Chapter 1188: Bridge Between Monster and Monarch
Chapter 1188: Bridge Between Monster and Monarch
Feng Jiai giggled quietly beside the bed, trying, and failing, to hide her amusement. Quinlan’s eyes narrowed while turning toward the smirking eastern girl. She sat cross-legged, looking far too pleased with herself.
He didn’t even need to ask to know she’d been involved somehow. Still, he said it. “Explain.”
Feng shrugged her shoulders as if she had no clue what he meant, even going as far as to whistle innocently.
The intensity of her whistling increased as she felt Quinlan’s eyes bore deep into her soul.
Felicity, however, did not want Quinlan to get the wrong idea. If he thought it was Feng pushing her to do this, the girl knew her wish would not be granted.
Thus, while almost tripping over her words, she rushed to justify herself. “I just… I really love it here! I want to be part of this place, properly, not just as a guest whom you tolerate! But that’s impossible as long as I’m the royal princess. I’ll always be an outsider.”
She clenched her fists even tighter while her voice trembled from the effort of holding it steady. “I can tell how everyone avoids certain topics around me. I can feel it. You’re careful, polite… distant. You don’t trust me. And why should you? I’m the King’s… and the Queen’s daughter. You know that any delicate information landing in my lap might find its way right back into the hands of your enemies.”
Her tone turned frustrated, almost desperate. “I only learned your name today! You’ve done so much for me, but even then, no one tells me anything important. I want to change that!”
Her eyes lifted to meet his. “I know you’re a good man, Lord Quinlan. You won’t hurt me or take advantage of me. I trust you.”
She inhaled deeply, chest rising and falling. “And besides… being your slave isn’t bad. I’ve seen how you treat yours! They respect you, no, they adore you! They’re free to talk, to laugh, to fight by your side. If I become one of them, I’ll finally be able to be part of this wonderful place in full! I’ll be allowed to sit with them, to learn from them, to… belong.”
“And most importantly… I don’t want you and Father to kill each other! I think I could become a bridge between the two of you in the future, the only person who can smooth things over when the situation becomes dire!”
Her words were both reckless and sincere. Quinlan had to acknowledge the fact that this did not seem like a random temper tantrum of a teenager. She thought things through and felt very strongly about her decision.
Across the room, Feng Jiai stretched lazily with her grin widening. She was visibly enjoying the scene created through her little masterplan. The fruits of her labor arrived.
“A bridge, you say…” Quinlan thought out loud.
The purple-haired teen nodded fervently. “Yes! I don’t know how exactly that could work, especially because your relationship with Father already seems good considering the circumstances, but we should be prepared for it to worsen! If that were to be the case, I could act as a person you both trust! Without being your slave, you would not trust me properly, thinking I’d side with my birth family over yours. I don’t want that. I’d hate that!”
She finished with a cute little stomp and a scoff combination.
Quinlan leaned back in the chair, studying the girl in front of him. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, yet there was no hesitation in her voice anymore. She believed every word she said.
He didn’t know how to feel about this.
The morality of enslaving a young girl – especially one like her who had a home and a father awaiting her return was questionable at best.
Princess or not, she was still a teenager with her whole life ahead of her. What she was asking for wasn’t some symbolic gesture; it was a literal surrender of her freedom.
And yet… she wasn’t wrong.
No matter how much she smiled or helped in the kitchen, she would never truly belong among them. Not as long as her father’s bounty sat on his head. The others were kind to her, yes, but cautious. Everyone knew that any loose word, any careless slip of information, could endanger them all.
Felicity’s decision was drastic, to say the least, but it was the only way for her to truly bridge that divide.
And the “bridge” idea itself… he had to admit, there was logic there. Even if she didn’t realize how fragile that dream was, she might one day become a valuable link between two forces bound for collision.
He sighed inwardly.
’Ah, screw this.’
He stood and extended his hand toward the girl.
A translucent system window shimmered into existence before the girl’s mind.
[The Primordial Subjugator wishes to Subjugate you! Do you accept?]
Felicity’s eyes widened. She blinked many times. “I knew it! You truly are different from those slavers…! I’ve never heard of a message like this!”
Then, her lips broke into the biggest smile Quinlan had ever seen from her.
Without a second of hesitation, she swatted his hand aside. She did not do so out of rejection, but to throw her arms around him in an impulsive, full-bodied hug.
“Thank you!” Felicity shouted with her voice muffled against his chest.
Quinlan barely had time to exhale before a notification appeared before his vision.
[Felicity Primrose Anabelle Valorian has been Subjugated.]
The Primordial Villain stood there for a moment, silent, staring at the message as its implications sank in.
He had just subjugated the royal princess.
The daughter of the legendary King Alexios.
This wasn’t just another addition to his household. This was a political detonation waiting to go off. With that single act, Quinlan Elysiar had effectively bound royal blood under his command. This was a move that would send shockwaves through every noble court in the kingdom.
He let out a quiet breath that almost turned into a laugh.
The bounty Alexios had placed on his head was starting to feel a little small for who he was now. Even if he were to be a nobody before this moment, just by this single move, he would’ve shot right past all the greatest enemies of the state.
Enslaving the royal daughter?
That was a crime never before seen in history.
’Suddenly I feel like I’m being underestimated with that bounty… 2,000 points? You’d better make it 10,000, Alexios.’
He glanced down at Felicity, still clutching him tightly, face buried against his chest.
The little princess who wanted to build a bridge between a monster and a monarch.
“… What have you done, girl?”
“Ehehehe~!”
She had no proper answer to give.
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