"Are you joking?"

Aifei’s face froze in shock. If it were Hero Cherthesis making the request, His Majesty might actually go through with it.

"Of course not, Miss Aifei," Chelseas said with a smirk. "How could I possibly deceive someone as lovely as you? Aren’t you happy? If you are, how about a kiss?" He flashed what he thought was a dashing smile. Aifei, however, felt a sharp wave of nausea.

She’d long noticed Chelseas’ extreme narcissism—twisting every situation to favor himself, always believing he was the protagonist around whom the entire world revolved.

"Get out!!!" Aifei hurled the bouquet to the floor, shoved Chelseas aside, and stormed into the manor.

"Just shy, as expected of our tsundere Aifei," Chelseas mused, misreading her fury. "But it’s understandable—she needs time to process this." In his mind, she was secretly in love with him.

"Father… is this true?"

Seeking confirmation, Aifei approached her father, Aide, who was buried in paperwork. He should have known early.

"So Chelseas told you? Yes," Aide sighed, pushing up his reading glasses. "While you trained, the King summoned me alone and issued a forceful decree: bind the Champion to Sradon Kingdom. And since you’re the woman of his dreams… well, you understand."

"So His Majesty just sold me off?!" Aifei’s expression darkened.

"Don’t phrase it that way, daughter. It’s unavoidable. Though Chelseas was born here, he has few ties to Sradon. Other nations also seek the Champion’s power. The King’s order isn’t without reason."

"Ha… ha… ha… How amusing!" Aifei laughed loudly, but the sound was more pained than joyful. "I’ve devoted myself to this kingdom—worked like a dog day after day—and now I can’t even choose my own marriage or who I love? Truly hilarious."

"You won’t succeed! I refuse to be a political pawn. I am the sword of my master, Ling Xie. My duty is to save the people and protect my master. I will never marry Chelseas. I am a knight, not a chess piece!" With sudden resolve, she declared this and slammed the door behind her.

Aide let out a quiet sigh. "I’ll need to speak with the King later… Convincing Aifei is beyond me."

***

"Finally back. Faster than expected."

That night, I returned to Sradon Kingdom and landed beneath a towering cliff.

Zzzzt… Slowly, I retrieved the Transmogrification Orb from my Isolated Realm, channeling magic into it. My body shrank swiftly, reverting to human form.

Truth be told, I’d gone there intending to break the light barrier and explore the other world. But the space was so severely fractured… Forcing it open would drain immense magic and risk serious injury. So I chose not to. Instead, I’d search for the Spatial Sovereign Pearl.

Conveniently, I was already heading to aid the beastkin in rescuing their holy maiden—I could inquire then.

"Time to find Aifei." Spreading my wings, I shot straight toward the prince’s manor.

After scanning for Aifei’s magical energy, I arrived at her room. The lamp was still on; the door stood slightly ajar.

"Aifei, are you in?" I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Master’s back~~~ I’m all prepared. Here’s your item."

Tucked tightly under the covers, Aifei’s face burned crimson like a ripe apple. She tossed me a small white pouch. "It contains the essentials. Instructions are inside. Using it won’t put me in danger."