Chapter 145: 144 All Style, No Substance? (Please subscribe! Please vote for the monthly ticket!)
When Shane and Vivian entered the room and approached the princess, the scene that unfolded before their eyes seemed to brighten the entire world, rendering them speechless.
At that moment, the princess sat by the window, gazing out at the lake, holding a brush in her hand with a canvas in front of her, continuously capturing the view outside on the canvas.
Yes, the princess was painting.
And her painting was incredibly captivating.
Yet, the beauty mentioned here did not refer to the artwork itself, but rather the sight of her with her face turned sideways towards the window, facing the sunlight, sitting by the window.
A gentle breeze blew in from outside, swirling the curtains into beautiful patterns and causing the princess’s waterfall-like long hair to sway in the wind.
The image was truly enchanting.
Especially when the sun’s rays touched her, it seemed to embellish her cascading snow-white hair with specks of gold, creating an unimaginable aesthetic.
Thus, not only Shane but also Vivian were left speechless, as if they had forgotten to breathe, or perhaps they were afraid their breath would disrupt the beautiful atmosphere, leaving the room submerged in a comfortable silence.
Neither of them even realized when the female knight who had led them there had left.
Indeed, they didn’t know how long this soothing silence had lasted before it was broken.
By the time they regained their senses, the princess had put down her brush and was looking their way.
Her eyes were like the world’s most flavorful red wine, a captivating burgundy.
“It’s been a long time, Vivian,” the princess finally broke the silence.
However, far from disrupting the ambience, it only added to the comfort.
Perhaps because the princess’s voice was equally melodious.
Shane had only heard such a captivating tone from one other person.
(Could this princess really be a goddess?)
But of course, this was an unfounded suspicion.
At the least, Shane could feel the unique human aura emanating from her, unlike the ethereal feeling he got from Nien.
Amidst this, Vivian stepped forward and knelt on one knee before the princess.
“My apologies for not paying my respects sooner, Your Highness,” said Vivian, offering her utmost reverent salute.
This was the first time Shane had seen Vivian pay such respectful homage.
Before, even in the presence of high-ranking nobles, Vivian had only nodded in greeting, never as reverent and devout as this.
Yet, this made the princess shake her head.
“I’ve already said that outside of formal occasions, there’s no need for such grand gestures,” the princess, her lips parting like coral, said to Vivian in a pleasing voice, “Also, you can simply call me Luoqi outside of official events. There’s no need to address me as ‘Your Highness.'”
Upon hearing this, Vivian shook her head as well.
“That would be too disrespectful,” Vivian declared seriously, “For the descendant of the Hero who saved the world and vanquished the Demon King, and also a direct successor of the Royal Family, to be overly casual would be an insult to the legacy of the Hero. Therefore, please forgive me, but I cannot do so.”
Princess—Luoqi couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.
But that resigned, wry smile was equally breathtaking, causing Shane to nearly sigh in admiration.
Before, Shane would have never believed that someone in this world could be so beautiful.
No matter the expression or the gesture, she exuded an ethereal beauty—is this the kind of woman one can only dream of?
Whether it was Nien or Luoqi, they were showing Shane what is meant by 360-degree flawless beauty.
Beauty to this extent could almost be considered an unreal sensation.
Yet, compared to the Princess before him, breathtaking to the point of suffocation, Shane’s gaze would inevitably drift toward a corner of the room.
There, the Holy Sword that Shane had earlier seen at Luoqi’s waist stood quietly, appearing just like any ordinary weapon, hardly resembling a Legendary Grade divine armament.
Reflecting on the Holy Sword still wrapped on his shoulder, Shane couldn’t help but inwardly snicker.
His own Holy Sword was so dazzling it was practically otherworldly, while others’ seemed plain and unremarkable, not drawing the slightest attention. Was this suggesting his was all flash and no substance?
However, when my Holy Sword gets serious, it could probably pierce the heavens—if that’s not solid, then what is?
Luoqi and Vivian, oblivious to Shane’s thoughts, were politely engaging in a conversation akin to chatting about household matters, seemingly forgetting Shane’s presence for a moment.
One must admit, Luoqi’s charisma was exceptional; even Vivian was inadvertently drawn in, succumbing to her pace and completely forgetting Shane stood aside.
On the contrary, from the very beginning, Luoqi had somewhat noticed Shane’s presence.
It couldn’t be helped.
Luoqi was fully aware of her specialness.
Usually, if a man saw her, his gaze would have long been inescapably fixed upon her, unable to move away.
Shane was no different, initially captivated utterly by Luoqi’s figure, losing track of time’s passage, a testament to Luoqi’s allure.
But from that moment on, Luoqi ceased to exist in Shane’s eyes, his focus remained steadfastly on the corner, unmoved.
This undoubtedly surprised Luoqi, smoothly drawing her attention toward him.
So, Luoqi began to seriously assess Shane.
Upon this scrutiny, Luoqi’s beautiful eyes suddenly trembled slightly, unable to shift away from Shane.
No, more precisely, unable to move from the package on Shane’s shoulder.
On Shane’s shoulder, a long, wrapped bundle hung there, seemingly ordinary, but Luoqi had sensed it.
She felt a familiar magic power.
“Vivian.” Luoqi finally stopped her idle chat with Vivian, retracted her gaze, looked at her, and asked, “Who is this…?”
Luoqi’s words jarred Vivian back to reality, also reminding her of Shane’s existence.
Vivian couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed, apologetic even, as she looked at Shane, then quickly turned formal.
“Your Highness has read the letter I sent in, right?”
“Mhm.” Luoqi nodded and said, “You mentioned there’s an important matter to discuss with me, correct?”
“Yes.” Vivian fixed her gaze on Luoqi and said, “Before that, allow me to introduce him to Your Highness.”
Vivian introduced Shane.
Luoqi savored the name.