After finishing speaking, Song Shiyu added a note regarding the last hypothetical situation.
"If you require the most thorough form of connection, I can prepare it immediately." Song Shiyu emphasized his own condition: "Rest assured, I am healthy and have never had this kind of contact with anyone else."
His words were extremely straightforward. Even someone as slow to catch on as Yu Deng, after a few seconds of confusion, immediately understood what he meant.
Yu Deng was once again both embarrassed and annoyed by Song Shiyu's attitude, his eyes widening as he looked at the man kneeling before him.
How could this guy just say something like that so openly…
"I've already told you not to say that…" Yu Deng stammered, his face flushing as he scolded him, "You bad man."
"But this is at the request of Your Highness. In order to solve your problem, I naturally need to choose the method you prefer."
Although being scolded, Song Shiyu's expression did not change at all. He did not care that the knight's sword was pressed against his shoulder and neck; he simply knelt with a straight back, looking up at Yu Deng.
"I am merely listing the possible methods Your Highness might choose, not intending to offend you, Your Highness."
Yu Deng met Song Shiyu's gaze, holding eye contact for a few seconds before looking away: "Forget it… I won't do it. Anyway, if I wait a little, it should go away."
In theory, he should be able to calm himself down… right? Yu Deng thought, unsure.
A faint curve appeared at the corner of Song Shiyu's mouth as he said softly, "That might be a bit difficult, Your Highness."
Yu Deng looked confused: "Why?"
Song Shiyu lifted his hand, took hold of Yu Deng's hand, and gently removed the knight's sword. Yu Deng, already tired from holding it up, did not object to the knight taking it away on his own.
"You can consider this a side effect of the contract."
Song Shiyu's voice was cold and calm, yet if one listened closely, there was a subtle, coaxing tone.
"The contract has linked me with Your Highness. When your emotions and mana fluctuate in a short time, it can become difficult to control—this is perfectly normal."
The knight said this improvised explanation without changing his expression. His long, articulated fingers fully wrapped around the little princess's slender wrist, their slightly elevated body heat transferring to one another.
Yu Deng, flustered and dazed, tried to think carefully—was his knight lying to him?
Could a normal princess-knight contract really cause this… or was his knight doing something else?
But there was no denying it: Song Shiyu was correct. Yu Deng indeed felt that warmth lingered, even intensifying gradually.
Yu Deng furrowed his brow and let out a faint, uncomfortable hum, unable to think clearly due to the unbearable heat coursing through him.
"Your Highness, please allow me to solve your problem." The man lifted his head, gazing at the little princess who was growing increasingly flushed. "I am your knight; it is my duty to make you comfortable."
"Mm…"
Within just a few minutes, the subtle heat continued to grow. The delicate little princess decided to give up resisting: "Then… then help me quickly. Just… just use your hands… nothing else to scare me."
"As you command."
Without the princess's explicit permission, Song Shiyu remained half-kneeling. He leaned slightly forward, slipping his hand under the hem of her light blue skirt, moving along her smooth skin to grasp the little princess's trembling, soft flesh.
"…Uh."
Yu Deng could not control his shivers. Instinctively, he lifted his leg to press against Song Shiyu's chest, only for his ankle to be held firmly.
Song Shiyu's skill in this matter was comparable to his proficiency in kissing—clumsy yet following a strict formula, maintaining an extremely precise rhythm.
Yu Deng soon lost his balance, collapsing onto the soft bed, burying his side face into the quilt and letting out soft, muffled moans.
"Your Highness, may I stand? This posture is inconvenient for serving you properly."
Yu Deng could barely hear him, and after a long moment, he softly gave a faint acknowledgment.
The tall knight stood up, holding the trembling little princess in his arms. Song Shiyu, clearly resembling a refined scholar, appeared completely natural even while performing such an intimate service.
Yu Deng's cheeks flushed pink, his long lashes trembling, making him look like a delicate rose wet with dew.
Unconsciously, he reached out and wrapped his arms around Song Shiyu's waist. His long hair was tousled from brushing against him, and a curling strand fell near Song Shiyu's hand, which Song Shiyu gently twined around his fingers.
