Chapter 100 Completing the World (II)
"My fiancé?" Qi An sat down on another stool at the king's invitation.
The table was laden with all manner of exquisite dishes, and the attending maidservants respectfully laid out the cutlery before Qi An.
"Indeed, Tommy is quite a promising young man—he's actually succeeded in being chosen as the next High Priest. The Nuomi Kingdom has decided to invite all the nations, and they'll be hosting a grand banquet before Tommy's enthronement ceremony. Our kingdom is among those invited." The king set down his knife and fork with gentle deliberation, his tone warm but more so carrying an air of unmistakable command. "An'an, as his fiancée, you'll naturally represent our nation in delivering your blessings."
The king seemed to have summoned Qi An over merely to inform him of this matter. After some contemplation, he scheduled Qi An's departure for that afternoon, promising to arrange brave soldiers to escort him. With that, the middle-aged king wiped his lips with a napkin and departed the dining hall on the pretense of attending to state affairs.
The food on the table was still steaming hot. Qi An stood beside it, watching the king's departure with a furrowed brow.
Since arriving in this world, he'd heard two terms: priests and sorcerers. The blood moon and that towering spire reaching into the clouds both spoke of this world's extraordinary nature.
And his identity in this world seemed rather... delicate.
Recalling that he had a fiancé in this world, Qi An's eyes dropped.
Was it him?
"Your Highness the Princess, you needn't worry. Even out of respect for His Majesty, the Nuomi Kingdom wouldn't dare mistreat you."
The girl stood quietly in her elegant gown, her demeanor perfectly befitting her station. Having grown up in the wealth and privilege of the royal family, every part of her was especially delicate and precious. That magnificent princess dress seemed to imprison this fragile person within its confines.
"When you and Tommy were betrothed, it was personally arranged by the former High Priest. For Prince Tommy to truly ascend to the position of High Priest, he certainly won't defy the High Priest's will." The maidservant spoke gently, offering comfort. "Even if he truly doesn't fancy you, for the sake of his own future and reputation, he wouldn't dare to do anything immoral at such a crucial moment."
"You are the Princess of our kingdom, your status is noble beyond measure. Whatever troubles you, this servant will help you resolve. Please, do eat your meal."
His betrothed in this world didn't like him.
That was a crucial piece of information one could glean from the maidservant's words.
If that were truly the case, then...
Qi An turned to look at this servile maidservant, who kept her head respectfully bowed throughout their conversation. Her every movement radiated a sense of caution and carefulness, truly befitting a servant's manner.
And she appeared to care deeply for her original mistress.
"Mm." Qi An nodded, took his seat, and casually picked up his cutlery to begin breakfast.
What he failed to notice was that during his meal, the ever-reverent maidservant very quickly lifted her head. Her gaze was warm and gentle, but when she lowered her head once more, a faint smile curved at the corners of her lips.
That face hidden in the shadows laughed soundlessly.
The midday sky remained overcast, that blood moon stubbornly suspended in the heavens. Were it not for the clock's movement, from that eerie sky alone, it would be impossible to discern what time or moment it was.
"Your Majesty, the Second Princess is still occupied with her experiments. She says... she has no time to see off Her Highness." The king had accompanied Qi An to the palace gates. Though still wearing the crown symbolizing supreme power, he now appeared like any ordinary father bidding farewell to his child, pulling Qi An along with idle chatter.
Upon hearing a guard's report, the king immediately stopped speaking. Rather than angry, his expression turned complicated. "An'an, you know your sister's temperament. Though she's well-behaved in appearance, she's always fiddling about with those... things. She didn't come to see you off this time—surely you understand."
"...Mm." Qi An nodded.
This world had come too suddenly.
The battle royale world never provided any background, and Qi An had been here too briefly. After breakfast, he'd been whisked away for grooming and makeup, never having had the chance to explore this world's details.
All he knew was that his name in this world was Lu An.
Thus, he was at a severe disadvantage.
His identity in this world naturally carried its own life trajectory, and this world's identity should be quite prominent—certain to attract much attention. To avoid being detected too quickly, he couldn't deviate from what the original person should have been like, nor could he make any moves.
But if he did this, he'd have even less opportunity to learn about this world.
This was undoubtedly... contradictory.
[An'an, who do you think opened this battle royale world?] The system's voice rang out once Qi An had boarded the carriage.
[What do you think?] Qi An asked softly in return.
[It should be someone we know.] The system pondered seriously.
[Mm.] Just as Qi An was conversing with the system, the carriage he sat in suddenly jerked violently.
Something seemed to have happened—his carriage had braked suddenly, and Qi An heard furious shouting ahead.
"Do you have any idea who's seated in there? The Princess herself!"
Qi An contemplated, then stepped out of the carriage.
In the middle of the street, a girl in tattered, patch-covered clothes lay sprawled on the ground. Nearby was an overturned basket, its contents—dolls—all scattered across the pavement.
The girl scrambled to her feet, hastily grabbing the basket, stuffing the dolls back in one by one while frantically apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it wasn't intentional, I'll leave right away."
"It's her." Qi An's personal maidservant stepped out behind him.
"Who?"
"A girl of most pitiful status. Though born into nobility, she's been suppressed by her stepmother and two stepsisters, living each day in conditions worse than a servant's."
That description.
Qi An furrowed his brow slightly. The dust-covered girl happened to look up at that moment, and upon seeing her face, Qi An froze.
That face was... Gao Lijun.
And then, Qi An suddenly noticed that all the doll eyeballs had... shifted.