The Princess's Feelings

The four guards behind her frowned, clearly not happy to send the princess into this hostile city.

Antasia gradually distanced herself from Qin Chu, and when she was still some distance from the city gate, she suddenly stopped and chose to continue on foot.

Her long, slender legs supported her body as she strode quickly toward the eldest prince.

When she reached the Crown Prince, her face was even slightly Crimson, and her eyes were full of anticipation, but Antasia still maintained her proper manners.

She gently lifted the tattered hem of her skirt with both hands and gave a graceful curtsy. "Antasia Maisfield of the Ice Grand Duchy greets His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Please forgive me, Your Highness; Antasia has been somewhat rude."

Behind the Crown Prince were many nobles who had followed him, pointing and whispering about Antasia, seemingly mocking Antasia tattered and dirty dress, which was considered extremely undignified by the nobles.

But maybe that's just how people from small towns are.

One shouldn't expect too much from a woman from a poor, backward, and remote place, but this woman really isn't good enough for His Highness the Crown Prince.

The whispers around her made Antasia feel somewhat embarrassed.

She knew that the conditions in the Ice Grand Duchy were nowhere near those of the Orwell Empire, but her parents still tried their best to prepare the finest and most delicate fabrics they could find. It was only because the carriage was damaged during the assassination attempt that they had to walk through the jungle, which caused the dress to be somewhat torn.

Unexpectedly, I now have to endure the ridicule of a noble lady from the empire.

The Crown Prince naturally heard the mocking voices around him, but he made no attempt to stop them, simply staring at Antasia with a cold gaze.

The oppressive atmosphere made Antasia tremble slightly. The Crown Prince remained seated on his warhorse, showing no intention of dismounting. This was completely different from the scene Antasia had imagined countless times.

Nervousness and fear gripped her skirt tightly, her palms sweating. Without the Crown Prince's order, she didn't even dare straighten up.

After a long time, the eldest prince finally spoke:

"Um!"

Um?

That's it?

Antasia stood there, stunned, unsure of how to react.

The four guards who came from behind with Qin Chu were filled with rage at the sight of their princess being humiliated.

Only Qin Chu remained completely unconcerned, his face still bearing a gentle smile. Morton, Jason, and Christia all knew that Qin Chu and the First Prince were at odds, and they had intended to lead Qin Chu into the city from the other side, but Qin Chu suddenly stepped forward.

He glanced at the eldest prince with disdain:

"Lance, get off your horse!"

One sentence instantly left the surrounding group of nobles looking at each other in bewilderment.

To reprimand the eldest prince like that—even if he's Hero, isn't that going too far?

The eldest prince's lips trembled slightly.

Seeing that the eldest prince hadn't dismounted yet, Qin Chu grew increasingly annoyed. "What, do you think you're worthy of riding a horse in front of your uncle? So disrespectful and lacking in manners, is this how Wadsworth always raised you?"

Lance's anger surged, and he wished he could tear Qin Chu apart right there and now.

But it's impossible.

Qin Chu also had three experts by his side: Morton, Jason, and Christia, as well as Ekaterina and Violet. If a fight broke out, he might be the one torn apart.

He took a deep breath, barely suppressing his anger, and finally dismounted.

He glanced coldly at Antasia beside him. "Miss Antasia, your accommodations are arranged at Sunset Residence. There will be a banquet specially held for you tonight."

His gaze swept over Antasia's dusty and torn dress. "You'd better prepare yourself; many nobles will be attending. Don't make me lose face along with you."

The eldest prince left without looking back after uttering a single sentence, and the group of sycophantic nobles immediately followed behind him.

The once crowded city gate immediately became deserted.

To think that her first meeting with her future husband would turn out like this... Antasia couldn't describe how she felt. She felt empty, as if a wound had been torn open in her heart, causing her great pain.

She tried hard to control the expression on her face; she didn't even dare to lower her head, lest tears fall.

