A young girl walked slowly forward, carrying a tray.
She arrived at the edge of the stone bed and hesitated for a moment before bending down to place the tray next to the third prince.
Standing up straight, she clasped her hands together and silently retreated to the side.
With her back to the light, she gazed at the dark shadow on the ground, lost in thought.
"Turn around," the man spoke.
Unable to avoid it, Yu Xiaoxiao bit her lip. Her gaze fell on the man, wrapped in a large black robe.
Under the hood, she saw intricate dark, gray lines covering his entire face.
There was something ritualistic about it, resembling ancient spells that left deep marks on his face.
Crimson eyes stared tightly at this alien girl.
She was chosen by Ineng and was the person closest to him.
These eyes were different from what she had seen before.
Back then, they seemed more like an unknown creature than a human.
But now, the blood-red eyes, emitting an enchanting light, were just like a mandrake blooming on the road to the underworld, with an evil and mysterious red color.
Yu Xiaoxiao's mind wandered slightly.
She lowered her head, unable to meet the man's eyes directly.
But in doing so, she also saw something that the black robe couldn't entirely conceal...
A tail?
A hard and stout tail, with visibly cracked black and red scales. It seemed to be an integral part of the man.
Yu Xiaoxiao stared blankly for a while before suddenly realizing that the owner of the tail was sitting right in front of her. She quickly averted her gaze, focused on her nose, silently praying for time to pass quickly.
The third prince seemed to be not entirely human.
Or maybe this world was not the same as hers.
"Saw it?" the man asked hoarsely.
"..."
How to respond to this? Didn't see it? Or admit it honestly? She had stared at it for so long, denying it outright would be like fooling a fool.
She hesitantly replied, "I saw it."
The trace of timidity in the girl's eyes made his expression even more grim.
He had thought that Ineng's chosen would be different.
Now, it seemed they were all the same.
Before the man could open his mouth and utter the word "leave", he saw the young girl reach out, pointing hesitantly at his tail and saying, "You're injured."
On the black-red scales, one could see fresh blood stains.
He sat there, motionless.
He lowered his gaze slightly, looking at his tail. His expression was numb, as if he were not the one injured.
Yu Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, then approached and slowly crouched down. She could hardly see the wound, but the blood was flowing continuously.
Without further thought, she pulled out a white handkerchief from her pouch and gently wiped it.
A bright red bloodstain quickly spread on the handkerchief.
"Do you have any ointment?" she asked.
The man remained silent.
He had never used ointment before.
The various wounds on the body will heal by themselves, big or small.
He just didn't understand.
"Look at me," he commanded forcefully.
Yu Xiaoxiao raised her head. The two were very close, and his eyes, like those of a fierce beast, concealed some kind of taboo.
There was a chilling aura around him.
Especially the terrifying network of lines on his face, like a fallen dark wizard, just like in the legend.
"Are you afraid of me?" he asked.
Yu Xiaoxiao nodded, then immediately shook her head forcefully.
The girl remained crouched, her eyes downcast, and softly said, "It's not because of you that I'm scared, but because of the unknown."
What is unseen and unexperienced, when encountered for the first time, will inevitably lead to fear and anxiety.
But it's not because of the person or the event being bad.
Upon careful thinking, the Third Prince had never punished her.
It was just because of his appearance...
An inexplicable palpitation.
Perhaps humans are creatures who judge by appearances, whether it's a slime or a vivian, at least they look gentle and harmless.
But the person in front of her was different.
Whether it was the ashen lines on his face or the hard tail behind him, they all revealed that this person was full of danger.
"Hmm..." Yu Xiaoxiao pondered, "It's also possible that it's because I am too weak that I have these emotions."
If she were to obtain a certain powerful strength, would she still be afraid to approach him?
Essentially, all avoidance is for fear of getting hurt.
What she said seemed to be soothing his emotions.
His crimson eyes seemed somewhat vacant.
He gazed at the girl's fair face, reminding him of the humans who, upon seeing him, would scream in terror. They would throw various things at him, urging him to get away quickly.
The little boy stood bewildered on the empty street.
No one wanted to play with him.
At his feet lay broken mirror shards. He looked down and saw a gash on his forehead in the mirror, blood streaming down.
The vertical pupils different from ordinary people, the crimson color -- even when he tried to smile, it made people feel deep fear.
The perception close to death made everyone flee in fear.
How could such bloodline be born in the royal family?
Did you see the tail behind him? It doesn't belong to any race on this planet!
It's disgusting!
Is his appearance due to genetic mutation?
I heard his mother is a huge and ugly lizard. His Majesty, for the sake of the empire's peace, had to reluctantly take her as a concubine.
The crowd was indignant. His existence tainted the bloodline of the royal family. He was a stain. Why did His Majesty bring him back?
