Chapter 551
Chapter 98: Your Highness, You Must Be Strong
As the daughter of a Duke, I carry the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the family and defending the borders. Now is not the time to be contemplating love… right?
I initially thought I could suppress my feelings with duty, but suddenly I realized a crucial point.
If I really marry Roy and gain his power and support, it would actually benefit the Andervish family the most.
No!
When it comes to love, I shouldn’t look at it with selfish motives. Otherwise, how am I any different from those like Winter Rose?!
Moreover, as a mentor, how could I possibly have inappropriate thoughts about my beloved student?!
From that moment on, I fell silent, left speechless, and stared at Roy, leaving him a bit confused.
Wearing my Winter Cloak, I wasn’t afraid of the chilling wind; I was willing to wait.
However, unbeknownst to me, snow had already accumulated on my beautiful silver hair.
Due to my Ice Spirit lineage, my body temperature is cold, and the snowflakes melted upon me couldn’t do anything.
Instinctively, Roy reached out to brush the snow off me, but the silver-haired girl jolted as if shocked, pulled her shoulders back, and let out a startled little animal-like whimper before darting away from him.
“Roy! No, you mustn’t be rude to your mentor!”
“…Is there a chance I just wanted to help brush off the snow?” Roy pointed at his own head.
The silver-haired girl blankly touched her head, and then it dawned on her; she lowered her head in embarrassment, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, I shouldn’t have overstepped with teacher.”
Roy found it strange; she had just clung to him tightly, and now she was jumping around in surprise.
But he also realized he shouldn’t have suddenly touched a girl without warning.
Even as a mentor—no, especially because she was a mentor—he shouldn’t have been so forward.
“No, I wouldn’t call it inappropriate…”
While saying this, Xue Nuo walked back over, extending her delicate hand to gently ruffle Roy’s hair.
With no defenses, her delicate body nearly toppled into Roy’s arms, bringing with it a wave of cold fragrance that left the young boy momentarily at a loss.
Speaking of which, given my body temperature, there shouldn’t be any snow on my head…
“All right, we should head back now.” After finishing everything, Xue Nuo smiled with satisfaction.
However, as she turned and watched the boy leave first, she suddenly clutched her chest, standing still.
Just now, getting close to him, her heart truly felt warm.
No, it wasn’t just then.
She had started yearning to be warmed by him for some time now.
It wasn’t warmth in a literal sense, but rather a comfort for her soul.
Her cheeks turned crimson, and even the falling snowflakes couldn’t melt that warmth.
She finally assured herself that, as a mentor, she indeed had inappropriate feelings toward her student.
Not to mention Roy already had a partner; such impure feelings shouldn’t exist between a mentor and a student…
“Teacher Xue Nuo?” Roy turned back and keenly noticed something amiss: “Are you feeling unwell?”
“!”
“N-no… alright, let’s hurry back.”
Xue Nuo lowered her gaze, quickly pretending nothing happened and followed his steps, but her heart grew increasingly troubled.
A mentor should not have inappropriate feelings for a student.
But he really was so warm.
——————————
The cold was biting.
Winter’s face was heavy as he hastily walked through the corridor, his uncontrolled aura chilling everything in his path.
The entourage of inland nobles trailing behind trembled with cold but had to plaster on forced smiles.
“Your Highness need not be anxious; the Marquis’s son may not have that much power backing him. He’s probably just putting on a show!”
“Exactly, the Andervish woman is ungrateful; she will regret it later!”
“Your Highness, you need to be strong…”
“Shut up.”
The silver-haired prince turned around, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Seeing this, the nobles fell silent, hastily retreating in embarrassment.
Once alone in his room, Winter took a deep breath.
Then, with a violent motion, he smashed the invaluable gem tightly gripped in his hand onto the floor, letting out a roar.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Winter’s face lost all traces of elegance, a violent chill instantly freezing everything in the room, even cracking the walls.
After his fury passed, helplessness and anxiety surged like a tide.
Winter slumped onto the sofa, covering his face, sighing repeatedly.
Why was he losing to the son of a Marquis from another country? Why did he have so much power backing him?!
He had been too careless, and perhaps long ago, behind the scenes, that flower long deemed unattainable had already been…
No, now wasn’t the time to be obsessed with women!
What’s worse, with so many forces backing them, the Andervish family, representing the border forces, would completely break free from the royal family’s control!
At that moment, a mocking voice rang out from the void.
“Your Highness, it seems you’re in a bit of trouble.”
Winter coldly glared at the old man draped in a pale white robe and said icily, “Get out.”
The High Priest Saar floated mid-air, giving a slight shrug, “Alright then.”
“Suffering a setback in romance is understandable, but I must remind you, the plan must go on as usual…”
Upon hearing this, Winter couldn’t remain seated.
“What do you mean, ‘go on as usual?!’”
“Before, we cooperated because the royal family could take control of the border! But now things have changed; the plan is canceled!”
Saar, however, maintained his smile.
“We had agreed that we would frame the Andervish family and create a reason for war. You would instigate a conflict to disrupt the Menopause Line and give us an opportunity. It would be a triple win for all. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Whether or not you can win against the borders is your empire’s problem! What does it have to do with us, Necromancer Sect?”
“You…!”
Winter erupted in anger, standing and gripping Saar’s neck tightly, pressing him hard against the wall as a wave of cold surged.
“Cancel the plan! Or else…”
“Or else what? Kill me?”
Despite being engulfed in frost, Saar looked completely unfazed, confidently saying, “The followers of the Grim Reaper do not fear worldly threats.”
“Fine, even if you kill me, my men will still act against you.”
“Not to mention the emotionless general outside the defense line.”
Winter froze completely.
The original plan was a forceful courtship, pressuring the borders.
The Duke’s daughter would publicly refuse a prince’s earnest love, a political marriage. Just as this happened, a demon and cultists appeared in her castle.
How despicable!
The Duke’s daughter from the border family was actually colluding with demons and cultists, plotting rebellion!
At that moment, the imperial army, which had been waiting eagerly, would have a justifiable reason to strike first, catching everyone off guard.
However, the entire premise of this hinged on a one-sided confrontation between the borders and the empire.
Roy’s existence completely disrupted their plan.
Winter knew those powers couldn’t all be controlled by a young man, but even if just one or two forces got involved, he couldn’t afford to gamble on it!
Thinking of this, Winter was already sweating profusely: “No, this is a big deal. I need to consult my mother…”
