When he needed her, the girl was conveniently absent;

When he could handle things on his own, the girl suddenly appeared again.

The other party's timing skills were too exceptional. Even someone with decent psychological resilience like Wang Xiaole couldn't help but turn their head at the sound, widening their eyes like a goldfish, in that split second.

"What are you here for?"

Due to the party's emotional state, a mechanical tone emerged.

"I'm here to pick you up!"

Yexue misunderstood that the other party didn't hear clearly, so she repeated herself.

It just happened to be the time to come, there was no other option.

In reality, she didn't notice someone disappearing in a timely manner. It was only after returning to her base and being reminded by Flora, that she realized she had left something important behind.

Nothing much to say, let's go back one more time.

So, despite barely escaping unharmed, she turned back risking danger, traversed through smoke and flames, and reappeared in front of Wang Xiaole.

Upon seeing him again, her first reaction was to be surprised by the rope that had been loosened. But what she thought about the most at that moment was still:

"Come, walk with me, we can't stay here any longer."

"I don't need your help."

"There's no need to be polite with me at a time like this."

"I'm not being polite to you!"

Yexue believed that the other party needed her at this moment, while Wang Xiaole felt he didn't, so their thoughts remained unaligned.

Yexue was reluctant to have too much physical contact with the opposite sex, so she took out a pair of specially made bracelets. She put one on Wang Xiaole's wrist and kept the other one for herself.

These bracelets, linked to the wrists of two different individuals, had narrow metal strips extending from Wang Xiaole's right hand to Yexue's left hand.

Upon closer observation, these bracelets were essentially stylish handcuffs; with the help of these props, Yexue could lead Wang Xiaole away without directly touching him.

"Why aren't we leaving yet? They have no intention of showing mercy to you!"

As if to refute Yexue's words, Wang Xiaole looked up at the guard A and gave him a warm smile.

The message was clear: I trust you!

This trust deeply moved guard A, who then immediately informed all his subordinates:

"Attack, give them everything you've got!"

As the leader had made a decision, the subordinates no longer hesitated and repeated what they had done before.

Boom, boom, boom.

The familiar fireworks, the familiar sounds.

A no longer believed Wang Xiaole because he noticed the relationship between the enemy princess and him.

Though pressed for time and unable to make an accurate judgment, A still believed:

The enemy princess cared for him!

If their relationship was simply that of kidnapper and captive, why did the princess, who had managed to escape earlier, return to him after entering the safe zone? No kidnapper would be that kind-hearted.

After pinpointing that the enemy princess was concerned about Wang Xiaole, A confirmed his suspicions and concluded that this "royal spouse" was definitely a fake.

A thought to himself:

A true royal spouse wouldn't secretly maintain good relations with other women behind the queen's back.

This logic may not make much sense, but it was convincing enough to persuade himself.

Given the unexpected turn of events, all of Wang Xiaole's previous efforts were in vain; his relationship with the guards once again reached a freezing point.

Although he had the option to independently capture the fortress, there were Inran's troops in the rear; if he used force, the enemy army would likely follow him into the fortress as soon as he breached its defenses.

If the fortress fell due to his actions, he would disappoint his disciples.

Therefore, even if he was attacked by his own people due to a misunderstanding, he could only ignore them.

Wang Xiaole wanted to avoid the attacks while continuing to explain to the guards.

Unfortunately, before he could speak again, Yexue raised her leg.

Linked by the bracelets, their movements influenced each other.

Yexue made a forward motion, while Wang Xiaole stabilized his stance, trying to stay in place.

Their mutual interference led to a situation where the person who wanted to run couldn't take a few steps, and the person who wanted to stay couldn't explain properly.

"Seriously, Xiaoye, can you go back? You don't need to help me at all."

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

"Huh, Xiaojun is thanking me? Why are you suddenly so polite?"

The continuous explosions severely tested both of their hearing.

While Wang Xiaole could barely hear, the girl seemed to be having an inter-world conversation with him.

"Darn it! How dare you, as a fake royal spouse, show affection to other women? I should eliminate you right now."

A grew even more furious and started shooting with a crossbow, with the intention of getting rid of the impostor completely.

"Where did you see me being affectionate with her?"

Knowing that the other person couldn't hear him clearly amidst the explosions, Wang Xiaole still instinctively roared upwards.

Seizing the opportunity, Yexue suddenly increased the force and ran with him towards a safe place.

