Ch. 1891..1900
Chapter 1891 Restroom Talk
“Let's ask Mr. Lindberg.” Eva turned to Danrique.
She wanted to say something, but she was afraid of cutting him off.
"Are you bored, Ms. Cece?” Surprisingly, Hazel took the initiative to ask Francesca about it.
She stood up and approached them with a smile. “There's still half an hour before the show starts. I can accompany you two for a walk.”
“Sounds good to me,” Francesca accepted.
The three women stepped out of the lounge and strolled down the theater's corridor.
A dozen of bodyguards followed behind them.
“I heard that Ms. Cece is from Zarain.” Hazel started a friendly chat with Francesca. “My mother is from Zarain, too. I like it there. I visit the country once every year..."
“I see.” Francesca was looking around, searching for a spot to escape.
"What do you do, Ms. Cece?” Hazel asked again. “My specialty is business management, though I also have some interest in arts. What about—"
“I don't have any specialty,” Francesca replied plainly. “I do have some interest in jewelry and real estate, though.”
“That's pretty good.” Hazel was surprised. “So you studied jewelry and architectural design?”
“No, I just want to turn them into money,” Francesca answered casually.
Eva snorted. I've seen just how eccentric Francesca can be. You'll never guess what she'll say next, Hazel. Her mind is different from normal people's.
As expected, Hazel was taken aback by the answer. Still, she asked, “So you're in the business sector?”
“No, no, no.” Francesca shook her head. “I don't know how to do business. I just want to make money!”
Eva couldn't hold back any longer and laughed
Soon, Hazel's expression darkened for a split second, because she felt she was made fun of. But, she quickly returned to her usual graceful self and smiled. “You're so funny, Ms. Cece.”
“Hehe!”
Francesca turned around to see the path not too far from her and saw a bunch of actors walking onto the stage. It would appear the show was starting.
A few actors were pushing cages with protective covers on them. The low growling of beasts could be heard from within.
An idea suddenly popped into her mind.
"What are you looking at, Ms. Cece?” Hazel followed Francesca’s line of sight.
“It's nothing.” Francesca looked away. “I'm going to the restroom.”
“There's one in the lounge—" Just as Eva suggested it, Francesca had already entered the restroom in the corridor.
So, she followed Francesca in.
“I'll wait for you two outside,” Hazel said and waited.
"What do you think about Hazel?" Francesca asked after Eva joined her.
"She's pretty good. She had always been the top student ever since she was a kid. No one can stop talking about how great she is. She's also pretty prideful and never once took me seriously. I don't talk with her much, so I don’t know her personality...” Eva's answer was pretty to the point. "However, because she's the direct descendant of one of the three great families, everyone will do their best to make her marry Danrique!”
"How, though?” Francesca found it funny. “Danrique doesn't like her. It doesn't matter how excellent she is.”
“That's hard to say.” Eva glanced at the door and lowered her voice. “In recent years, the four great families’ relationship had been shattered pretty badly. If Danrique marries her, then that relationship will be restored, and peace will return. If he doesn't, that means he wants sole control of everything. In that case, the other three great families will work together to go against Danrique.”
“That's so complicated.” Francesca washed her hands. “Where does your uncle stand?”
"Uhm..." Eva was taken aback for a second before replying, “My uncle's family name is Lindberg, so of course, he's going to side with Danrique.”
“Your uncle taught you to say that, right?” Francesca smirked. “I think he's just going to watch the fight unfold before siding with the winner.”
Chapter 1892 Sticky Situation
“That's...” Eva felt awkward. She didn’t know what to say to that.
Even though they had only met a few times, Francesca already had complete control over her. There was no way for her to disguise herself in front of Francesca.
“Everyone only cares about their personal benefits when it comes to a power struggle. Situations like that don't leave room for relationships or comradery,” Francesca commented seriously. “Doing business is like fighting on a battlefield, where the strong prey on the weak. Reality is very cruel, so if there's a chance to avoid getting involved, why not choose that option?”
"Uhm..." Eva was still struggling to understand what that meant when Francesca was already on her way into the restroom cubicle. She shook her head, ignored what Francesca said, and touched up her makeup by using the mirror in the restroom.
Many years later, she would recall their conversation today and regretted it for not taking Francesca’s word to heart.
