“~Hmm~”
Victor’s face contorted in shock as he peeked through the bookshelves. The scene before him was utterly unexpected….. a boy with bluish-black hair kissing a girl with bright yellow hair.
“Brother…” Selene mumbled her voice barely a whisper as she mirrored Victor’s shock. She, too, had caught a glimpse of the intimate moment. Her eyes widened, reflecting a mix of disbelief and confusion.
’Have I seen her before….?’ Victor pondered, his expression growing serious. The girl seemed vaguely familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place her.
“~hmm~”
The sound of their escalating intimacy broke through Victor’s thoughts. Instinctively, he covered Selene’s eyes. He pulled her back gently, not wanting her to see any more.
“I-I can’t believe this is happening…” Selene stammered, her voice tinged with disbelief and a deep sadness. Her expression twisted with pain, her eyes reflecting her inner turmoil.
“I-I thought he would at least be loyal to Princess Aqualina, but…” Her voice trailed off, and her sadness morphed into anger, “First, he betrayed my friend, hurting her deeply, all because our father found him a better match. And now…
He’s kissing an unknown girl behind his fiancée’s back. Truly repulsive!” Her voice grew harsher, almost as if she might retch, but Victor’s steady presence helped her maintain her composure.
Victor…. Well, he never imagined Kai would act on his own without any prompting from his father. ’It seems the boy is growing up… but in the worst possible way,’ he mused silently, glancing back to observe the scene.
The couple’s fervent kiss seemed to escalate both sucking each other’s tongues with quite eager expressions.
“W-What should I do?” Selene asked Victor, her voice quivering with uncertainty.
Should she tell Princess Aqualina about this betrayal?….
Or should she stay silent and protect her brother, despite his obvious wrongdoing?
She knew her brother was wrong, but he was still her brother…. As she wrestled with her emotions…. Suddenly something popped into her mind… a cunning idea formed in her mind.
’S-Should I blackmail him?’ The thought was tempting, almost intoxicating.
She could use this information as leverage to gain ownership over Aether. Her lips curled into a sly smile as she entertained the idea, ’Not bad… brother, you’re inadvertently working hard for your sister’s sake…’ She chuckled inwardly. Just as she was about to put her plan into action,
“Ahem!”
The sound snapped Selene out of her thoughts, and she turned to see… “P-Princess?” she blinked, her voice shaky with surprise. It was as if she couldn’t believe her eyes, unsure if she was seeing the real Aqualina or if her mind was playing tricks on her.
“Yes?” Aqualina nodded, her gaze briefly flicking to Victor, who had stepped away from Selene and was now pretending to read a book, seemingly indifferent to the unfolding drama.
“I-Is something the matter?” Selene stammered, trying desperately to block the view of the scene behind her. Her heart raced, knowing that if Aqualina saw what was happening, her plan totally fucked up.
Aqualina frowned, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly. “I could ask you the same, ’Is something the matter?’” she repeated, her tone carrying a hint of suspicion.
“H-Huh? Of course not! Princess Aqualina” Selene exclaimed…. no, more like a bit too loudly.
She was determined to keep the secret, at least long enough to figure out her next move. Losing this opportunity to gain leverage over her brother was not an option.
Meanwhile, the couple behind them remained blissfully unaware of the brewing storm, lost in their own world as they continued to kiss passionately, seemingly oblivious to everything else.
’IDIOT!’ Selene screamed inwardly, feeling a surge of frustration. Aqualina, noticing Selene’s odd behaviour, raised an eyebrow. The princess was no fool; she could sense that something was amiss. “Anyway, let me through; I need to get some books,” she said, moving to step past Selene.
“P-princess, there’s something I need help with. Could you please assist me?” Selene asked, her voice filled with desperation.
She needed to buy more time, to somehow divert Aqualina’s attention away from the compromising situation behind her.
Victor, watching the scene unfold, couldn’t help but grin inwardly. He sensed an opportunity brewing, one that could play to his advantage.
This was a chance he could not afford to let slip through his fingers…. He soon going to get the Princess!
Aqualina’s frown deepened at Selene’s erratic behaviour, ’Something is definitely off…’ she thought, growing more suspicious. With a determined expression, she pushed Selene aside, ignoring her pleas.
“W-Wait!”
But Selene’s desperate cry fell on deaf ears as Aqualina stepped forward and…
“~hmmm~”
She stood frozen, her eyes widening in disbelief as she took in the sight of Kai and the unknown girl locked in a fervent embrace, kissing with a passion that left no room for doubt.
Aqualina’s face remained unreadable, her expression carefully controlled.
Selene, on the other hand, gritted her teeth, feeling her carefully laid plans went hell!
Victor, now thoroughly engrossed, watched with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation. He was eager to see how this situation would unfold.
The drama, however, was far from over…
“Sel!!”
Selene flinched at the sharp call, turning to see…. Lia approaching.
Lia looked annoyed, her brow furrowed in irritation, “Do you know where Aether is?” she asked, her voice tinged with frustration. She had been searching for him after he mysteriously disappeared, leaving her to manage a complex situation alone….. An Oscar-level performance to trick Raven… which somehow worked to her surprise.
