Chapter 3

Veyna stared down blankly, her thoughts swirling like embers in the wind.

Magical gems are surely powerful... yet so dangerous for a mere human...

"Miss?", she looked up as her thoughts were interrupted by the shopkeeper. He must ve been waiting for her to say something.

"Ah, yes. Then...", her eyes catched a glimpse of a shiny sparkling thing. It s a silver necklace with a round shaped diamond.

"I ll just take that for today."

The shopkeeper smiles warmly.

"Wonderful! Good choice, miss. That s one of my greatest masterpieces although i am not as great as other jewelers in the capital."

He laughs happly at his own remark as he takes out the necklace and wraps it neatly inside a white small box.

She smiles faintly. She put her pouch that contains golds on the counter top.

"Take as much as you like as the payment"

The white box exchanges hands. Then, he opens the pouch just for him to gasp in surprise.

"This is too much for a single necklace, miss."

Veyna turned her heels.

"It s fine, mister. Who knows, maybe this little regular customer of yours could never come back here again one day..."

She takes a step to leave the shop.

"Thanks a lot, miss!", he bends his body down toward her direction to show his thankfulness.

Veyna raised her hand and waved slightly before pushing the door and leaves the shop.

Veyna strolls past a row of shops, her gaze drifting lazily over the bustling street until a familiar sound caught her ear. Laughter. High-pitched, obnoxious, and undoubtedly laced with gossip.

A quick glance confirmed it: a group of noble ladies stand not far ahead, whispering and giggling behind their delicate fans. Probably spreading some scandalous tale.

She doesn't care. Even if they are talking about her (which, let's be honest, they probably were), she is long past the point of being bothered.

Unfazed, she keeps walking, chin high, stride unbothered.

Then, one of the ladies noticed her.

The effect is immediate. The woman's face goes rigid, her laughter dying in her throat as she hastily elbows her friend. Panic flickers in her eyes.

Like a domino effect, the rest of the ladies turns their attention to Veyna, their previous amusement evaporating. One by one, their heads lowered, their once-giddy expressions now frozen in poorly concealed fear.

Veyna barely spared them a glance as she passes. She isn't in the mood to be wicked today. Besides, they aren't stupid enough to provoke her not this time. So, she let them off easy.

Still, their reaction speak volumes. It is almost impressive how terrifying she had become in high society. She is famous, yes, but for all the wrong reasons.

Not that she doesn't earn it.

There was that one time when a noblewoman insulted her appearance. Veyna, ever the gracious lady, responded by bringing her Doberman-an aggressively enthusiastic creature-to the woman's pristine afternoon tea party. With a pleasant smile, she unchained the beast and watched as it gleefully shredded an expensive dress, sent pastries flying, and turned a meticulously arranged garden into a war zone.

And then, of course, there was the baron. Poor man thought he could deny her offer to supply workers for his struggling gold mine. He refused, so she kindly persuaded him-by acquiring certain... sensitive documents that conveniently made him reconsider. In the end, she walked away with a 30% share of the profits and a rather entertaining story.

It wasn't as if she went around looking for trouble. But if someone dare to speak ill of her, well... she simply believed in returning the favor...

Generously.

Veyna let out a long, exaggerated sigh. There is nothing fun in the capital.

The bustling streets, the lavish boutiques, the finely dressed nobles flitting about with their pointless chatter. None of it held even a shred of entertainment. She had already terrorized all the right people, won every battle of wit worth fighting, and made enough scandalous memories to keep the rumor mill spinning for weeks.

And now? Now, she is bored.

A truly dangerous state for someone like her.

Veyna glances around, hoping to spot a decent pastry shop, something, anything to cure her boredom. But just as her gaze drifted across the street, she caught sight of a familiar figure slipping into an alleyway.

A man with deep brown hair.

Her only cousin, Wayne.

Her brows knits together. *What is he doing there*?

Wayne is not a person who willingly wander into a dingy alley. He wont even step in mud even if he had to.

Without a second thought, Veyna changes course, her heels clicking sharply against the stone pavement as she follows after him. Suspicion curls in her chest, growing with every step.

But as she turned the corner, he is gone.

Then-

"Looking for someone, Lady?"

Veyna's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She whirls around, eyes sharp, only to find herself face-to-face with a man, not Wayne, but someone else.

A tall figure clad in a black cloak loomed over her, the dim alleyway failing to conceal his striking features. His hood sit low, but not low enough to hide the golden strands of hair that peek out. And those eyes, deep, piercing gold that glow with quiet amusement.

She recognised him immediately.

The man who had nearly become a thorn in her side.

The first prince, Henry De Varethorne.

Her expression hardened instantly, her posture stiffening as she meets his gaze with an icy stare.

"What are you doing here, Your Highness?" she asked coolly, her voice devoid of warmth.

Henry smiles brightly while leaning his body lower to match her height.

"Are you curious?"

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***