Villain : I reincarnated as a Prince! Shouldn't I have a Harem?

*Knock* *Knock*

A knocking sound resounded inside Ashen's room as a knowing smile crept up on his lips.

Though the knock had been done on the main door of the mansion, Ashen could hear the sound of the knock in his room due to the sound transmitting inscriptions and talismans of the house.

"Looks like the world's will has retaliated!" Ashen commented to himself.

From the moment he decided to kidnap Shiyue, he knew that the world's will will retaliate against him for it in an attempt to save Shiyue.

This was the reason that he didn't leak any killing intent or harm Shiyue in any way other than using his aura.

Even when he was pressuring Shiyue, his target wasn't her but a small flower beside Shiyue.

He had found this loophole in acting against a heroine.

If Ashen wasn't targeting a heroine and the said heroine just happened to be swept up in the act, then the world's will wouldn't retaliate against him.

It was only when he kidnapped Shiyue that the world's will was supposed to retaliate.

Also, He hadn't done anything to harm her so the world's retaliation wouldn't be anything big.

The world's will's retaliation was also a factor in Ashen choosing Shiyue's mother to be the target for his insect ingestion.

If he made Shiyue eat the insect, something severely disadvantageous for Ashen would've happened.

To give an example, one of his siblings would discover that he was hiding in the Phoenix Feather sect with a false identity or his act of kidnapping coming clean.

These were a few outcomes that could've come to fruition and Ashen didn't want to take any risk.

Right now, he had to see who had come to his door.

He gestured to Shiyue who had a despaired look to stand.

Without any change in her expression, she stood up as Ashen had ordered.

"You know what you've to do now, right?"

Shiyue nodded with a blank expression before walking behind Ashen.

Ashen smiled: "Alright, follow me!" he said before leaving for the gate to see who it was.

Shiyue followed him, trying to act as naturally as possible.

Ashen opened the door as the sight of a pink-haired beauty standing with an old man came into his view.

"Ah, Sister Veli. How come you are here?" Ashen questioned with a smile.

Veli was about to answer when her gaze fell on Shiyue who just now revealed herself.

"Sister? What are you doing here? Do you know how worried I was when this elder suddenly told me that you were kidnapped along with mother" Veli shouted as she jumped into Shiyue's arms.

Shiyue, as usual, hugged her lovingly, caressing the back of her head with gentle strokes as she listened to her.

Meanwhile, the elder had a surprised expression upon seeing Shiyue appear from Ashen's house. All that he was expecting had turned false.

He was expecting to find Ashen's house empty or atleast see a bruised Ashen, however, here the scene was quite different.

"Ashen greets the revered elder!" Ashen greeted the elder politely.

The Elder was jolted awake by Ashen's voice as he hummed in reply, acknowledging Ashen's greeting.

The Elder then turned to Ashen as he asked: "Ashen, Where were you around seventeen minutes before?"

"Answering the revered elder, I was at sister Shiyue's house"

The Elder's eyes shined with hope as he heard Ashen's answer. Around seventeen minutes before was the moment when the elder sensed that pressurizing aura.

"Then did you see any origin realm cultivator or sense any of his aura?"

Hearing his question, Shiyue's eyes widened slightly, however, she hid her expression from being noticed.

"Huh? Origin realm cultivator?" Ashen made a confused expression before answering: "I don't recall anything like that, elder! I don't think I would miss an origin realm cultivator if I'd see any."

The elder found his answer reasonable as a low cultivation level cultivator like Ashen wouldn't be able to sense the aura of an origin realm cultivator like that.

However, now, the elder was getting more confused and was finding the situation peculiar as he pondered in his mind: "This is strange... I am sure I sensed the aura correctly, however, now that I think about it, What reason did that origin realm cultivator had to use his pressure like that?

At first, I thought that cultivator had targeted Bi Shiyue and her mother, however, she is standing right here, perfectly fine!"

"Wait!" His eyes widened as he remembered: "Her mother, where is her mother?"

Smiling at Shiyue, he asked politely: "Shiyue, Where is your mother? I'm sure your sister said that she was with you in the house, however, I found no one in the house earlier. By any chance, is she also here?"

