Chapter 229
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Ophelia regretted her rash actions after she cleared her throat.
She really hated her own special brand of recklessness that she couldn't seem to get rid of – mainly because there wasn't any need for her to, but she always felt a form of regret after she did it.
Even though she resolved herself not to do it next time, because there were no consequences to hold her back, she made the same mistake time and time again.
She'd been filled with humiliation at her social faux pas yesterday, and further egged on when she saw his reactions in the Cookie Sect café, but she hadn't thought about how to coerce him into keeping silent either.
She'd rashly made her way to the bookstore to get him to shut up, but how was she going to do that without resorting to violence?
What if he didn't know that she was the princess?
That led her to another dilemma – if she hinted at it even slightly, then wasn't she just setting herself up again?
There was a sense of frustration and anger building up in her the more she felt stifled.
But it was too late for her to take her actions back now. She'd already caught his attention.
Those deep blue eyes were locked onto her face, and she could feel the awkward atmosphere that was shared between them when he realized it was her.
"How may I help you, miss?" Alec asked politely.
Ophelia floundered for something to say.
"What's your name?" she blurted instead, and she could have killed herself for just blurting that out.
Didn't this make it seem like she was hitting on him?!
After she – she bought that book yesterday as well! Ophelia screamed inside.
Sure enough, the man's smile took on a distinctly more awkward angle, as if he didn't know how to refuse her advances.
Ahhh! She screamed in her mind. Her mouth always got her into the stickiest situations!
Ophelia felt like throwing down her fan and just storming out, but she didn't want to make her impression any worse.
How else was she going to keep him silent?
"My name is Alexander Bright," Alec said, ignoring Ye Sha's snickering.
Ye Sha could have wept with gratefulness for all the laughs he was getting from this. This female was so funny!
He thought that she would order some people to 'take care' of Alec, but instead, she was acting like a bumbling, clumsy buffoon in front of them.
Ophelia cleared her throat. "This lady is called Ophelia," she said simply. She struggled with how to phrase what she wanted to say. "This… yesterday…"
Alec blinked his blue eyes, tilting his head in confusion. "Yesterday? Did we meet yesterday, Lady Ophelia?"
Ophelia instantly felt a surge of relief. So that was how he was going to play it, huh?
He was pretty smart; she gave him that!
If it didn't work, she would eventually have killed him off, despite how he was the talk of the city.
She liked a smart man who knew how to please her.
Alright. She'd decided. She'd give him a chance to woo her, even if he wasn't up to her usual standards.
Ophelia seemed to have shrugged off whatever humiliation she felt when she confirmed that Alec would not go around blabbing a lady's secret, regaining her dignity.
In the first place, it wasn't like she had really read that book!
Ophelia fanned her face, leaning down on the counter a little, something that made her cleavage more noticeable, but Alec's eyes didn't once dip down lower than her face.
She was mildly impressed by how gentlemanly he acted, unlike those nobles that pretentiously acted as if they were so gentlemanly when everyone knew that inside, they were salivating over women like the lowest class of commoners.
"This lady will graciously allow you to take me on a date," Ophelia generously said, shooting him her prettiest smile.
She was confident that he'd cave.
There was a faint trace of surprise on Alec's face before he smoothened it over, and he bowed to her, looking apologetic.
"My apologies, Lady Ophelia, I'm afraid that wouldn't be very proper of me."
Ophelia stiffened, then pouted, but found herself intrigued in spite of herself.
To think that he could resist a beautiful fairy-like lady like herself asking him out on a date.
She'd already made a large concession by allowing him to take her out, but he refused?!
The princess was insulted, but she was also interested. His manners were so polite, and the way that he bowed painted a graceful arch that many in their circles couldn't pull off.
He wasn't like any other man she'd met before, and it was definitely intrigue that was swimming in her veins right now.
Was he really a commoner?
He must be. But, why would a noble work in a bookstore like this of all places?
All the other commoners that Ophelia had taken a fancy to never displayed such actions or grace even once, and those nobles who displaced good etiquette and grace didn't have such a personality.
