That's what happened after Cai left.

Originally, Wang Xiaole was still looking for Lucia's whereabouts, but before he had any gains, he was summoned to the palace by the empress in her personal capacity.

They had a master-apprentice relationship, so Wang Xiaole didn't think too much and followed his disciple's steps all the way to the private bedroom, where he found a chair next to the bed and sat down.

He could easily cooperate without hesitation, not only because of their special relationship as a cover, but also because the accompanying goddess, Freya, played an important role.

The reason why Freya had to come along instead of sending her back to the hotel was mainly because Wang Xiaole was worried that this fool would be easily taken away by someone clever on the way home.

Like a worried mother who would keep her intellectually challenged daughter by her side, even though it hadn't become a habit, Wang Xiaole's protective instincts were no less than those of a biological mother.

(Whispering) "I didn't expect an extra person, the plan completely failed..."

From the tone of voice, it can be inferred that Liu Caihua called Wang Xiaole here just to spend time alone with the person she liked.

But now, with an extra third wheel, all fantasies of holding hands became impossible.

"What do you want me to do?"

When there are others present, Wang Xiaole would not address the empress as his disciple, nor would he call himself the master.

As soon as Liu Caihua heard herself being called, before the smile could fully emerge on her face, she noticed Freya's watery eyes looking over with interest.

Immediately, Liu Caihua's voice sounded deflated:

"Before I answer, can you tell me who the young lady next to you is?"

"Just a freeloading rice worm! I've said it, now it's your turn to answer me."

All possible graceful associations were killed in those seven words.

"So she's just an acquaintance who only eats but doesn't work? I have some melon seeds here."

The thing Liu Caihua handed over was Isabella's nighttime snack, which she would occasionally eat when she didn't have enough time for a proper dinner.

But now, that bag of melon seeds was handed to Freya;

The goddess then showed her honesty and didn't fake it, saying "I'm not hungry."

After Freya sincerely thanked her, she started to taste the snack.

Seeing her enjoying the melon seeds, Liu Caihua thought her attention would be diverted;

Unexpectedly, Freya multitasked, peeling the seeds with both hands without lowering her head;

After skillfully discarding the shell, Freya put a handful of seeds into her mouth one by one;

The goddess kept her gaze fixed on Wang Xiaole, her rows of shiny teeth continually chewing.

"Does the young lady have to look at me? Can't you look at the ceiling? It's quite interesting to count the stains up there."

"It's alright, I mainly just want to enjoy these melon seeds. Do whatever you want."

Freya may not be smart, but she is simply naive;

Even though she has low emotional intelligence and intelligence, the goddess has her own strengths, which is being good at sensing the atmosphere of romance.

From this not-so-spacious room, Freya could smell that unique "sour smell," and she increasingly suspected that the queen and Wang Xiaole were having an affair.

To be fair, Freya hoped they did have some unclear relationship so that Wang Xiaole could start dating multiple people as soon as possible and she could complete her task of matching couples.

Seeing that the light bulb had no intention of leaving, Liu Caihua had to come up with a plan.

Luckily, she was a "top student" in school, with a agile mind and quick thinking, and immediately thought of initiating a conversation in a coded form.

Liu Caihua looked at Wang Xiaole, and all the following words were directed at him:

"I thought you wouldn't come to the event (martial arts matchmaking), but now that you've attended, does it mean that you have that kind of intention towards me?"

Wang Xiaole's brain worked relatively fast, so even though he was hearing an incomplete sentence, he immediately understood the meaning;

Although he might not fully understand the meaning, he did answer right away:

"I have a reason that makes it necessary for me to attend the event, and if you want to ask about (financial) intentions, of course I have them! Otherwise, why would I come to compete?"

"Really?"

As there was no table separating the two of them who were sitting face to face, Liu Caihua leaned forward from her chair, inclining her body and head together.

Seeing the queen's reaction, Wang Xiaole almost thought she would lean her upper body closer, as it might be a kind of etiquette used by members of the royal family when conversing;

He followed suit and imitated the gesture of sticking his head out, pushing his own head forward;

In Freya's eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if these two were planning to kiss.

"When you say there are intentions (regarding feelings), how much exactly?"

"A lot, definitely a lot! You may not understand my character well, but I am quite, you know, greedy for money."

"I understand, I understand, fully expressing my understanding!"

