In the Saint Callen Administrative District, a majestic royal palace stood proudly at the city's highest point.
The palace was brightly lit, with maids hurriedly traversing the ornate corridors adorned with sculptures and massive oil paintings.
Today marked the return of the Princess of the Fifth Rank after her long absence.
Her homecoming brought some liveliness to this typically quiet and vast architectural complex.
However, in contrast to the bustling atmosphere outside, the princess's chambers remained remarkably quiet.
"I told them not to make such a fuss."
"Does Father really need to add to my troubles..."
Even the usually reticent Princess of the Fifth Rank found herself growing impatient with the palace's elaborate protocols.
Ophelia furrowed her brow slightly, her gaze drifting to a corner of the room.
A black shadow materialized there instantly, bowing respectfully to her.
With a gentle wave of her hand, Ophelia dismissed everyone from her chambers except for her trusted attendant.
"Did you find anything?"
The figure shook their head slightly, speaking in a low voice, "We found no trace of the Third Prince purchasing magic crystals. The domestic mining records for recent years appear normal, and there have been no notable fluctuations in the energy market."
Seeing the princess's expressionless face watching him, the shadow guard quickly added:
"Although we haven't found any leads yet, we can't rule out the possibility that the Third Prince is making purchases abroad or has discovered secret overseas deposits. Please give us more time, Your Highness."
A glimmer appeared in Ophelia's light blue eyes.
"He's certainly being thorough about covering his tracks."
She gave her instructions softly, "Continue investigating the Third Prince's activities. You may go."
The figure nodded immediately.
But just as they were about to leave the chambers, they hesitated and looked back at the princess.
"Speak."
They immediately reported: "It's about the intelligence regarding that old mansion in the West District..."
Ophelia froze for a moment, her ice-cold expression finally showing some change.
The shadow guard slowly approached, producing a photograph.
Four years ago, her trusted shadow guards had been assigned an unusual task.
They were to monitor a mansion on Riverside Road in the West District twenty-four hours a day, a property belonging to the Edlin Family.
Over these four years, while people occasionally visited the mansion, their target – the family heir Rowe Edlin – had never appeared.
Yet as time passed, the princess's enthusiasm for this matter never diminished.
Though with her various schemes, the surveillance personnel and schedules had been reduced somewhat.
However.
A week ago, during a routine surveillance check, one of the shadow guards unexpectedly discovered something...
The guard carefully handed the photograph to Ophelia, and upon seeing its contents, her eyes changed instantly.
A deep crimson flash appeared and quickly vanished.
The shadow guard hastily lowered their head.
"Mr. Rowe has returned to the mansion. We discreetly investigated his activities and found that he has resumed his enrollment at Callen University, currently repeating his first year in magical studies. He's had some contact with his old friend, East District Police Chief Raymond, and is now involved in the Callen University student disappearance case. When you returned today..."
The guard spoke softly: "He was also dining at the Royal Bay Restaurant on Champagne Road in the East District."
"What?" Ophelia's gaze shot up from the photograph.
"That explosion... is he..."
Her typically cool voice trembled slightly.
The shadow guard quickly added: "Mr. Rowe is unharmed and has returned to the mansion, Your Highness need not worry..."
Ophelia drew a deep breath.
Then, a hint of displeasure flickered in her eyes.
"It's my fault... I should have explained everything at once..." The shadow guard bowed even more deeply.
Though maintaining their composure outwardly, the guard's mind was in turmoil.
When had the typically detached princess, who seemed interested in nothing and was as frigid as ice and snow, ever shown such emotional display?
Could the mere news of that "target's" return cause such a loss of composure?
But what shocked the guard even more was yet to come.
Because.
Ophelia smiled.
Like ice melting in early spring, that most exquisite face in the empire, when graced with a smile, seemed to make time stand still.
The shadow guard dared not look again, immediately turning to glance at the other attendants.
The maids had never witnessed such a scene either and stood momentarily stunned, but under the guard's meaningful glances...
"Your Highness, we'll take our leave now..."
The guard and the others practically fled from the chambers.
The magnificent doors slowly closed.
Ophelia's attention returned to the photograph.
Though taken secretly from a poor angle, the black and white photograph showed a blurry exterior wall of the old mansion and an open window.
Even so, it was clear enough to see what was inside the window.
Rowe was eating with a young woman slightly older than him, both wearing gentle smiles.
There was a subtle warmth between them, like that shared between family members or lovers.
Her hands holding the photograph began to tremble with excitement.
Her ice-blue pupils filled with a deep crimson glow that, this time, did not fade.
He's back...
He's back!
Ophelia's gaze seemed fixed on the handsome young man's face, silently staring.
She stared for a very long time.
Various indescribable emotions welled up inside her.
He hasn't changed at all...
It was as if everything had returned to that quiet countryside, to that afternoon when the mysterious young man had helped her sneak out.
That afternoon had blue skies, stretching clouds, cows in their barn, and so many things she'd never seen before in her life...
She still remembered the taste of the pear they'd stolen from the farmer's house.
It was hard and sour, with a worm that had nearly frightened her.
It had made him laugh at her.
But since then, she had never tasted a pear quite like that again.
She would never forget that day.
She had learned what kind of blue sky free birds should soar in.
"Rowe..."
Ophelia's fair fingertips gently caressed the young man's face in the photograph.
Suddenly, she felt regretful.
She shouldn't have let those unimportant matters... divert attention from the mansion.
Countless days and nights, no one knew how much effort she had devoted, all for just a vague hope...
She had even schemed to financially ruin a wealthy merchant who had coveted that mansion...
Because it was a place filled with memories, containing all the beauty of her brief life.
It could not be desecrated.
Unfortunately...
Just a moment of negligence meant she hadn't discovered his return immediately...
This was all the Third Prince's fault, her so-called "brother."
Ophelia let out a cold laugh.
She shouldn't think about such meaningless things; they only brought more troubles. Her gaze returned to the figure in the photograph.
However.
From beginning to end, her eyes never lingered for even a moment on the unfamiliar woman.
Because she had always known that the old mansion had only one mistress.
Herself.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
invincible power, Gu Changge transmigrates into a fantasy world, bound to a sign-in system that grants him cultivation rewards and various peerless treasures daily. While others struggle desperately to break through their cultivation realms, he has long since reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao, becoming a reclusive Emperor whose true strength even he himself cannot fathom. Originally planning to lie low and retire peacefully on Purple Bamboo Peak, the system suddenly issues a new task — take on disciples. With no other choice, Gu Changge casually picks up a few disciples: The eldest disciple, born with a War God Constitution, is thrown a copy of "War God Stratagems" by him, and ends up conquering the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, becoming a peerless War God who sweeps across the cosmos. The second disciple, possessing a Chaos Sword Body, can break all techniques with a single sword, his swordsmanship unmatched throughout history. He points his sword at the heavens: "My master said, the sword and the man stand together. If the sword perishes... my master will give me another one." The third disciple, a reborn Empress who returns to her throne, her elegance and grace overshadowing all beings. And without anyone noticing, his own sect, the Qingxuan Sect, has become the number one sect on the continent. Looking at these unbelievably formidable disciples, Gu Changge, holding the "Primordial Purple Qi" he just signed in for, falls into deep thought: — Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? How did I become the ultimate master?!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
