No Room For Mistakes
No Room For Mistakes
Although the life and death of the second prince didn't matter much to Evelyn, she hadn't expected the third princess to be so ruthless against her own brother.
After all, although her soul had been bound to Evelyn, the third princess still remained the same girl she used to be. Her feelings for everyone but the pink-haired girl should not have changed much.
Moreover, this move from the third princess wasn't just ruthless, but also put herself in a very precarious position!
Not to mention what would happen if the emperor found out she was the one behind it all, as long as he wasn't in the right mood, it wouldn't be strange for this girl to fall into a perilous situation without warning.
Things wouldn't be as simple as just 'losing a pawn' at that point, as even Evelyn's family might have been implicated if the third princess was 'thoroughly investigated'.
As if aware of her thoughts, the third princess gave her a pitiful look. "Father emperor had him turned to dust on the spot, and also covered up his death as a voluntary retreat to hone himself from the others. I-I really made sure no one would suspect anything strange with me, my Queen, please believe me!"
No matter how displeased she was, with the purple-haired girl looking at her so pitifully, Evelyn could only sigh and pat the kneeling girl's head in assurance. "Alright. I understand that you had no choice."
The third princess immediately sighed, a relieved smile lighting up her face. "T-Thank you, my Queen."
But although Evelyn seemed to have accepted what happened on the surface, only she knew her own thoughts. 'She may have become bound to my soul, but her level of freedom is still a lot greater than I expected!'
Not to mention that the purple-haired girl still remained as cunning as before, but technically, there was also nothing stopping her from 'convincing herself' that something was for 'Evelyn's own good' when it really wasn't.
Although the life and death of the purple-haired girl remained in her hands, Evelyn didn't believe it would be worth it to kill her after the girl had already caused her damage.
But discarding someone already 'on her side' wasn't her style either. After thinking about it some more, Evelyn finally made up her mind. 'Alright… it may be a little tiring, but it's worth it to eliminate the risk!'
The soul power around the pink-haired girl suddenly fluctuated, and a thread of pure, pinkish-purple energy slowly formed in Evelyn's soul scape, intermittently flashing with more and more restrictions being imprinted on its previously blank length.
Although neither Cecilia nor the third princess could tell what was happening, it was impossible to miss Evelyn's previously rosy cheeks suddenly turning pale. But compared to the ash-blonde, the purple-haired girl's reaction was obviously much more intense.
"M-My Queen! Are you alright?!"
If not for Evelyn's stern look keeping her in place, there was no doubt that she would have started attacking Cecilia, probably under the guise of 'protecting her Queen from the suspect'.
Of course, while some of it might have been her true intention, Evelyn could still tell that most of this action would have been motivated by her jealousy. This only made her decision more firm, and the pink-haired girl resolutely went ahead with placing the restrictions on the soul of the third princess.
"Lorraine Leslie Lavinia, even though you are the third princess of the Lavinian Empire, do you accept submitting to me, from the depths of your soul, completely and eternally?"
The third princess gazed up at her 'Queen' in disbelief and shock.
Before that moment, Evelyn had never mentioned the girl's name out loud. Of course, no one else would find this strange, since the royal family of Lavinia dictated that all but the royals themselves must only refer to the royalty with their titles, not names.
But in the mind of the third princess, Evelyn's refusal to acknowledge her name even in private was her Queen's way of showing that she wasn't yet worthy of being remembered.
Naturally, now that she was being 'promoted' like this, the third princess was more than just a little ecstatic. "Yes! Thank you, my Queen!"
The feeling of her soul being wrapped up by a gentle soul power only made the third princess happier, but only Evelyn knew the changes taking place in the girl's soul.
The obsession in the eyes of the purple-haired girl intensified, and Cecilia shifted uncomfortably as she saw her gaze heatedly at her friend. She never thought that even a cute girl could look so creepily at someone, but today, her worldview seems to have been flipped on its head.
Evelyn sighed in both relief and exhaustion after she was done. "Okay, Lorraine, no need to keep kneeling. Come."
The third princess naturally followed the pink-haired girl to the sofa, but instead of taking the empty space on the girl's right, she squeezed in between Evelyn and Cecilia instead.
In her mind, not only did it allow her to keep her Queen more safe, it also allowed her a valid reason to be 'closer'!
Evelyn naturally wasn't in a mood to overthink about such minor things, though, so she only shifted slightly to be more comfortable before smiling. "As you know, my family is still stuck in a tight spot in Moreen City, and with things becoming more and more unstable…"
The third princess immediately shot up straight, her brows furrowed in displeasure. "Don't worry, my Queen! I'll get them out of there immediately, and have them shifted over to… t-to… ahh...!"
Seeing the purple-haired girl clutch at her head in confusion, Evelyn coughed. "Don't worry about that so much. I know better than anyone else how difficult it is to move them to a safer place without alerting the royal family, or worse, the temple itself. But… you don't need to do much, just follow my instructions."
The third princess nodded like a little chicken. "Y-Yes!"
Evelyn smiled as she sorted through her inventory to look for the required items. "Remember, no matter what happens, you must do exactly what I tell you. There's no room for mistakes!"
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