Chapter 377
With this new identity, things have certainly become much more convenient... The hotel room had already been checked out, and if Xia'er wanted to go back in, she would likely need to call Lucy to let her in.
Now that she held the title of Senior Consultant, at least entering and exiting some high-end venues wouldn’t be too restricted.
Xia'er found that Avina's room remained unchanged. She followed the familiar staircase to the door, where she spotted two royal guards standing watch.
As she approached, just as she raised her hand to knock, the guards stepped in front of her.
“Please step aside, Your Excellency.”
The guard's tone was as polite as possible; he could tell from Xia'er’s attire that she was affiliated with the Deyton Group.
“I’m a friend of Avina’s,” Xia'er said, her eyes, hidden behind the mask, fixed on one of the guards. Her voice was cool and slightly raised, “Please let me through. I have something very important to discuss with her!”
The two guards exchanged glances, and the one in front of Xia'er turned back to her, saying, “Your Excellency, Princess Windsor is inside…”
Just then, the door swung open, and Avina appeared in the doorway.
She paused for a moment, taken aback by Xia'er’s uniform, but quickly regained her composure and said, “Let her in. She’s my friend.”
“Yes, Miss Avina.” The guards, recognizing Avina’s authority as the daughter of the Duke of Russell, stepped aside without further protest.
Xia'er nodded slightly to Avina and followed her into the room, while Tara remained outside, waiting.
Inside, Princess Windsor was seated on a sofa, a steaming cup of red tea on the table in front of her. A familiar maid stood behind her, attending to her needs.
It seemed Windsor hadn’t been there long; Xia'er had arrived just in time.
Nia stood behind another empty sofa, which appeared to be where Avina had been sitting.
Windsor lifted her gaze toward Xia'er.
Her pupils narrowed slightly, and in that instant, she felt as if she were being targeted by a venomous snake. A chill ran down her spine, accompanied by a flicker of fear.
Is she a powerful extraordinary?
Windsor quickly composed herself and spoke gently, “Avina, who is this young lady?”
“Princess Windsor, this is Xia'er, a Senior Consultant from the Deyton Group, a friend I met in Boren City,” Avina replied, looking down. “Xia'er, this is Princess Windsor.”
Ah, I see. An extraordinary from the Deyton Group.
Windsor regarded Xia'er without rising, merely smiling and nodding. “Since she’s a friend, let’s sit down and chat together.”
Xia'er politely crossed her legs and gave a slight bow, but a wave of confusion washed over her.
This is Windsor?
If she hadn’t been told, Xia'er might have instinctively thought this was Vita—she looked nothing like the Windsor Xia'er had seen before.
“Avina’s friend is my friend... Miss Xia'er, why are you still wearing a mask?” Windsor asked, her smile bright and teasing. “Are you off to a masquerade ball tonight? Mind if I tag along?”
Xia'er took a seat beside her, paused for a moment, then raised her hand to slowly remove her mask.
She lowered her gaze slightly and addressed Windsor, “I apologize for my rudeness, Your Highness.”
Though she deliberately avoided direct eye contact with Windsor, her upgraded [Keen Sense] allowed her to feel the princess’s gaze—hot and almost searing, filled with a greedy intensity.
So it is Windsor...
In that moment, Xia'er fully confirmed the identity of the princess before her.
Being scrutinized like this brought back memories of the unsettling feeling she had during their last simulation when Windsor had looked at her...
Had Windsor already begun to entertain thoughts of imprisoning her when they first met? Why?
She was dressed in a very formal Deyton Group uniform, with no revealing clothing, and her hair was simply tied back in a ponytail.
What Xia'er didn’t realize was that her aloof and restrained demeanor only fueled Windsor’s twisted desire for control.
But at that moment, Windsor seemed to have a good grip on her emotions.
Her burning gaze lingered on Xia'er for about two seconds before she turned to Avina and said, “Avina, I wonder how you’ve considered what I mentioned earlier?”
Avina looked at Windsor and replied, “Thank you very much, Your Highness... but I’ve already committed to attending Lady Lucy’s promotion banquet on the 25th, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to host a banquet myself anytime soon.”
“Lucy?” Windsor paused, seemingly pondering, and after a moment, she recalled, “The new executive director from Deyton?”
“Exactly, Your Highness.” Avina’s tone carried a hint of regret. “She helped me a lot while she was on assignment in Boren City.”
“I see...” Windsor nodded with a smile, a touch of nostalgia in her voice. “Avina, you’ve changed a lot during your time away.”
“People always change, Your Highness,” Avina replied with a smile.
“Then it seems we’ll have to postpone. Don’t worry, as long as you invite me, I’ll definitely be there.” Windsor shook her head, as if she didn’t want to dwell on the topic any longer.
To shift the conversation, she turned to Xia'er, smiling as she asked, “And what about you, Miss Xia'er? You came to find Avina, didn’t you?”
It seemed Windsor was determined to stick around and chat with Xia'er.
“Yes, I came to see Miss Avina for some mental healing; my mental state hasn’t been great lately,” Xia'er replied.
If one were to assess Xia'er’s mental condition using extraordinary means, it would indeed be found to be severely lacking, so her statement was not inaccurate.
“Oh?” Windsor perked up at this.
“If Miss Xia'er doesn’t mind, you could come to my palace. I can invite the Royal Medical Society’s ‘Newborn’ to help address your mental issues.”
Windsor squinted at Xia'er, extending a warm invitation.
Realizing she might be coming on too strong, Windsor turned to Avina and added, “Avina, why don’t you join us? You’ve been promoted to ‘psychologist,’ right? You could also exchange ideas with the Royal Medical Society’s ‘Newborn.’”
At that moment, Windsor was acting like an enthusiastic, cheerful girl inviting friends over to her house.
But only Xia'er in the room understood what was truly on Princess Windsor’s mind.
“Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness.” Avina seemed to anticipate Xia'er’s refusal and spoke directly, “But I’ve been feeling a bit unwell lately and need to rest.”
As Avina waited for Xia'er to decline, Xia'er slowly spoke up.
“Would this afternoon work, Princess Windsor?”
Avina looked up in surprise, seemingly confused.
But Windsor didn’t notice anything unusual; she beamed at Xia'er and said, “Of course, that’s no problem! I’ve got plenty of time these days... What time were you thinking of coming over?”
“Would 4 PM be alright, Your Highness?” Xia'er lowered her head slightly and replied, “My mental issues... can’t be put off any longer.”
“Is it that serious? Then we definitely need to get a ‘Newborn’ to take a good look at you... It’s settled then, 4 PM.” Windsor stood up, turning to Avina with a smile. “I’ll be waiting for your invitation, Avina... I won’t disturb your session any longer; I’ll head back now.”
“Oh, and there are quite a few reporters downstairs; I’d rather not have any gossip floating around... Avina, could you accompany me down?”
Windsor made this request.
In the simulation, Avina had also been exposed to reporters due to her meeting with Windsor, thrust into the spotlight among the nobility of Ansu.
No wonder Windsor didn’t care whether Avina had invited her; it was likely that Windsor had come to ensure Avina was seen in public.
As long as Avina made an appearance, her goal would be achieved.
“Alright.”
Avina stood up as well, casting a neutral glance at Xia'er. “Please wait here for a moment, Miss Xia'er.”
At that moment, Windsor had already reached the door. She turned back to Xia'er, smiling and nodding, “See you tomorrow, Miss Xia'er~”
Xia'er stood, giving a slight bow, and once Windsor and Avina had left, she sat back down.
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