Francesca was sitting on the toilet as she tried to summon the animals. She failed even after multiple attempts, likely because the distance was too great.
It made her a little sad because she intentionally went to the restroom to summon the animals to help her escape. I guess this isn't going to work. Time for another plan.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, she heard a scream coming from the outside.
It stunned her for a second before she rushed out to check what was going on.
It turned out there was a bug crawling on the mirror. Eva was so freaked out by it that she screamed.
Francesca grabbed the bug and shoved it into her pocket.
At that moment, the restroom door burst open. Two female bodyguards rushed in with their guns, prepared to fight against whatever caused Eva screamed.
They sighed when they saw it was just a bug.
One of the bodyguards squashed the bug and escorted Francesca and Eva out.
"What happened—" Before Hazel could finish her sentence, Gordon had already rushed over to them with bodyguards.
A sigh of relief escaped his mouth when he saw Francesca was fine.
The entire process, from Eva screaming to Gordon arriving, only lasted for a minute.
That made Francesca realize she couldn't escape if she didn’t have help.
All of Danrique’s subordinates had gone through hellish training, and so all of them had very sharp senses.
After what happened last night, they became even more alert.
If someone wanted to hurt her, they wouldn't find an opportunity to do so. It also meant she wouldn't be able to escape easily.
“What happened?” Danrique walked out of the lounge and asked.
"False alarm,” Gordon reported.
Danrique glanced at Eva silently before extending his hand toward Francesca.
Francesca naturally extended her hand toward him and let him grab it before walking away with him.
She could feel Hazel's disappointment and jealousy when she passed her by.
“Are you all right, Hazel?" Harrier asked warmly.
Hazel shook her head and walked with him behind Danrique.
Donald scolded Eva. “What's the matter with you? It's just a bug. Do you have to scream?”
“I'm afraid of bugs, Uncle Donald...” Eva explained aggrievedly.
Donald glared at her coldly before catching up with the group.
Eva followed behind silently and aggrievedly.
They arrived on the second floor of the theater. It had a direct view of the stage. There was also a long table there with lots of delicious food sitting on top of it.
Danrique brought Francesca to the middle seat. Harrier, Hazel, Donald, and Eva sat by the couple's side.
Just as they were seated, a couple of beautiful ladies joined them and politely greeted Danrique and Harrier.
Danrique furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Harrier coldly. “You arranged this?"
"What's the point of watching a performance without beautiful ladies around?” Harrier smiled and gestured for the ladies to take a seat.
Danrique was unhappy about it, but he didn't say anything.
Francesca was fine with it because she didn't care.
She kept examining her surrounding as she drank wine. There are so many bodyguards at the back. They're directly blocking the entrance, too. This is a sticky situation...
Chapter 1893 The Strong Dominate The Weak
Music started to play in the theater. The prelude to the show was a few clowns performing a couple of pretty neat tricks. It brought the audience's emotions in the direction they wanted for the real show that would be coming up soon.
Harrier watched the show as he chatted with Hazel about work.
When Hazel expressed her thoughts, her new ideas attracted Danrique’s attention. The three of them started talking about work again.
Donald wanted to join a few times but failed because his line of thinking was different from theirs. It made him feel exasperated, but there was nothing he could do. So, he changed course and enthusiastically greeted Francesca instead. He even introduced her to the history of the circus.
She wasn't at all interested in that as she stared at the audience below with furrowed eyebrows.
It was her assumption that Danrique booked the entire place. That way, she could summon the animals to escape.
However, with so many people around, she couldn't do that. Otherwise, she'd be risking hurting innocent people.
So, that idea wasn't going to work.
Perhaps she really wouldn't be able to escape today?
“All right, all right, let's stop here.” Harrier smiled. “I think you should spend time with your fiancée, Danrique. Look at how bored she is right now.”
“Are you hungry?” Danrique had no experience in wooing women, so he grabbed a small piece of rib for her. “Eat.”
"Okay." Francesca grabbed the rib and dug into the it.
“There's fork and knife here, Cece,” Eva reminded in a small voice.
“It's quite convenient eating it like this.” Francesca didn't care. She even licked her finger.
The other ladies were shocked by her unsightly behavior when they saw that.
They wondered which mountain village she had crawled out of.
Danrique tenderly wiped the stain on her face away. There wasn't at all any disdain in his eyes, only love.