Alexander was like a mass of contradictory things, and Ophelia was unwillingly drawn in, like a moth drawn to flame.
What was it about him that had drawn in drawn in so many of her fellow noblewomen? Ophelia felt as if she was on the verge of discovering something new. It gave her a thrill like never before.
While Ophelia would normally have exploded in anger after someone rejected her, Alexander was only tactfully doing so because of how she'd embarrassed herself, being polite.
Strange feelings started stirring within her, and she bit her lip.
They were feelings that she'd never felt before, and she didn't know what they were.
It felt like her chest was a bit stuffy, but she also felt as if there was something refreshing squirming about. It didn't feel bad.
She didn't press her luck and instead gracefully bid him farewell, shooting him pouting glances, that he pretended not to see as he sent her off politely.
It just made her more determined to up her advances. She didn't believe that she couldn't get him on her arm.
The bell chimed signifying the door closing, as if that was the signal, Ye Sha started breaking out in full laughter, much to Alec's annoyance.
Now that he'd personally witnessed the princess' actions and the way she reacted, he now had a better understanding of her personality, and would be able to finetune his plans.
Alec's eyes glinted coldly.
He could see that she'd been planning on doing away with him if she didn't get confirmation that he wouldn't leak out what she'd done yesterday.
No wonder no one ever heard about the men that she'd gotten rid of.
Alec had to amend his plans.
They were probably all dead already, which was why they hadn't been able to find any information about them after they parted from the princess.
What Alec was more interested in was how the princess never had any rumours about what she was doing.
There were probably the Rhys Royal Family's prints all over that.
Ophelia was probably planning on coming back to look for him tomorrow, but little did she know that Alec had no plans on being around for the day.
The little game of push and pull would be infinitely more interesting to her than her usual conquests.
Alec gave a little scornful laugh and continued reading the book that he'd picked up.
The princess' intentions were as clear as day. He didn't know if it was because she was so sheltered that she never needed to wear a mask to hide her intentions, but she really shouldn't broadcast her thoughts like that blatantly on her face.
Still, this game was more interesting to him than he thought.
Perhaps it had to do with the subtle art of manipulation and chance that caught his interest. It wasn't something that one could win by using sheer effort alone.
Effort, luck and chance. None of these could be missing.
Ye Sha shivered a little as he saw the smile on Alec's face, feeling like the princess had awoken a monster in his friend.
Goodness forbid that he used this on some unsuspecting woman.
Ye Sha paused.
Wait a second. He should use it on Elysia, right?!
Now that he thought about it, what was Alec doing?
He'd finally found The One, but they were instead seducing some other woman instead of The One.
Alec would have started chasing Ye Sha to beat him up if he knew about his thoughts.
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Ophelia regretted her rash actions after she cleared her throat.
She really hated her own special brand of recklessness that she couldn't seem to get rid of – mainly because there wasn't any need for her to, but she always felt a form of regret after she did it.
Even though she resolved herself not to do it next time, because there were no consequences to hold her back, she made the same mistake time and time again.
She'd been filled with humiliation at her social faux pas yesterday, and further egged on when she saw his reactions in the Cookie Sect café, but she hadn't thought about how to coerce him into keeping silent either.
She'd rashly made her way to the bookstore to get him to shut up, but how was she going to do that without resorting to violence?
What if he didn't know that she was the princess?
That led her to another dilemma – if she hinted at it even slightly, then wasn't she just setting herself up again?
There was a sense of frustration and anger building up in her the more she felt stifled.
But it was too late for her to take her actions back now. She'd already caught his attention.
Those deep blue eyes were locked onto her face, and she could feel the awkward atmosphere that was shared between them when he realized it was her.
"How may I help you, miss?" Alec asked politely.
Ophelia floundered for something to say.
"What's your name?" she blurted instead, and she could have killed herself for just blurting that out.
Didn't this make it seem like she was hitting on him?!
After she – she bought that book yesterday as well! Ophelia screamed inside.