Qin Chu felt a pang of pity, then frowned deeply. Sunset Residence —he seemed to have heard of that name before.

The four guards were even more indignant.

"Those assassins were probably arranged by him, weren't they?"

"Seeing Her Highness the Princess arrive safely in the Imperial City, they naturally harbored resentment."

"They're not even willing to put on an act..."

The four men's indignant voices reached the ears of Morton, Jason, Christia, who could only manage a wry smile. This was a matter for the royal family, and they had no way of getting involved.

However, even they felt that the Crown Prince's treatment of Antasia was far too much. After all, Antasia was his fiancée and the princess of the Ice Grand Duchy.

"The three of you, this is already the Imperial City. I'll escort the princess to her residence. Lance is such a terrible person; he didn't even leave a guide." Qin Chu shook his head and said.

Having reached the Imperial City, there shouldn't be any more problems. The three nodded and left; they needed to return to report for duty.

"Miss Antasia, let me take you there," Qin Chu said softly with a smile.

Antasia turned gracefully, her face now displaying a gentle and beautiful smile, a smile that was heartbreaking.

Led by Qin Chu, it took them more than an hour to finally find the so-called Sunset Residence. However, looking at the dilapidated and filthy building in front of them, Qin Chu frowned deeply... This so-called Sunset Residence was not in the Nobles' District, but in the Commoners' District.

The four-story mansion has more than 100 rooms, averaging 30 per floor, and all share a common toilet.

This is absolutely not the proper etiquette for entertaining a princess from another country; it's downright insulting.

The four guards were trembling with anger, and even advised Antasia to just return to the Ice Grand Duchy instead of being bullied here.

But Antasia knew she couldn't leave.

The duchy must maintain its relationship with the empire, and she is the link that holds that relationship together.

No matter how much she felt wronged, she could only suffer in silence. She smiled and shook her head, "It's okay, it should be very clean inside..."

Just by looking at its dilapidated exterior, you can tell that the inside is definitely not much cleaner either; you can even see rats and cockroaches crawling around at the entrance.

Antasia's words were nothing but self-deception.

In fact, the Orville royal family should have prepared a palace for Antasia directly within the Imperial Palace and assigned dedicated maids to serve her; that would have been the proper procedure.

By leaving Antasia in a run-down inn in the Commoners' District, it was obvious to anyone that the Crown Prince was deliberately humiliating Antasia.

"I'll have a good talk with Wadsworth about Lance later..." Qin Chu rubbed his forehead.

Just then, Qin Chu felt a voice ringing in his mind; it was Antia's voice.

A few seconds later, Qin Chu looked at Antasia with a strange expression:

"Miss Antasia, why don't you come stay at my house? My house is quite big!"

Chapter Three is presented here.

Chapter 143 The Princess's Feelings (Successfully Convinced)

Yeah?

Antasia was shocked by Qin Chu's words and immediately shook her head frantically, indicating that this was absolutely unacceptable.

If she were just a princess, it would be fine, but she is also the eldest prince's fiancée. No matter what, she must avoid suspicion. If she really lived in Qin Chu's house, it would definitely cause gossip.

"Thank you for your kindness, Hero, but the conditions here are already very good, it's alright," Antasia said quickly.

Qin Chu's invitation made the four guards feel that although the eldest prince was of noble status, he was far inferior to the Hero in terms of character.

They could rest assured if their princess married the Hero instead of the eldest prince.

Given the Hero's character, he'll surely spoil Princess Antasia.

Qin Chu chuckled, "Miss Antasia, I know what you're worried about."

"But now is not the time to think about that. The more important issue is your safety."

Antasia's expression was slightly gloomy.

"You know that assassinations never end in one go; there might be a second, a third. Even in the Imperial City, this isn't a peaceful place."

"I'm not afraid. Although I'm not as strong as the Hero, I can still fight," Antasia said softly, biting her lower lip with her white teeth.

She's just struggling.

"So, have you considered what your father might do if you really die here? Will the Ice Grand Duchy and the Empire go to war?"

