Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife
Chapter 109: Bargaining

Chapter 109: Bargaining

After breakfast, as everyone began to leave the dining hall, Ave exited the curtain area after the elders and the Emperor and Empress had left, she wouldn’t want to bump into that woman even by mistake.

When she walked out, only the princesses and princes were left, some still eating and discussing, while others were getting acquainted and blushing as they talked in small voices. Her eyes briefly fell on their meals, and she realized it was different from what she had been served. She had been given two plates of boring meals she didn’t even recognize, but she’d eaten them because she was hungry and needed a distraction.

She looked around the room, and her eyes fell on Lucian, who was not looking at her and was trying to listen to whatever Madeline was saying beside him, a huge smile on her face. Ave looked away from them and proceeded to the exit in hurried strides.

The moment she left the hall, Lucian’s eyes shifted toward her retreating figure until she disappeared completely from his sight. Not long after, he noticed Prince Aaron also leaving the hall, and a small frown settled on his face.

Ave walked far from the hall with hurried footsteps and decided to do something with her time to distract herself from any unwelcome thoughts. Perhaps she should go and meet the queen mother of the Chen Kingdom and make her bargain with the elder woman before it would be too late.

After asking around about where she could find the woman, the servants directed her to the pavilion in the palace garden, where she was told the woman was sampling some newly invented meals. Nonetheless, just as Ave was about to walk toward the garden, she stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of the Empress walking into a corridor with the first prince following behind her and that man who had once held a sword to her throat in the dining hall before.

A frown settled on her face as she watched them disappear behind a door. Then, like a distant forgotten memory that had vanished from her mind but was triggered by this scene, she recalled a dream she’d once had in this palace, where she saw the Empress in the library, talking to an invisible man in a cloak.

Though Ave could barely recall what they had talked about that night, she remembered one particular topic about how the Empress had the first prince under her control and was the cause of the tension between the brothers. The rest of the discussion had slipped from her memory by morning that day.

’Something smells fishy,’ Ave thought to herself as she stared at the door. She could sneak there and eavesdrop to hear what the Empress would discuss with the first prince. Who knows? Whatever they talked about might be beneficial to Lucian and could help her find ways to mend the thread the Empress had broken between the brothers.

Ave contemplated the thoughts for some second before she decided to sneak there. She was about to walk toward the door when a man’s deep voice spoke from behind her, literally right behind her, his lips close to her ear, causing her to jump when he whispered, "What is so interesting about that door that you are staring at it with such an expression?"

She swirled around to meet Prince Aaron’s amused eyes as he regarded her with his head tilted to the side, his hands behind his back, a smile playing on his lips where his one cheek dimple was forced to show. He was standing so close to her that she quickly took three steps backward to create some space between them.

"Your Highness," she bowed to show her respect, despite not liking how he had crept up behind her. What was wrong with this man? Couldn’t he just leave her alone? As if his presence wasn’t enough, his lion walked up to her, growling softly and rubbing its large head against her until she couldn’t help but pet it. When the lion fell at her feet, turning its stomach up and looking at her to rub it, Ave couldn’t help but smile as she thought the large animal was acting like a cat.

Crouching down, she began to rub the lion’s stomach.

"Annala can be a brat when she likes someone," remarked the prince as he watched his pet with Ave. "Do you like pets?" he asked, curiosity clear in his voice.

"Who doesn’t like them, especially when they look at you with those cute eyes?" Ave said, continuing to rub the lion’s huge belly, completely unaware of how Aaron was watching her with a sad expression now, nor did she notice when he held out his hand as if to pat her head but then withdrew, clenching his fingers instead.

"If you want, I can give you one of her cubs once she gives birth." He shrugged casually when she looked up at him, his expression returning to its usual amusement.

Ave would rather not keep any pets in this world, let alone a lion—how would she even feed it? She smiled and declined his offer without hesitation. "I will pass on that, Your Highness."

Now that he had interrupted her investigation of the Empress, she could no longer sneak over and listen to whatever they were discussing. So, she looked back at the door and then at the prince, who didn’t seem like he would leave anytime soon. "Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have something to do." She bowed and was about to head toward the garden when Aaron reached out and grabbed her wrist.

She turned over her shoulder and glared at his hand that held hers, then at his face. Realizing what he had done, he quickly released her wrist and smiled. "You are heading to the garden, aren’t you? I’m going there as well to spend some time with Queen Lan Hui," he muttered, referring to the same woman Ave was planning to meet in the garden.

Ave felt the same unease she had experienced yesterday when she first met the prince creep up her spine at his words. How did he know she was headed toward the garden? she thought, looking at him suspiciously. But he had already started walking away and called out to her,

"If you want to meet her, you’d better hurry because once she goes back inside, you won’t have another chance."

