Such a beautiful girl, strong and a good cook, too.
If only she weren’t such an extreme man-hater.
Luo Ye grumbled inwardly.
“No, I’m just a little hungry, got lost in thought.”
Luo Ye withdrew his gaze, turned his head away, and picked up his fork.
“Hurry and eat.” Anna covered her cherry lips with a gentle smile.
Luo Ye picked up his fork and tasted a bite. The moment it entered his mouth, he sensed something was off.
“Amazing, it’s really delicious.” Luo Ye exclaimed in surprise.
As the king’s illegitimate daughter, yet walking the path of a bodyguard and being skilled in cooking—one could tell her standing in the king’s heart wasn’t very high.
After all, if she held a higher position, these things wouldn’t fall to Anna to do.
“By the way, Anna, there’s something I need to ask you.” Luo Ye asked as he chewed.
Anna lifted her curious gaze and said, “What is it?”
“It’s about Hisina and Alicia. Do you know anything?”
Luo Ye picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.
By rights, Luo Ye shouldn’t be sitting down for a meal with the woman who killed him. Any normal person would have PTSD, and there’s no way he could act so calm.
But in the simulation, he unexpectedly learned Anna was just an unloved illegitimate daughter. Her parents died in an accident, not favored by the king, and not acknowledged as a princess.
At that time, he understood why, after the only spiritual support, Alicia, died, she would become so withdrawn, no longer trusting anyone.
Except for the current him.
Though he didn’t know why, after returning from the simulation, Anna had changed her mind and no longer wanted to kill him, Luo Ye didn’t pay it much heed. After all, if he came back only to be killed again, wouldn’t he be stuck in an endless death loop?
Let’s just consider it the work of that voice from beyond the world, making Anna fall into “Sage Time” and calm down.
Time was tight, no time to dwell on it.
The focus should be on Hisina.
Among the girls closest to Alicia were Anna, Hisina, and Lilith.
Currently, Anna, this golden retriever… cough, cough, golden-haired beauty, had already been tamed by him.
Of the remaining two, Luo Ye wasn’t familiar with Lilith, the actress girl with long light green hair and daughter of a Count.
The most suitable to approach was undoubtedly Hisina.
Also a man-hater, but a stubborn and unreasonable one.
Though her title outranked Lilith’s by far, at school, titles weren’t as useful as positions.
If an investigation was in order, then Anna was undoubtedly the most suitable person to ask.
Anna was stunned for a moment, not expecting Luo Ye to ask this.
“Um, as for Hisina, I’m not really sure either.”
Anna pouted, her slender finger poking her chin, bowing her head in thought, as if recalling and pondering.
“Roughly, it was Princess Aili suddenly cutting off all ties with Hisina and the others at the time.”
“I don’t know the specific reason… Anyway, Hisina used to cling to Princess Aili, always wanting to reconcile… Actually, Her Highness also considered reconciling. At that time, seeing Her Highness’s wavering eyes made me feel really uneasy, afraid she’d hesitate and agree to Hisina, then abandon me.”
“I guess… to say something I’m really reluctant to admit…”
Anna put down her fork, her face gradually shifting from nostalgia to disappointment, though she still retained a trace of self-consoling relief.
“Maybe, I was just a substitute for Hisina in Princess Alicia’s heart?”
“I saw Her Highness, more than once, after Hisina came looking for her, scold her, then stand still, clenching her fists, pretending to be firm but actually wavering inside.”
“There’s a reason for calling me a substitute.”
“But, I’m pretty easy to please. As long as Princess Aili never abandons me, I’ll be satisfied, hehe~”
Anna spoke with a smiling, playful air, her eyes curved, extremely pleasing to the eye. Her words carried an innate charm, perfectly illustrating what it meant for a single smile to topple a city.
At such a young age, to already possess such grace, it was easy to imagine what a breathtaking beauty she would become in the future.
It was just a pity that such a lovely smile came from a defeated dog of a girl and a man-hater.
Suddenly, Luo Ye put down his fork. Under Anna’s startled gaze, he stood up and moved forward, as if to hug her.
“Eh?!”
Being virtually embraced by Luo Ye, Anna was stunned for a moment, forgetting to resist.
“You’ve had it hard. Being the king’s illegitimate daughter must be painful for you, right? Alicia’s passing must have been devastating too, right?”
“?!!” Anna looked up in shock, eyes wide, “How do you know…”
“There’s no need to pretend in front of me.”
Luo Ye used the information gap to gradually draw closer to Anna’s heart: “It hurts, doesn’t it? Having to hide your identity, those days away from home, until you met Alicia.”
“I’m the same. I’m an illegitimate child too. If it weren’t for my engagement to Alicia, back when my father, the Sage, passed away, I’d have been assassinated or attacked by countless nobles coveting my father’s inheritance, dying with regrets.”
“Since we’re both illegitimate children, before the worst ending comes, we ought to stick together.”
Anna wiped away the tears soaking her cheeks, sobbing, “His Excellency Luo Ye, even though Princess Aili is gone, His Majesty still protected you. In this situation, are you still willing to accept someone like me?”
“Of course. We’re all students. When facing off against adults, all students should stand together.” Luo Ye stepped forward and stroked Anna’s hair.
Anna couldn’t hold back anymore, burying her face in Luo Ye’s chest and weeping.
It was clear she’d been holding it in for a long time, wanting to find someone to confide in and cry her heart out. But she was surrounded by royal family members, had gone through so much, and her secret as the king’s illegitimate daughter absolutely couldn’t be exposed.
In such an environment, she didn’t dare show any weakness.
She could only shut herself off, killing off her former, softer self.
Then, as the negative emotions piled up, she finally broke down.
After a long while, Anna’s shoulders stopped trembling, and her sobs faded.
“Sorry for making a fool of myself.” Anna turned away, wiping her tear-stained face for quite some time before turning back, traces of tears still on her cheeks. “That’s my secret. I’ve always kept it in my heart, with no one to confide in.”
“So, His Excellency Luo Ye… can you stay by my side from now on, and listen to my worries?”
Anna looked at Luo Ye carefully, anxiety and unease in her eyes.
The air was silent for a long while. In the quiet, both could hear each other’s breathing. Luo Ye remained motionless, making Anna so nervous she clenched her hands tight.
At last, Luo Ye moved. Anna immediately fixed her gaze nervously on Luo Ye’s eyes, waiting for his reply.
Luo Ye slowly opened his mouth and said blandly, “In terms of status, it’s hard for me to help you.”
Anna’s eyes instantly dimmed at his words, all her previous hope vanishing in that moment.
“But to catch the one who assassinated Alicia, I’m willing to do you this favor.”
“So long as you’re willing to help me, and get in touch with Hisina.”