Chapter 10-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
The banquet was held in the auditorium of the Royal Academy of Ability Users. When the Ye family's car arrived, the hall was already bustling with people, cups clinking and conversations flowing.
The moment Ye Zheng appeared at the entrance, she immediately drew a lot of attention.
The girl's posture was elegant, and her demeanor was gentle and pure, fitting everyone's imagination of a saintess. Even in the lavish hall, she exuded a sense of cold detachment, making people hesitant to disturb her.
Someone quietly asked their companion, why is Miss Ye here?
She wasn't a competitor in the ability user competition, nor did she seem to have any close ties with the Crown Prince, and she certainly didn't appear to be one of those opportunists seeking to curry favor with him.
It was truly strange that Ye Zheng was at this banquet.
Some had already smelled an unusual atmosphere. Many secretly sized up the girl's soft profile, unaware that the wine in their glasses had spilled.
"Miss Ye, my brother would like to speak with you."
Ye Zheng didn't drink alcohol. She had a servant pour her a glass of water and was gently swirling the high-stemmed glass when she heard a familiar voice and turned her head in surprise.
"Princess?"
The frail Princess Heath was looking up at her, her pale face filled with anxious fear, looking somewhat pitiable and cute.
Using the word "pitiable" to describe a princess of the empire seemed inappropriate, but Heath, as an un-favored little princess with low talent, living under the oppression of her tyrannical brother, was indeed quite pitiable.
Ye Zheng had a gentle appearance, but she was a solid 175cm tall. She looked down at the princess, who was a head shorter, with a comforting gaze.
"You mean, the Crown Prince wants to see me?"
"Yes... he doesn't seem to be in a good mood. If it's not convenient for you, I-I'll turn him down for you..."
Princess Heath said softly.
"Does the Crown Prince... ever have a good mood?"
Ye Zheng asked with a smile. Heath couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered her mouth.
"It's fine, I came here at the Crown Prince's invitation in the first place."
Heath's eyes widened in horror, and she muttered, "That's even worse. My brother wants to mess with someone again."
She grabbed Ye Zheng's arm. "I'll go tell my brother you're not feeling well, you should leave quickly."
Ye Zheng held Heath's hand and shook her head.
"There's no need, Heath."
She winked at Heath, revealing a rare, playful childishness.
"We've known each other for so long, you should know, who could mess with me?"
Heath watched the girl's retreating back, her heart feeling a little more at ease.
If it were Ye Zheng, she had probably thought of all the possibilities and countermeasures the moment she received the invitation.
They had attended school together since they were children, and their contact only lessened after Ye Zheng became a saintess. Seeing her again today, Heath was sure she was still the Ye Zheng she knew—
It would be more fitting to call her a witch than a saintess.
[I advise you not to meet him, this is not in the plot.]
"Outside the manga plot, I still have to live my own life. Rejecting the Crown Prince's invitation is not a wise choice."
[...Being outside the manga plot means it's uncontrolled. He is the main antagonist of this manga.]
Ye Zheng had already walked up to the second floor. Leaning against the railing, she looked down and saw a red-haired head with an arrogant smile.
That was Ryan, her brother's friend, a minor antagonist in King of the Demonic Domain.
According to the original plot, he was supposed to have appeared in the previous chapter, using a demonic beast to injure Percy who came to her rescue, and confronting the protagonist's party. However, there was no sign of him in the previous chapter.
Perhaps her actions at Sig Plaza had unintentionally prevented Ryan from entering that Demonic Domain.
Although the main plot remained unchanged—Percy was not ambushed by his demonic beast but was injured by a monster in the Demonic Domain—she had indeed altered a part of the plot.
This meant that she could not only change her own scenes with action points but also change the plots of others through actions outside the manga's storyline, little by little, trimming the main plot of the manga...
Ryan, who was chatting and laughing with his friends, seemed to feel a gaze. He looked up, his eyes meeting those of the graceful girl on the second floor.
This should have been a romantic scene, Ryan thought, and the other person was a famous beauty.
He stared at those smiling eyes in the distance and couldn't help but take a step back, like a herbivore catching the scent of a predator.
Ryan awkwardly averted his gaze and grabbed a handful of his red hair. When he reluctantly looked up again, the girl was gone from the second floor.
Damn it! Since when was he even afraid of women?
Ye Zheng slowly approached the innermost room on the second floor. The tall guards, seemingly having received an order, silently let her pass.
Seeing Ye Zheng's indifference, the system urgently spoke again.
[Do you remember what I said about your final outcome?]
"I die by blocking a fatal blow for Percy during his fight with the antagonist."
Ye Zheng paused. "...The antagonist, is that Crown Prince Sykes?"
[That's right! Although in the creator's outline, the big battle is still far away, you are now gradually deviating from the original plot.]
[This change might allow you to successfully remove the death flag, or it might cause you to go offline early.]
[And how dangerous is the Crown Prince? You, as a native of the manga, must know about him, right?]
Ye Zheng's eyes flickered, as if she still wanted to say something, when a sudden scream echoed through the corridor.
"Don't send me there! I was wrong, I was wrong!"
"Crown Prince, I beg you!"
"My uncle is the chief steward of the imperial palace! You can't do this to me!"
The incoherent pleas broke the lively and beautiful atmosphere of the banquet. The guests on the first floor couldn't help but look up and whisper among themselves.
A male servant in uniform was dragged out by two guards. The man cried and struggled on the ground, trying to crawl back into the room to beg for the Crown Prince's forgiveness.
"What happened?"
The girl's gentle voice interrupted the guards' movements. The two guards exchanged a look, ignored the saintess, and continued to carry out the Crown Prince's orders.
If they couldn't perfectly execute the Crown Prince's demands, any small mistake could result in them being thrown into the Crown Prince's hunting ground, just like this unlucky man.
The Crown Prince's hunting ground was a place specially used to raise various Demonic Domain monsters. Even though the monsters were of great research value and extraordinary worth, their taming or hunting was all up to the Crown Prince's whim.
Of course, so were people.
Ye Zheng didn't stop the guards. She knew this was not something they could decide.
Rashly intervening would only bring trouble to the innocent guards.
She stepped into the room at the end of the corridor. The brilliant lights made her eyes water for a moment, but the most dazzling sight was the tall, blond young man under the chandelier.
Golden hair and golden eyes were a symbol of the Holy Sei Empire's royal family. Not only did Sykes perfectly inherit this feature, but he also possessed an extraordinarily handsome appearance, like the fiercest sun, scorching and intimidating.
When his golden eyes stared deeply at someone, no one could fail to be intimidated by his authority, and he was also accustomed to everyone greeting him with submission.
However, recently he had been very displeased because someone had refused to bow to him.
Now, he had met a second person who was unwilling to bow in submission.
"Esteemed Crown Prince, may I be so bold as to ask what crime the servant outside committed?"
The girl bowed slightly, her posture respectful.
But the words she uttered immediately drew pitying glances from the people around Sykes.
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