"…Mm!"
In a daze, Yu Deng felt something furry winding around his waist. He blinked in confusion and looked closely—but there was nothing near him.
"Your Highness, what are you looking for?"
Yu Deng was still searching. "I think I just felt something strange… something furry. Did you see it?"
There was a barely noticeable pause in Song Shiyu's movements, and then he gently wiped the tears from the corner of Yu Deng's eyes. "No, Your Highness. You must have imagined it."
"Alright." Yu Deng lay against Song Shiyu's chest, lifting his head to command, "Clean these up…"
But when he saw what his knight was actually doing, his words froze in midair.
—The usually serious knight lowered his head, studied Yu Deng's… things for a few seconds, and then swallowed them.
Not only did he swallow them, Song Shiyu even calmly commented: "Thank you for the gift, Your Highness. You are very tasty."
"…What are you doing?!"
Yu Deng angrily pushed him away and buried himself in the blanket, his face even redder than before.
Shadows flickered across the room as the knight calmly stood up, completely unfazed by his previous actions and indifferent to his own bodily reactions. He gently adjusted the little princess's clothing.
However… if something like this happened again, it might not be so easily resolved next time.
…
After relaxing, Yu Deng felt tired, and combined with his embarrassment, he lay on the bed for a while before slowly instructing Song Shiyu to bring over the magical mirror.
Song Shiyu obediently said, "Very well, Your Highness."
The mirror was quickly brought before Yu Deng.
After Song Shiyu turned it over, a force enveloped the mirror, blocking all sight and sound. At this moment, seeing the little princess's state, the mirror could not fail to notice what that damn knight had done.
"Your Highness…" the mirror lamented bitterly, its brass frame slightly darkened.
Yu Deng examined himself in the mirror and, seeing nothing unusual, poked it. "Can you shrink back? You're too big right now; I can't carry you around, so I'll just leave you here in the room."
The mirror's attention immediately snapped to the little princess. With a whoosh, it shrank into a small piece, muttering, "Little Princess, please be careful with your knight."
"Huh?" Yu Deng turned to glance at Song Shiyu, clutching the mirror in his hand. After thinking for a moment, he planned to turn it into a small pendant to carry with him.
Just then, a loud boom suddenly came from outside the window.
Yu Deng's drowsiness vanished in an instant. He spun around, staggering toward the window. Song Shiyu's expression turned slightly serious as he picked up the knight's sword again and protected Yu Deng at the window.
Pulling aside the sheer curtain, Yu Deng saw flames lighting up the castle's outer walls. A bright shell collided with a massive, twisted black shadow.
Yu Deng recognized the shell—it was a defensive item sold in the system shop. Clearly, a player had caused this commotion.
The disturbance was extremely conspicuous, yet the castle guards seemed oblivious, with not a single one coming out to investigate.
Could such a large commotion be a clue—or part of a plot? Yu Deng considered for a few seconds and decided to check it out.
Song Shiyu reminded him: "Your Highness, it is dangerous at night. Do you really intend to go out?"
Yu Deng turned back, naturally replying, "Isn't it fine since you're here?"
"…Yes," a faint smile appeared in Song Shiyu's eyes. "I will protect Your Highness. Then, allow me to take you there."
Confused, Yu Deng was lifted into his knight's arms. In the blink of an eye—Song Shiyu jumped off the castle rooftop with him.
The sudden weightlessness hit instantly. Yu Deng's eyes widened, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Song Shiyu's neck.
This was much faster than the morning when the head maid had escorted him downstairs! It wasn't until Song Shiyu landed and moved swiftly with him in his arms that Yu Deng recovered from the fall.
"Song… Song Shiyu! You scared me…"
Hearing the little princess call his name, Song Shiyu's eyes flickered subtly, a trace of pleasure hidden within.
His voice remained calm and steady despite the roaring wind: "Your Highness, I am also a mage and can use the wind element. You have nothing to worry about."
Yu Deng gasped. So impressive… By the way, as a princess, shouldn't he naturally have magic in the initial setup?
