CHAPTER 137: CHAPTER 137: ROYAL PERIL, IRIS CRAWFORD MAKES A RUN FOR IT!

Steven Rhodes knew why Iris Crawford did it. Just now, when they greeted the First Prince, Iris extended her hand first, yet the First Prince acted as if he didn’t see her and walked straight to the chair pulled out by the steward and sat down.

Iris’s hand was still hanging in mid-air.

No wonder Iris doesn’t put the First Prince in her eyes now; he was the one who was disrespectful at first.

So Steven followed Iris’s lead and started using the tableware, the two of them eating first, causing the steward opposite to tremble with anger as he spoke, "What a disgrace! Miss Crawford, do you know what respect means? Our First Prince hasn’t..."

"When I greeted him just now, he didn’t respect me, either."

Iris wiggled her hand, smirked at the First Prince, "What is it? Is my status too low for a handshake with you?"

The First Prince squinted slightly, let out a cold laugh, "Yes."

"Oh."

Iris stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth, chewing it slowly and swallowing it, then she sweetly smiled at the First Prince, "Then you shouldn’t be in the same room with me either. After all, my status is low and not worthy of dining with you. Perhaps you should leave?"

Perhaps you should leave?

Audacious!

Was she telling the First Prince to get out?

The steward stood up immediately, with an attitude as if he were about to grill such a rebellious woman like Iris, "Don’t you know who our First Prince is?"

"A Prince," Iris said as she bit the edge of a silver fork, smiling cunningly and cutely, "You said it yourself."

"You!"

The steward was fuming. Though she said "Prince," her tone showed a total lack of regard.

"Do you know how precious a prince’s status is? He didn’t shake your hand just now because we’re worried you commoners exposed to wind and rain might be unclean..."

"Moron."

Iris concisely delivered two words, "I’m also worried your prince might have some virus and infect me. Oh dear."

The moment these words came out, the First Prince couldn’t help but laugh in anger!

He clenched his fingers, a touch of coldness spreading across his handsome face, "Miss Crawford has a big issue with me."

Iris spoke without lifting her eyelids, "I have an issue with all posers."

"..." The First Prince was taken aback by her retort, then said, "I am your client, and your attitude makes me doubt your competence."

Iris produced a grin, "I’m responsible for solving your scandal, not for serving you tea and water."

"Oh?" The First Prince replied meaningfully, "What if I add some money?"

Iris brightened immediately, sat up straight with a flattering smile aimed at the First Prince, "Oh! Dear Daddy, you should’ve said if there’s money involved. I’ll give you my account number later. What kind of special service would you like?"

"..." Steven almost choked on his water.

The steward was stunned. How could there be such a shameless woman? She was confrontational before, but the moment she heard about extra money, her attitude changed completely. Does she have any shame at all!

The steward looked worriedly at the First Prince, only to see the haughty and cold First Prince raise his hand, signaling him not to interfere. Then, the man took a tablet from the steward’s bag, unlocked it, and showed Iris the message on it, "Here’s the thing. I have a fiancée I was forced to marry from a young age, and recently there have been rumors about my fiancée having an affair outside, saying I’ve been cuckolded..."

Before he finished, Iris couldn’t help but snicker.

The First Prince’s face turned a faint green, his good upbringing on the verge of breaking.

Iris forcibly held it in, "Sorry, go on, haha—"

The last laugh slipped out, the First Prince’s face darkened further, "Miss Crawford!"

Steven covered Iris’s mouth beside her, and Iris laughed while pushing his hand away, the First Prince barely restraining his anger said, "Please show some respect. I have no feelings for this fiancée; I just do not want these scandals to affect our Royal Family..."

"So?" Iris finally looked directly at the First Prince’s face, "My dear His Highness Dante, do you want me to resolve your fiancée, or... the mistress outside?"

Dante wasn’t angry at being directly called by name, he only looked at Iris coldly and replied word by word, "Whichever is easier to resolve, resolve that one."

******

That night, Iris and Steven were secretly taken into the Royal Palace of The Kingdom of L. To prevent any unexpected actions on their part, Dante specially arranged Iris’s bedroom close to his own, while Steven’s room was next to Steward Raymond, so the master and servant could monitor their whereabouts at any time.

Though they were clients, it seemed... they still didn’t trust Iris completely.

Are people in the Royal Family always this suspicious?

Iris was leaning on the bed in her bedroom reading documents when the door was pushed open, and Dante walked in. Having taken off his uniform, he was in pajamas, yet still exuded a formidable aura that could not be defied. He walked in, threw a file folder at Iris.

Surprisingly, Iris caught it steadily in mid-air.

Dante squinted slightly, "This contains the information about my fiancée."

Iris frowned as well, "No one taught you to knock before entering someone else’s room?"

"This is my home, why should I knock?" Dante stood leisurely at the door, seemingly unaware of any impropriety in casually entering Iris Crawford’s space. He chuckled, "It’s you who should spend less time wandering around the Royal Palace to avoid causing me trouble."

