LIGHTNOVELSTORY chapter 36
36. The Princess is Really Bad
“You seem really happy, Princess. What good thing happened? Tell me quickly, or I’ll have to amuse myself with you. For example, I could tell the world that the real you is already dead, and the current you is a fake.”
When Noah’s malicious voice, which couldn’t be distinguished whether he was serious or just teasing, sounded behind her, Valentina immediately lost the slight interest she had in Prince Mori. She quickly turned around to look in the direction of the voice.
At the end of the spacious and bright corridor, only the place where the evil god stood was filled with a sense of eeriness that was out of place with the surrounding environment.
The eerie young man, whose upper face couldn’t be identified, had a playful smile on his lips, with an unknown mix of seriousness and mockery, existing there like a shadow.
Even though he took the initiative to speak to Valentina, the two guards standing nearby didn’t react at all, as if he didn’t actually exist there.
Normally, an ordinary person would find such an eerie man terrifying.
But Valentina felt relieved to see that figure again after a week, and her expression almost softened.
However, quickly realizing that doing so would make it seem like she was looking forward to meeting the evil god, the princess tightened her face into a serious expression and retorted to the evil god who treated her like a toy:
“Until just now, good things had indeed been happening. After all, who wouldn’t be happy not seeing an evil god doing whatever he wants for a week? Unfortunately, it seems that the happy times have come to an end.”
—
Valentina feigned calmness as she actively walked towards Noah, deliberately lamenting her misfortune, exuding an attitude that seemed to wish Noah would simply disappear and never reappear before her.
This was, of course, a lie; in truth, she felt much more at ease upon seeing Noah.
Yet she believed that revealing her true feelings would only invite Noah’s ridicule, so she opted for a tsundere-like demeanor instead.
“Eh? Princess Valentina, what did you just say? We’re terribly sorry, we were a bit lost in thought and didn’t catch that.”
The first to react to Valentina’s behavior were not Noah, but the two armed guards stationed nearby.
They had vaguely heard Valentina’s voice from a distance but couldn’t see who she was speaking to, so they mistakenly thought she was addressing them, and quickly inquired with apologetic expressions about the princess’s meaning.
One could say that these guards, assigned to watch the palace, were quite adept at handling such situations. They knew the issue lay in the distance, yet they insisted it was their own distraction. Such emotional intelligence was something those poor guards patrolling under the blazing sun outside could never learn.
Even the picky Noah would give them high praise.
“…It’s nothing, just my own musings. I appreciate your hard work standing guard. As a member of the royal family, I’m grateful for your efforts. Please continue to maintain your vigilance; after all, we never know when an uninvited guest might appear.”
Having grown accustomed to playing tricks, Noah quickly realized that only he could see Noah at that moment, so Valentina didn’t feel too embarrassed.
Instead, she adopted the graceful and composed demeanor befitting a princess, flashing a smile akin to that of a professional idol at the two dedicated guards.
However, as she spoke, Valentina brushed aside a silvery strand of hair that had slipped from her ear, her lips curling into a smile as her gaze turned towards Noah, who was standing right between the two guards.
It was as if she were about to name him directly, but Noah merely smiled nonchalantly in response.
This princess truly had a way with words, but if he were to force his way in, it was clear that no matter how dedicated and cautious these two guards were, it would be of no use.
So it was obvious she was teasing him.
“Yes! We will not let Your Highness and His Majesty down! To receive your praise is our utmost honor!”
Unaware of the underlying joke, the two guards simply believed that the most approachable member of the royal family, Valentina, was showing concern for them. They immediately straightened their already upright postures and saluted her, their expressions brimming with excitement as if they had received an honor.
Little did they know, they were merely tools for Valentina to tease Noah.
In a sense, the princess, who failed to realize that her actions could be quite hurtful, clearly showed signs of descending into a bad woman.
Noah, who observed all of this, simply smiled mysteriously, making no unnecessary moves as he turned to leave, heading towards the palace exit.
Eh? Why does the evil god seem so unusually quiet today? Could it be that he’s been taken aback by my exquisite rhetoric?
Hooray! Finally managed to surprise him once!
Seeing Noah rendered speechless by her antics, the princess felt a rare sense of victory and was immensely pleased, though she still managed to maintain her royal image, suppressing her smile as she elegantly walked past the two excited guards.
Ultimately, she ‘disappeared alone’ into the distance, under the watchful eyes of the two guards.
Once Valentina had followed Noah away, the remaining guards, still standing at their posts, couldn’t help but glance at each other and strike up a conversation, their excitement bubbling over.
“Wow, Princess Valentina is truly something! Not only does she have a pitifully beautiful appearance, but her strong and approachable personality has made me fall for her all over again!”
“Haha, I’ve actually been a fan of Princess Valentina for a long time! But I feel like she’s matured quite a bit recently. Could it be that she’s in love? After all, isn’t love a part of growing up?”
“Is that true? Who’s the lucky guy? He better be quite an exceptional man, or I won’t accept it!”
“How would I know? But he must be impressive, considering he’s the man chosen by Princess Valentina.”
The two excited guards chatted happily, completely forgetting that they were still on duty.
—
Mainly, it was fine to slack off at work, but coincidentally, the boss happened to overhear.
“The guards of the palace shouldn’t be discussing such topics, right? What’s this? You two are so excited about being praised by the royal family. Should I also come and compliment you?”
A rather frivolous female voice came from the direction Valentina had walked from. The moment the two guards heard that voice, they quickly shut their mouths and hurriedly apologized, fearing they would be targeted.
“We’re very sorry! Princess Dilia! It was our fault for speaking out of turn!”
“Hmph, just know that. Don’t let me hear you discussing such things again.”
The beautiful woman referred to as Dilia snorted coldly and ignored the two insignificant figures, turning to walk deeper into the palace.
“…That annoying Valentina is actually in a relationship? Hmph, what a perfect opportunity to completely deal with her. Hehe, I can’t wait to see that loser’s pathetic defeat~”
Just thinking about her sister, whom she had long found displeasing, failing miserably made Dilia, the kingdom’s first princess with her dazzling golden wavy hair, cover her mouth with her hand to stifle her malicious grin.
It seemed she had finally caught the chance to utterly crush Valentina!
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