Becoming a wet nurse is not the end of the story.

"No, after I came back, I was taken to the academy. I really haven't seen the territory. But it's said to be just a county town near the capital, not some kind of territories. There's no need to go and see it."

I really want to roll my eyes at this little girl. Why don't you just say you're too lazy to go out? You've been back for a month, and you still can't find the time to go see her? Who would believe that?

However, seeing how the girl had been leaning against him languidly ever since he appeared, Irabel couldn't bear to say anything to her.

Volume 7 The Collapsed Alliance: Chapter 2 Birthday Party (Both chapters released together)

Lin Xueyin didn't know why she was standing there, surrounded by a group of strange people holding wine glasses, their eyes filled with disgust as they tried to strike up a conversation with her.

However, this damned etiquette forced her to smile, and keep smiling. After all, it was Irabel who brought her here, and if she were too impolite, she would lose more than just face.

As for Irabel, since the banquet was being held in the palace, and as the hostess, she had many other matters to attend to, she had to leave Lin Xueyin in a corner for the time being.

However, even in the corner, she was still spotted by those men who seemed to have the noses of dogs. As a result, this scene unfolded: the girl looked at the people around her with distress, feeling conflicted and upset, yet she didn't know how to refuse these people who were all polite but had filthy hearts.

"Viscount Lin, I am..."

"Alright, Yukine is my guest. Could you please keep a little distance from her?"

Seeing the anxious and uneasy girl surrounded by the crowd, Irabel felt a pang of heartache. She really wanted to punch herself in the face. She knew that the girl was being watched by the nobles, yet she was still so careless.

With a long sigh of relief, the girl, who had been led to the side by Irabelle's hand, finally felt the taste of freedom.

Hearing Lin Xueyin let out a long sigh of relief, Irabel turned around with a guilty feeling and gently hugged Lin Xueyin in her arms. "I'm sorry for leaving you here all alone."

The sudden warmth and unexpected apology made Lin Xueyin's almond-shaped eyes widen in surprise as she looked at the girl in front of her, who rarely showed any emotion. A faint smile appeared on her lips.

“It’s alright, Irabel, it’s not your fault. Never, ever underestimate human desires, that is the greatest original sin.”

"Yes, the indelible desires are the original sin, but perhaps also the driving force behind humanity's continuous progress."

His icy blue pupils were fixed on the smiling young woman before him, and his nostrils were filled with her unique fragrance.

"Your Majesty will be out soon. Let's eat something first."

"Huh? Isn't that inappropriate? Aren't people usually eating very little at these kinds of banquets?"

Lin Xueyin, being pulled along, slowly walked towards a table not far away that was laden with delicacies. The table was full of all kinds of food, both familiar and unfamiliar, emitting an enticing aroma.

“Your Highness Irabell, it’s been a long time.”

Just as Irabel was helping Lin Xueyin choose food with a plate, a faint voice that sounded very familiar to Lin Xueyin came from behind her. After thinking about it carefully, she remembered that it was the mentor of Aria, who had given her the letter of recommendation before.

It seems to be that knight called Order of Silver, but I really can't remember his exact name.

"So it's Lord Mavis. I really didn't expect to see you here."

Irabel handed the plate full of food to Lin Xueyin and greeted her politely. Although the greeting seemed very formal, Lin Xueyin could still sense that the Ice Princess had great respect for the knight in front of her.

"Your Highness, you are too kind. I came here to see Viscount Lin Xueyin, whom I recommended for admission. I really didn't expect that the girl from back then would have such a great reputation now."

"You're too kind. I was just doing what I was supposed to do."

The other party's kind praise made Lin Xueyin lower her head somewhat embarrassed. It seemed that what she had done was something she could do. The ones who really deserved praise were the soldiers who risked their lives for the country.

"I never expected that you would be so humble after achieving such success. No wonder my apprentice hopes to become your guardian knight. Very good, very good. Well then, Viscount Lin, I have a favor to ask, but I don't know if I should say it."

“Um, Your Excellency Mavis, you may address me by my first name; there’s no need to call me Viscount. As for your request, please feel free to speak.”

Seriously, that's why I hate this roundabout way of talking. You can just say, "I need your help with something," and then let me tell you what to say. Instead, you have to ramble on and on about a bunch of random things.

