Talulah, I'm still a child.

If all goes well, Mei Xue will give this letter to you. She's a very lovely person, and I think you'll like her a lot.

I've been away from home for a long time, Maria. I wonder how much taller you've grown. Do you remember when I left, I told you to understand your uncle? He's not the mediocre person you think he is. He just had to make some sacrifices for us.

I've heard about Aunt Zofia's situation. Rhodes Island should be able to heal her hand injury. Dr. Kal'tsit's medical skills are superb. The Nearl family will be supported by me from now on, so there's no need to worry.

I know you've always aspired to be a knight; you're more passionate about mechanics and forging. But please be careful, and don't take things apart and then be unable to put them back together. Also, please give my regards to Uncle Martin and the others...

Lin Guang's letter was very disorganized, and it was clear that she wrote whatever came to mind. The letter was also very long, a full three pages, mentioning every friend she knew, and covering both big and small matters.

But none of that is the main point. The key lies in the two most important sentences: "If there's anything you need, you can ask Mei Xue for help. He'll help you out of consideration for me." and "Strictly speaking, Mei Xue is practically your brother-in-law."

Well, the most crucial part is that last sentence. Maria didn't know what Nearl's considerations were in writing that, but after reading the letter, only one thought filled her mind: "I'm going to have my period."

Of course, no one else had seen the letter yet, so neither her uncle Marna nor her aunt Zofia knew about it, and the little fox herself was completely bewildered. What was going on?

Admittedly, Mei Xue and Lin Guang have a good relationship, but it's not like he suddenly became Maria's brother-in-law. The little fox knows what that means, after all, they and Chen Huijie and others have talked about this a lot over the years.

"Mei Xue, what is your relationship with Margaret?"

Although she sensed something was off, Viviana was still very uneasy. After all, she knew best how good Mei Xue was at seducing people. She herself had held out for less than two weeks before knocking the little fox unconscious, stuffing her in a sack, and throwing her on the bed. Both Nearl and Mei Xue were on Rhodes Island; who knew what had happened between them?

"We're just friends."

The little fox blinked innocently. He had spent far less time playing with Nearl than with Cecilia and the others. The little fox was completely bewildered.

"So, is your friendship legitimate?"

Platinum approached with a serious expression. She had really had her fill of gossip today. She had thought this little fox was the Candle Knight's secret lover, but it turned out he was actually the Radiant Knight's man. Hiss... If he really was an important figure in the Great Yan, wouldn't the Business Federation's suppression of the Light family affect the upcoming cooperation?

"Well, I only eat with Nearl occasionally, but she likes to hug me, and then we watch Kamen Rider together, go shopping, and take naps together. What's wrong with that?"

"This is really wrong!"

Maria couldn't help but speak up. She knew that her older sister liked to watch Kamen Rider, but Nearl always hid and watched it secretly, afraid that others would see her and misunderstand her childishness and immaturity. She even hid from her, her younger sister.

It's really going too far for Rinko to be willing to watch TV with Meixue, no, to eat together while hugging each other!

"So...heh, that's what your relationship is like."

Viviana wore a kind smile, but the surrounding dark aura looked dangerous. Clearly, this Candle Knight, who was always known for her gentleness and elegance, was currently at a bottleneck in her ability to erupt. If this matter was not explained clearly today, she might do something rather outrageous, such as replicating her actions from years ago, knocking Mei Xue unconscious and stuffing her into a sack.

"But my sisters and I are all like this."

The little fox wagged its tail. Its life on Rhodes Island was very monotonous: eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping. Ifrit, who was chased by Saria to do homework all day long, was extremely envious.

Every time she goes to the cafeteria, she is always held in the arms of her older sisters, chased by Warfarin, and takes a nap with Vina or Nearl. At night, someone will sneak into Mei Xue's bed. Usually, it's Red. Her favorite thing is to take advantage of Mei Xue while he is sleeping, hug his tail and do whatever she wants, or kiss Mei Xue.

"Sisters?"

Viviana suddenly realized something: Mei Xue seems to have quite a few older sisters. She remembered that the little fox had mentioned many names to her before, and most of them were women, such as Sister Theresa, Sister Ascalon, and oh right, there was also a big cockroach named W, who she wondered if it was Mei Xue's pet.

