Hero? Are You Worthy?
Chapter 206 - 140: My House is Quite Big, Why Not Stay at My Place? (3)

Chapter 206: Chapter 140: My House is Quite Big, Why Not Stay at My Place? (3)

The somber gaze settled on the lush green leaves, their vibrant color shimmering in his pupils.

"What is this, a gift from nature?"

The Prince hardly regarded the leaf as significant, casually tossing it to the ground, his eagle-like eyes still fixed on the figure that was rapidly approaching.

Various chaotic thoughts and images flashed through his mind.

Antasia, Qin Chu!

Antasia should have arrived at the Conrad Demon Nest yesterday. It seemed the assassination had failed.

But they’ve only returned today, clearly having spent the night there. Antasia’s skirt was torn, and she was wearing Qin Chu’s coat...

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt, growing more irritable by the moment. An unsettling image involuntarily surfaced in his mind, bright moonlight illuminating two bare bodies entwined, following their most primal urges with cries of sheer exhaustion...

Holy Light Goddess above, that image was truly appalling.

His face had contorted completely.

This bastard Qin Chu, having already defiled Saintess Rosweiser, now even dared to sully his own fiancée? With Qin Chu’s character, he wouldn’t let a woman like Antasia go untouched.

He didn’t care about Antasia; he had not a shred of feeling for the Princess from the Ice Country, but regardless, she bore the title of Lance’s fiancée. The imagined scene in his mind felt like a profound insult to Lance.

Lindberg had grown up with Lance and knew him well; he was right about Lance. In Lance’s heart, Antasia belonged to him as his fiancée, regardless of whether he would marry her or turn her away; she was his property and he held complete authority over her.

Even if it was something he didn’t want, he would never allow anyone else to touch it.

The man’s possessiveness was beyond imagination.

At some point, his eyes had become hollow, as empty as the abyssal night sky, deep and dark.

A venomous flame of resentment was churning inside him... Qin Chu, he wouldn’t let this despicable man go; he’d torture him with the most terrifying methods, make him lose face and wallow in agony.

As for that woman, he would make her understand the consequences of betraying him.

Just wait... your doom is coming soon.

...

As for Antasia, she was just as she had claimed, delicate cheeks and soft skin aside, she was no fragile woman.

The chill of the Ice Country was biting, and food was imported from Oville.

Meat, on the other hand, depended almost entirely on hunting the wild beasts in the glacial wilderness.

Even members of the Royal Family had to participate in hunts.

Antasia had done the same, learning not only various etiquettes and magic from a young age but also some simple martial arts, hunting skills, and how to ride.

The warhorse galloped freely, and a smile appeared on Antasia’s face; she could see the Prince at the city gate.

She had seen pictures of the Prince and knew this was the man she was to marry.

Some of Antasia’s etiquette tutors were from the Oville Empire; since she was young, they had imbued in her a sense of loyalty and profound love for the Prince.

This filled Antasia’s heart with anticipation.

Even after such an incident, she was still unwilling to believe the Prince was the mastermind behind her attempted assassination.

She preferred to think it was all just a misunderstanding.

The four guards behind her, however, were frowning deeply, clearly reluctant to deliver the Princess into a city brimming with malice.

Gradually increasing her distance from Qin Chu, Antasia suddenly stopped a short way from the city gate and chose to proceed on foot.

Her long legs carried her swiftly toward the Prince.

By the time she reached the Prince, her cheeks were even a bit crimson, her eyes filled with anticipation, but still, Antasia did not lose her decorum.

Clasping her torn skirt, she curtseyed, "Antasia Messfield of the Ice Duchy greets the Prince."

"Please forgive me, Your Highness, for my disheveled appearance."

Behind the Prince were many nobles who had followed, each of them pointing at and whispering about Antasia, seemingly mocking her ragged and dirty dress; for the Nobles, such disarray was a loss of dignity.

Perhaps that’s just how people from small places are.

One couldn’t have too many expectations of a woman from such a poor, backward, and faraway place, but truly, she did not match up to the Prince.

The snickering voices around her, reaching Antasia’s ears, made her uncomfortable.

She knew the resources of the Ice Duchy could not compare with those of the Oville Empire, yet her parents had still endeavored to prepare the most beautiful and delicate fabrics they had to offer. It was only because of the assassination attempt that the carriage was destroyed, forcing her to walk through the jungle, which led to the damage of her dress.

Unexpectedly, now she had to endure the Nobles’ ridicule.

The whispered mockery around her naturally reached the Prince’s ears, but he made no move to stop it, only staring at Antasia with an indifferent gaze.

The oppressive silence made Antasia tremble slightly; the Prince sat on his horse and showed no intention of dismounting, a stark contrast to the many scenarios Antasia had dreamt of.

Out of nervousness and fear, her hands forcefully clutched the corner of her skirt, her palms sweating. Without the Prince’s command, she didn’t even dare to straighten her back.

