Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The little boy couldnât comprehend why his sister was shedding tears for a brother who despised her. All he knew was that from that day forward, a little shadow tagged along behind him, a persistent presence he couldnât shake off.
She would argue with every noble child who ridiculed him, vehemently asserting that he wasnât a cowardly fat pig but a kind-hearted chubby boy.
Sometimes, in her frustration, she would even give him a slight push. When he retaliated, she would intentionally throw herself to the ground, crying her way back home to complain to their father, the Duke, about his mistreatment. The Duke would then approach the parents of the other child involved.
Perhaps due to the effectiveness of her actions or the fear instilled by the Dukeâs intervention, the noble children gradually ceased openly labeling the little boy as a cowardly fat pig. Instead, they chose to distance themselves from the sibling duo.
The little boy silently observed as his sisterâs peers distanced themselves from her. He yearned to witness her anguish from the isolation, yet as time went on, he found no tears shed due to her seclusion. Instead, her tears flowed because he denied her the opportunity to follow him.
Her weeping vexed the little boy, causing him to abandon his efforts to chase her away. He tacitly permitted her presence, allowing her to follow in his footsteps.
After a few months had passed, the little boy couldnât resist asking her if she felt desolate being isolated.
To his surprise, she naively responded that having an older brother was enough for her.
In that moment, the little boy found the face before him incredibly exasperating. He left her behind and ran off without a backward glance, deaf to the cries that trailed behind him.
Hours later, when the little boy returned home and discovered that she had injured her knee in her desperate pursuit of him, the walls surrounding his heart crumbled.
Tears cascaded down his face. Before he could react, his bothersome sister endured the pain of her knee wound and hurriedly approached to wipe away his tears, displaying concern as if he were the one injured.
âHow foolish,â Xiao Chen mumbled while taking a bite of his pineapple bun, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Xiao Han, perplexed by her brotherâs words, asked in a daze, âBrother, what did you say?
Xiao Chen savored the final morsel of the pineapple bun before discarding the wrapper in his hand. âNothing. Iâm heading back to my room.â
âAlright, good night, Brother!â
Once in his room, Xiao Chen utilized the Al system to contact the bodyguards assigned to protect his sister earlier that day. He inquired about her whereabouts after leaving the banquet.
Upon learning that his sister had once again gone to meet the worthless son of the Marquis, Xiao Chenâs smile faded, returning his expression to its customary indifference.
âI see. Thank you for your efforts.â
After ending the call, the bodyguard couldnât help but touch his neck. He had sensed a palpable aura of danger emanating from the young master just moments ago. He couldnât help but worry for the young master of the Marquis family.
Why did such a decent person have to provoke Miss? If he didnât have genuine feelings for her, then he shouldnât linger around her for no reason. Despicable! Now that the Young Master was furious, his days of bliss were numbered!
The bodyguard knew the kind of person the young master of the Marquis family was, but because Miss was the daughter of his boss, he couldnât openly express his opinion about her sweetheart in her presence. He could only vent his frustrations internally.
âHow dare a worthless scion from the Marquis family toy with the Dukeâs daughter?â Xiao Chen drummed his fingers on the table with a cold expression. The tapping sound echoed like the footsteps of midnight, sending shivers down oneâs spine.
Meanwhile, Xiao Hanâs sweetheart, Henry, the son of Marquis Kumar, was blissfully unaware as he held a stunning mermaid in his arms within an underground bathhouse. A smile adorned his face, oblivious to the fact that he had become a target in Xiao Chenâs eyes.
The bathhouse remained a covert establishment within the empire, hidden away from prying eyes. The servers inside were all mermaids, their identities shrouded in mystery. While no one knew the true owner of the bathhouse, it was widely acknowledged that this individual held immense power. Within a few short years, the bathhouse had proliferated across the empire, catering to the desires of nobles infatuated with mermaids.
As the empireâs primary military force, the merfolk employed their formidable innate abilities to assist other special races in expanding the empireâs dominion. The empire placed great emphasis on safeguarding the merfolk, recognizing their crucial role.
While mermaids enjoyed protection from the empire, their exceptional beauty compared to other races inevitably attracted the attention of many nobles.
The existence of demand often gives rise to a market, and thus the profession of poachers emerged. These individuals formed a group of highly skilled interstellar space pirates whose specialization revolved around the illicit act of capturing mermaid offspring within the mermaid population areas. Subsequently, these poachers would proceed to sell the stolen mermaid cubs to nobles aboard their starships..