The villainous prince who bullied Feng Aotian was actually myself.

Page 40

Hazel remained incredulous.

"Yes."

Leon nodded.

"Yes, Helena entered the palace in August this year, and it's only the beginning of November now. So, you've only known her for about four months."

Hazel tilted her delicate face up, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

Leon had a crush on me since elementary school and continued into college. All those years couldn't compare to a mere four months?

Is this what men are like?

Changing your mind so easily?!

Even if he doesn't change his mind, I could never like a jerk like him.

But... something that had always belonged to me suddenly became someone else's...

hiss,

What's the big deal?

But... never mind, it's an indescribable feeling.

"What's the big deal? Although I was young and impetuous, that was when I was young and didn't know any better. When you meet the right person, what does it matter if you only know them for a day?"

Leon smiled with relief, a smile that showcased his exceptional acting skills, as if he had truly let go of the past and fallen deeply in love with a brand new beginning.

So you mean I'm a mistake?

Heyle was indignant, but she remained calm on the surface. "Fine, since it's for Helena, the Hayden family can offer assistance."

"Yes, I am very grateful. If the Hayden family ever needs anything in the future, I will do my best to help them."

Leon bowed deeply to Hazel once again.

Leon was very humble and exceptionally polite, but his actions gave Hazel the feeling that she and this scoundrel prince had unknowingly become incredibly estranged.

"Alright, then tell me your plan, and what should we do?"

Hazel's tone remained indifferent.

“Okay, this plan is short, but it will take some time to understand. Miss Hayden, we can’t just stand here like this forever.”

Leon laughed awkwardly.

You are a beautiful fairy, you will never get tired.

But I'm not! I'm just a weak man.

"Alright, Your Highness, please make yourself at home."

Hazel also felt that it was indeed inappropriate for her and Leon to stand like this.

“Alright, Miss Hayden, let me tell you what I know so far about Hibbert’s capture plan for Helena.”

Once seated in the comfortable sofa chair, Leon quickly got into the swing of things.

P.S.: Holiday is over...

Chapter Forty-Four: He Has Changed

Due to the unusual layout of the office, the sofa for guests and the desk were some distance apart. Hazel was sitting on the sofa behind the desk, and judging from her appearance, she didn't seem to have any intention of coming out to sit on the sofa and talk with Leon.

Leon didn't want to shout at the top of his lungs from about a meter away from Hazel, so after looking around, he pulled up a sofa chair for himself and sat down at the desk, facing Hazel across the table.

Heyle was slightly taken aback by Leon's overly familiar behavior, but seeing his serious expression, she didn't say anything.

In fact, according to normal etiquette, when receiving a superior such as the Prince Regent, one cannot do so in a private office. At the very least, one must sit in a comfortable reception room, on equal footing with the other party, and there must be fine wine, tea, snacks, and fruit.

The Hayden family was a prominent family in high society. Hazel was adopted by the Marquis of Hayden when she was still a child and enjoyed the life and education of the aristocracy from a young age. She was naturally excellent in terms of "knowledge and manners". However, her way of receiving Leon was purely to show Leon that she did not want to communicate with him.

Based on Hazel's understanding of Leon, he was a stubborn and proud man who would rather suffer than admit defeat. If he sensed that Hazel didn't like him, he should have backed down.

But this time she miscalculated. Leon not only walked in, but he was also humble, reasonable, and knew how to behave appropriately, leaving her with no reason to kick him out.

What surprised Hazel even more was that Leon came to Hayden Manor simply to get Hayden Manor to help Helena... was it for love?!

love……

After graduating from the University of Guberland, Hazel and Leon, like most graduates, immediately cut off all contact.

The last time the two met was at last year's annual festival, when Hazel and the Marquis Gavin paid their respects to Caesar. At that time, Leon and Lyon stood on either side of Caesar, separated by the several meters of steps leading to the throne. They glanced at each other but did not exchange a word.

After nearly two years of no contact, Leon's reputation in aristocratic circles had become increasingly tarnished. However, after seeing Leon in person again today, Hazel suddenly felt that the rumors of the past two years seemed to be false.

At this moment, Leon was no longer the impetuous and foolish man he once was. On the contrary, he now thought about problems with clear and thorough logic. This calm and composed demeanor even gave people the feeling of being shrewd and calculating.

However, Hazel didn't know that Leon was forced into this situation. If it weren't for the need to live a good life, would he have been so cunning? Who would enjoy scheming against others for no reason? Isn't it better to be ordinary, happy, and simple?

Unfortunately, he was a villain destined to die. According to the original plot, he would already be dead. It can be said that Leon has been forcibly prolonging his life all along.

This is going against the will of Heaven, how can one not be terrified at every step?

changed……

he's changed……

It's been almost two years since we last met. The boy who used to always be in my sight ten years ago seems to have suddenly grown up.

Hazel rested her left elbow on the desk, propped her delicate white chin on her hand, and tilted her head to look at Leon, who was sitting opposite her, holding a quill pen filled with ink and a piece of white paper. He was explaining his plan while writing lines of phrases on the paper and circling the important points.

Leon's face is sharply defined, clear, strong, and delicate. His bright, smooth golden bangs part on both sides, revealing his clean, fair forehead. Whether viewed individually or together, his features are exquisite and full of charm. It must be said that, if it weren't for his character flaws, Leon would indeed be a very attractive guy to girls.

Sitting here with Leon now gives Hazel a feeling of being back in the last semester of high school, facing the tense atmosphere of studying for her college entrance exams.

Of course, in the high school entrance exam, Hazel was admitted to the University of Guberland with high scores based on her own merit.

