“I mean, how are you going to take me away? Can we try another method?”
When those words fell, Huan couldn’t help but look surprised.
For some reason, Yao Xing seemed to already understand exactly what she was about to do.
Because of that, Huan probed, “What method did you originally think I would use?”
“Forgery—”
[Warning: You will be suspected]
“—I mean, disguise yourself as a passerby, then blend into the crowd and escape… That kind of method is really risky… I wouldn’t recommend trying it… haha…”
In a panic, Yao Xing quickly changed her wording.
‘This is the first time I’ve received a warning like this… Is it because I’m acting too omniscient?’
Seeing the word “Forgery” get forcibly swallowed back, Yao Xing broke out in a cold sweat.
‘The system actually interferes? In other words, if I directly spoil the future, it might lead to a Bad End?’
Huan’s limpid, autumn-water eyes fixed steadily on Yao Xing.
A flicker of suspicion passed through her gaze.
But it was quickly drowned by her habitual gentleness.
She let out a soft sigh, then turned her hand to hold Yao Xing’s cold fingers, as if trying to lend some strength to this “startled bird.”
“Disguising as a passerby… Indeed, for you in your current state, even if you left the kingdom, it would be hard to survive the pursuit of Lin Qi’s army.”
Huan lowered her eyelids and murmured quietly, “I did have a similar idea, but since the Hero thinks it unwise, then forget it. However… if you don’t want to take the path of ‘stealth,’ then our only remaining choice is the most dangerous ‘straight path.’”
Yao Xing calmed her wildly beating heart and probed, “What do you mean by the straight path?”
“Bluffing!”
Huan smiled.
“You possess a rule power called Wu. Every Hero has it—it’s common knowledge.”
“So as long as you don’t show your hand or sign a contract of bondage, Lin Qi won’t dare to kill you!”
“Because in another kingdom, there was once a Hero who was pushed too far. In a single day, he uprooted that entire country, people and all. Wu is not to be underestimated.”
‘That brutal?!’
Yao Xing looked at her own affection system.
She probably shouldn’t be trying to scrape by in this demon-infested other world.
Seeing Yao Xing’s expression, Huan understood something.
“Don’t worry. Even if your Wu doesn’t have that kind of power, don’t be afraid! As long as you don’t reveal it, my father the King will remain terrified of you.”
Huan extended her hand.
“The guards are getting impatient… Take my hand, let’s get on the carriage, and I’ll take you to eat something delicious, alright?”
Yao Xing nodded, took Huan’s hand, and under Huan’s careful guidance, climbed into the carriage.
‘As long as I don’t show my cards, I can be a nuclear weapon?’
Yao Xing sat on the soft cushions of the carriage, watching Huan, who was considerately pouring sweet syrup for her across from her.
Her mood was complicated.
It felt like holding only a “3,” but because her expression was calm, the opponent suspected she had a “King Bomb.”
The carriage started moving again, the sound of wheels grinding over stone slabs still the same.
But this time, Yao Xing didn’t keep turning back to stare at the cargo box.
‘As long as I don’t take that dead-end path of “forged order escape,” there’s no reason for the key to hide in the box. As long as I don’t try to flee Lin Qi’s control, I’m still the Hero that the King of Lin Qi fears.’
The White Tower Restaurant arrived quickly.
Built at the highest point of the royal city, it offered a panoramic view of all Lin Qi’s bustle.
Stepping on the thick carpet, under the nearly solemn gazes of the guards, Yao Xing sat down by the window.
The delicacies on the table were as exquisite as in her memory.
The fire-scaled fish glistened with the fragrance of wine; the jadeite cold soup shimmered faintly.
Yao Xing picked up her fork and even proactively placed a piece of fish on Huan’s plate, smiling.
“Please eat too, Your Highness. You worked hard standing in the cold wind by the river just now.”
Huan was momentarily stunned, then covered her mouth with a light laugh.
The tenderness in her eyes nearly materialized.
“To receive such consideration from the Hero is my honor.”
To the guards around them, this scene was the perfect example of “harmony between ruler and subject.”
While chewing on the crispy fish skin, Yao Xing asked casually, “Your Highness, that Hero you mentioned earlier—the one who ‘uprooted a kingdom’—where did he end up?”
“Him?”
Huan set down her wine glass, her gaze sharp for an instant.
“After destroying the country that tried to enslave him, he disappeared without a trace. Some say he joined the Demon King’s army, others say he returned to his hometown. But one thing is certain—ever since then, every nation’s treatment of Heroes changed from blatant ‘exploitation’ to hypocritical ‘courtesy.’”
“Courtesy, huh…”
Yao Xing wiped her mouth.
‘Just a slightly higher-grade imprisonment.’
The dinner ended in a harmonious yet undercurrent-filled atmosphere.
On the way back to the palace, Yao Xing maintained that “inscrutable” demeanor, even flashing a meaningful smile at Huan before parting, imitating the mysterious masters in web novels.
This “holding a nuclear warhead” act proved surprisingly effective.