Hazel saw that and lowered her head disappointingly. She raised her cup and drank her wine.
Eva, on the other hand, was jealous.
Harrier swirled his cup as a mysterious smirk appeared on his face.
At that moment, the clowns left, and the light turned dark. The music started to sound mysterious. A few metal rings of fire had descended upon the big stage.
Two beast tamers walked out of backstage with eight lions.
The lions roared, causing a wave of screams from the audience.
Francesca felt uncomfortable when she saw that. The lion, as the king of all animals, should be living a free life in the jungle instead of being tortured and tamed by humans to perform stupid shows on the stage. This is against the law of nature...
The music intensified as the beast tamers swung their whips and the lions jumped through the hoops.
Claps were heard from the audience.
Hazel, Eva, and the other ladies clapped too.
Francesca didn't react to it at all. She simply lowered her head and continued to eat, despite already losing her appetite.
"What's wrong?” Danrique asked caringly. “You don't like the show?”
"Why does a circus have a thing like this?” Francesca asked coldly.
He stared deeply and profoundly at her.
“Humans are the kings of the world. It's only natural that the strong tames and forces the weak to obey their will.” Harrier smiled. “Isn't that right, Danrique?”
“That's right,” Danrique replied plainly. “The strong dominate the weak! It's the same for people!” That sentence sounded light and faint, as though it didn't leave a trace, yet it also felt oppressive. The wine cup in Harrier's hand shook slightly as he narrowed his eyes.
It was obvious that Danrique was saying he was the strong while Harrier, the weak, could only ever obey him.
“That's so narrow-minded.” Francesca couldn't agree with the idea. “I think the strong have a responsibility to use their strength to protect the weak!”
When Danrique heard that, he was taken aback. Seven years ago, fourteen-year-old Cece said the same thing to him.
Chapter 1894 Marry First
“I didn’t think you have such a wonderful idea, Francesca!” Harrier raised his cup toward Francesca for a toast. “I was being too shallow. To you, Francesca!”
Francesca raised her cup too and emptied it before standing up. “I need to go to the restroom.”
“I'll go with you.” Eva followed her.
A few female bodyguards from the Lindberg family also followed.
A complicated look was present in Danrique’s eyes as he stared at her back.
The performance on the stage continued. The lions returned backstage before the elephants showed up.
Francesca, of course, didn’t want a group of people following her and preventing her escape. I need to find a way to get them off of me.
“Are you feeling unhappy, Cece?” Eva comforted in a low voice. “Is it because of Hazel? Don't worry, the one Danrique like is you.”
“Eva.” Francesca suddenly cut her off. “I think I'm having my period. Can you grab some sanitary pads for me?”
"Yes, of course. Wait for me. I'll be right back.” Eva then quickly left.
She didnt notice Francesca attached something to her dress.
After Eva left, Francesca jumped onto the basin and placed her lit lighter below the fire sensor. Then she jumped down, hid behind the door, and counted. One... Five... Ten...
"Ah!" As expected, Eva's scream was heard. “There's something in my skirt!”
Two bodyguards immediately went to check up on her.
At the same time, the fire sensor went off, luring the other two bodyguards into the restroom. Francesca took the opportunity to slip away.
When the bodyguards realized what was going on, she was already gone like the wind.
“Where's Ms. Cece?"
“Find her now!"
Both of them searched through all the cubicles and didn't find her. One of them quickly headed back to Gordon to report on the situation.
Concurrently, Francesca had already run through the corridor and prepared to go downstairs. When she saw a few bodyguards headed her way, she quickly hid in a nearby utility room.
After the bodyguards left, she swiftly bolted out and continued her escape.
She already researched her escape path, which was why her escape had been pretty successful. After a few twists and turns, she was finally out of the theater. She wanted to jump in joy, but she knew she wasn't out of the woods yet and quickly stopped a taxi.
Suddenly, two blinding lights were aimed in her direction, temporarily forcing her to close her eyes. She raised her hand to block her eyes instinctively. Before she could react, a familiar voice was heard next to her. “Where are you going, Cece..."
Francesca was shocked. When she reopened her eyes, she saw Danrique walking toward her from the light's direction. He appeared as though was an all-powerful god in control of everything. Behind him was a group of subordinates staring at her calmly. So, he’s in control all this time, huh? He knew I wanted to escape, so he tested me on purpose. Fine. I guess this means I don't need to hide anymore.
