Chapter 3:
Aiming for a Happy Ending
“NO, REALLY, it was a coincidence. I just happened to be flying by. And you were so beautiful, I couldn’t help myself. I had to say hi.”
Liu punctuated his speech with playful chuckles—and it was cringe-inducing.
But since my flat stare didn’t faze him one bit, I realized there was no point in arguing.
He’s full of it. But if I lose my cool, I’ll just play right into his hands.
I decided to play along. There might be something to gain from it.
“Fine. If you say it’s a coincidence, then I’ll take you at your word.”
“Whoa, you’re gonna trust me? That won’t do, Sainty. You shouldn’t trust people so blindly. Of course I was lying. It wasn’t a coincidence—I came here to see you.”
W-wow…is this guy actually a master aggravator?
When I tried to play along, he acted surprised and provoked me again. I thought that Jill had conditioned me to such treatment, but Liu really had a knack for driving me mad. He was intentionally abusive, which made it even worse.
Grin and bear it, Leia. Think about it—at least he’s being rational.
If I let my emotions run wild, I would hand Liu all the power. I shared a roof with my little sister for over ten years. If there was one thing I was good at, it was grinning and bearing it.
“I’m honored, Your Highness. But my, between this and your nighttime excursion, you do seem to enjoy acting solo… Perhaps I’m speaking out of turn, but might I suggest you try cooperating with those around you more?”
“What?! Ah yes, well, ‘nighttime excursion’ doesn’t ring a bell…but when having a secret tryst with a pretty woman, I like to avoid prying eyes.”
I took a pointedly cool tone with him, but undaunted, he tried to blindside me with flattery. He was flirting with me even though he knew I was engaged to the crown prince. I was sure this was another one of his special manipulation tactics.
“A tryst? Please, enough of the tasteless jokes.”
“Haha! But I’m not joking. I just think you’re pretty, and ever since I first saw you, I wanted to chat over some tea.”
“Is that so? Well, I must be on my way.”
I really couldn’t stand to play along anymore. I turned my back to leave when I heard a frantic voice behind me.
“Ah—hey, wait!”
I turned around. “What is it?”
“Sainty…when I heard you were a saint, I did some research on the saints in this kingdom.”
Now he was talking about saints, of all things.
“Saints perform miracles with God’s powers to help the faithful. So you’re like goddesses, right?”
“I’m not sure you could call us goddesses…but everything else you said is correct. What about it?” I didn’t understand where he was going with this.
“Well, it’s just that…there’s heaps of people in my own nation who need help. Remember what I said earlier? We don’t have saints in the Ren Empire.”
“Yeah…” I sighed warily.
“So, I have an idea.”
Liu stopped talking there and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It had a seal on it just like the one on his letter to Eric.
The seal glowed red, and just like before, the paper spoke: “Wanna come back to the Ren Empire with me? Let’s save thousands of lives together. I want you to be the Ren Empire’s first saint.”
Why did he have to use magic to tell me that? I’m right here…
“This is a form of love letter popular in the Ren Empire. So—what d’ya say, Sainty? Have a change of heart?”
I didn’t care that it was popular. It just seemed like a waste of magic to me. And I was astounded by how many tactics this guy kept using on me.
Is Eric right? Is Liu spying on me? Or is he only doing this as a diversion to hide his true intentions?
I had a vague feeling that something was amiss, so I put up my guard. “As I told you before, my answer is a firm no. I have no desire to be with you whatsoever.”
“Awww! But why?!”
“Why? Where do I even begin… First and foremost, I’m engaged to Eric. Secondly, I find your overtures utterly bewildering.”
I turned him down firmly, then went in on the offensive. Even if Eric wasn’t the crown prince, I was still engaged. I wasn’t going to run into the arms of some other man. But Liu probably didn’t understand that.
“Hmm…okay, I get it. But listen, Eric marrying Linny will definitely be best for both nations. If you really care for him, then let him go. Besides, Elshaid has three saints. And if they hold more exams, they can always get more… Surely they can make do without you.”
“Please stop saying such ridiculous things…”
“Anyhow, just felt sorry that you’re getting left out and thought I’d let you be my wife. Everyone wins! Don’t you think that’s a perfect happy ending?”
I was at a loss for words. At least he knew there were three saints—I’d give him credit for doing the bare minimum research. I still couldn’t accept his assertion, however. I was beyond infuriated—I was exhausted.
“Um…did you say that sincerely?”
“Of course! Polygamy is the norm in my nation. Nobody would bat an eye if I added you to my harem.”
I was about to break. There was only so much humiliation I could take before I had to push back.
I haven’t lost my temper yet. But—
“I hate people like you.”
I had to at least say that. It’d save me the trouble of pulling the wool over his eyes down the road.
“Whew, that’s too bad. But at least you’re blunt and principled—that’s what I love about you, Sainty.”
As I stifled a scream, I felt my body freeze like ice. I knew that sensation—it was the rabid ferocity of a monster when it spotted its prey. That’s what I felt from Liu: a primal rage similar to bloodlust.
“Ooh! Did I finally push your buttons, Sainty?”
“It’s your fault.”
“Haha! Aw, don’t snap at me, babe. I’m actually proposing the most peaceful solution I can think of. A solution where everyone’s happy, see?”
He extended a hand to me. And as I stared hard at his hand, another wave of confusion hit me.
Bloody hell… I really don’t know when this guy is being serious or not.
“Um, I’m afraid I’m rather lost, but…” Jill suddenly spoke up, stepping between Liu and me. “Prince Liu, the solution you’re proposing will not give my sister a happy ending.”
Even though she wasn’t fully appraised of the situation, she had still listened to every word.
“So…you must be Sainty’s little sister, Jill. You’re cute, I’ll give ya that, but you’re not a saint, so I don’t want you.”
With just one glance, Liu lost interest in Jill. To see him treat her like this after all the grief he gave me, it made me believe his mission in life was to pick fights with people.