Wuli felt dizzy. For a moment, her mind went blank, and she lost all strength to resist. The black-haired young man forcefully pried open her lips and demanded more from her.
His kiss was anything but gentle. It was rough, almost violent. The pain brought a measure of clarity back to Wuli’s mind.
She began struggling.
She wanted to throw up.
It was disgusting.
Revolting.
“Smack!”
A small, sharp object flew through the air, aimed directly at Glenn’s head.
The black-haired young man released the white-haired girl at the very moment he was most absorbed in the kiss. In the next instant, the projectile sliced across his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood. A crimson bead welled from the wound.
It was not difficult to imagine what would have happened had he not let go of Wuli in time.
What he would have lost would not have been a little blood, but his life.
The white-haired girl’s complexion looked terrible. Her face was deathly pale. The moment she was released, Wuli could no longer hold herself together.
She gasped desperately for cold air.
She tried to suppress the nausea clawing its way up her throat, but it was useless. Bending over, the white-haired girl began retching violently.
Wuli felt awful. Her eyes filled with involuntary tears, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Seeing Wuli’s intense reaction, the black-haired young man had yet to make any move when he heard another voice dripping with mockery.
“So His Highness the First Prince has a habit of forcing himself on others. What a surprise.”
That voice was far too familiar…
It was Shuen.
The pale blue eyes of the white-haired girl shimmered with a veil of tears. Through her blurred vision, Wuli slowly raised her head.
Shuen’s presence felt oppressively cold.
The blood on the black-haired young man’s cheek was Shuen’s handiwork. The instant he had seen the two kissing, he had thrown the dagger he always carried with him.
Now the sharp blade still lay alone on the ground, a faint streak of red staining its edge.
Glenn’s blood.
Wuli froze.
Why was Shuen here?
When Glenn saw who had arrived, his brows lowered darkly, his voice turning icy. Raising a hand, he wiped the blood from his cheek with force. Yet a smile curled across his lips, and with a single sentence, he ignited the tension hanging in the air.
“So what if I did? She’s going to marry me sooner or later. Isn’t that exactly what the Sinclair family has always dreamed of?”
The Sinclair family had indeed wanted a queen to emerge from their bloodline. That was why the engagement had been arranged when Wuli was still a child.
The white-haired young man’s gaze darkened further.
Meanwhile, Wuli’s stomach still churned violently, but her brain had not stopped working.
Half a second was enough for her to understand the situation.
Another half second was enough to process it.
She’d been forcibly kissed by Glenn?
Wasn’t this supposed to happen much later in the original game?!
What on earth had gone wrong?!
Wuli’s thoughts raced.
First, she hadn’t been able to hold back her retching. That had definitely offended Glenn.
Second, Shuen had witnessed her intimate contact with Glenn. His mood clearly wasn’t great right now either.
And the two male leads looked dangerously close to confronting each other…
‘Harmony first, harmony first.’
Wuli reached out and grabbed the sleeve of the white-haired young man standing in front of her.
Feeling the touch of her fingers, Shuen turned back.
At that very moment, a tear slipped down Wuli’s cheek.
She said nothing.
She simply cried.
Yet in that instant, even without words, the message she conveyed was unmistakable.
First, the kiss with Glenn had not been consensual.
Second, she was standing on Shuen’s side.
One was the brother who had pushed her into the water, then pulled her back out.
The other was the fiancé who had once nearly killed her and had just forcibly kissed her.
Though Wuli had absolutely no desire to choose between either of them.
But if she had to choose…
She chose her brother.
The crimson in Glenn’s eyes grew even darker, more sinister.
Shuen met her gaze, and it was obvious that what he saw improved his mood somewhat. Reaching out, he wiped away her tears just as he had done countless times before.
“What are you crying for?”
“Wuli, do you want to stay at the academy and finish today’s classes, or would you rather take leave and come home with me?”
The black-haired young man’s expression darkened further.
“Shuen, even if you personally don’t wish for it, you should at least think about the Sinclair family. Think about the Duke’s Residence.”
Glenn still wore a smile, but every word carried a threat.
“If the Duke and Duchess learn that their beloved youngest daughter missed an opportunity to get closer to the First Prince because of you, what do you think your fate will be?”
Shuen remained as indifferent as ever.
A faint chuckle escaped him, as though he were mocking Glenn’s self-righteous certainty.
“Wuli, what do you think?”
The fire had been tossed right back onto Wuli.
Wuli: “…”
Shuen’s gaze was deep and unreadable. The way he looked at Wuli was almost as though he were observing her.
“Are you staying here, or are you coming with me?”
“Brother, I’m going with you.”
The white-haired girl put away her tears and took hold of Shuen’s hand.
Hearing the answer he wanted, the white-haired young man’s lips curved upward ever so slightly.
But where one person rejoiced, another was angered.
Wuli’s unhesitating choice of Shuen undoubtedly infuriated Glenn.
The black-haired young man’s eyes turned cold.
“Wuli, if you dare leave, don’t even think about coming near me again in the future.”
Good heavens, if only he knew how desperately Wuli wanted to get rid of him.
Sure enough, she paused at those words.
The white-haired young man turned back, his deep eyes fixed on her, while the black-haired young man’s lips curled upward when he saw her stop.
He knew it.
No one could ever defy his will.
Wuli looked at him seriously and began searching through her pocket for something.
A moment later, she pulled out the ruby pendant.
The gemstone still gleamed brilliantly, sharp and dazzling, just like the black-haired young man’s eyes.
Glenn let out a laugh.
He was beginning to realize something.
Extending her hand, Wuli returned the pendant to him.
