Chapter 524
Chapter 524:
“It’s written all over your face,” Janice quipped, stepping closer still, her hands casually clasped behind her back, forcing Aiden a step back. For a moment, Aiden looked like a boy caught red-handed, his expression a mix of embarrassment and defensiveness.
“Well, Lancelot is a prince, after all. His status and position are impeccable. Anyone who marries him would probably end up happy,” Janice said thoughtfully.
Still flustered, Aiden immediately frowned and replied sharply, “So what if he’s a prince? He’s just a man like anyone else. Whatever he boasts, I have in abundance.”
“But Lancelot’s a prince,” Janice said with a teasing smile.
“Then I’ll buy a secluded island and build our own kingdom. You can be the empress, or whatever title you want,” Aiden replied with a determined glint in his eyes.
Janice laughed aloud before looking up at Aiden, who seemed a bit on edge. “And yet, you claim you’re not jealous? Buying an island and declaring yourself king says otherwise.”
“You’re doing this on purpose.”
“Of course I did.” Tilting her head in playful defiance, Janice grinned at him. “I enjoy watching you get jealous. What’s your take on that?”
Aiden’s jaw tightened as his gaze bore into hers. Her unusually playful demeanor was doing things to his already unsteady heart.
“Don’t test me.”
“Oh, but I am. What now? Are you going to snap and bite my head off?”
Before she could say another word, Aiden leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
Janice’s eyes widened in disbelief, her entire body stiffening at the suddenness of his action. She hadn’t anticipated Aiden would kiss her out of the blue.
His lips felt cool, trembling slightly, and somewhere between them, a strong, rhythmic heartbeat thundered, though she couldn’t tell if it was hers or his.
𝐋𝚊𝓉𝐞𝑠𝓉 сһα𝓹𝖙𝑒𝗋𝓈 𝖌𝗮𝓁𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀․𝚌𝗈𝗆
“You idiot, Aiden!” Janice blurted out, snapping out of her daze and pushing him away abruptly.
“Ouch!” Aiden grunted as his back collided with the wall from the force of her shove.
“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” Janice muttered, stepping forward in concern.
The force had reopened the wound on his back, and a trace of blood began to seep through.
“Come on, we need to get you back to the room so I can re-dress your wound,” Janice said urgently.
“Relax, it’s nothing,” Aiden said with a nonchalant smirk.
Janice’s brows knitted in frustration at his cocky attitude. “Your wound’s open again, and you’re acting like it’s no big deal?”
“Honestly, a kiss makes everything worth it for me.”
Janice froze for a moment, then narrowed her eyes at Aiden. “Since when did you become this good at flirting? Why weren’t you like this before?”
Aiden caught an odd note in her words, something that made him pause.
His brow furrowed. If he’d been more like this before, would she have stayed by his side?
Yet, he knew the answer. Back then, he’d been consumed by vengeance, completely blind to the emotions of those he should’ve cared for.
.
.
.