Francesca went straight to the point. “I'm not your puppet or slave, Danrique. I have my own life and job. You can't keep me here.”
“Fine.” Danrique nodded. “I'll send you wherever you want to go if you marry me first.”
She widened her eyes in disbelief. “Has your brain turned into goo? Why would I want to marry you?”
“You're destined to be my wife.” The look in his eyes is firm. “It's fate!”
"What the f*ck are you talking about...” Francesca couldn't hold back anymore. “I'm not going to marry you and I am going to leave now.”
She tried to jump into a car, but his subordinates stopped her.
“There are so many people who want to marry you, so why are you bloody obsessed with me?” Francesca was infuriated beyond her limits. “You should know there's no point in a relationship if it's forced—Hey, what are you doing? Hey!"
Before she could finish, Danrique pushed her into his car.
Chapter 1895 Calvary Has Arrived
“Let go of me! Let me go right now!" Francesca struggled furiously. “You're kidnapping and imprisoning me, Danrique! This is illegal!”
Danrique ignored her and strapped her to the seat before ordering his subordinate to drive.
And so the bodyguard drove away quickly.
The bystanders who saw that were shocked.
Eva's eyes widened in disbelief and bewilderment. “I can't believe she was telling the truth when she said Mr. Lindberg is forcing her to marry him! I thought she’s just trying to piss me off”
“This is interesting.” Harrier smirked maliciously as he stared at the departing convoy.
"Who is that girl?” Donald uttered absentmindedly before returning to his senses. “All right, Eva. Time to go home.”
Just as Eva was about to enter his car, Hazel suddenly approached her and smiled. “It's been a while, Eva. How about we go and grab a drink together?”
Eva was shocked. She had never taken me seriously before, yet she’s inviting me for a drink now? “Go, just go.” Donald smiled. “Both of you are young women, so you should socialize with each other.”
He even gently nudged Eva.
“Then I'll be leaving now, Uncle Donald.” Eva knew what he was thinking.
As Francesca said, Donald was indeed standing at the sideline, waiting to pick a side that would benefit him the most.
Hazel invited Eva to enter her own car. Donald bade goodbye to Harrier before leaving in a hurry. After Harrier got into his car, he ordered, “Investigate that girl's background. I want to know every bit of detail about her.”
“Understood!”
Francesca still tried to escape on the way back, but she couldn't win against Danrique.
He directly hugged her in his embrace to restrict her movements. All she could do was glare at him with fury.
“It's pointless glaring at me. You're not running away.” Danrique held her chin and questioned in confusion, “I thought I'm treating you nice enough. Why can't you stay by my side obediently?”
“I don't want to!” She was furious. “Let go of me!”
"Stop messing around. Be a good girl.” He gently caressed her head and coaxed her tenderly, “I'll give you anything you want.”
“I want my freedom!”
“You can have it after marrying me. You can go and play wherever you want and whenever you want...”
Francesca was speechless. I'm starting to wonder if he even understands the human language. I told him I want to leave, yet he still keeps trying to bind me to him through marriage. There's no point in reasoning with him, it seems. I need to find a way to escape, but after what happened, he'll probably keep an even closer eye on me. It'll be really difficult for me to escape.
Her train of thought ended when the driver reported, “There's a convoy heading toward our castle, Mr. Lindberg.”
"Hmm?" Danrique raised his eyebrow. “Who is it?"
“Let me see.” Sean stared through the window and informed, “It's Prince William's convoy.”
A glimmer of hope was reflected in Francesca’s eyes. William is here! I'm saved! I really hope he can bring me away from this godforsaken place!
The two convoys stopped in front of the castle.
When she exited the car, she finally saw William and his butler, Robin.
Since they were old friends, the moment their eyes met each other, she shot him a look, telling him to not reveal her identity.
William got the message and quickly shifted his line of sight away before greeting Danrique. “I hope I'm not disturbing you with my sudden visit.”
“Not at all.” Danrique raised the edge of his lips slightly. “It's quite cold in Xendale. You should've told me you're coming beforehand so I can send someone to pick you up.”
"Hehe, there's no need for that.” William smiled. “I have to admit, your castle is pretty big. If I didn't meet you in time, I think my driver's going to get lost.”
