The Abused Novel Heroine Became a Clingy Sweetheart [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 38.1

From somewhere in the surroundings, a short burst of laughter rang out, only to be quickly submerged.

Ugris’s expression was hideous to the extreme.

He sat atop his horse, his fingers tightening around the reins with so much force that his knuckles turned white.

“Princess Stilly, I still need to see my Royal Father. Please make way.”

You Ting did not continue to kick him while he was down. She simply stepped to the side and offered a faint smile. “After you, Your Highness.”

Only after the large contingent of men and horses had passed did she let out a soft laugh, turning to Claude beside her. “How about it? I told you there would be a good show to watch when Ugris returned, didn’t I?”

Claude nodded.

Just now, Ugris’s entire face had turned green. The pointing and whispering of the surrounding crowd must have made him feel utterly humiliated.

“No rush,” You Ting said. “This show isn’t over yet.”

For Ugris to cause such an absurd scandal King Billy would surely fly into a thunderous rage once he returned to the palace.

He had already lost a portion of his power previously; now, his position as Crown Prince was likely hanging by a thread.

You Ting turned around. “Let’s go, back to the temporary palace.”

Claude asked, “Going back so soon? Aren’t you going to look around, Princess?”

You Ting tilted her head and curled her lips at him. “If I’m not mistaken, Prince Ugris will likely come looking for me very soon after leaving the Royal Palace.”

Inside the Royal Palace.

King Billy was so angry his face was purple and his neck thick with tension. He smashed everything within reach onto the floor. “Useless! Useless!”

“What on earth is going on?” He stared fiercely at Ugris. “Explain it to me clearly. Why did such a ridiculous thing happen?”

A dignified Crown Prince of a nation, leading so many soldiers to attack an enemy country, only to appear before the masses in such a shameful manner without even seeing the enemy’s face.

King Billy could already imagine how loudly the people of Hatulu would be laughing once they heard of this.

This didn’t just disgrace Ugris alone; it disgraced the entire Kingdom of Billy!

Ugris knelt in the center of the Great Hall, his head lowered, remaining silent and wordless.

In truth, even now, he could not understand why things had not happened according to his design.

Clearly, he had obtained the mermaid scale.

Clearly, it was just one step away…

“Father,” Ugris Ulgis said in a heavy voice, “please give me one more chance. I guarantee, this time I will definitely—”

Before he could finish, a cup was hurled straight at his head.

The crisp sound echoed through the empty hall like a slap to the face.

Porcelain shards flew in every direction, one piece grazing the back of Ugris’s hand.

The sharp edge drew a trail of blood.

The pain made Ugris frown, the gloom in the depths of his eyes deepening.

From above, King Billy shouted in a rage: “Give you another chance? So you can run naked in front of the entire army again?!”

A sense of shame surged in his heart, and Ugris clenched his fists. “Father.”

“Say no more,” King Billy said, utterly disappointed in this son, his voice cold. ” Ugris, during this period, you should reflect well on yourself.”

“Otherwise,” his words carried a faint, veiled threat, “your position as Crown Prince may become unstable.”

King Billy added, “You must realize, I do not have only one son.”

Ugris knew, of course.

But how could those useless fools even be compared to him!

He saw that King Billy’s dissatisfaction with him had reached its limit because of this incident.

Ugris was a clever man. No matter how much disdain he felt, he knew that opposing the King at this moment would lead to no good end.

He would endure for now.

His nails nearly bit into his palms as he clenched both fists tightly, forcefully calming the surging irritation in his heart.

“I understand,” Ugris lowered his head. “I will reflect well.”

After saying this, Ugris rose and withdrew from the palace.

As he walked out of the palace gates, he happened to run into several of his older and younger brothers.

It seemed these few had conspired together, wanting to make things difficult for him.

Ugris originally intended to pretend he hadn’t seen them and leave directly, but these people were clearly there to see his joke and moved specifically to stand in front of him.

“We are brothers after all, why does the Crown Prince leave the moment he sees us?”

Ugris forced a smile. “Brother, don’t joke with me. I have matters to handle at home, I’ll take my leave first.”

“So there are important matters afoot,” another sneered. “I thought the Crown Prince was in a hurry to hide at home because he felt he had no face to show anyone.”

The smile on Ugris’s lips stiffened further. The malice in his heart churned; there was never a moment he wanted to kill someone more than now.

Having no mood to play nice with these people, Ugris exchanged a few superficial pleasantries and led his men away with large strides.

The moment he turned around, his expression darkened completely.

A bunch of delusional trash!

Thinking they could step over him to rise dream on!

As long as he drew breath, the position of Crown Prince of the Billy Kingdom would always belong to Ugris!

An attendant asked worriedly, “Your Highness, what should we do now?”

The plan to lead the army against Hatulu had failed, and he had lost a portion of the people’s support because of it.

Now the King looked at Ugris with fury, and several princes were watching him like tigers eyeing their prey.

