Hold Me Tight, For I Am Unlovely

Chapter 15 : Compensation Negotiations: The Royal Family's New Low

Chapter 15 :  You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

— Maya Angelou

It felt like the room had been submerged in the depths of the ocean. It was dim and hazy, and the tension was so suffocating that I could barely breathe. Dealing with royalty was definitely unlike anything I had experienced before. I had interacted with numerous business tycoons and many famous people in my past lifetime, but facing royalty directly like this was a new thing for me.

Surprisingly though, I didn't feel as nervous as I had expected myself to be. It was just the unhidden aggression and hostility that caught me off guard. In the end, even though the person in front of me was royalty...

'Isn't he just a brat?'  I resisted the urge to cough onto my hand for suddenly having that thought pop up on the back of my head. 

Indeed, the man- no, scratch that, the teen in front of me, fit perfectly that of a hormonal teenage boy at the peak of his puberty. It was almost embarrassing to think that I harbored some inappropriate thoughts towards him as an adult woman. 'Then again, I was basing on the adult him in the novel. And isn't Leticia right now also around his age?' 

The person in front of me right now was undoubtedly Charles Alessandro Giovani Baltamore, the second prince of the kingdom, Leticia's ex-fiancé, the male lead of the novel, and the one that would eventually take Leticia's head a few more years ahead.

'Or as the netizens love to dub him "the walking red flag".' I held myself from sighing aloud. It was really hard to take Charles in front of me seriously right now. Fluffy golden blonde hair, and expressive blue icy eyes. He was like the epitome of a high school heartthrob. If I was any younger he would've fit my type of ikemen.

 "I'm going to be honest with you now." Seeing that Charles was refusing to open his mouth, I took the initiative to speak first. "If you are just going to sit and stare like that, then, I don't have all day. I'd rather have you speak what you want, or leave the premises immediately." My tone was harsh like the person in front of me wasn't the prince of the kingdom.

Wasn't the engagement already formally annulled? then there's no reason for me to keep my lovesick appearance in front of him right? 

The expression on Charles' face told me he didn't quite understand what was happening. His handsome face morphed into something unsightly, like he wasn't sure where went wrong. To be honest, I shouldn't be feeling giddy when I saw the expression on his face. But who could blame me when I've always wanted to say something like that at least once in my lifetime. And to think I was able to say a dialogue like that to one of the characters in my favorite novel.

"Is this some sort of a new ploy that you are doing right now to get my attention? I'm telling you Leticia, you better forget about it." Charles snarled, although he could not understand why my personality did a full blown turnover. His response was definitely benefiting of his title as the male lead.

'God it's giving me shivers.' It was definitely a line you would love to read on a story, but it was quite different now that I am hearing it in person.

"Uh, no? What the hell— ehem, his highness must have forgotten that you were the one that came here without any prior appointment." I pointed it out, crossing my arms in front of me and raising a brow towards his direction. Charles looked flustered at my accusation.

"Did you just curse in front of me?"

"His highness's hearing must have deteriorated with the time that we spent away from each other."

Both of us coughed at the same time. Me because I could not believe I just said that, and Charles probably because he could not believe he heard me say that.

"The engagement has been annulled yes?" I brought it up while narrowing my eyes. "Tell me truly your highness. What do you want from me." I asked again. With Leticia's face it wasn't hard giving a villainous look, my face was made for it which made it come so easy for me.

Charles sighed, his annoyance was still palpable but he eased up considerably. He still shot me a suspicious look though, even as he leaned back unto the couch that he was sitting.

"The Baltamore wants to open up a compromise regarding the the compensation that you are to receive per the agreement of both the Medicci and the royal family." He started, but the more he spoke, the more his tone turned unsure. Like my reaction to his appearance wasn't part of the script that he was told about.

I mirrored Charles's body language, watching how uneasy the prince looked as I did so.

'Is this what's all about? A compromise? I don't think the royal family's treasury is that dry that they could not afford the compensation that they willingly signed upon.' My lips twitched in agitation. 'Or is this because they thought that my engagement wasn't worth all the compensation they promised?'

"Ugh, politics." I muttered under my breath, my hands reaching out to massage my temples. "And they sent you?" I raised my voice in accordance with the ridiculousness of the situation.

'Of course they sent Charles, they probably thought that with him bartering for the compensation with me as his opponent would be easy. Given the fact that I was helplessly in-love with him in the past.'

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Charles glared at me, not liking my response.

"Well, you have a brain why don't you decide that for yourself?" I gritted out, but I doubt that he heard it given that I said it in almost a whisper.

It was true though, if I was the past Leticia, I would've rejected the compensation as a whole if Charles asked for it. But it was a bit hard for me to let go of the golden thigh that fell on my willing lap the moment I transmigrated.

Whoever set up this whole situation at least has a bit of brains sending Charles like this.

The prince brought no guards, and he came without an entourage. It was obvious that they didn't want the Duke and Duchess to know that the prince has entered Medicci territory.

It also meant they knew that the only person left in the estate was me, Leticia.

For them, it probably looked like an opportunity perfect for picking.