"A sui is coming to get me." The Little Princess of the Empire glanced at Jiang Zheyu, her voice filled with bliss. "You must be really envious of me, right?"

Jiang Zheyu: ...

’Where on my face does it look like I’m envious?’

"Your brother and Beast Father don’t force you to purify, and they even let you rest when you’ve purified too much. Plus, you have all those handsome Commanders. So why wouldn’t you be happy?" Jiang Zheyu truly couldn’t understand the Imperial Princess’s train of thought.

Today, she had gone to help purify the Imperial Princess’s Beast Husbands and discovered that every single one of them was incredibly handsome, with eight-pack abs and shoulders as broad as a doorway. Each man was uniquely and exceptionally attractive, and they were all extremely polite once they calmed down.

The glory of an Imperial Princess, inexhaustible financial backing, an entire grand palace to live in, a huge private garden, and a variety of tall, handsome Beast Husbands to choose from at will. What about that wasn’t happy?

’If I’d been born with a starting hand like that, I’d just kick back and enjoy life!’

"You don’t understand. You don’t understand anything at all." The Imperial Princess frowned deeply at Jiang Zheyu’s words. "A sui has shown me so many things I’ve never seen before. The universe is so vast, filled with such breathtaking scenery and lively festivals. And yet, as the Little Princess of the Empire, I’m just trapped in this Imperial Palace, having seen none of it. It was A sui who showed me the galaxy."

Jiang Zheyu watched the Imperial Princess ramble on, determined to argue her point to the very end.

’Forget it. I’d better not say anything else.’

"So the female chosen in this note will definitely be me." As she spoke, the Imperial Princess once again unfolded the note clutched in her palm, a happy, expectant smile spreading across her face.

Jiang Zheyu: ...

’Fine. I desperately hope the person chosen isn’t me, but to think the Imperial Princess is actually hoping *she’s* the one who gets picked... this is just too absurd.’

’But I won’t say any more. As long as they don’t choose me, I’m good.’

After returning to the entrance of the palace, Jiang Zheyu parted ways with the Imperial Princess.

’Spending this time with her, it seems the Imperial Princess isn’t so hard to get along with after all.’

’I guess the novel was biased since it was written from the main character’s perspective.’

Jiang Zheyu returned to her room and lay down to rest, but she found it hard to sleep, her mind on the Lonely Wanderer Star Thief Group coming to kidnap someone.

’Seriously, couldn’t they just state clearly who they want to grab? Why did they have to say they’d take someone at random!’

Su Yan had gone to deal with the Star Thief Beast Slave broadcast, Zexun had gone to the crime scene to investigate the details of the case, and Feng Qi was busy as well.

’None of my Beast Husbands are here, and right at this moment, the Lonely Wanderer Star Thief Group decides to come and grab someone. Why does it feel like they’re coming for me?’

A knock sounded on Jiang Zheyu’s door.

She paused, her heart thumping in her chest. She extended her spiritual power to probe and found that the Beastman outside only had a Spiritual Power Level of A level. Inside the palace, the only one at that level was Xiao Luo.

’It shouldn’t be the Star Thieves.’

Jiang Zheyu opened the door and saw Xiao Luo standing outside. ’What could he possibly want at this hour?’

Xiao Luo was holding a set of clothes and a wig. He looked up at Jiang Zheyu.

"Princess Zheyu, let me disguise myself as you and sleep here. You can pretend to be me and sleep in my room. These clothes are all clean, my room has been disinfected, and the sheets and everything have been freshly changed. That way, you can sleep without worry tonight."

Jiang Zheyu paused, her gaze landing on Xiao Luo’s sincere, reserved pink eyes. She gave a faint smile and shook her head. "There’s no need. I’ll be fine."

’My spiritual power is higher than Xiao Luo’s. If the Star Thieves launch a surprise attack, I can use my spiritual power to control them. But Xiao Luo’s spiritual power is much lower than theirs; he’d be captured instantly.’

’And what if the Star Thieves use their spiritual power to attack and torture his?’ 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Jiang Zheyu didn’t want to let Xiao Luo take such a risk.

Hearing Jiang Zheyu refuse, a worried yet stubborn look appeared in Xiao Luo’s pink eyes. He pleaded earnestly, "Princess Zheyu, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not important. So please, let me take this risk for you."

"Really, there’s no need." Jiang Zheyu was touched, but she still felt it was unnecessary. "I can handle myself. Besides, there’s a protective shield outside and so many Beastman guards on duty. Nothing’s going to happen."

Jiang Zheyu had been worried the Star Thieves would suddenly show up to grab her, but now, seeing how concerned Xiao Luo was, she found herself comforting him before she had even dealt with her own fears.

But tonight, Xiao Luo seemed exceptionally stubborn. The rims of his eyes slowly turned red, and his pink irises began to well up with moisture. His tone was almost a humble plea, "Princess Zheyu, please, I’m begging you."

Seeing his pink eyes glistening with unshed tears, Jiang Zheyu became flustered. "What’s wrong? This is my decision. If there’s danger, I’ll be the one in danger. You won’t be held responsible. If anyone’s to blame, it would be the guards outside. Why are you crying?"

’He’s just a steward, after all.’

Xiao Luo seemed to choke back a sob, his nose turning red. "I’m so worried... so worried about you, Princess Zheyu!"

The adoration in his pink eyes, and the powerlessness he felt at being unable to protect the one he loved, were blurred by his tears.

"I just want to do everything in my power to protect the person I want to protect," Xiao Luo said, looking at her as tears streamed from his reddened eyes.

Jiang Zheyu could see the adoration and love in his eyes clearly now.

Xiao Luo realized Jiang Zheyu was staring at him, stunned.

He lowered his head, abashed, but didn’t leave. With his head still bowed, he stubbornly repeated in a muffled voice, "So, Princess... will you change into these and sleep in my room? Please?"

’Damn it. I’ve fallen for my master. The first rule of a steward is to never fall in love with your master. I’m no longer qualified to be a steward.’

Jiang Zheyu’s feelings grew even more complicated, but she still had no intention of letting Xiao Luo take this risk.

"I’ll tell you a secret. My spiritual power is actually Level 3S, so I’ll have a fighting chance against them. You’re only A level, right? It would be terrible if you got hurt." Jiang Zheyu patted his head and gave a small, resigned smile. "So please don’t worry, okay?"

’It really is true that you find strength when you meet someone weaker than you; you develop the desire to protect them.’

Xiao Luo froze. He recalled how Princess Zheyu had spent the entire day performing soothings without showing any signs of fatigue. Her words were likely true, not just an attempt to comfort him.

"Okay." In the end, Xiao Luo agreed.