“Yes, Surtr, Skadi, Mostima…”

"stop!"

Seeing Mei Xue call out the names of more than a dozen people like reciting a menu, Viviana rudely covered his mouth. If Mei Xue continued talking, she would not drink today and would go eat vixens instead!

"Then why did Nearl say you were Maria's brother-in-law?"

Yes, that's what Viviana cares about. She doesn't care how many sisters Mei Xue has, since they're all her sisters-in-law anyway. But it's different with Lin Guang. Viviana and Lin Guang had a very good relationship back then, like best friends. After Lin Guang left, she took care of Lin Guang's family for a long time, but later Marna refused.

Even when Maria was a child, she called Viviana "older sister".

But now, her best friend has gotten together with her ex-boyfriend while she's unable to win him over! That just highlights how painful it is!

Ultimately, the blame should fall on Nearl herself. When she left, Maria was still quite young, and Viviana had a good relationship with Nearl's family, so Viviana was considered Maria's older sister. After considering the relationship between Mei Xue and Viviana, Nearl also felt that the little fox was Maria's brother-in-law.

But Viviana, Maria, and the others didn't know that they were easily misled into thinking the wrong thing, especially since Mei Xue had made a special trip to Lin Guang's house today and brought so many things.

Of course, the key point is that Nearl wrote the letter in too much of a hurry. At that time, she suddenly learned that Mei Xue was going to the Great Knight Territory ahead of her, so she wrote such a letter on the spot. She didn't think to add a sentence about the relationship between Mei Xue and Viviana at the end. Nearl is sometimes quite straightforward, well, she is just as simple-minded as Mei Xue.

"do not know."

Mei Xue shook her head. Despite her pride in her intelligence, the little fox genuinely didn't know why she had inexplicably become Maria's brother-in-law.

Fortunately, these questions didn't last long. The bar door was opened again, but this time it was kicked open.

"Maria!"

"Alas!"

Zofia's voice was filled with anger. Maria hid behind the gramophone like Mei Xue, who hadn't finished her homework and had been caught stealing food, but the thing was too small to hide her at all.

Without even glancing at the people around her, Zofia grabbed Maria's ear without hesitation and dragged her out.

"Sister Zofia, please spare me!"

Although they are related by generation as aunt and niece, Zofia is only five years older than Maria, so calling her "sister" would put Maria at ease and make her more likely to survive than calling her "aunt."

"Calling me 'sister' won't help now!"

"Master Koval, Uncle Martin, please save me!"

"Ok?"

Zofia's cold glance silenced the shop owner and the two men who were about to offer some words of advice, as they were neither able to argue nor fight Zofia.

"Waaaaah... Brother-in-law, help me!"

Maria's ears were being pulled painfully, and she looked helplessly at Mei Xue for help. The little fox looked at her blankly. Only then did Zofia notice that Mei Xue was also there. Wait a minute, what should Maria call him?

In her shock, Zofia even forgot to grab Maria, allowing her to escape, and then quickly hid behind Mei Xue. She seemed convinced that the little fox could protect her, trembling as she clung to Mei Xue's tail, using the little fox as a shield.

"You... Mei Xue, you are... Margaret's boyfriend?"

"No, he isn't!"

Viviana rudely interrupted Zofia. Although the little fox didn't know what had happened, Maria looked rather pitiful.

"Zofia, why are you pulling Maria's ear? It hurts!"

"She won't learn her lesson unless she's beaten. This brat actually secretly signed up for the Knights' Tournament qualifiers behind my back."

Upon hearing this, everyone except Mei Xue immediately understood why Zofia was in such a furious state. Goodness, with Maria's small arms and legs, going to participate in the Knights' Tournament would be suicide.

"But Auntie, I passed the test, didn't I..."

"Because this is just the preliminary round, and I have already found out that the Business Federation just wants to use your Lin Guang family's identity as a gimmick, otherwise it wouldn't be impossible to just eliminate you directly."

Zofia still had a lot of authority. Maria only dared to hide behind Mei Xue now. However, it was really nice to hug the little fox's tail. After touching it a couple of times, Maria felt less nervous and scared. She even wanted to do it a few more times.

"But I'm doing this for the sake of the Nearl family. The Knights Guild has been urging us several times. If we don't have a Long Knight, the Nearl family will be stripped of their knighthood. We've almost sold all our furniture, and I might not even have a bed to sleep in next year..."

