It was already nearing midnight, but Yu Deng wasn't feeling particularly sleepy. He stood by the window, quietly gazing at the prosperous yet silent kingdom, organizing the clues in his mind bit by bit.
So far, he had spent a day in this A-rank instance and obtained quite a few clues, but they were all rather scattered.
Let him sort things out... First, there was the background of this instance. This time, it was a magical continent with a fairy-tale-like setting. On the surface, everything was as dreamy and beautiful as the instance's name suggested. At the center of the continent was a kingdom established by humans, while mysterious fantasy races inhabited the lands beyond it.
The fantasy races Yu Deng currently knew of included merfolk, dragons, beastmen, and giants.
However, the several unexpected incidents that had occurred today, along with the rigid hierarchy displayed by the servants, all revealed characteristics that were completely different from the seemingly beautiful world. They were ugly and terrifying, shattering the illusion of perfection entirely.
Then there was the missing Dream Heart, the mutually hostile races, and the special rule that mentioned staying true to one's original intentions... What exactly had happened in this instance? Yu Deng tried hard to think it through, but he still couldn't quite figure it out.
"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?"
Yu Deng snapped out of his tangled thoughts. "It's nothing much."
Song Shiyu concealed the hint of curiosity in his eyes and gently pressed his fingertip against the space between Yu Deng's eyebrows, stating matter-of-factly, "You're frowning. Have you run into trouble?"
Yu Deng answered vaguely, "I was just thinking about what happened earlier. That old lady, and those two young people."
"You seem to care a great deal about these matters, Your Highness." Song Shiyu's eyes were calm and icy, as though he could see through every disguise.
Yu Deng pursed his lips. "Of course! I'm the princess of this place, after all. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to be concerned about these things?"
"Indeed." Song Shiyu seemed to be offering simple reassurance, though his words also carried a subtle, concealed implication.
"Your Highness, you are the princess of this kingdom, and you will be living here for a long time. You can take your time thinking things through. There's no need to rush."
That was true... The instance hadn't explicitly stated how long it would last, so it would probably continue for at least ten days to half a month. There was no need to force himself to piece together every clue on the very first day.
Thinking of this, Yu Deng felt a little more relaxed. Sleepiness immediately washed over him like a rising tide.
Yu Deng slowly left the window and crawled into bed. Turning his head, he instructed Song Shiyu, "I'm going to sleep now. You... you have to stay nearby and keep watch over me, but you can rest, too."
"As you command, Your Highness."
Yu Deng struggled to stay awake for a little while longer before finally drifting off into dreamland.
Song Shiyu didn't immediately leave or rest. He remained beside Yu Deng's bed, watching the sleeping Yu Deng.
The beautiful little princess was completely unguarded, trusting so firmly that her knight would never hurt him.
"Your Highness, you trust me far too much." Song Shiyu bent down, his fingertip settling against Yu Deng's lips as he whispered a reminder. "That's very dangerous."
Yu Deng remained completely unaware. He had been running around the instance all day and was already exhausted. He didn't hear a word Song Shiyu said, only vaguely sensing something against his lips. Finding it uncomfortable, he bit Song Shiyu's fingertip.
"…"
Song Shiyu let the little princess bite him. Several seconds passed before he slowly withdrew his finger. There was a little moisture on his slender finger, and it had already been tinged with a sweet fragrance.
Song Shiyu's heart was beating at a rhythm it had never experienced before. An unfamiliar yet wondrous emotion spread throughout his limbs.
They had only just met for the first time in this instance. He didn't even know the little princess's name, yet he found himself irresistibly drawn to him.
The princess was beautiful and radiant, more alluring than the most gorgeous flower. But it wasn't merely his appearance that had captured Song Shiyu's attention.
Song Shiyu gazed at Yu Deng without blinking, his eyes exceptionally serious, much like the way he looked when studying data.
"However... Your Highness, who exactly are you?"
Were you an unusually friendly NPC, rarely seen in high-level instances, or... a player?
…
The night grew deeper.
The knight quietly stood guard beside the princess's bed, while the little princess remained immersed in his dreams, breathing softly and sleeping obediently.
Outside the castle, the faint sound of the wind drifted through the night.
The dragon who had traveled a long distance concealed his appearance and used magic to shrink his body. Then, he carefully flew in through the window.
The moment he entered, the knight standing guard beside the bed suddenly opened his eyes. His longsword flashed, sweeping out a streak of silver light.