But Wang Xiaole was a bit puzzled:

In this country, is the culture of being greedy for money worth promoting? How could the queen of a country understand and approve of this vulgar interest?

Or is it because of their master-disciple relationship that Isabella has gotten used to and can accept her money-obsessed mentor?

As the two conversed, one person was murmuring to themselves, while the other person was also murmuring, but out of joy.

Until today, Liu Caihua had always believed that Wang Xiaole had no feelings for her, and their relationship was currently only at the acquaintance stage;

But just now, a few words changed Liu Caihua's perspective;

You see, out of the one hundred people participating in the martial arts matchmaking, ninety-nine of them were there for the queen, and she believed that Wang Xiaole was probably no exception.

Because she felt like she was being "fed sugar" by someone she liked, Liu Caihua asked a few more questions:

"Even if your intentions are clear, why not wait a few more days and officially perform when the competition reaches its climax? Are you in a hurry?"

"Yeah, I'm desperate about (the money aspect)! I know that the later the competition gets, the easier it is to save energy by eliminating the small fry, but I can't wait, I urgently want to get what I want (money)!"

Upon hearing the explanation in a beast-like tone, Liu Caihua's heart rate tripled in an instant.

She suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, stood up, and in an unclear tone, told Wang Xiaole to stay in the room and that she would be right back.

As an invited guest, Wang Xiaole couldn't say much and could only watch his disciple leave the room with a skeptical look. He then looked at Freya.

"Watch your gaze. Don't just casually look at a goddess without permission, or else you might incur divine punishment!"

"Oh, divine punishment, huh?"

As Freya hummed in response, Wang Xiaole neither felt embarrassed nor angry. He simply reached over and took the half-empty bag of melon seeds from her knee.

Whether or not he would face any divine punishment remained uncertain, but a disaster had befallen Freya.

"Give it back to me!"

Freya, fiercely protective of her food, lunged towards the "scoundrel's" right hand, which was holding the bag of seeds.

Whenever Freya made a move, Wang Xiaole would flick his wrist, alternating between his hands, passing the item from one hand to the other.

Through this clever response, each time Freya tried to snatch the food, she failed. It was like a wild buffalo being toyed with by a matador, futilely attempting to gain the upper hand.

Originally, Wang Xiaole wanted to discuss something with Freya, but he had changed his mind. He thought it would be fun to amuse the girl while contemplating his own thoughts.

(muttering to himself) "Empress, why does she seem like a different person? Her tone, actions, and demeanor are all significantly different from the her I'm familiar with."

Wang Xiaole didn't have a particularly vivid imagination, so he couldn't have imagined that the girl he had just faced wasn't Isabella. However, even though he couldn't grasp the truth, he acknowledged the feeling of unease in his heart.

Snap!

As he was deep in contemplation, the pain in his hand immediately snapped him out of his thoughts.

When he lowered his head, he saw that the infuriated goddess had already bitten the hand that was "holding hostage" the bag of seeds...

Shifting his gaze to Liu Caihua, the imposter empress, after exiting the room, quickly jogged to a deserted corner.

There were no maids passing by this area, as it hadn't been cleaned yet. Taking advantage of the lack of people around, Liu Caihua tilted her head back, held her palm against her chest, and let out an ecstatic cry: "Yeah~~~~~~~~~~"

A short and simple word, revealing the extreme excitement of the person involved.

Her reaction was exhilarating, and the reason was that she felt she had indirectly expressed her deep affection to her crush just moments ago.

For the next ten seconds or so, echoes reverberated inside the palace, and countless images flashed through Liu Caihua's mind.

These images included everything from proposals to marriages, from "a lifetime together" to "ultimate reliance." It was like a short love microfilm, playing even faster than a carousel.

With today's experience of being "sweetened," Liu Caihua became even more convinced that one day in the future, she would have the confidence to establish a definite relationship with her crush.

After suppressing the joy on her face, Liu Caihua quickly jogged back to the room.

But when she returned, she saw the girl named Freya biting Wang Xiaole's hand;

After a while (two or three minutes) of not seeing each other, the two maintained a defensive posture like crocodiles, and from the momentum, it didn't seem like they were just playing around!

At the same time, Lucia, who had secretly followed and entered the palace without being noticed by the guards at the entrance, had a clear goal in mind.

Regardless of how many times the guards described it as a false alarm, Lucia's intention was extremely clear: to launch an attack on the palace as if saying "kill them all".