was as cold as the snowflakes that had just fallen to the ground outside.
Henry's eyes sparkled, not caring at all about his rudeness and shabby old clothes. He stared at Sinderell's cold face, his Adam's apple moving: "Miss Sinderell, that day in the woods..."
"The soup is getting cold." Sinderel interrupted him and looked away.
Opesa secretly kicked his heels and lowered her voice: "Don't be so angry, he is a prince."
Sinderel ignored her and turned back to serve the first dish - cream stewed mushrooms.
He put the plates down with such a loud noise, as if he did it on purpose, that the cutlery on the table shook.
He turned around again, leaving Opesa with a grim expression.
Opesa forced a smile and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, she might be a little shy and her hands are shaking."
The next dish landed on the table, still hitting the table heavily.
Opesa: "Ah... my hands are shaking again, Your Highness, please don't mind..."
The next dish was the same, and even a few drops of soup splashed out of the plate.
Opesha: ...
What the hell is he doing? This is the prince! If the prince gets angry, their whole family will lose their heads.
Fortunately, Henry didn't seem to be someone who held a grudge. Instead, he picked up the cutlery and began to savor the dish that Sinderel served. His eyes widened immediately. "It's delicious. It's even more delicious than what the royal chef in the palace makes."
"Really?" Sinderel put down the plate again and continued with a look of contempt, "Then your chef is really a jerk... Hmm..."
Opesa stepped on the upper of Xindrell's shoe under the table and smiled: "Children can't talk, Your Highness don't need to pay attention to them... By the way, this is a wine that has been treasured in our family for a long time. It's good, but Your Highness can try it."
As she poured the wine, she crushed the upper of Sinderel's shoe, warning him not to talk nonsense.
Henry held out his glass to take the wine and secretly glanced at Sinderell.
Sinderel still had a cold expression on his face, his gaze gradually became sinister, his eyes were filled with ice, and his whole body was filled with coldness.
Like a threat.
He withdrew his gaze in dismay.
How about… taking advantage of the alcohol to speak? Henry stared at the red wine in distress and thought.
He immediately did what he said. He gulped down the wine in one gulp, exhaled, and exclaimed: "This wine is truly excellent!"
Opesa's raised glass froze in mid-air, and she blinked blankly: "Huh?"
Can you taste this...?
But she couldn't possibly question the prince, so she nodded rapidly, "As long as Your Highness likes it."
"Another one!"
"Okay! Dusula, Anastasia, have a drink with His Highness."
…
Henry's ears gradually turned red. He raised his glass, his eyes a little blurry: "Madam, drink too."
Opesa smiled and clinked his glass. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Sinderel's glass hadn't moved. She filled a glass with wine, cupped the rim with her palm, and raised her voice deliberately as she handed it over: "Sinderel, have a drink too."
Sinderel glanced at Henry, who was a little drunk, and raised his glass to take a sip.
As soon as the wine touched his lips, he frowned - this wine was three times stronger than usual, mixed with a sweet floral scent, as if something had been added.
He lowered his eyes to stare at the wine glass, his nails digging into his palms.
——She actually drugged him.
Or maybe he was afraid that Opesha would be kidnapped some time ago, so he bought it from a black market merchant for her to protect herself.
Sure enough, everything had a traceable path. He was still wondering why Opesha could get up so early. It turned out that she got up early to prepare the drugs.
His trust collapsed the moment the wine entered his stomach. He clenched his fists in anger and stared at Opessa in disbelief.
So, this was the purpose of her sudden show of goodwill yesterday?
Use such a shoddy and flawed plan to lure him into the game?
She knew clearly that he could easily identify the taste and ingredients of any food he took, especially drugs - he had been fed too many of them in the trading house when he was a child, so it was impossible for him not to be able to tell the difference.
Her behavior was like a punch that shattered all his filtered dreams.
Like fragile thin ice, it cannot bear heavy objects and will shatter into pieces when touched.
