The Ice Queen Eldest Princess

(This chapter is free.)

Before long, Jia woke up as well. By the time the group rode their Triangle Rhinos back to Darkmoon City, Chen Rui, thoroughly battered by Alice's antics along the way, was still hanging his head in low spirits. Alice, meanwhile, was immensely pleased with her "results" and looked radiant.

When they reached the city gate, General Allen, the Public Security officer, stopped the four of them again. The Eldest Princess wished to summon Chen Rui and ordered them to proceed immediately to the Council Hall in the royal palace. As the demon general conveyed the order, a flash of envy crossed his eyes—this human, who had only recently been a prisoner, had somehow stumbled into incredible luck. Not only had Aldas taken a liking to him, but Princess Shea was summoning him personally!

Chen Rui had learned from Athena that Princess Shea was a strong, cold-blooded ruler, possessing much of Emperor White Night's bearing. Everyone in Darkmoon City feared and respected her. He had known that becoming Aldas's apprentice would draw the Eldest Princess's attention, but he had not expected to be summoned so quickly. He could not help feeling uneasy.

After entering the palace through the Gate, Alice pulled him aside and leaned close to his ear, speaking viciously. "You are not allowed to let a single word of what I said on the road today reach my sister's ears. Otherwise, I'll definitely castrate you!"

Though her threats were still fierce, Chen Rui could tell that the little girl was finally scared. Thank heavens—Athena had been right. This eccentric little princess did have someone she feared.

Suppressing the itch in his ear, Chen Rui deliberately lowered his voice and asked, "So I don't have to take responsibility for you anymore? Or for the child in your stomach..."

"You still dare say that?" The little girl widened her eyes, killing intent blazing. "Are you dreaming in broad daylight? With Athena around, if you had really dared touch this princess, those claws of yours would have been chopped off long ago!"

Chen Rui put on an enlightened expression. "So that's how it was! I originally thought it was impossible, but Your Highness's acting was simply too convincing. You made it sound so real all the way here that I was practically dazed into thinking something had actually happened."

"Acting?" Alice immediately understood the word's meaning and pressed him anxiously. "What I just said..."

"Don't worry! Even if the Eldest Princess tortured me, threatened me, seduced me—well, tempted me with benefits—I wouldn't reveal a single word! If you don't believe me, Your Highness can use mind-reading on me." Chen Rui imitated Athena and pounded his chest hard. Unfortunately, his chest muscles were nowhere near as impressive as the violent woman's, and no matter how he slapped them, he could not produce any curve.

Still unaware that her bluff had already been exposed, the little girl patted Chen Rui's shoulder with satisfaction, like a head of state receiving a soldier. "No need. I believe you. After this is over, remember to make a few more Kongming Locks... This princess certainly won't treat you unfairly."

Chen Rui directly ignored the little girl's final words as the four of them arrived before the Council Hall. A Scythe Demon with an exceedingly cold appearance bowed to Alice. "Princess Alice, please wait outside. Princess Shea wishes to summon this human first."

"Thank you for your trouble, Captain Kagulon." Alice's Disguise was indeed formidable. She now looked every bit the proper young lady of a noble household.

Kagulon gave a slight nod, then approached Chen Rui. His cold gaze did not change in the slightest as he said, "Human, follow me."

Chen Rui followed Kagulon into the Council Hall. The hall was spacious and simply furnished. Atop several steps in the center stood a young woman wearing a crown and a pleated gown. She was Shea, the Eldest Princess renowned as Dark Moon's greatest beauty.

The instant Chen Rui saw the Eldest Princess, his first reaction was to be stunned by her beauty. Perfect—this was the most fitting word he could think of. Her appearance and temperament were both flawless. Compared to this elder sister, Alice was merely an immature child. As for the so-called celebrities and internet idols from his previous life, they were nothing but ordinary faces, not worth mentioning.

If he had to find a flaw, it was that the princess's bearing was too cold. Her beautiful, deep purple gemstone-like eyes radiated a faint chill.

Chen Rui had once voted without hesitation for mature women in an online poll titled "Do homebodies prefer mature women or little girls?" He had even left a four-word comment: "Mature women rule!"

Clearly, this was a goddess among mature women, a mature woman among goddesses—the ultimate ice queen!

Seeing the human staring blankly, the Eldest Princess frowned slightly. Aldas, standing nearby, gave a soft cough, jolting Chen Rui awake. He hurriedly reined in his wandering thoughts and lowered his head. Though that had been a normal male reaction, this was no goddess—she was a female demon lord. His life was in her hands, and angering her would be troublesome.

There was one person standing on each side of Shea. Opposite Aldas was an elderly man with white hair and beard. His face was withered, his eyes half-closed as though he were dozing, and three long horns curved backward from his head.

"Your Highness, the human has been brought."

"Kagulon, guard the entrance to the Council Hall. Do not permit anyone to enter, not even Alice." The Eldest Princess's voice was equally cold.

Kagulon bowed and immediately withdrew.

Shea's gaze settled on Chen Rui. "Human, your name."

Chen Rui composed himself, copied Kagulon's bow, and said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Eldest Princess. My name is Chen Rui."

Shea asked coldly, "That is your given name. What is your family name?"

Chen Rui froze. Only then did he remember that names in this world were given name first, family name last. He could not exactly call himself Rui Chen, so he could only answer, "It is Chen Rui."

No matter what, he did not want to discard the sole mark that symbolized the family, emotions, and everything else he had once possessed.

