My older sister is a villainous rich girl

"No, I don't mean whether or not I can handle it."

Chris hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Instead... these things shouldn't have happened in the first place."

Wayne's heart skipped a beat.

Is it that they've finally started to have doubts?

“Indeed.” He continued Chris’s words, but deliberately steered the conversation in a different direction. “As family, if the King and the others had treated each other more sincerely and hadn’t been swayed by those superficial fame and fortune, things wouldn’t have developed to this point.”

Chris raised an eyebrow when she realized he hadn't understood her meaning.

After a long silence, she whispered, "Wayne..."

"Ok?"

"Will you become like this in the future?" She gazed into the boy's eyes, which seemed to hold something special.

Wayne opened his mouth slightly in surprise.

"—Why do you ask that?"

Do I usually act like a greedy and greedy person?

"Because... recently, hasn't Father been intentionally getting you involved in these things?" For some reason, her tone was somewhat wistful.

"I always felt that perhaps one day you would become like the ordinary noblemen outside, spending your days worrying about petty and trivial matters."

Wayne simply didn't know how to refute the future she had imagined in her mind.

"Then you might as well imagine what I'll look like when I'm middle-aged, overweight, and with thinning hair," he complained.

Chris immediately showed a look of disgust.

Having clearly observed the change in her expression, Wayne took a step closer, looking annoyed: "Well, Chris~ you've finally shown your true colors! Are you secretly thinking that one day when I'm not handsome anymore, you'll kick me to the curb?"

He turned the tables on her, and Chris was both annoyed and amused: "Hey! Stop talking nonsense! I didn't mean that at all!"

"No?"

Wayne leaned closer. "I heard everything you just heard. Your heart says that's exactly what you're thinking."

“It didn’t say that, you must have misheard,” Chris retorted seriously.

“My hearing is excellent, there’s absolutely no way I could have misheard!” Wayne insisted.

Seeing his unreasonable and stubborn behavior, Chris suddenly reached out and pressed his head, which was kept at a certain distance, tightly against her chest.

"And now?" she asked him. "Did you hear me?"

Wayne stumbled as she suddenly pulled him, barely managing to regain his balance by grabbing her waist.

For a moment, Wayne practically clung to her, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

I could clearly hear my heartbeat—thump-thump-thump.

But... it seems to be mine.

Subconsciously, he hugged her even tighter, and closed his eyes, wanting to savor the moment.

—Chris has grown up too.

However, before he could even savor the moment, the girl suddenly pushed him away as if playing a prank.

“If you can’t hear me, that’s fine.” She couldn’t help but laugh. “I didn’t expect that you, Wayne, would be hard of hearing at such a young age. But I won’t look down on you, and you don’t need to feel ashamed about it.”

"..."

Wayne stared at her speechlessly, his expression full of resentment.

"Alright, alright~" Chris patted his shoulder casually, "Don't look like I've bullied you. No matter how pitiful you act, I won't soften my heart."

She was clearly in a much better mood than before.

Realizing this, Wayne didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

What should I do? My girlfriend seems to get better whenever she sees me make a fool of myself.

……

After exchanging a few jokes, Wayne followed Chris back to her room and stayed there until she fell asleep before quietly leaving.

Although the plot of this world has changed a lot, as long as we are careful, it shouldn't be too difficult for Chris and myself to get the life we ​​want, right?

Chapter 495 A King Fails to Meet Another King?

After the banquet ended, several days passed without any news from the palace of any strong measures being taken against the Queen.

No one mentioned it, as if the accident had never happened.

However, judging from the Duke of Elliott's much busier schedule and the fact that he rarely stays at home anymore, many things are indeed quite different from before.

Chris couldn't sit still any longer after spending half a day bored at home.

“Wayne, how about we go and take a look at Leaf Publishing House?” she suggested.

Thanks to the Duke's repeated instructions, their newspaper wisely refrained from using royal scandals to generate buzz, instead focusing on promoting Chris's long-awaited call for submissions for her art magazine. Logically, people should have been submitting their work gradually, and it was understandable that Chris wanted to know the progress.

"By the way, is your artwork finished?" Wayne asked casually.

It seems like I haven't seen her working so hard these past couple of days.

"It's finished! This is my masterpiece!" Chris said confidently, hands on her hips and head held high. "I guarantee that every reader who sees the final draft will be awestruck by my work and willingly submit to my pen!"

"..."

Having already had the outline revealed by Chris, Wayne couldn't help but show an indescribable expression.

How unfortunate must painters born in this era be to have to compete with a genius like Chris...?

He cleared his throat twice, silencing Chris's smugness.

"Let's set off now."

"It's perfect timing. A surprise inspection without prior notice also allows me to observe their work situation."

This is a required course for every boss.

After changing into more understated casual clothes and informing their mother, who was also busy calculating the family's daily expenses, Wayne and Chris happily slipped out of the Duke's mansion.

However, not long after they got off the carriage, the two encountered an unexpected situation.

An unassuming man blocked their path, bowed respectfully, and said, "Gentlemen, my master invites you. Please do us the honor of joining us."

