Chapter 103
Chapter 103. The Xino Covenant (5)
Night had fallen. The crystal stars embedded in the vaulted dome of the Xino Palace poured down their gentle starlight.
Beneath the radiant, star-strewn path, tonight's sole leading lady finally made her appearance before the eyes of the assembled crowd.
Her pure moon-white waist-cinching gown shimmered under the dome's starlight, rippling with flowing threads of pearl white, pale silver, and light gold. The Austrein imperial house's immortal Cornflower Insignia had been wrought into a golden chest ornament, blooming in full above her graceful, full-figured silhouette.
Atop the platinum crown fashioned after cornflower vines, thirty-six condensed light-diamonds were set in place, gleaming in beautiful harmony with those dazzling golden tresses.
The Imperial Princess wore exquisite makeup—a trace of pale rose liner drew along the corner of those violet eyes, adding a layer of distinctive allure.
Beneath the long skirt, white lace glimpsed and vanished with each step she took, revealing a stretch of leg that set the imagination wandering.
Serela took Luo Nan's arm, and the two walked slowly side by side from the exterior of the Xino Palace into the main hall.
Luo Nan's deep black and cobalt blue—like the vast depths of the night sky. Serela's platinum radiance—like pure, bright moonlight spilling across the earth.
"What a…… perfect match."
Even Anya, at this moment, could not help but acknowledge that the pair at the center of the hall were a match as though made by nature itself.
As if the union of the two had been fated from the very start.
For some reason, Anya found herself feeling a little short of breath.
The girl reached a hand into the bodice of the formal dress she had rented for the occasion, and gripped tightly the white cloth strip she had brought along to conceal her identity while carrying out her task later.
'Enough—stop looking. It means nothing. Better go get some more food.'
Anya loosened her white-knuckled grip on the cloth strip, and in her ill-fitting high heels made her way back to the dining room.
'Ow!'
'?'
Anya first felt herself collide with something soft, then heard a startled gasp, and finally a faint floral fragrance drifted into her nostrils.
"I'm sorry, Miss……"
She immediately realized she had bumped into someone. She quickly reached out to steady the girl who was about to topple backward, and apologized at the same time.
"It's alright—please don't worry about it." The girl she had caught replied softly.
Only now did Anya get a clear look at the face of the person she had caught, and her mind identified the other party at once.
"Miss Rose?"
The one she had collided with was none other than Rose Anlute—the "victim" from the Homecoming Banquet half a month ago.
Anya remembered: her very first meeting with Luo Nan had come about precisely because she had been used by an interested party to believe Luo Nan was attempting to violate Rose—and had barged into the private room to try to rescue her, thereby setting off a whole chain of subsequent events.
'Has it really only been half a month……' Anya couldn't help feeling a touch of nostalgia.
"You are…… Anya Sivans—Miss Anya?"
Rose had clearly recognized the righteous young lady with the beautiful golden eyes standing before her.
"Miss Anya, why are you here?" Rose asked the same question Luo Nan had.
Rose had naturally investigated Anya's background and knew her status was that of a mere commoner—hence the inquiry.
"Ahaha, naturally someone invited me~" Anya gave her head a vague shake, her gaze evasive, unwilling to discuss this topic further.
She could hardly say she had been dragged here by some person of unknown identity to carry out a mission, could she?
Although she disliked the Crow-Beak Mask's money-scattering rich-person ways, basic confidentiality was something she would still uphold.
This was Anya Sivans's professional spirit!
"I see," Rose could also tell Anya didn't wish to go into detail. She gave a nod, then hesitated for a moment before asking quietly: "Then…… Miss Anya, have you recently had any…… contact with Luo Nan?"
"?"
Anya was taken off guard for a moment. She couldn't work out why Miss Rose would ask her whether she had seen Luo Nan lately.
'She must know I was hired by Luo Nan?' She rubbed her smooth chin.
At this thought, the girl replied: "Lately I have indeed met with him a few times—mainly to exchange case progress updates regarding the assassination attempt against him."
Anya did not mention the joint investigation trips to Apartment No. 23 and the Limestone Mine Shaft the two had undertaken together.
She didn't feel like bringing it up.
"Then…… in the times you've been in contact with him, especially these last few days…… has he and you……" Rose was somewhat tangled, the rest of the words already at the tip of her tongue but somehow difficult to say.
"Done what with me? We haven't done anything."
"No…… it's just, has he ever mentioned…… me?"
"Mentioned you?"
Anya's eyes went wide. She found it rather hard to believe Miss Rose would ask this particular question.
'Based on what I know of the relationship between those two—Luo Nan being a scoundrel should be someone Miss Rose despises…… and there was that misunderstanding between them too……'
'Surely Miss Rose hasn't developed some kind of improper, twisted feelings toward Luo Nan?'
Anya gave a nod, and the more she thought about it the more convinced she became that her guess was correct.
'No—I have to set Miss Rose straight. I can't let her go astray.'
The thought had barely formed when a look of resolve ignited in those golden eyes. Both hands came to rest on the girl before her snow-white shoulders, and she stated with upright conviction: "Miss Rose, your feelings are twisted!"
"Huh?"
"Listen to me—even though that Luo Nan fellow has some money and his looks are passable, he is an utterly depraved scoundrel!"
"This…… this I know……" Rose was a little baffled; she couldn't work out why Anya was bringing up facts that everyone already knew.
What she actually wanted to ask was whether those photographs that Luo Nan had forced her to take had been revealed to anyone.
Although she very much wanted to ask Luo Nan himself—the moment she thought of what had passed between the two of them that night……
Rose felt something was off about her own body.
So she didn't quite dare go and ask Luo Nan directly.
She held leverage over him, it was true—but even with no news these past few days, Rose could not guarantee that Luo Nan wouldn't change his mind later and use those photographs to threaten her into doing this or that……
She had seen this kind of plot in certain unsavory picture books before. When a girl's leverage was held in some man's hands, it was invariably the beginning of that girl's downfall.
She had to save herself!
It would be best if she could get that Memory Crystal back from Luo Nan's hands.
"So, Miss Rose—please correct the way you think about Luo Nan! It is morbid, twisted, and wrong!"
"Huh?"
Rose was startled by Anya's sudden seriousness. She darted her eyes around at the people nearby—fortunately, all of them had their attention drawn to the central pair in the main hall, and no one had heard what Anya just said.
"No no, Miss Anya, you've misunderstood……"
Rose pulled Anya to a corner of a side hall, cast a furtive glance around to confirm no one was passing by, then lowered her voice:
"Miss Anya, although I don't know what sort of 'morbid, twisted, improper feelings' you're referring to…… I have no feelings whatsoever toward Luo Nan."
"In fact…… I utterly despise him!"
"Huh? Why?"
This time it was Anya's turn to be confused.
"Well……"
Rose certainly couldn't tell Anya outright that she had been forced to let that fellow take a photo collection of her, could she?
Even though both of them were women and she believed Miss Anya could understand her difficulty—it was something she simply could not say aloud.
Looking at the golden-eyed girl in front of her who seemed somewhat guileless, Rose once again recalled the boldness with which she had dared to directly accuse Luo Nan half a month ago.
'This person…… could she possibly be made use of?'