She was determined to save him, give him hope, and then push him back into the hopeless abyss.
"Is it delicious?" she asked, still smiling.
The effect of the drug had already taken effect, and Sinderel scratched himself hard, trying to stay awake.
But his limbs were already beginning to weaken, and he could no longer control them. He struggled to control his heavy hands, put down the wine glass, and said calmly, "Sweet." But the wine glass continued to shake and rolled on the table.
Henry was already a little drunk. He grabbed Sindrel's sleeve and said, "Ms. Sindrel... you're even prettier than I thought."
The effect of the drug was such that only Sinderel's fingers could move with difficulty. He lay on the table, his fingers tightly grasping Opesha, his emerald eyes filled with anger and heartbreak.
Why.
Tell him why.
Why do you do this!
Why let him fall into the swamp of betrayal and despair again, and let his once warm and burning heart, which was beating vigorously, die again?
As long as, as long as she hesitates a little.
He could forgive her.
He could forgive her for everything she had done.
But—the sleeve he had grabbed with great difficulty was gently pulled open.
"Oh, Sinderel, you can't drink much." The woman wiped the corners of her lips with a napkin, her long, upturned eyes narrowing into two cunning crescents. "Really? If you had told me earlier, I wouldn't have poured you a drink."
"It's really a bit bad." Anastasia glanced at the remaining half glass of wine in Sinderel's glass. "He couldn't take it after just a few sips. No wonder he doesn't like going to parties."
"Then..." Dusula looked at Henry who was unconscious and said worriedly, "What about the prince?"
"Let them rest together." Opesa took one last glance at the unconscious Sinderel, and slowly uttered the words from her red lips, "Prince Henry wants to marry Sinderel, and I agree."
"Ah?" The two daughters were shocked. "Cinderella? She never goes out. How could the prince like her?"
Opesa made up an excuse, stood up, and put Henry's arm around her. "Maybe he saw it by accident. Didn't His Royal Highness order products from us last time? It should have been around that time." She pointed at Sinderel with a free finger, "Do me a favor, carry Sinderel to the master bedroom."
Dusula's face was full of reluctance. Anastasia was a little more sensible and after some persuasion, the two of them carried Sinderel to the master bedroom.
After placing the two of them on the bed in the master bedroom, Dusula pressed her hand against his shoulder and complained, "Oh... so heavy! Sinderel looks thin, so how could he be so heavy? And he's unexpectedly tall."
Opesha ignored her complaints and said, "Thank you for your hard work. You can continue to eat."
After sending her two daughters away, Opesa reached into her pocket with her left hand and grasped the cool metal instrument.
She slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, her index finger gently stroking Sindriel's delicate cheek.
The blond boy's face was as pale as paper, his eyebrows were tightly knitted, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, as if he was trapped in endless pain and unable to extricate himself.
"After tonight, you will escape fate and find happiness." She murmured softly, taking out the tools, "and I can leave with peace of mind."
She opened the handcuffs, locked up Sinderel and Henry, and tore Sinderel's clothes open a little to create the illusion that the matter was already settled.
While pulling the clothes, Opesa clearly saw the bulging curve of Sinderel's neck.
Illusion, she thought to herself.
After finishing everything, Opesha turned and left the room.
The guest bedroom on the west side is the farthest away, and you won’t hear any noise.
Back in the restaurant, the two daughters were still discussing Sinderell and Henry.
"Hurry up and eat, the food is getting cold." She sat back at the main seat and picked up her knife and fork. "After you finish eating, you can go out and play. You can come back later tonight, but please be careful."
The two daughters would not refuse permission to go out.
Opesha stayed at home alone all day, paying attention to what was happening in the guest bedroom.
She got up too early in the morning and felt a little tired, so she wanted to take a rest.
In order to ensure that the prince would not dislike her room when he woke up, she gave her room to them. Her two daughters' rooms must be very messy, and the servants' room had not been cleaned for a long time... After thinking about it, Opesa chose to take a rest in Sinderel's room.
