Ashen exited the room.
Right now, only 75 percent of the villagers had their spirits removed and others were standing in the line to get their spirits removed in front of the entrance to the room.
The village head, whose spirit had been removed, wore a smile on his face; however, upon noticing Ashen exiting the room, he hurried over to him anxiously.
"What happened, your highness?" He asked with a tense expression. "Is there a problem?"
He knew this was a god-sent opportunity, and if these remaining people failed to obtain it, they would cause trouble for him for going inside the room ahead of them despite being the village head.
They would blame him for making them stand at the rear of the line.
Ashen's expression turned grave upon hearing his question.
"The treasure has been used up. Tell the others to leave," he said before departing, leaving the village head with a helpless and shocked expression.
Now, the village head had to deliver this grave news to the others himself. However, that was no longer Ashen's concern as he went to find Li Xiran with a calm and composed expression.
Li Xiran was sitting in a flower-filled field not far from the village, an annoyed expression hanging on her beautiful face.
She was not happy with how the village head had treated her earlier; therefore, she came to this spot—her favorite hiding place, known only to a few people.
Then, how did Ashen know where to find her?
Simple.
The system had marked her as a heroine. With its help, he could locate her within a certain range.
Following the system's guidance, he found her.
She was gazing at the beautiful scenery of the flower field, sitting on a low mound while plucking flowers in anger.
She was constantly plucking their petals with an annoyed expression.
Approaching her from behind without letting her notice, Ashen called out to her softly:
"Li Xiran!"
"Han Yujin, go away. I don't want to talk to anybody right now." Xiran answered in an angered tone, without even checking who it was that had called her.
Usually, Han Yujin would appear to console and cheer her up.
Moreover, he was the only one other than her who knew about this spot. Therefore, she mistook Ashen's voice as Han Yujin's.
Well, she was right about Han Yujin appearing.
He was really approaching this place as Ashen checked in the system.
"I am not Han Yujin, Miss Xiran." Ashen responded politely with a smile.
Hearing his voice again, Xiran realized what had happened as she snapped her head in Ashen's direction, glancing at him with wide eyes.
She had not expected this person to appear here.
Standing up from the mound she was sitting on, she asked with a slight bow: "How did you come to know about this place, your highness?"
"Oh, that? I just asked a boy in return for 10 gold coins and he told me that this is the best place to see wonderful scenery," Ashen said with a smile, and without even turning his gaze away from her face, he whispered just loud enough for her to hear: "And it really has the best scenery."
Her heart skipped a beat, her mind screaming:
He meant the field is beautiful, right?
But then why is he looking at me while saying it?
Is he flirting with me?
No, right!
That can't be possible.
He is a prince, why would he flirt with me?
But then, her brain noticed another piece of information.
Some boy had informed him of this place for 10 gold coins.
An annoyed expression appeared on her face as she contemplated:
Did Han Yujin really broke our promise for 10 gold coins?
He is the only boy who knows about this place.
As she continued to ponder on this possibility, she felt contempt for Yujin rising in her heart.
[Ding! Host, You have successfully harmed the relationship between Li Xiran and the Protagonist, Han Yujin. You obtain 50 Villain Points.]
Ashen ignored the message.
Focusing only on the lady in front of him, he asked curiously: "Why are you here, Miss Xiran? Are you also here to see the scenery?"
A nervous expression appeared on Li Xiran's face.
How could she tell him that she was here because of him?
She hated him.
It was because of him that the village head acted so coldly towards her.
She just wanted to help the villagers, however, she only faced glares in return.
She just nodded to Ashen's question, trying to escape the question.
A wide grin appeared on Ashen's face, how could he not understand what was going on here?
Ashen, facing the flowery scenery with the reflection of blossoms shimmering in his crystal-red eyes and sunlight bathing his face, explained:
"You know... at first, I didn't like that you suspected me of deceiving the villagers. However, when I thought about it from your perspective, I came to understand your intentions."
He turned his face toward Xiran, gazing deep into her eyes as he asked:
"You were just concerned for the villagers, right?"
He paused and, with a charming smile, added, "You are a good girl. I like you."
A faint blush crept onto Xiran's cheeks as she lowered her gaze to the ground, her fingers unconsciously tightening around her sleeves.
She had not expected to hear a compliment from this person and honestly, it felt genuine.
Her heart fluttered before she could stop it.
Almost against her will, her eyes lifted again.
Sunlight poured down at that moment, bathing his face in a warm, golden glow.
His features seemed sharper yet gentler under the light, as if the heavens themselves had taken the time to carve him with care.
He didn't look like someone standing before her in reality.
He looked like a figure pulled straight from a dream—distant, unreal, and impossibly captivating.
