Qingyi and Anna

Although he had expected it and had heard Qingyi mention it before, Bai Zhi hadn't anticipated that the situation would be this serious.

Anna was forced to become Retainer of the [Doll Princess] when she was very young, and no matter who she was, once she became Retainer the [Doll Princess]'s family, everything she owned no longer belonged to her.

--This is the price of gaining Strength, except Anna was the one who was kidnapped.

Judging from the struggle between the [Lord of Flesh and Blood] and the [Doll Princess], Anna clearly possesses a mysterious allure. This allure led the [Lord of Flesh and Blood], who was clearly inferior to the [Doll Princess], to compete for Anna while the latter was asleep.

Although the source of this inexplicable attraction is unknown, the fact that the [Doll Princess] personally lured Anna away makes it impossible for her to abandon this excellent follower.

"The trigger... is it the increased Strength of the [Doll Princess], and also the stimulation of the bustling crowd?"

Looking at the Blonde Loli who had fallen asleep with her face buried in his chest, Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

[Retainer] is not a good thing. They are a powerful and evil source of destruction. To some extent, they represent a part of the Evil God itself, and one's own thinking will gradually be influenced by the Evil God.

The rise of some Cult Organization is often accompanied by the presence of their [Retainer]. Their ultimate goal is to pollute the world in place of the entity they believe in.

Anna possesses immense Mental Power, so much so that she constructed her own Mental World amidst the struggle between the [Lord of Flesh and Blood] and the [Doll Princess]... However, she is Retainer of the [Doll Princess] familiar, and everything about her is under the latter's control.

"I still know too little about Evil God. I need to find a way to obtain more information... I've heard that there's an Evil God sealed away at the very bottom of the 18 levels of Hell?"

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly, looking thoughtful.

He still vividly remembered that small town at the entrance to Hell. If only he could control the Eighteen Levels of Hell...

Just as he was thinking about these things, a slight noise from the door interrupted his thoughts. Under Bai Zhi's slightly twitching gaze, Qingyi, who was also holding a pillow and wearing a nightgown, quietly opened the door and walked in.

So you two actually planned this together, right?

"How is she? How is she doing?"

He tiptoed to the bedside and the White-haired loli whispered a question to him.

"She should be asleep by now, right?"

"Hmm, not bad. It doesn't look like Nightmare now... You knew about what happened before?"

Suddenly remembering something, Bai Zhi turned to look at Qingyi.

"Well, to be honest, I'm a little worried..."

Qingyi sat down on the edge of the bed, hugging her pillow, and nodded.

"I have to take her back to the Shadow World tomorrow; there are some things I need to prepare beforehand... Can I sleep here too? I don't feel quite comfortable sleeping alone..."

Qingyi glanced at Anna beside her and suddenly asked a question.

"Uh... okay, as long as you..."

Before Bai Zhi could finish speaking, a warm, petite body pressed against him, and she happily rested her head on his arm.

"Sure enough, it's most reassuring to sleep here... What's wrong?"

"... nothing."

After a moment of silence, Bai Zhi spoke without saying a word.

"If you're going to sleep here, then sleep quietly and don't touch me."

"Hmm..."

Blinking, a White-haired loli suddenly leaned forward, her face slightly flushed, and whispered a question in his ear.

Do you still want to eat cotton candy?

Bai Zhi: "..."

Unlike the last time when he was too exhausted to notice the two little girls climbing onto his bed one after the other, this time, Bai Zhi couldn't sleep a wink all night.

So much so that when he woke up the next morning, he even had dark circles under his eyes.

On the contrary, the two little girls were sleeping soundly, their sleep quality was so good that he was Envy...

When he came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, Anna had already woken up. As for Qingyi... she had already secretly run back to her room earlier.

This villa wasn't just for the three of them; the Dead Zero, had also stayed here yesterday, as was her usual routine, and coincidentally, she had a habit of waking up early.

If the other party happens to see two little girls in pajamas with messy hair walking out of his room... Bai Zhi felt that even the Ganges River couldn't wash away his injustice.

"How are things? Still Nightmare?"

While drying his hair with a towel, Bai Zhi walked to the bedside and asked Anna, who was sitting on the bed, a question.

"No, all those annoying, barely audible sounds have disappeared..."

Anna's eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

"Prince Your Highness, could Anna come over every night from now on? I feel so safe sleeping Your Highness Prince... I'll be very careful and won't let anyone else find out."

(... and they haven't been discovered yet... you just arrived, Qingyi followed right after... you two seem to be sleeping quite happily, but what about me?)

Recalling the agonizing night before, Bai Zhi's lips twitched slightly.

He was certain that if the other people in the villa found out about this, he would definitely end up in jail, whether he was a beast or worse.

"So you mean you didn't have any more Nightmare while you were sleeping here yesterday?"

Bai Zhi sat down sideways next to the chair and asked the other person a question, avoiding the main point.

"Did you hear the voice of the [Doll Princess] in your dreams, or hear her calling you?"

"Um... no."

After thinking for a moment, Anna shook her head.

Just like before, the voice has completely disappeared.

"That's fine."

Bai Zhi tossed the towel onto the table, opened the window to let fresh air into the room, turned to look at Anna who was kneeling on the bed, and held up a finger in front of her, his face full of earnestness.

"Remember, if something like this happens again, be sure to tell me immediately. You can always trust me, and I will never let anyone who trusts me down, understand?"

"... Um."

Looking directly into his eyes, Anna nodded gently.

"Alright, go back to your room and wash up. Remember, don't let anyone else see you."

Bai Zhi yawned and began to speak.

"There's no one in the hallway now, you can... what's wrong?"

Looking at Anna, who was extending her hand to him, Bai Zhi leaned closer, slightly puzzled.

Then, the warm touch coming from above his lips made him pause involuntarily.

"This is a good morning kiss."

Anna released her arms from his neck, looked up at him, and had a serious expression on her face.

"Prince Your Highness, you won't leave Anna, will you?"

Of course.

After a moment of surprise, Bai Zhi smiled slightly and reached out to pat the other person's head.

"I've told you, you can always trust me."