“Y-You...” Lucy had gone blue in the face from anger.
No one had expected the seventeen-year-old Vivian to make such a compelling argument in public.
The audience and reporters watched their exchange with rapt attention.
It was difficult to reconcile those bold arguments with the dainty and rather childish-looking Vivian.
Elysium falls under his jurisdiction. Such dominance and bravery! Who is this girl?
Everyone snapped away at Vivian with their phones and cameras.
Kurt quietly observed the scene from a distance away.
He only approached them after Lucy ranted and began strong-arming the Elysians into leaving.
“Prince Kurt?” Horror filled Lucy's face upon his sudden appearance in the center of the crowd.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe Elysians fell to their knees and gave him a royal welcome.
The prince's cool gaze roved over his surroundings. He did not pause in his perusal, not even when his eyes swept past a stunned Vivian.
His gaze eventually landed on his attendant, and he demanded, “What are you doing?”
Lucy stammered, “P-Prince Kurt, this lady fooled t-these people into joining this show. I believed she broke the laws of Elysium, and I was just about to bring her back to face the royals' judgment.”
She had twisted Vivian's kind intentions into a scam, but the Elysians were too frightened to deny her false claims.
Riley, who had walked nearer to the commotion, noticed that Vivian was dumbstruck by Kurt's appearance. The poor girl was rendered speechless.
Exasperated, Riley came forward and said, “Hello, are you the Prince of Elysium? I'm one of the official organizers for this event. My name is Riley Cooper. Please allow me to explain the situation to you. It is nothing like what your attendant has described.”
Riley addressed him as a prince, seeing as he was no longer just a boy taken in by the Jadesons.
Kurt, wearing a gold headpiece exclusive to Elysium royals, mulled over her words. He arched his brow before shooting Riley a cold stare.
“Go ahead.”
Elated, she immediately arranged for staff to escort him to their temporary office while dragging an absentminded Vivian along.
“Vivian, don't you want to speak with him? Here's your chance! You can talk to him alone.”
Ah, Riley did this on purpose! She wanted to give me a chance to talk to Kurt alone and hopefully jog his memories.
Vivian was dazed.
By the time she collected herself, she felt as though her heart had leaped into her throat. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in indecision.
Eventually, Vivian mustered the courage to enter the temporary office.
Kurt stood with his back against her. He looked as tall and as strong as ever, reminding Vivian of their first encounter in Yartran. However, he now wore the attire of the Elysium tribe instead of his beloved navy guard's uniform. The long silk robe embroidered with gold thread and a jewel-encrusted belt made him look like a completely different person, and he now exuded a natural air of nobility.
Vivian stood quietly behind him. She could not help but think she was looking at a stranger. Her beautiful black eyes appeared wistful.
Tears pricked her eyes.
“It's you.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmKurt had turned around then, and his brows scrunched in confusion.
Vivian's heart sank at his expression.
He never used to treat me like this.
“D-Do you really not remember me?” Still hopeful, she stubbornly believed that he could regain his old memories.
Her question deepened Kurt's frown.
“Should I remember you? Did you call me here to ask me this?” His gaze cooled by several degrees. Anger and impatience colored his tone.
Vivian was speechless.
She failed to prevent tears of disappointment from streaming down her face.
Nevertheless, Vivian admirably suppressed her dismay as she declared, “N-No. I didn't come here to tell you these. I just wanted to explain what happened earlier. I merely wanted to use this opportunity to bring a better life to the people of Elysium.”
Vivian wiped away her tears and got down to business. She took out several design blueprints from her satchel. These had been modeled by the Elysians earlier.
Then, she handed them to Kurt, and the latter froze in shock.
He looked from her teary eyes to the design blueprints she had placed in his hands. He did not move or speak for a long time.
Vivian confused his silence for mistrust, and she sniffled before rummaging around her satchel.q