Princesses Are Just Bargaining Chips for Political Marriages, Aren't They?

Kong Ming'an watched the Girl puff up in anger, and for some reason, a strange feeling rose in his heart.

In his impression, Princesses were either spoiled and willful or dignified and elegant... Why did the one before him seem to be neither?

Kong Ming'an narrowed his eyes slightly. His Spiritual Power, like invisible threads, continued guiding the conversation. "Don't you have any dissatisfaction with the Emperor's arrangements?"

"What's there to be dissatisfied about?" Xu Tianzhen continued, as though stating the simplest fact in the world.

"I'm a Princess. Since I enjoyed the treatment of a Princess, naturally I have to fulfill a Princess's duties. And isn't a Princess's duty to be used for a political marriage?

"Don't be so naive, friend. This isn't some storybook. That's simply what Princesses are." She spread her hands, carrying an utterly carefree air.

"But... I heard that you were His Majesty's favorite Princess?" Kong Ming'an guided her toward deeper thoughts.

"Pfft... Favorite? Please, if he truly favored me, why would he send me off for a political marriage?" Xu Tianzhen's tone carried a trace of mockery, as though she found Ming far too naive.

"You should know that this political marriage had been dragged out for a long time. My Emperor had always been hesitating over which of my sisters, whose talent was inferior to mine, to choose as the marriage candidate.

"However, a few months ago, after Grandpa Kong emerged from seclusion and revealed his ninety-eighth-rank Soul Power cultivation to my Emperor, he immediately settled on me as the marriage candidate.

"Do you call that favor?"

Kong Ming'an looked at Xu Tianzhen as she questioned him, and he could not help but become a little interested.

The Girl was far more clear-headed than she looked... Truly rare.

"So you've simply accepted your fate? Aren't you afraid your marriage partner might be terrible?"

"I told you, I'm a Princess." Xu Tianzhen shot Kong Ming'an an annoyed look.

"So this isn't accepting my fate. It's merely fulfilling my duty as a Princess.

"My aunt was like this, and so were my older sisters. Naturally, so am I.

"Actually, I'm rather lucky. My marriage partner is pretty good-looking, and he's Grandpa Kong's grandson. Even if this guy is terrible and bullies me, I can complain to Grandpa Kong.

"Besides, getting engaged this early means we can more or less cultivate some feelings in advance. No matter what, that's better than suddenly marrying a stranger after growing up and coming of age, right?"

Xu Tianzhen spoke with sound reasoning, her logic so clear that she hardly seemed like a Girl her age.

Kong Ming'an understood. This was a clear-eyed understanding based on her real status and... to some extent, trust in his Grandfather's authority, as well as recognition of his own looks. The only things absent were a young Girl's fantasies and resistance.

Rare.

A flash of understanding passed through his eyes, and he silently withdrew the subtle Spiritual Power suggestion.

Almost the instant his Spiritual Power receded, a trace of daze flashed through Xu Tianzhen's lively eyes before she abruptly came to her senses.

She looked at the "ordinary" Youth before her in startled uncertainty, finally realizing that something was wrong—how could she possibly have told so many innermost thoughts to a stranger?

"You... who exactly are you?"

She instinctively took half a step back, her eyes full of vigilance. Yet a possible guess had already flashed through her mind, leaving her expression somewhat unnatural.

Kong Ming'an found her reaction rather amusing.

Smiling, he slowly removed the mask he had used for disguise. Only then did he raise his eyes to look at the nervous purple-haired Girl and lightly answer her earlier question.

"I'm the fiancé you were talking about."

Xu Tianzhen froze. Looking at Ming's exceptionally familiar face, her voice trembled slightly.

"Kong... Kong Ming'an?"

"Yes, it's me."

"?!!"

Wait, wasn't this guy always inside the Laboratory? She hadn't seen him come out at all!

And that face...

Xu Tianzhen swallowed helplessly... Damn it, why was he kind of handsome?!

Xu Tianzhen's thoughts ran wild, but after the brief shock, she suddenly realized just how wrong the things she had said earlier were!

"Strange guy," "the duty of a political marriage," "complaining to Grandpa Kong"... Those complaints were one thing, but she had even revealed her true thoughts about the royal family!

If word of this got out...

"You... you remembered everything I said just now?" Xu Tianzhen's voice trembled as she looked at Ming with the last shred of hope in her eyes.

Kong Ming'an nodded without denying it. "I remembered some of it."

Xu Tianzhen had just begun to relax when she saw him unhurriedly take a silver Metal Shard, no larger than a fingernail, from his pocket and wave it before her eyes.

"But most of it was recorded. Would you like to play it back and confirm? About the 'strange guy,' the 'duty of a political marriage,' and..."

"Don't! Delete it! Delete it now!"

Xu Tianzhen instantly bristled. Forgetting both her Princessly bearing and her earlier wariness, she lunged forward and jumped in an attempt to snatch the Metal Shard. She even pleaded pitifully.

"Please! Delete it! If you delete it... if you delete it, I'll even warm your bed!"

Kong Ming'an had only intended to tease this somewhat unusual Princess Highness, but her sudden surrender made him unconsciously take a step back.

Even with his calm temperament, the corner of his mouth could not help twitching slightly when he heard the words "warm your bed."

Yet Xu Tianzhen showed not the slightest embarrassment. Her eyes remained locked on the Metal Shard, as though she were ready to throw everything away.

Kong Ming'an paused briefly, but quickly collected his thoughts. With a flick of his wrist, the Metal Shard vanished at once.

Looking at Xu Tianzhen's pitiful yet furious expression, Kong Ming'an thought for a moment, then leaned slightly closer to her faintly reddened ear. In a soft whisper only the two of them could hear, carrying the faintest trace of amusement, he said.

"How could I give it back to you? This secret of yours... I'll hold it over you for the rest of my life."

After saying that, he straightened up and smiled. Without looking again at the slightly petrified Girl, he walked past her and headed outside.

He planned to find his old man and ask about this political marriage.

Behind him, Xu Tianzhen stood alone in place, her mind buzzing with only that sentence—I'll hold it over you for the rest of my life—echoing over and over.

Damn it... She'd been caught in a compromising position before she had even married in? How was she supposed to deal with this?!

Shouldn't she have easily wrapped that handsome, clueless Youth who only knew how to research around her finger, then gradually developed feelings for him and lived a simple, happy, joyful life?

Why wasn't this following her script?!

At this rate, once she married in, wouldn't he bully her mercilessly every day and put her in a hundred and eight different positions?

Xu Tianzhen's mind was a mess, but she quickly snapped back to her senses. She hurriedly turned to search for him and spotted Ming in the distance, just about to vanish around the corner!

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Tianzhen made a choice born entirely of instinct and chased after him!

At the very least, she had to destroy the evidence first!!!