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."
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