"N-No, it's alright. Your Highness was just trying to help the villagers." Xiran stammered as she answered in a low voice. "I have heard how your highness removed their spirit. It seems I was wrong in my suspicion."
[Ding! Host, You have successfully made the Heroine Li Xiran think positively about you. You obtain 50 Villain Points.]
[Ding! Host, You have successfully made the protagonist feel hatred towards you. You obtain 50 Villain Points.]
Noticing the second message, Ashen's eyes shined as he mused with a smile: "Oh, is he finally here?"
Han Yujin had arrived at this spot a few moments ago when Li Xiran was blushing. He hid behind a tree, deciding to observe the situation before making a move.
He didn't want to make an enemy out of a Prince without any reason. However, noticing his love interest acting positively with this Prince made him jealous and angry, prompting him to grit his teeth.
"How is it alright? What if I never calls the villagers for the awakening? Wouldn't that also be deceiving them?" Ashen questioned in a righteous, and polite tone, loud enough for Han Yujin to hear.
A bewildered expression appeared on Li Xiran's face.
She stammered before answering embarrassingly: "I-I never thought about it that way."
A gentle smile played upon Ashen's face as he said, "I've thought of a way to ensure that you and the villagers can rest assured and fully trust me."
A delighted smile appeared on Xiran's face as she asked curiously, "And what is that way, your highness?"
Ashen pointed at Xiran, announcing loudly: "You!"
"What?" Xiran blurted out, taken aback by his announcement.
She, confused, pondered about what he meant before a thought flashed into her mind:
Wait! he is not asking me to marry him, is he?
The same thought crossed Han Yujin's mind, a baffled expression appearing on his face.
He rushed out of his hiding, standing beside Xiran in a hurry.
He, shaking his hands in rejection, yelled: "No! It cannot happen!"
Xiran, bewilderingly stared at Yujin who had appeared out of nowhere.
She, crossing her hands, questioned: "When did you come here?"
Yujin, realizing the blunder he had made, turned towards Xiran.
He nervously scratched the back of his head with a bashful smile and answered:
"I-I just arrived."
Ashen, knowing the truth, had a scheming smile inwardly, however, on the exterior, he made a curious expression and questioned: "Oh, then how did you know what we were talking about?"
Xiran squinted her eyes, staring at Yujin, her gaze demanding an answer.
Yujin, noticing Xiran's stare, cursed Ashen inside his head for interfering in their business with his question.
[Ding! Host, You have succeeded in making a problem for the Protagonist and he cursed you. You obtain 100 Villain Points.]
Ashen's smile widened, he acted as if he had just realized something. He said in a loud voice: "Ohhh... so that was you behind that tree... I thought it was just an animal."
Yujin's eyes widened upon seeing his ridiculously obvious act.
He screamed inwardly, cursing to himself:Can't you see I'm already in this much trouble?
Why must you throw more dirt on it and make it even worse?
[Ding! Host, You have successfully affected Protagonist Han Yujin's mentality, making him curse you multiple times. You obtain 100 Villain Points.]
Xiran's eyes also widened in realization as she questioned in a stern tone: "So you were listening in on us while hiding?"
Yujin quickly shook his head as he explained: "No, I only did that because I was concerned for you. I didn't want to leave you alone with him." He glared at Ashen with contempt.
He blamed Ashen for this situation.
If he wasn't here, all would've been better.
First, he took away the villager's gratitude and now, he was after Xiran.
All that belonged to him was being snatched away by him.
Xiran, recognizing his glare filled with contempt, defended Ashen: "What has his highness did to make you see him as a threat? Didn't he help our village?"
Yujin turned silent, unable to say that Ashen was a threat to him, not the village.
"Don't fight because of me and listen to what I was saying." Ashen interjected between them, imploring them to consider his offer.
A blush returned on Xiran's face as she remembered their previous conversation while Yujin got tensed.
Without building any suspense, Ashen explained, shattering their misunderstandings.
"I want you to stay with me until I arrange the awakening ceremony for the villagers. If I have you by my side, I'll be constantly reminded of them, and you can also ensure that I don't renege on my promise."
A delighted smile appeared on Yujin's face for a few moments before returning to the same dull expression.
Let her live with Ashen?
Wouldn't that mean, he would've to live away from her?
What if she fell in love with this Prince?
He rejected firmly:
"No, I will not let her stay alone with you. Who knows what treachery you might attempt once you find her alone?"
Ashen nodded in understanding or more specifically he acted to understand.
"You're right—you wouldn't be able to trust me, considering how beautiful she is."
A faint blush appeared on Xiran's cheeks, but ignoring it, Ashen continued, "How about this? You come live with me as well."
"Huh?" A baffled expression appeared on both of their faces.
-------------------------------------------------------
(A/N : Thanks for reading. ^..^)