A Sweet Girl Won't Be Fooled By The Villainess - [Vol. 2] Chapter 29
[Vol. 2] Chapter 29: It’s Free
After saying these words, Ifia felt a bit embarrassed and wanted to release the hand she was holding with Amelia. Although she just wanted to amaze Amelia, the sensation of presenting herself as a gift felt a bit shameful.
/(//•/w/•//)/
However, before Ifia could let go, Amelia raised her hand and covered Ifia’s hand back, preventing her from retracting the gesture. The two continued to maintain their intimately close proximity. Amelia chuckled lightly, intentionally getting closer. The strap of her dress couldn’t withstand the surging waves, pressing against Ifia, and the soft touch was vivid, causing Ifia’s cheeks to instantly turn crimson.
Ifia’s eyes flickered, trying to pretend indifference, but the blush spreading across her face revealed otherwise. She became as red as a boiled shrimp or a tantalizing red apple.
Amelia lowered her gaze, observing the blush on Ifia’s neck. She wondered if continuing to tease Ifia would make her roar like an angry little beast, and then impulsively pounce, biting into her.
If leaving marks on Ifia’s body was the outcome, Amelia wouldn’t mind. It would add a touch of intrigue. Amelia, feeling a bit soft-hearted, whispered softly in Ifia’s ear, “It’s my honor.”
After saying this, Amelia raised her hand and gently removed the black veil hat from Ifia’s head.
The next moment, when Amelia saw Ifia’s face hidden under the black veil, a momentary pause appeared in the smile at the corner of her mouth. Her purple eyes instantly deepened, as if precisely targeting prey. The demon’s wicked nature erupted at this moment, and the desire to plunder was shouting incessantly. Amelia quickly closed her eyes, steadied her emotions, and when she opened her eyes again, her purple gaze returned to clarity.
Words can hardly describe Ifia’s cuteness. Even the demon couldn’t resist being moved. In the next moment, Amelia put the black veil hat back on Ifia’s head. Facing Ifia’s curious gaze when she looked up, Amelia smiled. She then offered an explanation, “I don’t want others to see the adorable Ifia like this!”
Her precious treasure, she naturally wanted to protect it well. If she encountered anyone else trying to peek at her treasure, she couldn’t help but want to kill them!
Thinking of this, Amelia lowered her head to kiss Ifia’s forehead with devotion. This intimate gesture caught Ifia off guard for a moment, but she quickly reacted, feeling somewhat shy yet holding onto Amelia’s arm even more tightly. She then expressed a bit of regret, saying, “I spent so long doing my makeup! It’s a pity to keep it covered all the time.”
“After the banquet, come stay at my place!”
“Ah? But my internship at the church hasn’t finished yet, and I need to go back to continue working.”
Hearing Amelia’s suggestion to stay overnight, Ifia felt tempted, but then she thought about her internship at the church. She sighed helplessly, there were only five days left. Perseverance is victory!
Upon hearing Ifia’s response, Amelia raised an eyebrow in surprise and then reminded her, “Ifia, as a duke’s daughter, I have the authority to let you end your internship early.”
“……”
Ifia’s expression froze, clearly not having anticipated this. Privileges and such were things from her past life. Ifia is adaptable, having grown accustomed to living as a commoner. But now it seemed that having privileges was quite enjoyable!
“So, I don’t have to intern anymore?”
“That’s right.”
After hearing Amelia’s affirmative answer, Ifia was overjoyed. If it weren’t for the crowded banquet, she would have been excitedly jumping around to celebrate her departure from the internship.
Although working in the confessional at the church allows Ifia to hear many peculiar secrets, once it becomes associated with her work, it becomes agonizing. Especially when she can’t see Amelia at the church, making her strangely miss her.
Seeing Ifia so happy at this moment, Amelia couldn’t help but contemplate whether she should bring her back sooner. However, thinking about Ifia’s evasive behavior before going to intern at the church, Amelia couldn’t help but smile, thinking it’s never too late.
As Ifia happily clung to Amelia, they unknowingly walked to the central area of the banquet. The men and women standing around were all influential figures. Compared to other chatting nobles, they were much quieter, occasionally exchanging a few words and mostly silently sipping their wine.
However, this tranquility was quickly shattered when the king, accompanied by Prince Carloy, arrived. Several seemingly older high-ranking nobles approached, respectfully conversing with the king. Even though Ifia didn’t get close, she could tell they were showering the king with various compliments. Because of the vivid memories from the immersive plot fragments, Ifia even knew what the king would say next.
To demonstrate her impressive memory, Ifia pulled Amelia closer.
?Carloy is still very young and needs some experience before shouldering heavy responsibilities. As his elders, you can naturally point out his shortcomings without being constrained by formalities.?
Sure enough, it’s this line!
Upon hearing the information she wanted to know, Ifia suddenly felt very comfortable. With a childish appearance, Amelia silently observed Ifia and couldn’t resist reaching out to pat her head.
So cute!