She silently complained in her heart, but showed no emotion on her face. Lin Xueyin just listened quietly as the other person continued to speak.

"A viscount is a viscount. We knights should naturally address him by his title. Calling him by his name is extremely impolite. Please don't take offense."

At this point, what could he say but nod? He finally understood who had taught Aria her straightforwardness; like teacher, like student.

"I hope Arya can stay by your side and become your guardian knight. Although she still has much to learn, please understand that a master has to be considerate of his apprentice..."

"Lord Mavis, Arya will be my guardian knight, you can rest assured." Even the most conservative man would want to give his loved ones a good foundation, and Lin Xueyin, who came from China, naturally understood this.

In addition, Aria has always been her good friend. As for asking her to be someone else's guardian knight, Lin Xueyin felt that she was not that magnanimous. Even when she was with Irabelle, she was somewhat unhappy.

Mavis felt relieved by Lin Xueyin's unexpected yet reasonable answer. After all, Aria had always been blaming herself for her own abilities and constantly sought his advice in order to become a qualified guardian.

Although she never said anything, as her master, he could still see that what made Aria work so hard was the beautiful girl in front of him.

Having accepted Mavis's suggestion, he also politely took his leave. Irabel, somewhat unhappy, turned Lin Xueyin around so that she could face her directly.

"why."

"Huh? What do you mean, why?" This abrupt question left Lin Xueyin completely bewildered, especially seeing her frosty expression, which only added to her confusion.

Everything was fine just now, how did it suddenly change? They say a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, the ancients were right.

"Why did you agree to become Arya's guardian knight? Her abilities are currently insufficient to become anyone..."

“Irabelle, Aria is my friend, so please watch your words.”

He looked at the girl in front of him with some displeasure, and saw that after hearing his words, she took a deep breath, as if trying to calm her anxiety.

“I have always seen Arya’s efforts. I don’t think she can’t be my guardian knight. Besides, she already said back in Yorktown that she would always protect me.”

For some reason, after she finished speaking, she suddenly felt the air in the hall drop by more than ten degrees, which made her shiver.

"Um, Irabelle, you..."

"Lin Xueyin, don't you understand even now?"

Huh? I understand? What do I understand? Somewhat confused, Lin Xueyin admitted that she really didn't quite understand what she meant by those words.

Looking at that innocent, bewildered pretty face, no matter how angry Irabel was, she could only sigh helplessly.

"You really are..."

Patting the girl's long golden hair, Irabel could only offer a wry smile. This little girl was simply her nemesis; no matter how much anger she felt, it would vanish without a trace in front of her.

Seeing the other person's hesitant expression, Lin Xueyin really wanted to continue asking, but she had a sense of crisis that if she continued to ask, she would definitely be the one to suffer. So, she thought it was better to be honest and just let it go.

“Irabelle, it’s His Highness’s birthday today. You should have told me sooner. I didn’t have time to prepare anything, and I didn’t prepare a gift or anything.”

Since it's a birthday party, there will definitely be a gift-giving session. I only found out about it yesterday and came here today, so I didn't have a chance to prepare at all.

"Don't worry, it's good that you can come. Besides, you've just been promoted to viscount, so you don't have any money to spare. It's good that you can come. I'll take care of everything."

Patting her chest and making a guarantee, Lin Xueyin suddenly thought of a phrase: "slap in the face," and another phrase: "it smells so good!"

"Well, actually, I have a very bad feeling about this, Irabelle. I think it's best if we don't plant the flag for now."

Faced with a mysterious metaphysical power from the East, Lin Xueyin said that even holy light could be kicked out in the name of the captain.

"Ahem, what's going on in your head, you silly girl? Don't worry, my brother and I have already agreed that we definitely won't let you send any gifts."

Thinking of how her elder brother's eyes lit up when she invited Lin Xueyin, she felt very annoyed. How could she possibly let Xueyin give him another gift? Yet, he was still overjoyed when he heard there would be no gift.

Irabel suddenly felt a bit annoyed that her father only had one heir. If there were more options, she could join forces with others and freeze this guy into an ice pop.

Just as the two were enjoying their meal, the surrounding noise suddenly disappeared, and on the stairs, the current prince, who was also the sole heir to the empire, Prince Ikux, slowly walked up the stairs into the hall.

