Chapter 10

The banquet was held in the auditorium of the Royal Ability Academy. By the time the Ye family’s car arrived, the hall was already filled with guests, bustling with clinking glasses and lively conversation.

The moment Ye Zheng appeared at the entrance, countless gazes turned toward her.

Her posture was elegant, her aura gentle and holy, perfectly matching the image people held of a saintess. Even amid the opulence of the hall, she radiated a detached purity that made others hesitant to approach and disturb her.

Some quietly asked their companions why Miss Ye was present.

She was not a contestant in the ability competition, nor did she seem to have any connection to the Crown Prince. She hardly appeared to be one of those opportunists seeking to climb into his favor.

Ye Zheng’s appearance at this banquet was, indeed, puzzling.

Some guests had already sensed something amiss. Many secretly observed her soft profile, so absorbed that they failed to notice wine spilling from their glasses.

“Miss Ye, my royal brother wishes to speak with you.”

Ye Zheng did not drink alcohol. She had asked a waiter to pour her a glass of warm water and was gently swirling the slender glass when she heard a familiar voice. She turned in surprise.

“Princess, Your Highness?”

Princess Heath stood before her, frail and pale, her expression tinged with unease. She looked pitiful, even endearing.

Describing a princess as pitiful seemed inappropriate, yet Heath, burdened by low talent, lacking favor, and oppressed by a tyrannical brother, truly embodied the word.

Ye Zheng, standing at a full 175 centimeters, gazed down at the princess, who was a head shorter, her eyes gentle and reassuring.

“You mean His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to see me?”

“Um… he seems to be in a very bad mood. If it’s inconvenient for you, I… I can help you decline…”

Princess Heath spoke softly.

“Does His Highness the Crown Prince ever have days when he’s in a good mood?”

Ye Zheng asked with a smile. Heath could not help laughing and quickly covered her mouth.

“It’s fine. I came precisely because I received his invitation.”

His’s eyes widened in horror. “Then that’s even worse. My brother wants to torment someone again.”

She grabbed Ye Zheng’s arm. “I’ll tell him you’re unwell. You should leave quickly.”

Ye Zheng gently held the hand gripping her arm and shook her head.

“There’s no need, Heath.”

She blinked at the princess, revealing a rare trace of playful childishness.

“We’ve known each other for so long. You should know that no one can torment me.”

Watching Ye Zheng’s retreating figure, Heath finally felt her tightly clenched heart relax.

If it was Ye Zheng, then she had likely already considered every possible outcome and countermeasure the moment she received the invitation.

They had attended school together since childhood. Only after Ye Zheng became a saintess did their contact diminish. Seeing her again today, His was certain she remained the same Ye Zheng she had always known.

Perhaps it was more fitting to call her a witch than a saintess.

✧✧✧✧✧

『I advise you not to meet him. This is not part of the plot.』

“Even outside the manga’s storyline, I still have to live my own life. Refusing the Crown Prince’s invitation is not a wise move.”

『Outside the plot means the situation is uncontrolled. He is the primary villain of this manga.』

Ye Zheng had already ascended to the second floor. Leaning against the railing, she looked down and happened to catch sight of a red-haired young man wearing an arrogant smile.

Ryan.

Her younger brother’s friend, and a minor villain in Throne of the Aberrant Realm.

According to the original plot, he should have appeared earlier, driving aberrant beasts to injure Pei Xi during a rescue attempt and confronting the protagonist group. Yet he had not appeared at all in the previous chapter.

Perhaps her actions at Sieg Square had inadvertently prevented Ryan from entering that aberrant Realm.

Although the main outcome remained unchanged, with Pei Xi injured by monsters rather than Ryan’s beasts, she had undeniably altered part of the plot.

This meant that beyond using action points to change her own scripted appearances, actions taken outside the manga’s plot could also affect other characters’ storylines, gradually reshaping the main narrative.

Ryan, laughing with his companions, seemed to sense her gaze. He looked up and met eyes with the graceful girl standing on the second floor.

This should have been a romantic moment, he thought. The other party was also famously beautiful.

Yet as he stared into those smiling eyes, he instinctively took a step back, like prey sensing a predator.

Awkwardly, Ryan looked away and violently ruffled his red hair. When he forced himself to glance up again, the girl was gone.

Damn it. Since when had he been afraid of women?

Ye Zheng proceeded toward the innermost room on the second floor. The tall guards at the entrance appeared to have received instructions and silently allowed her to pass.

Seeing her calm demeanor, the system urgently spoke again.

『Do you remember what I told you about your final fate?』

“In the battle between Pei Xi and the villain, I block a fatal attack for Pei Xi and die.”

Ye Zheng paused. “…That villain is Crown Prince Sykes?”

『Yes. Although, according to the author’s outline, that decisive battle lies far in the future, you have already deviated from the original plot.』

『This deviation may allow you to remove your death flag, or it may cause you to meet your end even sooner.』

『And as a native of the manga, you understand how dangerous the Crown Prince is, don’t you?』

Ye Zheng’s eyes flickered slightly, as though she were about to reply, when a piercing scream suddenly echoed through the corridor.

“Don’t send me there! I was wrong! I was wrong!”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I beg you!”

“My uncle is the chief steward of the imperial palace! You can’t do this to me!”

The incoherent pleas shattered the banquet’s glamorous atmosphere. Guests on the first floor looked up, whispering among themselves.

A male waiter in uniform was dragged out by two guards. He struggled and sobbed, clawing at the floor, desperately trying to crawl back into the room to beg for mercy.

“What happened?”

Ye Zheng’s soft voice gently interrupted the scene. The guards exchanged glances, ignored her, and continued executing the Crown Prince’s orders.

Failure to carry out his commands flawlessly could result in the same fate as this unfortunate man. Thrown into the Crown Prince’s hunting grounds.

The hunting grounds were used to raise aberrant realm monsters. Though immensely valuable for research, their taming or slaughter depended entirely on the Crown Prince’s whims.

The same, naturally, applied to people.

Ye Zheng did not intervene. She knew the guards had no authority to decide such matters.

To step in rashly would only implicate the innocent.

She entered the room at the end of the corridor. The brilliant lights momentarily blinded her, yet the most striking presence remained the tall, golden-haired young man beneath the chandelier.

Golden hair and golden eyes symbolized the Sacred Citadel Empire’s royal bloodline. Sykes had inherited this trait perfectly, paired with devastatingly handsome features, like a blazing sun that scorched all who approached.

When his gaze fixed upon someone, few could withstand the pressure of his authority. He was accustomed to submission.

Yet recently, his mood had been foul.

Because there was one person who refused to bow. And now, he had encountered a second.

“Respected Your Highness the Crown Prince, please allow me to ask, with due boldness, what crime did the waiter outside commit?”

The girl lowered her head slightly, her posture respectful. Yet the moment she spoke, the attendants around Sykes cast her looks filled with pity.