The Salilaino had never lacked a tradition of killing kin to take the throne.

Bartoni’s willingness to pass the throne to his son did not mean he loved that child all that much.

On the contrary, he promised Brand the position of crown prince and pushed him out to stand against Tasiya, yet he was unwilling to truly let his own child get his hands on the power he held. He only wanted to use Brand, treating that son as a useful weapon in his hand.

And though Brand kept saying he wanted to avenge his father, in truth, he had also been secretly plotting how to kill his father and inherit the throne.

If Tasiya had not launched the coup first, then the one who stormed into the palace and chopped off Bartoni’s head would most likely have been his own fine son.

Children killing parents, parents killing children—the bloody slaughter the royal blood carried out around the throne throughout the generations was too numerous to count.

And killing the previous sovereign, seizing the throne, and displaying one’s strength had also become more and more frequent among the Saint Clan in recent years.

Bartoni killed the previous sovereign and took the throne. Tasiya then killed Bartoni and was crowned in a pool of blood. And later, Mansendis killed Tasiya beneath the throne.

If one looked back carefully over this history, it became clear that competition among the Salilaino had always been brutal.

They kept repeating this cycle of killing one another.

After Mansendis took the throne, no second royal blood appeared among the Saint Clan for a very long time.

It seemed as though the tragedy of the Salilaino had finally been brought to an end.

But now, Mansendis had a child.

A child with a soft temperament, one who did not seem like a Salilaino at all.

But no matter how soft his temperament was, no matter how unlike one he seemed, Wen Yuzhi was still a Salilaino. The same blood as Mansendis flowed through his body.

If the cub one day raised a sword and wanted to kill him, Mansendis would not find it surprising.

He would even place that sword into the cub’s hands himself, then personally teach his child how to kill him.

Mansendis was not Bartoni. He did not mind if his child killed him.

If Wen Yuzhi truly possessed that kind of ambition, then Mansendis was willing to be the one to guide him.

So...

would Zhizhi have that kind of ambition?

The ambition to want the throne, to crave power.

Thinking this, Mansendis stared steadily at the cub before him, as if waiting for some answer.

When he first heard those words, Wen Yuzhi thought he must have misheard.

He lifted his head and looked at Mansendis, trying to find even the slightest trace on the silver-haired sovereign’s face that he was joking.

But there was none.

Mansendis was serious.

He was seriously telling the cub that if he wanted the throne, he could choose to kill him.

As long as he killed him, all the power of the Saint Clan would belong to Wen Yuzhi.

It was a deeply tempting sentence.

But Wen Yuzhi did not even think about it. He lowered his head and spoke in a muffled voice, “I don’t want any throne, and I would never hurt Dad.”

After saying that, the cub did not wait for Mansendis to respond. He directly pulled the blanket over himself.

A little lump appeared on the bed. When Mansendis saw the cub wrap himself up, he paused for a moment, then reached out to touch him.

But the moment he got close, the little lump shifted to the side, avoiding his touch.

Once could be an accident. Twice was enough to show that Wen Yuzhi was doing it on purpose.

He was avoiding Mansendis.

The cub had always been the one to come over on his own and ask Dad for pets. This was the first time Wen Yuzhi had refused Mansendis’s touch.

Very clearly, the cub was angry.

...

Inside the palace, all the Saint Clan had recently discovered one thing.

That was that His Highness the little prince seemed to be sulking at the king.

Specifically, Wen Yuzhi had been avoiding Mansendis these past few days. He was no longer sticking close to the silver-haired sovereign every moment like before.

In the past, if anyone wanted to find His Highness the little prince, they only needed to glance into the king’s arms. They would definitely find him there.

That place had practically already become the cub’s exclusive seat.

Whether there was something to do or nothing at all, Wen Yuzhi liked staying in Dad’s arms.

But now, that fluffy little ball pressed close against Mansendis had disappeared.

Inside the enormous study, only Mansendis remained, handling official business alone. Even the bone spines were not by his side.

As for that, there was no expression on the silver-haired sovereign’s face. He remained bent over the official documents on the desk, looking no different from usual.

If there was any difference at all, it was probably that the aura around him was colder than before.

But Mond, as the chief affairs officer who had served at Mansendis’s side for many years, immediately sensed the moment he entered that the king’s mood seemed poor.

This kind of situation had become rare.

Ever since His Highness the little prince returned, it was as ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ though Mansendis had gradually taken on warmth as well. There was a smile on his face now, and the icy, cutting cold around him had softened considerably.

As long as Wen Yuzhi was by his side, Mansendis...

And the distant, cold, heavy air like today... Mond had seen it before on his master.