But Leon is different. He's a prince. He failed his exams and wants to coast through life at Guberland University. The university's leaders don't dare refuse him.

And Leon did live up to expectations. Although he didn't get a zero on his high school entrance exam, his score wasn't much better. In short, while his score was good enough for university, it was definitely not enough for a world-renowned top university like Guberland University.

But Leon was born into good fortune; he received an acceptance letter from Guberland University before he even started filling out his college applications.

That's how it was in the feudal monarchical era; injustice was rampant everywhere.

"These are the main problems we need to solve, Miss Hayden—do you have any suggestions?"

Leon put down his quill and turned to look at Hazel.

"Hmm? That's all?"

Hazel was slightly taken aback. She had been lost in her own thoughts and hadn't really been listening to what Leon was saying to her.

"Yes, that's all."

Judging from the bewildered look on Hazel's beautiful face, Leon probably already understood what was going on.

That guy must have been spacing out just now.

"Ah... what did you say?"

Heyr was speechless.

"Well... it's not really a big deal, so let's not waste any more time. In short—I need your esteemed institution to provide a powerful seal for the authority of destiny."

Leon paused for a moment before answering.

Actually, what he said wasn't very important. Knowing that Hazel disliked him, he was just rambling on to convince Hazel.

Unexpectedly, Hazel didn't listen at all.

Well... that's fine too. I should have known better than to go through all that trouble.

Leon was speechless with frustration; he'd lost count of how many times this had happened. There was no way around it; being a villain was truly exhausting.

"Yeah, I know that."

Hazel tried to regain her dignity.

"so what?"

Leon went along with her.

"It seems that there is indeed a treasured artifact in the manor that can deal with Dora's seal."

Hai Rou'er gently stroked her chin with her slender fingers, pondered for a moment, and then spoke softly.

"Just one?"

Leon pressed on, asking the same question.

"It seems rather impolite for Your Highness to ask me about this."

Hazel was naturally intelligent and had connections with many nobles, so she wouldn't easily fall into Leon's trap.

"Sorry, I was just curious."

It's not just curiosity! I just wanted to get a general idea of ​​Hayden's history and culture.

Seeing that his probing had failed, Leon immediately smiled and smoothed things over.

"Is Your Highness going to borrow the sealed artifact today?"

Heyr returned to the main topic.

"Yes, Hibbert's side should have already taken action, and we must hurry up as well."

Leon's attitude was firm: "No—you still need to report to Marquis Gavin, right?"

"That's not necessary. My father's instructions to me were actually to agree with His Highness as much as possible."

Hazel confronts him.

"Then it's a pleasant decision. Shall we go retrieve the sealed artifact together, or..."

Leon smiled. But his heart was troubled.

Marquis Gavin is indeed not easy to deal with. Although his noble rank is below that of a duke, he is on the same level as a cunning old fox like the Third Duke. They are both political bigwigs who appear muddleheaded on the surface but are actually very shrewd in secret.

Getting Hazel to agree with him was clearly the right decision. After all, if he really came with ill intentions, as the regent prince of the empire, any smart person would know to avoid his sharp edge and wait until Caesar returned and he stepped down before imposing sanctions and taking revenge.

"I'll go get it. You wait in the reception room."

Hai Rou'er said indifferently.

"Row."

Leon agreed without hesitation. After all, he had already achieved his goal for this trip.

Leon followed Hazel out of the office, and Hazel then left in another direction, while Leon was taken to the reception room by James.

Leon found a seat near the window in the reception room and accepted the hot coffee that James offered him. He then casually asked for a copy of the latest Guberland Civil and Political Gazette and the Guberland Current Affairs Gazette, before leaning back on the sofa and reading lazily.

The Guberland Gazette mainly reports on events in Fchester. After skimming through the newspaper, Leon noticed a missing person notice.

The missing person notice is for Helena, and the reward is quite generous: 50,000 FOMO for helping to find her, and 1,000 to 20,000 FOMO for providing clues, depending on their importance. The cash can be collected directly from the local government.

This level of prize money is enough to mobilize the masses. Although tens of thousands or thousands of dollars are nothing to a prince like Leon, just the cost of a small drink, there can only be one prince like Leon, and the vast majority of people in this world are still poor.

Well, hopefully Helena won't be caught after being reported by the public.

However, upon closer analysis, given Feng Aotian's luck, that situation is highly unlikely to occur, so there's no need to worry about this missing person notice.

Thinking this, Leon put down the Civil Affairs Daily and picked up the Current Affairs Daily.

The Guberlin political newspaper mainly reports on global affairs, and currently the biggest focus of the newspaper is the "Battle of the Coral Sea" on the front lines.

[In the first direct confrontation during the Battle of the Coral Sea, Prince Leon repeatedly offered brilliant strategies, defeating the Nieberg navy within thirty nautical miles...]

When Leon read this part of the report on the Battle of the Coral Sea, his gaze paused slightly.

P.S.: As is customary, this humble author is asking for monthly votes (。o︿o。)……

Chapter 45 Crimson Nail

The sealed object that Hazel retrieved was small; it was a brooch inlaid with a red gemstone, and its appearance was not much different from an ordinary brooch.

The brooch was contained in a long wooden box engraved with Goebbels' poetic spells. The box was small, about the size of three normal matchboxes placed end to end.

Leon put the sealed item and instruction manual into his pocket, then politely took his leave without looking back, leaving Hazel without lingering.

It wasn't that Leon didn't want to "chat" with little Hazel any longer, but rather that he really couldn't stay at Hayden's residence for too long. After all, he had sneaked out of the palace after seeing Hawkeye off in the afternoon and had to return before dinner time.