The Villainess is Filthy Rich!

𝓣𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓯𝓲𝓿𝓮 ➳ Have we met before?

Is this bastard seriously siding with the first prince right now?

I shot him a hard glare before turning my back towards him. I treaded towards the big tree and sat down under its cool shade, Elderon sitting beside me, albeit, quite closely–not that I'm complaining though!

Derrin also sat down beside me quite closely, crossing his arms with his eyes closed. Deltix stood in front of a tree near to us with his back leaning on the tree while Ageon did the same on the tree next to Deltix.

An eerie silence settled upon us as I silently prayed for my father and Elderon's father to come sooner. The five of us stayed like that, neither of us willing to break the ice.

Not long after, I saw my father and Elderon's father walking towards us in the distance. I was so glad that they have finally arrived that I barely managed to stop myself from sprinting towards my father.

When they were finally only a few meters away from us, I hastily stood up and walked towards my father in long strides. "Dad!"

My dad let out a smile as he crouched down, scooping me up in a hug once I'm within his reach. The four boys stood up and greeted the two powerful men with a bow as I also did the same to Elderon's father after barely squirming out of my father's grasp.

"Seems like you have already did your greetings with each other. It's nice to see the future pillars of the empire all gathered up in one place. Hope you become good friends."

A cold silence greeted Duke Goniuva as the five of us remained silent. "I guess the answer is no." He roared out a laughter after retorting his own words.

"Well, all of you are still young. You still have a lot of time ahead of you, so there's no need to rush. Nevertheless, I really do hope to see everyone of you being amicable with each other."

He gave off a somewhat eerie(?) smile that it made me question whether that was a request or a threat. I could only reply with a polite smile as Elderon and Derrin averted their eyes, and Deltix and Ageon just brushed it off with a small nod.

As much as I want to avoid having any contact with the capture targets, I really couldn't refute Duke Goniuva's words as it is my duty as one of the prestigious heirs in this kingdom to form amicable relationships with other nobles as much as possible.

Sure, being the sole heiress of a prestigious duchy was like a premium grade meat served on a diamond platter, but it also came with heavy responsibilities and duties in order to maintain the lifestyle that I'm currently enjoying today.

Haa... the burden of being a sole heiress of a duchy. I was about to let out a long sigh when a realization suddenly dawned upon me. Holy cow...how could I forget! I'm the sole heiress of not only a prestigious duchy, but also one of the pillars of the kingdom! So, how...?

I glanced towards my father, only to see him busily conversing with Elderon's father. Well, I guess I'll have to ask him about it later.

My head snapped to my right when I suddenly felt a presence beside me. A frown suddenly dawned on my face when I see Ageon standing beside me while staring at the two grown men conversing.

I averted my gaze as I clicked my tongue audibly. "Why aren't you staying by his highness, the first prince's side, Sir Mades? You two seem pretty close, seeing as you ardently took his side earlier."

"Did my action cause you displeasure, my lady?" Ageon inquired, still staring straight ahead. My lips drew into a thin line. "Am I supposed to be pleased then?"

I felt him move beside me. Not long after, I could feel his gaze and breath...on me? What? I abruptly turned my head towards his direction, only to come face-to-face with his chest. Chest? What the heck?! Did this brat grew a few inches taller?