Chapter 221: Chapter 158: Butterfly Meeting_3
"You’re right, Eldest Princess," Pella admitted, bowing her head.
"Pella, you just don’t encounter enough people. Your circle is too narrow. Otherwise, you would understand that if you wish to challenge Long Yi, you would need strength equivalent to a Dragon Mark or more. There’s no use dreaming otherwise," the Little Princess chimed in.
"A Dragon Mark?" Pella felt a chill in her heart. Although she didn’t have much knowledge about Long Yi and her sources of information were limited, she knew he was formidable. But how formidable could he be?
And thus, her presumptuous misjudgment led to her utter defeat today.
"Ah, by the way, Pella, has my third brother been visiting you often? We haven’t seen him in a long time!" the Little Princess suddenly inquired.
Pella’s eyes flickered, and then she smiled, saying, "Yes, Little Princess, the Third Crown Prince has been spending all his time with me recently."
"Oh—" Long Yi and Ai Lin laughed in unison after drawing out their response in an elongated tone.
So that’s where the problem lies.
Ai Lin knew all along that Pella was an ambitious woman who had befriended her just to use her as a stepping stone. But was a lack of intimacy reason enough to sour relations? It turned out this was the reason.
Once the truth was revealed, the cloud hanging over her vanished, and Ai Lin’s laughter came from deep within her heart.
When a conflict arose between two parties, villains would customarily blame others, while kind-hearted individuals would reprimand themselves. As gentle and kind-hearted as Ai Lin was, even after a conflict like this, her nature was to assess if she was at fault anywhere. Although she had spent considerable time with Long Yi and had been influenced by his personality, a habit formed over many years was not something that could be changed overnight.
But with the truth now in clear view, Ai Lin had her epiphany.
It wasn’t my fault!
I did nothing wrong!
Ai Lin looked at Pella, smiling widely. Even though Pella was smiling as well, her smile reflected stiffness. She didn’t anticipate why the Little Princess would bring this matter up suddenly, but she dared not blame the Little Princess for anything. After all, the Little Princess wasn’t even aware of this event; it was all Pella’s scheme, and she hadn’t even let the Third Crown Prince in on it. Her original thought was to shatter Ai Lin’s dignity and send Long Yi home with a bloody nose tonight in order to surprise the Third Crown Prince and get closer to him. After all, Pella recognized that, at most, she was just his mistress and not his beloved yet. But if she could help the Third Crown Prince vent his anger, perhaps she could win his favor!
Regret hit Pella at this juncture. She hadn’t known the Third Crown Prince for long, and he had started frequently visiting her only recently. Coincidentally, she had met Ai Lin today, and in a brief period, she hadn’t been able to ascertain Long Yi’s exact strength. In her mind, how strong could a third-year student be, no matter what? She even specially summoned a couple of Earth Dragon Knights, possessing Tier 18 Fighting Aura, to lend support. With such strength on their side, they surely wouldn’t lose, would they?
But the outcome was clear now.
They didn’t just lose; they were totally outclassed. With her untrained eyes, she failed to understand how those men lost. All she remembered was the roar of Long Yi’s fist and the men tumbling down in response.
"Third Crown Prince..." Long Yi scratched his head and cast a glance at Pella. Her eyes reflected dismay, the kind that resulted from a foiled plot.
"The third brother..." The Little Princess also scratched her head, her face a picture of helplessness.
"Don’t discuss this, don’t question it. Just mind your own business," the Eldest Princess admonished, stopping the Little Princess from continuing. Whatever she was about to say should not be heard by outsiders.
"Oh, okay, sister," replied the Little Princess, understanding her elder sister’s message.
"We, the royal sisters, came here today to quit the group anyway. However, it seems someone was kind enough to throw a farewell party for us in advance. Might as well, it’s just a formality anyway," the Eldest Princess said, looking into the eyes of Long Yi and Ai Lin.
The honest Long Yi glanced at Pella at the side, looking unconcerned.
"But, I have always been curious about your actual strength. My Second Brother once said you’re very strong, but we didn’t believe him. Since we’re celebrating today anyway, why don’t we join in the fun?" suggested the Eldest Princess.
"Yeah, yeah, let’s join!" The little princess chirped excitedly.
Joining in? How could I just casually ’join in’ with two lovely girls like you? If we don’t handle it carefully, it could even cost ’lives’! Long Yi thought maliciously.
"Your Highnesses, please reconsider! This person is very dangerous!" Pella hurriedly warned. Despite her concern for the princesses’ well-being, it somewhat seemed like she was trying to provoke them.
The Eldest Princess smiled a subtle smile and shook her head. "Pella, you’ve no cause to worry. After all, Long Yi and I are from the same academy, and we have a reasonable understanding of him."
"But..." the Little Princess chimed in suddenly, "Two against one isn’t quite fair, right?"
"Oh? What are you suggesting?" the Eldest Princess asked, a grin playing on her face.
"Given that you’re the stronger one, you should take on Long Yi. I’ve always been curious about Ai Lin’s strength. Today’s the perfect opportunity to find out!" giggled the Little Princess.
Hearing what the Little Princess said thrilled Pella to no end!
This was like a gift from heaven. From Pella’s perspective, while Long Yi was a brute, Ai Lin was a well-bred girl. No matter how things played out, Ai Lin stood no chance of winning against the Princess!
"Brother Long!"
Ai Lin looked towards Long Yi. Instinctively seeking his opinion, she didn’t seem to show any resistance from her expression.
"Okay, you can go first."
Long Yi moved aside with a carefree grin. The Eldest Princess walked slowly towards him, whispering, "Underestimating my sister could land you in trouble."
"Venturing into trouble promotes growth," replied Long Yi. "However, who will ultimately pay the price is yet to be known."
The Eldest Princess raised an eyebrow. She saw resolute trust in Long Yi’s eyes!
By now, the earlier crowd had dispersed. The group of men who had been knocked down in the first round bowed in respect to the Princesses from a safe distance and took cover in the corners, but not one of them left. They wanted to witness how Long Yi dared to duel with the Eldest Princess.
But now, it was Ai Lin’s turn. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please vote and support the writer at qidian.com. Your support is my strongest motivation. Mobile users can read at m.qidian.com.)
