Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife
Chapter 157: Creeped out

Chapter 157: Creeped out

Ave didn’t stop hurrying away until she was far from the Empress’s chamber. She slowed her pace and used her hand to pat her beating heart, which had been slamming forcefully against her ribs like it would burst out of her chest. She hadn’t just escaped being framed for the ambassador’s sudden disappearance, but had narrowly escaped being killed, all while having to stand in front of that frightening man, Edward.

Ever since she had come to this world, it always felt as if she was walking on a thin thread, a very thin thread about to break if she were to take any wrong step. She didn’t like this at all; she wasn’t the type to always be this guarded and frightened. Her life in the modern world might have been lonely, but she would have preferred it so much more than this one.

And whenever she thought of how she had been stupid enough yesterday to drink a wine offered to her by someone like Elara, she felt foolish. If it weren’t for Lucian, who she couldn’t stop wondering if he had done something to the ambassador, she would have ended up with that disgusting man. The very thought of him repulsed her to the core. Her so-called present after their dance was for her to give her body to that man? Ave scoffed internally as she gritted her teeth.

She had thought she would be gifted a chest of gold and jewelry. If she had been given that much, she would have saved it for her Plan B: If one day she never got to return to her time, she would leave this damn Empire, go far away, and open a business—a very big business—and start a new life, even though she knew it was going to be hard in a world where she knew no one.

However, the thought of leaving this palace while a certain someone was still there didn’t sit well with her. Ave sighed and dismissed that thought. She stopped walking when she reached a corridor where, at the end of it, a large window stood open to the view of the lands. She walked to the window and placed her hands on the frame, taking in the fresh mid-morning air, that smell of the autumn season blowing against her face and hair.

Ave gazed at the lands where she could see the villages and faraway mountains from this high part of the palace window. Pendragon was a beautiful land, a very beautiful one. If a good ruler were to take over, many things would have been different. But even from this top window, she could smell the poverty of the people and how much they suffered and starved.

Ave’s thoughts wandered off in different directions, one being her experience last night with the man in the casket, and then the name he had used to address her: "Rosette." That wasn’t the first time she had heard that name; Heaven had said that name as well. Whenever she thought about it, it made her curious and confused. Who was this Rosette? Why were they addressing her like that?

Many things that had been happening were making her more confused. First, she had been thrust into this world when she didn’t ask for it. She wasn’t the kind of woman like in those transmigration novels and movies who had secretly gotten so into history and wanted to experience it, and then they found themselves there one day. She had never liked history, nor had she ever wanted to be in an ancient era. She might have starred in an ancient drama, but she never liked anything about that time. She always found it boring, with men looking down on women and how one couldn’t do what they wanted.

She hadn’t only been thrust here, but she had to fulfill a quest that now seemed lost since she’d been disposed of, before she could go back. That shadow woman had only appeared once and then abandoned her with no other instructions on what to do afterward. And now that everything was spiraling out of her control after she discovered this magic, she wished she could get clear instructions on what to do.

A part of her felt like she belonged here, even though that was absurd and stupid. She had begun to have that feeling, especially after last night when she woke up from that nightmarish experience. She had felt a bit different and had a sense that she belonged here and that there was something she ought to be doing, while another part of her longed to go back to the world she was familiar with—a world where she belonged, where her body was, and where her soul was supposed to be.

Where she wanted to execute her revenge on those who had made her experience hell. She wanted to go back and see that Victoria paid for everything she had done to her. All this had only started because of that damned Victoria. And most importantly, she wanted James Eamon to pay and lose everything he ever cared for.

Ave sighed as she drew in a lungful of fresh air and then exhaled it. She wet her dry lips with her tongue but froze when that action reminded her of Lucian’s kiss and touches. She flushed to the roots of her hair, still able to taste his kiss on her lips. She recalled the wet, warm sensation of his tongue. The thought of it made her toes involuntarily curl inside the shoes she wore, and a muscle twitched in her lower abdomen.

She could get used to waking up to him like that every morning, but she could never imagine herself daring to wish for that. He was like a sin—the more you tried not to fall into that sin, the more it tempted you and pulled you in. He was unrealistically handsome and masculine in every aspect. She recalled how his forearms looked strong whenever she touched them, how they bulged with veins, and how powerful his thighs always felt when he straddled her hips.

Those thoughts were enough to set her body on fire, and she cupped her hot cheeks in her palms in embarrassment. What was wrong with her? Why did Lucian’s thoughts always make her act silly and stupid? Why did he make her heart misbehave? She didn’t want to love him or feel anything for him and she refused to acknowledge this feeling as love. She didn’t want to.

Most importantly, why did he act indifferent to her in public and then nice when they were alone? His behavior was confusing her, making her want to pull out her hair in frustration.

