LRAB Page 388
Page 388
Slinger folded up her parasol, gently removed her white lace gloves, and placed her fair and delicate right hand in Latis's hand. Latis then pulled her forcefully, and she boarded the carriage.
blah blah.
Her light leather boots tapped twice on the carriage floor. At the carriage door, which was slightly cramped compared to Latis's robust figure, Slingk's forward momentum gently bumped into Latis's chest. She blinked, bowed her head somewhat embarrassedly, then took Latis's hand to steady herself and walked to the seat, gracefully sitting down while smoothing her skirt.
"Oh……"
Latis watched the little princess put her gloves back on, then touched his chest. For some reason, the gentle touch stirred a strange flutter in his heart. He glanced at the innocent-looking Slinky, scratched his head, and looked somewhat puzzled.
He shook his head, dispelling the strange feeling, and looked at the man adjusting his top hat outside the carriage, smiling:
"Hello, Mr. Carter."
“Hello, I am… um?” Carter suddenly paused, glanced at Latis, frowned slightly, opened his mouth, and then closed it again.
Perhaps it was what Princess Slingk just told him…
Carter thought this through, cleared his throat, and said:
"Greetings, Lord Latis. I am Carter Sham, dispatched by the Castle of Swan Flower to conduct your assessment for becoming a new noble. As part of the standard assessment process, in addition to examining your abilities and character, we also need to confirm that you possess a business background sufficient to establish yourself in the capital. Because for a noble, business is extremely important. In the interactions of business dealings, this is your social foundation. Furthermore, only a sufficiently strong business can support your political acumen..."
"Okay, okay," Latis interrupted Carter's long-winded explanation with a throbbing headache, and said with a sigh.
“Come on, I’ll show you around my businesses, Mr. Carter.”
He shrugged, opened the car door, and sat back in his seat.
To be honest, during the simulation, he was interested in showing off and seeing how scared Carter was, but now he'd rather have a proper chat with Slinger.
Carter? I don't know him at all.
Unfortunately, he'll probably have to deal with Carter's problems along the way, so he can only chat with the princess after they arrive in Titania.
Thinking of this, Latis couldn't help but shake his head. However, just as he was about to reawaken his ability to talk nonsense to anyone, Princess Slingk suddenly spoke up:
“Carter Sham, this carriage is a bit cramped. I’ve called an extra carriage for you. Please take that one.”
"……what?"
Carter stared wide-eyed at the large, two-horse carriage that could easily hold seven or eight people, and asked:
"Can't...can't you sit down?"
“There’s not enough room.” Slinger nodded without changing his expression, pointed to the back of the carriage, and said:
"Go ahead, the carriage we called earlier should be here by now."
"..."
Carter's lips twitched slightly. Looking at the princess's affirmative expression, he sighed as if he wanted to cry but had no tears.
The princess has already said there's no room left, how could she be wrong?
It's all Latis's fault. Why didn't he prepare a super-large carriage that could carry a dozen or twenty people?
Of course, if Latis knew about this idea, he would definitely complain that he should just be allowed to develop trains instead.
However, in a world where magic is so prevalent, it seems that only dwarves have studied the power to boil water...
Carter felt a headache coming on, reluctantly bowed and took his leave, heading towards the small carriage that was approaching from behind.
"Keep following the carriage in front."
He spoke to the coachman, glancing back at the family crest on the back of the carriage, his brow furrowing as he muttered to himself:
"Truth exists only within the range of cannons? What does that mean?"
For some reason, he had a vague feeling that he had seen the cannon pattern on the family crest somewhere before.
It looks a bit like... the Titania Palace in the newspaper?
……
……
Latis stared blankly as Slingk closed the carriage door with a gleeful expression.
"Lord Latis, what's wrong?" Slinger put away his belongings, looked at Latis's expression, and his eyes crinkled slightly as he asked, feigning ignorance:
Is there something wrong with this?
"No, no..."
Latis scratched his head, exhaled slightly, and released his dragon might, causing the dragon horse pulling the carriage to move forward on its own. He then muttered to himself:
"Has it been a long time since we've seen the little princess? She seems a bit strange..."
