4 Getting to work!

Ashen exited the room.

Right now, only 75 percent of the villagers had their spirits removed, others remaining in the line to get their spirits removed in front of the entrance of the room.

The village head, having his spirit removed had a smile on his face, however, noticing Ashen exiting the room, he ran up to him anxiously.

"What happened Your Highness? Is there a Problem?" He asked with a tense expression.

He knew that this was a God-sent opportunity and if these people didn't get to have it, they would cause problems for him as he went inside the room ahead of them, despite being the village head.

They would blame him for letting them stand the in rear of the line.

Ashen's expression turned grave upon hearing his question.

"The treasure has been used up, tell the others to leave" He answered before leaving the village head with a helpless and shocked countenance.

Now, the village head had to give this grave news to the others himself, However, that wasn't the problem of Ashen as he approached Li Xiran with a calm and composed expression.

Li Xiran was sitting in a field filled with flowers, an annoyed expression hanging on her face.

She was not happy about how the village head and other villagers treated her just now, therefore, she came to this spot, her favorite hiding spot, which only a few people knew about.

Then, How did Ashen know where to find her?

Simple. The System had marked her as a heroine, therefore, he could locate her within a certain range.

Following the System's direction, he found her.

"Li Xiran!" He softly called her.

"Han Yujin, Go away, I don't want to talk to anybody right now" Xiran answered in an angered tone, without even checking who it was.

Usually, Han Yujin would appear to console and cheer her up, and he was the only one of the few people who knew about this spot. Therefore, She mistook Ashen's voice as Han Yujin's.

Well, she was right about Han Yujin appearing, He was really approaching this place as Ashen checked in the system.

"I am not Han Yujin, lady Xiran" Ashen responded politely with a smile.

Xiran also realized what had happened as she snapped her head in Ashen's direction, glancing at him.

Her eyes widened in surprise, she had not expected this person to appear here.

Standing up from the spot she was sitting on, she asked with a slight bow: "How did you come to know about this place? Your Highness"

"Oh, that? I just asked a boy in return for 10 gold coins and he told me that this is the best place to see wonderful scenery" Ashen said with a smile before gazing at her elegant body and round bust, he mumbled inwardly: "And it really has the best scenery"

Hearing his answer, an annoyed expression appeared on her face, she contemplated: "Did Han Yujin really broke our promise for 10 gold coins? He is the only boy who knows about this place"

As she continued to ponder on this possibility, she felt contempt for Yujin rising in her heart.

[Ding! Host, You have successfully harmed the relationship between Li Xiran and the Protagonist Han Yujin. You obtain 50 Villain Points.]

Ashen ignored the message, focusing only on the lady in front of him, he asked curiously: "Why are you here lady Xiran? Are you also here to see the scenery?"

A nervous expression appeared on Li Xiran's face. How could she tell him that she was here because of him? She hated him.

She just nodded, trying to escape the question.

A wide grin appeared on Ashen's face, how could he not understand what was going on here?

Ashen, stood facing the flowery scenery, reflection of flowers sparkling in his crystal red eyes, sunlight shining upon his face, explained: "You know at first, I didn't like that you were suspecting me of deceiving the villagers, however, as I thought about it from your perspective, I understood your intentions."

He turned his head towards Xiran, gazing deep into her eyes as he said with a gentle smile: "You were Just concerned for the villagers, Therefore, I like you now"

A blush appeared on Xiran's face as she looked down at the ground. She had not expected to hear a compliment from this person and honestly, it felt genuine.

On top of that, He looked so handsome when the sunlight fell upon his face, It was as if he was someone from a dreamland.

"N-No, it's alright, Your Highness was just trying to help the villagers. I have heard how Your Highness removed their spirit without being arrogant about it" Xiran stammered as she answered in a low voice.

[Ding! Host, You have successfully made the Heroine Li Xiran think positively about you. You obtain 50 Villain Points.]

[Ding! Host, You have successfully made the protagonist feel hatred towards you. You obtain 50 Villain Points.]