"You are such a jerk! I shouldn’t be thinking about you, and yet I can’t bring myself to stop! What the hell is wrong with me?!" Ave said out loud without even realizing she’d spoken the words until she felt a presence behind her and then heard an amused voice say, "I would like to know that as well, Milady. Why are you talking to yourself in this quiet corridor while everyone is heading to the dining hall to hear the announcement of the Emperor?"

Ave swirled around at the sound of the familiar voice. She hurriedly composed herself before bowing her head to the first prince of Banzai who stood before her, regarding her with obvious amusement. His head was tilted to the side, and his hands were tucked inside his trouser pockets. "Your Highness!" she greeted in a hurry.

She had been too distracted by her thoughts to even realize someone had walked up behind her, or perhaps it was because this man was as creepy as the dark, moonless night with how he always approached her when she least expected it.

"Aaron," he said suddenly, causing Ave to frown as she looked up at him. "Pardon me?"

"You can call me Aaron whenever there is no one around," he declared calmly, his dark eyes never leaving hers for even a second. He watched as she looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged and replied, "If you say so, I’ll call you by your name." If it were someone else, Aaron thought in disbelief, they would not have agreed to address him by his name immediately without him insisting, but Selene agreeing without a second thought made him wonder what made her so different.

Ave, on the other hand, would have been glad to call all the royals by their names rather than using formalities. Even though this particular man made her uneasy and yet comfortable at time, she couldn’t resist the invitation to address him by his name. His dark eyes seemed to hold many secrets and knowledge that always made her wonder what he knew about Selene that she didn’t. Whenever he was close to her and spoke to her, she felt a sense of familiarity with him, followed by unease and the urge to be far away from him. He creeped her out.

Clearing her throat, Ave broke the silence that followed after he gave her permission to address him by his name. "I didn’t see Annala with you today, Aaron. Where is she?" she asked, genuinely curious, as she knew how the lioness was clingy to the prince.

Grinning at her, his white set of teeth revealed and his one cheek dimple showing, he said, "She’s been moody lately as she’s approaching the days of birthing her little ones. I let her rest in my chamber."

Ave nodded with an, "Oh, I see," before she raised her hands and subconsciously moved her hair away from her face when the breeze blew the strands from the window, making it disheveled. Aaron followed her movements with his eyes, and when he noticed the obvious marks that marred her fair, delicate, milky neck and chest, his eyes narrowed at the marks that were obviously made by a lover’s teeth and kisses. Her skin was so fair that the marks were eye-catching.

Aaron’s jaw slightly tightened but relaxed when she looked up at his face.

"We should head to the dining hall. An announcement is about to take place, and everyone is to be present," Aaron remarked, his usual nonchalant voice sounding hardened and strained. With the flourish of a gentleman, he gestured for her to walk with him.

Ave, sensing a shift in his demeanor, even though he tried not to make it obvious, wondered silently what happened to the playful prince. Nodding her head, she followed behind him as they walked back to the inner palace towards the dining hall.

As they walked, she heard him say, "I hope you haven’t forgotten about the bargain you made with Queen Lan Hui about the meals, Milady? Unless you want her to take you back with her when they go back to Chen to receive the punishment she promised you if you fail to give her those food ideas, I hope you are preparing now that the ceremony is over?" he reminded, his playful voice restored while Ave’s eyes widened at the reminder as she’d almost completely forgotten about her bargain with the woman.

"I didn’t forget." She lied with a nervous smile on her face.

Damn it. She needed to remind Lucian about those ingredients he told her to make a list for so Hugo could get them for her. Unless she wanted to receive the ugly punishment of King Ling, she would better make sure she satisfied his mother before the day the guests would start departing. It was the best she could do to help Lucian to gain allies, she might not be able to help him as much as Princess Madeline’s marriage to him would, but she could in another way she was good at.

Because with the quest or not, she wanted Lucian to succeed and be the Emperor, she wanted him to have everything he wanted. If possible, she would like to witness him be happily married, so when she went back, and when she finally found everything that spell book had said was required to perform a soul-swapping spell, she would leave with the thought that he was happy, she would leave without any guilt in her heart. He would be happy when she was gone and if Selene came back, right?

He would get over her absence as quickly as everyone else had when she was in the modern world. Though she would miss him terribly, she hoped she would get over it as time went on. She had never been important to anyone to the point that they would miss her, and just like everyone else, Lucian would surely not feel her absence for long. Though a faint voice in the back of her mind said he seemed to love her based on how he behaved when they were alone, she buried that thought with the belief that it wasn’t her he loved, even though he showed that he loved her—it was Selene. Because she was in Selene’s body, he had never seen what she truly looked like to have that feeling for the real her.

Perhaps cooking would be a better distraction for her mind to stop wandering back to things she didn’t have control over...