Regardless of whether Liu Wei knew his identity or not, Yu Qingyu wanted to maintain the pretenses.
"It's nothing," he said dismissively. "I was just thinking about paying Lady Elowen a visit."
"Your betrothed?" Liu Wei's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
But before Yu Qingyu was able to respond, Liu Wei looked above his head, and added in an emotionless voice, "That won't be necessary."
Following his line of sight, Yu Qingyu looked outside. On the path leading to the summer house, there were three young women, chatting and giggling as they walked in his direction. They were, of course, Lady Elowen Sethor, and her two ladies in waiting.
Yu Qingyu didn't know whether he was lucky or not. He didn't really feel like dealing with three young ladies, but he knew he had to, for the sake of his mission…
He couldn't help but sigh again, upon which Liu Wei lifted his brows, slightly amused.
A few minutes later, the girls finally made their way to the summer house.
"Your Highness." Lady Elowen bowed in greeting, pinching lightly the material of her fancy, pastel pink silk dress, as the etiquette dictated.
She was undoubtedly a beautiful young woman. Her skin was porcelain white, facial features feminine and delicate, with a slightly pointed nose, bright red, full lips, and rosy cheeks. Her eyes, endowed with dark, incredibly long lashes, were of an enchanting shade of navy, deep and mesmerizing. Her raven locks were neatly combed in a fashionable hairstyle, and decorated with pink ribbon. Around her swan neck, there was a string of round, exquisite pearls. The corset of her dress accentuated her slender waist, as well as pushed up her generously endowed bosoms.
She was stunning, and she knew it. She had full confidence in her looks, which were able to make any man fall for her with a single glance…
Well, at least, as long as the said man was straight.
But Yu Qingyu was not. Although he had to admit that Lady Elowen was indeed pleasing to the eye, it didn't make him feel anything at all. Unlike the guard standing right behind him, who caused him to feel self-conscious with his mere presence.
He politely returned the greeting, and invited the ladies to sit down.
Lady Elowen, not discouraged by the lukewarm reaction, sat right next to him with a charming smile on her face.
Too close! That was definitely much closer than appropriate.
But not wanting to risk insulting the lady, Yu Qingyu didn't dare say anything. He just shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
The ladies continued their chatter, talking about the upcoming royal ball. As they talked, both of the ladies in waiting kept stealing not-so-secret glances at Liu Wei, who was standing a few steps to the side. Perhaps they were hoping that they might have a chance to go with him as their partner? After all, although Liu Wei didn't have any significant status to speak of, his looks were enough to make up for it…
Thinking about it, Yu Qingyu felt a little pang in his heart. But he shook his head lightly, trying to dismiss such thoughts. What was he getting jealous of Liu Wei for? It made no sense! It didn't matter how good-looking the man was, or that his character was not so bad either. He was still Yu Qingyu's enemy. So, it's not like anything could ever happen between them…
But he still couldn't help but steal a glance.
And he still couldn't help but smile when he saw that Liu Wei didn't show even a tinge of interest in the girls, and was instead looking straight at him.
"Your Highness, what do you think?" Lady Elowen's honeyed voice snapped him back to reality.
"Huh? About what?" He looked back at the young woman, slightly confused. He stopped listening to their chatter at some point, consumed by his own thoughts, and now he had no idea what Lady Elowen was asking him about.
A short, muted snicker came from the side, making his cheeks flush. The person who laughed was, of course, Liu Wei, who upon seeing Yu Qingyu's confusion, ended up letting a chuckle before he managed to stop himself. Yu Qingyu shot him a glare, which was more embarrassed than angry, and cleared his throat, fixing his expression.
"Ahem. I'm sorry, I haven't been paying attention," he apologized. "May I ask the Lady to repeat the question?"
Lady Elowen didn't seem to take it to heart. Quite the opposite. She seemed to have assumed that the cause of Yu Qingyu's absent-mindedness was her beauty… So she gave the prince a charming smile, as she leaned forward, her bosoms brushing Yu Qingyu's arm…
It seemed that Yu Qingyu's discomfort would only keep growing the more time he spent in Lady Elowen's company. It didn't matter whether he wanted to romance her or not. It was becoming evidently clear that she was the one who wanted to romance him!
So, he probably had to scratch the idea of becoming friends. And instead, start to avoid the lady as much as he could. He couldn't outwardly reject her, as it might negatively affect his mission… He just had to last those two months, somehow.
Meanwhile Lady Elowen, completely unaware of what has been going on through her betrothed's mind, asked, "Your Highness, do you think you could make your personal guard accompany one of my ladies in waiting to the ball? They have yet to find any suitable partners…"
"Ah, about that…" Yu Qingyu threw a quick glance at Liu Wei. He was pleased to see that the man was looking away, with his brows slightly furrowed. He didn't seem too keen on the idea.
Yu Qingyu didn't like the idea either. So, he consulted the system, '520, what argument would be best to use to reject them?'
[Reject them? But Host, it would be convenient for you to match Liu Wei with one of the ladies. This way, Host could keep him out of your way.]
Yu Qingyu's eyes twitched in response. Yes, the system was right… It would be best to keep Liu Wei out of his way. For the sake of his mission, and also, to banish any ridiculous thoughts out of his mind.
He should most definitely agree.
However, when he finally answered Lady Elowen, what came out of his mouth was "I will think about it. But Vynn is not a noble. Moreover, he has his duties, so it might not be possible."