Chapter 3
The cold, robotic voice echoed in my head once more, proving this wasn't just a stress-induced hallucination.
I commanded silently: [Open it.]
Instantly, a translucent, pale blue interface materialized in the air before me, clearly visible only to my eyes.
[Emotion Manipulation System. Host: Evelyn Lawrence. Current Emotion Points: 5088. Unlocked Feature: The Emotion Marketplace.]
I mentally tapped into the marketplace. The inventory was staggering. It offered everything from passive abilities like "Silver Tongue" and "Photographic Memory" to physical items like an "Absolute Antidote Pill" and a "Steel-Cleaving Dagger."
There were even mysterious, top-tier items completely blacked out with question marks. Every single item had a price tag listed in Emotion Points.
So, the raw emotions of others could actually be harvested and turned into my greatest weapon.
Looking at my point balance, I couldn't stop the smirk from spreading across my face. "Edward, Charlotte, thank you so much for the generous wedding gift," I murmured.
"Miss Lawrence, you're certainly brave."
A cool, velvety voice, deep and resonant, drifted from behind me, slicing through my racing thoughts.
I spun around, my heart skipping a sudden beat.
An opulent, pitch-black carriage had silently pulled up mere yards away. The velvet curtain at the window was half-raised, revealing a man whose face was so devastatingly handsome.
He was dressed in the dark, tailored robes of a high official, a golden griffin embroidered at his collar catching the sunlight. His eyebrows were sharp, his eyes were piercing, and his jawline was sculpted to perfection.
With lips set in a grim line, he possessed the lethal aura, radiating a sharp brilliance and an overwhelming pressure that made it impossible to look him in the eye.
He was Alexander Quinn, the youngest Chancellor in the history of the realm. He held the court in a stranglehold, ruthless and calculating, widely feared as the "Iron Chancellor."
He was also, for all intents and purposes, my nemesis from my previous life.
To call him a personal enemy wouldn't be entirely accurate. He and my father led rival political factions and clashed constantly in the throne room, but privately, our paths had never crossed.
Everything I knew about him had been fed to me by Edward. Edward constantly painted him as a bloodthirsty, manipulative tyrant who would destroy the kingdom.
And when my family eventually fell, rumors whispered that Alexander was the architect.
Right now, he sat in his carriage, fixing his deep eyes on me with intense amusement. He was looking at me the way a predator observes a particularly fascinating piece of prey.
[Ding. Collected +300 Emotion Points from Alexander's curiosity and +200 from his amusement.]
A chill ran down my spine. This man was incredibly dangerous.
I quickly composed myself, dropping into a perfectly measured curtsy. "Greetings, Sir Quinn," I said, keeping my tone perfectly neutral.
Alexander didn't say a word. He simply kept his piercing gaze locked onto mine, as if attempting to dissect my very soul.
Under that intense stare, I felt totally exposed, as if every secret I harbored was laid bare on the cobblestones. I instinctively balled my hands into fists, digging my nails into my palms to force myself to stay grounded.
"You broke off your engagement in front of the entire nobility. What is your next move, Miss Lawrence?" he finally asked, letting out an emotionless drawl. "Returning to Lawrence Manor now? I imagine you have quite the bloody battle waiting for you there."
My stomach dropped. He was absolutely right. The spectacular stunt I just pulled felt incredible, but the fallout was going to be catastrophic. My father was a rigid, traditional man who valued the family's reputation above oxygen. He was not going to let this slide.
"I will walk my own path, Sir Quinn. There is no need for you to trouble yourself," I replied, keeping my voice as icy as his.
Whatever happened, I could not afford to show a single ounce of weakness in front of this man.