She had slept in his bedroom before when she and Sinderel were working on an order together. Although sleeping on the wooden bed made her back sore, she would never sleep in the living room.
It’s usually no big deal, but if my snoring wakes up His Highness, I’ll be worried and anxious again.
Going up the spiral staircase, Opesa pushed open Sinderel's door.
The bedroom was as tidy as ever, the quilt was neatly folded at the head of the bed, the wooden floor was swept clean, and even the work desk, which was most prone to mess, was tidy.
Opesha sat on the old wooden bed and took off her shoes. Just as she was about to get on the bed, her ankle bumped into a protruding hard object.
It didn't hurt, but Opesa still lowered her head to look - where her ankle hit was a box without a lid.
The box was placed under the bed, but not properly placed, with a small edge exposed. It was dark inside and I couldn't see clearly what was inside.
Opesa bent down and reached out to push the box back.
Before she touched the box, she noticed a tuft of something strange - it seemed to be hair.
But why would Sinderel put hair under the bed for no reason?
Could it be that he has the habit of collecting the hair of his dead targets as trophies?
If it was Sinderel, maybe he really had such a fetish...
She felt a chill and simply opened the box - she really didn't want to have so many underworld things in her home.
However, the moment she saw the contents of the box, her spine felt like it was being driven into a knot:
It was filled with all her things.
Hair of varying lengths was carefully tied into a bundle; discarded letter paper was flattened and put together; discarded shirts were neatly folded, with the lipstick marks still on the collar.
Creepy.
She had been living under the watchful eyes of Sinderel, and she had never noticed.
Behind me, someone was leaning against the door frame quietly.
His gaze was glued to her, yet dark and unclear.
In an instant, Opesa felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
His voice was as light as the wind behind my ears.
"...Who are you going to lock up?" His voice was hoarse, "Me, or him?"
"How... did you break free?" She turned her back and pretended to be calm.
"You should know that this can't hold me." He no longer tried to hide his voice, and his body had adapted to the weakness. "In the past, those rusty shackles were even heavier."
"you……"
"So, it's your turn to answer me." He looked at her, his gaze as cold as if he were looking at a stranger. "Are you locking up him or me?"
She still had her back to him and just pushed the box back. "Of course it's you. It's done, the prince has to marry you."
"Even if you lie to me, right?" His voice was very flat, without any emotion.
But hidden behind the words was a tsunami that was enough to drown him.
"Sinderel." Opesa slowly turned around and looked directly at the disheveled Sinderel. "I told you, I don't belong here. I will return to my world."
There were still half shackles hanging on Sinderel's hands, the shackles hanging in the air and swaying.
His wrist was red and swollen, and it was obvious that he had used a lot of strength to break free.
"Is this what you've been working for?" Sinderel stared at her, his back teeth clenched, his Adam's apple rolling against his pale neck. "Disguise yourself as me, contact him, and then give me to him?"
Opesa looked up at the red corners of his eyes - that was the mark that appeared when he was angry.
She could clearly see through his emotions, but she just smiled: "No, Xindrell, you're mistaken. He really did fall in love with you at first sight. That's what he said last time in the woods, but you've hardly seen him, so it's understandable that you don't believe it. Look, that's why you should invite him to dinner. Let him see your cooking skills, and then let you two get along for a while. Maybe you'll fall in love with each other right away."
Sindriel's pupils shrank to the size of needles. He stared at Opessa's smile, a sour feeling rising in his throat.
She had already planned it out.
She kept saying that she would not abandon him, but in the end she still pushed him somewhere else.
He remembered how she brought him hot Mapo Tofu the morning before yesterday and said, "I did what I promised you"; he remembered how she squatted at his door wrapped in a cloak on a snowy night last time and said through her breath, "But, I need you."
It turns out that all that temperature was paving the way for today?
