nucmednet 018. Will we win?
018. Will we win?
Xinlai knew very well that if Vivian were to ask her father for a marriage proposal, the Stella family would be completely tied to Simien.
At that time, the second brother's bargaining power in the royal family will only increase.
A hint of embarrassment appeared on his face, his tone gentle and helpless:
"Vivian...it's not that I didn't want to come find you, nor that I didn't want to marry you."
This well-timed hesitation did indeed calm Vivi down, making her look at him seriously.
"You know," Sinley sighed, "my older brother Garend, although he is obsessed with women, is indeed an excellent leader in politics."
When the king is not in his presence, the court officials all seek his advice when discussing important matters.
This statement was partly true and partly false; it was a smokescreen to protect Xinlai.
Galund was the first of the three brothers to be involved in politics, so his prestige was naturally the highest.
However, the ministers of the Golden Radiance Royal Family actually preferred to make Simien the crown prince, since Simien was the strongest of the three brothers.
Furthermore, Simeon prefers money, which makes him easier to control and win over, and prevents him from being drained of his body by beauty like Galund.
Xinlai's goal was to get Vivian to forgive his disappearance and to gain her sympathy so that he could temporarily calm his heart, which was pounding for love.
"That's why I can't get away, and I don't dare to come to you." Xin Lai's tone grew increasingly sorrowful.
"I'm afraid of implicating you, and I dare not acknowledge you. If one day... my elder brother really takes that position, I'm afraid I'll only be exiled to the border."
By then, even meeting each other will probably be a luxury for us.
Upon hearing this, Vivian was stunned.
She was genuinely impressed by this well-reasoned analysis.
Seemingly moved by Simien's predicament, she turned around and comforted him, like a caring older sister.
"Don't be afraid, I... I'll always be behind you." A faint, warm blush rose to her cheeks, which had just been wet with tears.
"If you really end up like that, let's elope and forget about them, okay...?"
"Let's find a place where we won't be easily discovered and live a peaceful life, and then, have a few more children..."
Xinlai was almost choked by those words.
What innocent and pure good girl...
If it weren't for the impersonation, he probably would have burst into tears on the spot and married Vivian right there and then.
Let alone in this world where emotions have long been indifferent, even in modern times, such pure-hearted girls are rare.
In order not to hurt the feelings of the innocent Vivian, Xinlai had no choice but to nod.
"Okay, whatever you say."
Promises made during the honeymoon phase are indeed touching...
The conversation seemed a little awkward, and the two remained silent for a while.
But Vivian didn't want to waste time with "Simien," so she quickly found a topic to talk about and actually started giving "Simien" advice.
She thought about it carefully for a moment, then blinked her long eyelashes and asked,
"Does winning over the Marquis of Tanstin's daughter guarantee a victory over Galend?"
"...Hmm." Xin Lai released her, turned to look at the cultivation resources in the trailer, and lied through her teeth.
"But as you surely heard that day, I personally killed Tansteen Eve, and the situation isn't looking good."
He casually picked up a snake scale, but his thoughts drifted far away.
Why would Simeon spend so much money, even breaking into his castle, to get Eve?
Even more bizarrely, he lied and claimed that his elder brother wanted someone.
Simeon is trying to divert everyone's attention... What exactly is he plotting?
Vivian, who had been watching Xinlai closely, seemed to sense Xinlai's hesitation and whispered:
"The Marquis of Tanstin has been stationed on the border for over ten years, and contrary to rumors, he was not suffering from food shortages or being harassed by barbarians."
She paused, then lowered her voice: "Instead, they're conserving their strength and building up their 50,000 heavily armored cavalry... So what you should be doing now is figuring out how to take control of this army... right?"
Fifty thousand heavily armored cavalry?!
Xin Lai's pupils suddenly contracted; this was not something a girl like her, who was confined to the academy every day, should know.
How did you know?
Vivian felt a little guilty, but seeing Xinlai's increasingly serious expression, she answered honestly:
"You got drunk at the graduation party before, and when I helped you back to your dorm... you, you said it yourself."
Xinlai glanced at Vivian suspiciously and said nothing more.
Fifty thousand heavily armored cavalry—let alone a level 70 city defense force, even the highest-level person in the world today would need to stack up all their buffs to ensure their corpses are completely preserved and pass away with dignity.
Under the charge, not a blade of grass remained, the city walls were as flimsy as paper, and the city's defense forces were likely to suffer a crushing defeat.
How did the Marquis of Tanstin manage to maintain his military power for so many years without rebelling?
If it were Sinlai, she would have sat on the throne the very next day, carrying her father's head.
Could it be that... Marquis Tanstin's only weakness is his daughter, Tanstin Eve?
Sinley quickly pieced together the truth: the reason Tansdin had been able to stay on the border all these years was probably because the royal family was secretly holding Eve hostage.
Now, whether it's due to some unforeseen event at the border or a traitor within the family, the incredibly talented Eve has been accused of being a witch, and the entire Tanstin family has been overthrown overnight.
