GPHYB CH 08

Episode 8 – The Red Rose

Azrael suddenly remembered something and gasped.

Azrael (excited):

“Yes! It was at Count Duncan’s banquet!”

That banquet was scheduled to happen in two weeks. She was sure she had seen Prince Leonard there before. The reason she remembered was that one nobleman had gotten drunk and tried to flirt with the lady he had a crush on. He was kicked out, and Leonard handled the situation smoothly.

But meeting Leonard in front of Patrick would be a mistake. She still had plans to mess with Patrick, and she needed him to stay unaware of Leonard’s importance.

Azrael (thinking):

“Two weeks is too far away.”

She had so much to do if she wanted to stop Patrick from becoming emperor without starting a rebellion. The current emperor would die in less than three years due to illness. She had to make Leonard crown prince before that.

Suddenly, she remembered the intelligence guild she had hired to spy on Angela.

Azrael (smiling):

“Right. I’ll ask Elpasa to look into Prince Leonard’s schedule.”

That way, she could meet Leonard without waiting for the banquet and without Patrick noticing. Just the thought gave her relief.

Feeling a bit more at ease, exhaustion hit her. She had been running around since early morning. She closed her eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep, her first peaceful sleep since her return to the past.

The Next Morning

Azrael woke up late and called for Yuriel, her quick and clever maid. She gave Yuriel the task of contacting Elpasa to find out about Prince Leonard’s upcoming public events.

Not long after, Yuriel returned with a silver tray stacked with invitation letters.

As Azrael expected, they were from young noblemen hoping to woo her and noble ladies inviting her to tea parties.

Among them was a letter from Patrick. It was short, saying he would visit that afternoon. He had also sent a huge bouquet.

Azrael smirked.

She could tell Patrick had been nervous ever since the debut ball. Unlike the other noble ladies who fell for his sweet words, Azrael smiled politely but didn’t seem interested in him at all. That must’ve thrown him off.

Azrael (thinking):

“If Angela starts getting jealous, this will be even more fun.”

She placed the letter down and smiled in satisfaction. In their past life, Patrick thought she was easy to control. Not anymore. Now, she would make him suffer.

She planned to give Patrick false hope to make him believe she liked him only to crush him later. At the same time, she’d drive Angela mad with jealousy. Both of them would suffer, just as she had.

Of course, her real goal was still to make Leonard the crown prince, not Patrick.

So while she would lead Patrick on, she had no plans to dress up for him. She picked a simple, neat outfit with no need to impress him with looks when all he wanted was her family name.

When Patrick arrived, Azrael went downstairs to the sitting room.

He stood to greet her with a smile. Though she wore a plain dress, her body shape was still noticeable. It made the dress even more intriguing because it left more to the imagination.

Patrick couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful she had looked at the debut ball. When he saw her near Leonard, he’d panicked, afraid she might slip away.

Though Leonard seemed only mildly curious about her, Patrick knew it wasn’t a good sign. Thankfully, Azrael didn’t seem to show further interest in Leonard.

But at the ball, everyone had been staring at Azrael. Patrick wanted to make her his, not just to protect his shaky claim as crown prince, but because he had truly fallen for her.

Angela still lingered in his mind, but she could become empress later. Right now, his focus was Azrael.

Patrick (determined):

“I have to make Azrael mine now.”

Feeling excited and nervous, he stepped forward and handed her a bouquet of red roses.

Patrick (smiling sweetly):

“You reminded me of these red roses so passionate and beautiful last night.”

He had been mesmerized by her red lips and sharp, cat-like eyes. Unlike Angela’s soft innocence, Azrael had a bold and fiery charm.

His eyes briefly burned with desire at the memory.

Patrick:

“I truly regret not spending more time with you last night.”

After Leonard left, Azrael joined Patrick on the balcony. Though her feet hurt, she danced with him, teasing him with subtle touches and smiles. She noticed how he yearned for more and how Angela watched with burning jealousy.

Azrael had loved every second of it.

Azrael (smiling softly):

“I regret it too, Your Highness. But I danced so much that my legs started to hurt. I had no choice but to go home early.”

According to social etiquette, she couldn’t dance multiple times with the same man. So after Patrick, she danced with others, keeping him at a distance. That must have frustrated him.

And that was exactly what she wanted to keep him craving more.

She looked at him with gentle, lowered eyes, as if she were disappointed too. The sight of her soft purple eyes under her silver hair hit Patrick like a wave.

Azrael seemed strong and bold… yet somehow fragile enough to protect. That contradiction made her even more irresistible.

If Angela was like a delicate lily, Azrael was a proud, bold rose queen of the garden.

Patrick, who once felt moved by Angela’s purity, now felt an overpowering desire to possess Azrael. He wanted to call her his completely and publicly.

Trying to find an excuse to touch her, he reached out to her hand as a polite greeting.

Azrael wasn’t thrilled.

Azrael (thinking):

“I should’ve worn gloves”

Still, she had no good reason to refuse. So she gently placed her hand in his.

Patrick brought her hand to his lips and kissed it slowly. The softness of her skin made his heart race. He wanted to kiss her neck, her lips to have all of her.

But he knew better than to rush. She was the daughter of the powerful Nocturne family. If he messed this up, he’d lose everything.

Still, he was confident. No woman had ever resisted his charming smile and handsome face.