Ifia didn’t resist Amelia’s gentle touch. However, she suddenly remembered that after the king uttered this line, he immediately summoned the prince to find the still absent Amelia. Later, they found Amelia talking to someone in the garden… And now, Amelia was right beside her. Did that mean she had to make way for Prince Carloy? Ah, she definitely didn’t want that!
Perhaps Ifia’s facial expressions were too vivid, even with the black veil covering her face. She couldn’t escape Amelia’s eyes. Amelia asked with curiosity, “Ifia, what’s happening?”
Hearing Amelia’s voice, Ifia gently tugged at her arm. In the close proximity with Amelia, Ifia expressed her displeasure in a soft voice, “Next, the king will definitely send Prince Carloy to find you. I don’t want him to disturb us!”
Ifia’s words carried a hint of petulance, quite rebellious in the strictly hierarchical Sith Empire. However, standing beside Ifia was the even more rebellious Amelia. Upon hearing Ifia’s reluctance, Amelia mimicked her, leaning close and whispering, “It won’t happen.”
“???”
Ifia widened her eyes in confusion, looking at Amelia without understanding why she was so confident. At this moment, after the king and Prince Carloy had finished their conversation, the prince maintained a fake smile on his face, but his blue eyes revealed dissatisfaction and anger. He walked towards Amelia.
It seemed that he was following the orders of the king to have Amelia socialize with other nobles. Externally, they wanted to show that the relationship between the Duke and the royal family was very harmonious and friendly. However, before Prince Carloy could take a few steps, a deep voice resounded, “Respected King, my apologies for being late.”
Upon hearing this voice, Prince Carloy quickly halted and silently retreated to his original position. The king did not blame him for this and instead approached with a smiling face.
“Tarolin, it’s been a while, and you’re still so full of vitality.”
“Oh, not at all. I’ve become quite tanned from the wind and sun.”
While King and the newcomer were in conversation, Ifia curiously peered over and immediately guessed the person’s identity upon seeing the silver short hair, similar to Amelia’s. It was Amelia’s father, Duke Barlen!
In contrast to Amelia’s fair skin, Duke Barlen had a healthy wheat-colored complexion, complementing his robust and handsome face. This attracted the attention of many noble ladies who discreetly observed while using their fans to cover half of their faces, their eyes fixated on this side.
Indeed, attractive people, regardless of age, always managed to draw people’s attention. As Ifia silently marveled, Duke Barlen had already exchanged pleasantries with the King for a while. When their conversation reached a suitable point, they finally delved into the main topic.
“Tarolin, does the new route you’ve opened up lead to the Taric Kingdom?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Even I didn’t expect it to go so smoothly!”
Despite discussing the Duke Barlen’s new trade route, he seemed to have no intention of hiding anything. His tone remained unchanged, and there was visible excitement on his face when talking about the new route.
And indeed, there was cause for excitement.
Even though the education standards in the Taric Kingdom were not up to par, and the nation prioritized martial prowess, the country was abundant in coffee and gold. Despite the prevalence of barbarism and violence, Taric placed little value on these precious commodities.
Instead, they used them to exchange for goods such as cloth and food. Therefore, although the trade route took several months for a round trip, the profits gained were remarkable.
However, such substantial profits were bound to attract envy. Duke Barlen understood that he needed partners at this point. Rather than facing the pressure and danger alone, it was more prudent to share the burden with others. The top choice was naturally the royal family. This collaboration not only helped avoid many troubles but also prevented suspicions from the royal family, who often doubted his motives and feared he might have ambitions for power and usurpation.
Heaven knows, all he wanted was to make money, and he had no interest in becoming a king busy with political affairs every day. However, the members of the royal family seemed naturally suspicious, always guarding against him like he was a wolf. To make matters worse, he had to arrange a marriage between his beloved Amelia and the prince. It was unbearable. Just look at that useless Carloy, does he even deserve it? He couldn’t compare to even a little finger of Amelia, let alone marrying her.
With these thoughts in mind, Duke Barlen wore a radiant smile on his face. Without waiting for the King to speak, he took the initiative to offer benefits, “Your Majesty, regarding the operation of the new trade route, I need a strong partner. I wonder if the royal family is willing to collaborate? We can discuss the distribution of profits in detail.”
Although he was proactively presenting benefits, he couldn’t allow himself to be manipulated by the other party. The King, rather than being angered by Duke Barlen’s request, was pleased with the Duke’s frankness. The King’s face lit up, and he expressed his satisfaction with several words.
“Your Majesty, to demonstrate the success of the new route, this upcoming voyage can include up to ten nobles to explore the exotic scenery together. However, arranging this has posed a difficulty for me.”
While the profits from the new trade route were shared with the royal family, it wasn’t the end, some benefits had to be given to other noble families as well. This was to prevent them from keeping a close eye on Duke Barlen’s residence for any trivial reason. However, with many wolves and little meat, it would depend on who brought out more chips in the end.
“Oh, in that case, why not conduct a direct auction while there are many people present!” suggested the King.
“Let’s follow Your Majesty’s suggestion.”
While Duke Barlen and the King were discussing matters, Amelia approached Ifia and spoke with a seductive tone, “Ifia, would you like to embark on an exotic journey? It’s free, you know!”