After Yu Deng and Song Shiyu began talking, the other knights were stopped by the head maid not far away. The old king didn't care about the process of Yu Deng taming a knight and was busy instructing the queen to deal with the count's matters.
No one disturbed the two of them.
Yu Deng met Song Shiyu's calm gaze and froze for several seconds. "Size…?"
Song Shiyu's eyes shifted downward slightly, and he nodded calmly. "Mm."
The commonly defined size… usage…
Yu Deng blankly thought for a long time before finally realizing what his knight was recommending. His pretty face flushed rapidly, even his earlobes turning faint pink.
Yu Deng stammered softly, scolding him, "Y-you… how can you be like this… you hooligan!"
What kind of knight recommends that kind of thing to a princess in broad daylight?!
Song Shiyu's tone remained indifferent. "I'm just stating a fact. Your Highness has the right to know everything about me, including this. If you wish to personally verify it, I can cooperate."
Yu Deng widened his eyes at Song Shiyu's iceberg-like expression, utterly incredulous.
How can this guy say something like that in the tone of discussing an academic topic?! There's no way he'd personally verify it!
Yu Deng felt both embarrassed and annoyed. He kicked the foot that Song Shiyu was holding and threatened fiercely, "I never said I wanted to know that… you're not allowed to act like this anymore, o-or else I won't let you be my knight!"
Yu Deng's dress was extremely gorgeous, the fluffy golden-red skirt spreading over the chair, and the crown on his head glittered brilliantly. If it were anyone else, they would probably be overshadowed by the clothes and jewelry.
But Yu Deng had no such concern. The luxurious attire only made him look even more dazzling and beautiful. The shy, annoyed expression on his face was incredibly vivid—more stunning than the most gorgeous flower in the garden.
Song Shiyu looked at Yu Deng's face, a faint ripple stirring in his heart.
—A spoiled little princess throwing a tantrum… kind of cute.
The barrage of comments in Song Shiyu's livestream became even more lively, the audience utterly shocked by his reaction.
[What did Brother Song just say? Why was it censored? I remember only that kind of thing gets blocked…?]
[The little princess's face is so red… even more tempting now. Confirmed, Brother Song said something outrageous.]
[I've watched Brother Song's streams for three years. I thought someone as abstinent as him would never have ambiguous interactions with anyone. I was wrong. Being the little princess's knight is your blessing!]
[I suddenly realized...people who are usually calm are the scariest when they go crazy. If the little princess chooses another knight or prince, would Brother Song…]
Song Shiyu remained silent for a bit too long, still holding Yu Deng's ankle. Yu Deng couldn't help raising his voice slightly, "Hey! Did you hear me?"
"I understand. Without Your Highness's permission, I won't casually bring up such matters again." Song Shiyu's fingertips rubbed lightly over Yu Deng's ankle twice before gently letting go.
"Then, may I have the honor of becoming your knight?"
Yu Deng looked at him for a few seconds, then let out a soft huff and placed his hand on Song Shiyu's shoulder. "Fine. From now on, you're my knight."
Song Shiyu held Yu Deng's hand and placed a kiss on the back of his fair hand, pulling away after a brief touch.
"My honor, Your Highness."
[Ding. Congratulations, player Yu Deng, for completing the scene mission: Obtain a knight.]
As the system's announcement fell, the knights not far away also realized they had not been chosen. Regretfully, they left the castle palace.
"Congratulations, my good child. You now have your own knight." The queen stood up, lifting her skirt slightly. "When the two of you are alone, you may proceed with the contract."
Yu Deng blinked in confusion. "A contract?" Do a princess and her personal knight also need a contract?
Yu Deng turned his head to look at Song Shiyu and saw that he appeared completely calm, as if he already knew how to form the contract. Yu Deng decided not to worry about it.
The head maid then walked over from not far away, took out a book about five centimeters thick from her arms, and handed it to Song Shiyu.
"Since you have become the princess's personal knight, these are what you need to study."