Meanwhile, the count, far away on the border, probably didn't know that his daughter had been "beheaded in the street." He only knew that something had happened to his family and that she was being escorted back to the city.
In this turbulent situation, having Eve in hand is equivalent to having 50,000 iron cavalry in hand.
Could this be Simeon's secret?!
Then Simeon's intentions seem to be obvious: he wants to rebel!
Even if they don't rebel, they're definitely not planning anything good.
Just look at what he's doing to know:
He seduced Vivian, the daughter of a high-ranking official, and made her cry her heart out; it seems he wanted to gain political support.
They spared no expense to seize Eve in order to control those 50,000 heavily armored cavalry; they were scheming and plotting, even setting a trap for their own brothers...
Every single thing is calculated.
"The news of Eve's execution only reached the capital yesterday," Vivian said softly. "Today, Marquis Tanstin should find out very soon..."
Even though Xinlai had already thought of this, hearing Vivian say it still sent chills down her spine.
If the Marquis of Tansten were to truly learn that Eve was dead, that man, who had no weaknesses left, would face a blood feud and possess everything he needed for revenge...
It’s over.
Whether Simeon wanted to rebel or not, or whether Tanstin raised an army after learning the news, Sinlai, this prince who was related to the Golden Radiance royal family, was going to die either way.
It seems that now we not only need to rely on Eve to improve our strength, but we also need to figure out how to save our lives.
He took a deep breath, turned to look at Vivian, his face full of regret and helplessness: "Vivian, I'm sorry I can't stay with you anymore. As you've probably guessed, I'm in a difficult situation right now."
Vivian nodded, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.
"I...I believe you."
Neither of them moved, like a young couple about to be separated at a train station, clinging to the last bit of tenderness.
"If you go," Vivian puffed out her cheeks and glared at him angrily, "who knows when you'll be back."
Those eyes clearly said: Give me some reassurance, don't leave me waiting aimlessly like last time.
Where does Xinlai get reassurance now that he's impersonating Simien?
You can't exactly kiss them, can you?
He had noticed before that Vivian was very averse to physical contact. Could it be that their relationship was platonic? They hadn't even held hands?
Now that Xinlai and Vivian are getting intimate less than ten minutes after meeting, he'll probably be chopped into pieces when the truth comes out.
Having no other choice, Xinlai finally came up with a solution that was truly the only option left.
My experience as a central air conditioning unit in my past life has come in handy.
He held Vivian's hands tightly, looked directly into her eyes, and solemnly promised, "Don't worry, I will definitely give you a home."
Vivian's face flushed red, making her even more beautiful and alluring.
"Your magical talent is so good," Xinlai's voice was as gentle as if she were coaxing a child, "I told you I wanted to learn magic from you and improve my strength, so I came openly and honestly."
Vivian's eyes lit up: "Really? You can't lie to me."
"I'm not lying to you."
"Then it's a deal," she puffed out her cheeks, "if you don't come, I'll... I'll have my father help the Third Prince!"
?
Even Vivian probably thought Xinlai was useless, otherwise she wouldn't have said such things in front of Xinlai.
But if Count Stella really were to turn against him and help him... cough cough, I don't even want to think about it.
The two lingered for a while longer, and Vivian thoughtfully settled the bill for his cultivation resources and arranged for them to be loaded onto the carriage.
As expected of the daughter of a high-ranking official in the current royal family, she bought resources worth a chest of gold bricks with a wave of her hand...
That's good, it saves Xinlai some money.
She escorted Xinlai all the way to the gates of Hamilton College of Magic, standing there like a young woman seeing her husband off on a distant expedition, offering him endless words of advice:
Be careful in your work.
"Um."
Just kidding, if Xin Lai hadn't been careful, she wouldn't be alive today.
"Remember our promise... okay?"
"it is good."
Good grief... If you come looking for me again, I'll really be exposed...
"Don't overwork yourself, remember to rest, okay?"
"I'll listen to you."
Definitely not. Xin Lai's main motto is to live life to the fullest, and he won't tire anyone out.
"Will...will you really miss me?"
"meeting."
You dare to come here risking your life...
It seemed there was nothing more to say, and Vivian's eyes reddened again.
"Will...will we win?"
Xinlai didn't know what she was asking, after all, he wasn't Simien, but he still nodded, wiping away the last trace of unease in her heart:
"We will win."
Whether Vivian and Simeon win or lose is not important, but Xinlai knows that based on the information Vivian, this pure and kind girl, has given him, he and Simeon will definitely achieve a win-win situation:
Sin Lai won twice.
Vivian, another lonely girl watching Xinlai's carriage gradually disappear into the distance, stood there stunned, her eyes filled with unyielding reluctance and longing.
We met briefly, and then we had to part ways again.
Whether it was because they hadn't seen each other for so long, or because Simeon's demeanor had changed since he entered the political arena, Vivian felt that the Simeon she had just met was somewhat unfamiliar.
But after "Simien" entered the academy's resource procurement department, her words and actions were exactly the same as the Simien she knew—voice, height, appearance...
Vivian believed that he was the Simeon she had been longing for.
……