Chapter 1896 Help
“Let's go in first.” Danrique gestured them to head inside.
His subordinates quickly opened the door to welcome William in.
Danrique was holding Francesca in front of him.
“This is...” Robin pretended to not know who she was.
“This is Mr. Lindberg's fiancée, Ms. Cece,” Sean introduced enthusiastically.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Cece!” Robin nodded.
The complicated look in William's eyes quickly calmed down as he asked with a smile, “I can’t believe you got yourself a fiancée in just a half month since we last met.”
“Mhm.” Danrique nodded. “You're right on time, actually. Perhaps you'll be able to make it for our wedding.”
"Wedding?" William was shocked. “You're getting married?”
“That's right.” Danrique gently held Francesca up. "We're going to start the preparation in the next few days!”
"Who's going to marry you?” Francesca shot a glare at him before escaping from his grip and walking upstairs.
William's expression looked better as he watched her leave. Looks like I made it in time indeed. “Women, am I right?” Not only was Danrique not angry, but he also said, “They don't always say what they mean.”
That gave William pause, and he became slightly depressed again. I suppose it's not impossible for couples to act like that when they're fighting. Back in M Nation, she did pay close attention to Danrique. Not only that, she chased after him once he learned he was in H City. I still can't tell for sure if she likes him or not...
“You must be tired making your way here, William. You should rest early today. We'll have breakfast together tomorrow.” Danrique turned to Sean. “Please take care of His Highness and his subordinates.”
“Understood, Mr. Lindberg.”
Danrique headed upstairs while Sean did as his employer asked.
Just as William was tiredly heading to his room to clean himself, Francesca called him. “William...” Instead of saying anything in a hurry, he shot a glance at Robin first.
Robin politely sent Sean out before closing the door. Only then did William answered. “Which room are you in right now, Francesca?”
“The one next to Danrique’s. What about you?”
“I'm right next to you, then.”
“I'll be right there.”
"Wait—" Before he could finish, Francesca had already hung up the phone and headed out of the window of her room.
Then she tip-toed over to William's room. Robin quickly opened the window and let her in.
“It's so cold outside! The walls are completely frozen. It was very slippery too. I almost fell...” She breathed in deeply upon landing in the room.
“Is your hand all right? Let me take a look.” William noticed there was a cut on her hand and pulled it toward him gently. “It's frostbite.”
“It's nothing serious.” She removed her hand and asked urgently, “How are you here, William?”
“I heard Norah's voice when you called me that day, so I thought you must be at Danrique's place and decided to check it out myself.” He stared at her deeply. “Can you tell me what happened? Why did you come here with him? Why did you suddenly become his fiancée?”
“It's a long story.” She wasn't sure how to explain it to him. “In any case, I don’t want to marry him, and I want to leave, but I can’t. Can you help me?”
"Of course—"
“Please think this through carefully, Your Highness,” Robin reminded. “You know what kind of person Mr. Lindberg is. If you offend him, there will be dire consequences, especially one that concern collaborations with his company.”
Francesca didn't realize that point until she heard it. “That's true. I can't drag you down.”
“You talk too much,” William reprimanded Robin before turning to her. “I'll help you, Francesca, but you need to tell me exactly what happened. This way, I'll know how to start.”
Chapter 1897 Caught
Francesca had no choice but to tell William everything.
“I don’t remember anything from seven years ago. Taking the bullet for him this time was a coincidence. It wasn't intentional on my side. He was opinionated and fancied himself into thinking I saved him out of love. With that in mind, he kept insisting that I marry him. I tried to escape several times but failed.”
William's expression turned solemn. “I heard he had a girlfriend who was his first love and been searching for her all these years. I even helped him ask around. I never expected that person to be you.”
“That is not important. We can't take childhood incidents seriously.” Francesca frowned. “But I can't trouble you with this. With his temper, you might have to bear the brunt if you continue to get involved with me.”
“Yeah. Dr. Felch, we can't involve His Highness in this matter-"
“Shut up!” William interrupted Robin and shot a death glare at him. Once Robin got his point, William turned to Francesca and asked, “Is he still unaware of your true identity?”
“I don't know.” Francesca shook her head. “I'm afraid once he knows about it, he'll think I'm making a fool out of him. The matter will escalate by that point. Well, I did keep the issue under wraps back when I was in M Nation.”
