Chapter 35: The Fifth Princess’s Interruption

“Lain, are you there?”

Having scanned her surroundings and found no sign of Lain, Liu Xingluo was compelled to call out to him.

‘Could it be that only she, a princess, had been transported here?’

‘If that were the case, it would be utterly dreadful; without Lain, who understood these surroundings, how could she possibly navigate such an unfamiliar predicament on her own?’

“I am here. What are your commands, Your Royal Highness?”

The moment Liu Xingluo’s voice reached him, Lain materialized from the depths of her shadow, appearing before her in the blink of an eye.

“Ah, so you were concealed within my shadow. I was just fretting over the trouble it would cause if you hadn’t managed to follow me here.”

A wave of relief washed over Liu Xingluo, knowing that Lain had been transported alongside her; his presence instilled a profound sense of security.

“I am Your Royal Highness’s sworn protector; I shall never, under any circumstances, depart from your side.”

“Indeed, quite dependable. Very well, Lain, I shall trouble you to guide me to the teleportation entrance. Moreover, I need you to help me elude my sisters; they must not learn of my return. Can you manage this?”

Though Liu Xingluo harbored doubts about his ability to fulfill such a request, at this crucial juncture, he was undeniably her sole recourse.

“Consider it done; leave it entirely to me. Please, follow.”

With an air of unwavering confidence, Lain turned and pushed open a nearby door.

Witnessing his effortless demeanor, Liu Xingluo felt reassured enough to follow him out of the room without hesitation.

“Hmm? Why is the corridor so utterly deserted? Are there no guards stationed here?”

As she followed Lain, Liu Xingluo meticulously observed the imperial palace.

It struck Liu Xingluo as utterly unexpected that such an extensive corridor would be devoid of even a single patrolling guard.

‘Typically, wouldn’t the residences of princesses be heavily guarded, with numerous protectors assigned to ensure their safety?’

“No, there are no guards stationed here. Given the formidable power of Your Royal Highnesses, such a thing as a guard is entirely superfluous.”

Seizing the opportunity, Lain meticulously elaborated to Liu Xingluo why guards were entirely unnecessary in this place.

The Imperial Princesses, as they were known, were beings whose power was second only to that of the gods who had forged this very world.

Each and every princess wielded immense power, so formidable that even the might of the legion commanders who had once threatened the human realm paled into utter insignificance before them.

Consequently, no one dared to even conceive of plotting against the princesses. Even if some truly short-sighted fools were to audacious enough to scheme against them and actually venture into this imperial palace, they would simply be annihilated by the princesses in an instant.

With such overwhelmingly powerful princesses, the notion of needing guards for protection was absurd. They simply had no need.

“I see, so that’s the explanation. Still, the absence of guards is a blessing; it spares me a considerable amount of trouble.”

Previously, Liu Xingluo had been concerned about the possibility of her movements being observed by guards, fearing they might report her presence to the other princesses.

Now, with no guards present, that particular apprehension vanished. Her sole remaining concern was avoiding detection by her sisters.

Given the immense size of this imperial palace and the myriad of potential hiding spots, remaining undetected should prove a simple feat, she mused.

“Oh? Is this not our little sister! Where did you vanish to, pray tell? To miss the council entirely, truly! Your sudden absence caused me considerable worry, you know. Fortunately, the agenda for this particular meeting did not concern you, so your absence was not critical. However, this cannot happen again; even with Father’s immense affection for us, we simply cannot forgo our attendance at the councils.”

“Eek!”

A shiver ran down Liu Xingluo’s spine upon hearing the voice from behind, and she slowly turned her head to face the person who had just addressed her.

Standing before her was a girl who appeared to be of a similar age to her current self. Upon closer inspection, their facial features bore a striking resemblance, and both shared the same white hair.

However, the girl’s irises were a distinct shade of cerulean, unlike her own.

‘Without careful scrutiny, one could easily mistake one for the other.’

Given their uncanny likeness, this young woman had to be one of the six elder sisters Lain had spoken of.

‘This was utterly dreadful. Moments ago, she had confidently assumed that the vastness of this imperial palace would allow her to effortlessly evade her sisters and proceed unimpeded to the teleportation entrance.’

Yet, to her dismay, she had encountered one so swiftly.

Compounding the predicament was her ignorance of which elder sister this princess before her truly was. A misstep in addressing her would surely expose her deception. ‘What was she to do?’

“Greetings, Your Royal Highness, Fifth Princess. Today, as always, you radiate with pride and beauty.”

As if intuiting Liu Xingluo’s predicament, Lain stepped forward to offer his greetings, subtly revealing the identity of the young woman standing before them.

“Oh, is this not Father’s retainer? Why do you accompany our little sister? Could it be that she was, in fact, undertaking some solitary mission personally entrusted to her by Father?”

Before Liu Xingluo could even formulate a plausible, deceptive explanation, Yinlang had already, quite helpfully, concocted a reason for her absence from the council. It was an immense boon.

“Ah… indeed. My sincerest apologies for my absence from the council. However, at that time, I was engaged in a clandestine mission personally assigned by Father, rendering my attendance utterly impossible.”

“Oh? A clandestine mission from Father, you say? Very well, that explains why Father deemed your presence unnecessary this time. But what, pray tell, is the meaning of this rather shabby attire you wear? Is this, too, a component of your mission?”

Observing Liu Xingluo’s rather crude attire, Yinlang noted how utterly unfitting it was for a princess of her standing.

Yinlang found herself almost unable to bear the sight. As a princess, one ought to uphold a certain standard of dignity and appearance.

“Ah… this? Yes, this is indeed part of the mission. To be candid, I find this attire rather demeaning myself, and I was just on my way to change into something more befitting.”

Compared to the elegant garments Yinlang wore, Liu Xingluo’s current schoolgirl uniform indeed appeared rather humble and cheap.

Furthermore, Liu Xingluo had no mental bandwidth for a triviality like changing clothes, yet to avoid exposing her true intentions, she could only feign agreement and continue the conversation along Yinlang’s line of inquiry.

Her only hope was that this elder sister would swiftly dismiss her, allowing her to proceed to the teleportation entrance.

“I see. In that case, make haste and change your attire. You simply cannot attend a tea party dressed in such humble clothes. Our Sixth Sister is departing for the human world, so do not forget to come and bid her farewell.”

“Understood. I shall proceed there immediately after changing. Rest assured, I would not dream of missing this tea party.”

With her words delivered, Liu Xingluo turned to depart.

‘What a preposterous notion! To be expected to attend a tea party? All she desired was to return home swiftly; she had no inclination or leisure for the princesses’ frivolous gathering.’

“Wait, little sister.”

“Ah? Is something amiss, Fifth Sister?”

Just as Liu Xingluo believed she had finally eluded her, she was abruptly called back, compelling her to halt and turn to face her sister once more.

‘She wondered what further discourse awaited her. Alas, she merely wished to return home; why must it be fraught with such complications?’

“Your chambers are not in that direction; you ought to proceed this way. How could you have forgotten the path to your own room?”

She gestured towards the direction from which Liu Xingluo and Lain had arrived, implying that if the intention was to return to her chambers for a change of attire, that was the correct route.

At this point, Liu Xingluo was truly at a loss for an explanation. She possessed no recollection of such details, and a forced, ill-conceived justification would only serve to ignite her sister’s suspicion.