"You're finally here. Are you fully healed?" Princess Crystalia exclaimed with evident delight, leaning in to inspect Orion as though she were meticulously searching for any lingering injuries from his recent battle.
Orion reassured her, saying, "Don't worry, I wasn't that badly injured. Everything's fine."
Then, Princess Crystalia leaned in closer and whispered urgently into Orion's ear, "I need your help. Just follow my lead, and I promise not to tell Madam Seraphina about her panties." Desperation hung heavily in her voice.
Orion was initially perplexed by her request, but as he turned his attention to Zephyrion nearby, he couldn't help but notice the anger etched across his face.
"Though you didn't appear severely injured during the battle, you certainly took your time recovering," Zephyrion commented, concealing his anger beneath a smile as he observed Orion.
Orion nodded in agreement. "Well, I didn't see any rush, and besides, I had a feeling Princess Crystalia might get lonely if I didn't return promptly," he said, locking eyes with Zephyrion, whose smile began to falter.
Orion couldn't help but notice the intense jealousy and anger painted across Zephyrion's face. It was clear that any attempts at forming an amicable relationship between them would be futile, especially given Zephyrion's overwhelming defeat.
Around Orion, the onlookers were left stunned by his audacity.
'I told you to follow my lead, not take the lead,' Princess Crystalia thought, disbelief simmering within her.
Orion would have gladly followed her lead if she hadn't resorted to threatening him with a pair of panties he had deliberately tried hard to get.
Flintor, on the other hand, could only gape in astonishment as he observed the unusually close proximity between Princess Crystalia and Orion.
Suddenly, he blinked and remembered how often Princess Crystalia had been sneaking out of her room lately, despite the Queen's warnings.
'Why didn't you inform me about this, Princess Crystalia?' he wondered silently.
Zephyrion could feel his blood boiling to the point where he feared that if he remained for another minute, his anger might surpass his ability to restrain himself from smacking Orion in the head, provoking another fight.
However, fully aware that he would be defeated once more, Zephyrion took a deep breath to calm himself before turning his attention to Princess Crystalia.
Her face remained impassive, as though she hadn't registered a word of what Orion had just said.
"Princess Crystalia, perhaps we should find somewhere more private for our conversation," Zephyrion suggested. He hoped that in a quieter setting, he wouldn't be constantly reminded of Orion's presence, and perhaps, they could talk in peace.
Princess Crystalia shook her head with a smile. "No need to worry. I can see that there are many guests eager to speak with the young heir of the Gemheart Clan. Please go ahead, and I'll catch up with you later," she replied.
Zephyrion's heart sank at her response, and he simply nodded before picking up a glass filled with fruit wine and walking away.
Orion, watching the exchange, raised a curious brow. "Hmm, from where I stand, it seems like he's quite interested in you," he remarked to Princess Crystalia.
Princess Crystalia let out a weary sigh before shaking her head and explaining, "He might appear that way, but it's all an act. There's an ongoing feud between the Gemheart Clan and the Royal Family, a rivalry that's common knowledge among the Prismerians. He's obviously trying to get close to me to gain entry into the Crystalforge Clan and assist the Gemheart Clan from within our ranks. Thankfully, my father had warned me about this in advance, or else I might have..." She let her words trail off, sighing once more.
Although she didn't finish her sentence, Orion could easily guess what she intended to say.
'I see,' he thought to himself as he walked over to the table, choosing from the assortment of sliced fruits and fruity wines.
Luckily for him, he was accustomed to eating fruits; otherwise, he might have found this banquet quite frustrating.
"Since it's like that, why don't we try to establish a connection? I'm just a simple foreigner, so you don't need to worry about me plotting to become some kind of informant," Orion suggested.
He picked up a piece of fruit with one hand and carefully selected two glass cups filled with wine—one for himself and one for the Princess.
Princess Crystalia accepted the wine from Orion but couldn't help but feel that something was different about him compared to when she had seen him earlier that day. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but he appeared less reserved than in their previous meetings.
"So, what do you say?" Orion asked, sipping the fruit wine from the crystal-clear glass.
"From my perspective, it seems like a good idea to expand the Crystalforge bloodline beyond this mountain. Perhaps escaping from this place isn't as far-fetched as it may seem," he added.
His words might have sounded like mere speculation or even nonsense to some, but since the Primerions were trapped here alongside White Flame as part of their punishment, it begged the question of whether the trap applied to him as well, given that he wasn't a Prismerion.
Of course, it wouldn't be that simple unless this was some sort of inescapable prison.
Still, Orion had every reason to remain optimistic since he hadn't attempted an escape yet.
Princess Crystalia chuckled at his words, initially finding them amusing. However, she soon let out a long, contemplative sigh.
"If you keep talking like that, you're going to start giving people some rather unusual ideas," she remarked.
Having witnessed Orion assertively fucking her mother's personal maid just hours after settling into the castle, his words didn't surprise her. However, she found it quite unexpected that he would propose such a thing to her.
Nevertheless, she was well aware that the people in the Prismerian kingdom were growing increasingly desperate to leave this mountain. Thus, it wouldn't be surprising if a few women became intrigued and decided to experiment with Orion's theory after hearing his words.
Just as Orion was about to resume speaking, he abruptly noticed that Flintor and Princess Crystalia were both fixedly gazing at something or someone behind him.
Furrowing his brows, Orion turned around to see what had captured their attention.
