Just then, the server arrived with a glass of Milk fruit juice.
“Sir, here’s your order of Milk fruit juice.”
Almer took it and placed it in front of Ruan Shu.
Kanat glanced at the young girl beside him with a puzzled expression. “And this is?”
Almer replied, “My friend.”
It was clear he had no intention of formally introducing Ruan Shu to them.
Ruan Shu tried her best to sit up straight, doing her utmost to appear calm and collected.
“Apologies, Uncle Kanat, but I’m afraid we don’t have much left to entertain you with here.”
Kanat laughed and waved his hand, understandingly suggesting their departure. “Then we won’t interrupt your meal any further.”
With that, he took Lin Mo and left. However, after walking a little distance, he turned back to glance again, only to see their esteemed emperor personally feeding the young girl.
Kanat’s smile faded slightly. “If I didn’t already know that our emperor had no past scandals, I’d almost think that was his daughter.”
Lin Mo hesitated. “Uncle, do you think I really have a chance?”
The reason she had been called to the capital was for the upcoming royal banquet.
The emperor was still young and had no empress, so the powerful noble families were all eager to place their daughters in his path, hoping he might take an interest. After all, to become the empress, the most honored and powerful woman in the empire—who wouldn’t want that?
Lin Mo had initially felt excited, hoping that perhaps today’s chance encounter could leave a good impression on the emperor.
But clearly, the emperor had no interest in her. He hadn’t even given her a second glance.
This left Lin Mo feeling somewhat defeated.
She touched her face, still confident in her looks. If she weren’t, her uncle’s family, which lacked daughters, wouldn’t have chosen to bring her to the capital in the first place.
The emperor was even more handsome and refined than she had imagined, surpassing what she’d seen in the news. She had fallen for him at first sight.
Kanat said, “Don’t be so pessimistic. Have some confidence in yourself. At the very least, you’ve left an impression on the emperor ahead of everyone else.”
Lin Mo could only nod in agreement.
Kanat, however, seemed deep in thought about the child beside the emperor. He needed to investigate further—he had never seen the emperor treat anyone so specially before.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ruan Shu had eaten her fill. After finishing her Milk fruit juice, she even let out a little burp that carried a hint of the milk’s sweetness.
Almer gently wiped her mouth.
Ruan Shu protested, “I can do it myself; you should eat too.”
Almer had been entirely focused on feeding her, which left Ruan Shu feeling slightly embarrassed.
While Almer was eating, Ruan Shu mumbled quietly.
“I have hands, you know. Next time, I’ll feed myself.”
Almer dismissed this, saying, “Your arms are too short; you can’t reach the dishes that are farther away.”
Ruan Shu grumbled, “Then I’ll just eat the closer ones. For the ones I can’t reach, I can still call you.”
Just then, her terminal chimed with a message. When she checked, she saw it was from her grandpa, who was asking where she had gone. He had gone to the neighboring estate to find her but couldn’t find her anywhere.
Ruan Shu felt a bit guilty—Almer had taken her out for a bit, but who would’ve guessed they’d end up at the Star Police Bureau?
Should she tell him or not?
As she debated, her chubby little cheeks were suddenly pinched, and Almer, going overboard, gave her cheeks a little squeeze.
“If you tell, don’t expect me to take you flying ever again.”
Ruan Shu blinked her eyes, deciding to keep quiet. Hmph, so Almer was more afraid of losing face than she was!
She replied to her grandpa: Almer took me flying up in the sky, and then when we got hungry, he took me out for a meal.
Perfect, she’d left out the embarrassing parts.
Meanwhile, Ruan He was looking at his granddaughter’s message, immediately fuming.
Grandpa: How exactly did His Majesty take you flying? Was it safe? He shouldn’t be messing around like that!
Shushu: Uh, I was lying on top of his head.
Ruan He: “…”
Ruan He: “!!!”
Wait a minute, if he remembered correctly, dragons only let those they’re close to sit on their backs—let alone on their heads!
What was His Majesty up to? Could he be planning to whisk his granddaughter away as his own?
No, absolutely not.
Grandpa: Shushu, come home early. Your dad and brother will be back soon; they’re all waiting for you.
He couldn’t let his sweet, innocent granddaughter be taken in by that sly emperor.
Shushu: Got it~
Ruan Shu patiently waited for Almer to finish his meal, then followed him to head back home.
However, Almer hadn’t brought a car, and they definitely couldn’t fly again, or else they’d end up at the Star Police Bureau once more.
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to walk then,” Almer said, shrugging.
Ruan Shu was completely baffled. In such a big city, was there really no way to get a ride?
After carrying her for a bit, Almer stopped at a bubble tea shop with a long line.
Ruan Shu’s eyes lit up as she watched people leaving with their bubble teas.
“Do you want one?” Almer’s gaze, however, was fixed on the small toys the shop was giving away—a selection of headbands with little horns or ears, meant for children.
Without waiting for her answer, he took her and got in line.
With their striking looks, they immediately drew plenty of attention from the crowd.
Almer was used to this; he calmly messaged his butler to monitor the internet for any posts about him and Ruan Shu, making sure to keep things low-profile. Like Ruan Xiao, Almer preferred not to appear in the entertainment news unless it was for official state matters. His social media accounts were managed by a dedicated team and mainly used to share national updates, nothing more.
“This is taking forever. Why don’t we just leave?” Ruan Shu tugged his sleeve, whispering softly.
“It’s almost our turn.”
There was no way he’d leave now after waiting this long; he had his eye on something he wanted.
Ruan Shu sighed, resting her head on his shoulder, glancing back at the line that seemed to be growing. Was it her imagination, or were more and more people joining?
No, it wasn’t just her imagination—there really were more people coming.
A girl in line behind them waved at her, visibly excited.
Ruan Shu hesitated for a moment before giving her a shy smile and then quickly hiding her head again.
“Oh my gosh! She’s so adorable! She even waved at me!” The girl excitedly turned to share the moment with her friend.
In every world, it seemed there was no shortage of people who adored beauty. Most of the people joining the line were girls, drawn by Almer’s looks, charisma, and impeccable posture.
After a while, more people started noticing the little cutie in Almer’s arms. Who could resist the charm of such an adorable, soft-looking child?
Unfortunately, Ruan Shu was shy and didn’t enjoy attention from strangers. She ended up hiding against Almer, barely lifting her head.
Finally, it was their turn.
Almer asked, “Which one do you want?”
Ruan Shu looked over the long list of names and colorful images, feeling overwhelmed.
In the end, thanks to the friendly recommendation of the shop’s staff, she picked a mango rainbow bubble tea.
Since she loved mangoes, the tea was perfect. The mango pearls inside were like popping boba—each bite burst with sweet mango flavor!