NOVEL NEXT Chapter 263 Cooperation Agreement
"Please hold on a moment," Tyler replied, his voice steady, although his heart was in turmoil.
At this moment, Tyler was dealing with Heloise rubbing against his arm, her body completely bare.
And on the other hand, he was in the critical phase of concocting potions. If he made one mistake, all his efforts from the morning would be for naught.
Moreover, outside the door was Vanessa, the second young lady of the Snowy Hart family, waiting.
If it were not for Tyler's good habit of locking doors, he might have already become a star in the sky.
.
Ten minutes later, a slightly impatient Vanessa finally heard the words, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
The person who opened the door, Felix, had a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, which made Vanessa wonder what Felix had been doing so early in the morning.
Upon entering the room, Vanessa first saw a table full of potions. She thought Felix was busy concocting potions, which was why he couldn't spare a moment to open the door for her.
However, she then saw Heloise, who was eating breakfast next to the table.
Now she was confused. If Heloise was also in the room, why didn't Felix ask Heloise to open the door for her?
Moreover, Heloise being in the room means... Heloise and Felix shared the same room last night?
— (No... It couldn't be...)
Vanessa recalled the invitation from Heloise last night, and she realized belatedly that Heloise might not have been joking.
"Kind sister, it's already so late, why don't you stay and sleep with us?"
Vanessa froze.
— (Could it be... Is that an invitation for, ahem, three people, doing…?)
Vanessa looked at Felix incredulously. The young man was nonchalantly clearing the bottles and jars on the table.
Vanessa looked at Heloise again. Her clothes were disheveled, and her hair was messy, clearly having just woken up.
"Good morning, Second Young Miss of the Snowy Hart family, it's an honor for the apostle of the Nefarious Tiger King to see you again."
Looking at the milk dripping from the corner of Heloise's mouth, Vanessa's heart skipped a beat.
She then realized that her position as the "future queen" was under an unignorable threat, yet she had been completely unaware of it!
— (Naive... I've been too naive!)
— (A vixen…a cat stealing fish...)
— (How could I have overlooked this problem...)
"Good morning, I'm also happy to see you again, Heloise," Vanessa replied with a forced smile.
As the second young lady of the Snowy Hart family, even if she was being "stolen" right under her nose, she wouldn't be easily shaken.
In Vanessa's dictionary, there were no walls that couldn't be pried open, no hearts that couldn't be changed.
No matter what means Heloise used to win Felix's heart, Vanessa was confident that she could use the same methods, but perform better, to make Felix turn to her.
— (Right, Vanessa, you must see opportunities in crises...)
— (The fact that Felix is with Heloise means that the tactic of "seduction" works on Felix!)
.
"Please give this a look," Vanessa said, presenting the drafted agreement.
For the moment, she held her peace, knowing that if she asked about the relationship between Felix and Heloise now, she would lose.
"Alright."
As Felix took his seat, Vanessa purposefully placed the agreement next to him from behind, at an extremely close distance. Not only did she brush her hair against Felix's cheek, but she also let her chest graze his shoulder, intentionally or otherwise.
— (Little Heloise, if it's a competition of size... hehe, I won't lose to you.)
.
Vanessa was not a frivolous woman, nor would she casually sell herself.
But once she had identified Felix as her "Dragon Shadow," she had already regarded him as her future husband.
For Vanessa, the recognition of status was more important than emotional connection.
Since she had never been in love, she didn't understand what it felt like to truly like someone. Compared to the vague feelings of love, she trusted more in the tangible aspects of status and position.
Although Vanessa had not yet given up on the path of "self-strengthening," choosing Felix as her Dragon Shadow was the wildest gamble she had ever taken in her life.
Soon, Felix finished reading the entire agreement.
Seeing him deep in thought, Vanessa felt a bit nervous. In the agreement, apart from some regular format clauses, Vanessa mainly wrote three privileges for herself.
First, the right to life. Once the agreement was signed, no matter what changes occurred in Felix's status, he couldn't do anything that would threaten Vanessa's life in any form.
Second, the first priority to serve as a princess or queen. Vanessa could accept a marriage without feelings, but the position of the first wife must be hers.
Finally, military power. Vanessa could legally have her own exclusive troops, and this troop had the right to refuse any orders from anyone other than Vanessa, including Felix.
To be honest, such three privileges, if Vanessa herself were the Dragon Shadow, she would not be willing to sign.
She set such outrageous terms as part of a negotiation strategy, raising the price above her psychological expectation, leaving room for further negotiation.
Also, it was a test for Felix.
If Felix was furious at these excessive demands, it would mean that the capacity of this Dragon Shadow was limited.
If Felix disappointed Vanessa, she would admit that she had misjudged him, then decisively give up and find another wise master.
.
However, Felix's answer left Vanessa stunned.
"Looks good to me. There's no problem. Do you want to write a formal version for signing, or shall we just sign on this one?" Felix asked.
"Huh?" A few minutes later, Vanessa thought she had misheard Felix's response.
"Um, Lord Felix, you don't... have any areas you want to modify?" Vanessa even took the initiative to ask about modifications.
"Hmm? No, I don't. Do you have any changes you want to make?" Felix still looked like he had no objections.
Now it was Vanessa's turn to be puzzled. How could Felix, as a Dragon Shadow and a potential future king, sign such an overbearing and disadvantageous agreement?
If it weren't for the fact that she was the drafter and beneficiary of the agreement, Vanessa would have wanted to fight for Felix against the other party!
"Um... well... I... I don't have any modifications either..." Vanessa didn't know what to say. She couldn't very well cut down her own interests.
Thus, in a state of confusion, Vanessa and Felix began to sign the agreement and imprint their hands.
Looking at the established facts in black and white on the paper, and the bright red handprints, Vanessa was a little confused. Felix... was he smart or foolish?
— (Did... did I just find a fool for my Dragon Shadow?)