While pondering, they arrived at the source of the commotion. Yu Deng pushed aside this fleeting doubt and focused on the scene before him.
It was a wide road outside the castle, lined with trees. The fire burned in the middle, and inside a glowing shell were two people, the outer shell about to shatter.
Only now did Yu Deng and Song Shiyu's livestreams resume.
［What just happened? Why were both their streams blacked out??］
［Hah, the double-streaming person responsibly informs everyone—baby's stream was blacked out for half an hour.］
［Who… besides the knight, was bullying the wife again!!］
Yu Deng looked at the two players not far away.
Hmm, these two players seem familiar… Yu Deng recalled memories since arriving in the Infinite World and finally remembered—they were players he had encountered in previous dungeons.
The little chubby player and Ke Qi inside the defensive shell noticed the suddenly appearing princess and knight. They glimpsed the familiar, beautiful face and were stunned.
Ke Qi: "!" Damn, it's the gorgeous little widowed lady of the manor!
Little Chubby: "!" Damn, it's the little vampire lord of the castle! Wait, and that one next to him is the guild leader!
Having leveled up to mid-tier players, the two weren't fools. After their initial shock, they realized the truth—
—the beautiful NPC was actually a player!
Yu Deng didn't expect to meet familiar people here either. Peeking from Song Shiyu's visual blind spot, he pressed a finger to his lips, silently telling them not to reveal anything.
The two players, who had been helped by Yu Deng before, immediately nodded subtly. As for Song Shiyu… his expression remained calm, seemingly unaware of their actions.
"Your Highness, those two residents seem to be in trouble."
Within seconds, the outer shell of the defensive item completely shattered. The massive figure's flames died out, and it bent over—only now did Yu Deng realize what it was.
It was an enormous, twisted old woman's face, grotesquely magnified. She reached for Ke Qi and Little Chubby, opening a mouth full of fangs, slowly lowering herself, ready to devour them.
Yu Deng nervously grabbed Song Shiyu's clothes and held a scalpel in his other hand, ready to help.
Song Shiyu had already planned to save the guild member Little Chubby but first asked Yu Deng: "Do you wish to help them?"
"Hmm? Yes."
Song Shiyu narrowed his eyes slightly, nodded, and cast a spell, pushing the figure back just enough for the two unlucky players to escape.
The enormous old woman finally noticed them, paused, and upon seeing Yu Deng, stopped entirely.
"…Your Highness?" Her voice was hoarse.
Yu Deng anxiously looked up. "Uh… what are you doing?"
"These two little thieves! They took my goods without paying!" The old woman's voice rose in anger.
Yu Deng looked at Ke Qi and Little Chubby in mild disapproval, seeing their faces full of innocence.
The old woman understood that looming over a princess was disrespectful. She gradually shrank back to normal size.
"Your Highness, do you not agree that untrustworthy, ill-behaved little thieves deserve punishment?"
Yu Deng's mind went blank; he didn't know how to respond.
Song Shiyu calmly observed for a few seconds, then stood before Yu Deng: "Allow me to remind you, please avoid speaking to Your Highness with such harsh words."
"Oh, oh, my mistake. Please forgive me, Your Highness." The old woman bowed slightly. "But I still need to punish them."
Little Chubby boldly spoke: "Grandma, we didn't do it on purpose. We know we were wrong!"
Yu Deng glanced around, trying to think. "They already regret it, so let it go. After all, mercy is a virtue."
"But…"
Yu Deng tried to maintain his composed princess demeanor and suddenly had an idea: "If you suffered losses, come to the palace tomorrow. I can compensate you."
After all… he was the little princess; taking a bit of treasure wasn't unreasonable, right?
The old woman, moved by the princess's generosity, finally let the two players go and shuffled away.
The road grew quiet, yet still no guards came to investigate.
Yu Deng looked back at the silent knight and asked proactively: "What happened with you?"
The two players looked at the kingdom's little princess, then glanced at the guild leader.
Grateful for being saved, Little Chubby cooperated with Yu Deng's disguise, responding as if answering an NPC's question: "It's a long story. My companion and I encountered that old lady halfway. She was selling flowers and matches at a street corner, saying unsold flowers would wither, and offered us some."