Sure enough, the man's smile took on a distinctly more awkward angle, as if he didn't know how to refuse her advances.
Ahhh! She screamed in her mind. Her mouth always got her into the stickiest situations!
Ophelia felt like throwing down her fan and just storming out, but she didn't want to make her impression any worse.
How else was she going to keep him silent?
"My name is Alexander Bright," Alec said, ignoring Ye Sha's snickering.
Ye Sha could have wept with gratefulness for all the laughs he was getting from this. This female was so funny!
He thought that she would order some people to 'take care' of Alec, but instead, she was acting like a bumbling, clumsy buffoon in front of them.
Ophelia cleared her throat. "This lady is called Ophelia," she said simply. She struggled with how to phrase what she wanted to say. "This… yesterday…"
Alec blinked his blue eyes, tilting his head in confusion. "Yesterday? Did we meet yesterday, Lady Ophelia?"
Ophelia instantly felt a surge of relief. So that was how he was going to play it, huh?
He was pretty smart; she gave him that!
If it didn't work, she would eventually have killed him off, despite how he was the talk of the city.
She liked a smart man who knew how to please her.
Alright. She'd decided. She'd give him a chance to woo her, even if he wasn't up to her usual standards.
Ophelia seemed to have shrugged off whatever humiliation she felt when she confirmed that Alec would not go around blabbing a lady's secret, regaining her dignity.
In the first place, it wasn't like she had really read that book!
Ophelia fanned her face, leaning down on the counter a little, something that made her cleavage more noticeable, but Alec's eyes didn't once dip down lower than her face.
She was mildly impressed by how gentlemanly he acted, unlike those nobles that pretentiously acted as if they were so gentlemanly when everyone knew that inside, they were salivating over women like the lowest class of commoners.
"This lady will graciously allow you to take me on a date," Ophelia generously said, shooting him her prettiest smile.
She was confident that he'd cave.
There was a faint trace of surprise on Alec's face before he smoothened it over, and he bowed to her, looking apologetic.
"My apologies, Lady Ophelia, I'm afraid that wouldn't be very proper of me."
Ophelia stiffened, then pouted, but found herself intrigued in spite of herself.
To think that he could resist a beautiful fairy-like lady like herself asking him out on a date.
She'd already made a large concession by allowing him to take her out, but he refused?!
The princess was insulted, but she was also interested. His manners were so polite, and the way that he bowed painted a graceful arch that many in their circles couldn't pull off.
He wasn't like any other man she'd met before, and it was definitely intrigue that was swimming in her veins right now.
Was he really a commoner?
He must be. But, why would a noble work in a bookstore like this of all places?
All the other commoners that Ophelia had taken a fancy to never displayed such actions or grace even once, and those nobles who displaced good etiquette and grace didn't have such a personality.
Alexander was like a mass of contradictory things, and Ophelia was unwillingly drawn in, like a moth drawn to flame.
What was it about him that had drawn in drawn in so many of her fellow noblewomen? Ophelia felt as if she was on the verge of discovering something new. It gave her a thrill like never before.
While Ophelia would normally have exploded in anger after someone rejected her, Alexander was only tactfully doing so because of how she'd embarrassed herself, being polite.
Strange feelings started stirring within her, and she bit her lip.
They were feelings that she'd never felt before, and she didn't know what they were.
It felt like her chest was a bit stuffy, but she also felt as if there was something refreshing squirming about. It didn't feel bad.
She didn't press her luck and instead gracefully bid him farewell, shooting him pouting glances, that he pretended not to see as he sent her off politely.
It just made her more determined to up her advances. She didn't believe that she couldn't get him on her arm.
The bell chimed signifying the door closing, as if that was the signal, Ye Sha started breaking out in full laughter, much to Alec's annoyance.
Now that he'd personally witnessed the princess' actions and the way she reacted, he now had a better understanding of her personality, and would be able to finetune his plans.
Alec's eyes glinted coldly.
He could see that she'd been planning on doing away with him if she didn't get confirmation that he wouldn't leak out what she'd done yesterday.