Dirty, vile, and lowly lineage.
Terrifying, disgusting, devilish appearance.
These words filled his surroundings, especially when he appeared with his two elder brothers, it was like two little angels accompanied by an ugly hyena.
He didn't have a friend.
He always stood in the dark, watching other kids fight over the same toy.
Or, gathering courage, following the mentor's instructions to exchange homework, only to face the door that never opened no matter how hard he knocked.
Knock, knock, knock ---
Knock, knock, knock ---
The little boy knocked gently, not daring to use force, as he always remembered the etiquette his father taught him.
Yet, no door opened for him.
The little boy turned away.
He walked slowly on the deserted street, a small tail hanging helplessly beneath his clothes, leaving a long mark on the ground as he moved.
...
"Because of the unknown?"
His eyes gradually focused, as he looked at the girl in front of him again, his crimson pupils devoid of any warmth.
It was as if he was a lifeless corpse, nothing could touch his heartstrings.
Yú Xiǎo-xiǎo nodded.
She stood up, her attitude also becoming much more relaxed.
"In the future, I will be the one serving your meals. Your Highness, I hope you won't tire of me too quickly. After all, I am the only steward by your side for the time being."
The girl touched the pendant hanging in front of her chest.
As if echoing her words, the purple crystal faintly lit up.
Yī Néng.
The most mysterious power in the Calia Empire, it was the foundation of the country's establishment.
It was also on the side of the girl.
Such a gentle tone, seemed familiar. When he was very young, there was a boy of the same age who accidentally entered the royal palace and bumped into the little prince hiding in a secret base.
He was different from the other two princes.
He had strange double pupils like a monster, a gloomy pattern on his skin, and a tail covered in scales.
"Little monster, what's your name?" He was wearing rough fabric clothes, standing in the shade. When he smiled, he would reveal a row of white teeth.
Later...
The man's eyes were instantly filled with fierceness, he looked coldly at Yú Xiǎo-xiǎo, saying, "I'll give you three days to come up with a preliminary map of the territory. If I'm not satisfied—"
He reached out and pointed behind her: "There, that will be your place of belonging."
Yú Xiǎo-xiǎo: "..."
Three days!
The underground city was at least five times larger than a normal city, yet she was given only three days!
Ah, is this person a devil!
"I understand." Yú Xiǎo-xiǎo reluctantly accepted the task.
She saluted: "Please enjoy your meal, I will go back to work on the map now."
Yú Xiǎo-xiǎo left the room.
She walked to the stone steps, picked up the small lamp hidden on the side, and slowly descended with its light.
She glanced sneakily at the open stone door.
Without any sound, she smiled faintly, and her pace became lighter.
After she had gone far, the person on the stone bed waved his hand, and the tinder in his hand went out in an instant.
He returned to the darkness.
However, there lay quietly on his tail a handkerchief stained red with blood...
He picked it up, held it in his hands, and after a while, following her example, he lightly wiped his tail.
Numb pain.
With an expressionless face, he wrapped the wound with the handkerchief and tied a knot.
Stir-fried rice with green beans.
He picked up the plate and began to eat with a spoon.
His tail, wrapped in a white handkerchief, swayed leisurely from side to side. His crimson eyes squinted slightly as he looked outside the stone door.
Faintly, the sounds of the dwarfs building the beacon could be heard.
The underground city had been quiet for a very long time.
It was difficult for the former stewards to mobilize the Lok Clan in a short period of time. Although they were eager to work, they were also very picky.
Moreover, the construction map of the Third Prince could make a large group of stewards retreat.
He might not want anyone by his side at all, always being able to dismiss them on various pretexts. And those with ulterior motives, their fate was also very miserable in the end.
-
Yú Xiǎo-xiǎo returned to her bedroom and closed the closet. She lay on the bed with her notebook.
Three days.
She couldn't help but bite the pen, how could she arrange the underground city to satisfy him?
She had spent the entire day studying the Yī Néng system, and felt a little tired now. Her mind was feeling heavy, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to come up with any good ideas.
She closed the notebook, leaned back on the pillow, and picked up her phone to open a reading app.
She hadn't logged in for the past three months as she was too busy in real life.
Opening her favorite book, she found that the last time the main text was updated was actually on April 12th. It had been a month and a half.
Opening the table of contents, the titles of the latest few chapters published were:
- [Arm Bleeding, Applying for Leave]
- [Keyboard Malfunction, Applying for Leave Again]
【Arm is bleeding again, taking leave】
【Arm is bleeding again and again, taking leave】
【Taking leave for the 5.20 Anti-Baldness Day】
...
Yuxiaoxiao quietly moved this book to the "My Life Longer Than the Author" list. She crawled into bed, turned off the light, and went to sleep.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.