As a father, Polar Bear received an unprecedented blow today.

When he was ready to make things difficult for a human boy, his usually obedient daughter, Mewo White, unexpectedly showed signs of rebellion by taking the outsider's side with actual actions.

This reaction from his daughter was very unusual to Polar Bear, and it made him sense a trace of dangerous omens.

Because of this incident, Polar Bear specifically called the wolf-man over during the negotiation and crouched in a corner of the meeting room to have a quiet conversation with his confidant.

The wolf-man was a lone wolf, never married and never raised children, yet Polar Bear sought advice on education from him, which was quite perplexing.

"How do you see this abnormal behavior from my daughter?" Polar Bear asked.

Before answering this question, the wolf-man had the king solve his own doubts: "Your Majesty, is the human who opposed you male?"

"I am sure it is a male, but what does that have to do with my daughter?" Polar Bear inquired.

Since it was a male, the wolf-man felt he was right. No wonder every time he got close to the human, he could smell a strong masculine scent.

It was because Wang Xiaole was male that the wolf-man thought everything would make sense.

After organizing his thoughts, the wolf-man told Polar Bear, "Your Highness, the princess is growing up and reaching the age of developing feelings."

"Impossible! How old is my daughter?" Polar Bear countered.

"Children nowadays mature early, and the princess has always grown up in the palace without interacting with men; now that she suddenly encounters someone of the opposite sex, it is normal for her to have feelings," the wolf-man explained.

"Even if what you said is true, why would my daughter be interested in such a frivolous person? Not to mention that the other party looks like a woman," Polar Bear continued.

"Your Majesty, precisely because of that womanly face, the princess neglected her vigilance towards this individual, and as for being frivolous..."

To help Polar Bear understand better, the wolf-man shared his recent experience of blind dates arranged by his family: "To avoid immediate rejection, I usually pretend and carefully disguise myself, trying to hide my flaws from the woman..."

"I see! You mean that boy was pretending, acting gentle and kind in front of my daughter, deliberately concealing those flaws," Polar Bear grasped.

"Exactly! The innocent princess, having limited worldly experience, is too naïve and does not understand the cunning nature of men, hence being easily deceived," the wolf-man explained.

With this realization, Polar Bear finally understood: His daughter was defending that human because she was deceived and manipulated by him maliciously!

Polar Bear clenched his fists tightly, pressing them against the floor so hard that cracks appeared, indirectly showcasing his intense fury.

"That boy seems to be beyond redemption; I must confront him now..." Polar Bear declared.

"Your Majesty, please don't act rashly!" The agile wolf-man swiftly grabbed Polar Bear before he could go challenge Wang Xiaole one-on-one, cautioning, "Confronting the human head-on will only backfire, possibly leading the princess to further distance herself from you in her ignorance."

"What should I do then? Stand by while that boy continues his charade?" Polar Bear asked.

"Not quite, Your Highness. In fact, the solution to awaken the princess is simple; just reveal the true nature of that human to her, and everything will fall into place."

The specific operation method had already been considered by the wolf beastmen.

Now, the wolf beastmen signaled for the white bear to come closer and whispered something in the king's ear.

Watching from afar, Wang Xiaole thought to himself:

What's going on? These two beastmen have been whispering for so long, could it be that they have a special bond?

Before Wang Xiaole could understand the relationship between the two, the white bear had already approached and began to act according to the strategy taught by their confidant.

Prior to the white bear revealing its true intentions, the discussions between Dibiles and the beastmen mainly revolved around the upcoming war.

Similar to last time, the white bear expressed "sincere" apologies for unilaterally declaring war on Dibiles, disregarding the longstanding friendship between the two nations;

His demeanor had softened considerably compared to before.

Naturally, as the temporary assistant of the emperor, Sister Glasses was not naive enough to believe in the other party's so-called "sincerity".

After all, a few days ago, when the white bear met with Isabella, the reactions also appeared "sincere".

Apologies and admission of mistakes were just tactics, not the final outcome.

"I will have my subordinates bring war reparations soon, and the troops outside the fortress will withdraw within the national borders today."

After making a promise to mend relations with Dibiles, the white bear suddenly changed his tone, finally revealing his true thoughts:

"To prevent any unpleasant experiences like today between our two nations from happening again, I have a suggestion..."

The white bear told Sister Glasses:

The reason why the two nations could go to war without any reservations was because neither side possessed a trump card that would make the other hesitate;

In consideration of the future of both nations, he proposed the following:

"My country will send a high-ranking minister to serve as a hostage in Dibiles; similarly, your country must send a person of importance to stay in our country for a period of time."

Eager to showcase his sincerity, the white bear pointed towards the direction of the wolf beastmen when Wang Xiaole looked at him with doubt.

At that moment, the confidant, who had not slept well the previous night, was yawning widely.