No wonder no one ever heard about the men that she'd gotten rid of.
Alec had to amend his plans.
They were probably all dead already, which was why they hadn't been able to find any information about them after they parted from the princess.
What Alec was more interested in was how the princess never had any rumours about what she was doing.
There were probably the Rhys Royal Family's prints all over that.
Ophelia was probably planning on coming back to look for him tomorrow, but little did she know that Alec had no plans on being around for the day.
The little game of push and pull would be infinitely more interesting to her than her usual conquests.
Alec gave a little scornful laugh and continued reading the book that he'd picked up.
The princess' intentions were as clear as day. He didn't know if it was because she was so sheltered that she never needed to wear a mask to hide her intentions, but she really shouldn't broadcast her thoughts like that blatantly on her face.
Still, this game was more interesting to him than he thought.
Perhaps it had to do with the subtle art of manipulation and chance that caught his interest. It wasn't something that one could win by using sheer effort alone.
Effort, luck and chance. None of these could be missing.
Ye Sha shivered a little as he saw the smile on Alec's face, feeling like the princess had awoken a monster in his friend.
Goodness forbid that he used this on some unsuspecting woman.
Ye Sha paused.
Wait a second. He should use it on Elysia, right?!
Now that he thought about it, what was Alec doing?
He'd finally found The One, but they were instead seducing some other woman instead of The One.
Alec would have started chasing Ye Sha to beat him up if he knew about his thoughts.
Ophelia regretted her rash actions after she cleared her throat.She really hated her own special brand of recklessness that she couldn't seem to get rid of mainly because there wasn't any need for her to, but she always felt a form of regret after she did it.Even though she resolved herself not to do it next time, because there were no consequences to hold her back, she made the same mistake time and time again.She'd been filled with humiliation at her social faux pas yesterday, and further egged on when she saw his reactions in the Cookie Sect caf, but she hadn't thought about how to coerce him into keeping silent either.She'd rashly made her way to the bookstore to get him to shut up, but how was she going to do that without resorting to violence?What if he didn't know that she was the princess?That led her to another dilemma if she hinted at it even slightly, then wasn't she just setting herself up again?There was a sense of frustration and anger building up in her the more she felt stifled.But it was too late for her to take her actions back now. She'd already caught his attention.Those deep blue eyes were locked onto her face, and she could feel the awkward atmosphere that was shared between them when he realized it was her."How may I help you, miss?" Alec asked politely.Ophelia floundered for something to say."What's your name?" she blurted instead, and she could have killed herself for just blurting that out.Didn't this make it seem like she was hitting on him?!After she she bought that book yesterday as well! Ophelia screamed inside.Sure enough, the man's smile took on a distinctly more awkward angle, as if he didn't know how to refuse her advances.Ahhh! She screamed in her mind. Her mouth always got her into the stickiest situations!Ophelia felt like throwing down her fan and just storming out, but she didn't want to make her impression any worse.How else was she going to keep him silent?"My name is Alexander Bright," Alec said, ignoring Ye Sha's snickering.Ye Sha could have wept with gratefulness for all the laughs he was getting from this. This female was so funny!He thought that she would order some people to 'take care' of Alec, but instead, she was acting like a bumbling, clumsy buffoon in front of them.Ophelia cleared her throat. "This lady is called Ophelia," she said simply. She struggled with how to phrase what she wanted to say. "This yesterday"Alec blinked his blue eyes, tilting his head in confusion. "Yesterday? Did we meet yesterday, Lady Ophelia?"Ophelia instantly felt a surge of relief. So that was how he was going to play it, huh?He was pretty smart; she gave him that!If it didn't work, she would eventually have killed him off, despite how he was the talk of the city.She liked a smart man who knew how to please her.Alright. She'd decided. She'd give him a chance to woo her, even if he wasn't up to her usual standards.Ophelia seemed to have shrugged off whatever humiliation she felt when she confirmed that Alec would not go around blabbing a lady's secret, regaining her dignity.In the first place, it wasn't like she had really read