"Do you think I'm dead? You can stay here all you want, it'll be the same."

“But I… I want to take on some responsibility. My sister has been away for a while, and even if my uncle doesn’t say it, I know he’s been under a lot of pressure. I can’t just ignore everything anymore.”

“That’s not something you should do. Marna isn’t dead. As long as he’s there, the Linguang family won’t fall.”

The man named Marna that Zofia mentioned is the second son of the Linguang family and the uncle of Margaret and Maria. Mei Xue had seen him in Linguang's photo album before; he was a very handsome and spirited man.

"But my uncle still refused to become a long-range rider..."

“Then you can’t take the risk. Margaret won the championship in the Knights’ Tournament, and with the reputation of the Nearl family, you are now in a very dangerous position.”

"But I..."

Why not agree?

Mei Xue wagged her tail, interrupting Zofia and Maria. The little fox put the cup aside, and a dark blue butterfly landed on his shoulder.

"Promise what?"

“Let Maria participate in the competition. That’s something she wants to do, right? Hmm… if she wants to do it, then let her do it.”

The little fox has a very simple mindset: she does what she wants to do, regardless of whether she succeeds or fails, because it is Maria who wants to do it and is doing it; no one is forcing her.

"My brother-in-law is the best!"

Maria happily hugged Mei Xue and rubbed her face against his. Mmm, so soft. This brother-in-law is great!

(That's my man!)

Viviana nearly crushed the glass in her hand. She felt that things were going to get really bad if this continued. Maria was getting way too close to Mei Xue. No, it must be Mei Xue's damned luck with women causing trouble again!

"Meow!"

Mandra, hiding in Mei Xue's hood, swung her paw and scared Maria away in annoyance. This little girl suddenly pounced on her, which was quite frightening. Honestly, she was already annoyed and couldn't openly get close to Mei Xue, and now someone had to provoke her.

"Whoa! There's a cat here too!"

"Mandela, stop fooling around."

When the little fox spoke, Mandra ignored Maria, jumped onto Mei Xue's shoulder, rubbed her face against his, and then obediently lay down. There was no other reason; she had seen the butterfly that Su Xue'er's remnant soul had transformed into. If she showed too much affection to Mei Xue at this time, this mistress would definitely not let her off easily.

"Sigh, that's because you don't know how dangerous the knightly arena is, Mei Xue."

"Is it dangerous? But Sister Linguang said she won the championship by playing casually back then."

These words silenced everyone again. They all knew that Margaret Nearl was not the kind of person who would flatter herself, but... perhaps this little fox was indeed an exception. After all, whether male or female, people would like to appear better in front of their partner. Nearl said this mostly to make Mei Xue admire her more.

“You can’t generalize about people. Even among the knights of conquest, Margaret is one of the most promising. Mei Xue, what do you think of my strength?”

"Well……"

Mei Xue glanced at Zofia. He had never seen Zofia fight, but after spending time with exceptional combat abilities like Surtr and Skadi, he had developed some ability to judge people.

"It's alright."

The little fox's words were quite a blow. Zofia sighed helplessly, guessing that the little fox was probably spoiled and didn't know many things.

“If Ms. Zofia is so worried about Maria, then how about I train her? I happen to have some free time.”

Viviana took the initiative to speak, while calculating in her mind that Margaret would probably participate in the competition, and that the two of them would definitely have a fight.

When the time comes, whoever beats Mei Xue will get her!

Chapter 295 Should We Drink from the Same Cup?

Back at the hotel, Mei Xue unceremoniously pounced on the bed and started rolling around, her six tails wagging wildly. The little fox had spent half the day shopping, and although she wasn't tired, she felt a bit bored.

Viviana certainly couldn't sleep with Mei Xue, even though she wished she could throw Mei Xue into her own bathtub; now was not the time. As for Miss Platinum, she had already had her fill of gossip and knew that if she dared to stay by Mei Xue's side, Viviana would definitely hold a grudge against her, and she might even get beaten up by that Radiant Knight.

"If only Lily of the Valley were here, um, let's see if she's asleep."

The little fox took out its communicator, took a picture of itself, and then sent a message to Lily of the Valley.