Not the Servant You’re Looking For

Seeing Leon turning over and getting off the horse, the Golden Phoenix Sword kept swinging at his waist.

Juran was actually sure that he had made no mistake. This was the beauty of the v royal family. He reached out and held his sister, whispering:"Meilin, this man is about the same age as us, he should be the Fourth Prince, come with me and greet him."

"No, he was the one who was late, why should I take the initiative to greet him?"Meilin, who was dressed as a man, once again raised her pink little mouth, looking very resistant.

"After all, you and I are in a foreign country, and we need help from others, so we should follow the host's wishes."Juran said a word of comfort, and walked to Leon first, bowed and said with a smile: "your highness, you are finally here, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

"What?"

Leon looked at the scholar who appeared inexplicably in front of him and asked, "Dude, who are you? Do I know you?"

"This is my sister."

Without waiting for him to ask, Juran pointed at his sister and introduced her. Meilin came up reluctantly and laughed dryly:

"Haha, you're here."

I am here, but does it have anything to do with you guys... Wang An was confused and asked hesitantly, "May I ask who you two are?"

"your highness, don't you know us?"Juran was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "I almost forgot, this is the first time we meet..."

He glanced around and lowered his voice: " your highness, have you forgotten that the palace arranged for you to be our guide?"

"Me? A guide? Arranged by the palace?"

Leon became more and more confused, but his intuition told him that since this person mentioned the palace, he must know his identity.

It seems that these two people have a great background.Just as he was wondering, the big man who looked like a bodyguard suddenly stood out from the shadows and bowed to Kai:

"Commander Kai, I didn't expect to meet you here. I hope you are well."

"Commander Pu?!"

Kai was startled. Seeing Leon's inquiring look, he explained in a low voice, "This man is the chief guard of the Velantis Royal family. He once protected the Velantis nobles and has been to verlia several times. That's why I know him."

"So, the brother and sister beside him..." Leon seemed tounderstand something.

"It should be the crown Prince and Princess Velantis Kingdom who were rumored to have come to verlia for exchanges recently." Kai nodded.

"Then the prince just said that the palace arranged for me to be their guide. Could it be that it was Emperor's intention?"

"I have never heard Your Majesty mention this matter, but since they could recognize Your Highness at a glance, it should be almost certain," Kai analyzed.

"I thought that we were the only two masters and apprentices tonight but unfortunately, the emperor's order is hard to disobey, so I will just give it a try."

Leon smiled bitterly and asked the Emperor to be his guide.Could it be that the Emperor of verlia had forgotten that he had not left the palace for ten years?What are you thinking?

He didn't know that Juran actually mistook him for the Fourth Prince because of the sword at his waist.And he was misled by Kai, so he didn't go into the reason deeply.

As a result, the two sides ccidentally met for the first time.accidentally met for the first time.

"I now remember that this is indeed the palace's intention. I am late, and I hope crown prince Juran and princess Meilin will forgive me."

The other party's status was much higher than his own, the prince in name only. Leon didn't want to offend him, so he chose to apologize first.

"your highness, there's no need to do this. It's also our fault for coming a little early."

As soon as Juran finished speaking, he was pulled back by princess Meilin, who said unhappily, "Brother,What are vou talking about? It's what are you talking about? It's obviously him who is wrong."

She was dressed like a scholar, but she couldn't hide her girlish coquettishness. She looked up at Leon angrily:

"I'm hungry and need to eat. It's your treat."

After saying this, he turned around and walked into the gate of Moonshadow Tower without caring whether Leon agreed or not.

"this..."

Leon frowned, instinctively feeling a little disgusted with this arrogant girl.Leon stood motionless, watching Meilin's back disappear through the carved gates of Moonshadow Tower, her posture radiating arrogance.

He let out a quiet scoff, more to himself than anyone else. "What an entitled brat…"

Juran noticed the shift in his expression and quickly tried to smooth things over. "Please don't take offense, Your Highness. My sister has always been… strong-willed."

"Strong-willed?" Leon gave a small, humorless smile. "Is that what you call it in Velantis when someone demands a stranger treat them without so much as an introduction?"

Juran's smile faltered for a moment. "She didn't mean it like that. She's just… not used to waiting."

