Chapter 647: The Doll and the Scheme

Did I… just get played?

After taking the little gift the princess had given Anna and leaving, and after refusing the royal carriage that would have taken him home, Hearing Li Ang stood at the palace gate letting the night wind blow over him, feeling that his mood at this moment was extraordinarily complicated.

That cunning, wicked woman…

The several questions he had raised at the start — the huge gap in understanding, how busy both sides were with work, the trouble that came with being a prince consort, and the fact that what she truly wanted was the Lionheart family rather than him as a person… and so on, and so forth.

Although the princess had said a great deal to him, not one of those fundamental issues that had truly made him resolve to reject this marriage seemed to have been resolved in the end.

But even though the situation hadn't changed in the slightest compared to before, not only had he failed to break off the engagement, he had even been neatly hooked by her in return, and in a daze had promised not to blame her, not to abandon her, to give her a chance, never to be the first to bring up breaking off the engagement, and so on.

In fact, had he not barely managed to recover a sliver of reason at the critical moment, he probably would have set a specific wedding date on the spot as well, getting himself thoroughly bound hand and foot by the cunning princess.

But strangely, even though he clearly knew he had fallen into a great trap, the moment he thought of how the princess had clung to his arm just now, softly pouring out her feelings in gentle words, and those eyes that were filled with — at the very least appeared to be filled with — him, he simply could not bring himself to be angry with her no matter what…

Men… bah!

After spitting fiercely in his heart at his own spineless self, Hearing Li Ang could not help but sigh, then with a rather complicated expression and an even more complicated heart, walked down the steps.

……

Phew… it looks like Hearing Li Ang won't be coming to break off the engagement again anytime soon.

After Hearing Li Ang admitted his failure to break off the engagement and walked down the steps in dejection — well, not really all that dejectedly — a certain fishing master who had been watching from afar on the balcony could not help but let out a long breath of relief.

Those who want status tend to value face more; being the first to show sufficient respect can generally shift their attitude. Those who want power tend to be more pragmatic; to reach a consensus with them, one must offer tangible, immediate benefits.

And those who want wealth, while also quite realistic, if one can show them a sufficiently bright prospect, will even accept promises made on empty words. What is truly difficult to deal with is actually the kind of person who wants nothing at all.

Fishing requires bait, but Hearing Li Ang wants neither status, nor power, nor wealth; to him, her identity as princess is even something of a burden and a nuisance.

So if he had truly dug in his heels and insisted on breaking off the engagement no matter what, she really would have had no recourse at all, and could only have watched helplessly as this big fish slipped the hook and swam away, flicking its tail as it returned to the rivers and seas.

Fortunately, in order to push Hearing Li Ang into the position of Duke Lionheart, she had done a great deal of investigation in advance and had a thorough understanding of him, which was how she had barely managed to find his weak point…

A soft heart, and a face that wasn't thick-skinned enough.

Even though he had made up his mind to break off the engagement, given his character he would absolutely never speak harshly, and that gave her room to maneuver and wrangle, and even allowed her to take the initiative in showing affection, making it hard for him to refuse outright and keeping the situation stable.

And once she took the initiative to lay bare her bottom line, making clear that he was her only choice, and acted helpless and frail enough to make "breaking off the engagement oneself" a choice laden with guilt, then given Hearing Li Ang's character, he definitely would not have been able to bring himself to say it.

I really am a despicable woman…

Watching Hearing Li Ang's retreating figure, the princess on the balcony was silent for a while, a trace of apology appearing in her luminous eyes.

I'm sorry…

But even though there were all sorts of little schemes behind the scenes, every single word she had just said was actually true. Marrying you really is my best choice — it could even be said my only choice — because only a marriage with you can give me the power to change the kingdom. Six years ago, she had arrived a step too late, unable to save those who had died in the flames of war; those figures screaming as they were burned to ash amid the orange flames became the nightmare that tormented her again and again through countless late nights.

And if six years later she were once again a step too late, failing to seize the chance to change the kingdom, then given the kingdom's current state, a nightmare even more painful than the last would surely one day descend again.

Perhaps this is selfish, but I truly do not want to regret it again!

Watching Hearing Li Ang recede further and further until even his figure vanished into the night, the princess gave a soft sigh, then left the balcony, sat back down at her desk, and opened the stack of documents she had yet to finish reviewing.

And on the shelf behind the princess, an old tin doll with half its cheek broken away was quietly gazing at her back as she bent over her work, revealing a strange, faintly aggrieved smile.

……

"Duke Lionheart Enters the Wang Gong at Night — Is the Princess's Good News Imminent?"

"A Historic Private Meeting — The Wangnu Sect Will Take Power!"

"Beauty or Power? The Bobby Laien and the Robin Make Common Cause!"

"Shocking! Duke Lionheart Meets the Princess at Night — Are the Two About to Marry Because of a Pregnancy?"

"……"

"Everyone who could come here must already know the news."

After patting the newspapers on the table — whose headlines were all over the place but which were in fact all reporting the same thing — a man in a brown formal suit said with a tightly furrowed brow:

"I won't waste words. The only reason I've invited you all here is to discuss one thing — regarding this idiot of a duke who has loudly declared he'll offer the entire Lionheart family as betrothal gifts to woo the princess, what exactly do you plan to do about him?"

What do we want to do? Shouldn't the question now be what we can do?

After the old aristocrats who had been invited exchanged uneasy glances for a while, a white-haired old earl was the first to step forward and proposed indignantly:

"Of course we must strip him of his title!

Of the seventeen most important ministries in the kingdom, seven are already under royal control. If the Ministry of Roads and the Ministry of War that the Lionheart family occupies also swing over, then more than half the ministries will be answering to her! Add to that the Lionheart family's seat as Vice Speaker of the Upper House, and even if we join forces with the Lower House, we may not necessarily be able to stand against the princess!

So he must be stripped of his title! If we let that idiot keep sitting in the duke's seat any longer, how are we supposed to live from now on? Just live at her beck and call?"

"But the question is how to strip him of his title? And who is going to do it?"

After the old earl finished speaking, another aristocrat beside him sighed:

"After the Lionheart Blood Night, almost everyone in the Lionheart family who had the standing to step forward was killed off, leaving only a clan elder who had never held much real power. If we really stretch it, we might add the newly elected family head.

But during the inheritance ceremony earlier, the old duke's steward had a heart attack, the last remaining clan elder was so angry he suffered a stroke, and the newly elected family head was so frightened by the Duke Lionheart who had slapped the prince that he took seriously ill and still hasn't recovered. The Lionheart family no longer has anyone who can step forward."

"……"

(End of Chapter)