The sound of horses' hooves mingled with the dull thud of cart tracks rolling on the cobblestones. Latis's ears twitched slightly as he looked at the composed Slinger and awkwardly adjusted his posture.
To be honest, although he knew that Slinkk probably had feelings for him, the communication in the beacon was always very formal and formal, especially since Slinkk always used very cultured terms such as "Greetings," "It is as if we are meeting in person," and "Wishing you good health." This made Latis feel a bit awkward in front of the little princess, and he unconsciously became somewhat reserved when facing her.
I wonder how the little princess is doing now, after all this time...
"I wonder how Lord Latis has been lately... It's been a long time, hmm, how should I ask..."
Slinger's whispers suddenly reached Latis's ears. He was startled and quickly looked up at the little princess who was unconsciously fiddling with her gloves. After a pause, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Oh dear, the little princess still can't hide her feelings, just like before...
Latis shook his head with a relaxed expression, looking at Slinger who looked up, somewhat bewildered by his laughter, and asked with a smile:
"Little princess, how have you been lately? As I mentioned in the beacon, although I've been very busy, I've also gained a lot. Besides the city of Titania, my own strength has also improved significantly..."
Slinger blinked, nodding her head repeatedly as she listened to Latis's story. A smile played on her lips, which she then feigned a polite one. Her golden eyes, however, remained unfocused, staring intently at Latis.
"Lord Latis has such an impressive resume... He looks so confident and radiant! It's been a long time, and he's still as cheerful and optimistic as ever, that's wonderful..."
"...Anyway, although so much has happened, time has surprisingly flown by. But even though it's flown by, I've been wondering when I'll see you again. Haha, seeing you again today has lifted my spirits to another level..."
Hearing Latis's words, which had unintentionally become somewhat intimate, Slinger gently rubbed her gloves, then placed her hands, slightly tense, on her soft thighs. She coughed lightly, deliberately tilting her head to stop Latis's rambling, before smiling and slowly saying:
"Lord Latis, I have missed you dearly since we parted ways at the Dawn Tree..."
"Eh?"
Latis, caught off guard by the direct hit, was momentarily stunned, his head spinning slightly. But Slinger, with a smile on his face, didn't give him time to react, continuing as if completely oblivious to his expression:
"After returning to Siyuan Flower Castle, I planted a few new morning glory trees in the yard. If we're lucky, I can invite you to my home next Spring Festival to admire the blossoming of these young saplings..."
"Aside from planting trees, my life is indeed not as exciting as yours, or rather, somewhat lackluster. Apart from carrying out a few magic network commissions around Siyuan Flower Castle, I have spent most of my time trying to accumulate resources. If you can come to the capital and become my trusted subject in the future, I am more than willing to give you these resources..."
"However, it might be too presumptuous of me to say so directly that I hope to rely on your strength in the future, but it would be too hypocritical not to say it. Please forgive my bluntness, because I hope to gain your favor and trust, just as you have already gained mine..."
A hint of shyness flickered in Slinger's eyes. Although she spoke in an extremely official tone, her words carried a less official, personal motive. She paused, somewhat awkwardly smoothing her tangled hair, and continued, feigning composure:
"My visit to you at this moment is not on the side of the Siyuanhua Castle, but on my own behalf, as Slingk, to establish a friendly alliance with you."
"Lord Latis, I wonder what your thoughts are. If there is anything I can offer, please don't hesitate to bring it up in this setting where it's just the two of us."
Latis slowly came to his senses, pondered the meaning of Slinger's words for a few seconds, and found that it was basically in line with his expectations, or rather, he and the little princess were originally two friends with similar positions.
He was about to laugh and say that no conditions were necessary when he suddenly paused, remembering Slinger's "Declaration of the King" in the simulation.
He then coughed lightly, looked at Slinger who was staring intently at him, and grinned broadly.
Chapter 385 The Little Princess's Thoughts Are So Easy to Guess
In the end, Latis did not make any demands, including the request that Slinger would most likely agree to, such as "wanting to become her consort in the future."
Firstly, he was still just joking, and his relationship with Slinger hadn't reached that ambiguous stage yet. Perhaps when Slinger had that thought, she would naturally say it. This should be the final result rather than the process.
