NOVEL NEXT chapter 19
19. Thought I was stepping on a dog’s tail, but it might actually be a dragon’s tail.
Valentina had five half-siblings, making it three boys and three girls if she was included.
Three princes, three princesses.
She was the fourth among her siblings, with two older brothers and one older sister, and a younger brother and sister below her.
Of course, due to her background, even her younger brother and sister did not take her seriously.
But Valentina was somewhat used to being treated differently, so it wasn’t a big deal.
After all, no matter how much she was mocked, it was merely verbal.
However, if it went beyond simple teasing and belittling to actual actions, then the situation would be different.
“Valentina, my foolish sister! This is the outcome of your naivety!”
Prince Mori, standing on the second floor overlooking the fierce battle in the hall below, made a statement filled with the arrogance of a dictator.
He looked down at Valentina, who was struggling in a tough fight, disdainfully, while playing with a goblet filled with blood-red wine.
Although he seemed really annoying, it was indeed the case.
If it weren’t for the chaotic state of not knowing what to do, Valentina would never let him continue to gloat.
“How dare you be distracted at a time like this! Princess, you really underestimate me!”
Valentina merely glanced towards the second floor, and her opponent immediately lunged at her with ferocity; the attacking posture could only be described as that of a raging beast.
“Guh!”
If it were the old her, she would have surely been defeated in no time.
The princess, caught in the heat of battle, couldn’t help but think this.
She was still puzzled as to why her half-brother, Prince Mori, had summoned her to the estate, only to be ambushed by a vicious man claiming to be ‘Marlowe’ the moment she stepped inside.
Meanwhile, Prince Mori, with his golden hair, stood on the second floor like a victor, engaging her in grandiloquent discourse.
Had she not faced even stronger, almost unfathomable enemies before, Valentina felt she would have succumbed to the initial attack.
Unlike now, when she could still hold her ground.
Due to the suddenness of the situation, Valentina hadn’t had the chance to collect her thoughts; she could only analyze her circumstances while fiercely battling Marlowe.
In stark contrast to Valentina’s complex emotions, Prince Mori was in a state of high spirits.
“Foolish sister Valentina! Do you know why I treat you this way? It’s all because of the disgraceful things you’ve done that tarnish our royal family’s name! I simply cannot stand by any longer! You truly are just a b*stard! Allow me to eliminate this stain on behalf of those who cannot act!”
Prince Mori exclaimed, delivering a classic villainous monologue, as if he were the one engaged in a fierce battle with Valentina rather than Marlowe.
But that was to be expected; after all, he was a prince of pure blood.
Even with his haughty demeanor, no one in this kingdom would dare voice any complaints.
Prince Mori was like a spectator at a gladiatorial match, hurling insults at Valentina as she fought.
At that moment, Valentina, with her longsword raised to block Marlowe’s attack, seized the opportunity to kick fiercely at his chest. However, he swiftly evaded and struck from another angle.
Such physical prowess undoubtedly placed him among the strongest in the kingdom.
Yet he was not a knight; he resembled more of a rogue, which added to Valentina’s confusion.
“So, dear brother Mori, do you intend to kill me here? Are you willing to conspire with a rogue to this extent!?”
After what felt like countless attempts to fend off Marlowe’s attacks, Valentina finally found the chance to question her brother’s true intentions, directing her furious inquiry at Prince Mori, who was watching from above.
She couldn’t comprehend why she was so despised; was bloodline truly that significant?
“Kill you? Hmph, don’t speak such barbaric words. It’s you, Valentina, who is the b*stard; doesn’t that make you more akin to a lowly and vulgar adventurer?”
Even when confronted with his sister’s anger, Prince Mori maintained an air of ‘I am noble and great,’ continuing to belittle Valentina while taking a moment to ‘elegantly’ sip from his glass of wine.
His attitude only deepened Valentina’s confusion.
Fortunately, Marlowe, who had begun to appreciate the challenge of battling Valentina for several minutes, interjected to explain the pretentiousness of Prince Mori:
“Apologies, Your Highness, but someone like you, who cares for others, wouldn’t understand the mindset of a selfish person. Don’t blame me; blame your own beauty!”
With that, Marlowe resumed his frenzied assault, swinging his spiked knuckles towards Valentina.
“What? What does that mean!”
Valentina quickly raised her longsword to block, intercepting Marlowe’s punch aimed at her abdomen, desperately trying to uncover the truth.
“Hmph, what a mouthy fellow. Truly, the lower class is just that—lower class. Fine, since it’s come to this, I’ll speak plainly.”
—
Seeing his pawn speak out of turn, Prince Mori seemed somewhat impatient.
However, he quickly adjusted himself, and while signaling with his eyes for the young and beautiful maid beside him to refill his wine, he revealed his true intention.
“Valentina, you are completely unqualified as a member of the royal family, so I, in my mercy, have decided to return you to your rightful place! That’s right! That place is as a star slave! Be honored! You can become my exclusive slave! This is an honor that many women desire but cannot obtain! Hahaha!”
Seeing his sister, who seemed to be suppressed by Marlow and already destined to lose, Prince Mori finally tore off all disguises and revealed his true thoughts.
His words directly shocked Valentina, who was involved, as well as the blond-haired Allen, who was invited by Prince Mori as a guest and was observing the situation from the other side of the second floor.
By the way, Noah was also present at the scene. He was sitting on the railing of the second floor, looking at Prince Mori not far away with a gaze as if looking at an idiot. However, because he had erased his presence, no one could observe him.
Yes, in fact, Prince Mori was simply driven by lust.
He had lustful thoughts towards his half-sister Valentina and planned to use violence to subdue her and train her to become his exclusive star slave.
In essence, Prince Mori and Allen were the same kind of people, both planning to take the heroine Valentina from the hands of the victim Clyde.
However, his approach was more straightforward and brutal.
In the original work, as long as Valentina’s level was not enough and she went to investigate the Fury Group’s stronghold, she would definitely be defeated by Marlow, then tied up and sent to Prince Mori’s room to retrieve the CG.
What Noah did was simply trigger this event in advance.
Oh, and he also gave Valentina the power to resist, but what happens specifically depends on Valentina’s own choice.
Noah shifted his gaze from the arrogant and excited Prince Mori to the unlucky heroine who was targeted by her perverted half-brother.
His expression was full of seriousness because Valentina’s response would determine the intensity of his subsequent training.
“…Just because of this reason?!”
Lowering her head in initial shock, with her bangs casting a shadow over the upper half of her face, the princess finally responded after a moment of silence.
But contrary to Prince Mori’s expectation of an angry and helpless outburst, it was an unusually cold voice.
“Huh?”
“Roar…”
Because Valentina’s voice was unprecedentedly cold, as if she had become a different person, Prince Mori, frightened by her change, made a foolish sound.
And Marlow, who was confronting her, made a sound full of interest.
He could feel that the princess in front of him did not seem to be as naive as the rumors suggested.
He felt that the princess at this moment seemed a bit like that ‘monster’ who had easily broken into his private room.
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