Chapter: 1. Taking the Bait (4K)
In the early morning, the chirping of birds outside the window was clear and crisp. Xue Fei opened her sleepy eyes, still hazy, and recalled the wonderful dream from last night.
In the dream, there were slimes bumping into her from behind, super soft. They were probably a rare breed that had long inhabited the mountains. Turning around, she took a bite of something sweet, with a perfect texture that was both soft and firm.
Slimes could certainly be deemed one of the most interesting creatures in the world.
When she woke up, the slimes were gone.
This did not give Xue Fei time to feel regret.
Because she found that in the reality after waking up, what she was tightly holding in her hand was something much more radiant with hope than a slime!
Squeeze~
“Ah…!”
“Hmm?!”
Could a slime ever make such a sound? It couldn’t, right?!
With that, Xiya couldn’t continue sleeping.
She struggled to open her eyes and looked at Xue Fei in front of her, but the little cutie had already retracted her guilty hands in time, flipped over, and turned her back to the light, not wanting to engage.
But how could such poor acting fool the perceptive Hero of the Kingdom?
“Hmm… It seems someone played a prank on sister this morning?”
“Nonsense, what does this have to do with sister? That was the slime.”
“Xue Fei…? What did you just say about a slime…?”
“Mmmph!”
How despicable! Using such a method of gentle persuasion to lure me into confessing the truth!
Actually, there was no persuasion~ it was just that Miss Xue Fei did not bother to hide her misdeeds.
Even after being caught, she turned around, savoring the sweet taste of the morning slime before finally stopping.
No act of mischief goes unpunished, and no slime goes untouched.
Xue Fei’s lips were indeed retaliated against, and being on flat ground provided no immunity. Xiya had already mastered a superb strategy to conquer the plains.
Seeing how this situation was about to turn from playful teasing to a real fight, Xue Fei began to panic!
Oh no… You can’t touch slimes!! Playing with fire is dangerous, and today Xiya did not offer a “ceasefire agreement”!
As Xiya’s beautiful blue eyes were about to sparkle with little hearts, Xue Fei raised her hands in claw shape, showing her little tiger teeth and let out a “ha” to mimic a feline’s scary look to frighten off the enemy.
Unfortunately, Xiya was not impressed by this tactic; it would only make her more excited. Give her a few more seconds and she would strip Xue Fei of all her clothes.
Ahhh! Such a beautiful morning shouldn’t be spent on this kind of matter…!! Can’t we wait for the night to fall!
With Xiya about to crush her under her soft body, Xue Fei closed her eyes and prayed in her heart.
—Anyone can come and save me quickly!
“Xue Fei, give it up… No one is coming. If you want to blame someone, blame your fear of the dark for insisting on sharing a bed with sister. You’ve tolerated it for a whole night; how can you…”
“Ahhhh, Xiya Let!! Miss Shaya!! This is bad… This is bad!! Huh… I’m exhausted! Are you at home? If not, I’ll come back and ask again! But this is really bad!”
What a pleasant voice, and with such a silly way of speaking…
It was Livra!
Oh no, who said no one would come to the rescue?
Xue Fei immediately showed a smug smile, and Xiya pouted, looking as cute as a little hamster.
Yes, Xue Fei had temporarily escaped disaster.
But during Livra’s loud calls outside the mansion, Xue Fei was still being pounced on and kissed wildly by Xiya, which was something Livra had no idea about.
Don’t be so smug, or the next scene will be quite tragic.
…………………………………..
“Oh dear? Miss Shaya, what’s wrong? You look worn out. Did you stay up late? Uh… Xiya Let, you seem a bit unhappy… which is kind of scary…”
“I didn’t stay up late, but it’s worse than that. You’re still young; you wouldn’t understand.”
“Ugh… but I’m clearly older than Miss Shaya!”
“Don’t mess around; physical age and mental age are two different things. Don’t argue.”
Let alone the actual age that I’m lying about, in terms of physical age, I’m not younger than you, it’s a complete crushing victory.
Xiya usually respected Princess Livra, but today she was sulking, her unmatched little face showing no sign of welcoming her, more like saying she had come at a rather inconvenient time.
Even if she was unhappy, the royal family couldn’t just ignore her.
“So… Princess Livra, you came all the way here to my suburban mansion early in the morning for a specific reason? I should have told you that this area is sealed underground with the Demon Princess Xue Fei, which is very dangerous. It’s not wise to come close unless it’s something particularly important, for everyone’s convenience and your safety.”
“I feel that Xiya Let has suddenly become more talkative today… Ah! Speaking of which, I remember I hurried over to inform both of you about something quite unpleasant!”
Livra was indeed a bit clueless.
Nervous on the way here.
Chatting in the living room turned playful.
Now remembering her purpose for coming, she was nervous again.
Is your brain divided into layers, and which mode to switch to depends on luck?!
Miss Shaya, who had shifted into black-haired mode, was absent-minded, batting at a fluffy toy beside her chair, trying to regain the familiar texture.
