Chapter 10: A Moment of Unease

A keen sense of smell is fundamental for a pharmacist. Pharmacists often rely on their sense of smell to discern the type, age, and properties of medicinal ingredients, and during compounding, they also use their noses to determine the correct methods and timings for various adjustments.

As a pharmacist herself, Daelothys’s sense of smell was far more acute than an ordinary person’s. She naturally detected the scent emanating from Lu Yuan’s hands.

This scent, faint as it was, would have been imperceptible to most.

‘This scoundrel is actually a pharmacist?’ Daelothys was utterly taken aback. She had met most of the seasoned pharmacists in the royal capital, yet this man was entirely unfamiliar.

He appeared to be in his twenties, with a disheveled stubble, clearly the unkempt type. Yet, the medicinal fragrance on his hands was undeniably authentic. ‘When did such a person appear in the royal capital?’

‘And why did he crash through the ceiling? Was he some kind of flying thief? Are the imperial city guards blind? How could such a large man infiltrate unnoticed?!’

While Daelothys was racking her brain, pondering Lu Yuan’s origins, Lu Yuan himself was silently calculating his escape.

His true essence was steadily recovering. However, it would still be some time before he could wield his sword and fly. Though not one to shy from trouble, he had no desire to invite unnecessary complications.

For some reason, the young girl in his arms had ceased struggling, which offered Lu Yuan a small measure of relief. Had she continued to fuss, he truly wouldn’t have known what to do.

A strange tranquility once again descended upon the entire bathroom.

Aside from the distant clamor filtering in from outside, only their breaths could be heard.

Daelothys’s heart, however, was far from calm. She had abandoned her attempts to uncover Lu Yuan’s identity; forcibly held by a stranger, how could she possibly focus on such thoughts?

His breathing was heavy yet steady, and the unfamiliar masculine scent brazenly invaded the young princess’s nostrils. Pressed against his chest, she could distinctly feel the warmth of his body and the powerful throb of his heart through the thin fabric.

The thought that she was clad only in a flimsy bath towel sent Daelothys’s heart pounding wildly. She couldn’t tell if it was fear or indignation that stirred within her.

‘She was now regretting it terribly. Why had she sent Tong Ya away earlier?’

‘If Tong Ya were still here, she never would have allowed such an impudent man to approach her!’

‘What should I do? How can I break free? But in this situation, I can’t fight him, and if I struggle fiercely…’

Daelothys had heard before that some perverts found more excitement in their victims’ struggles. They euphemistically called it ‘the thrill of conquest.’

The mere thought made Daelothys even more hesitant to move.

‘Though this man hadn’t done anything to her yet, what if her excessive struggles were to arouse him, leading to dire consequences?’

‘What to do? What on earth should I do?’

‘Damn it, what are those knights doing? Why haven’t they realized something’s happened here?’

‘The ceiling’s been smashed to pieces, yet no one’s noticed such a huge commotion? Are they all deaf and blind?’

‘A princess of the realm is about to be defiled by a villain, for heaven’s sake!!’

Unaware of the young girl’s tumultuous thoughts, Lu Yuan had already used his recently recovered spiritual sense to scan their surroundings during this brief lull.

He pinpointed the source of the commotion outside: not far from them, a hundred-zhang long whale had created a massive crater in an open plaza.

‘Wasn’t that the very whale he had killed?’ It had plummeted from high altitude alongside him, landing surprisingly close to their location.

Everyone’s attention had been drawn to the whale, which explained why Lu Yuan’s unusual entry had gone unnoticed.

Furthermore, it seemed unlikely anyone would patrol this area anytime soon.

Just as Lu Yuan let out a sigh of relief, he noticed a figure sprinting towards them from a nearby building.

Clad in light knight’s armor, she moved with remarkable speed. Before she even arrived, her voice carried clearly: “Princess Daelothys, are you alright?”