A letter sent in Yu Lan’s name was delivered into Mrs. Li’s hands.

"Ma’am, the gatekeepers sent this over this morning. They said it’s from Miss Yu and insisted it be delivered directly into your hands."

"What? Lanlan wrote me a letter?"

A trace of astonishment flashed across Mrs. Li’s face.

Her confusion was plain to see. She simply couldn’t understand why Yu Lan would go out of her way to write her a letter.

’Didn’t she and Yu Cheng agree to meet in a little while?’

’Is there something that can’t be said in person?’

For some reason, Mrs. Li’s heart sank slightly.

Maintaining her aristocratic composure, she took the envelope from the butler and gently opened it.

Her eyes flew across the lines, and the more she read, the more the color drained from her face.

Just then,

Li Yufei walked in, calling out cheerfully to her mother while still a ways off.

But as she drew closer and saw Mrs. Li’s pale complexion, her expression changed in an instant.

"Mother, what’s wrong?"

As she spoke, her sharp eyes spotted the letter in Mrs. Li’s hand and she snatched it away.

She skimmed it so fast that by the time she registered what it actually said, she had already read it all.

"This is outrageous."

"How dare Yu Lan... How dare she insult you." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Li Yufei was so angry her chest heaved, wishing she could go and confront Yu Lan this very second.

She spun around to leave, but Mrs. Li, who had come to her senses, sharply rebuked her.

"Stop."

Mrs. Li raised a hand to wipe her eyes. "Lanlan is right. It’s true that I’ve been neglectful in your upbringing, and that’s what caused this misunderstanding."

"She made it very clear in her letter. She wasn’t the one who smashed the Human-shaped Recovery Potion."

"You were too impulsive. You tied her up and dragged her back here without finding out the truth. She only stayed because she was afraid we would retaliate."

"Now that her freedom is restored, it’s only natural that she would want to cut all ties with us."

"But... but she still shouldn’t have insulted you." Li Yufei’s eyes turned red as well.

"Whether she insults me or hits me, I’ll accept it."

"But Mother, you didn’t do anything wrong."

"Why should you be the one who endures the worst of her insults?"

Li Yufei’s hands, hanging at her sides, were clenched into fists so tight that trickles of blood seeped from her palms.

No one could just stand by and watch as the mother who doted on them and raised them was so thoroughly humiliated.

Those vile insults in the letter...

...they were hardly words one would expect a nation’s Princess to write.

Even the lowest of scoundrels might not utter such vulgar language.

’Just what you’d expect from the Yu Lan who grew up on Garbage Star.’

Li Yufei’s chest ached with fury.

*

「At that same moment」

As time passed,

the appointed hour for Li Yucheng and Yu Lan’s meeting drew near.

The once-untamable Black Panther in the iron cage had long since been tamed by the beautiful young female.

She filled his heart and his every thought.

Ever since she left the day before, he had been looking forward to their meeting today.

His heart was pounding wildly.

As the time of their meeting drew closer, the anticipation in the Black Panther’s deep blue eyes grew ever stronger.

He kept craning his neck, peering out of the iron cage.

He was expecting the beautiful female to appear before him at any moment, a sweet smile on her face.

And for that, the Black Panther was willing to offer up everything he possessed.

But,

today was destined to be a day filled with disappointment.

The clock chimed, marking their appointed meeting time of nine o’clock.

The anticipation in the Black Panther’s eyes reached its peak, his gaze burning as he stared at the bright entryway.

Yu Lan did not appear.

’It’s fine, it’s fine.’

’I heard the beautiful female lives on the Central Star, which is some distance from the Li Family estate.’

’Perhaps she overslept. Females are always fond of sleeping in, so it’s normal for her to be a little late.’

’I can wait.’

Though he had convinced himself, the Black Panther couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He lay down in the iron cage and began to wait in silence.

His deep blue, beastly eyes remained fixed on the outside, unblinking.

He was afraid that in the single moment he blinked, the beautiful young female would appear, and he would miss that first glimpse of her.

The time slowly crept to ten in the morning.

Yu Lan hadn’t come.

Eleven in the morning.

Yu Lan hadn’t come.

Twelve o’clock.

She hadn’t come.

One in the afternoon.

She hadn’t come.

Two o’clock.

She hadn’t come.

...

The Black Panther in the iron cage grew progressively more restless.

His excuses evolved from ’the beautiful young female loves to sleep in’ to ’girls always like to put on makeup and get dressed up before they go out, which takes a bit more time.’

’The beautiful young female must be hungry and needs to eat lunch.’

’Perhaps she needs an afternoon nap.’

And so it went, until the sun began to set.

The fading light of the setting sun shone upon the Black Panther’s deep blue, beastly eyes.

A faint, dark trail of moisture seemed to flash within them.

’Why?’

’Why didn’t she come?’

’We promised we’d meet today.’

’Did something hold her up?’

’Is she just not coming today, or is she never coming again?’

’Does she not like me?’

If he had never seen the light, he could have endured the darkness.

The Black Panther in the iron cage let out a desolate wail, a sound he had never made before.

Or perhaps, it was closer to a sob of pure anguish.