Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At the night market, Lu Bingcheng was dressed as a scholar, which softened the fierce, bandit-like aura he usually carried.

We chatted as we walked. He stayed close, thoughtfully keeping me separated from the crowd with a gentle, attentive demeanor.

Hongxiao’s inner voice, however, was so loud it made my head throb.

-[A man’s mouth is a lying ghost. He’s acting all devoted now, but in the future, when he kills the Princess, he won’t even blink.]

-[No way, seriously? You’re a dignified Princess; you’re not actually going to be bought over by such cheap little tricks, are you?]

I looked at the sugar figurine Lu Bingcheng had bought for me. I wanted to take a bite, but my mouth snapped shut.

Hongxiao immediately spoke up. “Princess, please let your servant test the food from outside for you first.”

I handed the sugar figurine to Hongxiao.

Hongxiao took one bite, then another, before reluctantly pulling her mouth away. Clutching her throat, she said, “Princess, this sugar… it’s harsh on the throat…”

-[Hahaha! Let’s see how Lu the Scum tries to please the Princess now. Blehh!]

-[Though, this sugar is actually pretty tasty. I’ll have to sneak out and buy some for myself next time.]

Me: “…”

Lu Bingcheng was quick to apologize. “It is my fault. I forgot that such coarse things should not enter the mouth of a noble person.”

He apologized humbly, maintaining an excellent grace.

For the rest of the walk, he no longer gave me the food he bought. Instead, he had it wrapped and placed in a bag, buying me various little trinkets instead.

Hongxiao gave Lu Bingcheng a subtle eye-roll.

-[Trying to win the Princess over like this? Heh, naive. I’ll find a way to throw all this junk away once we get back.]

Before long, Lu Bingcheng stopped in front of an orphanage.

The people at the orphanage were delighted to see him and opened the gates with smiles. “Young Master, how did you find the time to visit today? The children were just talking about you.”

The children were indeed familiar with Lu Bingcheng. They swarmed around him, reaching out their hands to ask for treats.

Lu Bingcheng handed out the food. He then picked up a little girl who was wailing because she couldn’t grab anything and pulled a paper-wrapped package of maltose from his robe to coax her.

The little girl stopped crying and smiled, thanking Lu Bingcheng softly before eating it carefully.

Lu Bingcheng said, “I hope Her Highness does not find it laughable, but I grew up in an orphanage myself. Later, I joined the army and was favored by His Majesty to become the Commander of the Imperial Guard. I often come back here for a look; it feels like coming home.”

It was a particularly touching scene.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring myself to be moved. I was focusing all my attention on pricking up my ears to hear what Hongxiao was saying.

-[Oho, look at that. Nine out of ten male leads are from orphanages, and the tenth one is carrying a blood feud. This only works on innocent little girls like the Princess. I’ve been killing fish at RT-Mart for ten years-my heart is as cold as my blade.]

-[First, he talks about how pitiful he is to gain a girl’s sympathy, then he shows his love for children to display his kindness. The girl will think, ‘Wow, what a kind and responsible man.’ In reality, he’s just a high-end phoenix man.]

-[He uses the Princess to reach a high position, then works from the inside to seize the throne. Finally, he kills his own biological father to become Emperor himself. He’ll kill the Princess with his own hands while claiming she was the love of his life. While ruling over ten thousand miles of territory with a harem of three thousand, he’ll still maintain his ‘deeply devoted’ persona and play out some ‘Wanwan is just like you’ drama. Ptooey!]

-[He ends up having over sixty children in his life. A literal human breeding machine. To think the history books recorded such a rotten cucumber as ‘devoted’-those people must have been blind.]

What was an RT-Mart?

What was a phoenix man?

Who was Wanwan?

I could roughly guess what a ‘human breeding machine’ meant.

Over sixty children in a lifetime? Impressive, truly impressive.

Unlike my Imperial Father, who only had seven children.

He even kills his own biological father? How ruthless!

My head was full of terms I didn’t understand, but I grasped one core meaning: this man was ambitious. If he could not be used by me, he must be eliminated.

“Princess, what is the matter?” Lu Bingcheng asked, his eyes calm.

I looked deeply at him, then lowered my gaze to reveal a shy smile. I said softly, “I did not expect that despite your high position, you would not hide your humble beginnings. People like you are rare in this world, Commander. I am truly pleased.”

Lu Bingcheng smiled elegantly. “Your Highness overpraises me. It is only what I should do.”

Hongxiao’s eyes went dull.

-[Princess, you’re blind too!]

Me: “…”

My fists tightened even more!