Transmigrated Into The Body Of The Cursed Prince Wife
Chapter 83: Make people like him

Chapter 83: Make people like him

Ave froze as she felt the blade against her neck, her eyes slowly looking up to meet his emotionless ones. For a moment, when they had been walking and riding the horse to this town together, she had forgotten he was the so-called Cursed Prince with a bad temper, someone who could kill anyone within the blink of an eye. She had become so free around him and did as she pleased, but the look in his eyes now was the same as when he still thought she was Selene.

She had been stupid to ask him that question and give herself away, revealing that she knew of his secret plans. If only she hadn’t pitied these people, or if only she could keep her mouth shut like every other woman in this world.

Ave sighed softly, and mustering her courage, she raised her hand and held his wrist where he gripped the dagger tightly. She slowly wrapped her fingers around it. She heard his breath hitch as if her touch had burned him, but he didn’t move his hand away.

"Why would I spy on you?" Ave asked gently, her fingers still around his wrist, holding it in case he decided to cut her neck by surprise. She couldn’t move his hand away, so she kept holding it.

"I am not Selene, and if you are wondering how I found out about your plans to take the throne, I will tell you, but only if you take that blade away from my neck because it’s cutting me more as I speak," she said, her eyes lowered on the dagger that was indeed cutting her skin slowly as she spoke. Was he really going to kill her after she had helped him? She hadn’t reported anything to the Empress since taking over Selene’s body, and if there was no trust between them, there was no way she could help him or continue siding with him.

Ave swallowed hard as she looked up to meet his dark eyes, which had now turned indifferent and aloof. The energy emanating from him was enough to make her legs shake slightly. He hesitated for just a moment before he dropped his hand, moving the dagger away from her neck, and took three steps back, his hands behind his back. Then he glanced at her face. "Start talking," he ordered calmly.

Ave’s hand reached up to touch her neck where the dagger had been and flinched slightly at the pain she felt when her finger came into contact with the small cut that had formed. This prince was indeed heartless, and to think she was trying to help him but ended up with a cut on her neck.

Ave clenched her fists in annoyance and was going to vent her anger at him, but she immediately swallowed her words when she met his eyes again. Realizing she hadn’t answered his question, she cleared her throat and pushed herself away from the tree before she said,

"I know of your plans because, on the third day after I arrived here, I found a folded parchment under Selene’s pillow. It seems she was going to send the information to the Empress but hadn’t gotten to it before that inn incident. That’s how I knew. However, even though the Empress told me to report any valuable information to her, I didn’t tell her that because I knew it would get you into trouble."

She glared at him. It was true that she had indeed found the parchment, but it hadn’t come as a surprise to her since she already knew of his plans. So, she had burned the paper with the candlelight and forgotten about it immediately.

"Do you think if I was working for Elara and wanted you dead, I would’ve bothered to try to help you that night when I stabbed you by mistake?" She clicked her tongue. "I wouldn’t. I would have stood over you and watched you die." She watched his expression shift to one of confusion before he asked calmly, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why didn’t you report me to the Empress then, when I haven’t been nice to you? I starved you, I strangled you, and I even deprived you of many things in my palace. And yet, when the Empress asked you to report things to her, you didn’t give her the parchment you found that could have ended me. What are your motives?" He questioned in a low voice laced with suspicion and confusion.

It was hard to believe that she would try to keep him safe when he hadn’t done anything to deserve that from her. It was either she had her own motives, or she was just doing it unintentionally, as she had done many things without knowing their consequences ever since she came.

Ave shrugged, trying to act casual about the whole topic so as not to give her motives and intentions away. She did have her own reasons for helping him. Only his success could get her back home—home to where she belonged, with everything she had ever owned, and far away from a world so dangerous she had to walk on the edge of a sword every single day just to survive. She couldn’t be herself because it could get her killed, and she couldn’t do as she pleased because someone would know she wasn’t Selene.

"Let’s just say I didn’t give you away to the Empress because I believe you’d make a good Emperor despite your intentions of wanting the throne." Ave said half-truthfully, and when he snorted at her words, she continued.