However, even though he had a romantic relationship with Slinger in the simulation, he never became her "consort". With the Queen still in charge, extending this invitation to her felt somewhat ominous, as it might mean that the Queen would ruin their relationship.
Therefore, it's best to wait until the two become allies on the issue of the Queen, or until there's hope of resolving this difficult situation, before extending such an invitation.
As for the second reason, Latis felt that while building up power in the capital was helping the little princess gain political advantage, it was actually part of his own original plan. If he were to exchange something that would have been more beneficial to him for the little princess's lifelong commitment, it would be contrary to his serious attitude towards love.
Even though Little Bird had long been completely devoted to him and completely dependent on him, Latis never thought of skipping the normal dating process and directly making Little Bird his bed partner. Even though Little Bird was probably very willing, he felt that the girls around him should enjoy the process of love slowly deepening.
Ultimately, even if the outcome of being together is the same, it's completely different if the process is missing!
Although Ra is a ten-winged archangel, he takes each of his wings very seriously!
"In short, little princess, although there's nothing I want you to do right now, it doesn't mean our alliance is unstable!"
Latis looked at Slinger sitting opposite him, chuckled, thought for a moment, scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, and said:
"Please believe me, I also trust, cough, and love you very much..."
Slinger subconsciously lowered his head, touched the gloves that had been neatly adjusted, picked up the parasol that was placed properly beside him, coughed lightly, and put it on the other side as if he had noticed something was wrong.
Then, she raised her head and calmly smiled:
“Hearing you say that fills me with joy, Your Excellency Latis. Then let’s leave aside those tedious political matters on this trip, and consider it my intentional intrusion as a friend… It just so happens that I also want to take a good look at where you live. If I can catch a glimpse of your daily happiness and joy, that will be enough to put my mind at ease as your friend…”
Latis listened to her voice, as clear as a tender bud and a spring, and couldn't help but smile.
Slinger always spoke in such a formal tone when he was actually speaking very intimately. At first glance, this made Latis feel a little awkward, but as he listened, he suddenly felt very warm.
If a serious tone can only reveal 10% of Slinger's feelings, then listening carefully to the sincere words on the surface can reveal 70% or 80% of her feelings. Perhaps there are things that are not yet said, but the two of them tacitly keep that feeling to themselves.
Although the little princess is very proper, she is actually quite adorable.
The thought crossed Latis's mind, and he couldn't help but look at Slinger's face.
Her hair was a bright gold, but it was slightly white. It was this slight whiteness that made her, even though she was blonde, not as aggressive as the blonde bombshells Latis had described in her previous life. Instead, she resembled the delicate beauty of a golden cloud flower when it was still young, fragrant and lovely.
This approachable gold hue adorned her delicate eyebrows and long eyelashes, eventually spreading across her pupils and blending the colors of her irises and pupils into one, so that to an outsider it appeared as if sunlight were radiating from a flower, leaving them wondering where she was gazing at that moment.
I wonder where she's looking right now...
Latis suddenly felt a little awkward. What if she was staring at him right now? Wouldn't they have been staring at each other the whole time without him even realizing it?!
He subconsciously looked away, thus failing to notice the sudden blush that appeared on the little princess's face, and the slightly shy, victorious smile on her lips.
"Ah... um."
Latis responded sluggishly twice, then snapped out of his daze, looked at the seemingly unaffected little princess, scratched his head, and said:
"Me too... cough, no, I mean if I have the chance, I'd like to see traces of your life. After all, it's the capital, and it doesn't feel very free to stay there all the time. If there's a chance later, I can take you out to see the sights of different places..."
"I'll pretend I've never been there, Lord Latis."
Slinger sat upright opposite Latis, watching Latis gradually become more familiar with her and start chatting and rambling. She chuckled to herself, blinked, and in the breeze blowing in from the car window, raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair that made her cheek feel a little itchy behind her ear.
She enjoyed the lively atmosphere of listening to Latis speak; ever since she witnessed a new life amidst Latis's passionate words on the Ancient Tree of Dawn, she had come to love this feeling.