Chapter 11: A Desperate Struggle and a Desperate Threat

‘Tong Ya!’

‘That voice was hers! Tong Ya had come to save me!’

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”

Daelothys began to struggle fiercely in Lu Yuan’s embrace.

‘Perhaps Tong Ya still didn’t realize what had befallen her.’

‘If only she could make her discovery, she would surely dispatch this villain and rescue her at once.’

‘This isn’t good. Trouble was brewing…’

Lu Yuan’s brow furrowed as he realized the situation had instantly grown complicated.

Sure enough, the moment the female knight’s voice reached them, the girl in his arms erupted into a frantic struggle.

It wasn’t that he feared the young girl could actually break free from his grip.

If an adult couldn’t restrain a mere slip of a girl, then Pharmacist Lei Yin had truly lived his past two decades in vain.

In her desperate bid to escape Lu Yuan’s hold, Daelothys resorted to every tactic imaginable.

She raked his face with her nails, bit his hands with her teeth, and pinched his arms with all her might.

She exerted every ounce of her strength, employing her entire repertoire of struggles, yet Lu Yuan’s arm remained firm.

It held her as steadfastly as a bench vise, refusing to yield even a fraction.

Nevertheless, the child’s utterly unrestrained and undignified assault did cause Lu Yuan to frown.

‘Why was she acting so much like a shrewish old woman?’

‘What to do when a bratty child throws a tantrum and refuses to listen? A good spanking usually does the trick!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lu Yuan kept one hand firmly over the girl’s mouth.

His other hand, with a resounding *smack*, landed squarely on her pert little bottom.

The young girl’s delicate frame trembled, and she instantly froze.

A fiery sting bloomed on her bottom, filling her with a furious shame, as tears welled in her eyes.

“Don’t move,” Lu Yuan reiterated, his voice a low rumble, now tinged with an unmistakable note of menace.

“Mmph…mmph…” The little princess was utterly distraught.

Never in her pampered life had she endured such an indignity, and tears cascaded freely down her cheeks.

Witnessing her distress, Lu Yuan hardened his resolve.

He declared, “Stop crying. If you continue, I will hit you again.”

The little princess only felt more aggrieved, her tears now falling like a string of pearls, one after another.

‘This method of intimidation isn’t working? Then a different approach is needed.’

“Cry again, and I’ll remove your bath towel as well.”

The little princess was utterly terrified.

She instantly ceased her crying, though crystalline teardrops still clung to her long lashes, and her face was streaked with silent grief.

She appeared utterly pitiful, much like a frightened little rabbit.

‘She’s finally stopped crying, then?’

‘After all, she’s just a little girl.’

Lu Yuan covertly let out a sigh of relief, knowing he could never truly bring himself to strike the child.

Just then, the red-haired female knight, Tong Ya, finally reached the door.

Outside, chaos reigned, and Tong Ya initially intended to burst straight through the door.

However, in that precise moment, a sudden thought struck her regarding the little princess’s recent emotional state.

The little princess had seemed rather out of sorts recently, showing early signs of a tantrum.

Would barging in like this provoke her displeasure? Especially since she had already been shooed away by the princess not long ago.

To lose the goodwill she had so painstakingly cultivated would be an unacceptable setback.

The mere thought of her brash actions potentially upsetting the little princess caused Tong Ya to halt abruptly, just as her hand reached for the door.

Instead, she carefully called out, “Your Royal Highness, it seems there’s been some commotion outside. I trust you are unharmed?”