In the end, Ruan Shu braided the fur on her father’s tail into tiny braids, but even then, he didn’t wake up. So, she quietly slipped away.
However, just as she reached the staircase, she saw her eldest brother and grandfather rolling up their sleeves, looking furious and ready to storm out. They looked like they were on their way to pick a fight with someone.
The family butler was beside them, trying his best to calm them down.
“Master, young master, please, you must stay calm! That’s His Majesty you’re thinking of confronting!”
“I don’t care if he’s the Emperor or not. He knows perfectly well what he’s done! What’s his business here? Who does he think he is? That’s our Shushu—what does she have to do with him?”
Just look at what he’s done. Brazenly declaring on the star network that Shushu is “his.” Is he trying to provoke us? Even if he’s the Emperor, we can’t tolerate this!
“Grandpa.”
Ruan Shu, standing at the top of the staircase, couldn’t help but call out, her face full of confusion. “What’s going on with you all?”
Ruan He steadied himself and, seeing his granddaughter standing at the staircase, his anger subsided a little.
“His Majesty posted something on the star network.”
That post was so infuriating that even someone as old as Ruan He couldn’t help but lose his temper.
“What did he post?”
Ruan Shu thought: I didn’t say anything about this.
Turning her head, she saw that her father had somehow appeared behind her. It seemed he’d woken up just after she had left.
Ruan He handed her the device. “See for yourself!”
Ruan Fengsi, with a scowl on his face, said, “He’s the Emperor, after all; how could he post something so shameless?”
Now even Ruan Shu was curious to see what Almer had posted to provoke so much anger. She opened the star network with her father, and without even needing to search, the top four trending topics were still about yesterday’s military parade, Almer’s speech on the aircraft, and news about the Beast God Festival.
These top topics wouldn’t change anytime soon; they were pinned by the authorities.
But right under them, the fifth topic was rapidly gaining traction.
It was a post from their Emperor—a simple one, with just a picture and two words.
But that picture and those two words were enough to send murderous intent emanating from her father.
Ruan Shu: “… …”
What was she supposed to say? Almer, may you rest in peace.
Meanwhile, in the palace, Almer lay awake, arm draped over his eyes, feeling utterly defeated as his terminal vibrated nonstop.
The fortunate part was that he hadn’t blacked out from drinking; the unfortunate part was remembering all the “good deeds” he’d done right before he fell asleep drunk.
He sat up and sighed, glancing at the name calling him on the terminal, and decided to answer.
“Hey, son, what’s going on? I called you so many times, and you didn’t pick up. I almost thought something happened to you and was about to send the elders to check if they needed to collect your body.”
Almer was silent for three seconds, his voice slightly hoarse. “Then you may as well come and collect my body.”
The other end: “…… …”
“Because of that post you made? I was actually planning to ask what that was about. That little cutie looks quite adorable. How about letting your mom take care of it for a few days?”
Almer rubbed his forehead with one hand. “That’s not mine. If you want it, go ahead and ask Marshal Ruan Shu if she’d be willing to part with it. If you manage that, I’ll be impressed.”
The other end was silent for another two seconds before the tone rose, “Don’t tell me that’s the star beast form of the kid you mentioned!”
Almer didn’t respond immediately. After a long pause, he replied weakly, “Do you think I still have a chance of surviving?”
Shen Xinwan said, “Well, if you seriously fought the Marshal, it’s not impossible for you to win.”
“That’s not an option; Shushu would get mad.”
If he really fought with Marshal Ruan Shu, the fight would be so earth-shattering that they’d probably have to take it to space; otherwise, half of the main star’s cities would be left in ruins.
“Fine, I’ll just go and beg for forgiveness, explain myself.”
Almer hung up the call with his mother. He’d made up his mind: even if the Marshal got furious and beat him up, he’d endure it. As for deleting the post—he was still the Emperor, and he had to maintain some dignity. It was already posted; deleting it would make him seem wishy-washy. So, he decided to leave it up.
Back at the Ruan family…
Ruan Shu glanced between her father, grandfather, and brother, all still exuding a chilly aura of barely restrained anger.
Even her two cousins, who had just arrived, looked serious, and their mood seemed equally low.
Ruan Linzhan looked at everyone, perplexed, and asked, “What’s going on?”
He was dressed in casual clothes, his half-length white hair tied up, his bronzed skin accentuating a handsome and dashing look.
“Check the news on the star network.”
Ruan Linzhan hadn’t paid any attention to the star network recently, as he’d been busy all day.
After reading it, he walked over to his little cousin, looking at her several times.
Ruan Shu, feeling slightly nervous, asked, “What’s… what’s wrong, Big Cousin?”
With a hint of amusement, Ruan Linzhan reached out and pinched her chubby cheek.
“I’m just curious, Little Cousin. How did you manage to charm His Majesty to the point that he brought you along to his speech? And to the extent that he posted something like that using an account he’d never touched before.”
Ruan Shu looked at him with an innocent expression, making no resistance as he pinched her cheek, obedient like a little bun being bullied.
“It was an accident.”
She muttered softly, “Almer startled me; I turned into a kitty, and he instinctively put me in his pocket.”
Even now, she felt a bit regretful about the whole thing.
Hearing her explanation, Ruan Linzhan could almost picture the scene and found it rather amusing.
“Family Head, His Majesty… His Majesty is here…”
In an instant, everyone except Ruan Shu and Ruan Linzhan shot to their feet.
Ruan Fengsi rolled up his sleeves, his expression fierce, “He actually dared to come!”
Even the term “His Majesty” was dropped from his language, showing just how angry he was.
Ruan Shu grew anxious and grabbed her big cousin’s arm, saying urgently, “Big Cousin, go help them, please! Don’t let them actually start fighting.”
She wasn’t that angry herself—just a bit embarrassed. After all, Almer had posted a photo of himself in cat form online and even claimed she was “his.” She wasn’t just any pet cat; she was a proud ragdoll cat with her own family!
But having her dad and the others start a fight over this really wasn’t necessary.
However, the star beasts were a race that was quick to engage in battle. By the time Ruan Shu and Ruan Linzhan arrived, the Ruan family members had already started fighting with Almer—no delay at all; they went straight into action as soon as they saw him.
It was four against one, and Almer, though defending himself the entire time, hardly fought back. Even with the sturdy defenses of his dragon race, he was still looking pretty battered.
They were really going at it!
Ruan Linzhan was a bit surprised, given Almer’s status as the Emperor. Usually, no one besides the retired Emperor would dare go after him like this.
Watching with great interest, Ruan Linzhan scratched his head. Honestly, if it weren’t for the crowd around them, he’d love a chance to spar with His Majesty himself.
Not only did he not try to break up the fight, but he also began analyzing their fighting techniques from the sidelines.
Ruan Shu: “…… …”
Completely unreliable!
All she could do was wait anxiously nearby, occasionally shouting, “Be careful with the face, everyone! No hits to the face!”
An Emperor and a Marshal—after all, they still needed to save face!