“Then does he know about the injury to your head?” William pointed out the obvious. “I suppose you haven't undergone any procedure for it.”
“No.” She considered William a close friend, so she told him the truth. “After I left M Nation, I went to S Nation for some business, then I traveled to H City, so the surgery was postponed again and again.”
"You have to do the surgery as soon as possible or the consequences will be dire.” William offered gravely, “I'll think of a way for you to leave, then ask Helen to do the procedure for you.”
“You'll have to leave first and we'll continue the topic after.” The creases on Francesca’s forehead deepened. “Won't this matter implicate you? Once Danrique finds out you're the one who takes me away, will he direct his anger toward you?"
"He won't do anything to me. Perhaps just some yelling.” William looked at her with gentleness in his eyes. “The important thing is, are you sure you don't want to marry him?”
“Both L and Zachary were voted as the men young women wanted to marry the most. Both of them are young, handsome, rich, and have a clean slate with the ladies. With a perfect guy being so loyal to you, can you truly let go?”
"All of those things have nothing to do with me.” Francesca said with impatience, “I don’t want to get married. I don't care who it is.”
"You just don't want to marry him, or you don’t want to get married?” William asked.
“I don’t want to get married.” Francesca answered without hesitation, “I have things I want to do. Relationships are too troublesome.”
"All right. As expected of Francesco.”
A resigned smile tugged on the corners of William's lips.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door, and Norah asked through the door, “Your Highness, I made some tonic for you. Can I come in?”
William cast a glance at Robin to handle Norah.
“Return to your room and rest for now. Once I've arranged everything, I'll text you,” William whispered to Francesca.
"Okay."
Francesca nodded her head and went out via the window.
Even though the wind and snow had stopped, the external wall and window ledge was still encrusted with frost, so they were slippery, causing her to almost lose her grip and footing.
It was a good thing she was agile and managed to grab onto the window ledge at the last minute. She expended all her energy on scalding the wall back to her room.
Once her feet touched the solid floor, she let out a long exhale but gasped the next minute.
A figure was sitting on the sofa in the corner, holding a glass of wine and staring pointedly at her in the dark.
There was no reproach or anger in his gaze. He was calm and looking at her with resignation and adoration as though his kitten had snuck out for a stroll.
"Have fun scalding the wall?”
His tone was calm and casual as though he was inquiring about a minor issue.
Chapter 1898 Do What You Want
"Erm..." Guilt clenched Francesca’s stomach as she reluctantly asked, "W-When did you come?” “Fifteen minutes ago.”
Danrique dropped his gaze to look at the wine in his glass.
Francesca tried to think of an excuse, but couldnt come up with one. She knew she couldnt involve William, so she lied, “The room was too stuffy. I just wanted to get some fresh air.”
“Next time, if you want to go anywhere or do anything, go through the door and not through the window. It will be a shame if you fall and become the snow leopards’ food.”
Danrique set his glass on the table and got up to leave.
Mixed feelings stirred within Francesca as she watched him leave.
Fifteen minutes ago, she had just gone out through the window. That meant Danrique had been sitting there for fifteen minutes, silently waiting for her return.
With his character, he should demand her to spill her whereabouts and what she did in that period. Yet he didn't ask anything. Could it be that he knows where I went? But he didn't say anything. What exactly is he thinking?
The more he acted out of character, the more uneasiness Francesca felt.
Sounds of door knocking next door pulled her out of her thoughts. She heard the door open and Robin's respectful greeting. “Mr. Lindberg.”
“Is William asleep?”
Danrique strode right into William's room.
“No, please come in, Mr. Lindberg.”
Panic flood Robin's chest at Danrique’s sudden visitation.
The uneasiness grew within Francesca. Has Danrique gone to find fault with William?
I'm not afraid of anything, but I don't want to implicate anyone. Yet, I can't ask them now, or I might as well be admitting to Danrique that I was there!
Meanwhile, William was sitting on the sofa, sipping on the tonic Norah brought.
When he saw Danrique, he asked with a smile, “L, you're not asleep yet?”
"No."
Danrique’s gaze swung to the window and noticed it was shut with the curtains pulled close. It might seem like there was no trace, but there was a small stain on the pristine white carpet. Without commenting about the stain, he took a seat on the sofa and asked straightforwardly, “William, why are you here this time?”
