Said No to the Prince and Yes to the King novel Chapter 158

Rejected by the Crown Prince? I Married His Uncle

Chapter 158 Only One Year Remains

Finished

He said gently, his gaze resting calmly on Margaret, “I understand. There’s no need to be nervous. I’m Vincent Joseph.”

Margaret froze on the spot. Staring at his breathtakingly handsome features, she felt as if she were looking straight at a radiant star.

His skin and delicate facial features were almost on par with Theodore’s.

If anything, Theodore looked a little tan in comparison.

Vincent’s fair complexion was almost unnaturally pale.

Theodore’s charm lay in his bold, heroic air, yet Vincent could only be described as stunningly beautiful.

His slender, delicate hands were simply beyond compare.

Margaret said softly after a long pause, “Hello. I’m Margaret.”

Vincent smiled warmly, “I know who you are.”

Margaret blinked in surprise. “Pardon?”

Vincent explained calmly, “Ms. Campbell of the Prime Minister’s Estate. Your reputation has spread far and wide lately.”

Margaret looked visibly embarrassed. “I doubt it’s a good reputation, though.”

Vincent shook his head with a soft smile. “I’ve only heard fine things about you.”

His words made Margaret even more uneasy.

Is he always this forward and familiar with strangers? I’ve never even met him before today.

Theodore finally said, his tone icy and sharp, “I came here for serious business. Drop the playful act.”

He fixed Vincent with a cold, unyielding stare. “What is it you want?”

Vincent chuckled, “Why so cold, Theodore? We’ve known each other for years. We haven’t met in ages–I only wished to share a few cups of wine with you.”

As he spoke, he poured three cups of wine in one smooth motion.

Theodore frowned slightly, “You drink in broad daylight?”

Vincent’s voice stayed soft and quiet. “But you’re not around at night.

“I heard you’d come to the palace, so I asked you here on purpose. After all, you’re my only friend.”

He handed one filled wine cup to Theodore. “In this foreign land, inside this vast, quiet royal palace- you’re the only close friend I have.”

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Chapter 158 Only One Year Remains

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Finished

Theodore picked up the cup and drained it in one gulp. “Cut to the chase. What’s your real business?”

Vincent glanced playfully at Margaret. “I’d only planned to talk privately with you. I didn’t expect you’d oring Ms. Campbell along.”

Theodore said firmly, “She can be trusted.”

He spoke plainly, as if reading the unspoken doubt in Vincent’s eyes.

Vincent raised an eyebrow in amusement. “That’s not what I was implying at all. I trust Ms. Campbell completely.”

He turned a gentle smile toward Margaret. “We’ve only just met, yet you feel strangely familiar. I knew at irst glance you were someone worthy of trust.”

His gaze was soft and warm, yet it sent an odd, uneasy tingle down Margaret’s spine.

Why does this handsome man always speak in such strange, puzzling ways?

Just then, a hand slipped beneath the table and laced itself with hers. Margaret stiffened at once, glancing awkwardly over at Theodore.

Why would he suddenly hold my hand out of nowhere?

Theodore didn’t even glance her way. “If you have no real matter to discuss, I’m leaving.”

Vincent sighed, “You’ve always been so impatient, Theodore.”

Theodore frowned, “Don’t speak to me like that.

‘Drop the smooth charm you use on women and get to the point.”

Vincent clicked his tongue lazily, then let out a tired yawn. He looked at Margaret with a playful grin. “How do you even stand being around someone this dull and serious?”

Margaret fell speechless.

He really loves teasing me for no reason at all.

It isn’t the slightest bit funny.

Before she could reply, Theodore took her hand and led her toward the exit.

Vincent still wore a faint smile as he called out after them. “Word has it a treasure map will surface in Lancaster on the first day of next month. I don’t know if the rumor’s true. I have the information, yet I have no way to go search for it myself–so the opportunity falls to you, Theodore.”

His words drifted over casually. Theodore paused in his steps and glanced back. “You always have your ear to the ground for news. You don’t strike me as someone trapped and unable to travel freely.”

Vincent smiled faintly, “You flatter me. If I had that kind of freedom, I’d spend every day drinking and talking with you–just like we did on the battlefield long ago. I truly miss those days.”

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Chapter 158 Only One Year Remains

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Finished

Theodore narrowed his eyes. “Only you would look back fondly on fields covered with the dead.”

Vincent’s smile never faded. “What I miss is the brotherhood between us–how we once stood as foes, then laid down our strife to become allies.”

Theodore said nothing more and turned to leave.

Vincent’s voice drifted lazily behind them. “Don’t forget our old agreement. Whoever finds the treasure first splits it equally with the other.”

Theodore tightened his grip on Margaret’s hand, and soon, they reached the palace gate.

Vincent seemed to mutter to himself, his tone low and distant, “Only one year remains.

‘After this next year, it will be far harder for us to sit together and share wine again.”

They walked on in silence, putting a great distance between themselves and the secluded palace.

Margaret gently pulled her hand free, her face still flustered with awkwardness. She asked quietly, “His name sounds so familiar. I swear I’ve heard it somewhere before. Who exactly is he?”

I’d first thought he might be a royal prince, but his last name is Joseph, while the royal family bears the surname Hayes. That alone makes it clear he can’t be part of the imperial line.

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