Thinking of how His Highness the little prince had not left his room all day, and then seeing Mansendis sitting here alone handling official business, even if Mond had been slow, he would still have realized by now that some conflict must have appeared between this noble father and son.

Conflicts like this were...

Proud, arrogant, and poor at communication—Mansendis clearly had that flaw as well.

And though His Highness the little prince seemed soft and without any sharp edges, once pushed too far, he had a temper too.

When a cub who was usually obedient and sensible turned stubborn, that was far harder to soothe than some other willful child.

For the moment, Mond did not know what had happened between the king and His Highness the little prince, so he only lowered his head and placed the freshly brewed tea by Mansendis’s hand.

In the past, beside that cup of tea there would also be a bottle of milk. That was for His Highness the little prince to drink.

But now, there was only a cup of tea on the desk.

Mansendis noticed this. He glanced at the wall clock. It was already Wen Yuzhi’s usual mealtime.

The silver-haired sovereign had just started to rise when Mond slowly said from the side, “His Highness the little prince has already finished his milk. Today, Lord Selet accompanied His Highness during the meal.”

One had to know that accompanying His Highness the little prince during meals was an extremely coveted thing among the Saint Clan.

The cub did not want to eat with Dad, and the moment he turned away, a whole crowd of Saint Clan practically fought themselves senseless for the chance.

In the end, Selet had only secured that qualification after relying on force to beat down all the Saint Clan inside the palace—the qualification to enjoy having the fluffy little prince sprawled in Selet’s arms, holding the little bottle and feeding His Highness the little prince by hand, while also secretly getting to touch those tiny paws and little tail.

As for a certain biological father, that one was destined to be forgotten entirely.

If Mansendis went over now, Wen Yuzhi might already be full and resting.

Mond’s words made Mansendis pause. He stayed silent for a long while before asking in a low voice, “Has Mu Luo come by?”

“Already came. After examining His Highness the little prince, Mu Luo said there was nothing serious. His Highness’s temperature has gone down as well. Just keep observing him more for now.”

That morning, Merita had come to report that the cub’s temperature seemed a little hot. Mond had not dared hide it in the slightest. He immediately informed Mansendis, then at once went to invite Mu Luo over.

Mu Luo examined the cub and came to the same conclusion as last time, when Wen Yuzhi had not slept well.

He had developed a bit of a fever because he had not gotten enough sleep.

And the last time...

the cub had just arrived on Dark Tower Star. He had still been unfamiliar with the environment here and had not felt much security, which was why he had slept poorly.

But later on, that kind of thing had already become rare.

Wen Yuzhi had gradually begun treating the Saint Clan as his family and the palace as his home, and in Mansendis’s arms, the cub could sleep whenever he wanted in peace. Situations of insomnia and unease had rarely happened again.

And yet now he was suddenly sleeping poorly again. The reason was obvious.

But on the surface, Mu Luo had not spoken any of those private guesses aloud. Mu Luo had only brought it up tactfully. “His Highness the little prince probably just returned from Esoris and hasn’t fully readjusted from the environment there yet.” 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Mond knew it did not really have much to do with the environment.

He had personally arranged His Highness the little prince’s rooms both on the warship and at the base. Everything inside had been brought over from the palace, and the layout of both rooms had been made similar to the one in the palace precisely because they were worried His Highness might not get used to staying there.

So the environmental reason could be ruled out.

That left only one possibility.

The cub was in a bad mood, and that had affected his sleep and rest.

And as for why he was in a bad mood...

it was not as though Mansendis did not know.

Starting yesterday, the cub had stopped paying attention to him. He ate and slept hidden away in his room. Every time Mansendis went over, all he saw was a little lump that looked puffed up with anger.

From his wings to his little tail, Wen Yuzhi had wrapped himself up tightly and completely. He hid beneath the blanket with no intention of coming out, looking very much like he did not want to see Mansendis for the time being.

Mansendis also knew that he himself was the one who had made the cub angry.

Because of that sentence.

The atmosphere of congealed silence gradually spread through the study.

Mond quietly glanced at the silver-haired sovereign.

Mansendis’s eyes were lowered. Half his body sat in shadow, and the expression on his face was faint, impossible to read as joy or anger.

Yet Mond knew that the king’s mood at this moment could be called terrible.

Faced with the cub’s sulking, this decisive and ruthless sovereign of the Saint Clan could only be at a complete loss.

From the very beginning, the initiative in this awkward little cold war had already been in Wen Yuzhi’s hands.

The cub refused to communicate, and Mansendis clearly had no idea how to coax him.

...

Mond left the study.

