“Achoo…”
Almer, sitting inside his luxurious villa, sneezed several times in a row, then laughed under the bewildered gaze of his knight captain.
“Marshal Ruan is probably cursing me right now.”
The knight captain’s face remained expressionless. Honestly, if he were in Ruan’s position, he’d be cursing Almer too.
After returning home, Ruan Shu took out three gemstones.
“This one was a gift from… His Majesty, and he asked me to make lanyards for these two.”
There were various styles of lanyards, and several designs could indeed incorporate pearls or other ornaments quite beautifully.
Ruan Shu had already planned how she would weave them for him.
Ruan Xiao fell silent as he looked at the gemstones his daughter had brought out, but his expression grew darker.
What exactly is His Majesty trying to do?
Although he had a lot of gemstones, the one he gave Ruan Shu was unique.
It was the “Illusory Sea Star Stone,” a gemstone that only the royal family of the Siren clan could possess, found only in deep-sea abysses filled with magma.
The Illusory Sea Star Stone was special because it bonded with its owner. It emitted a brilliant glow when the owner needed it at night and provided warmth in cold environments.
Due to its rarity, it was also a symbol of status, so in the sea clan, only those of high royal status could wear it.
Even if they gave gifts, they only gave this gem to those they recognized as powerful, and it was nearly impossible to find Illusory Sea Star Stones in auction houses.
Out of His Majesty’s many gemstones, he probably only had about three of these Illusory Sea Star Stones.
But here he was, giving an Illusory Sea Star Stone to his daughter. This made Ruan Xiao extra cautious; what was His Majesty’s true intent?
Unaware of her father’s serious thoughts, Ruan Shu continued chatting with him.
“Almer is so unfortunate. He said that anything living that’s gifted to him doesn’t survive more than three days.”
Ruan Xiao remained expressionless. It was true; not only that, but His Majesty seemed cursed with bad luck. Whenever an accident happened, he was always the first to encounter it. It’s a good thing he was tough enough to survive and grow up healthy.
“Almer said he has more gemstones than anyone else, so he can only gift gemstones when giving presents.”
Ruan Xiao held back, suppressing the urge to curse in front of his daughter.
Gift, my foot. Dragons, known for hoarding and never giving away anything, offering gemstones? You’d be lucky to squeeze a single gold coin out of them. Since when does he give gemstones as gifts? And the Illusory Sea Star Stone, of all things.
Taking a deep breath, Ruan Xiao hugged his daughter and advised her solemnly.
“His Majesty is occupied daily with many important matters, so we must not disturb him.”
Ruan Shu nodded seriously, agreeing with her father. After all, managing such a vast country couldn’t be easy. Of course, he’d be busy.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t disturb him.”
Ruan Xiao felt relieved; he could trust his daughter in this regard.
But…
He overlooked one thing: his daughter was indeed very well-behaved, but a certain majesty was quite rebellious.
The next day, after Ruan Xiao left for the military headquarters, Ruan Shu stayed at home, spending her time drawing, attending classes, and weaving the lanyard.
She nestled herself comfortably in the small cocoon-like hammock chair. The sun shone brightly after yesterday’s rain, bringing a clear, sunny day.
Ruan Shu wore knee-length shorts and a small T-shirt, her snow-white arms and legs soft and chubby like lotus roots, adorable without looking plump. Her chubby feet were clad only in small white socks with lace trim, the soles decorated with pink, paw-shaped cushions resembling a cat’s paw pads. The butler had all her clothing custom-made, each piece featuring some little cat detail—like paw prints, cat ears, or other cute feline elements.
Half of Ruan Shu’s fair legs dangled outside the hammock, swaying lazily in relaxed rhythm.
She was quiet, her soft, snowy white hair framing her face, her head slightly lowered as she worked with care, an endearing sight. Her furry white cat ears drooped a little, adding to her gentle appearance.
With nimble fingers, she skillfully wove the delicate black-gold threads. In no time, a beautiful knot took shape.
She took the red gemstone, testing it in place; it fit snugly, with a lovely shape exposing the gemstone’s front.
Her mood was light, and her tail swayed happily a few times.
And it was just then that Almer arrived.
He was accompanied by the knight captain and the butler who led him in. However, the butler’s smile looked somewhat strained.
Oh, dear master, you asked me to keep an eye on Miss and ensure she wouldn’t go next door, but you didn’t say what to do if the neighbor came here himself!
After all, this was His Majesty; he couldn’t very well keep him out.
“Shushu.”
At the sound of Almer’s voice, Ruan Shu looked up, sitting up straight and gazing at him in surprise.
“Almer, what brings you here?”
Almer smiled warmly. “What, are you not happy to see me?”
Ruan Shu quickly shook her head, her lips curling into a soft, sweet smile.
“No, it’s just… did you come to see my father? He’s not home.”
After all, Almer and her father had a superior-subordinate relationship, so coming to see him seemed perfectly normal.
But Almer made himself comfortable, sitting beside her. “No, I came to see you.”
Ruan Shu looked at him in slight surprise, then held up her work, speaking in a soft voice, “This will take a little longer to finish.”
“I know, but you forgot something yesterday.”
“Oh? What is it?”
Almer pulled out a lovely woven vine ball.
The moment Ruan Shu saw it, she remembered how she’d fainted in fright the previous day. Her gaze turned a bit resentful, casting a quick, accusing glance at Almer, though she quickly averted her eyes.
But Almer guessed that she must have realized, so he handed her the vine ball and rubbed his nose in apology.
“Sorry for scaring you yesterday.”
Ruan Shu shook her head, clutching the vine ball, her toes curling slightly in embarrassment. “I… I was the one who came over to your place without permission first.”
Almer replied, “Still, it was my fault. From now on, if you want to come over, you don’t need to inform anyone; you’re welcome anytime.”
Ruan Shu smiled at him. “Okay.”
“How do you play with this? I’ve never seen a ball like this before.”
“I made this myself. Other balls are too heavy and big for me. This is called a vine ball…” Ruan Shu explained in her soft, childish voice, and before she knew it, she was playing with Almer as if she were a little ragdoll kitten.
The kitten held the ball, her round eyes staring silently at the black dragon across from her.
The black dragon, apparently restraining his size, was about as big as a tiger—smaller than her father and the others. But he was still too large from Ruan Shu’s perspective.
After a brief hesitation, she rolled the vine ball in his direction.
Almer gave a light flick of his tail, and the vine ball soared into the air, turning into a streak that disappeared.
Both the kitten and the dragon looked up in unison, watching the ball fly off, never to return.
Ruan Shu: “…”
How did he manage to convince me to play vine ball with him in the first place?