“Whew~”
The moment he stepped outside, breathing in the cool, crisp air beneath the tranquil night sky, Ye Xu instantly felt his mind and spirit ease.
I really am not suited for crowded occasions.
In his previous life, he had never been good at socializing.
Even in this life, despite forcing himself to do it—and succeeding—because of his status and position,
a person’s true nature doesn’t change.
When alone, Ye Xu couldn’t help but feel his mind relax completely.
He rubbed his neck, setting aside all those potentially troublesome matters for now.
Finding a bench by the path outside the grand hall, Ye Xu sat down, draped his arms over the backrest, and gently leaned back.
Then he narrowed his eyes slightly and gazed up at the serene, profound night sky.
As his mind returned to calm, in that moment, Ye Xu even felt the “Night God Throne System” within his soul grow more active under the illumination of the starry night.
“You don’t seem very comfortable in that kind of setting?”
“From the way you were beating up that Tela guy outside the hall earlier,”
“I thought you were another one of those heaven’s chosen who enjoyed being fawned over by everyone.”
An unfamiliar voice spoke up.
A figure slowly approached and stood beside Ye Xu, asking, “Mind if I sit here?”
Ye Xu turned his head leisurely. Under the night sky stood a rather handsome young man with blue hair and blue eyes.
The light shining in his eyes was the distinctive gleam unique to “clever people.”
“Go ahead.”
He didn’t particularly enjoy dealing with clever types, but he wouldn’t hog a public bench either.
Ye Xu scooted over a bit, indicating the spot beside him was free.
“Lor Nate.”
“Eldest son of a minor marquess house in the Elze Kingdom.”
“May I ask how to address you?”
Extending his hand in polite greeting, Lor inquired.
“Ye Laixi Nal.”
“You can just call me Ye Laixi.”
His status was even higher than expected, though Ye Xu wasn’t overly surprised.
After all, both in manner of speech and demeanor, the youth before him far outshone most of his peers.
So Ye Xu shook his hand, considering the introduction complete.
“Is there something you need from me?”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Ye Xu naturally didn’t think the eldest son of a marquess house would approach an acknowledged “bastard” taken in by an earl family for no reason.
“Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see what kind of remarkable person could make our beloved little princess care so deeply.”
Lor’s expression remained unchanged—his tone calm and sincere, without any emotional fluctuation.
“You know that little princess…”
The moment the words left his mouth, Ye Xu felt stupid and let out a helpless chuckle.
She was a princess—the next queen in line. It was perfectly normal for the heir of a major marquess family to know her.
—It was like asking an air-conditioning repairman, “Master, what’s your job?”
“Mmm.”
“My family is rather special.”
“We’ve intermarried with the royal family for generations. Princesses often marry into our house.”
“If our male members don’t inherit the family, they join the imperial guard.”
“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Her Highness the Princess’s marriage partner would also be me.”
The Nate family was exceptionally unique even among the several surrounding nations.
To put it plainly, they possessed over a hundred Magitech Knights and countless subordinate nobles of varying ranks.
The Nate family’s influence surpassed that of many dukes.
The reason they maintained only a marquess title and position was to demonstrate unwavering loyalty to the royal family and indifference to greater power.
Of course, Lor wasn’t exaggerating.
As the eldest son with inheritance rights, if the princess never found a suitable marriage partner in her life, the role would fall to him.
Because the Nate family truly served the royal family unconditionally, dedicating everything to the princess’s will.
To describe their loyalty in a single sentence…
If someone from the Nate family married into the royal family and the royal partner later found true love,
a Nate family member would willingly lock the door during their… activities and stand guard outside.
Thus, both emotionally and logically, if the princess truly found no other marriage partner, union with the Nate family was a foregone conclusion.
It was the best compromise to ensure royal members’ autonomy while maximizing their happiness.
“Hm?”
Naturally, Ye Xu knew none of these noble secrets.
He merely inferred from the youth’s words that Lor more or less knew his true identity.
Noticing Ye Xu’s slightly appraising gaze, Lor quickly waved his hands.
“Please don’t be nervous. I’m not curious about your identity.”
“It’s just… I more or less grew up with Her Highness.”
“Though it might sound presumptuous,”
“I’ve always treated her like a little sister in my heart.”
With that, Ye Xu understood the reason.
Given Isisra’s personality during her “little golden furball” phase, she must have gone home and complained nonstop about how he ignored and mistreated her, loudly proclaiming she’d get revenge.
Yet judging by this noble’s demeanor, he harbored no anger or hatred toward Ye Xu.
Presumably, her royal relatives—including even the king and queen—knew full well that Ye Xu was her lifesaver, as well as Isisra’s childish personality and everything that had happened during that month.
Now they were simply curious what kind of person he was to remain so firmly etched in Isisra’s memory.
“So, what do you think now?”
Having more friends was always better than more enemies. Since the other had shown such goodwill, Ye Xu wouldn’t deliberately treat him coldly.
For a moment, Ye Xu was also curious what this noble youth—practically royal kin—thought of him.
“Hmm, how should I put it~”
Who would have thought that the moment Ye Xu spoke, the youth’s previously clear, bright blue eyes narrowed slightly.
Only then did Ye Xu notice the faint blue eyeshadow at the corners of his eyes. Paired with the narrowed gaze, it revealed a trace of seductive cunning and calculation that hadn’t been there before.
In fact, Ye Xu instinctively felt this look suited him far better than his earlier one.
As if the previous wide-eyed, deliberately sunny and cheerful appearance had been a facade—
crafted to make the best possible first impression.
“Now it seems Her Highness’s taste is truly impeccable.”
The corners of Lor’s mouth curved into an enigmatic smile.
Gazing at the youth before him—who, despite his own rather striking looks, paled in comparison, seeming under the night sky as though the entire world favored him alone—Lor couldn’t help but say:
“It’s really a little…”
“No, though it’s a bit embarrassing to admit,”
“I’m truly, truly invested in how things develop between you and Her Highness in the future.”
“If possible, please do allow me to stay by your side and bear witness~”
A string of cryptic remarks left Ye Xu utterly bewildered.
Of course, at this moment, Ye Xu had no way of knowing just how much trouble this abstract creature—known in his previous world as a “CP leader” and “chaos enjoyer”—would bring him.
“Well, you seem to prefer quiet.”
“Since introductions are over,”
“I won’t disturb you further.”
“See you around~”
Seeing the confusion in Ye Xu’s eyes deepen, Lor—possessing at least some sense of shame—promptly stood and took his leave.
Then he turned and returned to the grand hall, vanishing from Ye Xu’s sight.
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