"Lan'er, my imperial mother still refuses to see me. I know she must blame me for being so useless. His Majesty still ignores me to this day, and she must be so heartbroken. Lan'er, I must be truly terrible, right? That's why neither my imperial father nor my imperial mother can bear to look at me?"
There was an unprecedented self-doubt in his tone, causing Yue Anlan to frown deeply.
"It's not like that. Brother Bao is the smartest demon I've ever seen. You were just self-destructive before. Haven't your cultivation and spiritual power surged forward by leaps and bounds these past two months, breaking through twelve hundred points? Even among the Demon Clan, this speed is nothing short of monstrous. Believe in yourself!"
"Then why does Imperial Father still refuse to look at me more often?"
Yue Anlan: "........"
Anlan didn't know how to comfort him with these words. In truth, she couldn't read Fengxiu either. To say he didn't care about Abao—yet upon their first meeting, he had stood up for Abao. Later on, she had also heard that this matter was actually quite troublesome, especially since among the dead children was the only son of a Heaven-Defying Magic Dragon Clan prince, but Fengxiu had taken responsibility for all of it.
And yet, if he did care, the days Abao actually got to see Fengxiu over the years could be counted on one's fingers.
"It's fine, Brother Bao. What is rightfully yours can never be snatched away. Only the weak question their environment, while the strong are the ones who shape it. As long as Brother Bao can become outstanding to a certain degree, even His Majesty, cold as he is, will surely notice Brother Bao."
"Right, as long as I can become the Demon Prince, Imperial Father won't be able to ignore me, nor can he ignore Mother."
A flash of dark light swept through Abao's eyes.
It was also at this moment that, snapping out of his daze, he realized he was pressing so closely against the one he loved that their breaths were almost intertwined.
Abao could even catch the faint fragrance coming from Lan'er, and all at once, his face turned thoroughly red.
Even with the darkness serving as a barrier, who were the two of them? Both were demons with exceptionally sharp vision, so Abao's odd behavior could not possibly be hidden from Anlan.
"Brother Bao, what's wrong? Why is your face so red?"
"N-nothing."
Reluctant to pull away from Anlan, Abao simply lowered his gaze slightly, concealing the burning heat in his eyes as his greedy gaze swept over every inch of her body, his mind beginning to involuntarily trace her beauty.
Seeming to sense a hint of abnormality, Anlan put some distance between them.
"As long as you're fine. Then Brother Bao, get some good rest tonight. Don't let your mind wander; focusing on yourself is the best course of action right now. As for His Majesty, Brother Bao should just act as if you know nothing about it, so as not to incur his displeasure!"
"I know. Is Lan'er leaving now?"
"That's right, it's getting late. Brother Bao, goodbye!"
"Mm, goodbye~"
Taking advantage of the fact that Anlan didn't have eyes on the back of her head, Abao recklessly extended his right hand, tracing Anlan's retreating figure in the empty air, his burning possessiveness fully on display.
*Lan'er, you are so kind. I want nothing more than to pull you into my arms like this, holding you close, melting you into my very bones and blood so we are inseparable. You must feel the same way too, right?*
As Abao thought this, his blood surged and boiled throughout his body. Yet Anlan knew nothing of all this, and simply turned and left like someone with nothing on her mind.
When Anlan's figure finally melted completely into the darkness, a young man dressed in white with a blindfold over his eyes appeared in a corner of Abao's bedchamber.
It was Mendi, who had taken in every bit of what the two of them had just done.
He could only offer a bitter smile. He had merely been worried about Anlan going out so late and feared something might happen, so he had followed her—only to end up seeing her come to Abao's residence.
"Do you really care about Prince Abao that much?"
And what about me?
If I were to vanish from your sight for a week, would you worry about me like this?
Such a thought suddenly popped into his mind, refusing to be shaken off no matter what, making his heart give a painful tug.
He didn't know why he felt this way, only that there was a slight discomfort right around his heart.
The exquisitely beautiful youth stroked his chest, then brushed the gauze over his eyes, but ultimately did not linger long before turning to leave.
Leaving behind only an almost imperceptible sigh that vanished into the air.
The next day, Abao's appearance as usual made everyone heave a sigh of relief.
Brother Bao, as long as you're all right!
Yet Yueye discovered much more beneath the surface—and that was that Prince Abao's gaze toward Yue Anlan had completely changed.
Previously, he had still taken care to suppress his emotions, but today that pair of eyes couldn't hold anyone else; every single glance fixed upon Yue Anlan was filled with love.
It was practically identical to the look in His Majesty's eyes when he looked at Imperial Mother. Therefore, had Prince Abao truly fallen in love with that cheap slut Yue Anlan?
Yueye gritted her teeth in hatred.
Her tiny fists clenched tightly, but before she could do a thing, she suddenly felt a bone-chilling intent to kill.
It caused Yueye's face to instantly turn pale.
Following the direction of that murderous gaze, what she saw was none other than Mendi—who had always remained silent and maintained a negligible presence!
Their eyes met, and his gaze held not only killing intent, but also a thick, heavy warning.
What was he warning her about?
Was he forbidding her from harming that cheap slut Yue Anlan?
Did everyone care about her this much?
By what right? That cheap slut was crude and vulgar; apart from a pretty face, what qualification did she have to win the affection of His Majesty, Abao, and Mendi?
Yueye was on the verge of being completely consumed by the flames of jealousy, yet even so, she dared not act rashly.
The power she possessed was far too meager. If this continued, the situation would be deeply unfavorable to her. To gain respect and take control of the Moon Demon Clan, she had to grow strong and eliminate all obstacles—and Yue Anlan, you are one of them!
With a plan now taking shape in her mind, Yueye's fiery jealousy subsided just a fraction.
As a result, on the way back following Leng Xiao, listening to Leng Xiao babble on and on about that cheap slut Yue Anlan every other word, she ultimately failed to maintain the fox-like craftiness she would possess in adulthood.
"Enough! Sister Lan, Sister Lan! Every other word is Sister Lan! Will you ever finish?"
"Y-Yue Sister........"
Leng Xiao was frightened, shrinking back with tear-filled eyes as she looked at the suddenly unfamiliar and terrifying Yueye.
It was precisely this look that snapped Yueye back to her senses, her heart skipping a beat.
She immediately let her eye rims turn red.
"I'm sorry, Xiaoxiao. I-I didn't mean to. I was just a little jealous of Sister. Clearly, I was the one who came first, yet you and Brother Bao now have eyes and hearts for Sister alone, so I couldn't help myself....... I'm so sorry, it's all my fault!"
Her tone was full of grievance and self-reproach. How could the little Leng Xiao be a match for this? Her fear vanished in an instant, replaced by a surge of guilt.
"No, Yue Sister, you don't need to apologize, it's all my fault. Yue Sister, even though I really like Sister Lan, I like you too, Yue Sister. Stop crying, okay?"
Watching Leng Xiao scramble in fluster to comfort her, Yueye finally broke into a smile through her tears.
"Alright, I know. I forgive you. Come on, let's go to my quarters; I recently got some new human trinkets~"
"Wow, that's amazing!"
With a smile curving her lips, Yueye watched as Leng Xiao danced around with joy. She looked gentle and approachable to the extreme, but deep within her eyes there was not a shred of warmth—she looked like a doll.
As for these changing events, Anlan knew nothing of them, and even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared in the least.
Don't make me laugh; this wasn't some inner-palace harem drama, was it? Instead of wasting brainpower on scheming and trying to conquer this person or that, she'd be better off increasing her own strength. And so, a few days later, Anlan took the initiative to seek out Agares.
"Father, I have a favor to ask of you........."