Wayne and Chris exchanged a glance, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Who is your master?"

"He is a distinguished person, but I cannot reveal his identity. The meeting will take place at a nearby teahouse; you will see when you arrive." His words were very formal, and his demeanor seemed to have been trained, being quite standard.

Wayne suddenly understood something and gestured, "Then you lead the way."

He figured it must be Richard who came knocking on his door.

Duke Elliott had previously mentioned that Richard would be meeting him soon. But perhaps because he hadn't left the house these past few days, making it inconvenient for Richard to openly arrange a meeting, staying at home actually gave him a sense of peace and tranquility.

The seemingly experienced servant led the two to a private tea room on the outer edge of the market.

The environment was very quiet; you couldn't hear any noise while sitting in the private room.

"Please wait a moment, my master will arrive soon." After saying this, the servant bowed and retreated to the door, gently closing it behind him.

"They seem even more professional than the servants in our house," Wayne remarked.

“Wayne, you can’t let the life of the aristocracy corrupt your will, okay?” Chris said casually, her words ambiguous, making it impossible to tell whether she was joking or serious.

...If you don't need maids to groom you before you go out, then I'll believe you haven't been corrupted by the aristocratic lifestyle.

Despite his inner turmoil, Wayne humbly accepted her advice.

"Yes, yes, I will certainly follow Lady Chris's teachings!"

His insincere tone made Chris roll her eyes at him in annoyance.

Just as the servant who was sent to make the invitation had said, the person who was supposed to meet the two soon appeared at the door of the private room.

However, the person was not Richard, as Wayne had guessed.

It was His Majesty the King.

Upon seeing His Majesty the King appear, Wayne abruptly stood up in utter surprise.

"Your Majesty?" This really caught him off guard.

How did you end up here?

Logically speaking, even if the king wanted to test his family's stance, he wouldn't go so far as to personally come and probe the two juniors. It's important to understand that equality between the two sides is an unwritten rule in noble social interactions.

The king, also dressed in casual clothes, smiled and appeared quite amiable at first glance.

"What? Surprised?"

He didn't seem to notice their surprise, and instead sat down opposite Wayne and Chris with a very natural and generous demeanor.

"Actually, when I was still a prince, I would often sneak out to play," he said with a touch of emotion.

Looking at the young man in front of him seemed to remind him of many things from the past.

If Wayne hadn't already gained a good understanding of the king from various perspectives, given his current friendly attitude, he might have actually developed a lot of goodwill towards him.

But his current posture only made Wayne more wary.

Wayne remained calm and pretended to listen attentively.

"—Unfortunately, after becoming king, he was so busy with affairs that he rarely had time to himself." There seemed to be a hint of regret in his tone.

However, these polite words were just a side note, and the king quickly returned to the main topic.

“Someone mentioned to me a long time ago that you, Wayne, are a very bright child… I thought back then about whether I should make a special trip to meet you.” He gazed at Wayne, his eyes filled with admiration.

It was only then that Wayne noticed the king's focused gaze.

As the father of Richard and Lawrence, the two brothers' features were somewhat similar to his, and they could be described as handsome in appearance alone.

How should we evaluate this...?

To be precise, it's an image that's very advantageous in gaining favor. It easily makes the other person feel that they are being valued by this person.

However, this level of sweet talk did not sway Wayne at all.

He didn't think he was honored to have the king speak to him.

"I can't believe it..." Wayne replied with an innocent and bewildered look, seemingly unintentionally, "But Your Majesty, haven't you met our family many times at various banquets?"

These words immediately caused the king to freeze in his tracks, unable to deliver the lines he had hoped to use to gain favor with him.

The atmosphere became a little awkward for a moment.

Under his very inquisitive question, the king paused for a long time before giving a somewhat vague explanation.

“...There is a difference between a private meeting and a fleeting glance at someone at a banquet.”

Wayne nodded, seemingly understanding, "Oh, I see."

Chris, who was next to him, couldn't hold back any longer. She subtly pinched him under the table, signaling him to tone it down.

Chapter 496 "Anyway, I'm still young."

Regardless of his motives for avoiding Duke Elliott and meeting with himself and Chris in private, he still had to be given basic courtesy.

So Wayne stopped nitpicking and started awkwardly chatting with him.

George II acted like an elder in an ordinary family, only occasionally asking a few simple questions, which Wayne answered one by one.

In contrast, Chris didn't say much, sitting quietly to the side.

However, George II did not seem to pay much attention to Chris's performance; his attention was entirely focused on Wayne.

The king smiled when he heard Wayne mention the interesting things that happened at the academy.

“Young people often find it difficult to think things through thoroughly, and they act solely on impulse, which inevitably leads to problems of all sizes,” he said meaningfully. “Only after they grow up will they understand what they truly want.”

Wayne wasn't sure if he was alluding to something.

"...But isn't that good too?" After a period of conversation to get the topic going, Wayne's tone was equally casual.

"Teenagers have their own interests, and people in their thirties have their own interests; once all the passion has faded, it's meaningless to receive that long-overdue surprise."