Shea did not pursue the matter. Most people in the Demon Realm had only one name anyway. Only established families were qualified to possess surnames, or had been granted one by an emperor as an honor to be passed down.

"Then what about 'Arthur'?" Shea's voice became sharper as a faint pressure spread from her. "Answer!"

Chen Rui's heart pounded, but after the matter with Pagliu, he had gained considerably more courage. He quickly regained his composure and said, "It was like this, Your Highness. After falling into the Demon Realm, I lost some of my memories. I only remember that I seemed to have originally been called Arthur and perhaps belonged to the nobility. As for my family name and everything else, I cannot remember. Now that I can no longer return to the Surface World, and since Master Aldas has shown me favor, I have decided to abandon my former identity and change my name to Chen Rui. I wish to live here as a member of Darkmoon City and ask for Your Highness's permission."

Chen Rui had prepared this answer long ago. It invoked Aldas as a shield while expressing his resolve to begin a new life in the Demon Realm and serve the Darkmoon Territory. At the same time, it patched up the inconsistency surrounding his original name. In truth, the memories he had inherited from Arthur were indeed incomplete, so the excuse of amnesia was not entirely fabricated.

"Gauss, what do you think?" Shea turned her gaze toward the white-haired elder.

Old Gauss nodded unhurriedly. "When this human was captured, I took part in the interrogation. I did indeed discover signs of memory loss. He only gave the name Arthur. His strength is extremely weak; he is nothing more than a useless piece of trash and should pose no threat."

Naturally, no one liked being called useless trash, but keeping a low profile suited Chen Rui's current situation. The Super System and his Poison Dragon ally were the two foundations he would rely upon in the future. What he needed most right now was time to develop and a relatively safe environment to survive in.

Shea nodded slightly and addressed Chen Rui again. "Master Aldas told me some interesting stories, but I do not wish to hear them repeated. I will ask you only one question: did you truly receive the inheritance of an ancient Grandmaster? Do not attempt to deceive me. You cannot bear the price of a lie."

Chen Rui finally understood why Shea had summoned him so quickly. But telling the truth would only get him killed faster, so he answered without hesitation, "I can guarantee it with my life. I truly received the Grandmaster Inheritance. However, the Grandmaster's era was not ancient—it was the far more distant Primordial World era, one that has almost no records. The residual power of that divine consciousness may be what inexplicably brought me to the Demon Realm. If Your Highness grants me an identity and allows me to remain in New Moon City, I am willing to offer the knowledge of that inheritance and serve Your Highness."

Shea asked Aldas, "Master, how credible do you believe this is?"

Aldas bowed slightly. The Eldest Princess was only twenty-three years old in actual age, barely at the beginning of her life by royal standards, yet that did not diminish the Dark Elf master's respect for her in the least. "Your Highness has already seen Huarong Dao. Such a deduction tool has never been recorded in history. I am certain that even the human world possesses nothing like it. Then there was the Kongming Lock Athena destroyed, which was a work of astonishing craftsmanship. I tested him with every kind of poison, and none had any effect. Other than believing in this Grandmaster Inheritance, I truly cannot think of another explanation."

A work of astonishing craftsmanship? It seemed this world had quite a few idioms and allusions identical to Earth's. He just did not know whether their origins lay with some demon king or human. With Aldas's confirmation, Chen Rui relaxed considerably. From Athena, he knew that Shea was currently in a difficult position and desperately needed talent and assistance. As long as he demonstrated enough value, he would surely pass this safely.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Showing off before gaining strength was the behavior of an idiot begging to die.

"Thank you, Your Highness the Eldest Princess!" Chen Rui bowed again, revealing a somewhat excited expression before hesitantly adding, "It is just that besides the three of you, the matter of the Grandmaster is also known by the little princess, Athena, and the Lesser Devil Sli. Jia may know something as well."

"Athena and Jia know too? I will make them keep it secret..." Shea recalled the human's dazed look from earlier, and her tone changed. "A few days ago, I heard Alice say that you seemed interested in Jia. If you can truly make a sufficiently great contribution to Dark Moon, I can grant Jia to you."

A blatant honey trap! Chen Rui recalled Jia's bewitching, seductive appearance and could not help feeling his mouth go dry. But the essence-draining woman was absolutely not someone he could provoke. If he failed to control himself, a single kiss could turn him into a dried corpse.

"As for that Lesser Devil, simply silence him permanently."

The killing intent in Shea's words made Chen Rui shudder. He immediately understood that she meant to kill a chicken to frighten the monkeys. This Eldest Princess's methods of controlling her subordinates were indeed anything but ordinary. After a turn of thought, he said, "Princess Shea, I am preparing to study potion knowledge under Master Aldas and need a test subject. Could Sli be given to me?"

Chen Rui was not saving the Lesser Devil's life out of overflowing sympathy. He had his own plans.

After a brief consideration, Shea agreed to the request. When Aldas left the palace with Chen Rui, he said meaningfully, "The Eldest Princess's beauty is not something you can covet. Put away those thoughts and serve Dark Moon properly."

Chen Rui merely smiled. His earlier astonishment at Shea's beauty had been nothing more than a normal male reaction. He truly harbored no improper fantasies in that regard. Still, Shea's promise to grant Jia to him made it seem as though she considered him some lecherous fellow.

Soon afterward, Kagulon, captain of the palace guards, read aloud an order personally written by the Eldest Princess in the center of New Moon City. From that day on, Chen Rui officially became a member of Darkmoon City, successfully taking his first step toward preserving his life in the Demon Realm.