"An honorary viscount title from my brother? He's only six. And why is he being made to live right next to me?"
Hearing Eunuch Liu's answer, Xu Jiujiu's adorable little face grew even more puzzled, and she couldn't help frowning.
Xu Jiujiu had just been about to visit her imperial brother because she had something to discuss with him. But as she came out, she saw Eunuch Liu, her brother's personal eunuch, escorting a child into the little courtyard beside hers, which had been vacant for a long time.
Out of curiosity, Xu Jiujiu didn't go to see her brother right away. Instead, she decided to wait until Eunuch Liu came out and ask him what was going on.
"Your Highness, it's like this..." Eunuch Liu then told Xu Jiujiu everything that had happened after His Majesty returned today.
As she listened to Eunuch Liu, the frown on Xu Jiujiu's little face deepened.
She had never imagined that her imperial brother—her dear, dear brother—would go out for a while and come back having sold her off.
He'd arranged for her to marry a child three years younger than her, and had even put him in the courtyard next door.
"Just how talented is Liu Lin for His Majesty to have me marry him?" Xu Jiujiu murmured, as if speaking to herself, though it also sounded like she was asking Eunuch Liu beside her.
Xu Jiujiu knew perfectly well that her imperial brother wouldn't have betrothed her to Liu Lin out of pity for him.
There could only be one reason: Liu Lin's talent was terrifyingly impressive. Her brother must have thought that granting him a title wasn't enough, and that the only way to keep him was to make him a member of the imperial family.
Xu Jiujiu wasn't as resistant to the marriage as one might expect. She had understood from a young age that, as a princess, she would one day have to repay the benefits she enjoyed as a member of the imperial family.
What truly angered her was that her brother hadn't told her before making the decision. He had even issued the decree, and she, one half of the betrothed couple, hadn't known a thing about it.
Noticing that Xu Jiujiu's tone was off, Eunuch Liu didn't dare so much as breathe. He even took two steps back, afraid he'd end up buried like a radish in the ground today.
Xu Jiujiu took a deep breath, and her expression returned to calm. Though she was only nine, she had grown up in the palace and had learned to control her emotions.
Only after seeing that Xu Jiujiu had calmed down did Eunuch Liu cautiously speak. "Princess, this old servant doesn't know the details either. I had something to attend to this morning, so I didn't accompany His Majesty.
"So when His Majesty left, I didn't know how talented Viscount Liu was."
He paused, then continued, "The eunuch who took over for me said that His Majesty went to fetch Viscount Liu with Count Su today, and issued this decree as soon as they returned.
"So this old servant assumes Viscount Liu has a very powerful Martial Soul and Soul Power."
After hearing Eunuch Liu out, Xu Jiujiu didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked toward the tightly shut door, her blue eyes filled with complicated emotions.
A moment later, Xu Jiujiu started toward Liu Lin's courtyard.
"Your Highness, what are you..." Seeing Xu Jiujiu heading toward Liu Lin's room, Eunuch Liu hurried after her, afraid the two of them might get into an argument.
"It's nothing, Eunuch Liu. I'm just going to meet my fiancé." Xu Jiujiu heard him but didn't look back, answering in a calm voice.
"Didn't my brother put him right beside my palace so we could get to know each other? I'm going to see my fiancé and get to know him. Is that not allowed?"
Seeing that he couldn't stop her, Eunuch Liu eventually chose to keep quiet. He knew the little princess's temper better than anyone. Once she had made up her mind, almost no one could change it.
Xu Jiujiu reached the courtyard and raised her hand to knock, but then stopped.
As if she'd thought of something amusing, a mischievous grin appeared on her face.
She ran back to her own courtyard, fetched a chair, and carried it over to the side wall of Liu Lin's courtyard. She climbed onto it, gripped the wall with both hands, and swung herself over into the courtyard. The whole sequence flowed smoothly, without a single pause.
When Eunuch Liu saw Xu Jiujiu carry a chair over from her courtyard, the corners of his mouth twitched. In the end, he lowered his head in silence and pretended he hadn't seen a thing.
In the courtyard's pavilion, Liu Lin sat on a stone stool, carefully reading the book he'd brought with him. He had no idea that a pair of eyes was watching him from the wall.
Xu Jiujiu watched him for a while, then suddenly spoke.
"Hey."
Liu Lin paused in the middle of turning a page and looked toward the source of the voice. A little blonde girl with blue eyes was crouching on the courtyard wall, watching him curiously.
Their eyes met.
Liu Lin set the book down on the stone table in the pavilion.
He walked toward the blonde girl. Seeing her resemblance to Xu Jiawei, and recalling what Eunuch Liu had said before leaving, he was able to identify her.
She was Xu Jiujiu, princess of the Star Luo Empire.
"You're my fiancé, Liu Lin?" Xu Jiujiu spoke first as Liu Lin approached.
Liu Lin nodded.
"That's me. May I ask why Your Highness Xu Jiujiu has come here?"
"To see my fiancé, of course."
With that, Xu Jiujiu jumped down from the wall and dusted off her clothes. She walked over to Liu Lin and gazed up at him curiously.
Feeling Xu Jiujiu's breath against his skin, Liu Lin, a lifelong bachelor in both of his lives, blushed a little and couldn't help taking two steps back.
Xu Jiujiu saw this and smiled.
"Is my fiancé afraid of me? That makes me so sad." She pretended to look hurt.
"Princess Xu, you should stop teasing me. What exactly did you come here for?"
Xu Jiujiu's expression turned serious, and she got straight to the point. "I want to see what kind of talent you have to make my imperial brother take a liking to you and choose you as my fiancé."
Liu Lin had clearly guessed that Xu Jiujiu would ask about this. As soon as she finished speaking, he released his Martial Soul.
Liu Lin's eyes turned crimson gold, and the phantom of a giant golden dragon appeared behind him.
Xu Jiujiu could clearly feel the temperature around Liu Lin rise after he released his Martial Soul.
"A dragon-type Martial Soul, and Ultimate Fire too. My brother certainly has a good eye."
Just as Xu Jiujiu was about to say something, the Crimson Gold Giant Dragon behind Liu Lin vanished. In its place appeared an Ice Blue Giant Dragon, and the temperature, which had been rising, began to plummet.
Liu Lin thought that Xu Jiujiu would find out sooner or later anyway, so he might as well show off now.
"Twin Martial Souls!? Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire!?" Xu Jiujiu was stunned when she saw Liu Lin release his second Martial Soul.
She finally understood why her brother had granted him a title and arranged for her to marry Liu Lin. If she were in his shoes, she would have done the same to keep a genius like this.
(Inset an illustration.)