Iris rolled her eyes right in front of Dante, silently chanting to herself that this man had given so much, she could endure it, she could endure it.

Lord have mercy. She opened the envelope, and a few papers fell out alongside some printed photos.

Picking up the photos, Iris was a bit stunned.

What a beautiful woman.

With a beautifully sculpted, profound face that exuded innocence and charm, her blue eyes were like jewels. No man could escape once she’d cast a glance in their direction.

Iris thought that this woman and Dante would actually make a good match; both had extraordinary looks.

Dante, noticing Iris staring at the photos in a daze, scoffed and said, "That’s my fiancée, Cynthia, twenty years old."

"So young..."

"Isn’t she?" Dante’s voice held a hint of depth. Indeed, Cynthia was particularly young; he was a full seven years older than her. There was no emotional foundation between them; it was entirely a Royal Family-arranged marriage.

"She had been studying abroad and just returned recently. Logically, she should have moved into the Royal Palace immediately after returning to develop our relationship, but Cynthia refused. She even fell out with her family, and then I heard rumors of her infidelity..."

At this point, Dante seemed unable to contain his anger. Despite having no feelings for Cynthia, his male pride couldn’t accept such a situation.

"If she’s truly unwilling, why not annul the engagement?"

Iris looked up, observing Dante’s expression, "You don’t seem to enjoy being bound either."

"I don’t like it, but it’s not important. The Royal Family is a place where arranged marriages are so common." Dante’s smile seemed to mock Iris’s naivety, "It’s all just a matter of interests; there’s no true love for The Royal. I’ve known that for a long time, but you don’t understand any of it."

"If you have to spend your life with someone you don’t love, how is that different from being dead?"

Iris murmured, staring at Dante’s face. "I really don’t get it. Why not set both parties free?"

Binding someone who doesn’t love you only leads to mutual destruction.

"What is that look for?"

Dante noticed Iris’s emotional fluctuation. He stepped forward, habitually gripping Iris’s chin as if dealing with a subordinate, and met her gaze, discovering what seemed like an abyss in her eyes.

Dark, endless.

Dante squeezed Iris’s chin tighter; her cheeks were pinched, causing her mouth to puff up. He found the feel of her face surprisingly pleasant, momentarily losing track of himself before saying, "Hey, Iris, don’t tell me you think I should thank her for cheating on me!"

"Not exactly thank her, considering you two were forcibly bound together; you’re both victims." Iris shook her head, then swiftly knocked Dante’s hand away, "Why are you touching me?"

Dante wore an expression that seemed to bestow grace, "Feel honored. My willingness to make physical contact with you is the greatest concession on my part. Our societal classes are different, after all."

"Can you capitalists all just hang yourselves on street lamps?" Iris gritted her teeth and said. No wonder Dante’s aura felt so familiar; it was exactly like Lachlan Wyatt’s disdain for others!

"Here’s her affair partner. I hired a private detective to catch this,"

Dante changed the subject, pointing at a photo, "It’s this guy."

Iris stared at the photo for a few seconds, instinctively blurting out, "No, it can’t be."

"Hmm?"

"No, this man doesn’t seem like her affair partner." Iris rubbed her chin, sensing something was off, but couldn’t quite place it, so she asked Dante, "Are you sure?"

Dante laughed in exasperation, "They’re hugging each other! And you dare say no!"

Iris looked at the image of Cynthia and the man embracing. The unsettling feeling persisted; could it be that she had been watching too much Detective Conan lately, getting all paranoid?

"Are you more professional than a detective?" Dante crossed his arms, scoffing at Iris, "Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong and find the real affair partner while you’re at it!"

Despite Dante’s provocation, Iris remained calm. She knew she harbored doubts about these facts but, lacking evidence, couldn’t assert anything. Who knows, maybe the photo actually did reflect the truth. So she took a deep breath, "I’ll go out investigating tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, I’m taking you to meet my mother."

"What?"

"My mother wants to discuss this marriage arrangement with me, so I’m bringing you along." Dante seemed particularly amused by Iris’s surprised expression, "If you all can’t resolve it for me, then as insiders, you’ll be considered an invisible threat. After all, these matters involve the Royal’s reputation and secrets. Sooner or later, The Royal Family will eliminate all threats..."

Is the Royal Family this dangerous?!

Without looking back, Iris began packing her bags, "Whoever loves making this dirty money can make it. I’m pulling out immediately!"

She suddenly felt a hand gripping hers from behind, "Once you’re in the Royal Palace, it’s not that easy to escape."

So this was the true intention! To keep them under close watch!

Iris shook off Dante’s hand, "Why don’t you just hire a hitman to kill that man?"

"If that agitated Cynthia into doing something foolish publicly, wouldn’t it be a lose-lose situation?" Dante’s eyes flickered with a perilous light, "Miss Crawford, are you afraid?"