“Roth and Edward had each met with me separately back in M Nation, saying they had something to discuss. I postponed their meeting and insisted to wait for you, but they persisted and even wanted to visit me at my place. I didn't want to invite any troubles, so I came to find you.”
William was telling the truth. He was aware Danrique was the decision-maker in their collaboration, so he wouldn't simply make any decision without discussing it with Danrique first.
However, Edward and Roth kept wanting to bribe him and use him to take down Danrique.
Not wanting to offend both sides, William came up with an excuse and came to Erihal to meet with Danrique.
He proved his loyalty and sincerity to Danrique and also avoided trouble at the same time.
“They were too impatient.” Danrique reached for the glass of wine in Robin's hand, gently swirling the red liquid. “It's good that you're staying here for a while. You can attend my wedding.”
"You really want to get married?” William asked softly. “As the figure of authority of the Lindberg family, your marriage is a matter of great importance.
"Every faction wants to ally with the Lindberg family through marriage. I heard it wasn't just the three major families, but even the bureaucrats of Erihal wanted to marry their daughters to you “Have you thought things through? Are you sure you want to marry Ms. Cece?”
"Of course, she is the only woman I want to marry.” Danrique was sure and firm. “A true man expands his empire through his wits and fists, not marriage.”
“You're right but reality is cruel-"
“William.” Danrique cut William off and insinuated, “You're born a royalty. It's not a surprise that you have such thoughts.
“However, I'm different from you. The reason I work so hard to stand on top of the world is so that I can live my life however I want.
“If a powerful man turned his love life into a bargaining chip for power, that's incompetence.”
Chapter 1899 He Knows
William was shocked by Danrique’s words.
Being born into the royalty, everyone around me had always told me to focus on benefits and the big picture and that my feelings were inconsequential.
Putting aside friendships and romantic relationships, even family members are stepping stones to a higher status.
In my world, everything is for the sake of a higher status, including myself. I never had my own consciousness and freedom. All of my thoughts are based on obtaining more benefit for my family. Everyone around me are aligned and heading toward the same goal. Maybe that was why I was attracted to Francesca's carefreeness.
She was living my dream life and doing everything I wanted but couldn't do. She was so bright. I thought not many could be like her in this world, living life however she wanted
Yet now I realized Danrique could do the same too. Francesca is unrestrained and untethered to anything, but Danrique carries the entire fate of the Lindberg family on his shoulders.
Having the control of an extensive corporation at the tips of Danrique’s fingers, even the slightest movement could bring about severe repercussions. There should be more restrains and ties around his neck than mine, but his beliefs of gaining freedom by standing at the peak were stunning to me. Soon, William recollected his thoughts and sighed, “I'm impressed that you have such thoughts, but the reality is cruel-"
“That is just an excuse of the weak. The powerful have every control of their fates,” Danrique scoffed.
“L, I know you're powerful. So powerful that others fear you. You tore down every obstacle in your path when you were sixteen and became the authoritative figure of the Lindberg family. Not many others in this world have such strong capabilities.
"However, the world is huge, and many others in this world are on par or even better than you. No matter how powerful you are, there'll be something that you can’t control. Besides, staying by your side with the three major families joining hands to target you is dangerous.
“Choosing to get married at this time is very risky. It isn't just your status that'll be affected, but even Ms. Cece will be implicated.”
William continued to advise, “I suggest you reconsider your decision. Even if you truly want to marry her, you still have to settle the problems at hand first and wait for the situation to stabilize.”
"You can't wait in matters related to your feelings. You'll have to grasp onto them tightly if you like them.”
Danrique didn't agree with William's point of view and was even slightly displeased by it.
"When a man is at the top of the world, he must possess the ability to retain that control. I don't think my marriage will affect my power or status, but I can solve them if they do.
"As for Cece’s safety, I'm sure I can protect my own woman just fine. You don't have to worry about that.”
His last sentence was dripping with a chilling sense of threat.
Robin, who was standing on the side, shuddered at the warning and turned to William worriedly. William was taken aback briefly before smiling bitterly. “All right then, I guess I crossed a line.” “Rest well.”
Danrique placed his wine glass down and got up to leave. He paused as he remembered something when he reached the door. Looking over his shoulder, he said, “Xendale is very cold, so remember to shut your window tight.”
