“I’ve had a bit of bad luck. Whenever people give me special gifts, something always goes wrong. For instance, the Feather Clan once gifted me a sacred winged creature, but it didn’t even last a day before it died in my care. The Feather Clan almost thought I did it on purpose and nearly held a grudge. Then the Sea Clan gave me their lucky charm, a colorful Jinyi fish, which was perfectly fine on the way, but as soon as it reached me, it flipped over and started frothing at the mouth…”
Ruan Shu knelt politely, listening to him as he casually recounted his stories. Though the unlucky protagonist was clearly him, his lighthearted tone made it sound like he was telling a funny tale about someone else.
The more Ruan Shu listened, the more surprised she felt, and she couldn’t help but look at him with sympathetic eyes.
To sum it up, whenever there was an important banquet at the palace, and the other races in the universe brought live gifts, none of those creatures survived more than three days under his care.
Some, he hadn’t even touched.
It was utterly absurd.
But Almer took it in stride, shrugging indifferently. “Eventually, they stopped giving me live gifts. They know I like gems and such, so every time they gift something, it’s always the same sort of thing. By now, the one thing I have in abundance is gemstones.”
He held Ruan Shu’s hand, a smile glinting in his eyes, and gently placed a blue gemstone into her palm.
“So just accept it. After all, I don’t have anything else to give you.”
Ruan Shu looked at the gemstone in her hand, swallowing nervously. But this is just…
“Actually, I’d also like to ask for a favor.”
Almer leaned forward, fingers interlaced beneath his chin, his strikingly handsome face carrying a soft smile. He looked elegant and dignified.
Ruan Shu straightened up, attentive. “What is it?”
Almer took out two more gemstones and gestured to the delicate headdress atop his head.
“I really like the gift you gave me. Could you make two more, but with gemstones embedded in them?”
He handed her a red gemstone and a gold one.
Knowing that her gift was appreciated made Ruan Shu genuinely happy. She nodded. “Sure!”
After this chat, Ruan Shu’s nervousness had completely disappeared without her even noticing, and she happily joined him for afternoon tea. Almer sipped tea, while she enjoyed a warm milk tea.
She also sampled a few pastries, because they were just… too delicious.
“So this estate belongs to your family?” Ruan Shu asked in her soft voice, placing a small hand on her stomach and reminding herself to stop eating.
“I’ve never seen you here before,” she added.
Almer replied, “I rarely visit this place, but maybe that will change.”
There was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “You’re always welcome to come and visit.”
Ruan Shu flashed a soft, sweet smile. “Okay.”
The rain gradually subsided, and time had quietly slipped away.
Ruan Shu stood up and politely bid farewell to Almer.
“I should head home now; Dad and the others should be back soon.”
Almer said, “I’ll take you home,” then leaned down and lifted her up. Ruan Shu blushed, feeling a little shy, and softly made a request, “I… I can walk on my own.”
Almer looked down at her with a serious expression. “The floor is covered with pearls; it’s easy to slip.”
Ruan Shu glanced at the ground, seeing various gemstones mixed with pearls scattered around. It was true—one misstep could be dangerous. She could only murmur a gentle thank-you to him.
“Did you like the pastries?” Almer asked. “I’ll have them packed up and sent with you. I’m not much for sweets; they were made just for you.”
Ruan Shu hesitated. “Isn’t that a bit too much?”
“It’s no trouble. They’d just go uneaten here. I’m glad you like them.”
With that, he promptly ordered someone to pack the pastries in a beautiful box. His approach was a bit commanding, yet considerate.
Ruan Shu simply bit her lip, saying nothing to refuse, and resolved to make him a beautiful decorative knot in return.
Before Almer could personally escort her back, Ruan Xiao arrived.
Still dressed in his military uniform, he stood tall and straight like a well-honed sword, exuding a powerful, steely aura. It was clear he’d come straight from the military headquarters.
“Your Majesty,” he greeted, his deep voice steady as he brought his right hand to his heart and bowed slightly.
“Dad!” Ruan Shu’s eyes sparkled upon seeing him, and she tried to get down from Almer’s embrace, looking up at him expectantly.
Ruan Xiao’s gaze darkened a bit as he took in the scene.
Though Almer felt a hint of regret—he’d wanted to see her home himself—he kept his calm. The Marshal’s timely arrival left him little choice. “Marshal Ruan, you’ve arrived just in time. Looks like I won’t need to take her home myself.”
The young man’s face held a gentle smile, appearing completely harmless.
He carefully handed over the soft little figure in his arms.
Ruan Xiao accepted her, and Ruan Shu immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, showing her closeness and trust.
“Almer, I’m going home with Dad now. Bye-bye!”
Almer waved to her as she left, instructing his staff to hand the neatly packed pastries to Ruan Xiao.
Watching the father and daughter leave, Almer stretched and let out a lazy yawn, his smile gradually fading.
“Why does time always pass so quickly?” he mused, stroking his chin as he thought of that small, star-beast form.
“Is it really impossible to keep one?”
The Knight Commander: “….”
“Your Majesty… you’ve asked this question many times already.”
It seemed His Majesty was constantly scheming to win over the Marshal’s daughter.
On the other side, Ruan Xiao, now reunited with his daughter, was asking her how she ended up at His Majesty’s residence.
Ruan Shu fiddled with her fingers and honestly recounted her day: playing with her ball, accidentally kicking it toward this place, crawling through a hole to retrieve it, and eventually fainting from fright.
“The monster was really huge… I… I thought it was going to eat me.”
Ruan Xiao paused, then asked her to describe this “monster.”
Nestling into her father’s arms, Ruan Shu thought carefully. “It had black scales all over, bigger and taller than the star beast you turn into at home. It was standing upright, with a tail that looked like a snake’s, really big black wings, and then… I saw its eyes. They were huge and golden. After that, I didn’t get a good look; I was so scared I passed out.”
Ruan Xiao went silent. Based on her description, he had a good idea who the “monster” actually was.
Ruan Shu, meanwhile, had her own suspicions but hadn’t dared to ask Almer directly. Now, she looked at her father, hesitantly asking, “Dad… was that… Almer’s star beast form?”
Ruan Xiao’s mouth twitched slightly. Faced with the choice of preserving His Majesty’s dignity or sparing his daughter’s confusion, he didn’t hesitate to pick the latter.
“Yes,” he answered.
Ruan Shu: ………
Though she’d already suspected, actually having it confirmed left her with a complicated mix of emotions.
She felt a bit embarrassed and even slightly angry; after all… she had been so scared that she’d passed out on the spot. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she raised her hand, covering her cheeks.
Ruan Xiao gently patted her head. “It’s His Majesty who should be embarrassed.”
Over a hundred years old, and he’d frightened a child. Quite the accomplishment.
Ruan Shu tugged at her father’s sleeve nervously. “I fainted from fright. Did I… bring shame to you, Dad?”
Without hesitation, Ruan Xiao reassured her, “No, it was His Majesty’s fault.”