He first went to Wen Yuzhi’s room to take a look, but the cub was not there.

Mond noticed that one set of clothes and shoes was missing from the wardrobe, and those were the kind worn for going outside.

A thoughtful look flashed through his eyes.

After coming out of Wen Yuzhi’s room, Mond walked straight toward the outside of the palace.

He arrived in the courtyard and found Yiluo and Feier there.

The two Ge De guards looked very anxious. Even their usually icy faces were wearing rare expressions of urgency.

“His Highness the little prince wouldn’t let us follow.”

“He ordered us to stand guard here.”

Ever since becoming His Highness the little prince’s personal guards, Yiluo and Feier had stayed close by the cub’s side. These days, no matter where His Highness went, they followed, making sure his safety was protected at all times.

But right now, Wen Yuzhi clearly wanted to come out alone and walk quietly by himself.

He did not allow Yiluo and Feier to keep following him.

And when those two Ge De guards still wanted to continue after him, Wen Yuzhi directly ordered them to stand here and wait for him to come back.

On one side was His Highness the little prince’s order. On the other was His Highness the little prince’s safety.

The two kept pulling fiercely against each other in Yiluo and Feier’s minds, and for these two Ge De guards, who were not good at thinking to begin with, it had them almost frantic with worry.

Mond’s arrival unquestionably rescued them from this tangle.

Yiluo and Feier immediately felt as though they had been pardoned. They hurriedly told Mond the direction His Highness the little prince had gone.

Mond had actually already held a vague guess in his heart, and after hearing the direction Yiluo and Feier pointed out, he became even more certain of it.

He kept walking forward and arrived at the place where they had planted the trees before.

There was a patch of woods here, with a lake nearby.

At a glance, Mond did not see the cub anywhere.

But he was not in a hurry. Instead, he smiled and looked at the large stretch of woods before him. “Your Highness, it’s time for afternoon tea.”

There was no movement at all in the woods ahead.

Mond calmly continued, “Today’s desserts are pudding and cake. The king made them himself.”

Pudding and cake were both foods high in sugar. Mansendis usually kept Wen Yuzhi from eating too much of them on purpose, and if he wanted some, he could generally only choose one or the other.

But today both desserts were available, and Mond had even mentioned that Mansendis had personally made them.

The cub hiding in the dark could not help shifting a little.

It was only the slightest noise, yet it was enough for Mond to lock onto the cub’s position in an instant.

He walked to the tree where Wen Yuzhi was hiding.

“Your Highness, it’s too dangerous up there. Shall I carry you down?”

The moment Wen Yuzhi heard Mond’s footsteps drawing closer, the movement in the tree vanished at once.

But Mond waited below with great patience.

“...”

“.........”

After quite a while, seemingly realizing he had already been found, the cub hiding in the tree finally revealed himself.

Wen Yuzhi slowly stepped out from behind a relatively thick branch.

And the cub’s appearance now...

had clearly already changed back into that little doll-like form.

Wen Yuzhi explained, “When I woke up today, I realized I could change back.”

Though he still was not very skilled at it, he could already switch forms on his own.

If this had happened before, the first person Wen Yuzhi would definitely have told after discovering it would have been Mansendis.

He would have run excitedly up to Dad and told him that he could change back now.

But now, because he was angry with Mansendis, Wen Yuzhi awkwardly chose not to tell anyone at all.

Mond could be said to be the very first Saint Clan in the entire palace to learn about it.

“I’m very honored,” Mond said with a smile.

Wen Yuzhi pressed his lips together. He glanced at Mond. The other had come alone, and there was no one else behind him.

“How did you know I was here...” the cub said, sounding a little conflicted.

He had obviously snuck out in secret. Along the way he had also avoided the other Saint Clan and had not let Yiluo and Feier keep up with him.

Because of that, Wen Yuzhi could not help being curious how exactly Mond had known he was here.

“I went to your room, and you weren’t there. But I did notice that some clothes were missing from your wardrobe...”

At that time, Mond had guessed that His Highness the little prince might already have changed back into his previous form.

And those clothes were the kind worn when going outside, which made it obvious that the cub had gone out.

And once outside, it was not difficult to find Wen Yuzhi’s trail.

The palace was large, but there were only a few places the cub usually went often.

Considering that Wen Yuzhi was in a bad mood now, the place he wanted to go should also have been quiet enough and something that would let the cub instinctively relax. Filtering by those conditions, there was only one such place in the entire palace.

That was the spot where the saplings were planted.

And sure enough, Mond had indeed found Wen Yuzhi hiding here.

Looking at the cub on the tree, who had fallen silent, Mond said, “Let me carry you down.”