On the carriage ride back, the guards who had once stared with sharp, knife-like gazes now didn’t even dare to meet her eyes.
Finally, Yao Xing returned to her bedroom—a gorgeous golden birdcage.
“Whew—I’m exhausted.”
The moment the door closed, Yao Xing’s taut spine slumped.
She kicked off the heavy court leather boots and collapsed spread-eagle onto the soft velvet bed.
“Looks like that bluff ‘king bomb’ can still hold for a while…”
Staring at the intricate ceiling paintings, Yao Xing replayed everything in her mind.
As long as she didn’t trigger the death flag of “forged order escape,” the First Princess’s idealism was the best shield, and the Second Princess’s murderous intent was temporarily suppressed by royal face.
Crack… Zzz.
A faint, grating sound—like fingernails scraping wood—came eerily from deep under the bed.
Yao Xing sat up with a jolt, every hair on end.
‘Is it a rat?!’
The sound grew clearer, rhythmic, as if groping for some mechanism.
Without thinking, she grabbed the gilded candlestick from the table, held her breath, and crouched down quietly.
Just as she prepared to strike first under the bed—
Slap.
A hand, covered in dust and unknown black stains, shot out from the shadows at the edge of the bed frame without warning.
“This isn’t right—!”
Yao Xing screamed, almost dropping the candlestick.
Like a startled cat, she leaped backward and crashed into the rosewood wardrobe with a dull thud.
That hand trembled, grabbing at the wool carpet.
Then a disheveled head, like a ball popping out, squeezed out from under the bed with difficulty.
The person coughed violently from the dust on the floor, while laboriously pulling the rest of his body out.
‘So this is what the First Princess meant by “courtesy”? A living person can grow out of this place?!’
Moonlight through the window illuminated the uninvited guest.
He was a young boy, not very old, wearing tattered coarse clothes completely out of place in this gorgeous palace.
His face was smudged with black and blue, and his left eye sported a glaring bruise.
Lying on the carpet, seeing Yao Xing’s terrified expression with a candlestick raised to bash him, he first shrank back in fear, then awkwardly rubbed his nose.
“Umm… Good evening? Hero?”
He gave a dry laugh, revealing a few small white teeth.
Despite his disheveled appearance, his bright eyes held a tenacity like a stray dog.
He patted the dust off his clothes, jumped to his feet with one hand on the ground, his movements as light as a wild cat in the night.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Anuo. In this Lin Qi Royal City… well, I’m kind of a wanted criminal…”
At that moment, Yao Xing recognized him as Anuo.
“You’re Anuo!”
“Huh? Do you know me, milady?”
[Anuo’s Affection -1]
‘This inexplicable loss of affection…’
‘No mistake, it’s him!’
Anuo pointed at the deep, dark hole under the bed, then at Yao Xing, lowering his voice.
“Actually, I have something I want to tell you…”
Yao Xing beckoned him to sit on the bed.
“Go ahead, go ahead!”
“When I was young, I had no parents, only a good friend. I often called her sister… She was a summoned Hero who hid her identity.”
“But one day, she was discovered and taken away. Ever since, I’ve been searching for her whereabouts… but never found anything…”
“After so many years, instead I ended up waiting for a new Hero like you.”
Yao Xing comforted him, “I’ll ask Princess Huan about it tomorrow.”
[Anuo’s Affection +1]
Anuo finally agreed to sit on the bed.
“Actually, I came to you specially, not only to ask about my sister’s whereabouts…”
“But also to warn you: don’t get involved in any kingdom’s military power. Their use of weapons is ruthless and heartless.”
“Ruthless and heartless, huh…”
Looking at Anuo’s bright yet sorrowful eyes, Yao Xing felt the vain pride of her “bluff” instantly doused with cold water.
Indeed, although First Princess Huan was gentle, she was still the heir of this nation.
And the King of Lin Qi—that seemingly gentle man who made everyone tremble—perhaps in his eyes, there was only the value of “weapons.”
“Anuo, you said earlier… your sister was also a Hero—”
“Shh—!”
Anuo sprang up from the bed like a blur, faster than a shadow, and clamped his hand over Yao Xing’s mouth.
His ears, sharpened by years of living underground, twitched as he stared fixedly at the door.
From the corridor came the sound of uniform heavy boots stomping.
The night patrol of the Imperial Guard.
Yao Xing held her breath, clearly smelling the faint, musty odor of underground drains and dry grass on Anuo.
Only after the footsteps faded away did Anuo release his hand, gasping like a fish out of water, and whisper, “The Imperial Guard is watching your every move. If they hear you talking, there will be serious consequences!”
“I have to go. Those hound-nosed guards change shifts every half hour.”
Anuo nimbly rolled off the bed and slipped back into the dark hole under it.
Just before leaving, he turned back, his expression complicated.
“If you ask Princess Huan tomorrow, don’t mention my name.”
“Wait—”
Click.
The sound of a mechanism closing came from under the bed.
The room fell back into deathly silence.
‘Her sister… I have to ask about that tomorrow.’