The situation was extremely critical.

Ulgis’s mind worked at lightning speed. A moment later, he opened his eyes and ordered: “To the temporary palace. Find Stilly.”

The uses of the little mermaid still required time to figure out.

Distant water cannot quench a nearby thirst. What Ugris needed now was clear political support—

For example, the Kingdom of Monchell.

Therefore, he had to win over Princess Stilly.

If he had the support of the Monchell Kingdom behind him, even King Billy would have no way to move against him.

At the Temporary Palace.

Claude said in amazement, “Princess, Prince Ugris really did come looking for you.”

It was as expected.

You Ting didn’t feel the slightest bit of surprise. She tapped her finger on the chessboard on the table and said, “I won’t see him.”

She looked up again, reminding the person opposite her as if nothing had happened: “It’s your turn.”

The little mermaid was holding a chess piece, looking as though she hadn’t quite regained her senses.

Is Ugris back?

She stared blankly at the black-and-white chessboard, dazed.

These past few days, the little mermaid had been living in You Ting’s room. Having someone to play with was much more interesting than being in the Secret Garden.

She seemed to have slowly grown accustomed to life here.

But now that Ugris was back, did she need to return to the Secret Garden?

Did she need… to leave Stilly?

You Ting let out a light cough, pulling the little mermaid’s wandering thoughts back.

She asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Arturdo opened her mouth as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she shook her head without a word.

You Ting guessed: “Still angry about Ugris lying to you? Or worried he’ll continue to hurt you?”

In fact, Arturdo was thinking of neither, but since You Ting said so, she went along with it and nodded.

“Silly fish.” You Ting’s lips curled into a smile.

She said, “Watch how I vent some frustration for you.”

You Ting suddenly asked, “What do you want to eat?”

The jump in topics was a bit large. After a while, the little mermaid answered slowly, “Jerky.”

You Ting put down her chess piece, stood up to open the door, and walked over to Claude outside, whispering something.

Claude nodded in surprise. “Yes, Princess.”

When You Ting returned to the room, the little mermaid asked curiously, “What did you say to Claude?”

You Ting smiled mysteriously. “You’ll find out in a bit.”

Outside the room, Claude walked out of the palace, walking toward Ugris without looking left or right.

“Your Highness,” Claude said expressionlessly, “our Princess has had a poor appetite lately and wants to eat the jerky made by Catherine’s shop.”

“But I need to protect the Princess’s safety and cannot leave.”

Ugris understood. This meant they wanted him to be an errand boy.

He said with a smile, “I’ll send someone to buy it immediately.”

Claude shook his head and said solemnly, “Your Highness, if you go to buy it personally, it will surely appear more sincere.”

“Once our Princess feels your sincerity, she will surely be very moved.”

Ugris: “…”

The smile on his face could hardly be maintained. A dignified Crown Prince was being ordered around like a servant!

But since the words had been said to this point he had come today with the purpose of pleasing Stilly he couldn’t find a reason to refuse.

Ugris gritted his teeth and agreed: “Fine, I will go buy it.”

“Oh, right,” Claude seemed to suddenly remember, “that shop is at the westernmost part of the capital. You must go and return quickly, Your Highness, otherwise it won’t taste good if it sits too long.”

Ugris spat out a few words from between his teeth: “I. Know!”

After seeing Ulgis’s back disappear as he galloped away, Claude couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Serves him right!

Running errands for their Princess should be his honor, yet he had such a reluctant expression.

He returned happily to the palace and recounted the events to You Ting with vivid detail.

Without even looking, You Ting could imagine that Ulgis’s expression at that time must have been as colorful as an overturned palette.

She curved her eyes and asked the little mermaid opposite her, “How about it? Did that help you vent some anger?”

“Did you do that for me?” Arturdo sniffled. “Stilly, you’re so good!”

You Ting replied indifferently: “If you think I’m good, stop stealing my blanket at night.”

The little mermaid stuck out her tongue sheepishly.

She couldn’t control what happened after she fell asleep.

Striking while the iron was hot, she tested the waters in a small voice: “I want to continue living with you. I don’t want to go back to the Secret Garden, is that okay?”

“What,” You Ting countered, “do you still want to return to that place and keep seeing Ugris?”

Arturdo immediately shook her head like a rattle.

She valued friendship, but that didn’t mean she valued a “good friend” who used and deceived her.

Therefore, she didn’t want to see Ugris at all!

Bad person! Bad person!

You Ting rubbed her forehead, deliberately acting helpless as she said, “Suit yourself. Just don’t make my room a mess.”

Arturdo jumped up in joy, ran a few steps to You Ting’s side, and pounced directly onto her.

“Stilly is the best!”

She was too excited and used too much force. You Ting wasn’t paying attention and was knocked back onto the table behind her.

The chessboard was disrupted by her sleeve, and the chess pieces tumbled to the floor with a pitter-patter.