Yu Deng leaned over to take a peek and saw six bold characters written on the cover—
"Princess Care Manual."
Yu Deng: "???" Is it really that exaggerated?!
Song Shiyu, however, took the brick-like manual without changing his expression and said calmly, "I will take good care of 'Her' Highness the Princess."
With the little princess having chosen his knight, the breakfast came to a complete end. The old king had already left the dining hall surrounded by guards, while the queen walked toward Yu Deng.
"To celebrate you having your own knight." The queen stepped up to Yu Deng in her high heels. "Let me think… what kind of gift should I give you…"
She looked at Yu Deng for a moment, then took out a small mirror. "This is for you, my lovely little princess."
The mirror was about the size of a palm, seemingly made of brass, engraved with delicate patterns, and inlaid with a ruby at the top.
Yu Deng hesitated before taking it. "Thank you."
[Ding. Congratulations to Yu Deng for obtaining an S-grade item: Magic Mirror.
Effect: This is a magical mirror that knows everything happening across the continent. The owner may ask the mirror one question every three days, and it will provide an answer. However, after receiving the answer, the owner must complete a task assigned by the mirror, or they will lose their life. Note: The difficulty of the task corresponds to the difficulty of the question.]
[Note: This is a universal item. It can be used within instances and can also be taken out of them.]
Huh? Wouldn't having the Magic Mirror mean he could obtain more clues? It just had usage conditions… he didn't know what kind of tasks it would require.
Yu Deng glanced at the mirror's surface and poked it lightly with his fingertip. Ripples appeared faintly across the surface, eventually forming a smiling face.
Very friendly—but a little creepy.
Yu Deng jolted and flipped the mirror face-down. "?" Wait, this thing is actually alive?!
The queen looked somewhat surprised. "It seems to like you. Whenever I ask it questions, it refuses to answer—let alone greet me."
Yu Deng: "…" Wuwu, it didn't have to greet him…
Standing nearby, Song Shiyu glanced at the mirror, clearly recognizing it as a high-level item, but he said nothing and showed no intention of taking it.
"Oh, right. I'm going to visit Fuli and Funa. You should come see them too, they might be missing you," the queen said.
Yu Deng didn't quite understand who she was referring to and maintained polite silence. "?"
[Host, those are your two nominal older sisters.]
"I see… then I'll go take a look at them…" Yu Deng hesitated for a few seconds but decided to go anyway.
After all, this instance was rather abstract. The tasks and clues were vague, and Yu Deng had no idea how to restore the kingdom's glory. It was better to gather more information.
Thinking this, Yu Deng agreed to the queen, then turned back to remind his knight, "You have to remember to protect me."
"As you command, Your Highness," Song Shiyu replied.
…
The castle palace of the Stuart Kingdom was grand and magnificent, its golden architecture complementing the lush greenery around it like a painting.
Following behind the queen, Yu Deng walked along a garden path deeper into the castle, gradually approaching a more secluded area.
Tall buildings and trees blocked out the sunlight, making the path feel somewhat eerie. Yu Deng subconsciously moved closer to Song Shiyu.
Noticing this, Song Shiyu allowed him to draw near, truly resembling a silent and loyal knight.
Yu Deng felt it wasn't appropriate to talk to his knight at this moment, so he chatted with his system instead, trying to steady his nerves.
"By the way, System, I still don't know the main members of this royal family. I don't even know the king's name. Can you tell me directly?"
[Yes. This does not involve the core requirements for clearing the instance, so I can show you.]System 01 quickly displayed a simple relationship chart.
As Yu Deng walked and read, he finally gained a basic understanding of the kingdom.
This vast capital city was built by humans and was called the Stuart Kingdom. The current old king was named Charles Stuart. The queen, Andrei Carter, was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. Before marrying the king, she had already given birth to a pair of twin daughters, named Fuli and Funa. Aside from that, the king and queen had no children together.
From this chart alone, the royal family seemed quite simple.
