President Baby's Bride

Chapter 5: Royal Treatment

Leona kept her eyes closed, not daring to see whatever expression that demon child might be wearing. What was said was said, and what needed to be done would be done. She was completely helpless in this situation.

After a moment, she felt something soft and cotton-like touch her skin, followed by a searing pain that shot through her nerves. She could have sworn she heard a bubbling sound.

Well, she thought grimly, swimming suits were definitely out of the question from now on. Unless she wanted to show off her new "royal marking" to the world. How tragically amusing!

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she gritted her teeth against the pain. In her mind, she was cursing Lucian's entire ancestral line going back eighteen generations.

What else could she do? Anyone would be furious in this situation!

Though of course, she had neither the ability nor the courage to actually do anything about it! o(╯□╰)o~~

The pain went on for what felt like eternity, and Leona was about ready to start screaming. But considering how pointless and childish that would be, she held it in.

Finally, Lucian's frosty voice emerged from his small mouth: "Done!"

Leona's entire body relaxed, feeling an immense sense of relief. Even though it still hurt, it was nothing compared to the burning sensation during the application.

Opening her eyes to examine her chest, she had to admit that Lucian's technique had been precise. Apart from the rather deep bite mark, everything looked surprisingly normal.

He must have applied other substances to make the wound dry so quickly. What exactly they were didn't matter anymore at this point!

Sitting up and adjusting her clothes, Leona turned to Lucian. "I think I deserve to know why you chose me!"

"Because it was necessary," Lucian said coolly, though his eyes held a glimmer of approval at her composure through the ordeal. His woman, it seemed, was necessarily strong.

Leona ignored his implied praise and narrowed her eyes. "Get to the point!"

"The point lies within the books," Lucian smirked, climbing off the bed.

Leona nearly choked on that response. She'd heard of "books contain gold houses" and "books contain beautiful jade maidens," but since when did books contain "points"?

Good grief.

Lucian rang a small bell, and two royal maids promptly entered after knocking. Leona got her first real taste of royal protocol as she watched them attend to Lucian like he was an ancient emperor—helping him brush his teeth, wash his face, and even dress him as he stood there regally.

Suddenly, one of the maids' hands froze behind Lucian's head. Her face instantly drained of color, and she dropped to her knees in panic.

"Y-Your Highness, I didn't mean to!" she stammered.

The maid was trembling like a leaf, clearly terrified. The other maid's face showed sympathy, but she dared not speak.

Really? All this for accidentally touching his head? Was such fear necessary? At least they weren't calling themselves "slaves" like in ancient times, Leona thought with bemusement.

Of course, if the maids could have read her thoughts, they would have vehemently disagreed: Yes, absolutely necessary! Their Crown Prince might look like an angel but had the heart of a demon. He was known to be merciless and particularly despised people touching his head!

The punishment could range from a beating to execution, or worse—he might make your life a living hell!

"I'll let it go this time," Lucian said, unprecedented in his leniency. The maids looked shocked as he turned to fix his cold gaze on Leona. "You can thank your future Crown Princess for that."

How devious! Leona narrowed her eyes as the grateful maid kowtowed to her, earnestly crying out, "Thank you, future Crown Princess!"

Leona's lips twitched as Lucian strode out of the room with casual grace.

Did he really have to announce it like that? She could already imagine the gossip spreading like wildfire through the palace!

She could only sigh in resignation.

Year followed Lucian out with measured steps, and as Leona stared at the empty doorway, she felt a peculiar sensation. Looking around the room, she couldn't help but wonder—

Did this make her a royal concubine?

To an twelve-year-old no less! Ha! She'd been seduced by a child! How tragically hilarious! o(╯□╰)o~~

Touching her chest where the pain still lingered, Leona's expression cycled through various emotions before she finally shook her head and moved to prepare for the day.

"Future Crown Princess, please allow me!" One maid rushed forward while the other hurried to fetch fresh toiletries from the bathroom.

Leona's lip twitched. Crown Princess? Future one at that? Did they have to announce it so loudly?

She smiled politely and tried to decline. "No need, I'm used to doing things myself!"

"That won't do at all! You're now precious royalty—how could you possibly do such things yourself?" The maid shook her head frantically, her eyes pleading.

Precious royalty? Yeah, right! Her friend Elina always said she was tough as nails, an unkillable cockroach! Hehe!

Seeing the maid's beseeching expression, Leona decided not to make things difficult and nodded, waiting for the toiletries.

Fine then! She'd play emperor for a day!

The grateful smile on the maid's face suddenly froze as she surveyed Leona's appearance. She rushed to the wardrobe and began searching through it, soon emerging with a lovely lavender dress.

"Future Crown Princess, may I help you change into this?" the maid asked carefully.

Leona looked oddly at the clearly designer dress, then down at her own cheap clothes. She had to admit, her current outfit did look rather out of place in these luxurious surroundings, making her seem like a country bumpkin.

Hehe! Very well! When in Rome...

Seeing Leona's agreement, the maid eagerly began helping her dress. Leona found the whole experience of being waited on rather uncomfortable.

"Oh, Future Crown Princess! You should have seen it—last night Sir Year brought in so many things! Clothes, jewelry, everything! They even had an entire room cleared out specially. We didn't understand why at the time, but now we know it was all for you!" The young maid, seeing Leona's friendly demeanor, relaxed enough to share the previous night's gossip.

So it was all premeditated, Leona thought, smiling outwardly while inwardly rolling her eyes. The maid beamed and added, "His Highness must care for you so much! I've never seen him take such good care of anyone before!"

"Is that so?" Leona's smile grew even more strained. Care? Oh yes, such wonderful care—painting her with sulfuric acid just last night! It still stung.

There was definitely something fishy going on here!

Once she was washed and dressed, the maid carefully accessorized her with jewelry that, while not antique, was clearly extremely valuable.

Should she be happy about this? Hehe! More like depressed!

She preferred earning money through her own skills and cunning. That principle seemed impossible to maintain now!

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Leona barely recognized herself in the elegant dress and sparkling jewels. The transformation from gaming center con artist to future Crown Princess was jarring, to say the least.

"You look absolutely beautiful!" the maid gushed. "His Highness has excellent taste!"

"His Highness has excellent everything, apparently," Leona muttered. "Including chemical engineering skills."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing!" She smiled brightly. "Say, what exactly are my... duties as future Crown Princess?"

The maid's eyes lit up. "Oh! Well, first you'll need to learn proper royal etiquette, of course. And there's the official announcement ceremony to prepare for, and—"

A sharp knock at the door interrupted her excited explanation. Year stood in the doorway, his expression as stoic as ever.

"His Highness requests your presence in the study," he announced formally.

Leona sighed. "Let me guess—no isn't an option?"

Year's silence was answer enough.

"Fine," she smoothed down her new dress. "Lead the way to my tiny tyrant."

As she followed Year through the palatial halls, Leona couldn't help but wonder what other "surprises" her precocious fiancé had in store.

At least she was dressed appropriately for whatever torture—er, training—awaited her.

Though somehow, she doubted any amount of designer clothing could prepare her for life with Lucian.