The sound was crisp, like rain that had fallen on the eaves all night.

Arturdo flurried to hold You Ting tightly, using the leverage to maintain her balance.

She was practically draped over You Ting. The distance was so close that the moment she looked up, her gaze met and melded with the other’s.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Her vision was held fast by the other’s long, emerald-green eyes. Her voice grew smaller and smaller. The little mermaid’s mind went blank, and she even forgot what she was supposed to say.

The surrounding world felt as if it were suddenly covered by a glass dome; all sounds became muffled.

She couldn’t hear Claude’s voice outside the door, she couldn’t hear the forceful footsteps of the patrolling knights, and she couldn’t hear the birdsong or the wind.

The only thing she could hear clearly was the two rising and falling heartbeats.

Belonging to her and Stilly.

The two of them, only the two of them.

Time seemed infinitely stretched, compressed, and finally gathered into a tiny soap bubble.

With a soft “pop” by Arturdo’s ear, it broke gently.

You Ting lowered her long lashes, seemingly finally reacting.

A charming arc spread across her red lips as she gazed at Arturdo, slowly asking: “Is Miss Arturdo so impatient to throw herself into my arms?”

The little mermaid’s face was instantly dyed the color of morning clouds. She suddenly remembered something from a long time ago.

The very first time they met, Stilly had said to her, “Better follow me than follow him.”

At that time, Stilly thought she was Ulgis’s lover, so her meaning was…

Her heartbeat suddenly quickened. Arturdo shook her head, trying to cast the stray thoughts away.

She didn’t dare think deeply, only forcing herself to look away, her voice trembling as she defended herself: “I—it was an accident.”

Her wrist was suddenly caught, and You Ting’s other hand slid behind the little mermaid’s waist.

With a slight exertion of force, the world in front of her spun instantly.

Up was down.

Dark black hair layered over golden strands, crisscrossing into one another.

She looked down, peering at the panicked little mermaid from a superior stance.

The crimson lips tilted upward again. You Ting said, “I did it on purpose.”

Dazed, the little mermaid followed her logic and asked, “On purpose what?”

The woman lowered her head, the fine tips of her hair brushing against Arturdo’s cheek.

Warm breath fell beside her ear as she heard You Ting’s voice ring out clearly.

“On purpose… throwing myself into your arms.”

The air seemed to turn viscous in an instant, making it difficult for Arturdo to breathe.

She wanted to say something to break this strange atmosphere.

But she opened her lips and her throat felt blocked, making it hard to utter a single complete syllable.

The other’s breath seemed to be approaching bit by bit, and at the final moment.

Knock, knock. A sudden knocking sounded at the door.

Claude said excitedly outside, “Princess, Prince Ugris has returned drenched in sweat.”

This commotion instantly broke the strange balance in the room. You Ting’s grip loosened slightly, and the little mermaid immediately pushed her away and ran to the other side.

You Ting cast a glance over, slowly retracted her gaze, and raised her voice to instruct Claude: “Leave the things and tell him to get lost.”

Claude agreed, itching for a fight: “Don’t worry, Princess. I definitely won’t let him see you!”

Not long after, the bag of jerky was brought into the room it was still hot.

You Ting looked at it coldly. It seemed Ugris had indeed spent quite a bit of effort to please her.

A pity, she didn’t care for it.

She unhurriedly unwrapped the packaging and looked up at a certain fish huddled in the corner.

“Didn’t you want to eat?”

Arturdo poked her head out conflictedly. She wanted to eat, but for some reason she didn’t know, she was a little afraid of being alone with Stilly now…

You Ting let out a scoff and looked at Arturdo, asking again in a dangerous voice: “Do you want me to feed you, Miss Arturdo?”

The little mermaid immediately shot out like an arrow from a bow, snatched the jerky, and bolted away again.

You Ting didn’t mind.

In any case, when it was time for bed, this silly fish would still come looking for her.

Sure enough, when night fell.

You Ting closed her eyes, coaxing sleep, and noticed a slight rustling sound from beside her.

The sound grew closer, like something rolling over.

She didn’t open her eyes. When the object drew near, she practicedly reached out an arm and gathered the person in.

Preventing a certain silly fish from rolling straight off the bed.

Having found support, the little mermaid was quiet for a short while.

Before long, she started to become restless again, nuzzling against You Ting’s arm.

You Ting let out a short sigh and warned in a low voice: “Be good, don’t move.”

Perhaps having heard this even in her dreams, Arturdo frowned, pouting as if dissatisfied.

She couldn’t stay quiet for long and started trying to roll again.

You Ting had no choice but to pull her completely into her embrace. The little mermaid finally stopped moving.

Arturdo’s head rested on You Ting’s shoulder, like an octopus, clinging tightly to You Ting.

You Ting smiled with her eyes closed, her voice barely audible: “And you say you aren’t throwing yourself into my arms.”