Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 33
“Shouldn’t we address the one-sided imprint, the fundamental issue? And just in case, we need to find a way to protect Rienna.”
“Do you really think Miss Rienna will be in danger?” Jamie, who had been silent, suddenly widened her eyes.
When Helios clicked his tongue at having to explain this, Vincenzo said, “What do you think will happen if the Empress’s side of the family finds out that Rienna has imprinted on Your Highness?”
“Miss Rienna…” said Jaime, her voice trailing off.
“They’re going to kill her,” finished Ebony.
It’s unfair enough to have a one-sided imprint, but now there’s even a threat of assassination. How did my life get so complicated?
“That’s right, which is why I need to give Rienna a bodyguard to match mine.”
“That’s not possible,” interjected Emma. “That would go against the protocols of the royal family.”
There were rules and procedures for everything that happened within the palace walls.Your position dictated how many windows you could have in your bedroom, how many servants you could have, how many rooms in the palace you could stay in, and even how many people you could invite to a banquet and how much food you could put on the table. Having less wasn’t an issue, but having more was seen as a challenge to those above you in the hierarchy.
So, even my stay in the Crown Princess’s quarters posed a problem. But that wasn’t an immediate concern since those who didn’t frequent the Crown Prince’s residence wouldn’t notice it, and Helios kept a tight rein on who could come and go.
Sometimes literally.
“If word got out that Rienna has a guard equal to that of the Crown Prince, those who look down on His Highness will not stay silent.” Vincenzo voiced his concerns as well.
“That problem can be solved quite easily.”
Helios had a knack for making big problems seem trivial. While admirable, it could turn into a flaw if he didn’t have any fundamental solutions.
Fortunately, Helios did have a solution.
“What is it?” I asked, turning to face him.
He locked eyes with me and smiled. My heart skipped a beat at that beautiful smile. When dizziness hit me, I touched my forehead, and Helios casually placed his hand on my waist.
In an instant, the dizziness was gone, but my heart was still beating erratically. And the spot where he touched me tingled.
“I’ll make you eligible.”
“Excuse me? Are you suggesting making Miss Rienna a princess? Adoption? The Queen Mother would never approve.”
Helios rolled his eyes at Vincenzo’s words.
“I’ve been working with a fool. Emma, you know what I mean. What do you think?”
Emma, expressionless, sighed and looked at me. “Rienna’s opinion matters more than mine.”
“What opinion?”
I couldn’t keep up with the conversation. Eligibility, adoption… I understood, but I couldn’t fathom how it related to me.
“I asked you to marry me, Rienna.”
“You weren’t joking?”
“I don’t joke with you.” Helios’s firm words left me stunned.
“Are—”
Before the words “Are you crazy?” could escape, I caught sight of Jamie wringing her hands feverishly.
“—you sure? Me?”
Even if I were considered Helios’s equal, hurling insults like ‘crazy’ at him face-to-face would hardly be forgivable.
“You want to marry lowly me?”
I barely managed to navigate through the crisis.
“Status doesn’t matter. The empire is surprisingly open-minded.”
That’s true. Once an imprint happens, people from all walks of life, be it commoners and nobles, beggars and royalty, have been known to form unions. As a result, the law prohibiting marriage between individuals outside of nobility disappeared.
“I have no parents.”
“I don’t have a mother either. And I might as well not have a father for how absent he’s been in my life.”
Except that his absent father was the Emperor, and his stepmom was the Queen.
“I don’t have any money.”
“You’re richer than me. Without the Crown Prince’s budget, I don’t have much.”
That was a blatant lie. Helios’s personal wealth was staggering. According to descriptions in novels, he had enough money to buy a country. He mentioned inheriting it from his birth mother.
But I pretended not to know. Because if they asked me how I knew, I wouldn’t know what to tell them.
“I have the ability, but…”
I couldn’t bring myself to say I was incompetent.
“Have you found all the reasons to reject the proposal? Tell me more.” Helios leaned back against the back of his chair, his relaxed demeanor conveying a subtle madness that would crush any reason I gave him.
“But marriage is between people who love each other.”
“How far do you think a marriage based on love can go? The imprint is what matters, Rienna.”
The smile vanished from Helios’s face in an instant. Those who knew Bailey and Terman’s story fell silent. The air grew heavy. I could understand why Helios viewed marriage as a contract, a business, a union brought about by an imprint. That’s why I couldn’t marry him.
“I can’t marry you.”
I should be begging for his help, but instead I shrugged.