“Your Highness.”
From the very beginning, she had told him that not everyone admired the First Prince.
But this First Prince had never taken her words seriously.
Then again, that no longer mattered.
“Take it back. From this day forward, we have nothing to do with each other.”
“…”
The white-haired young man withdrew his gaze.
Even though this was exactly what he had wanted Wuli to do, there was no trace of satisfaction on his face.
His sister, Wuli, had not only survived an encounter with the First Prince at the ball, but now she had openly rejected him.
His instincts told him that something else had changed.
Something significant.
From the moment the white-haired girl took out the ruby pendant, the black-haired young man’s eyes had locked onto her like blades.
The Sinclair family had unexpectedly produced someone far more remarkable than he had imagined.
He had underestimated her.
And he was furious.
“Fine.”
Glenn smiled, yet there was not the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes. Reaching out, he accepted the ruby pendant. Under the light, the gemstone shone with a painfully dazzling brilliance.
“You’d better remember what you said today.”
Over the following days, Wuli attended classes and returned home as usual.
When Glenn encountered her, he occasionally spared her a glance, but the two no longer interacted.
Anyone with eyes could see the subtle shift in their relationship, yet no one dared provoke either of these towering figures.
Diane, however, was far more carefree.
She wasn’t close to Glenn, so she paid little attention to him. On the other hand, she was quite familiar with Wuli. Coupled with her natural talent for knowing everything happening around campus, she quickly brought up another matter.
“Ah Wu, the Academy Anniversary Celebration is just around the corner. Our class is putting on a stage play. Have you considered participating?”
Diane threw an arm around her.
The white-haired girl smiled softly.
“Not really.”
“You haven’t?!” Diane looked genuinely surprised. “We were all hoping you’d play the female lead.”
“With a face that pretty and a personality that sweet, it’d be a complete waste not to cast you as the heroine!”
Wuli let out an awkward laugh.
“There’ll definitely be someone more suitable than me.”
Although she was smiling, her mind was already racing through everything she remembered about the Academy Anniversary Celebration.
In the original storyline, the protagonist had played the female lead, while Glenn had been cast as the male lead.
But given how things stood between her and Glenn now, having the two of them play the hero and heroine together would be absurd.
Besides, ever since transmigrating into this world, Wuli had never once considered participating in the performance.
The moment Diane heard that, she immediately objected.
“What do you mean there’s someone more suitable?! Ah Wu, don’t reject it so quickly. Read the script first.”
Diane forcefully stuffed the script into Wuli’s hands.
Now curious, Wuli opened it and began reading.
The story could be summarized very simply:
The female lead, A, was a princess.
The male lead, B, was a servant.
A fell in love with B and wanted to elope with him.
The emperor, A’s father, discovered their relationship and had B executed.
After learning of B’s death, A was devastated with grief and ultimately took her own life.
Wuli: …
From this short stage-play script alone, she could already see the shadows of countless other stories.
It was a grand fusion of forbidden romance between a princess and her servant, parents forcibly breaking apart star-crossed lovers, and the classic lovers-dying-for-love trope.
The combination was so complete that Wuli didn’t even know where to begin criticizing it.
After finishing the script, the white-haired girl set it down.
The moment she looked up, she met Diane’s sparkling eyes.
“Well? What do you think of the script?!”
Without hesitation, Wuli answered, “It’s great.”
The next second, Diane excitedly turned toward everyone around them and shouted,
“Everyone, don’t worry! Wuli agreed to play the female lead!”
People around them immediately turned to look at Wuli and began giving her enthusiastic thumbs-ups.
Wuli: ??!
She had only said it was good.
Just two words.
How had that somehow become her agreeing to play the female lead?!
Wuli quickly grabbed Diane and covered her mouth, then offered everyone an apologetic smile.
“I haven’t decided yet. Please give me a little more time.”
“Mmff! Mmff!!”
Only after everyone’s attention gradually drifted elsewhere did the white-haired girl release the brown-haired girl’s mouth.
After a moment of hesitation, she cautiously asked a question.
“…Diane, have you ever considered playing the female lead yourself?”
Diane shook her head vigorously.
“This young lady’s ambitions lie elsewhere. Hehe, I’m already the playwright!”
“Do you know who wrote this script?”
Wuli: “…”
Wuli: “You.”
“Bingo!”
Diane puffed up proudly.
“Then do you know who I wrote it for?”
Wuli: “…”
A suspiciously mischievous smile spread across Diane’s face.
“You!!!”
“And that’s exactly why you have to be my female lead, okay?!”
Diane grabbed both of Wuli’s hands and looked at her pleadingly.
The earnest look in Diane’s eyes left Wuli momentarily dazzled. The white-haired girl turned her face away.
“Let’s talk about it later.”
Knowing she had been rejected again, Diane let out a dramatic wail and ran off, pounding her chest as she went. Her eyes brimmed with exaggerated sorrow.
“Wuli, your heart is so cruel!”
The white-haired girl couldn’t help laughing.
“You drama queen.”
Once the surroundings quieted down again, the smile slowly faded from Wuli’s face.
Before she had transmigrated into this world, she had been an actress.
She had loved performing.
It was just that, for certain reasons, she had never been able to land another role afterward.
Maybe…
Maybe she should give herself another chance.
The pale blue eyes of the white-haired girl flickered.
“Diane.”
She called out to her.
“I’ll do it.”
Diane practically launched herself at Wuli.
“!! Wuli, darling, I knew you were the best, best, best person ever!”
Meanwhile, in a blind spot beyond Wuli’s notice, the black-haired young man’s gaze flickered slightly.