that book!Ophelia fanned her face, leaning down on the counter a little, something that made her cleavage more noticeable, but Alec's eyes didn't once dip down lower than her face.She was mildly impressed by how gentlemanly he acted, unlike those nobles that pretentiously acted as if they were so gentlemanly when everyone knew that inside, they were salivating over women like the lowest class of commoners."This lady will graciously allow you to take me on a date," Ophelia generously said, shooting him her prettiest smile.She was confident that he'd cave.There was a faint trace of surprise on Alec's face before he smoothened it over, and he bowed to her, looking apologetic."My apologies, Lady Ophelia, I'm afraid that wouldn't be very proper of me."Ophelia stiffened, then pouted, but found herself intrigued in spite of herself.To think that he could resist a beautiful fairy-like lady like herself asking him out on a date.She'd already made a large concession by allowing him to take her out, but he refused?!The princess was insulted, but she was also interested. His manners were so polite, and the way that he bowed painted a graceful arch that many in their circles couldn't pull off.He wasn't like any other man she'd met before, and it was definitely intrigue that was swimming in her veins right now.Was he really a commoner?He must be. But, why would a noble work in a bookstore like this of all places?All the other commoners that Ophelia had taken a fancy to never displayed such actions or grace even once, and those nobles who displaced good etiquette and grace didn't have such a personality.Alexander was like a mass of contradictory things, and Ophelia was unwillingly drawn in, like a moth drawn to flame.What was it about him that had drawn in drawn in so many of her fellow noblewomen? Ophelia felt as if she was on the verge of discovering something new. It gave her a thrill like never before.While Ophelia would normally have exploded in anger after someone rejected her, Alexander was only tactfully doing so because of how she'd embarrassed herself, being polite.Strange feelings started stirring within her, and she bit her lip.They were feelings that she'd never felt before, and she didn't know what they were.It felt like her chest was a bit stuffy, but she also felt as if there was something refreshing squirming about. It didn't feel bad.She didn't press her luck and instead gracefully bid him farewell, shooting him pouting glances, that he pretended not to see as he sent her off politely.It just made her more determined to up her advances. She didn't believe that she couldn't get him on her arm.The bell chimed signifying the door closing, as if that was the signal, Ye Sha started breaking out in full laughter, much to Alec's annoyance.Now that he'd personally witnessed the princess' actions and the way she reacted, he now had a better understanding of her personality, and would be able to finetune his plans.Alec's eyes glinted coldly.He could see that she'd been planning on doing away with him if she didn't get confirmation that he wouldn't leak out what she'd done yesterday.No wonder no one ever heard about the men that she'd gotten rid of.Alec had to amend his plans.They were probably all dead already, which was why they hadn't been able to find any information about them after they parted from the princess.What Alec was more interested in was how the princess never had any rumours about what she was doing.There were probably the Rhys Royal Family's prints all over that.Ophelia was probably planning on coming back to look for him tomorrow, but little did she know that Alec had no plans on being around for the day.The little game of push and pull would be infinitely more interesting to her than her usual conquests.Alec gave a little scornful laugh and continued reading the book that he'd picked up.The princess' intentions were as clear as day. He didn't know if it was because she was so sheltered that she never needed to wear a mask to hide her intentions, but she really shouldn't broadcast her thoughts like that blatantly on her face.Still, this game was more interesting to him than he thought.Perhaps it had to do with the subtle art of manipulation and chance that caught his interest. It wasn't something that one could win by using sheer effort alone.Effort, luck and chance. None of these could be missing.Ye Sha shivered a little as he saw the smile on Alec's face, feeling like the princess had awoken a monster in his friend.Goodness forbid that he used this on some unsuspecting woman.Ye Sha paused.Wait a second. He should use it on Elysia, right?!Now that he thought about it, what was Alec doing?He'd finally found The One, but they were instead seducing some other woman instead of The One.Alec would have started chasing Ye Sha to beat him up if he knew about his thoughts.
