Ling Xiaochen is a dog!

Let's go back to the time when the crowd dispersed and it was only Ouyang Xueqing, Ren Yupei, An Zhengnan and Ling Xiaochen there.

Ren Yupei smiled gently as she approached the girl. "Princess, are you okay? Do you get enough food inside?" He tried to pacify her softly because she seemed a little weird. "Do you know how worried I was when I received your distress signal?"

The last sentence was true though. He had been hanging around the place where they last parted when he suddenly hear the princess' voice inside his mind. It was echoing abruptly which caught him a little off guard.

That's because the method of communicating within minds were only what the member of the imperial family could do to their subordinates. It was a discreet way to contact them without alarming the enemy.

It could be said silently inside one's mind, yet the princess had decided to call them using her voice personally and it made Ren Yupei a little flustered. He thought that something serious might have happened to the princess.

Along the way, he had met An Zhengnan and together they dashed in full speed toward where the signal came from.

"Hmm." Ren Yupei had displayed his best abilities, yet the princess still looked distracted. She lowered her head as she stared at her own hand before she asked slowly: "Do you think what I did was wrong?"

Ren Yupei was bewildered for a second. Even An Zhengnan couldn't help but made himself join in the conversation. It was because the princess really looked down ah!

They really haven't seen the princess look so dejected before.

An Zhengnan asked: "What's wrong?"

"The way I gave the punishment to the Zhang's. Do you think I am too merciless? Am I...cold-blooded?"

She whispered the last word in a trembling tone which had scared An Zhengnan shitless for he thought that the princess was going to cry.

He blurted out wholeheartedly: "What's wrong with the punishment? Of course the wrong should be punished. If not, what will become of this mainland? It was their fault first for disrespecting you, Princess. If you stay soft on them, I would have taken the matter into my own hands. Do you think I'm merciless then?"

Ouyang Xueqing was pleasantly surprised as she listened to An Zhengnan trying to cheer her up awkwardly.

En, it was how he was. Always seem unbridled and sloppy, but he was trying his best to be kind in his own way.

"No. I know it's your job to protect me, Brother An. So how can you be merciless?"

An Zhengnan scratched his nose as he suddenly felt overwhelmed. The princess acknowledged him! Furthermore, she addressed him as 'Brother An'!

He was so used to be ignored and abandoned that a single sentence from her almost made him teary-eyed.

He tried to hide his embarrassment as he nodded laughingly. "That's right. If I'm not merciless, then you too, are not. It's the truth, Princess. So you don't need to bother yourself with the irrelevant person, okay?"

"En." She beamed adorably and her pair of mismatched eyes shone brightly against the night sky. "Thank you."

An Zhengnan had only at that moment realized that the princess hadn't been wearing her mask. He asked worriedly. "Princess, your mask—"

"Ah. It fell down just then. It's okay." She shrugged nonchalantly. "What's so bad with being exposed? That lessen one of my burden then! Now I can finally go out as I used to!"

An Zhengnan grinned cheekily as he patted her head a little roughly. "Good thinking!"

In his heart, he vowed to protect the princess from any harm.

You just have to be you, Princess. No need to hide yourself from the world. Leave the protection to me, and I will make sure that I will done a good job at it, even at the expense of my own life.

An Zhengnan certainly didn't realize at that moment that the knight's vow he had just declared would really be what he fought to fulfill with the price of his life.

Well, the day those event transpired would have to wait a little longer then.

That night, they just savored the taste of peace and calmness.

Ouyang Xueqing suddenly realized that an additional figure had been standing there silently without even letting out a squeak. If not for her accidentally glanced at her way, she had almost forgotten about Ling Xiaochen.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

What happened to that blabbermouth and narcissistic Ling Xiaochen? Who the hell is this lady with an elegant and demure figure?!

She slapped her forehead and exclaimed: "Ah I almost forgot." She pulled Ling Xiaochen in front of An Zhengnan and Ren Yupei as she introduced her. "This is Ling Xiaochen, she is the friend I made just now and she also protected me from Zhang Qianqian."

Better not tell them Ling Xiaochen's real identity lest it created some unwanted troubles.

She specifically observed An Zhengnan's expression to see any minute changes, yet she was slightly disappointed to find none. An Zhengnan even looked bored and only nodded slightly as a form of acknowledgement.

It was Ren Yupei that showed a little bit of interest. "You made a friend? That's great! Thank you for protecting the princess on my and An Zhengnan's behalf, young lady."

Ling Xiaochen's shoulder dropped as she replied halfheartedly. "I did nothing but warned that bi—cough, I mean Zhang Qianqian. It was her fault though that she didn't take me seriously."

"Still, we still have to repay this gratitude. How about this, join us for dinner?"

Ling Xiaochen blinked. "Us? Who's us?"

"It's the Princess, me, and An Zhengnan. But if you are not interes—"

"I am going!"

Ren Yupei words got stuck on his throat. "Excuse me, what?"

"I am definitely joining you for dinner!"

"O—kay. Great." Ren Yupei felt like there was something he had overlooked yet no matter how hard he thought about it, nothing came to mind. He brushed it off and gestured for the ladies to follow him.

Along the way, An Zhengnan walked in front disinterestedly while Ling Xiaochen had been looking at her with eyes full of hope and expectation.

Ouyang Xueqing coughed. "An Zhengnan."

The man glanced back, surprised when he found the princess beckoned him to come. Like a faithful dog he was, he came high spiritedly and asked eagerly: "What's wrong Princess?"

"Nothing." Ouyang Xueqing's mouth twitched. Ouch, her fingers...really hurt. Did Ling Xiaochen not know what kind of brute strength she possessed?! "I just found that you seem a little bit too far. Come and talk with us, okay?"

Facing with the princess' extra rare, soft pleading voice and her eyes that sparkled with hope, how could An Zhengnan ever said no?

He nodded subconsciously as his grin widened.

"Of course, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Ouyang Xueqing pinched Ling Xiaochen a few times yet the dumbstruck lovesick fool had only An Zhengnan in her eyes and everything else was fart.

Ironically, An Zhengnan too, only had the princess in his eyes…

She sighed exasperatedly and decided to try her best as their matchmaker. "After dinner, would you bring Ling Xiaochen stroll along the Royal Palace, please?" She batted her long eyelashes as she put on her best puppy eyed look.

An Zhengnan was dumbfounded. Since when did he become a tour guide?! But...But this was the princess' important guest ah! Furthermore she only asked him and not Ren Yupei. How could An Zhengnan disappoint her?

He averted his gaze slightly as her ears flushed. "Do you think it will be too late by the time we finished our dinner? Does Princess' guest have to go home?"

Before Ouyang Xueqing could think of an answer, Ling Xiaochen interjected. "It's okay. I have promised to stay the night at the princess' place!"

Ouyang Xueqing's veins throbbed. Hey hey, wait a moment. Since when had I even made a promise with you? Why can't I remember any of it?

An Zhengnan: "Is that so?"

Ouyang Xueqing forced out a smile and nodded. Forget it, after all I had promised to introduce her to An Zhengnan so a little push wouldn't hurt.

An Zhengnan shrugged: "Okay then."

Ling Xiaochen cheered internally as she felt excitement and joy bubbling in her heart. A promise that she had made with a certain old man had long been forgotten.

And when that certain old man waited whole night yet didn't even see the shadow of his daughter, he instantly knew what she had been up to.

He was so infuriated that he almost got heart attack from high blood pressure.

Ling. Xiao. Chen!

You are a dog!