Chapter 4

1

What bad luck! I drank too much. I remember going out in broad daylight, but suddenly everything went dark. How did I even make it back home?

I opened my eyes, feeling dizzy, and looked around. Oh my, this doesn't look like my room at all. Where am I?

Outside the window, rain was falling, accompanied by the distant sound of thunder.

The balcony door of the room was not closed, but there was a beaded curtain in front of it, swaying in the wind like waves.

The light sneaked in through the swaying beads and projected a dark purple strand of hair, resembling a blooming flower.

It was said that the hair of the royal family turned purple in their dreams, known as "Dream Purple," and it was the origin of their surname.

So, if the person sleeping next to me is not Nophis, then it must be—Zi Sijiao!

I can only say that I'm in big trouble now!

In just a minute, my brain raced, adrenaline surged, and the headache was temporarily suppressed.

Zi Sijiao's hand on my arm felt numb and uncomfortable.

I carefully and discreetly removed my hand from her grip.

"Hmm~" Zi Sijiao moved slightly and then settled down again. She scared the hell out of me. What should I do if she wakes up?

Looking at her delicate face, straight nose bridge, and fair complexion, she was beautiful without a doubt. Normally, she was laid back and fierce, but now she appeared like a proper lady. There was a huge difference between her sleeping and waking appearances.

Suddenly, my gaze shifted to her chest. Apart from being impressed by its magnificence, I was shocked to see that she wasn't wearing any clothes, just covering herself with a thin silk quilt, which didn't hide much.

I took a deep breath and slowly assessed myself. Oh no, where are my clothes?

Oh no! This is a true tragedy. According to the Empire's laws, when you reach the age of 18, you must undergo a baptism, which is essentially an examination to determine if you're still a virgin. The examination method has been passed down for centuries, without any differentiation between males and females. The accuracy is as high as 99%. If you fail the examination, there will be consequences, ranging from serving some kind of punishment to even being imprisoned. And to make matters worse, she is the Emperor's niece. There's a chance I might end up in a cell!

Based on my classroom experience, if there's any blood, it means I committed a crime. If there's none... well, I should just take a look directly!

I turned on the light on my phone and carefully examined myself. Oh no, nothing!

Since there's nothing wrong, now is probably the best time for me to slip away. Should I wait until this hotheaded girl wakes up, have a drink, eat breakfast, get into a fight, and then leave? I can imagine the consequences of that.

After searching for a while, I immediately discovered the problem. Where are my pants?

"Are you looking for these?"

"Huh?"

Following the voice, I saw Zi Sijiao holding my pants and swinging them.

"Oh, so you're awake! Uh, good evening!"

"What 'good evening'? My head hurts so much!"

"Who asked you to drink so much? One bottle the first time, two bottles the second time, and four bottles the third time! Do you think you're drinking water?"

"This is considered less!"

What can I say? She's at a level of being a "tomboy." I can't complain!

"Uh, can you give me back my pants?"

"You just want to run away, huh?"

"Hehe! We didn't do anything, so it's not like we need to 'run away' like you're implying."

Zi Sijiao shook my pants and said, "Don't you want something else?" Then she seductively crawled over, letting her hair fall and her purple strands returned to their original black. This captivating pose was definitely natural.

"Wait a minute! Aren't you aware of the laws of the Empire? Doing this would give a bad impression to your royal family."

Suddenly, Zi Sijiao pounced on me, pressing both hands on my shoulders and pinning me down on the bed. Looking down at me from above, her eyes were full of desire.

"For certain things, there can be exceptions."

"Exceptions? It's a national regulation. Are you saying you can bypass it? Don't mess with me! Are you trying to set a trap to get me out of the Student Council and increase your chances of winning the competition? How ruthless of you!"

"Hmm...I don't want that chance in the competition at all."

Zi Sijiao squeezed my waist with her smooth thighs, leaning forward with a cat-like movement. With her seductive body and fiery personality, anyone would be conquered by her if it weren't for that damn rule. If it weren't for that rule, I would feel powerful enough to put Nophis on the bed. But I'm afraid of getting into trouble. Being low-key in everyday life is one thing, but the matter of whether I'm a real man is another issue.

Zi Sijiao whispered in my right ear, "If you're a man, show me what you can do. Ask me anything you want. Believe me, I can ruin you!"

Well, it's really insecure to say such things in this position. I don't have the power to dominate the conversation here!

I exerted force from my waist and directly flipped Zi's body over. I looked down at her from a higher angle, which suits me better. Being pressed down by someone is never a good feeling.

"Ah~" My sudden attack caught Zi Sijiao off guard. How can someone from the royal family tolerate being pressed down? Instinctively, she activated her magic power.

Whenever magic is cast, there will always be a fluctuation in magic power. At such a close distance, even a little bit of magic power can be felt by the other person. I am no exception. As my reaction arc reached its peak, the "Sealing Magic Knot" wrapped around me, tightly bound Zi Sijiao.

"Lie down! Magic is not very useful to me right now. What exactly is going on? Explain everything clearly."

"What can you do if I don't tell you? You don't even have the courage! But I didn't expect you to have such a hobby."

"You~~~" This woman is crazy, and I am normal. I won't argue with you: "I won't do anything. So what? You provoked me for no reason. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"I'm talking about a special exception in the law, and there is only one exception to this law!"

"One? Is it that...?" My brain quickly spun, recalling the only exception.

"The law recognizes that both parties in a marriage contract can be exempted from legal liability! You have the brain of a pig! You even did research, but you don't have this memory." Zi Sijiao said with a puffed-up look, saying it first.

"I don't study law, so what's the use of remembering this? Wait, marriage contract? Me and you?"

"Idiot~~~~~ Get up!"

"Why are you shouting? This Zi Sijiao has nothing to do with me. I've only seen her as many times as you have. Besides, I didn't feel any contract feeling. It's up to you to deal with it!"

"Don't you remember? You actually don't remember?" Zi Sijiao's eyes were a bit sad and filled with indescribable melancholy.

"Remember what?"

"Ten years ago, my uncle, the emperor of the empire, established a marriage contract with you, the Qin family's marriage contract."

"Well...I did hear about this from my mother, but I thought it was nullified after so many years!"

"This is a lifelong marriage contract. Even if you die, it cannot be annulled. In fact, you have always been in your father's eyes. If I can find you, your father, the Duke of Qin, must be able to as well. Perhaps, since the day you escaped, your father has been watching you!"

"No way! Did I waste ten years on the run?"

"You should have gone back with me ten years ago."

"What does that have to do with anything? Did I meet you ten years ago?" Oh my god, I would consider myself lucky if I can leave this room today.

"In the forest by the river ten years ago, you saved Li Liu..."

"The one crying next to you! Are you saying that he was my fiancé?"

Fate is playing tricks on me. I have never experienced the meaning of these four words so profoundly.

"Your Highness! I have the latest news!" Suddenly, the door of the room was opened, and a boy came in...