The dragon clicked his tongue softly and dodged the attack with ease. While doing so, he casually cast several spells unique to the dragon race on himself, barely managing to conceal his figure and aura.
The knight narrowed his eyes and scanned the dimly lit room.
The dragon circled around the knight in disgust, suppressing his urge to attack him and shifting his attention to the little princess instead.
Although the room was dimly lit, it did nothing to diminish Yu Deng's beauty. The princess of the Sturitt Kingdom lay quietly with his eyes closed, his raven-black hair and red lips making him breathtakingly beautiful.
In the presence of the little princess, even the gold and silver treasures hidden away in the dragon's lair would probably pale in comparison.
The dragon stared at the princess, his heart pounding uncontrollably. At that moment, the greedy nature of dragonkind was revealed without reservation.
—He wanted to possess him, to plunder him... He would willingly give the little princess every last treasure he owned.
After realizing what he was thinking, the dragon froze for a moment before finding an excuse for himself.
He wasn't bewitched to the point of losing his senses. He merely wanted to abduct the princess of the human kingdom and give the humans a little warning.
It was perfectly reasonable for an evil dragon to kidnap a princess, wasn't it?
The shrunken dragon unconsciously moved closer to the little princess until he eventually touched his hand. Lowering his head, the dragon cautiously licked the princess's palm.
Yu Deng immediately felt a little ticklish. His brows furrowed slightly as he randomly tried to swat away whatever was near his hand. His palm struck the dragon, and with the force of his movement, he slapped the dragon right across the face, sending the shrunken dragon flying backward.
With the dragon no longer licking him, Yu Deng stopped feeling ticklish and soon fell soundly asleep again.
The leader of the dragon race, who had just been slapped: "..."
He steadied himself in midair, his crimson pupils momentarily dazed. Only one thought remained in his mind—
The little princess's hand was so soft and fragrant. Being slapped across the face by him felt wonderful. Unfortunately, dragon scales were so thick and tough that he could barely feel any pain or other sensations. It would have been better if he had been in human form.
He wanted the little princess to slap him across the face one more time.
His twisted, possessive desire reached its peak at that moment.
At the same time, the magic mirror that Yu Deng had casually placed beside his pillow was trembling with rage. It wished it could grow arms and legs so that it could slaughter both males in the room.
The magic mirror turned itself around, and its surface, now facing away from Yu Deng, began to glow.
A blurry shadow appeared in the room. Although its shape didn't resemble a dragon clearly enough to identify it, it was already sufficient to prove that an uninvited guest had entered the little princess's bedroom.
Song Shiyu's sword had already come down, carrying a fierce killing intent.
Yu Deng finally sensed that something was amiss. Still half-asleep, he let out a soft, drowsy hum. "Hmm?"
Every living creature in the room instinctively fell silent.
The dragon dodged the knight's attack and clicked his tongue again. Moving with incredible speed, he secretly left a magical seed on the little princess's bed before flapping his wings and flying out of His Highness's bedroom.
...
The following morning.
When sunlight streamed in through the window, Yu Deng was awakened by a knock at the door. He struggled to open his eyes and saw that his knight was still standing guard beside the bed.
"Song Shiyu, didn't you get any rest last night?"
Song Shiyu bent down and helped Yu Deng sit up. "I did. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
There wasn't the slightest trace of fatigue on Song Shiyu's face. It was completely impossible to tell that he had fought an unidentified creature the previous night and had even conducted another investigation of the castle.
At the doorway, the two male servants who had changed Yu Deng's clothes yesterday were preparing to enter the room to help him change again.
Song Shiyu discreetly blocked the doorway, preventing the two servants from looking at the princess, and asked calmly, "Are you here to help His Highness the Princess change?"
The knight's status was clearly higher than that of the servants. The two male servants keenly sensed his displeasure and anxiously bowed their heads.
"Yes. We are the male servants selected by Head Maid Kana for His Highness the Princess. We are responsible for helping His Highness change clothes."
Song Shiyu scrutinized them. "You are not needed here. I will help His Highness the Princess change. You may leave now."
The male servants naturally didn't dare disobey the knight's orders. Seeing that Yu Deng tacitly approved of what the knight had said, they quickly left the room.
Yu Deng was still a little sleepy and looked bewildered as the two servants entered and then left. "Hmm? Why did they leave?"
"They have other matters to attend to." Song Shiyu casually made up an excuse without batting an eye. "Please allow me to help you change instead."