"System, isn't there any information about me?" Yu Deng asked in confusion. "I'm also a princess, why isn't there anything about me?"
[Sorry. Regarding your identity, only the introduction at the start of the instance is available. Detailed information must be explored by yourself.]
Yu Deng thought for a few seconds and understood. It seemed his identity was an important clue, he'd need to pay more attention going forward.
While thinking, they finally arrived at their destination.
It was a side tower of the castle, about ten meters tall, with walls made of gold and silver. Strangely, there was no visible entrance at the base, and a group of soldiers stood guard around it.
Yu Deng felt something was off and became alert, his arm tensing slightly. The queen, walking in front, called toward the top of the tower, "Fuli, Funa."
Yu Deng followed her gaze and saw the faces of twin sisters appear at the window. Their features resembled the queen's, with long golden hair that hung down from the window.
The sisters greeted the queen in unison. They chatted happily across the ten-meter distance, and the queen even braided flower crowns for them. All three wore happy smiles, yet Yu Deng felt a chill.
"My child, come greet your sisters," the queen said, turning and beckoning Yu Deng.
"Oh…"
Yu Deng nervously stepped forward. As he got closer, he realized their long hair nearly reached the ground. When he approached, their hair began to sway—then, as if made of flesh, it writhed and formed into a smiling face.
Yu Deng's legs went weak, his voice trembling. "G-good morning…" He forced himself to add politely, "Sister Fuli, Sister Funa."
"Good morning." The voice seemed to come from both the top of the tower and the hair before him—it was hard to tell.
He stammered through a brief conversation with them when suddenly he found it hard to breathe.
His vision blurred, as though walls were closing in around him. His eyes lost focus, filled with dense specks.
"Ugh…"
Noisy sounds filled his ears. It felt like something was dragging him into an inescapable net—sharp singing intertwined with incomprehensible whispers.
"Sing… fall… embrace eternal suffering…"
"Longer… more and more…"
Yu Deng almost instantly fell into a terrifying nightmare. With what little rationality he had left, he struggled to think. Who… was he? He didn't want to… didn't want to fall.
"Your Highness."
It was Song Shiyu's voice. A sharp flash of silver appeared before Yu Deng's eyes—it seemed the knight's sword had swung. The next moment, he was pulled into the knight's arms.
The suffocating struggle faded, and Yu Deng's consciousness slowly returned.
He lifted his head and met Song Shiyu's gaze, parting his lips slightly.
He finally understood what the second special rule, following one's true heart—meant. Players could easily lose themselves in danger.
Turning back, Yu Deng saw that his sisters' long hair no longer had any face—it was just the flower crowns the queen had made, fallen onto the ground.
With tears in his eyes, Yu Deng picked up the fallen flower crowns and carefully placed them back onto their hair, then collapsed weakly back into Song Shiyu's arms.
"Thank you, little brother… little princess."
The sisters' long hair swayed, brushing against Yu Deng's head before slowly retracting.
[That was so sudden...he was thrown into danger instantly. I naively thought this instance would be a warm fairy tale, but the beauty is fake.]
[So creepy… baby almost got wrapped into a dumpling by that hair, and no one else even reacted.]
[Even A-rank instances are this dangerous? I can't imagine S-rank ones.]
[Good, good!! knight protected his lord. Reward him!]
Song Shiyu didn't immediately let go of the timid princess. Instead, he held him close, looked down for a few seconds, and suddenly said, "I still don't know your name, Your Highness."
Yu Deng's mind was a mess, and he almost blurted out his real name, but managed to stop himself just in time. He looked up at Song Shiyu, then quickly turned the question around.
"You've already become my knight, and you don't even know my name?"
"You are the kingdom's treasure, the most beautiful rose, the radiant sun that shines upon the land." Song Shiyu's expression didn't change as he recited an exaggerated praise in a tone like reading a thesis. "We have no right to know your name."
Yu Deng felt a bit embarrassed by the knight's praise.
Do these knights really not know his name as part of their setting?