"Actually, you know better than I do that you bear not only the responsibility of being a princess, but also the heavy burden of maintaining relations between the two countries. You have no choice."

"Normally, you should be stationed in the Imperial Palace under the protection of the Royal Guard, but the Crown Prince's decision to leave you here is clearly irresponsible. Right now, apart from where I am, there is nowhere else to ensure your safety."

Actually, there are also the Holy Church and the Earth Mother Church... but if Antasia were to side with the Church, it would be almost like slapping Wadsworth in the face, even worse than staying with Qin Chu.

Antasia remained silent; she knew Qin Chu was right.

Although being assassinated again was only a possibility, she had to consider the possibility of it happening.

Compared to the potential consequences of being assassinated, avoiding suspicion seemed less important. And Qin Chu's palace, with the Scarlet Valkyrie, Violet, and that elusive lady, was undoubtedly the safest place in the Imperial City.

Antia's figure also emerged from Qin Chu's body in time.

Although Antasia and her four guards had witnessed this scene before, they still couldn't help but feel a strange sensation; the way it happened was just too odd.

Antia walked up to Antasia, gently took Antasia's small hand, glanced at Antasia, and without saying a word, led Antasia towards the palace.

Antasia was somewhat flustered. She didn't understand why this incredibly powerful and mysterious woman valued her so much, but she didn't feel any aversion towards her.

"Then, Hero, I beg you."

"You're welcome," Qin Chu said, shrugging.

He couldn't refuse Antia's request.

Antia rarely made such a request of herself.

Violet watched all this with her usual smile, rarely offering her own opinion.

As for Ekaterina, perhaps because Antasia had previously said she was the Hero's confidante, the Scarlet Valkyrie had a good impression of Antasia and did not reject Antasia's appearance.

The palace was becoming increasingly lively. When Angelica saw Antasia, she muttered under her breath, "The master has brought another woman back."

However, they still obediently followed Qin Chu's request and prepared rooms for Antasia and the four guards.

The weary princess needed a bath, and Angelica took the opportunity to enter the hall. Qin Chu was with Karin, teaching Karin to read.

"Owner..."

"This is an invitation from the royal family, inviting you to Miss Antasia's welcome banquet tonight." Angelica handed Qin Chu a gold-embossed invitation.

As Hero, I should naturally be invited.

"Put it over there." Qin Chu sensed that Angelica seemed to have something else to say, "What's wrong?"

"Master, is it really appropriate to let Miss Antasia enter the palace? After all, she is the First Prince's fiancée..." Angelica said cautiously.

"It's alright. If Wadsworth gets angry, I'll explain to him. He might just go and give Lance a good beating." Qin Chu didn't care.

Since her master had already made his decision, Angelica wouldn't say anything more. She simply reminded him carefully not to make any mistakes he shouldn't have.

"There's one more thing..." Angelica hesitated even more.

Qin Chu was genuinely curious. Angelica was usually very talkative around him, so what was wrong with her today?

"I... I hit someone yesterday." Angelica looked remorseful, as if blaming herself for not controlling herself and potentially causing her master some unnecessary trouble.

"Who did you hit?"

"The two nuns of Rosweisse, they..."

Before Angelica could finish speaking, Qin Chu interrupted her directly, "Did you kill him or not?"

Angelica hesitated for a moment. "No, no..."

"Why didn't you kill him? Just kill him directly next time. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong." Qin Chu laughed, "Of course, it's best to avoid being seen by others."

Angelica stared wide-eyed, somewhat bewildered. Was this really a good idea?

Several seconds passed before Angelica nodded firmly, taking her master's words to heart.

"By the way, Anjie, do you know Antasia's measurements?" Qin Chu asked casually.

In an instant, Angelica's gaze became quite strange; she scrutinized her master from head to toe with a peculiar look.

"Master, you wouldn't... I'm reminding you, this is the First Prince's fiancée, you'd better not..."