Caught off guard, Selene hesitated, then raised her hand toward Victor, who immediately coughed to draw her attention. His subtle signal snapped her out of her confusion, “Ahem, Aether? He’s currently busy outside, buying a few things,” she relayed smoothly, repeating exactly what Victor had telepathically communicated to her.
Lia sighed, clearly exasperated. “Well, let me know when he returns…” she said, her tone resigned as she turned to leave.
Both Victor and Selene let out a breath of relief, thinking they had narrowly avoided another crisis. However,
“Aqualina?” Lia suddenly noticed the princess standing eerily still, her back to them, and her demeanour unnervingly calm.
’Fuck!’
’Shit!’
Both Victor and Selene cursed inwardly, realizing that the situation had just taken a critical turn for the worse.
Even Victor, who didn’t care for Kai… felt a pang of pity for Him.
His Ex, His current Fiancé… Really bad situation.
Selene tried to intercept Lia, but the latter, like Aqualina, sensed something was wrong. Ignoring Selene’s weak attempts to block her path, Lia pushed her aside and stepped closer to the scene.
“What’s going o…” Her words trailed off as she froze, her mouth dropping open in shock. There, in plain view, was Kai, deeply engrossed in a passionate kiss with an unknown girl.
Lia, unable to contain her reaction, looked from Aqualina to Kai and….. back again, her face a picture of disbelief.
Finally, she burst into laughter, a mix of incredulity and amusement, “You’re being cucked by some random girl… Pffftttt….” she nearly doubled over, struggling to contain her laughter. Her reaction snapped Aqualina out of her stunned silence.
Not only snapped Aqualina but also the love birds who were in their world snapped back.
Aqualina glanced at Lia, who wore a pitiful yet amused expression.
Lia patted Aqualina’s shoulder, attempting to console her but failing to suppress her giggles. “Be strong… Pfffttt…” she mumbled, her amusement barely contained.
Never in her wildest dreams had Lia imagined seeing her once-rival Aqualina in such a compromising and humiliating situation…. just like her.
Explore new worlds at freewebnovel
The irony was almost too much to bear!
Victor and Selene were surprised by Lia’s reaction, ’Looks like she really moved on…’ they thought in unison…. Just seeing her expression, they could understand Lia didn’t even care for Kai’s actions.
’This is what they call karma…’ Lia thought, her gaze shifting from Aqualina to the unfortunate couple….. She felt oddly fortunate, having escaped such a public disgrace herself.
As for Aqualina, her fiancé kissing another girl was a sight that would haunt her. Lia could only silently pray for Aqualina’s shattered heart, though the situation also amused her greatly.
Aqualina’s lips twitched as she brushed Lia’s hand off and stepped forward with measured deliberate steps.
Meanwhile, Kai’s face drained of colour.
He felt as though he was about to cut off… like a chicken! His body trembling with fear and guilt… The girl with yellow hair, her face paling, clung to Kai’s shirt, her eyes wide with fear.
Aqualina stood before them, her gaze piercing as she looked the girl over, noting her twin braids, ’She… looks familiar,’ Aqualina thought, her brow furrowing, ’Isn’t she one of the girls who teamed up with Kai during the Capture the Flag event?’ Recognition flickered in her eyes.
Just then, Kai stepped forward, placing himself protectively in front of the trembling girl. Noticing his movement, Aqualina snapped out of her reverie. Just as Kai opened his mouth to speak, to offer some kind of explanation or….. apology,
“A-Aqualina, I-it’s not…” he began, but Aqualina’s attention had already shifted. She turned her head to the side, her eyes scanning the bookshelves as if searching for something specific.
Ignoring Kai’s desperate attempt to explain, Aqualina calmly perused the books, her demeanour cool and collected.
Kai’s face fell, the realization of her indifference hitting him hard.
“…”
After what felt like an eternity, Aqualina spoke, but “Ah! I found it,” she said softly, pulling a book from the shelf. She turned to leave, her expression serene, as if the whole situation had not affected her in the slightest.
Seeing Aqualina not even glancing in his direction, Kai’s face drained of colour, his expression one of sheer terror, “P-Princess—” he began, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and uncertainty.
Aqualina, without turning around, halted in her tracks and said, “You have the freedom to do whatever you want; no one is going to control your life….”
Kai’s heart skipped a beat at her words. Relief washed over him like a tidal wave. He exhaled deeply, a mix of gratitude and disbelief in his eyes… feeling that he had found an understanding woman. He was truly grateful that Aqualina was taking this lightly and hadn’t made a mess out of it.
“A-Aqualina…” he began, his voice filled with tentative hope, ’If she is okay with this, then I have both of them… even Lia’ he thought.
His heart melted once more for her….
However,
Aqualina continued, her voice taking a cold, indifferent voice, “Let me remind you… Just like you, I also have my freedom. As the future Empress, I could have as many consorts as I desire… I hope you understand that,” she said, her tone chillingly calm. Without another word, she walked away, leaving Kai and the girl standing there in stunned silence.
“…” He was beyond shocked and his world shattered.