Gaining Favors(2)

\\ "Yes, thank you for your explanation, Your Majesty," I said bitterly as I curtsy. We'll see who's loyal and who isn't. Because... I'll drag the ones who betrayed me to hell. //

***

"I let you two talk outside for a bit..." the Emperor says as he leaves me and that Damned bastard alone in the Estate Courtyard. I was surprised... no- shocked. This wasn't supposed to happen! Instead, I kept a calm and cool expression, reminding myself to be alerted. I snuck a glance at his icy blue eyes of that Bastard.

A dull pain reached my back. I sealed my eyes tight to recover from the pain. I forced myself to focus. This is already too much... this is the same palace which feigned my death place. This is already tragic. I clenched my fists.

Damn it... I screwed up my plan to talk about the favors and advantages with the Emperor. Now that he left us both alone, I didn't know what to do now. I took a deep breath in and calmly looked around the courtyard.

...

"Lady Bellrose," someone called out my name I look over to see it's that damn bastard Ares calling over my name. There was a look of confusion in his face. "I have a question to ask you..."

I raised my eyebrows and boldly said: "And?"

"Do you hate me?"

I pause.

***

Hate? Did I make it too obvious? I scrunched up my eyebrows to reply formally: "Your Highness, I think you have misunderstood something-"

"No... I believe what I have witnessed is true. You really do hate me."

That was a quick assumption. What an ungrateful brat. What did I see in him anyway! His stupid face and his stupid curious intriguing eyes can just go down the pit loop.

Note: Don't make everything seem so obvious!

"Ah... Your Majesty, I don't really hate you. It's just my nature," I say coming up with my normal lie and keep a poker face.

His icy blue curious eyes send shivers down my spine. He seems to have read my mind. My mortal enemy... is not really that simple. I pursed my lips as his face said: "Nature?"

"Your Majesty, I really don't get along too well with other people, so it's hard for me to reveal my warm emotions," I clarified before he said anything else.

Lie. I think I am quite emotional.

"..." He seems to not be convinced. Exactly how do I gain his trust? Can't go jumping around for hopeless conclusions. So I shun my emotional heavy burdened heart and keep my indifferent face.

"..." I don't say anything else either. Soon his lips turned into an O shape. There was again an awkward silence between us.

"...are you holding a small grudge at what happened in the Tea Party that day?" he asks me. I started to frown, but quickly changed my face into a cold face. Grudge? This guy is going really too far!

"I must deeply apologize after what had happened that day, please don't hold a grudge against me," he says as his cold blue icy eyes waiver down into a normal look.

"N-no need to apologize, your Majesty, how could I ever hold a grudge against the Crown Prince? The past is the past." I say, feeling bitter about what I said.

Past is past, but you could never forgive nor forget.

"..." he nods blankly as his eyes settle down into a "calmer" and better look. Then soon another awkward silence fills in between us.

"...Your Majesty? Can I ask you a question?" I say looking into his calmer look and holding back my breath. Now I can finally look him in the eye. But I was wrong. Soon as I said it- he suddenly had this cold, icy aura around him. I stiffened but stayed straight and indifferent.

"?" he gives me a questioning look as he challenges me to look into his eyes. How can I look into the eyes of a murderer?

"...Er... Your Majesty? Can I ask you why His Emperor, your Highness has chosen me over the other candidates?" I ask him. He raises his eyebrows.

"Didn't he say?" He said referring his father.

"...I believe that it wasn't the reason why- Not that I am saying that the Emperor isn't honest- but, the reason that he wasn't really giving me an appropriate answer."

"Appropriate answer?" he says coldly as he squints his eyes at me. I can only hold my breath. What do I do?

"..." I leave it off for him to explain. I knew that Crown Prince Ares hates people who ask him too many questions. He hates people who ask of his opinion on anything. But... this might be the only way to get his trust. Regardless of the fact that I had asked him the question.

"...I don't know," He simply answers and shrugs. I nod and shrug too.

"So are there any ways to... annul the engagement?" I say quickly without hesitation. He frowns when I said that. Hehe... I caught the right trigger.

I knew he wasn't fond of anyone who was rather clingy. But I knew that he rather preferred those who challenged him on his proposal. He was also rather someone who wanted to know a reason over emotion. Even in my previous life, he had never brought up the word annulling our engagement. Actually, he never officially ever considered us engaged. He just looked at me as if I was a stranger, until I started breaking his goddamn limit.

I kept an indifferent emotion when I said that. People say snakes are sly. But I am obviously not a snake. I am not sly. I am quite straightforward. I knew that the Prince was someone who liked people who were straightforward. That's a brilliant way to gain trust.

"Annul the Engagement?" he says as he quickly changes his frown into an indifferent face. I wanted to sneer when I caught him off guard. This is perfect. The plan is going in progress.

"...Ah... your majesty... I- actually have someone I like," I say as I put up my acting with my fiddling. My fingers fidgeted nervously as I acted. I am a brilliant actor! Soon I started to fake blush. But then I made sure to change the blushing expression slowly into a poker face so that he caught that.

"Seems reasonable," he muttered as he gave an indifferent look which studied me.

"It's not that I hate his Majesty... it's just that- you know- my father married out of love. And I want to do the same..." I mumble. I sneered in my head as I saw him raise his eyebrows. Know what? I worked for seven years to keep up with my great acting skills!

"...Same here, so what do you want to do?"

"I am here to make a mutual acquaintance with his Majesty," I say with an indifferent face.

"Acquaintance?" he says as he raises his eyebrows. His eyes turn into a pair of icy curious eyes that wanted to tear you apart and search through you.

"...I am getting the vibe that our feelings are mutual," I say as I look into his eyes. "And I believe that if we are made acquaintance, then we can successfully collaborate,"

"Mutual feelings, huh?" he says with a questioning look and then nods. "Seems fine, but what kind of collaboration?" he asks as he stares me down with a quizzical look.

"Collaboration to maintain peace and friendship between parties," I say.

"Peace?" he says questioningly. Sh#t... wrong wording!

I have a lot to learn!

"...I mean, the bonds between comrades and friends," I say.

He nods with an indifferent expression.

"So, does his Majesty want to make a collaboration with me?" I say as I pull out my hands. He stares into it. Then I realize my mistake...

He hates shaking hands!

I quickly wanted to retract- but someone's cold palms clasped with mines. I gulped as I stare indifferently into a pair of scary icy blue eyes. Fear jolted down my spine.

W-what is going on???

Soon a smile comes on his face. A rare smile which are only passed out to those time when the Crown Prince is satisfied with something. It wasn't warm nor cold. It was neutral.

"Deal made, Lady Bellrose. Glad to make your Acquaintance," he says as his smile disappears. I was quite surprised, but then bit down my lips to hide a bitter smile.

"Yours as well, Your Majesty," I say with a small smile.

Just wait till I crush your walls!