Although Yulan did not understand whether Louisa’s suggestion was genuinely for her benefit or merely a calculated act, she could never agree to it. Besides, Suxing Ye was clearly already recovered, making Louisa’s help entirely unnecessary.
Before Yulan could speak the truth, she saw Louisa’s brows knit together. Louisa looked at her with a hint of disapproval, as if Yulan were being incredibly unreasonable.
"Lanlan, do you have some other concerns?"
"Major General Suxing Ye's condition cannot be delayed any longer."
Louisa came prepared, clearly anticipating Yulan’s refusal. Yulan caught a faint, triumphant curve on the corner of her lips. The next second, a woman standing beside Louisa suddenly dropped to her knees and began bowing her head violently against the ground, the sound echoing through the air.
"Princess, I beg you, let my son go."
"You have no healing power; Suxing Ye will die! With so many other males on the main planet, why must you insist on clinging to my son?"
"Please, let him go. Let Princess Louisa perform a mental stabilization for him."
The words Yulan was about to say—that Suxing Ye was already fine—were abruptly choked back. She had not expected Louisa to bring Suxing Ye’s mother along as well. She could not let an elder kneel to her, especially over such a matter. Feeling deeply uncomfortable, Yulan hurriedly reached out to help the woman up.
"Ma'am, please stand up. Major General Suxing Ye is already doing fine."
Yulan spoke the truth, but the more truthful she was, the more terrifying it seemed to everyone else. It was common knowledge that Yulan was a useless female with no healing power, one who had even gone so far as to buy stimulants on the black market to force Suxing Ye into rut. How could a man like Suxing Ye, a paragon of the Empire, ever willingly choose to be with someone like her? Everyone present understood the pride of such an elite; he would rather die than live in humiliation. Therefore, they assumed everything Yulan said must be a lie.
Suxing Ye’s mother wailed even louder, her forehead striking the ground so hard it was soon stained with blood.
"I beg you, Princess, let my son go. Please, spare Suxing Ye. He is so young; he is only twenty years old."
It was a display of overwhelming maternal love that moved everyone who heard it to tears. The reporters from the Interstellar Daily brought by Louisa began snapping photos frantically. Sympathetic journalists grew indignant and started whispering loudly among themselves.
"Hmph, I think this Princess Yulan they brought back is far inferior to Princess Louisa."
"Even though females have always held high status and are respected wherever they go, this is the first time I’ve seen such an obnoxious female. She isn’t fit to be called one."
"Exactly! Can a female who lacks healing power and cannot stabilize a male even be considered a female?"
"If not for her status, what ability would she have to be betrothed to Major General Suxing Ye?"
"Princess Louisa is clearly a much better match."
Louisa’s eyes flickered, and she allowed a small smile to touch her lips. No one knew that the Palliative Serum in Yulan’s hand was fake; this had been her trap from the start. Even if Yulan gave in later and provided the serum to Suxing Ye, it would be useless. Only her personal intervention could wake him. She intended to steal every male around Yulan, one by one.
Ambition burned in Louisa’s eyes as she stared directly at Yulan, offering a veiled challenge.
"Lanlan, I know you like Major General Suxing Ye. I won’t fight you for him; I have no designs on him. If I did, we would have been together years ago, and wouldn’t have..."
Louisa paused, and everyone understood the implication of her unfinished sentence. A reporter in the crowd immediately jumped in.
"If Princess Louisa had any interest in Major General Suxing Ye, they surely would have been together long ago—well before Princess Yulan was found. Does Princess Yulan think all females are as unlikable to males as she is?"
The crowd erupted in laughter. Louisa frowned appropriately and held up her hands to silence them.
"Everyone, please don't say that about Lanlan. I believe Lanlan knows she was wrong this time, don't you? Please, let me go in and stabilize Major General Suxing Ye. Lanlan, I really won’t take him from you."
Louisa gave another assurance, but as she turned her back to the reporters, her eyes glinted with pure malice. Her lips moved silently, forming two words: *Like hell!*
She was determined to take Suxing Ye from Yulan.
If it were the original Yulan, she might have lost her temper and started a fight with Louisa in front of the reporters. But this Yulan, knowing Suxing Ye was already cured, simply crossed her arms over her chest. A stubborn, defiant expression on her pretty face, she emphasized once more:
"I already said, Suxing Ye is fine now. He does not need your help."
*So, you want to play a part?* she thought. *Then let’s let this storm rage even harder.*
Although Yulan didn’t know where Louisa got the confidence that Suxing Ye was in desperate need of her, she didn't mind playing along with Louisa’s trap. When the situation reached its climax, she would call out a healthy, fully recovered Suxing Ye. The look of shock and disbelief on everyone’s faces would surely be a sight to behold.
Thinking of this, Yulan tilted her delicate, fair chin upward, striking a look of slight triumph. Behind her, Huo Zhanting watched, his golden eyes flickering.
Just as expected, Louisa dismissed Yulan’s defiance as mere posturing. Thinking that, under the influence of the stimulant, Suxing Ye had little time left, Louisa grew genuinely anxious. Unable to restrain herself, she reached out to push Yulan aside to reach the villa’s backyard, still speaking with righteous indignation.
"Lanlan, you have disappointed me so much. I thought I could reason with you, but I never imagined you were such a selfish person. Major General Suxing Ye has fought for the Empire and defended us against the erosion of the Dark Planet, earning great merit. I cannot stand by and watch him turn into a beast before my eyes because of your petty, insignificant emotions. I must save him."
As she spoke, Louisa held her head high like a victorious swan, a sanctimonious glow seemingly radiating from her face.
Just then, as the crowd cheered for Louisa pushing past Yulan’s obstruction, the villa door opened from the inside, and a familiar face appeared before them all.