Chapter 272: The Princess Hiding Under the Bed, and Her Sister Sneaking a Taste Too (1)
As he spoke, Shia reached out and placed a hand on Violet's forehead, as if genuinely puzzled.
Violet froze in place.
H-he means… that?
Shia glanced back at her.
What else could he mean?
Violet's face flushed deep red, embarrassment overwhelming her. She wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
God, what had she just said?!
Her social life was officially over.
Completely flustered, Violet instinctively tried to bury her head in the sheets.
No face left to show anyone!
At that moment, a knock sounded on the door.
"Shia, may I come in?"
Aph's voice drifted through the door and into the room.
Violet froze, her body tensing instantly.
What now? What now?!
If Aph found out she was here…
She never expected a visitor at this time, let alone her sister Aph.
In an instant, the silver-haired princess became completely rigid, her emotions surging wildly.
She was so nervous her delicate body began trembling slightly.
Shia, noticing her reaction, looked at her with a growing smirk.
"Your earlier reaction… seems like…"
He deliberately trailed off, his gaze sweeping up and down her figure.
As if to say, 'Oh, so this is what kind of princess you are~.'
Violet, overcome with shame and irritation, reached out and clamped a hand over Shia's mouth, glaring daggers at him.
'Don't you dare say it!'
But the teasing glint in Shia's eyes didn't fade, his grin only growing wider.
Violet felt her frustration bubbling over.
This wasn't working; she had to change the subject.
Hearing the knocking on the door again, Violet's brain worked quickly. She locked eyes with Shia, her expression suddenly sharp and accusatory.
"So, you two 'really' have something going on, huh?"
She kept her voice low, her gaze darting to the door and back to Shia.
Her fierce expression resembled a girlfriend catching her boyfriend with another woman.
Shia ignored her accusation, calmly pulling her hand away from his mouth.
"You're whispering like that—afraid she'll find out?"
Violet's heart gave another jolt, and she instinctively felt guilty.
Anyone would panic in this situation, right? Sneaking into her boyfriend's room at night only to hear her sister knocking at the door?
But would Violet admit it to Shia's face?
No chance.
She quickly regained her composure, her tone indignant.
"Answer me! Don't try to dodge the question!"
Shia blinked innocently at her.
The two locked eyes—one trying desperately to divert attention, the other laughing inwardly at her flustered attempts.
The tension in the air was palpable.
Outside, Aph's soft, honeyed voice rang out again.
"Shia? Are you asleep?"
Outside the door, Aph waited patiently, but after several moments with no reply, she couldn't shake the sense that something was off.
From inside the room, she could hear faint, muffled noises.
And when she'd returned to her room earlier, she noticed Violet was nowhere to be found.
Her first thought had been to come here.
After waiting a few more seconds, she called out again.
Inside the room, Shia opened his mouth to respond, but Violet instantly slapped her hand over it again.
Her other hand raised a finger to her lips in a desperate "shh" gesture, her wide eyes imploring him.
'Don't make a sound!'
As long as no one spoke, Aph would leave after a while—right?
She tried to reassure herself, but her trembling hand gave her nerves away.
Shia, noticing the faint quiver in her slender fingers, couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Then, in a hushed voice, he dropped the ultimate question.
"Did you lock the door?"
Violet's expression froze.
She turned her gaze toward him, her lips parting slightly.
Did she lock the door?
She'd closed it, right?
But now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure she'd locked it…
The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.
Shia immediately understood from her reaction, sighing in exasperation.
"Some people just don't know how to take advantage of an opportunity."
Sneaking in for a late-night rendezvous without locking the door? No sense of caution at all.
It was almost too easy to get caught.
Violet's lips trembled as panic and frustration surged inside her.
As a pampered princess, she'd never had to lock her own doors—someone else always did it for her!
Even when she slept, she had attendants taking care of everything.
How could she be blamed for this?
"T-this is your fault! You startled me so much that I forgot!"
Shia shrugged nonchalantly.
"But you're the one standing at my door!"
Violet huffed indignantly, her tone sharp, though she couldn't come up with a solid retort.
"I don't care! This bed doesn't have room for two women!"
She glared at Shia, trying to look fierce, her eyes issuing an unspoken demand.
"I know, but what can I do?" Shia spread his hands helplessly.
"You won't let me speak, and you didn't lock the door."
"Whether she comes in or not isn't up to me. If she decides to come in, there's nothing I can do to stop her."
Violet kept glaring at him, refusing to back down. On the surface, she appeared tough and composed, but inside, her nerves were screaming.
'Ahhh, what do I do? What do I do?!'
She couldn't let her sister Aph find her here!
Violet bit her lip, the struggle in her eyes intensifying. Her hands clutched Shia's collar tightly, her fingers whitening from the pressure.
A thought popped into her head…
Shia immediately saw through the proud princess's true intentions.
Sincerely, he offered a suggestion.
"If you don't want her to find you, just hide under the bed."
That suggestion hit Violet like a lightning bolt, and she instantly bristled.
"Who said I'm scared?!"
She stiffened her neck, forcing herself to look confident.
"I didn't do anything wrong! What's there to be scared of?"
Her voice was lowered as she spoke, though she tried hard to maintain her bravado.
But…
Shia's gaze dropped to her trembling hands clutching his collar.
Following his gaze, Violet looked down as well, seeing her fingers visibly shaking. The trembling was so intense it left a faint blur in the air.
With a swift motion, she withdrew her hands, avoiding his eyes.
"You're the one shaking! Your trembling made my hands shake too," she said with a faint tone of disdain.
"I wasn't shaking."
"Neither was I."
"Then it must be the bed shaking."
"Are you that scared of her finding you?"
"I'm not scared!"
"As long as you believe it yourself."
"I said I'm not scared! Are 'you' scared?"
"Why would I be? I'm not the one sneaking into someone's room at night, terrified of being caught, and forcing someone to keep quiet…"
With every word Shia spoke, Violet's confidence shrank further. Her neck drew lower and lower, and her composure wavered.
He watched her expression with great interest and countered her question.
"Are 'you' scared?"
Violet straightened her neck stubbornly.
"I… I'm not scared at all!"
She locked eyes with Shia, as if trying to convince him with her unwavering gaze.
She hadn't done anything wrong—why should she feel guilty?
Even if Aph was standing right in front of her, she could stand tall and respond confidently!
Yes, that's how strong she was!