The Crown Prince…
''Let him in, Orion.'' Amina accepted the Crown Prince's unexpected visit. ''I'll meet with the crown prince in a few minutes.''
''Understood, Young miss.''
Silence returned to the bedroom as Amina's gaze found the first task of her list. She then drew a firm line over the starred 'break the engagement.'
The Crown Prince definitely had good timing.
Status of her recovery?
Amina didn't believe that was the Crown Prince's actual intention in visiting her. The novel had portrayed him as a character who wanted to break his engagement with the villainess at all costs for the love of the female lead.
If she guessed right, the Crown Prince was going to bring up their engagement under the guise of checking on her health.
Well, he wasn't the only one who wanted to break their engagement. Amina was also going to use this opportunity to achieve one of her tasks and distance herself from the main characters.
~~~~
''The Young miss will arrive shortly, your highness.''
The Crown Prince ignored the butler robot with a small 'humph' and made himself comfortable in the visitor's lounge. A mere butler robot dared to make him, the Crown Prince, wait before allowing him inside the mansion.
As the only son of the Emperor, no one or robot had the right to make him wait! He would certainly have to give Young miss Blackthorne a word about her insolent butler robot.
''Peach Tea, your highness.'' The butler robot wheeled in a cart and served him a cup of his favourite tea.
''At least you have some awareness.'' The Crown Prince snorted coldly before sipping his tea.
Peach tea was widely known as his favourite tea. He could overlook the butler robot's insolence this once for serving the tea.
Father is the one who doesn't understand. As the Crown Prince was enjoying his peach tea, he recalled the unpleasant meeting he had with his father about the choice of his future Crown Princess.
Only the Young miss of the Blackthorne family is worthy enough to be your Crown Princess and the future Empress of the Empire.
Father!
Rosaline Oaken is merely fitting to be your concubine, Crown Prince. Her family offers absolutely nothing to the Empire.
Rosaline is my fated mate and an A-class Beastmaster, father! Unlike the Young miss Blackthorne, she is the master of an A-class Warbeast!
Does her family have an S-class Guildmaster, and a rumored SS-class Warbeast? Does her family have an army of S-class, A-class and B-class Beastmasters? Stop being bewitched by that girl and look at the bigger picture, son!
His father, the Emperor, wanted to tie down the Blackthorne family to the imperial family through marriage by force. The Crown Prince could understand how much his father wanted control over the Blackthorne family. However, he couldn't just watch his father and the Blackthorne family disgrace his beautiful Rosaline.
His Rosaline was an A-class Beastmaster. Most female Beastmasters tend to awaken as B-class and below mostly. Only few were A-class and S-class. Unlike the Young miss Blackthorne, his Rosaline was powerful and worthy enough to be his Crown Princess and future Empress without her family.
His father was looking at the present and not the future. If the enemy should attack the Empire, his Rosaline would be able to protect herself and citizens as a Beastmaster. She wouldn't be like the Young miss Blackthorne likely to be protected by others and be a burden without her own Warbeast.
I must break this engagement no matter what. The Crown Prince decided firmly as the butler robot quietly reached for his empty teacup to pour more peach tea. He was determined to have Rosaline as his future Crown Princess. He couldn't continue to watch his Rosaline cry about others slandering her for being a third party.
Rosaline was his fated mate; his other half, blessed by the god of beasts. It was rare for Beastmasters to find their other halves in the entire Beast continent. Not only were him and Rosaline fated mates, their Warbeasts were of the same kind and clearly enamored with each other.
The Crown Prince couldn't understand why his father was ignoring Rosaline as his fated mate. Just as there was no one other than Rosaline for him, Rosaline has no one as a lifetime partner other than himself.
Why has she not arrived yet?
The Crown Prince started to get impatient as time passed on in the visitor's lounge. Rosaline was waiting for him in the imperial palace. This was their first date after the incident that happened at his birthday banquet. He couldn't wait to get rid of the Young miss Blackthorne as his fiancée and give the position to his Rosaline as a surprise.
''Does your Young miss plan on making this Crown Prince wait for eternity?'' The Crown Prince's expression darkened with a hint of irritation.
''Greetings, your highness.'' A voice came from the entrance of the visitor's lounge, and the Crown Prince's eyes lit up at the sight of the Young miss Blackthorne.
''I apologize for the small delay.'' She stepped inside with a calm face and took a seat on the sofa adjacent to him.
''It's fine, Young miss Blackthorne. I should have sent a notice before my arrival.'' The Crown Prince lightly dismissed her apology with an excuse of his own.
Her etiquette clearly needs more training
He gave a sidelong glance at the Young miss's slender legs with a faint hint of disapproval. It was basic etiquette for young misses and young masters to be in their finest attire before the imperial family.
Yet, the Young miss Blackthorne had wasted some of his precious time and dared to meet him in casual shorts and a simple shirt.
Let's just get this over with.
The Crown Prince decided to be magnanimous and overlook the Young miss Blackthorne's insolence this once. Now that she was here, he was eager to bring up their engagement and put an end to this charade.
''How is your health, Young miss Blackthorne?'' He asked, putting on a look of concern. Asides the matter of their engagement, the crown prince also needed to clear his reputation.
Because of what had happened on his birthday banquet, many had claimed that he made the Young miss Blackthorne faint in a fit of anger because he wanted to break their engagement for Rosaline.
Some guests had even been bold to upload short videos on the BeastNet. However, his subordinates had been quick to track down the videos and take them down. But, the damage had already been done.
His father had angrily threatened to depose him as Crown Prince if he did not apologize to the Young miss Blackthorne, and her family. It was a matter of the imperial family's reputation, after all.
With his position at stake, the Crown Prince knew he had to give an apology. He had been advised to wait a few days for the backlash on the BeastNet to die down, and then upload a video of him heading to the Blackthorne family Mansion with a pile of valuable herbs, elixirs and other gifts.
Now, he was here to give his apology. However, staring at the Young miss Blackthorne's slightly pale but calm face, the Crown Prince couldn't help but be a bit suspicious.
Sometimes, he had wondered if the Young miss Blackthorne had fainted intentionally to avoid breaking their engagement.
Not only would she garner pity from others, his Rosaline would be judged unfairly; exactly as what happened on the BeastNet in the past few days.
The more the Crown Prince speculated, the more he felt he was right. The Young miss Blackthorne looked exactly the same as the first time they had met in the past!
She had intentionally fainted to avoid breaking their engagement!
Thinking of his beautiful Rosaline, who had her name dragged by the audacious trolls on the BeastNet and suffered for nothing, the Crown Prince's impression of the Young miss Blackthorne worsened even further
There's no need to apologize to someone as malicious as her! He scowled at the Young miss Blackthorne who simply replied 'that her health was fine.'
Since her health was supposedly fine, then there was no need to keep on this charade.
''Let's call off our engagement, Young miss Blackthorne.'' The Crown Prince decided to be straightforward about his feelings without hesitation.
''Rosaline is my fated mate and the only woman that I love. I want her to be my crown princess and future Empress, not you, Young miss Blackthorne. I understand how you must feel about me, but I unfortunately cannot return your feelings. You also have to understand that the Empire needs a strong Empress like Rosaline, who is an A-class Beastmaster. This is where you absolutely cannot compare to Rosaline—''
''I understand, your highness. Let's call off our engagement.''
''Yes, you understand that you can't leave me—wait…w-what did you say?!'' The Crown Prince widened his golden eyes in shock at the Young miss Blackthorne, utterly flabbergasted by her unexpected agreement.
She agreed this easily?