Xiya was listening intently to the news Livra brought, after all, Princess Livra was a member of the royal family, and coming in such a hurry meant she must have something significant to say.
Livra swept her ebony hair behind her, took a deep breath to alleviate her fatigue from rushing over, and slowly opened her emerald eyes to recount what she had heard this morning.
“This dawn, Prime Minister Philex hurried to Kom Castle to meet Father King, claiming there was an important proposal to present to Father. I was taking a stroll in the castle and happened to overhear the entire process outside the council chamber.”
“Philex again…? Uh… By the way, Your Highness, what were you doing running around the castle so early in the morning?”
“First, let me clarify that I am absolutely not looking for an opportunity to sneak out for fun! I was genuinely taking a stroll!”
“……”
Forget it; there’s nothing to say to a princess who always confesses without being prompted.
The key point is, it’s Philex again…
Hearing this name, Xiya couldn’t help but frown. Last time he broke two of his front teeth, and he’s still so reckless?
“Yes, because this matter concerns the Demon Princess again, so I thought it’d be better if I explained it to you two first.”
Hmm?
Miss Shaya stopped batting her fluffy toy and perked her ears, turning around to sit properly facing Livra.
This concerns the Demon Princess Xue Fei? I definitely need to hear this!
So, Livra began to recount what she had observed and heard that morning.
“That dog of the Church State, Philex… Coming over at dawn never bodes well, and just as I guessed! He said that the major merchants among the kingdom’s populace have a joint proposal that requires him to present it. The specific content is actually a request for the witch Xue Fei to participate in next week’s gladiatorial arena competition!”
“Absurd.” Xiya frowned tightly, looking dismissively at this statement. “Xue Fei Halder is such a lovely… ahem, such a detestable and terrifying existence. Keeping her sealed here has already exhausted our efforts, and now to let her out to participate in a gladiatorial arena competition? Only someone who doesn’t want to live would come up with such an outrageous proposal.”
“Right, right…! I thought this was absurd too! The gladiatorial arena competitions are fundamentally entertainment and commercial events. How could they involve a dangerous character that concerns the country’s survival in the mix to grab attention?”
The gladiatorial arena competitions were investments initiated by major merchants from across the nation, seeking powerful participants.
The stronger the competitors, the hotter the competition would become.
With the gimmick of “powerful competitors participating,” who would worry about having no audience? Who would worry about not earning gold?
For example, in the last match, the high-level race, the Fire Dragon Clan, was a prime example. Who knew where the organizers found such a heavyweight contestant? Because of that, the audience and venue profits for the last match had doubled.
Livra was recalling the morning’s events in detail as she spoke.
“Merchants pursue profit… They don’t consider political factors. They believe that among all the strongest in the kingdom available now, the most sensational one is undoubtedly the imprisoned Demon Princess. If they can, under controllable conditions, let her out to complete a battle, I’m afraid the entire capital city will flock to the gladiatorial arena to watch. This is what Philex conveyed in the merchants’ proposal.”
“Utterly ridiculous. To put it bluntly, the earliest issue stems from merchants conducting business in the Demon Territory without any principled bottom line, which severely tarnished the impression of humans in the eyes of demons, ultimately inciting war. If they have no absolute bottom line for profit… then they deserve to die!”
Bang!
“Xiya Let…?”
“Sorry.”
Unintentionally, Xiya’s fist struck firmly down on the hard stone table corner.
It left cracks in the sturdy table.
Great, Xue Fei thought, this simple table now has decorations; without spending money on renovations, Xiya, you really are a genius!
Xiya knew why she was angry.
Because this matter had touched her bottom line and her sore spot.
Her sore point was Xue Fei.
Recommending Xue Fei to participate in the competition within a controllable range, to generate hype and profit from ticket sales…? Wasn’t that treating her like a tool for making money?
Even Xiya, with her gentle personality, felt like she would love to smash the head of whoever proposed such an idea!
And at this moment, Xiya did not notice…
—That poor Xue Fei beside her was sparkling with anticipation in her eyes…!
Xiya, after tidying her emotions, turned back to Livra and continued speaking.
“Your Highness, the Aulus Kingdom has never been swayed by merchants. I believe such a proposal is not worth considering by His Majesty the King. He must understand the weighing of risks and benefits involved in this.”
“Yeah… I know Father will definitely make a judgment. But the problem is… Philex said this isn’t just a proposal from the merchants of the Aulus Kingdom, but also a common initiative from the commercial circles of the Corea Church State. That’s the reason I rushed over today…”
“Tsk.”
Hearing the words “Church State,” Xiya couldn’t help but click her tongue, inwardly cursing Philex as a lingering old dog.
He always brings the Church State behind him into play to force the King into a compromise. Such a scheming and despicable nature.
Wait a minute…
Aulus Kingdom… and the joint proposal from the Corea Church State merchants?
