Chrissy glanced at him strangely.
"What do you think Songli will say to me?"
She untied her shawl and threw it aside, putting on a more homelike, roomy nightgown.
Although the winter in the Royal Capital is very cold, the temperature in the Duke's Palace is very warm, thanks to the temperature adjustment system introduced by Professor Conley. As long as the energy supply device is regularly replenished with magic power, some magic devices connected by pipes will continuously produce warm breath, similar to modern air conditioners.
Spending magic power on such trivial things is very luxurious, but the nobles don't care. The ability to create a good environment for romance makes the sales of this service very considerable.
Wayne couldn't help but clear his throat to steady his tone. "I mean, the Edgeworth family likes to try to antagonize our family in everything. I guess they said some unpleasant things this time..."
"That's not true." Chris crossed one leg and sat on the soft sofa, resting her chin on one hand and looking at his face.
It was an unexpected answer from Wayne.
"Are you concerned about this?" she asked suddenly.
"No." Wayne denied immediately, "I just care about you more."
The strong desire to survive reminded him not to dwell on this issue anymore.
"By the way, Modric came to see me specifically last time to discuss his proposal to convene a gathering of industry related people at the end of the year." Wayne roughly recounted his thoughts. "Modric believes that this approach can effectively enhance the influence of the publishing house."
"Hmm." Chris said inexplicably, "It just so happened that Miss Songli also proposed to me tonight. I hope that at the end of the year, our two publishing houses can jointly organize a cocktail party and set some rules for the industry. .”
"Ah hahahaha, that's a coincidence...wait a minute, why are you looking at me like this? You don't think I'm colluding with Song Li, do you?"
【Who knows. 】
Chris didn't say anything, but her eyes clearly conveyed this meaning.
Wayne felt wronged.
"Comrade Chris, don't be suspicious of someone else's plot to alienate you." Wayne said speechlessly.
"Judging from an objective perspective, I think this proposal is actually good. Although we are in competition, we are currently the two most influential publishing houses in the capital. If we join forces, we can completely monopolize the voice of an entire emerging industry. .”
"However, if you judge subjectively, I support you in rejecting her proposal."
He said bluntly: "The more two parties with almost irreconcilable conflicts come into contact with each other, the more inevitable conflict will be."
"I don't believe that the other party has the willingness to open up and cooperate with us. It will only be a matter of time before they fall out."
Just the conflict between the two families is dire enough, let alone being governed by emotions.
In the face of surging emotions, reason is the most fragile thing in the world. Faced with such a situation, he did not dare to gamble and could not afford to lose.
Chris lowered his gaze and fell silent.
After a while, she said: "Maybe. Frankly speaking, I don't believe that Song Li is not planning something secretly, but because of this, I don't want to refuse-"
"Since even she has the courage to invite a fight directly, it's not my style to back down before the battle."
"So, I promised her."
"..." Wayne didn't know what to say.
"I don't mind what kind of benefits she wants to seek, and a temporary victory or defeat doesn't matter, but -" Chris looked at Wayne seriously, "No matter what, you have to stand by my side."
Wayne's heart trembled.
'What on earth did she say to you? This question was about to come out, but Wayne swallowed it down again.
"No. Look, I don't have any personal property in my name, and I don't usually interfere in family affairs. So why do I need to cooperate with Miss Kareito?"
He spread his hands to show that he was in the clear.
"Wayne." Chris suddenly asked
: "Have you ever thought about visiting your former hometown?"
"After staying in the royal capital for so many years, I have never had the opportunity to go back to worship my father and mother. I must be a little regretful. If you want to go, I can accompany you."
Wayne was a little surprised when he heard this.
It feels like it is a distant memory that is almost impossible to recall.
"It doesn't matter to me. It's just that it's a very remote and remote area with limited information, poverty and backwardness... Even the magician is a character who only exists in stories. I'm afraid you won't get used to it."
Chrissy took a deep breath.
"It doesn't matter, actually I want to see... the place where you were born and raised." Her voice was a little low.
"If I don't mention it, maybe you will never go back and take a look." Chris said, "If you think about it carefully, it seems that Wayne has never taken the initiative to tell me about his life with his parents. "
She curled up into a ball and hugged her knees, her long blond hair hanging down from her arms. "Will you miss them?"
Wayne smiled flatly.
"I remember that when I was a kid, the food my mother cooked was delicious, but I couldn't recall what it tasted like."
"That may be a little disrespectful to say, but I really don't remember much about them."
"For a person, the most important thing is always the present and the future."
Eventually, time will dilute everything and separate the past into another world.
"Yeah……"
As if seeing a distant day in the future, Chris's eyes dimmed. "If one day in the future, we are separated for a long time, will I also be forgotten by you?"
"Then as long as we don't separate, wouldn't it be fine?"
Sitting next to her, Wayne turned her head to touch his forehead.
"Don't worry about what will happen in the future. At least we can seize every moment [now]." He said softly, "As long as you don't drive me away... No, even if you really drive me away, I won't Will leave."
Chrissy sighed imperceptibly.
"You have spoken so beautifully now, but when you really betray me, I may have no choice but to give you a knife."
Wayne felt a chill on the back of his neck.
He swallowed and pretended to smile lightly, "Can I take this as emphasizing my possessiveness?"
"certainly!"
Chrissy hugged his neck and looked into his eyes. "I, Chris, are the villain in the story, not a gentle and generous person."
Wayne had almost forgotten Chris's status as a villain.
Although Chris is often criticized for various things big and small, for some reason there are many outrageous rumors about her being "arrogant and domineering" in the outside world. But after so many years of getting along, Wayne has fully realized the other side of Chris’s bravado——
Just like myself.