Ke Qi continued: "Unexpectedly, when we reached for them, she demanded payment—our hearts, or she'd call us thieves. Of course, we couldn't comply, and she became like that just now, chasing us for three streets."
Yu Deng: "?" Why the forced sale? Doesn't the kingdom have market regulations?
"Any other abnormalities?" asked Song Shiyu in his knight's attire, glancing at Little Chubby.
Little Chubby, like a student caught by the teacher: "No, just… very sudden? It was supposed to be peaceful and nice, then suddenly they wanted our lives."
"I understand." Song Shiyu nodded.
After a brief conversation, the two unlucky players prepared to leave. They didn't want to impose on the two big shots and planned to continue their quest. Knowing high-level players were present, they already felt more at ease.
Yu Deng waved at them: "Goodbye."
"Thank you, Your Highness. If needed, we will surely serve you."
The two players left to find a resting spot. Yu Deng also intended for his knight to bring him back.
At that moment, shadows moved in the trees nearby, and a freckled, silver-haired young man jumped down.
His attention was fully on Yu Deng, eyes sparkling as he asked: "Are you… the little princess of Sturt?"
He stared straight at Yu Deng, his gaze no different from a thief seeing jewels.
Yu Deng stepped back, cautiously watching him.
Song Shiyu drew his knightly sword and coldly looked at him. "Who are you?"
"Oh, relax, brother. I'm just passing by," the silver-haired youth said, waving his hand. He glanced at Yu Deng a few more times before vanishing from their sight in an instant.
Yu Deng was completely baffled as he watched the stranger leave, deciding to treat this odd encounter as a minor footnote. Song Shiyu carried him back to the room at the top of the castle.
Yu Deng wasn't sleepy at all. Standing atop the high castle, he looked down over the serene yet secretly dangerous Pond City.
Beneath this land's beautiful, dreamlike exterior, what exactly lay hidden? And that so-called Heart of Dreams—what did it truly signify?
…
Elsewhere.
After disappearing from their sight, the silver-haired youth transformed into a massive silver dragon and soared into the clouds, eventually arriving at the dragon clan's territory.
He flew straight to the entrance of the dragon clan leader's cavern, shouting loudly: "Leader! Leader! Today, I infiltrated the Sturt Kingdom to gather intelligence and saw the little princess of the human kingdom!!"
The silver dragon struggled with his limited vocabulary, trying to describe just how beautiful the little princess was.
"He is unbelievably beautiful. His skin is whiter than snow, his hair long, his eyes like gemstones. He's the most beautiful being I've ever seen!"
The dragon clan leader lay in his true form inside the cavern, scoffing at this. "Is he more beautiful than my gold and jewels? Don't bother me with this."
The silver dragon shook his head and sighed exaggeratedly.
Well… although dragons tend to have a lustful nature, their leader seemed completely devoid of such traits. Not only had he never been promiscuous, he had never even had a mate… Could it be that their leader… wasn't capable??
The situation for their clan was already grim. Surely even a young dragon with royal blood wouldn't be lost now, right? Concerned, the silver dragon left at the leader's urging.
Inside the enormous cavern…
The dragon clan leader closed his eyes, intending to rest, but couldn't help recalling the reports from his clan members. A strange feeling crept into his mind—a feeling that he would regret it if he didn't go see.
The unfamiliar, peculiar emotion grew stronger and stronger.
Half an hour later, the great dragon flapped his wings and flew out of the cavern, his destination clear: the human kingdom.
He wanted to see for himself… what the little princess of the human kingdom truly looked like.
Just one look—he would see him himself and refused to be bewitched like the other clan members had been.
T/N: I didn't mean to stop updating. I got pissed off when WebNovel wouldn't allow me to upload another story that I had translated, so I got mad and stopped opening the app. Eventually, I forgot to update this story because it has so many chapters, and the chapters themselves are long asf, lol. I also got lazy, especially since I'm still reading a lot of ongoing novels that I haven't even gotten halfway through yet. For example, Got Dropped into a Ghost Story, Gotta Still Work.