Leon's gaze sharpened."I don't know what kind of courtly games Velantis tolerates, but here in verlia, even foreign guests are expected to show basic courtesy."

Kai stepped in subtly, placing a hand behind Leon's back in a discreet warning gesture. "Your Highness…"

Leon didn't raise his voice, but his tone turned cold and distant. "I'm not a servant to be ordered around. I don't recall the Emperor appointing me as anyone's errand boy, nor do I recall agreeing to pay for a princess's evening feast."

Juran's expression tightened with embarrassment.

Seeing that, Leon sighed and decided not to escalate further. He adjusted his sleeves and looked toward the entrance.

"I came here tonight out of respect for a teacher, not to entertain a spoiled child. If you want a proper guide during your stay, you may request one officially from the palace. But don't mistake me for someone you can toy with."

Without another word, he turned toward the opposite side of the tower, choosing a seat near the balcony where the breeze was cooler and the company more tolerable.

Juran stood rooted to the spot, stunned by the quiet authority in Leon's words. For a man supposedly disgraced and kept in the shadows for years, he carried himself with a presence that couldn't be ignored.

Kai, smirking faintly, leaned toward him. "That's just how His Highness is. Honest. Blunt. But if you're lucky, he might just be the only person in verlia who'll speak to you without a mask."

Juran gave a soft laugh, trying to ease the tension. "Perhaps… he is more like a phoenix in hiding than a faded prince after all."

Meanwhile, inside the tower, Meilin sat at a lavish table, tapping the table impatiently.

"Where is he? Does he think I was joking?"

A servant brought her a menu, but she waved it away. "I told him to treat me. I won't touch a bite until he pays."then a servant, whispering that His Highness had chosen to dine elsewhere, Meilin's expression cracked slightly.

"…What?"

Back at the table, after Meilin's exit...

Kai leaned on the rail, watching the princess disappear through the ornate gate below. "That girl's got fire," he muttered, shaking his head with a half-smile.

Leon didn't respond right away. He kept his gaze on the empty doorway she'd stormed through, eyes narrowed in thought. "Too much fire. Someone needs to remind her this isn't Velantis."

Kai nodded, then leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Still, Your Highness, there's something about this whole thing that doesn't sit right with me."

Leon glanced at him. "You mean the 'guide' arrangement?"

"Yes," Kai replied. "It doesn't feel like something His Majesty would assign to you without informing anyone. You've been out of sight for a decade. Suddenly, you're sent to host foreign royals—without notice? There's more to this."

Leon's jaw tightened. "You think this is a test?"

"Possibly. Or a setup." Kai's voice dropped another octave. "Think about it. The Emperor never trusted you after what happened ten years ago. Now, just as rumors about foreign alliances start stirring… suddenly, you're put in close contact with Velantis's crown prince and princess."

Leon fell silent. His fingers brushed the hilt of the Golden Phoenix Sword at his waist.

Kai's expression grew serious. "So, what do you plan to do?"

Leon stood up, his expression calm but firm. "Play along. For now."

-------

Meanwhile, inside the royal carriage…

Meilin sat with her arms crossed, glaring out the window, her reflection staring back with equal defiance."I can't believe he spoke to me like that," she muttered.

Juran, sitting opposite her, let out a patient sigh. "He didn't say anything untrue, Meilin."

She shot him a look. "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on the side that doesn't want a diplomatic incident because my sister can't handle being wrong."

Meilin slumped slightly in her seat. "He wasn't supposed to talk like that. Not to me."

Juran smiled. "He's the first one who did, isn't he?"

Meilin bit her lip and didn't reply."He thought you were being spoiled. And you were." Juran leaned back. "But that's not all, is it? You weren't just angry—he embarrassed you."

"No," Meilin said too quickly, then lowered her voice. "He surprised me."Her voice was barely audible over the rumble of the carriage wheels.

"I thought he'd be another weak court prince, scared of his own shadow. But he… he had backbone. Like a general."

Juran nodded thoughtfully.

Meilin's eyes lingered on the window, lost in thought.

"I'm going to see him again," she said quietly.

Juran raised a brow. "To apologize?"

Meilin scoffed. "To challenge him."