"What kinda illness does the princess have that the court physician can't even treat?" Lory knew the medicines in this world were magical and incomparable to the medicine in her world. She was curious because incurable diseases were hard to find.

Mong Ki was at hand to explain, "The rumor claims the princess seems to be in a deep and prolonged sleep. Her heartbeat is normal, her Qi flow is fine and her face coloring is the same. The only difference is she unconscious and won't wake up."

​​

Lory propped her chin and tilted her head, "Like Sleeping Beauty?"

"Eh… What?" Mong Ki and Zhao Li Xin asked in unison.

Lory waved her hands, "Nothing. It's a story from my home."

"What kinda story?" Zhao Li Xin was intrigued.

"It's a fairy tale from my home," Lory slowly sipped her tea to collect herself. She didn't want to say something that would make them suspicious of her background. "The story is about a princess cursed by an evil witch to sleep for a hundred years. The curse could only be broken by her true love's, a prince, first kiss."

Lory giggled as she saw their reaction. Mong Ki and Zhao Li Xin frowned in disdain. They thought the story was awful. They didn't understand how a maiden would be kissed by a stranger who wasn't her betrothed or a prince, nonetheless. What if the prince already had an official wife? What if he was from a much small and weaker country? Her having an intimate relationship with a strange prince meant her reputation was ruined before she woke.

"That is a…horrifying story…" Mong Ki was deeply concerned by the story.

'Pffftt…' Lory covered her mouth with her hands as she almost spurted out her tea and she couldn't hold in her laughter. Lory waved her hands frantically. Her eyes turned into crescents from laughing too hard, "So…sorry."

"It is...it's creepy, right?" Lory wiped the tears in the corners of her eyes. Zhao Li Xin and Mong Ki's expression was hilarious. She couldn't stop laughing.

People watched her laugh freely without maintaining her image. She laughed like any normal girl. Her behavior was inappropriate. It was weird but oddly refreshing. This was the first time Zhao Li Xin saw her laugh without restrain. He liked her cheerful expression and the sound of her laughter. He didn't find anything wrong with her behavior.

"Sorry…" Lory covered her mouth shyly as she knew her behavior was improper.

"Don't be! I like it…" His unexpected flirty smile made Lory blush heavily.

'Just when I let my guard down, so unfair!'

Mong Yi arrived and served three layers of xiao long bao on the table making Lory's eyes widen with excitement. Zhao Li Xin watched her eat like it was the best delicacy in the world. He wondered if it was as good as she made it look. He tried one of the steamed xiao long bao and found it wasn't bad at all.

"You know, sleeping beauty has another side story..." Lory swallowed her food and continued. "Fr…my friend once said, what if there was no curse? What if the witch and the prince knew each other or perhaps they are the same person?"

Lory gave a cunningly smile, sipped tea, and gently placed the teacup on the table, "What if it's all a charade? What if the plan was actually to take over the princess' kingdom...without a war? They would be no fuss or casualties… The prince would then be welcomed as the hero who saved the beauty."

Zhao Li Xin tapped his finger on the table. Her words aroused his suspicion. He knew too well the character of a ruler. They can have different policies, different needs, come from different cultures but in the end, they were all the same. It didn't matter how much they loved their woman or family. They would never let anyone threaten their absolution or give a fief to a stranger. Such a task was a bold move for a ruler to make. The main question now was why the Liangzu Emperor would risk his kingdom for one daughter. Was it for fatherly love?

'Puih…' He didn't buy it. Something else was happening. Something…interesting.

"Mong Ki, tell Bei Li Yan to investigate this matter," Zhao Li Xin instructed.

"Yes, Milord!" Mong Ki cupped his fist and quickly left the room.

"Did someone get interested?" Lory smiled playfully at him as she propped her chin on her hands. Her eyes glinted like a child's waiting for something fun.

Zhao Li Xin's mouth curved into a devious smile. It was quite intriguing to see the different sides of her character, "Tell me more about this story."

Lory knew he was plotting something behind his beautiful face. She didn't mind Zhao Li Xin's scheming tendencies. The truth was it made her feel nostalgic as he reminded her of Fredhard. She wondered if it was possible for Zhao Li Xin and Fredhard to meet one day. They would create havoc forcing the world to watch out.

"It is quite a heroic story. The prince walked through a thorny jungle, fought with a vicious dragon, killed the bad witch before he reached the sleeping beauty chamber. He fell in love with her at first sight. Enchanted by her beauty, he kissed the princess, waking her. It was also loved at first sight for her when she saw the brave prince."

"How convenient," Zhao Li Xin said sarcastically.

"It's weird, isn't it? The normal reaction to seeing a stranger inside your room would be to screams, isn't it…?" Lory agreed with Zhao Li Xin. She thought the story was ridiculous even when she was a child. The prince seemed too creepy for her.

"Anyway, the curse was lifted. The prince married the princess and they lived happily ever after. The end," Lory remembered asking Fred why there was no story about what happened after the prince and princess got married prompting him to smile sweetly.

"Well, my princess, they probably got a divorce after the honeymoon phase was over. What would you expect from a flash marriage? They might have realized they had different perspectives on life, hobbies, and values. The prince could have also been a creep who kissed many women secretly..." Fred carefully tucked her in bed and switched off the lamp. He then turned and gave her a creepy smile before saying, "Don't forget to lock your room princess..."

"…" Lory always made sure she locked her windows and doors before she slept from that day. When she grew up and became stronger, she started placing spell around her room, even a mosquito couldn't enter.

Lory was raised by a realistic, pragmatic and rational person called Fredhard Knoxville who kept her away from romantic delusions and useless fairy tales. Although Fargo had a long list of ex-girlfriends that would have made Casanova surrender, Fargo never let any man get close to Lory. Fargo would remind her just how tricky and cunning men could be.

The two of them combined ensured Lory grew up having no interest in men or relationships. The fact that she was a father-con with a tiny bro-con tendency didn't help matters.

When other thirteen-year-olds were experiencing their first date, love, and kiss, Lory was spending most of her time with her brother and his Archknights. They would fight with beasts, explore caves and underground dungeons, not adding the fact she had royal obligations. Her calendar was too full for her to think about relationships.

Anyone who would try to court Princess Lorient would need to go through an impenetrable wall of Archknights. Should a miracle happen and they managed to pass through, they had to face Crown Prince Lucas. Although Lucas looked lazy and easy-going, the prince with the devil may care attitude would undergo a 180 turn once Lory was involved. Those close to Lucas knew he was very protective of Lorient.

All this was the reason Lory was who she was when it came to love. She was a dense woman who was unfortunate enough to have her first romantic relationship with a man who had limited interaction with other human beings. Their love pace was slower than snail when compared to that of normal people.

"What do you think about the princess in my story?" Lory was curious.

"I think she's stupid..." Zhao Li Xin tilted his head slightly and said frankly.

Lory sighed, "Yeah... I think so too."