That night, when it was time for bed.

Although Jiang Zheyu had comforted Xiao Luo and put on a brave, calm face, she couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. With so much on her mind, she found it hard to fall asleep.

It was like being told an assassin was on their way to kill you—how could anyone sleep through that?

’They didn’t name names, but it could still be me.’

She had noticed the increased number of Beastman guards stationed outside the palace.

Even the entire residential palace was now covered by a transparent protective shield, designed to sound an alarm if any object got too close.

’But in the novel, the female lead still got captured despite this level of protection.’

’The Imperial Army stationed in the Imperial City really needs to step up its game!’

’These Star Thieves are audacious enough to come all the way to the Imperial City.’

Jiang Zheyu drifted in and out of sleep with these thoughts running through her mind. She had left her French doors slightly ajar, mainly so she could hear any unusual sounds.

In her drowsy state, she even had a moment to think, ’At least the Little Princess of the Empire isn’t going crazy tonight.’

One of the French doors slid open silently, as if by an unseen hand. In the moonlight, a flash of silver threads was visible; it was these threads that had pulled the door open.

Once the door was open, a midnight breeze gusted in, billowing the long curtains with a hollow WHOOSH. Petals from red roses began to drift in from the darkness outside, one after another.

The beautiful red rose petals drifted from the balcony all the way to her bed.

The scent of roses seemed to fill the air, and a single petal landed on Jiang Zheyu’s face.

In truth, Jiang Zheyu had been fully awake the moment the door opened, but she feigned deep sleep.

So, when the petal landed on her face, she didn’t move a muscle, as if she were dead to the world.

Smelling the fragrance of the roses, Jiang Zheyu guessed who the first kidnapper would be.

’Gu Yao. That wicked, mischievous bastard. This flamboyant method must be his way of luring people out.’

’The female lead in the story was woken up by a petal falling on her face. She followed the trail of petals out to the balcony and fainted before she could even react.’

’In any case, when she woke up again, she was already somewhere else.’

Jiang Zheyu silently used her Spiritual Ability to probe her surroundings, but her spiritual power detected no one in her room.

She stealthily extended her spiritual power further, but she didn’t detect any Beastman presence in the hallway or on the balcony either.

A large question mark seemed to form over Jiang Zheyu’s head.

The next second, Jiang Zheyu heard the urgent, piercing sound of an alarm.

The protective shield outside the palace had finally done its job; the alarm had finally sounded.

The guards of the Imperial Army had discovered the Star Thief’s intrusion.

In an instant, they converged around the residential palace.

The night sky was dotted with stars, and a Hovercar was parked in mid-air above.

Leaning against the door of the Hovercar stood a figure. He wore a dark red top emblazoned with a grotesquely smiling skull, paired with stylish, loose-fitting black pants adorned with chains. A wide silver necklace rested perfectly on his handsome collarbones, and a red rose was tattooed on his neck.

His features were somewhere between those of a boy and a young man—handsome, yet with a wicked, boyish air. A row of studs lined his brow bone, another was pierced through his philtrum, and his right ear was filled with a row of studs. A cross dangled from his left ear.

His choppy red hair was tossed about wildly by the currents in the air.

Gu Yao held an unconscious Yan Luo with one arm as he leaned against the Hovercar’s door.

"Release the female now!" one of the Imperial Army guards shouted through a megaphone, his tone righteous and cold. "Or don’t blame us for what happens next!"

Inside her room, Jiang Zheyu heard the Imperial Army’s amplified voice and instantly understood. She wasn’t the one chosen tonight.

She let out a silent sigh of relief and scrambled out of bed. Her eyes fell on the trail of red petals that stretched from the balcony floor all the way to her bedside.

Jiang Zheyu silently padded across the red petals toward the balcony, but she didn’t dare step all the way out. Instead, she peeked out from beside the French doors to watch the situation unfold.

Jiang Zheyu looked up and, just as she’d expected, saw the red-haired, purple-eyed Gu Yao in the sky.

And the person Gu Yao was holding hostage was none other than the female lead, Yan Luo.

’Good,’ she thought. ’Gu Yao kidnapped the female lead, just like in the plot. It’s nice to see a villain who sticks to the script.’

’But why were there rose petals in my room, then? It made me so tense, thinking he was coming to get me.’

"Hey, you Imperial trash, I’ve got my prize," Gu Yao said with a grin. His features were undeniably wild and handsome. As the moonlight fell upon him, the studs on his face and ears seemed to give off a faint silver glint. When he smiled, a single canine tooth was faintly visible. "And now, it’s time for the game to begin."

"Who wants to play games with you? Release the female now," the Guard Captain said, his expression icy.

He shot a meaningful glance at the person beside him.

The Beastman next to him received the signal and prepared to activate a larger containment net.

But Gu Yao paid no mind to what the Guard Captain was saying.

Noticing the Guard Captain’s intent, he gave a wicked smile. He produced a silver laser gun and pressed it to Yan Luo’s head. "Don’t make any sudden moves. When it comes to speed, no one’s faster than me. If you dare to attack, shall we see whose head blossoms first? The female’s, or mine?"

The Guard Captain’s face darkened at his words.

Gu Yao had somehow known what he was about to do and was now threatening him openly.

The Guard Captain saw Gu Yao’s finger resting on the trigger of the laser gun. A gentle press was all it would take for the female’s head to "blossom."

"Wait!" the Guard Captain shouted hastily. "We’ll let you go."

The other Beastman received his captain’s new order and grew visibly frustrated and angry, but he didn’t dare say anything. The female’s safety had to come first.

’This damn Star Thief.’ 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The next second, the gun that had been aimed at Yan Luo suddenly swiveled toward the Guard Captain. Gu Yao fired cleanly. The Beastman guards flinched instinctively, their bodies tensing before they could even process what was happening.

"And so, the game begins!"

As his mischievous voice faded,

the projectile from the laser gun burst in mid-air—not with an explosion, but into a shower of red rose petals.

The Hovercar sped away.

From within the sea of red petals, a slip of paper fluttered down.