How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 42
Could it be that she didn’t take the compliment as a compliment? Or perhaps she hears it so often that it doesn’t excite her anymore.
Her indifferent reaction piqued Aiden’s curiosity.
Sitting on the opposite sofa, he followed Angelina with his eyes while keeping his mouth shut. His gaze was so persistent it was almost uncomfortable.
This was one of the Crown Prince’s specialties and hobbies.
Silence was good for making others uncomfortable.
Especially if the Crown Prince, who had suddenly visited, stared at them like this, most people would wonder if they had done something wrong.
Even if not, they would naturally worry if something serious had happened.
They would inevitably become conscious of the Crown Prince’s mood, and sometimes they would voluntarily spill information without even being asked.
This allowed the Crown Prince to gain the upper hand even before the conversation began.
After experiencing this a few times, one would realize it was his tactic, but the power of silence was such that they would still fall for it.
Aiden was employing this tactic on Angelina. If she had just come of age and had no political experience, she would surely be flustered and uncomfortable.
That would be normal.
‘But… there’s no reaction?’
She was calm.
She didn’t even show common reactions like “Why are you looking at me like that?” or “What brings you here?”
Usually, he would only need to throw in a casual comment like “Does it look like something’s up?” at this point.
The woman before him was leisurely enjoying her tea, occasionally meeting his eyes with a faint smile before erasing it.
‘Let’s see how long she can hold out.’
Curiosity and stubbornness arose in the Crown Prince, and he decided to watch longer. He thought, how long could she possibly endure?
But this was a mistake.
Angelina wasn’t interested in his competitive spirit. More accurately, she didn’t even realize he was attempting a battle of wills.
She was used to this kind of silence.
And that was largely due to Ante.
Ante often showed this behavior during meals or when he occasionally visited her for tea.
Sometimes he would continuously share everyday stories, but other times they wouldn’t exchange a single word throughout the meal.
It wasn’t to make her uncomfortable.
‘I just like looking at our pretty Lina.’
Our Lina even eats prettily.
Our Lina’s hands holding the teacup are so delicate.
Our Lina’s eyelashes are so lovely.
Our Lina is, our Lina is.
Angelina, with a bit of exaggeration, had heard she was pretty more often than the morning greetings from her maids. It was natural to become desensitized.
That’s why the Crown Prince’s embarrassing compliment earlier had no impact on her.
And she had lived her entire life with Ante, whose hobby was admiring that pretty face.
Being stared at intently in silence was as natural to her as Haley hovering around to protect her.
It didn’t make any difference that the person had changed from Ante to the Crown Prince.
Angelina leisurely enjoyed her tea.
Even if the Crown Prince were to stand up now, saying his business was done, she wouldn’t find it strange. This was truly her daily routine with Ante.
The silence continued long enough for their teacups to be refilled twice, and instead, Aiden’s face gradually hardened.
“Ahem. Hem-hem.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Dominic cleared his throat behind Aiden. It was meant to break the silence, but also to help Aiden.
Usually, the other party would speak first, so Aiden only needed to respond.
Even if they maintained silence together, it would clearly be a battle of wills, and he could continue that battle.
But Angelina was different.
She savored her tea as if she had forgotten Aiden’s very existence on the opposite side. Far from a battle of wills, she seemed to genuinely enjoy the silence.
This pushed Aiden into a situation where he could neither advance nor retreat.
“The tea is quite good.”
Finally, Aiden spoke first.
His words smoothed over the long silence as if it had been about enjoying the tea.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Angelina replied briefly and closed her mouth again.
Aiden found this both absurd and intriguing. It had been a long time since he’d met someone so composed in his presence.
Especially a woman showing this attitude in their first meeting was unprecedented. Usually, they would try their best to impress him.
“I’ve often seen the Marquis Flaubert in the capital, but this is my first time meeting you.”
“It’s an honor to meet you.”
“The Marquis always talks about his sister, so I was curious. Indeed, he has reason to boast.”
“You flatter me.”
“I thought I might be disappointed that the Marquis was away, but seeing you, I’m not so sure anymore.”
“I’m not at all involved in the Marquis family’s business, so I probably won’t be of much help.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m just glad to have the chance to get to know you as a person.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t a wasted trip for you.”
“…Huh.”
As every statement hit a dead end, Aiden finally ran out of things to say. A dry laugh escaped him involuntarily.
Aiden could clearly feel that the woman before him had no interest in him. While she maintained basic courtesy, it seemed his appearance was quite bothersome to her.
It was refreshing.
The moderate noble faction eager to curry favor with the royal family was desperate to get close to him. Even the hardline noble faction, while wary, would try to stay close to gather information or exert their influence.
Either way, meetings with him were filled with various emotions.
Even noble children not involved in politics didn’t dislike getting closer to the Crown Prince.
Especially the young ladies, who approached hoping they might become his consort.
Gifts, small talk, charm, cultured conversation – there were various ways they tried to appeal to him.
But such an impenetrable wall was a first. No, this wasn’t even a wall.
It was indifference.
Angelina, knowing Aiden was the original villain, felt no need to get close to him since she would die soon anyway, but Aiden, unaware of these details, felt his pride hurt.
‘I’ve never thought my looks were lacking anywhere.’
He had always considered himself rather handsome. But looking at the woman before him, even that confidence was shaken.
Angelina Flaubert was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Far surpassing the countless young ladies who had dolled themselves up with perfect makeup and expensive accessories to impress him.
‘It will take some time to make her mine.’
He had thought it was an opportunity since the Marquis happened to be away today. He had planned to charm her and gradually win her over.
But that seemed difficult now.
Of course, he had no intention of giving up. Using her to keep the Marquis in check was absolutely necessary as long as Marquis Flaubert was alive.
Aiden decided to take a long-term approach to making her his and brought up a different topic. These were things he had planned to ask even if the Marquis had been present when he met her.
“I hear you recently visited the Magic Tower?”
“Yes, I just returned yesterday.”
“You must be tired, and I’ve called you out.”
“Time for the future of the Empire is always available, so please don’t worry.”
“…The future of the Empire, huh.”
She gave a well-polished answer as before, but Aiden found it strangely jarring this time.
It wasn’t something he hadn’t heard before, but was it because of that indifferent voice? It grated on a nerve deep in his mind.
“It must have been a long journey to the Magic Tower. Did you get what you wanted?”
It was a blunt question. He didn’t expect much. He thought another emotionless, formulaic answer would come back.
But a short silence fell, and a small smile appeared on Angelina’s lips. It was a smile put on for courtesy, without a shred of sincerity.
“I’m overwhelmed by Your Highness’s concern. With so many great achievements to focus on, I worry you might strain yourself trying to attend to such small matters.”
“…Well, well.”
Aiden couldn’t help but laugh dryly at her eloquent response.
In other words, she was saying, ‘Why is someone as important as the Crown Prince neglecting state affairs and investigating a Marquis’s sister? It’s a personal matter, so mind your own business.’
“You have some similarities with the Marquis.”
Aiden muttered with a slightly sour smile.
“He also worries about me quite a lot.”
The Marquis was also very good at wrapping pointed words in flowery sentences. Like brother, like sister, it seemed.
That’s when it happened.
Aiden saw Angelina’s face light up.
She didn’t particularly smile widely. But her expression changed as if clouds had suddenly cleared.
Then, in the brightest voice he had heard so far, she said:
“Not many people say we look alike, so I’m happy that Your Highness thinks so.”
Aiden didn’t respond.
He slowly took a sip of tea, as if lost in thought, then changed the subject.