Hearing his question, Shiyue had a conflicted heart.

She had two choices in front of her-

First, to tell the elder everything honestly and expose Ashen, however, she knew that it would only result in her mother's death

Ashen had already fed her the insect and he could kill her mother with a thought.

Second was to say everything according to what Ashen had instructed her.

She was also in disbelief by the fact that Ashen knew about someone visiting to inquire about this. She didn't know how, but, Ashen predicted the elder's arrival and gave her an answer to say when asked about her mother.

Ashen didn't have the time to tame her mother and include her in this act too, therefore, he just left her unconscious in Ashen's room.

There was a chance that the elder would decide to check Ashen's house and that was the worst case for Ashen.

However, he was ready for that too. If the elder insisted on checking his house, he would just threaten to leave the sect due to the infringement of his privacy.

Almost everyone knew that Ashen was a genius and any sect would be happy to take him in.

It wasn't him who needed Phoenix Feather Sect, but the opposite way around.

"Ah, mother left! After Veli went outside, she said she had somewhere urgent to go and left without telling me where"

This was a well-thought response that cutoff any follow-up questions from the elder.

Ashen didn't know why was there mother in their house at that time, therefore, he came up with this answer.

See, by saying that she had somewhere urgent to go, Ashen cutoff any possibility of Veli ruining the answer by asking: 'But didn't she plan to stay tonight?' or 'go tomorrow?".

This indicated that her leaving wasn't planned and was abrupt.

Also, if Shiyue said someplace specific, like 'Mother returned to the Bi family house'.

Then the elder could just go there to check if it was true or not.

This would also cutoff the elder's pesky questions.

Since these words were of her daughter, the elder also could think that Shiyue was lying.

Right now, there was only one elder trying to make out something of an inexplicable situation.

There was no suspect and no victim.

It was as if the event didn't occur.

"Did I imagine that aura and rushed here for nothing?"

The elder had a headache when this thought occurred in his mind.

However, soon he shook his head, not ready to accept something like this.

But he couldn't also share this with other elders.

What if they refused to believe his senses and claimed that he had just imagined things?

Therefore, he just decided to take his leave so as to not embarrass himself anymore.

"Alright, Disciples. I will be taking my leave. Sorry if I caused you any inconvenience!"

Saying that he vanished, not giving Ashen or anyone, a chance to speak in response.

"Looks like he didn't suspect me," Ashen thought before turning to Veli with a smile: "Sister Veli, Sister Shiyue had decided to stay with me in my mansion. Would you also like to come here and live with us?"

"Really?" Veli asked Shiyue with eyes wide with excitement: "Sister, did you finally relent and decide to let me live in this big house?"

She was referring to the time when Veli had asked to live in Ashen's mansion, however, Shiyue had refused.

Meanwhile, Shiyue looked at Ashen with pleading eyes as if saying- 'please spare her!'

However, Ashen shot her a glare, ordering her to agree.

"Ah, yes Veli, From now on we will live here. I couldn't stay happy after refusing to fulfill my dear sister's wish!" Shiyue answered with a forced smile and a little quiver in her voice.

At this moment, Ashen came closer as he suggested: "Sister Veli, why don't you go and see the mansion from inside? I have something to talk about with Sister Shiyue"

"Alright!" Veli answered cheerfully before dashing inside the mansion.

After she had disappeared, Ashen came closer to Shiyue as he leaned close to her ear, whispering: "Good Shiyue, Now, If you don't want me to lay my hands on your sister or mother, you will come to my room tonight, alone! Understand?"

"mm," Shiyue hummed weakly as she found herself in the deepest pit of despair.

Wasn't her mother enough? Now this demon also had her sister to use as a hostage against her.

"Why did I have to be oversmart?

Why did I have to provoke this demon?

Why didn't I simply fulfilled my oath?

Why did I underestimate him?

Sigh... Why did I've to be so arrogant?"

Shiyue bit her lower lip, thinking all this while returning to Ashen's room.

-----------------------------------

(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)