Birds

The gentle breeze gently caressed the green wheat fields, and the pastoral scenery in the dream remained beautiful.

Luo Wei walked leisurely on the path leading to the manor.

Time flows quickly in dreams. Since meeting the young Ophelia, the two have been spending time together for quite a while.

During this period, Luo Wei would sneak into the vicinity of the manor every day, taking Ophelia, who had managed to sneak out in various ways, out to play. Of course, his bold actions had already caught the attention of the people in the manor.

"Some wild man from nowhere has captured the Imperial Princess's heart," such ridiculous rumors had spread throughout the manor.

Strangely enough, Luo Wei still managed to enter the vast manor this time, and he did so openly.

This was because the timeline had now reached the point where he had claimed to be an experienced monster hunter in his mission, allowing him to walk into the manor's grand hall with such confidence.

As soon as he entered the hall, the small white-haired girl eagerly ran over.

"Luo Wei! You're finally here!!" she exclaimed excitedly, her eyes sparkling.

After saying that, she ignored the wary expressions of the maids and directly wrapped her arms around Luo Wei's arm, pulling him toward her room.

"Uh..." Luo Wei awkwardly explained to the maids, "It's for an investigation, so I need to carefully search for evidence..."

Search for evidence?

The maids exchanged puzzled glances. What kind of evidence search involves barging into our Princess's private chambers?

Your excuse is just too flimsy...

The Head Maid nervously followed behind the two, fearing that her Princess might be abducted by this strange man.

Little did she know, this time it was Luo Wei who was being led astray...

"Could you not be so enthusiastic..." Luo Wei muttered helplessly, looking at his arm being held tightly by her, "Even if you were just pretending..."

"No way!" Ophelia instinctively tightened her grip on Luo Wei's arm, afraid he might pull away.

"You're my enfeoffed knight, you're already mine!" the young girl declared domineeringly.

"Mine?" Luo Wei chuckled, looking down at her, "So, what does your Highness want to do with your person?"

"Whatever I want to do, of course!" Ophelia snorted matter-of-factly, "I'm the Princess of the Fifth Rank, infinitely noble! Even if I condescend to favor you, you can't resist!"

The Head Maid following closely behind widened her eyes upon hearing this.

Luo Wei glanced back at the maid, then looked down at Ophelia's small, bean-like frame.

Then he burst out laughing.

"Do you even know what 'favor' means? Don't misuse words, you're scaring your maid..."

Ophelia shook her head blankly, "I don't know... But I heard people in the palace talk about my older sister, saying she was young and..."

"Your Highness!"

The Head Maid quickly intervened, stopping the further spill of such court secrets...

After being dragged by Ophelia into her private chambers, Luo Wei began his "investigation" with a serious expression.

It was truly just an investigation.

After all, there was a stoic maid watching nearby, so Luo Wei had to play his role fully. He professionally took out some investigation tools from his satchel and began inspecting the room.

Being able to play with Luo Wei in the same room made Ophelia very happy. This was the first time she had invited a guest to her home.

Like an ordinary child, she shared all her favorite snacks and toys.

"Luo Wei, do you want to eat? This is a delicacy from a vassal state, made from the rarest game meat!"

"Luo Wei! Do you want tea? This is the finest black tea from the Empire's largest merchant house!"

"Luo Wei, Luo Wei!"

Luo Wei put down his tools, casting a helpless glance towards the smiling Ophelia.

The Head Maid standing nearby as a third wheel was about to explode with anger.

"We're supposed to be investigating..." Luo Wei sighed.

"What's the fun in investigating! You're such a boring man!" Ophelia pouted unhappily, jumping onto the bed with her doll, her legs swinging back and forth.

You don't understand... Luo Wei glanced at her helplessly. This game, I used to play it as a detective game, it's quite fun...

As he thought this, his gaze landed on the doll Ophelia was holding.

"Do you like this!?" Ophelia's eyes lit up immediately, and she handed the stuffed toy over, "Then I'll give it to you!"

"No..." Luo Wei waved his hand.

He just felt that the stuffed toy in Ophelia's hand was both large and adorable, and clearly very expensive, probably a custom-made one that couldn't be found in the market.

He couldn't help but think of Helena, who couldn't even afford the cheapest toy when she was little...

Being rich is great, you can have whatever you want.

As an Imperial Princess, despite not being favored, her life of luxury was never lacking.

In terms of material wealth, she had never been deprived.

Ophelia thought Luo Wei also liked toys and began showing him her luxurious toy cabinet.

The cabinet was almost as big as a room, filled with all kinds of beautiful toys.

Those at the back, probably never touched, were covered in dust.

It was clear that Ophelia didn't really like playing with toys. As she proudly showed Luo Wei her collection, she kept an eye on his expressions, ready to stop if he showed any disinterest.

From the excitement and eagerness in her light-colored eyes, Luo Wei saw a longing.

A longing for friends, for the freedom to truly play under the open sky.

Ophelia was not lacking in material terms, but her spiritual world was barren.

While Ophelia was introducing her toys to him, Luo Wei suddenly heard the maids outside chattering about something.

Luo Wei slowly pushed the door open and looked outside.

"Why are they so noisy?" Ophelia frowned unhappily, clearly displeased that their private time was being disturbed.

The two came to the next room together, where a group of maids were gathered by the window, trying to catch a small bird that had unexpectedly flown in.

It was a tiny sparrow, perhaps startled by the open window during ventilation, now frantically flying around the ceiling, trapped inside the manor's room.

Its chirps were sharp and frantic, resembling the helpless cries of humans in despair.

"It's a bird!" Ophelia immediately blinked her eyes, pointing excitedly at the bird, "I love birds so much! Luo Wei, go catch it for me!"

Luo Wei shrugged, "I can't fly, and your ceiling is so high, how am I supposed to catch it?"

"I don't care! I don't care!" Ophelia twisted around willfully, "I want the bird! I must have the bird!!"

Seeing that Luo Wei remained unmoved, Ophelia grabbed his arm and started shaking it.

"Good Luo Wei! Go catch it for me, please! I'll give you a reward if you do, okay?"

Luo Wei narrowed his eyes, smiling at her, "What reward?"

"Any reward you want! Just name it!" Ophelia seemed completely unafraid of Luo Wei making a big demand.

After all, being rich means being willful.

Luo Wei grinned, pointing to his cheek.

"You kiss me, and I'll go catch it for you."