Meanwhile, numerous projectiles flew from the direction of the fortress;

Finally, after bombarding a certain area of the ground, a few elemental bombs exploded behind them, and the attack ceased.

It was necessary to stop, for where they had reached was just outside the maximum range of arrows and other projectiles, thus out of the danger zone.

After bringing him back, Yexue didn't expect any repayment from Wang Xiaole, she just hoped he wouldn't misunderstand her.

What was Wang Xiaole thinking?

Answer:

He wasn't thinking at all.

Since leaving the fortress, he seemed lost, with dilated pupils and slightly agape mouth, resembling an elderly person showing signs of dementia fifty years early.

Such a reaction was not surprising, as in some sense, he couldn't return to his former self.

Yexue sensed his distress but misunderstood the reason, assuming that his conflict was with Dibiles' people as a royal spouse.

"It's okay if you can't go back, the knight's order still has a place for you."

Like comforting a helpless stray animal, the girl tried to console him with soothing words.

However, the warmth had left her heart, colder than an ice pop.

Unaware of what was about to unfold, Isabella found herself embroiled in trouble due to Guard A's good intentions.

On the afternoon when Inran's troops withdrew, A used the military's specialized communication crystal to report an important message to Isabella:

"A fake royal spouse, in cahoots with Inran's female knights, attempted to deceive us into surrendering the fortress. We have repelled the two deceivers."

If it had been only about military information, Isabella wouldn't have spent much time on it, but the information provided by A was not so simple.

Isabella had long known about the master's departure and was somewhat curious about his recent experiences, so she was particularly sensitive to the term "royal spouse."

"What specific features does this impostor have?"

She had a rough idea but needed to confirm it to avoid accusing her subordinates falsely.

Subsequently, A described the person's appearance, hair color, and other details in detail.

As soon as the words fell, Isabella's sigh of relief could be heard.

"Was this 'impostor' injured?"

Suddenly asked, A promptly responded without much thought:

"No, the impostor was rescued by the female knights before getting hurt; I'm deeply sorry that we couldn't harm him..."

Before A could finish, Isabella, in a cold voice, informed her:

"The Emperor has decreed: you won't be receiving your salary this year!"

"Why? So, because I didn't perform well, His Majesty is punishing me?"

"Two years! Say another word, and I'll deduct three years' worth of pay from you."

In a reflexive action, A instinctively covered her mouth with both hands to suppress the urge to speak further, thus safeguarding her salary for the years to come.

Thinking that her own poor performance had led to these consequences, the guard apologized to the Empress before disappearing from Isabella's sight.

From that moment on, she embarked on a path of intensified training, imposing stricter demands on herself mentally and physically.

Once the communication ended, Isabella felt no need to suppress her emotions any longer.

She exerted force downwards, causing the tabletop under her elbow to crack instantly.

Subsequently, the entire table split in two due to the elemental burst, with the wood shards charred black upon landing.

"The worst thing that could happen has indeed occurred, that woman has truly ensnared the master."

Her understanding was simply on point.

Now, Isabella's greatest regret was letting the master leave her side without detaining him first!

"It's not too late, I'll bring the master back now, ensuring he never has to leave this city again."

In that moment, her pupils darkened profoundly, resembling the Emperor of the Second Empire.

Tick tock.

Black liquid dropped onto the surface of her heart, marking a small black spot that gradually expanded, changing the color of that heart.

As if being controlled by an unknown facet of herself, Isabella stood up, her mind not giving any orders, yet her body moving of its own accord.

Knock, knock.

Before something irrevocable occurred, a knock on the door broke into the room, and in that instant, the color of her dual pupils returned to normal.

"Your Majesty, it's me, I have something to report."

Having voluntarily identified himself, Isabella recognized the voice outside and responded, allowing the person to come in.

"My apologies...I'll go in!"

Upon entering the bedroom, Sister Glasses saw the scattered wood chips on the ground and was briefly surprised.

"I don't care how the table broke, get to the report immediately."

Prompted, Sister Glasses focused, informing the Empress of an unlikely event:

"There's a person dressed in a puppet costume who wants to meet with Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Isabella made a dismissive gesture:

"The palace doesn't need to hire performers from a circus; it would only incur unnecessary expenses."

"I must say: that person isn't a performer, but..."

"Sorry, I burst in on my own!"