After regaining her senses from the anger, Xiya thoughtfully pondered.
—This is impossible.
“Although merchants from the kingdom and Church State often communicate and cooperate… but to jointly propose something to the King, that’s something that hasn’t happened since the division of the human kingdoms hundreds of years ago. Even if they do cooperate, how could they reach a consensus in such a short time…?”
“Xiya Let indeed has a sharp mind. This can only prove that someone is bridging the gap, cunningly scheming behind the scenes. I believe that only one person can freely maneuver within both the kingdom and Church State’s commercial circles.”
“Is it Philex himself…?”
“Yes, this is undoubtedly his self-directed farce. He claims it’s a merchant’s proposal, but in reality, he is the one instigating ‘the merchants to propose it.’ The one who truly wishes for the participation of the Demon Princess in the competition is not the merchants but Philex. No… it should be said, it’s the Corea Church State behind Philex, it’s the Pope.”
“Princess Livra has analyzed this quite thoroughly…”
“You flatter me.”
Miss Shaya hugged her fluffy toy, her eyelids twitching, feeling speechless.
Wow… the two silly ones are actually praising each other for being smart; this is really a rare sight!
But their analysis wasn’t wrong.
Clearly, it was the rulers who would make the decision in this matter.
Merchants, even if pursuing profit, wouldn’t dare to gamble away national security without approval from the upper levels, let alone directly presenting a proposal to the King. Merchants also value their lives.
So Miss Shaya snapped her fingers, casually speculating.
“So the old Pope’s purpose in wanting Xue Fei Halder to participate in the gladiatorial arena competition might just be to hope she shows up, since this witch has been imprisoned ever since being captured by the kingdom~ The Pope must be feeling unsettled.”
“Shaya, did you figure something out?” Xiya trusted her little clever girl immensely. “Letting Xue Fei appear, and then what? What other plans does the Pope have?”
“How would I know! Do you think I’m an intelligence agency? Hehe… But you, Xiya, why are you so excited about that witch Xue Fei? Could it be, dear sister Xiya, that you have some unspeakable relationship with that Xue Fei?”
“Hah…?! Don’t talk nonsense! T-That… that, Your Highness is here, we can’t speak carelessly about these things!”
“Hahaha, it’s fine, it’s fine~” Livra laughed happily, waving her hands. “Haha, Miss Shaya is really funny! Actually saying that our kingdom’s Hero and the Demon Princess secretly… Hahahahaha! This is the funniest joke I’ve heard this year! Miss Shaya, you’re a genius!”
“Right? I think I’m super smart!”
Livra stood up and high-fived Shaya, indicating their mutual understanding.
Then the two continued laughing at themselves and returned to their seats.
Only Xiya in the middle had her brows twitching…
She dared not say what she wanted to say.
After Livra sat down, she sighed gently, her silly demeanor holding a bit of the concerns of a national princess.
“Every time it involves the Church State, my father gets a headache… and now, it’s the same thing again. I really don’t know when this passive situation will come to an end. Oh right, Philex also mentioned that the long-standing conflict between humans and demons has severely dampened human morale due to years of defeats. He believes if we can restrain the power of the Demon Princess to the minimum and let the kingdom’s strong fighters defeat her in the gladiatorial arena, it will surely invigorate the citizens. I find this reasoning utterly ridiculous… if we really treat the Demon Princess like this, the Demon Territory might retaliate at any moment, right…?”
“It’s just part of the Church’s plan. They still hope to reignite localized conflicts between the Demon Territory and the Aulus Kingdom within a controllable scope, so they can continue supplying resources to the kingdom and thereby achieve the effect of controlling the kingdom, profiting from it.”
“So, I’m truly worried…”
“It doesn’t matter; just refuse it. After all, the decision-making authority of this matter remains with your father. You should also clarify the pros and cons with him. Once you compromise with the Church, there will be a first time, and there will be a second. It can’t go on endlessly; when it’s time to cut, just cut.”
“I understand… Thank you, Xiya Let. With your words, my thoughts are much clearer now.”
“You’re exaggerating, Your Highness. The future of the kingdom needs you to bear it.”
“Ah… I am still far from that! I will learn from you and Miss Shaya gradually!”
“Shaya?”
Hearing this, Xiya suddenly realized that Xue Fei had been unusually quiet today.
If it were usually the case, when it concerned her, wouldn’t she be chattering endlessly?
Shaya propped her chin with one hand, pondering, and when she noticed the sudden silence, she turned around only to find both of them looking at her.
“What are you looking at me for?”
“Uh… No, mainly we wanted to hear if you had any opinions. Normally, you see problems most clearly… right?”
“Do you want me to speak? Then I certainly will!”
Shaya jumped down from her chair.
She raised the fluffy toy in her hand high, looking like a little military advisor.
“My suggestion is to play along and go for the competition! Just let that witch Xue Fei participate in the arena fights!”
“‘Eh?!!!’”
