"Your Highness." The soldiers had been keeping a wary eye on Xiao Yu. After all, no matter how you looked at it, he was a Soul Beast.
When they saw Xue Qinghe approaching the Soul Beast, the soldiers hurriedly tried to warn him. But when Xue Qinghe waved them off, they could only follow a few steps behind, afraid the Soul Beast might suddenly attack. If their carelessness led to His Highness getting hurt, they would never live it down.
Fortunately, Xiao Yu didn't seem interested in attacking them. Xue Qinghe had already come right up beside him, and Xiao Yu still showed no reaction.
"So cute~" Xue Qinghe gazed at Leo's adorable, dazed expression, his eyes sparkling. Without thinking, he reached out as if to pet Xiao Yu.
"Hm?" But Xiao Yu was highly alert. Even while enjoying the fruit, he had been keeping an eye on Xue Qinghe and the others.
After all, as someone who had crossed over into this world, he instinctively felt wary of outsiders. He had only let them approach earlier because they'd brought him food.
But trying to pet him was crossing the line.
Xiao Yu suddenly turned his head and shot Xue Qinghe a glare, then shuffled a few steps away and continued eating.
He hadn't said a word, but his meaning was unmistakable.
Seeing that the little beast wouldn't let her pet him, Xue Qinghe sighed helplessly and withdrew her hand. But inwardly, she was surprised. The little beast was remarkably intelligent, almost as if it had known what they were thinking all along.
Just because he won't let me pet him now doesn't mean he won't later. Xue Qinghe considered this, then asked, "Do you like it?"
Xiao Yu didn't react, as if he hadn't heard him.
Xue Qinghe had no choice but to tell the soldiers nearby to take away most of the fruit, leaving only about five or six pieces beside Xiao Yu.
"?" Xiao Yu slowly formed a question mark. Seriously, weren't they the ones who'd brought him the fruit? Why were they taking it back?
Seeing Xiao Yu's baffled expression, Xue Qinghe laughed. Xiao Yu had been the one leading him around before, but now she'd finally turned the tables.
"Ahem." Meeting Xiao Yu's gaze, Xue Qinghe gave a light cough and said softly, "You can have the fruit, but you have to come with me. How about it? If you come with me, you'll have an endless supply of fruit."
Xue Qinghe looked confident. From Xiao Yu's behavior, it was clear he loved fruit. And since he was still young, even if he was intelligent, surely he couldn't be all that clever. A little temptation ought to be enough to get what she wanted.
Unfortunately, Xue Qinghe was in for a disappointment. Inside Leo was the soul of a grown adult, so her plan was doomed to fail.
Nothing comes for free. There's always a catch. So that's why you suddenly brought me food—you want to keep me as a pet.
Xiao Yu quickly figured out what Xue Qinghe was after and shook his head. What kind of person would fall for such a small bribe?
Xiao Yu gathered the remaining fruit together and kept eating, completely ignoring Xue Qinghe's offer.
"Your Highness, this..." Seeing what the little beast had done, one of the soldiers was confused. What did its lack of response mean?
"It seems he's refused." Xue Qinghe understood. The little beast had surely understood her words. If it didn't react, that could only mean it wasn't interested.
This was beyond Xue Qinghe's expectations. She'd thought she'd hit upon exactly what the little beast liked, and that she'd be able to win it over with ease. It turned out the little beast wasn't so easy to fool.
"Then should we..." The soldier gestured as if to forcibly take Xiao Yu away.
Xue Qinghe shook her head and looked at Xiao Yu, unruffled. "There's no need to rush. A Soul Beast this intelligent is unheard of. I have time to win him over gradually. That's enough for today. At least he no longer resists our coming close."
As she spoke, Xue Qinghe had the soldiers put the fruit back. Then she said to Xiao Yu, who remained unresponsive, "How about this? I won't ask you to come with me. Just let me pet you once, and you can have all the fruit."
Now that was an offer Xiao Yu could get behind. His eyes lit up as he looked at Xue Qinghe, as if to say, You mean it?
Xue Qinghe nodded with an exasperated look. What a glutton.
"Then what are we waiting for? Go ahead." Xiao Yu nodded at Xue Qinghe. He didn't mind making this deal a few more times.
When they saw Xiao Yu actually respond to their prince, the soldiers on either side marveled in amazement. They had never seen a Soul Beast this intelligent.
Xue Qinghe's eyes lit up too. She immediately stepped forward and reached out.
This time, Xiao Yu didn't dodge like he had before. He stayed seated and let Xue Qinghe's hand settle on his head.
"So cool." The first thing Xue Qinghe noticed when she touched Xiao Yu's head was how cool he felt. Not icy, but refreshingly cool.
As a Wing-Type Elf King, Leo was always surrounded by a faint breeze that swept away dust and mud, keeping him clean and unsoiled.
Xue Qinghe kept stroking Xiao Yu's head, as if she could go on forever.
At first, it was fine. But when Xue Qinghe had been petting him for nearly two minutes, Xiao Yu finally realized something was wrong.
"Hey, hey, weren't you only going to pet me once? How many times has it been now?"
Xiao Yu broke free of Xue Qinghe's hand in annoyance, glared at her, and then continued eating.
Seeing how uncomfortable Xiao Yu was, Xue Qinghe sighed and reluctantly drew her hand back. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. She didn't know why, but she just wanted to keep petting him, as if something were tempting her.
"All right, let's go." Xue Qinghe stood and looked at the soldiers. "We'll come again tomorrow. That's enough for today."
"Yes!" The soldiers nodded.
Before leaving, Xue Qinghe gave Xiao Yu a determined look. She was ready for a long campaign.
After Xue Qinghe left, Xiao Yu stopped eating. He suddenly had a feeling that he'd be dealing with this person a lot in the future.
"Troublesome. Whatever, let him come. As long as he brings food, I don't mind being petted. It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh." Xiao Yu quickly put the matter out of his mind. He only reluctantly moved the fruit under a tree and wrapped it in leaves when he couldn't eat another bite.
There didn't seem to be any Soul Beasts around here that might steal it, but leaving food exposed wasn't something he was used to. At least it gave him some peace of mind.
Meanwhile, Xue Qinghe's carriage returned to the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace. Everything had been watched by a gloomy young man dressed in finery on the street.
"Why has the Crown Prince been leaving the palace so often these past few days?"
This young man was none other than the Heaven Dou Empire's notorious playboy, Fourth Prince Xue Beng.
Before you continue