Ave snapped out of her daze. Even though she didn’t want to speak to Queen Lan Hui in his presence, she couldn’t miss this opportunity, especially with the ceremony happening a day after tomorrow when everyone would be too busy. She followed behind him with his lion trailing behind her, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling in her stomach.

A few minutes later, Ave was grateful Prince Aaron had been there when she spoke to the queen mother of the Chen Kingdom, as the woman seemed fond of him to the point that she didn’t hesitate to give Ave a chance to prove herself.

"Your claims are bold young lady, you said you have recipes for meals we’ve never created or heard of, that is quite impossible since our kingdom is the land of food, but I will give you the chance to prove yourself after the ceremony is over, let us see if you truly know food as you claim." the elder woman had said, with a beautiful accent in her tone as she regarded Ave with dark, catlike eyes that wrinkled at the corners with age but didn’t diminish her beauty.

"However, I will warn you that failing to satisfy me will lead to punishment for raising my curiosity about these meals you mentioned. I do not tolerate such things, young lady. The punishment will be administered by my son, and I will be forced to take you back to our kingdom to receive it." She warned, her smile fading as she sipped her tea.

Ave had heard so much about the Chen Kingdom and how ruthless King Lee, the Queen mother’s son could be. Taking her there to receive a punishment she knew could be death, made her feel a bit anxious. She swallowed hard and hesitated for a moment. But being confident in her cooking, she assured the woman,

"I will not disappoint you, Your Grace. Once the ceremony is over, I will prove myself to you, as long as you keep your word and grant me any wish I ask of you." She smiled, showing her respect while also making it clear that this wasn’t for free.

"You have my word. Satisfy me, and I shall grant you any wish, as long as it is within my reach." She assured her. "And for the sake of my dear Aaron, I am giving you this chance. Don’t disappoint me."

Their meeting ended there, and now Ave strolled the garden with Prince Aaron and his lion, her image of the man softening a bit, given how his presence had helped her with the elder woman.

"Those meals you listed for Queen Lan Hui—are they real meals? I’ve never heard of any of them before," the prince asked, his curiosity piqued as he walked side by side with her, their shoulders almost touching.

Ave nodded her head, completely unaware of how close they were walking. "Yes, they are."

"And you know how to make them?" He arched a brow at her, and when she nodded, a frown briefly crossed his face before vanishing. He had never known a princess or noble who could cook before, but since she had been brought in as a slave and even worked in the kitchen for some time before the Empress took her, Aaron didn’t think much more about it.

"I would like to taste those meals, and I look forward to seeing you make them. You can always come to me for help if you need anything," he said with a warm smile as he stopped walking, and Ave automatically stopped as well, only to realize he had paused in the middle of the garden where beautiful flowers bloomed around them.

"Thank you for your help but__" she began to say.

"Do you like roses?" He cut her off, not giving her the chance to refuse his offer of help, as she had been about to. He walked over to where the roses were blooming, carefully plucking one while avoiding the thorns, and then turned back toward her with the rose in hand.

Though she was grateful for his help with the elder woman, she didn’t like how kind he was. It made her uncomfortable and unable to refuse him, as she somehow felt a bit indebted. She looked at the beautiful rose in his hand and then at his smiling eyes before she nodded, expecting him to hand it to her. But to her surprise, he walked close to her and tucked it into her hair, then stepped back.

"It looks good with your red hair, and I think you should wear a rose more often. Beautiful," he said as his hand fell away from her hair.

"Thank you..." Ave bowed a bit hesitantly, unsure of what to say. He hadn’t made any improper advances, and she didn’t want to offend him by rejecting his gesture outright. He seemed to be a kind man, and so, she didn’t remove the rose. As she turned to continue her walk with him, her eyes met Lucian’s darkened, fiery gaze. Standing beside him was Madeline, as they both appeared to be strolling through the garden as well.

Ave’s breath caught as she saw Lucian’s eyes fall to the rose in her hair, then at the man standing close to her, and finally, back at her face. His expression darkened even more than she had ever seen before. His amber eyes, filled with unspoken intensity, burned into hers with a raw emotion that was difficult to name. The force of it sent a shiver down her spine, as though he would incinerate her with that look alone. It was so piercing that she had to glance away, her heart pounding in her chest.

Madeline, seemingly oblivious to the storm brewing within Lucian, tugged at his sleeve to regain his attention, but his gaze lingered on Ave for a moment longer before he tore it away.

"Shall we?" Prince Aaron’s voice cut through the thick tension, and he began to lead her away. As they walked past Lucian and Princess Madeline, Ave felt Lucian’s hand shoot out from his side, momentarily grasping her hand as she walked by. His cold fingers grazed the inside of her palm for just a fleeting second before he let go, sending an electrifying thrill coursing through her whole being.

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