His gaze lowered, the pain evident in his eyes.
Yet, he took a deep breath and raised his head again.
A ripple of light flashed in the depths of his gaze, and then Mu Nian, the little county princess, heard him solemnly ask again.
"Be my Empress, won't you?"
He eagerly awaited Mu Nian's reply.
Mu Nian glanced at him. Reflected in her clear, innocent eyes, with their distinct black and white, was deep, uncomprehending confusion.
"Are you so sure—so sure you will win?"
"Are you certain you can become Emperor?"
"But how can there be in this world..."
Her cheeks flushed slightly, her voice instantly becoming very small, like a whisper.
"How can there be any logic in this world for a fox to become Emperor?"
"If, in court, your ears and tail suddenly appeared, with all the civil and military officials watching below, wouldn't that image be rather... rather strange?"
She thought about it herself and felt that the scene would likely be quite odd.
Hearing her words, the man opposite fell silent for a long moment before retorting.
"Why not?"
"I am already Emperor."
"What I say, is what it is."
"Even if I were to appear in my half-demon form, seated upon the imperial throne, no one would dare question it. If anyone dared to question me, I would simply drag them out and behead them."
The man's words were utterly cold, but when he looked at the little county princess, his gaze softened with indulgence.
"Besides, I only wish to be your little fox."
"Don't you like my ears very much? Do you want to touch them?"
He deliberately perked up his fluffy fox ears, wanting her to touch them.
The little county princess blushed instantly.
"Who—who likes your ears?"
"I don't! I don't have so many strange preferences!"
However, despite her words, her hands were not hesitant at all. She reached out and touched his fluffy fox ears.
Her touch was gentle and soft, slowly stroking his fox ears. His fox ears actually twitched slightly.
As if a gentle breeze had passed, the air grew tender.
Before her, this man was obedient and docile.
Just as Mu Nian, the little county princess, was about to touch his ears again, she heard someone outside say.
"Xiao Ci, are you asleep?"
"I heard sounds from your room. Xiao Ci—if you're awake, can you open the door?"
Mu Nian, the little county princess, immediately became flustered.
She glanced at the man beside her. Without hesitation, the man transformed in an instant, becoming a small white ball curled up by her bedside.
Then, Mu Nian's elder brother pushed the door open and walked to her bedside.
Through the curtains, he softly told her.
"Are you feeling stifled because I didn't let you go out today? It's not that Father and I are confining you, but something has happened outside..."
Mu Nian's elder brother hesitated for a moment before whispering an explanation to her.
"The Crown Prince was assassinated, and his condition is very serious. The entire city is under martial law now... We were worried that if you, Xiao Ci, were to leave the manor, you might encounter the search parties and be frightened."
"The city is in a state of extreme alarm, and everyone is searching for the assassin who attacked the Crown Prince."
The man sighed, his voice seeming to instantly deepen and become hoarse. His tone emphasized the gravity of the situation.
"Right now—the situation outside is truly dire."
"Since they dared to attack the Crown Prince, it proves there must be a very powerful force behind them. Now that he has escaped, he might even target other dignitaries in the capital."
"Naturally, we must protect your safety, Xiao Ci. We absolutely cannot let you fall into such a crisis."
"Moreover, it is said that the demon who assassinated the Crown Prince possesses strange sorcery. The moment he acted, a dark cloud obscured the sun, filling the air with miasma. No one saw how he slipped into the Crown Prince's chambers."
"The Crown Prince was enjoying himself with his concubines when he was directly stabbed in a vital spot. The concubines were panicked and fled in all directions."
"Those who interrogated them only managed to get from these concubines that they saw a flash of white and nothing more. They couldn't extract anything else."
"These concubines were likely so terrified that they couldn't provide any description of the assassin. The Empress is furious and has already thrown them all into prison!"
"A flash of white... it sounds like a phantom. Dare to fabricate such nonsense? No wonder the Empress is so angry, especially with the Crown Prince's grave injuries. The imperial physicians are consulting."
"She has no time for these concubines now, only urging the Ministry of Justice to hurry and seal the city to apprehend the culprit—Wait, Xiao Ci, what is this?"
The man froze slightly, then suddenly realized something was amiss.
"What is by your bed?"
He saw a fluffy white mass squatting at his sister's bedside, a bushy tail hanging down and swaying.
His heart stirred slightly. He reached out and grabbed the fluffy white mass, then tugged. What came out was a pure white fox.
This was a wild fox, not the pet his sister used to keep.
So undisciplined! How dare it climb onto his sister's bed!
He stared at the fox, then let out a cold snort.
"You unruly wild thing. You dare climb onto my sister's bed? You little wild thing, you think you can warm my sister's bed? Get aside!"
He reached out, intending to toss the little wild fox aside!
The little wild fox bared its teeth and bit his arm, drawing blood!
He gasped in pain, realizing that this little wild fox was truly difficult to handle.
The little wild fox continued to bare its teeth. He had no time to talk to his sister anymore, focusing entirely on dealing with the little wild fox, wishing he could throw it aside.
The little wild fox's eyes remained full of vigilance. It stared intently at the man before it, then leaped up, its movements so agile that the young duke of the state duke's manor couldn't catch it.
The young duke of the state duke's manor looked at the wound on his wrist. After a few seconds, he roared furiously.
"I will kill this beast!"
His sister, Mu Nian, lifted the curtain. She looked languid, glancing at her brother, and asked him.
"So?"
"Is the Crown Prince dead?"
The young duke of the state duke's manor wished he could rush forward and cover his sister's mouth.
She was far too unrestrained.
"The imperial physicians are still at the Crown Prince's manor..."
But before he could finish speaking, a deafening roar suddenly echoed from afar, followed by the mournful strains of music resonating throughout the imperial city!
Mu Nian, the little county princess, sighed helplessly and spread her hands.
"So you see, the person is still gone."
"May the Crown Prince have a safe journey!"