Noticing the second message, Ashen eyes shined as he mused with a smile: "Oh, is he finally here?"

Han Yujin had arrived at this spot a few moments ago when Li Xiran was blushing. He hid behind a tree, deciding to observe the situation before making a move.

He didn't want to make an enemy out of a Prince without any reason. However, noticing his love interest acting positively with this Prince made him jealous and angry as he gritted his teeth.

"How is it Alright? What if I never called the villagers for the awakening? Wouldn't that also be deceiving them?" Ashen questioned in a loud but polite tone, enough for Han Yujin to hear.

A bewildered expression appeared on Li Xiran's face, She stammered before answering embarrassingly: "I-I never thought about it that way"

A gentle smile played upon Fang Ashen's face as he said: "I have thought of a way to ensure that with which the villagers can rest assured and fully trust me"

A smile appeared on Xiran's face, she curiously asked: "What is that?"

Ashen pointed at Xiran, announcing loudly: "You!"

"What?" Xiran blurted out, taken aback by his announcement. She, confused, pondered about what he meant before a thought flashed into her mind: "Wait! he is not asking me to marry him, is he?"

The same thought crossed Han Yujin's mind, A baffled look appearing on his face.

He rushed out of his hiding, standing beside Xiran, he shouted shaking his in rejection: "No, It cannot happen"

Xiran, Bewilderingly stared at Yujin who appeared out of nowhere, she questioned: "When did you come here?"

Yujin, realizing the blunder he had made, turned towards Xiran, nervously saying: "I-I just arrived"

Ashen, knowing the truth, had a scheming smile inwardly, however, outward he questioned with a curious face: "Oh, then How did you know what we were talking about?"

Xiran squinted her eyes, staring at Yujin asking for an answer.

Yujin, noticing Xiran's stare, cursed Ashen for interfering in their business with his question.

[Ding! Host, You have succeeded in making a problem for the Protagonist and he cursed you. You obtain 100 Villain Points.]

Ashen's smile widened, he acted as if he realized something. He said in a loud voice: "Oh, that was you behind that tree, I thought it was just an animal"

Yujin's eyes widened in response, and he cursed inwardly: "Can't you see I am already in this big of a mess? why do you have to put dirt on it to turn it into a bigger mess?"

[Ding! Host, You have successfully affected Protagonist Han Yujin's mentality as he cursed you multiple times. You obtain 100 Villain Points.]

Xiran's eyes also widened in realization as she asked: "So you were listening in on us while hiding?"

Yujin quickly shook his head as he explained: "No, I only did that because I was concerned for you. I didn't want to leave you alone with him" , He glared at Ashen with contempt.

He blamed Ashen for this, If he wasn't here, all would've been better. First, he took away the villager's gratitude and now, he was after Xiran.

All that belonged to him was being snatched away by Ashen.

Xiran, recognizing his glare filled with contempt, defended Ashen: "What did His Highness do to make you feel that he is a threat? Didn't he helped our village?"

Yujin turned silent, unable to say that Ashen was a threat to him, not the village.

"Don't fight because of me and listen to what I was saying" Ashen Interjected between them, imploring them to consider his offer.

A blush returned on Xiran's face as she remembered their previous conversation, while, Yujin got tensed.

"I want you to live with me till I arrange the awakening ceremony for the villager. If I see you around me, I will get reminded about the villagers and you can also make sure that I do not renege on my Promise" Ashen explained, shattering their misunderstandings.

A happy smile appeared on Yujin's face before returning to the same expression.

Let her live with Ashen? Wouldn't that mean, he would've to live away from her? What if she fell in love with this Prince?

He rejected firmly: "No, I will not let her stay alone with you. Who knows what treachery you might play on her finding her alone"

Ashen nodded in understanding or more specifically he acted to understand.

He said, sounding genuine: "You are right, you will not be able to trust me with how beautiful she is"

A blush appeared on Xiran's face but ignoring it, Ashen continued: "How about this? You both come to live with me"

"Huh?" A baffled expression appeared on both their faces.

-------------------------------------------------------

(A/N : Thanks for reading. ^..^)