Yu Deng responded in a daze, "Oh, is that so? Okay."
Although this was also Song Shiyu's first time helping someone put on a dress, his learning ability was excellent. After figuring out how the dress was constructed, he smoothly helped the little princess change into an elaborate, gorgeous gown.
That little golden bird flew in right on schedule, intending to help Yu Deng put on his crown. However, Yu Deng declined the bird's kind offer and took out the dazzling Vampire Clan crown instead.
This one was much lighter than the princess's crown!
The little bird dejectedly perched beside Yu Deng's hand, sadly chirping, "Tweet, tweet." Yu Deng glanced at it, then handed the Vampire Clan crown to the bird, letting it help him put it on.
The little bird immediately cheered up again.
After putting on the crown, Yu Deng asked softly, "Why do you put a crown on me every day?"
The little bird flapped its wings and gestured several times, trying to explain it to Yu Deng. Unfortunately, Yu Deng couldn't understand. With their communication attempt ending in failure, the little bird flew away regretfully.
Today's breakfast was no different from yesterday's, and no unexpected incidents occurred. However, after breakfast, the head maid and the royal guards approached Yu Deng and reminded him of something.
"Your Highness, today is the day you make your royal tour of the city."
Yu Deng was utterly confused. "A tour of the city?"
"Yes. This is a requirement set by His Majesty the King." The captain of the guards spoke respectfully. "You are the princess of the Sturitt Kingdom, representing holy light and glory. Whenever you pass through the streets of the kingdom, you bring wonderful blessings to the people."
How exaggerated... These NPCs really never repeated the same compliment whenever they praised him.
Yu Deng felt a little embarrassed by all the praise, but he did his best to act like a spoiled princess who was accustomed to such treatment. "All right, then. I'll go on the royal tour."
[Ding! Player Yu Deng has triggered a scene quest: Royal Tour.]
As soon as he agreed, a squad of guards immediately followed at a short distance behind him. The most ferocious black horse in the entire Sturitt Kingdom came running over, docilely lowering its neck to let Yu Deng climb onto its back. As a knight, Song Shiyu naturally had to accompany him as well.
Yu Deng struggled a little before finally managing to mount the horse. In a somewhat bewildered state, he began his royal tour of the city.
The tour itself wasn't complicated. It was exactly what the name suggested: Yu Deng only needed to ride through designated areas and occasionally interact with the citizens.
Quite a few citizens came out to welcome him along the way, or simply stood watching him pass. Yu Deng kept his back straight throughout the journey, doing his best to maintain the princess's calm and composed demeanor.
Amid the citizens' enthusiastic gazes, Yu Deng left the first bustling street behind. The black horse carrying him suddenly broke into a gallop, leaving the guards far behind as it charged onto a new road.
The horse's hooves clattered against the stone pavement. As Yu Deng looked ahead, he spotted a vendor setting up a stall by the roadside.
The moment Yu Deng appeared on this road, the vendor stood up.
This was strange. At this hour, hardly anyone passed through this street, making the presence of a vendor here rather suspicious... It was almost as if he had been waiting specifically for Yu Deng.
Yu Deng tightened his grip on the reins behind the black horse's neck and warily watched the vendor.
The man was tall and muscular, with a healthy wheat-colored complexion and exceptionally handsome features. Both his pupils and hair were black with a reddish tint, and he wore a broad-brimmed hat on his head.
"Your Highness the Princess."
As Yu Deng passed by the vendor, the man took the initiative to address the little princess who was making his royal tour.
Yu Deng asked nervously, "What is it?"
The man hesitated for a moment before coming up with an excuse. "Oh, Your Highness the Princess, here's the situation. My business has been going terribly, and I haven't sold a single item. Would you be willing to take some of my merchandise off my hands?"
Yu Deng: "?"
Setting up a stall in such a remote place and failing to sell anything was perfectly normal, wasn't it?!
Remembering the unexpected incident that had happened to Xiao Pang and the others last night, Yu Deng was extremely wary of what seemed like an attempt to force someone into buying something.
The little princess reluctantly refused. "But I don't feel like buying anything right now."
The man's expression immediately turned extremely disappointed, as though he couldn't understand why the little princess wouldn't entertain him. His fellow dragons who lived among humans had clearly told him that humans weren't as fond of fighting over things as dragons were. Instead, they enjoyed engaging in trade.
