After basking in her mother’s embrace for a while, Wei Yue pushed Vivian away, blushing a little.

“You’re thousands of years old, you ancient monster. How are you still so clingy? You don’t have a shred of the manners and decorum a member of the Blood Clan should have. I’m ashamed to have you for a mother.”

“So now you’re copying the way I talk? And you’re not using your usual line this time?”

“I’ll remember this grudge.”

Even though her own move had been anticipated, Wei Yue still delivered the line without so much as a blush. To anyone else, it sounded painfully chuuni.

“All right, I’ll stop teasing you. Let me tell you something that’ll cheer you up.”

Vivian took a blue stone from her pocket—the same recording stone she’d used to publicly humiliate Wei Yue before. She tapped it lightly with her pale, slender finger, and the scene stored inside appeared in midair.

“Yiyou?”

Wei Yue was still in a huff, but all her unhappiness vanished. Seeing that Yiyou was safe and sound made her genuinely happy.

In the scene, Yiyou was doing what she always did—planting flowers. But in the middle of the flower field, Wei Yue could just make out a tombstone.

The inscription read, “The Grave of Big Brother Ivan.”

Wei Yue froze. Had the humans already accepted that she was dead?

“There’s another recording stone. Do you want to see it?”

Vivian handed the stone to Wei Yue. This time, she wanted Wei Yue to decide for herself. Seeing too many images of people from her past could be painful.

“Let’s see.” Wei Yue activated the recording stone. In the scene, Yiyou seemed to have joined some impressive little squad and made quite a few new friends.

Wei Yue recognized the squad. “Isn’t that the Kingdom’s reserve team? What’s she doing there?”

The Kingdom’s reserve team was where the king trained future soldiers. People went there to prepare themselves to kill the enemy on the battlefield one day.

“Maybe she wants to avenge you.” Vivian had no intention of lying.

“What an idiot. Can’t we get her out of there?”

“No. If we stir things up inside the kingdom, it’ll put our informant in danger. Then there’ll be no one left to protect your little sister.

“Besides, you have to respect her choice. From what I’ve learned, you aren’t related by blood. It can’t have been easy for her to be this determined.”

“You don’t understand. Yiyou’s never been one to back down, even as a kid. But if she keeps this up… she’ll die.”

“Don’t worry. The people I sent have been secretly protecting her. No one will hurt her.” Vivian paused for a moment and said nothing more. What Wei Yue needed most right now was some time alone.

After a long while, Vivian took Wei Yue’s hand again.

“My sweet girl, feeling a little better?”

“Mm…”

“Ready to put on a cute little dress?”

“I really don’t feel like listening to you joke around right now.”

Perhaps moved by Vivian’s kindness, Wei Yue steeled herself, picked up the dress from the bed, and turned around to warn her. “No peeking!”

“All right, I won’t peek. Are you done changing yet?”

“Mm… almost.” Wei Yue struggled clumsily with the dress. After agonizing over it for a while, she stood in front of Vivian with a stubborn look and, utterly embarrassed, asked:

“Um… can you help me put it on?”

“What? I didn’t hear you. You know how people get hard of hearing when they’re old. That’s what you said, after all.”

“You’re the worst…” Wei Yue repeated what she’d just said, this time feeling twice as embarrassed.

Worse still, Vivian clearly had no intention of helping her get dressed properly. She kept touching this and brushing against that.

Was this really helping her get dressed?

She was obviously using it as an excuse to cop a feel!

Vivian, you really have those kinds of thoughts about your own progeny?

Wei Yue’s expression darkened. She turned around and snapped:

“I don’t want you helping me anymore! I’m faster on my own.”

Looking thoroughly displeased, Wei Yue fastened the buttons at the back and straightened the folds of her skirt. As for the white stockings on the bed, there was no way she was putting those on.

That was the last shred of dignity she had left as a guy.

“So you can put on a dress by yourself, Wei Yue. You were just yelling for your mother to help you a moment ago. Were you trying to use the chance to act cute with her? If you want to be spoiled, you can always come to me~”

“I wasn’t! I just…”

“I’ll remember this one for you. Now put on the rest of your stockings. The guest will be here soon.”

“I’m not wearing them. I’m fine without them.”

Wei Yue stretched out her pair of pale, bare legs and decided this was fine, too.

“That won’t do. How about we swap? You wear the black ones, and I’ll wear the white ones.”

“Can I just not choose?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

Wait, why did she have to choose?

Vivian had completely talked her into a corner.

“Hurry up. If you take any longer, I’m leaving without you.”

Wei Yue was still putting on her stockings when an idea struck her.

I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t rush just yet.

Wei Yue immediately slowed down as she put on her stockings, her defiance plain on her face. She even came up with a shamelessly respectable excuse.

“As a princess of the Blood Clan, I must never rush. If a ruler is always flustered and impatient, her people will think she’s incompetent. You taught me that yourself, Mother. Don’t tell me you’re taking it back now?”

When Vivian saw her daughter turning this into a matter of principle, she got interested, too. She’d ruled the Blood Clan for so many years, and hardly anyone dared to get this cheeky with her.

It was pretty interesting.

But the game ended there.

“Wei Yue~”

A voice like a demon whispering began to sound in Wei Yue’s ear. She had a bad feeling about what was coming.

“I just thought of something that’ll make me happy.”

“What’s that?” Wei Yue stammered, still taking her time putting on her stockings.

“What do you think your etiquette teacher would say if I showed her how diligently you’re putting on your stockings? I’m sure she’d reward you with a little red flower, wouldn’t she?”

“I don’t want a little red flower! Don’t you dare— I was joking, you actually took me seriously! Hahahaha…” Wei Yue’s laugh sounded painfully forced.

“But doesn’t the way you’re getting dressed so diligently show that you want other people to praise you?”

“Absolutely not.”

Wei Yue didn’t dare dawdle this time. She slipped her stockings on in no time at all. After today, she could probably publish a whole article titled “How to Put on Stockings in No Time.”

“Check if there’s anything else you’ve forgotten to bring.”

“Did I?” Wei Yue quickly ran through everything in her mind. She seemed to have forgotten the necklace that marked her as a princess of the Blood Clan.

But…

Why did she have to wear that thing?

If she wore it every day, wouldn’t she end up assimilated into the Blood Clan sooner or later?

She absolutely wasn’t wearing it!

What was wrong with standing her ground for once?

“Nope, I’ve got everything.”

“Really? What about the necklace around your neck?”

“The necklace? Let me think… I think I dropped it in the fish tank to feed the fish. Why don’t you come help me find the fish?” Wei Yue threw Vivian’s old words right back at her.

“You’re getting more and more naughty, Wei Yue. You’ve talked back several times today, and I still haven’t gotten angry. But throwing away the necklace that symbolizes our Blood Clan identity is a serious taboo. Any other noble girl would be punished for it.”

“P-punished? What kind of punishment?” Wei Yue took half a step back.

“What do you think~”

“Wait, I think I remember where I put it! Ah, don’t come any closer! Mother, I know I was wrong! Mmph—absolutely not there!”