54 - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

## Chapter 54: How About a Bet? Just as Lin En had predicted, a powerful woman like Iviste had never bowed to any man in her lifetime. More so now, when Lin En was just an ordinary person, devoid of any extraordinary abilities. To utter such words, one must either be out of their mind or entirely insane. Clearly, Lin En fell into the latter category at this moment. Thus, Iviste was highly unlikely to agree to such a demand. She chuckled, angered. "When did you get the illusion that I would compromise my dignity for a dog I raised?" Iviste eyed him as if looking at an idiot, her tone icy. "If you're that eager to die, be my guest." With that, she turned around, sat back in her velvet chair by the window, and resumed holding her wine glass. A woman like her, with her hands stained in so much bloodshed, could hardly be swayed by someone else's death. Earlier, her hesitation was merely because she did not want such talent to be wasted carelessly. But now, since he was seeking death of his own accord, she couldn't be blamed. Thinking this, Iviste took a sip of her wine. Seeing her demeanor, Lin En shook his head. It wasn't enough. This approach wouldn't significantly alter the storyline, and thus wouldn't impact the future Dusk Witch. Missing this chance meant waiting indefinitely for another opportunity. Lin En didn't want to wait a day longer. He wanted to become extraordinary as soon as possible, possessing enough power to protect himself. "How about a bet?" Lin En suddenly proposed. At that moment, the extreme cold had turned his lips slightly purple, and the cognitive change caused by the Swallower left him numb. Yet, his eyes were exceptionally clear. Upon hearing his words, Iviste did not respond, but her hand holding the glass paused slightly. Clearly, she wasn't as indifferent as she appeared. If she really didn't care, she might have already let him freeze into an ice sculpture and thrown him somewhere unknown. "I bet you're not truly indifferent," Lin En looked at her. "If you take the potion and feed it to me, the bet is won for me." "Keep dreaming; say such nonsense after you're dead," Iviste remarked blandly. Lin En raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?" "Heh," Iviste sneered. As the third princess of the Saint Roland Empire, she found her temper unusually good tonight. So good that she had tolerated this guy's repeated offenses without killing him. Had it been Rhine, he might have been dismembered by now. But this seemed to be the end. Iviste thought quietly. There was absolutely no chance she would ever do what Lin En described voluntarily. Not even the slightest possibility. With this in mind, her peripheral vision suddenly noticed Lin En making a move not far away. Instinctively, Iviste looked up. She saw that the guy, using his last bit of strength, had somehow raised the vial of neutralizer high in the air. Sensing Iviste's gaze, Lin En grinned, revealing white teeth. Then, with lightning speed, he hurled the vial towards the ground! "Whoosh—" With a whistling sound, the vial filled with blue liquid narrowly hovered above the ground. Had it been a second later, the neutralizer would have shattered, spilling out in drips. Upon contacting the oxygen, the neutralizer would quickly lose effect. In others' eyes, Lin En's action was undoubtedly a gamble with his life. Betting on an exceedingly slim possibility. However, fortunately, he succeeded. At this moment, slender, blood-colored thorns tightly encircled the vial, preventing its shattering. Seeing this, Lin En laughed heartily, "I won!" "Who would have thought! You really don't want me dead, do you? Or perhaps..." Just as Lin En was about to say something to taunt Iviste, a red flash crossed his vision. Accompanied by a strong impact, he blacked out and collapsed to the ground. Iviste, who at some point had gotten up from her chair, had a hint of flustered anger in her cold eyes. After knocking Lin En out, she returned her gaze to her delicate, fair hands. Just then... she moved on instinct. She had no idea why she saved that vial. Clearly, she shouldn't go to such lengths for a subordinate who disregarded authority. Clearly... Though her heart was in turmoil, remembering that guy was still poisoned, she picked up the neutralizer. Then, manipulating the thorns, she fed him the blue liquid from the vial. Having done all this, Iviste no longer wished to see his face with that faint smug smile and casually tossed him to the side. However, her mind kept echoing the previous question. Why save him? Iviste couldn't understand. She raised her hand, looking at the ring on her ring finger, contemplating. "I am in love with Lin En Bartleon." The ring shone with red light instantly. Indicating that it was a lie. Iviste snorted, dismissing it. She had yet to experience what love felt like. Maybe it didn't exist, so it was a question asked in solitude. Then, Iviste continued, "I don't want him dead, I just want to use his power to win the royal election." As she watched, the ring remained unchanged. Heh, just as expected. She thought silently to herself. She only saw value in his abilities, wanting to leverage them. It's as simple as that. Yet, when this thought emerged, as if delayed, the ring trembled with a flicker. Iviste's expression stiffened. How could that be? A flicker of confusion passed through her eyes. After pondering for a few seconds, she spoke again, "I don't want him dead because he is my pet dog." The ring flickered again, just like before. Now, she was completely silent. The subtle flickering indicated a mix of truth and falsehood in her previous statement. For a moment, Iviste was entangled in unprecedented turmoil. Her gaze alternated between clarity and loss, sometimes cold, sometimes gritting her teeth. After a long pause, Iviste took a deep breath. "I don't want him dead because he's the first person to call me beautiful, so he is more important to me than others." After saying this, she furrowed her brows and looked at the ring. This time, the ring seemed faulty, remaining dark without any change. Iviste's expression suddenly turned a bit comical. "What is this nonsense?!" She yanked the ring off her finger, hurling it forcefully into a corner.