After a long time, the Prince finally spoke:

"Hmm!"

Huh?

Is this it?

Antasia stood frozen on the spot, uncertain of how to react.

The four guards who had come with Qin Chu from behind, witnessing their Princess suffer such humiliation, felt a surge of anger building in their chests.

Only Qin Chu remained unconcerned with the others, his face still adorned with a gentle smile. Morton, Jason, and Christia all knew of the bad blood between Qin Chu and Prince Lance; they had intended to bring Qin Chu into the city from another direction, but Qin Chu suddenly stepped forward.

With a look of utter disdain, he glanced sideways at Prince Lance and said,

"Lance, get the hell off your horse!"

These words immediately had the surrounding nobles exchanging glances.

To reprimand the Prince in such a manner, even though he was the Hero, wasn’t this going too far?

The Prince’s lips quivered violently.

Seeing that Prince Lance had still not dismounted, Qin Chu’s annoyance grew: "What, you think you have the right to ride a horse in front of your uncle? So ignorant and impudent, is this how Wozworth taught you?"

A fiery rage shot through Lance’s heart; he wished he could tear Qin Chu to pieces right there and then.

But he couldn’t.

With Morton, Jason, and Christia as formidable allies by Qin Chu’s side, and Catherine and Violet as well, if a fight broke out, he might be the one getting torn to shreds.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his anger, and finally dismounted from his warhorse.

With a cold gaze, he glanced at Antasia and said, "Miss Antasia, your accommodation has been arranged at Sunset Mansion, and a banquet is being held in your honor tonight."

His eyes swept over Antasia’s dusty and torn dress: "You had better prepare yourself; many nobles will be in attendance. Don’t embarrass me as well."

After these words, Prince Lance left without a backward glance, and the group of sycophantic nobles scurried after him.

The previously crowded city gate suddenly grew quiet.

To have her first encounter with her future husband be like this... Antasia couldn’t describe what she was feeling. A sense of emptiness, as though a wound had been ripped open in her heart, causing her pain and discomfort.

She struggled to control the expression on her face; she didn’t even dare to lower her head, for fear that tears would fall.

Qin Chu even felt a twinge of pity, then he frowned deeply. Sunset Mansion, he seemed to recall the name.

The four guards were indignant.

"Those assassins were surely sent by him, right?"

"Seeing Princess Antasia arrive safely at the Imperial City must be a thorn in his side."

"He doesn’t even care to keep up appearances..."

The quiet mutterings of the four vexed guards reached the ears of Morton, Jason, and Christia, who could only give wry smiles in response. This was a matter for the Royal Family, and there was nothing they could do.

Even so, they too felt that Prince Lance’s treatment of Antasia was excessive. No matter what, Antasia was his fiancée, the Princess of the Ice Duchy.

"Gentlemen, we are in the Imperial City now. Let me escort the Princess to her residence. Lance really did a poor job, not even leaving a guide behind," said Qin Chu, shaking his head.

They were already in the Imperial City, and there should be no more troubles. The three men nodded and took their leave; they had to report back to their superiors.

"Miss Antasia, allow me to take you there," said Qin Chu with a gentle, smiling voice.

Antasia turned gracefully, her face regaining its gentle and beautiful smile. However, that smile was heartbreakingly sad.

It took over an hour, led by Qin Chu, to finally find the so-called Luori Mansion. But looking at the dilapidated and grimy building in front of them, Qin Chu frowned deeply... this supposed Luori Mansion was not located in the Noble District, but in the Civilian District.

The four-story mansion had over a hundred rooms, with an average of thirty per floor, sharing one communal bathroom.

This was certainly not the way to treat a visiting Princess from another country; it was a downright insult.

The four guards shook with anger, even suggesting that Antasia should return to the Ice Country instead of staying and being humiliated here.

But, Antasia knew she couldn’t leave.

The Duchy needed to maintain relations with the Empire, and she was the tie that bound them.

No matter how much she suffered, she had to endure it alone. She smiled and shook her head, "It’s fine, the inside should be clean..."

But just seeing the shabby exterior, one could tell the interior wouldn’t be any cleaner, and one could even see rats and cockroaches scuttling at the entrance.

Antasia was just deceiving herself with those words.

Truly, the Oville Royal Family should have prepared a palace within the Imperial Palace for Antasia and arranged for her own maids; that would have been the proper protocol.

Throwing Antasia into a shabby inn in the Civilian District, it was clear to anyone that Prince Lance was intentionally humiliating her.

"I’ll have a stern talk with Wozworth about Lance later..." Qin Chu rubbed his forehead.

Just then, Qin Chu felt a voice ring in his mind, the voice of Antia.

After a few seconds, Qin Chu looked at Antasia with a strange expression:

"Miss Antasia, would you stay at my place instead? My house is quite spacious!"

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