"Yes, thank you for your reminder, Mr. Lindberg.”
Robin bowed almost ninety degrees downward as he thanked Danrique profusely, but sweat had dotted his entire forehead.
Danrique cast one last glance at William before striding out of the room.
Robin stood by the door, watching Danrique go down the hallway to his room, then quickly retracted his gaze and shut the door urgently. “Your Highness, do you think Mr. Lindberg could've known?” Robin asked nervously.
William didn’t respond. Instead, he picked up his phone to give Francesca a call.
“Francesca.”
"Did Danrique trouble you?”
“No, he left after we exchanged a few conversations.”
“That's good.”
“Don’t worry and rest well, but let's not move around too much these two days. We don't want to court his anger.”
“Got it.”
Chapter 1900 Honey Trap
The second William ended the call, Robin asked worriedly, “Your Highness, do you think Mr. Lindberg knows about it? I think he was implying something with his last sentence.”
“Yeah.” William nodded his head. “I think he knows about it.”
"Oh..." Robin began to panic. “What exactly does he know? Does he know about Ms. Felch coming over to your room tonight? Or did he find out about your relationship with her? Or has he known about her real identity?”
William wasn't in a hurry to answer. He gulped down the entire glass of wine and said with a bitter smile, “Francesca is too naive.”
“Huh?” Robin was confused. He didn’t understand what William was referring to. Despite his urgency to get the answer, he didn't dare to push further.
"With L's brain and intuitive, there's nothing that can escape his notice.” William sighed. “I'm naive too to think I can hide my plan to take Francesca away from him even temporarily.”
“I think it's best not to take the risk.” Robin hurriedly reminded, “Our words arent weighty enough among the royals, so we've been on the receiving ends of cold shoulders. L is the only way for you to turn your fate around. If you offend him, you're burning your boat.”
“But I can't just watch Francesca wallowing in distress.” William was hesitant. “If it wasn't for her, I couldn't live till this day.”
“Your Highness, think from another angle.” Robin tried to dissuade him. “It's a good thing Mr. Lindberg wants to marry her and harbored sincere feelings for her. It isnt something bad. We should just do them the favor.
“If you take Ms. Felch away at this crucial time, you'll be snatching someone's true love away. You'll be in the wrong if this matter spreads, and your name will be dragged through the mud. You'll even offend L.
“There arent any big misunderstandings between Ms. Felch and Mr. Lindberg. If she doesn't want to marry him, she can just tell Mr. Lindberg the truth about her identity, then find an excuse to head to M Nation for her treatment. Isn’t that her chance to run away? You don't need to get involved at all.” “You're right.”
William didn’t accept Robin's earlier arguments, but his last remark struck him. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as an idea formed in his head.
It's almost impossible to take Francesca away from under Danrique’s nose, but it's an entirely different scenario if Danrique agrees to let her go.
“It's great that you've thought things through, Your Highness.”
Robin assumed William had given up and released a sigh of relief.
After much thought, Francesca felt that she shouldn't drag William into her matter.
She understood there was no way William could take her away under Danrique’s watchful gaze.
In the end, she decided to depend on herself.
But how am I supposed to leave? I'm a queen in the forest. I'm sure no one can catch me there, but this is a foreign country and I'm in a cold castle. I can't find the window of opportunity-
Her phone's vibration snapped her out of her train of thoughts. It was a call from Anthony. Francesca connected the call immediately, “Hil”
"How are you, Francesca? Still trapped in Xendale?”
“How do you know?"
The minute the question was out of her mouth, Francesca smacked herself on her forehead. Danrique took me away from Anthony, so of course, Anthony would know I was with Danrique. Danrique’s lair is in Xendale. It's an obvious connection.
“Never have I tried so hard to think of a way to get closer to Danrique, but I couldn't think of anything. I can't help you with this, but I have an idea.”
"What idea?” Francesca asked urgently.
“Honey trap!”
“What?”
"Since he likes you and wants to marry you, you might as well play along with it. Once he lets his guard down, you can then find an opportunity to escape.”
"How am I supposed to play along? Agree to marry him and then ditch him at the altar?”
“Even though this is the worst possible plan, it's a plan nonetheless.” Anthony didn’t have a choice too. “As long as he lets his guard down, you'll have a chance to escape.”