"I'm so glad that everyone could take time out of their busy schedules to attend my birthday party. I hope you all have a great time."

"Hmm, that's a very brief speech, but it's quite good."

Lin Xueyin looked at the rather handsome prince in the center of the hall with a hint of appreciation on her face, and then was pulled into Irabel's arms again.

"Don't look around, it will offend your eyes."

"Uh..." At this moment, the only expression I could muster was dumbfounded. Was this really being said about my brother?

After the prince finished his speech, the king soon appeared in everyone's sight. On the second-floor platform, His Majesty the King used lengthy words to explain what a leader's speech should be.

Lin Xueyin was so engrossed in listening to Irabelle that she became drowsy. Fortunately, she was in Irabelle's arms, so no one else noticed that she was half-asleep.

After nearly half an hour, they finally heard His Majesty the King give a concluding speech. Just when Lin Xueyin excitedly thought it was about to end, Irabel pressed her head back into his arms once again.

"Don't worry, it won't be over for another half hour."

As if knowing Lin Xueyin was about to protest, Irabell silenced all her dissatisfaction with a single sentence, allowing her to continue enjoying the comfort of having a soft jade in her arms.

Sure enough, His Majesty the King continued speaking for another half hour before finally concluding his speech. This caused Lin Xueyin to drift off to sleep in Irabel's arms.

"Royal sister, I didn't expect you to actually bring Viscount Lin along."

Just as Lin Xueyin rubbed her eyes and was about to get out of Irabel's arms, she heard Prince Ikux's voice behind her.

"Brother, shouldn't you be inviting the first lady to be your dance partner right now? What are you doing here?"

The cold tone did not deter Ikux's enthusiasm; a warm smile on his face made his already handsome features even more radiant.

"Isn't this the first person I came here to invite to dance?"

“I’m your sister, but I have no intention of being your dance partner. You should look at those noble ladies; they’re all waiting for you.”

Irabel's tone became even harsher, completely lacking the aloofness expected of the Ice Princess. Yet, it still didn't make Ikux back down an inch.

“My dear sister, although I would very much like to invite you, as you said, it would be somewhat inappropriate to invite you. So, I am here to invite Viscount Lin. I wonder if Xueyin would be willing to be my dance partner.”

With a click, Lin Xueyin seemed to hear a crisp sound coming from her chin. She turned her head in disbelief to look at the serious-looking prince.

I really want to ask you, are you out of your mind? So many people are eagerly waiting for your favor, what are you doing here? Can't you see the piercing gazes around you that seem to want to torture me to death?

“Your Majesty, I think you have a better option. I can’t dance, and I’m not some noblewoman or socialite.”

Feeling a squeezing sensation in her waist, Lin Xueyin wanted to roll her eyes.

"I feel that you are the only one here who can be my dance partner for my first dance, so I would appreciate it if you would do me the honor."

A hand was already outstretched, and Irabel looked helplessly at the equally conflicted girl. At this moment, it was not just a personal issue, but a matter for the entire royal family. If they really refused, it would be to refuse the goodwill of the entire royal family.

Lin Xueyin had no choice but to place her hand in the other person's. "This is a one-time thing, and there won't be a next time."

Volume 7: The Collapsed Alliance: Chapter 3 The Tree Desires Stillness... (Two chapters published together)

In the center, as the music started, the handsome man and beautiful woman began an awkward dance. Yes, awkward. The prince wanted to be closer, but Lin Xueyin kept avoiding something.

Moreover, a skillful movement coupled with clumsy footwork made it unbearable for onlookers. I moved forward and backward, spun around, stepping on my feet.

Prince Ikux felt that, besides the pleasure in his heart, the most noticeable sensation was in his feet. Forward, one step; backward, one step; spinning, then another. The sensation was incredibly aching.

However, seeing the girl's slightly embarrassed expression as she kept stepping on him, her pink and flushed face filled the prince's heart with joy, happiness, and a sense of well-being.

However, at this moment, Lin Xueyin was so terrified by the prince's blissful expression that she almost lost her soul. She had trampled him like this, so why did he still look so happy? Could he be a masochist?

It seems I've learned something very secret, and it's best not to reveal it. What if I'm silenced? That would be terrible.