You Are The Apple of My Eyes
Chapter 403 A Deal Between Mother And Daughter

On Scher Mountain

Since her watch was confiscated last night, Nina didn't eat or drink. She didn't even speak.

No matter what Rebecca said, Nina just ignored her and stood on the balcony, staring off into the distance.

Her daze lasted the whole day.

"Your Highness, it's time for dinner." Rebecca went to the balcony to call Nina, but the princess still gave no response.

Nina was like a sculpture, motionlessly staring at the boundless sea.

She knew that John was on the other side of the ocean and was trying to take her back home.

She was waiting for him.

"Your Highness, you haven't had any food or water. If this goes on, you will get sick," Rebecca tried to persuade Nina, concern evident in her voice.

Nina still turned a deaf ear to the other woman's words. She held the elk pendant in her hand and gently stroked it with her thumb.

At this point, Rebecca was extremely worried about the princess. She hastened to go to Anne. "Your Majesty, Her Highness hasn't eaten anything for a day. She hasn't even taken a single sip of water. At this rate, she will fall ill."

"What?" Anne was worried.

"She hasn't had anything at all. No matter what I say, she never responds to me. I'm really worried about her."

Anne pinched the bridge of her nose and said, "She is doing this to force my hand, trying to threaten me by going on a hunger strike. She has really grown up. Now she dares to do things regardless of her parents' feelings."

"In your eyes, the princess will always be a child, regardless of her age. Please don't be angry with her," Rebecca implored in an attempt to reconcile mother and daughter.

"I'm nearly at my limit with her," Anne huffed out angrily, resting her forehead against her palm. After a slight pause, she continued, "Well, I wanted to be mad at her, but I just can't. I don't mean to separate the two of them.

It's just troublesome to deal with the Nangong family.

We can't back out on our word. We planned the engagement between Nina and Vicente when she was eighteen years old, but we didn't expect her to run away for two years." What annoyed Anne the most was that she had no idea where her daughter had been and how she survived in the last two years.

While Nina was gone, she couldn't sleep well out of worry that her daughter might get hurt.

Rebecca carefully said, "Your Majesty, you are afraid that you will get to see the princess infrequently if she marries a man who lives far away. Moreover, you are worried that we won't be able to come to her aid if she gets mistreated in her husband's home. That's why you want her to marry Vicente, isn't it?" Rebecca had been working for Anne for a long time-the familiarity between them was such that Rebecca could speak her thoughts to the queen in a straightforward manner.

Anne hated how Rebecca saw so clearly into her head, so she said in a disgruntled tone, "You know too much. Things are difficult at the moment. Vicente already knows that Nina has come back, and I have to arrange for them to meet as soon as possible. However, Nina won't listen to me."

Matters had become more complicated than Anne had foreseen.

"Perhaps you can make a deal with the princess," Rebecca suggested. "You can use the ring as a bargaining chip. As long as she agrees to meet with Vicente, you will give the ring to her."

Anne thought for a moment and nodded. "The idea has merit. Go and tell Nina that as long as she agrees to meet Vicente three times a week and three hours every time, I'll return the ring to her in a month." She thought that such a schedule would give Nina ample time to get to know Vicente.

Perhaps she would begin to like him after getting along with him for a certain period of time.

"Do it as soon as possible, then let me know if she agrees." Anne waved Rebecca away.

Rebecca proceeded to Nina's room to fulfil the queen's orders. She found Nina still standing on the windy balcony.

Rebecca slowly approached Nina and said, "Your Highness, do you want to get your ring back?" Her words captured Nina's attention.

Nina looked at Rebecca without saying anything.

Even without Nina saying anything. Rebecca considered her attention to be a small victory. Such a reaction meant the success of the first step of Anne's plan. Rebecca turned sideways and said, "Your Highness, after dinner, I will tell you how to get back the item."

Without saying anything, Nina sat at the table.

Only by putting on the ring and feeling its solid weight around her finger could she feel that John was always by her side even though they were apart.

To the others, it was just a ring-to her, it was a pillar she would hold onto while she waited for John.

Nina picked up her chopsticks and finished her meal.

Nina was looking so much better after she had eaten her dinner. She turned to look at Rebecca and said, "Tell me."

Satisfied that Nina did not pick at her food and, in fact, ate a lot, Rebecca asked the servant to clear the table.

She repeated Anne's words. "Your Highness, if you want to get the ring, you must do one thing. You have to meet Vicente three times a week and three hours each time. You'll get the ring in a month." "Okay," Nina answered without hesitation.

"Since you have agreed, I'll inform Her Majesty of your decision." Rebecca sent the message to Anne.

A smile finally crossed Anne's face. She asked someone to arrange the meeting.

The meeting was scheduled the following afternoon. Vicente would personally come to Scher Mountain to meet Nina.

The meeting would begin at three o'clock in the afternoon. At one o'clock, Rebecca started to dress up Nina.

Nina sat in front of her dresser like a puppet, letting others do whatever they wanted. Even if her reflection in the mirror showed how beautiful she was, she was not interested in it at all.

When they finished, it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon. Someone came in and said, "Your Highness, Count Nangong has arrived."

"He has?" Rebecca looked very excited. "Her Highness will be ready soon. She will go downstairs at three o'clock."

Looking at Nina, who didn't smile at all, Rebecca said softly, "Your Highness, can you smile a little? You look more beautiful when you smile."

"I know, but I don't want to smile for him." Nina stood up and stood on the balcony again.

Rebecca felt helpless in the face of Nina's stubbornness.

Moreover, it was already three o'clock, yet Nina still hadn't moved away from the balcony.

"Your Highness, it's time to go downstairs."

"It's still early." Nina savored the sea breeze quietly. Ten minutes passed in a flash, but Nina did not move at all.

Rebecca reminded her, "Your Highness, do you still want to take back the ring?"

"Yes, I do." Nina glared at Rebecca. "I said that it's still early. I'll go down in twenty minutes."

Twenty minutes later, even without Rebecca's prompting, Nina turned around and followed the woman to the garden.

Vicente was sitting on the stone bench, one arm resting on a stone table and the other holding a cup of coffee.

Even though the man had been waiting for nearly half an hour, his face did not show any trace of impatience. Instead, he leisurely looked out toward the sea to watch the rising sails.

Nina couldn't see his face. She only saw his thin built, which he held straight and tall. He seemed to be a little nervous.

Someone was about to announce her presence to Vicente, but Nina signaled for him to stop. She stared at the cup of coffee in Vicente's hand with a sly look.

Lifting her hemline, she took a deep breath, shook off her high heels, and rushed towards him.

"Your Highness, don't run. Please slow down!" Startled, Rebecca gave chase after Nina.

Hearing the patter of footsteps, Vicente stood up. Before he could turn around, Nina jostled his arm as she ran past him.

He spilled his coffee onto his face and suit.

A snicker escaped Nina's mouth. The man's bedraggled appearance looked amusing.

Vicente instinctively closed his eyes and frowned unhappily. "This is, indeed, an unforgettable meeting."