"You don’t believe me? I’m placing my bet and vote on you rather than on that pervert of a brother of yours and his mother. If they were to take the throne, I think they’d further destroy the Empire to the point there would be nothing left of Pendragon in the future. And I can guarantee you that before the 20th century, Pendragon will be gone, along with its people, because Elara ruined it." She told him. That was another reason she wanted to help him—so Pendragon could be another big country in the future and stop its ruin by falling into the hands of the Empress.

Lucian tilted his head to the side and regarded her with interest. "You mean Pendragon wouldn’t make it to your time?" he asked.

Ave nodded her head. "Yes. It will be destroyed before my time, and if you don’t do anything to stop this and take the throne because you want to change things and not worsen them, you will kill the world faster than it’s supposed to be. You shouldn’t be blinded by the hate thrown at you by the people. It’s somehow not their fault but the Empress’s who has brainwashed a lot of them into hating you.

"Imagine your home being destroyed by a flood and the person you cherish the most in the world dying. You’d want to blame someone for that, and that’s what the Empress did. She made them all believe it was your fault—that you bring bad luck," she told him. A world ruled and built on hatred would bring nothing but ruins.

Ave watched as he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out, and his expression turned thoughtful before he turned on his heels and returned to his obedient horse standing behind them. She was quick to follow closely behind him.

She watched as he took a pouch from the side of the horse, and without pulling the horse’s reins like he had been doing earlier, he began to walk away. Frowning in confusion, Ave followed beside him. "Hey, where are you going? What about your horse? Won’t they steal him?" she asked as she walked beside him.

She heard him hum softly, further deepening her frown. "You don’t mind? Or do you have someone keeping an eye on him? Judging by how much you like that horse, is someone else following us?" she asked. When they had stopped on the forest road where they had left the first village behind, she had seen his eyes look back in the direction they came from as if waiting for someone to show up.

Lucian’s head turned to the side, his brows arched. "You pick up details smartly, don’t you? If you are this smart, I wonder why you act stupid a lot of the time. It makes one believe you have nothing in your head but food." He clicked his tongue and looked away from her. Zane and another trusted guard were indeed following behind them, but not close enough for anyone to pick them up or know they were together.

Lucian hadn’t bothered to stop in that first village to deal with the man who had thrown the stone because he knew Zane would handle it. He had waited in that part to see Zane show up, but who would have thought she would pick up on that so fast?

Ave’s lips curled up in a displeased sneer as she glanced up at him. Was he trying to call her stupid indirectly? "Is that supposed to be a compliment where I thank you for calling me smart and then stupid?" She watched a ghost of a smile grace his lips from the side as he shook his head as if amused, but he didn’t say anything and kept walking.

They didn’t speak again until they walked into a part of town Ave knew without a doubt belonged to the nobles, judging by the structure of the houses and the clean marketplace, which was filled with entertaining activities, unlike the one they had left behind that sold many rotten vegetables and held a foul smell in the air.

They received much attention, just like before, because of how Ave was dressed. She could feel many curious gazes on her, with some of the nobles in their expensive attire, followed by lines of servants carrying their goods, pointing fingers in her direction. Some looked disgusted, as a woman wasn’t supposed to show the shape of her legs in public, while others looked curious.

The marketplace was filled with activities from commoners putting on something like a clown show to entertain the nobles to get some coins, to some who were playing with fire and blowing it out from their mouths.

"You said something about a vote," came Lucian’s sudden voice from the side as Ave stood to watch the show in amusement. "What does it mean?" he asked, causing her to look away from the show to him.

Did she say the word ’vote’? Ave blinked, realizing she must have used the word earlier, and he must have held on to it just like he had done with many words he didn’t know, waiting to ask her about it. She glanced at Lucian and smiled, trying to simplify it for him.

"Vote is when people decide something together," she explained. "In my time, when we need to make a choice, everyone gives their opinion or picks what they want, and the option with the most support wins."

She watched his face for any sign of understanding before adding, "It’s like choosing a leader or making a decision, but everyone has a say in it. Just like when I told you that in my time, people choose their leader through voting." Ave explained, and as if that gave her an idea, her eyes brightened up. "You can also use that method here. Let’s make the people like you again and force them into spreading good words about you. That way, the Emperor might put you back among his successors!"