"He is a trusted minister whom I rely on, and has long admired Dibiles. This time, he will take on the role of exchange and reside in your country's border for a few days."

The yawn of the wolf beastman came to a halt;

This made his mouth still stay gaping wide open while speaking, giving the impression of a dislocated jaw to the unaware.

"Your Majesty, don't be like this. Although the idea was mine, you can't trick me like this, can you?"

The genuine refusal from deep within did not escape Wang Xiaole's observation, who immediately questioned the white bear:

"Is this the beastman that Dibiles has 'long admired'? Why does he seem so unwilling?"

To this, the white bear casually tossed out a reply:

"He is just too embarrassed to speak his mind. In human terms, he is...being tsundere."

Wang Xiaole felt that the term "tsundere" probably wasn't used in this context...

But it didn't matter.

After all, the wolf beastman was not on their side, so if he got tricked by the white bear, it was none of their concern to plead his case.

When it came to the matter of exchanging hostages, Wang Xiaole initially had some reservations until he heard the request White Bear proposed shortly after:

"I will send my trusted aide to Dibiles, and in return, I request Your Majesty to stay in my country for a period of time!"

After listening for a while, Wang Xiaole finally understood completely the intention behind the elaborate plan the other party had put so much effort and time into.

After all this fuss, was White Bear, not just trying to push his own agenda? Wang Xiaole could guess that the reason White Bear was willing to give up on the war and let tens of thousands of troops return empty-handed must be focused solely on Mewo White.

Once Wang Xiaole understood the opponent's scheme, the next thing to consider was whether to accept the proposal. Even though they had only met on the first day, Wang Xiaole already had a certain level of understanding of this orc king.

Wang Xiaole knew that White Bear was a stubborn guy. If he didn't agree to the request now, it would surely lead to more trouble.

The only thing Wang Xiaole had to avoid at all costs was the all-out war with the orc kingdom. Originally, Dibiles had to mobilize all available forces for the confrontation with the Inran Empire; using too many soldiers for warfare with orcs would be extremely unwise for the country.

Wang Xiaole's plan now was to ensure border security and move soldiers as much as possible to the eastern front line. In order to achieve this, Wang Xiaole had to negotiate with White Bear and make every effort to keep things stable on the orc side without violating their own interests.

Considering this strategic interest, White Bear's proposal was very much welcomed by Wang Xiaole.

White Bear's personal threat was far more significant than the tens of thousands of troops. He was precisely the main target Wang Xiaole needed to guard against.

Now, he was asking Wang Xiaole to go as a hostage to the orc kingdom, which was indeed great. In that scenario, Wang Xiaole could closely monitor the other party and react promptly to any movements of the orc kingdom.

Regarding personal safety, Wang Xiaole didn't believe there would be any danger in going on a trip. Even if White Bear was set on taking his life, Wang Xiaole was confident he could make a clean escape from the orc territory once targeted by the other party.

Therefore, the proposal to exchange hostages was advantageous to Dibiles and harmless to the parties involved. With that in mind, Wang Xiaole thought, "Why wouldn't I agree?"

In an instant, Wang Xiaole readily accepted the proposal, which excited the two girls next to him.

"My dear, are you really going to live among those barbarians?"

"This decision seems a bit rash. Please reconsider!"

Lucia and Cai showed genuine concern, but their current anxious feelings might not even compare to Sister Glasses standing beside them.

"Your Majesty, do we have grievances between us?"

Wang Xiaole didn't quite understand:

"Any grudge? Why do you ask?"

"As the consort of the Empress, you disappeared without a trace on the first day after your wedding; if Her Majesty were to find out about this, I fear I would bear the responsibility of 'negligent care' and be paraded on the streets as a warning to others!"

"Are you worried about this? Don't worry, I'll write a letter to my apprentice before I leave, explaining everything in it; you can present the letter to her when she wakes up."

Wang Xiaole was never fond of writing, but this time he volunteered to leave a letter, showing how determined he was.

"My dear..."

"Master Xiaole..."

Seeing the expressions on the two women's faces, Wang Xiaole knew they still had something to say;

But before they could say anything to persuade him to stay, he calmed them down first:

"Have I ever encountered any real trouble?"

Just this sentence was enough.

The rest of the conversation was just casual chatting:

"Do you have any local specialties you want? I'll bring you back some, one for each of you."

With that said, the two women could no longer stop him, and could only quietly pray for the safety of their loved one after stating their desired items.

The only one unaware of the danger facing the elder brother and feeling happy at this moment was Mewo White.

There was no sign of joy on her face, but her tail wagged happily, and in her little mind, she began to look forward to the day when her elder brother would return home.

The most peculiar thoughts among those present belonged to the White Bear, the current king, who was thinking:

"Just you wait, kid!

I will not allow a married man like you to maintain that unclear relationship with my precious daughter!"