A minute after the pleasantries and idle talks... When the real reason for the female lead"s trip to Jiang Li"s house was finally revealed, the man intently looked at her for a while before giving him his honest reply."Do you know that the way you ask for bonding between us is making me speechless?"
With the same slight smile put on, Jiang Li spoke unhurriedly to the girl who requested to have a private talk with him. Now, only their personal guards and companions were around, hence he said those words unabashedly.
The two dukes were still inside the receiving room. Those two must have shed already their pretenses since their kids were not around but in an adjacent room with a bigger fireplace.
As the prophet was genuinely in poor health condition, even though the garden at night was also a picturesque sight to see, Duke Wade made sure to remind the valets and maids not to let the chill reach his heir. Only by ensuring his son would not be inconvenienced by the cold did he put his mind at ease and started an unmasked talk with the other duke.
The son worrying his father was near the fireplace, propping his head up using his left hand. Boredom showed on his face that was more mature than the crown prince"s.
"Desperation can drive a person to do something even she never thought she would." Hearing his statement, Rumina resisted the urge to bite her lips and replied with an awkward laugh.
Leaning against the backrest, Jiang Li chuckled at the female lead. "You are willing to marry a dying man over a man who would lord over a vast empire?"
"You are not dying."
"Who can tell for sure what fate awaits a person?"
The girl took a deep breath. She answered in a tone full of conviction. "Of course, it is outside an ordinary person or mortal"s ability. But the G.o.ddess can. You, as the prophet, also can. I"m certain of it!"
"Oh, sure." Even the servants who were pretending they didn"t exist momentarily looked up at the young heir. His tone was just that sarcastic. "What if I tell I saw myself dying in a few months while you won"t be able to escape your fate?"
"..." Rumina"s mouth fell open. She felt like her ears kept ringing and she was going deaf. There was no way to escape that fate, he said? That she was struggling to no avail?
The female lead couldn"t accept those words.
And it was a good thing she didn"t because the prophet was merely jesting with her.
Jiang Li only knew the plot. And so far, nothing much had changed on its supposed trajectory. The fate the girl was dreading was different from what was stored for her. The male lead would like her this time around and persecute the Saintess for her. Since she would not truly die and her House would not be implicated in some sort of scheme, why was there a need to change the status quo?
And even if she truly wanted to escape from the male lead this time, was there a need to use Jiang Li for that purpose?
The sh.e.l.l was the same. But a vase was called a vase because the inside was hollow. A flower could be inserted inside to decorate and beautify it, but this flower would someday wilt, leaving only an empty, dark, or sometimes, dirty interior.
"... A shame that the faces are alike, but the soul... are not." The words accidentally spilled out of his mouth.
Naturally, the female lead did not get his meaning so, in confusion, she asked, "What did you say again?"
Jiang Li shook his head. "Nothing."
She was truly not his Xinya.
The girl in front of him was more concerned about what he meant earlier, so she continued, "If so, then what did you just mean by saying I won"t be able to escape. Why? What did you see?"
Smiling faintly, the man tapped on the left armrest of his wheelchair. But like a breeze in the middle of a snowstorm, his tone was icy and even his eyes were lacking the usual calmness or even indifference. "Miss Bolden, don"t worry. I was just joking earlier."
"Yet I think I have to say, what makes you think that everything about your affairs will be included in what the G.o.ddess will show me? Do I really always have to waste my ability in predicting your future?"
"My existence is for the people and the Empire, not for a select few. I hope you haven"t forgotten."
"..."
He laughed. "Also... If your goal is simply to not be married to that idiot, how come bothering me for engagement is the only method you came up with?"
Rumina almost brought her hand up to clutch her chest. However, she restrained herself, remembering the blue sapphire was resting there. The man actually noticed her gesture and saw the gem there. Yet instead of receiving a less intense glare, he became colder than before. This was the first time she witnessed him acting like this.
She only saw him looking proud, sarcastic, indifferent, or silent. Had he always been a scary man? Lost in her thoughts, the girl appeared stunned. However, the question he asked surfaced in her mind.
How come bothering him was the only method she thought of?
Her chest tightened and she felt she was suffocating. The feeling came from being seen through. What he asked might have a different meaning contextually, but since he knew what she was, how could that small detail escape his notice?
"Rumina Bolden is a genius. There is no way, even under extreme pressure, that she"d only come up with latching onto an equally or more influential man to free herself from the engagement with the crown prince." This must be what he was thinking.
In line with this, he must have realized the improper thoughts she was harboring for him.
"I want to be the future d.u.c.h.ess Wade."
This was the first time, she admitted this to herself. Honestly, embarra.s.sment washed over her for some time. It showed through her cheeks that first went white before slowly getting dyed red.
But what she could do? In her past life, duties, worries, heartbreak, and sorrows occupied most of her time. She hardly remembered any instances where she wanted something because everything she had and had to carry back then were imposed on her.
The question he uttered played again in her ears. His voice was cold, but still hypnotic for her. She unknowingly raised her head and slowly said, "... I thought of being a nun..."
This was her real answer. Her lips curved into a bitter smile. "... A nun couldn"t marry. They are expected to dedicate their whole lives serving the poor and the needy in the name of the G.o.ddess."
"I"m sure you won"t cooperate with me if I said I want you to tell them the G.o.ddess wanted me to enter her convent."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. So here I am, talking with you."
"I... swear to be good to you, Luke. Can"t I really be your wife?"