But he didn't want to tell Song Shiyu his name just yet. After all, Song Shiyu was also a player and even a special task participant. If he revealed it now, would it affect his ability to complete the mission…?
"I—I don't want to tell you right now." Yu Deng waved at Song Shiyu, signaling him to lower his head. "If you perform well, I might consider telling you."
Song Shiyu fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "Alright, I understand."
He changed the subject: "Your Highness, I need some time to prepare for the contract. May I complete it with you tonight?"
"Mm… that's fine." Yu Deng nodded.
Only then did the queen walk over from not far away, as if she hadn't seen the sudden incident earlier at all. She still wore a gentle and kind expression.
Yu Deng asked quietly, "Why do my sisters have to live here?"
"Because they need to live here," the queen replied vaguely. "They are both good children."
Yu Deng didn't quite understand, so he decided to say goodbye and leave. As he turned, the queen reminded him:
"Oh, child—if you encounter other races, you must be extra careful. They might capture you."
She didn't show the obvious hostility that the king did, but she also wasn't as friendly as described in the background.
"I understand…" Yu Deng nodded, growing even more curious.
What were those mysterious races like? If he only completed the human faction's tasks, would he still encounter the others? And his sisters… what exactly was going on?
The questions in Yu Deng's mind piled up more and more, almost tying his thoughts into knots. He decided to explore the castle first today, and tomorrow, leave the palace to look around other parts of the kingdom.
…
So for most of the day, Yu Deng, accompanied by his knight, familiarized himself with the layout of the palace, trying to find anything unusual—but he didn't discover any useful clues.
Soon, night fell. Yu Deng returned to his room. After asking for leave, Song Shiyu temporarily left his side.
Candles were lit in the bedroom, and the thin curtains were drawn. The servants were gone. Yu Deng wandered around the room, and soon found a stack of newspapers on the bookshelf.
[On X month X day, the merfolk stirred up waves and overturned a coastal town…]
[On X month X day, dragon remains were discovered in Tazela Town…]
They recorded various events in the human kingdom, as well as conflicts between different races and humans.
Yu Deng read several papers, his brows furrowing. The races on this continent all seemed… off. Not only unfriendly, but even openly hostile toward one another.
After thinking for a long time, Yu Deng took out the mirror the queen had given him. After hesitating for a few minutes, he said softly, "Magic Mirror, I want to ask you a question."
The mirror emitted a faint glow, then suddenly expanded in midair, growing into a full-length mirror standing firmly on the ground.
"Your Highness, what would you like to ask?"
The Magic Mirror's voice was unexpectedly pleasant—like that of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy.
Yu Deng thought for a moment. "I want to know, why are the races on this continent full of hatred toward each other? They should have been able to live in harmony."
The mirror pondered for a long time before answering:
"Because the Heart of Fantasy has been lost. Without it, the continent of Erazia has already changed."
Huh? The Heart of Fantasy… this instance is called City of Fantasy, so that thing must be extremely important, right?
[Ding. Congratulations, Yu Deng has triggered a side quest: Find the Heart of Fantasy and make use of it.]
[Note: Side quests are not mandatory.]
Yu Deng froze for two seconds before realizing he had triggered a side quest. But this task was just as abstract…
"Little princess."
The Magic Mirror called out again, sounding faintly urgent. "You should fulfill my requirement now."
Yu Deng snapped back to his senses, extremely nervous. "Y-you… what kind of requirement do you want?"
Wuwu, the question he asked directly triggered a side quest, it must be very difficult, right? Wouldn't that mean the requirement would also be very hard?
"Oh, beautiful princess, please fulfill my request." The mirror glowed softly. "Your dress is so gorgeous, but it is not suitable for resting."
Yu Deng: "?" So…?
The mirror said:
"Please take off your dress."
T/N: Sorry, I forgot to update 😭 I got addicted to reading random stuff again 🤣 HAHAHA. I can't promise I'll update tomorrow or next week, because once laziness and immersion hit me, I literally can't stop 🤣