Unwilling to lose his chance to speak with the little princess, the man simply lifted his entire stall and held it in front of Yu Deng. "Please, have a look."
Yu Deng stared at him for several seconds, feeling as though he were looking at a stray dog begging for a meaty bone. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded. "All right... I'll take a look."
Yu Deng examined the assortment of strange and unusual objects on the stall. His gaze eventually settled on a small black wooden dragon sculpture, the most intricately crafted item there. He studied it for a few seconds and decided that the little ornament was quite pretty.
The slow-witted little princess simply wasn't perceptive enough. He hadn't realized that finding an object depicting another race in a human kingdom was highly suspicious.
Song Shiyu, on the other hand, seemed thoughtful, but he didn't immediately intervene to stop what was happening.
Seeing that Yu Deng's attention was entirely focused on the wooden dragon sculpture, the man's spirits soared. He barely managed to suppress the urge to sprout a dragon's tail and wag it excitedly.
"Your Highness the Princess, do you like this one?"
Yu Deng pondered for a moment. "I suppose I do."
Remembering the principle that one had to pay when buying things, Yu Deng took a piece of silver from his knight. He extended his hand toward the vendor, the silver coin resting in his palm.
"Would this be enough to buy it?"
The man reached out and picked up the silver coin from Yu Deng's palm, but he didn't immediately let go. His large hand enclosed the little princess's fair, delicate hand. After gently rubbing it for several seconds, he finally released him.
"Of course, that's more than enough." The man didn't even bother looking at the silver coin before casually tossing it into his pocket.
Yu Deng waited for a few seconds. When nothing dangerous happened, he prepared to continue his royal tour. Seeing that Yu Deng was about to turn and leave, the man grew anxious.
"Your Highness the Princess, please wait a moment. The currency you gave me is worth more than this wooden sculpture."
"Hmm?" Yu Deng turned his head. He was just about to tell the vendor that he didn't need any change when he saw the man take something out of his pocket...
A whole pile of gold coins?!
Yu Deng stared at him blankly, feeling as though question marks were popping up above his head. "Huh?"
"Beautiful Princess, thank you for your kindness, but I'm a man of principle." The man stood up and stuffed the pile of gold coins into Yu Deng's arms. "This is the excess amount you paid."
Yu Deng genuinely couldn't make sense of the situation. He looked down at the heavy pile of gold in his arms, then back at the vendor who had supposedly been doing terribly in business. His eyes were filled with confusion.
Was this really how buying things was supposed to work?!
Song Shiyu understood the vendor's little trick to curry favor with the princess. Gripping the hilt of his knight's sword, he stepped forward and positioned himself in front of Yu Deng, suppressing the inexplicable anger rising within him.
"Sir, please refrain from interfering with His Highness the Princess's royal tour," Song Shiyu warned him.
The vendor had absolutely no patience for anyone other than the princess. Recognizing the irritating knight, a cold, reddish glint flashed through his pupils.
"So..." Yu Deng watched the man for a while before asking hesitantly to confirm, "You... want to give all of this to me?"
The man nodded without hesitation, gazing intently at the delicate and beautiful little princess. "Yes. It's all yours."
—Dragons, who were greedy and obsessed with wealth, always became exceptionally generous when it came to the person they loved. They would never hesitate to use their treasures to win that person's favor.
...No, no. It wasn't as though he had lost his mind over the princess, nor could it be said that he was trying to curry favor with him. He merely wanted to use his treasures to establish a good relationship with the little princess.
That way, when the time came to abduct him, the little princess probably wouldn't be quite so angry, right?
The man hastily came up with another excuse to cover up his true intentions. While doing so, he took out another dazzling gemstone and placed it in Yu Deng's arms.
The whole situation had developed so absurdly that Yu Deng had somehow ended up receiving a huge pile of treasures simply by purchasing an item. His entire mind felt a little dizzy.
Song Shiyu placed a hand on Yu Deng's shoulder and reminded him, "Your Highness the Princess, it's time to continue."
"Oh..."
The black horse snorted, eager to carry the princess away. Watching the little princess's retreating figure, along with that irritating knight, the man blurted out almost involuntarily.
"Your Highness the Princess, would you like a new knight? I'm strong and healthy. I can protect you."
As he spoke, the man recalled the feeling of being slapped by the little princess the previous night and added, "You can hit me, too, if you want. I'll do anything for you."
T/N: I'll try my best to update more often, but I'm not making any promises. 🤡