"Tsk..." He couldn't help but sneer, "You're going to end up like that man, right?" His eyes were red. "He plotted against me, used me, betrayed me, and finally killed me."
"You are my daughter, Sinderel." Opesa interrupted him, "I want him to be responsible for you. The prince's engagement can protect you from being targeted by the Pace Trading Company."
"What about you?" Xindrell tilted his head and asked her, as if asking himself, "Why can't you protect me?"
Opesa's throat suddenly choked.
She looked at his bloodshot eyes and remembered the same look in his eyes when he carried her drunkenly home in the greenhouse that day - as if he wanted to rub her into his bones and blood, but was afraid of breaking her.
She didn't dare to look at him again and turned away: "Of course I will protect you until the day you become the prince's consort..."
With the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, she was forced to the edge of the bed.
He suddenly grabbed her hand, tore off his clothes, and pressed her hand against his heart.
The sound of her heartbeat was as fast as a drum, passing through her burning skin. Opesa froze and tried to pull her hand away, but he held her tighter.
The position is placed squarely on the chest, which is flat, with smooth lines of strong muscles.
He guided her hand slowly upwards until it rested on the raised lump in the center of her neck.
Obvious masculine characteristics.
This time, it was not an illusion, but a real feeling.
Sinderel is a man.
This truth instantly excited Opesha: "How is it possible... You are my daughter, you are Sinderel..."
Sinderel leaned over again and pressed her against the head of the bed.
"Mother," he said, his Adam's apple rolling naturally, "...I don't want to act anymore."
After saying this, he shook his head in denial and stared into Opesha's pupils: "No, we will no longer be 'mother and daughter', nor 'mother and son'."
"Jian Yue." He pronounced the uncommon syllables that he had practiced countless times in private. "From now on, I will just be me, and you will just be you."
He leaned closer to Opesha's face, and his eyes couldn't help but fall on her red lips.
Their breaths intertwined within the close proximity, and he greedily breathed in everything about her, wishing he could eat her up completely.
"I can't hold it back anymore, Opesha." Sinderel's breathing was ragged. He looked at Opesha's face right before him and suddenly laughed, a laugh uglier than crying. "Do you know how much I want to kill you, and how much I want to kill the guy who just slept with me?"
"Sinderel..."
"Shh." His fingertips touched her lips softly, and he couldn't help pressing them again, "I know you don't love me, and you won't love me."
"So I figured it out." He smiled bleakly, his tone flat. "I figured it out. Kill him and put the blame on Pace Trading Company. That way, you won't be able to leave in peace."
Opesa lunged forward and grabbed his wrist, "You're crazy! This is the prince!"
If they are discovered, they will definitely die!
"I've always been crazy." Sinderel's voice was like ice. "You should have known better."
Opesa's pupils suddenly constricted. She was about to speak when Sinderel's fingers had unshackled the shackles and handcuffed her before she could react.
With a "click", the lock closed and the other end was handcuffed to the head of the bed.
The tables were turned, she was the prisoner in chains, and he was the mad dog guarding the cell.
His bony fingertips dug into her jaw, forcing her jawbone upwards and forcing her to face him.
Perhaps it was due to her excitement, but the fragrance from her body became stronger, almost a lethal dose that invaded his nostrils, stimulating all his repressed and morbid thoughts. Even his fingers became rough, deliberately hurting her and appreciating the slight twitching between her eyebrows.
But soon, the slight ripple between his brows was replaced by calmness.
He hated her.
He hated this calm face, hated the way she refused to show weakness even when in pain, and hated even more the twisted and crazy look in her calm eyes at this moment.
"Opesha." He couldn't take his eyes off her face. Even though he was heartbroken by her betrayal, he still longed for her.
"Want to spare his life?" Their eyes met, and he moved closer uncontrollably, speaking in a bewitching tone he had never used before.
“…” She was silent.
His thumb gently rubbed the red fingerprint. "Pleasure me." But the ending tone was indifferent. "Perhaps I will let him go."
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