[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke
Chapter 118: The True Face of The Prince

Chapter 118: The True Face of The Prince

"You!" The lady yelped as sweat dripped down her temples.

Her once-radiant face had turned pale, and her trembling fingers clutched her long red gown so tightly that the fabric nearly tore.

Her bright yellow eyes were wide in horror as she looked at the well-known clown of royals.

Siena had prided herself on many things. Her beauty, her sharp intellect that had saved her countless times, and the fact that she had entered the most prestigious academy at an exceptionally young age.

But above all, she prided herself on her ability to use others to her advantage.

And yet, despite it all, she was not satisfied.

Nikolai Valeria was famous for being a lover of beauty.

That was precisely what had drawn Siena to him. She wanted to possess the prince, to bask in luxury while her family struggled to rebuild their business from the ground up.

But now, as she knelt before him a bitter thought surfaced in her mind.

Was this not her first mistake? Approaching Nikolai to fulfill her greed?

"Please, Your Highness, spare me. I-I’ll do anything, really!"

"Anything?"

The voice that replied to her pleading was smooth like silk, yet laced with a lazy indifference that somehow made it all the more alluring.

Despite the charm, one could not ignore the faint rage simmering under the words. It forced her to shiver uncontrollably.

Seina’s knee gave in. She collapsed on the cold ground, her back pressed tightly against the wall. It was her body’s subconscious reaction to stay away from the prince.

Even with the pain slithering through her knees, she nodded heavily. "Yes, anything!"

The answer came not in words but in steel.

A sharp sword directly pierced her shoulder. Seina wanted to scream, but looking at those fiery golden eyes, she did not dare to.

Instead, she bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood. She silently forced herself to stifle the scream clawing at her chest.

"You should have done that from the beginning."

Seina knew there was no hope for her.

This was the prince who was rumored to be gentle and kind to all of his royal cousins. Despite his notorious laziness, many whispered about his warm-hearted nature, painting him as nothing more than an indulgent aristocrat.

However, there were others, a minority of the nobles, who saw him as something far more insidious.

They called Nikolai dangerous. Terrifying creature. A beast in sheep’s clothing.

And now, staring into those golden eyes, Seina knew that those bad rumors that once sounded absurd to her ears were absolutely true.

She could tell the difference. Every smile, every wave of his hand, every subtle twitch of his lips had been rehearsed to perfection, leaving no room for doubt or flaw.

After staying as Nikolai’s special gardener, her specialty, she had fallen for the illusion of his gentle demeanor.

The prince had never given her an opportunity to draw closer, yet she remained hopeful.

After all, no woman had ever managed to hold his interest for more than a week. It was precisely why people called him a hedonist.

She thought slowly with time she would become special, only for her dream to shatter when she saw Nikolai’s smile which was far too radiant, and very different from the past.

Then she knew the reason. A healer who had saved Nikolai’s life.

Her task was to let Lord Klein near Xion and then immediately inform the prince.

It was not hard to guess what Nikolai wanted to do. He wished to save Xion from the hands of lord Klein. It was all just to create a good impression on the healer.

The person she had been trying so hard to get close to was doing so much for a bastard. How could she bear it?

However, she wavered when she saw the person hidden under the familiar grey cape. The bastard of the Vaelis family was this person?

It was the same young man she had met when she tried to approach the archduke.

However, recalling the way she was humiliated by that cold bitch, Nazia, she did not care anymore.

She let Lord Klein in as planned but did not inform the prince.

It will be fine if I contact his highness after a few minutes... That was what she told herself while wishing for Lord Klein to take Xion away.

And now, she had to bear the consequences of her mistake. A mistake that she had let Xion get hurt. But she knew her true mistake was that she had let Xion live.

The shining blade was now close to her face, the sharp tip scratching the skin gently and soon warm blood trickled down to her neck.

Tears were already falling from her eyes. If it was someone else, the fragile look of such beauty might have softened their heart, compelling them to cradle her gently, to grant her whatever she desired.

That had always been the case, yet the always gentle prince only frowned.

Nikolai had always been the king of his heart. It did not matter what others said or how others perceived him, he had only done what he wished for.

Sure, he loved beautiful things, but there was a premise to it. He did not like the tainted things.

Perhaps he was too sensitive to emotions, he had been able to utilize it since his childhood. He had used it to make others lower their guard and then strike when he needed to.

So how could he be unaware of the greed in Seina’s eyes?

The only reason he had let her be was because she truly had an exceptional talent for plants. And he enjoyed the view of delicate flowers swaying in the rhythm of the air.

But too bad. There will not be Seina in this world anymore.

His raised sword was about to plunge into Siena’s heaving chest when she yelled.

"Lord Xion! He likes my garden!"

Nikolai halted.

His narrowed gaze made Siena hyper-aware of her situation.

She knew this was her last chance to speak, her final opportunity to convince Nikolai that she was worth keeping alive.

For that, she could only use the same person responsible for her suffering.

Xion Vaelis, I hope you fall into the den of the cruellest beast!

She cursed, but there was only submission on her face. "Lord X-Xion spent hours a-admiring my inside garden. He liked it very much."

Nikolai knew what the woman meant. She was indirectly cautioning him. If you kill me now, you will lose a valuable opportunity to impress Xion.

Thinking about Darius and Ray, he lowered his sword. He knew it would not be long before they figured out what he did.

He knew it would not be long before they figured out what he had done.

Though he had royal blood, he was not sure if he would escape without consequences when his opponent was the devil archduke.

Better to play his cards right until Darius left for the battlefield. With Crown Prince Isidor pressuring the king, that day would come soon enough. Maybe in a week or a month. Soon nonetheless.

Nikolai exhaled lightly, "Just one chance. If he did not like it, I’ll make it much more painful."

Siena clutched her bleeding shoulder, and without caring about her wound, she instantly kneeled, "Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll not let you down."

When she raised her head, her dear prince was nowhere in sight. All the gratefulness she had displayed earlier vanished, leaving behind nothing but pure, seething hatred.