Gabrielle often came to the imperial palace to wander around, hoping to find Prince Mil to exact revenge for the button incident. However, due to the face of Prince Lierben and Mil’s status as the heir to the empire, Gabrielle couldn’t do much to Mil, just occasionally coming to spar with the prince, to stretch his muscles. Mil always came back with injuries. Drew had told him countless times that on the battlefield, they used high-tech fighters, and as long as one mastered the controls, physical skills weren’t that necessary, but Mil still did his own thing, going daily to spar with his father and get beaten by Gabrielle. Mao Anan, feeling neglected, resorted to chasing down Monla beasts with a laser sword out of boredom.
Monla beasts, round and plump, with four stubby legs, tried their best to run away. Mao Anan chased after them, yelling, “Don’t run, tell you what, even if you run, you’ll be eaten tonight, give me your leg!”
“Quack—” The poor meat ham was caught in the net Mao Anan threw, the net tightening around it, and the beast quacked in distress. Mao Anan, panting, caught up, hands on her hips, lecturing it, “I told you not to run, I’m not going to eat you alive, be good, it’ll be over quickly.” Swallowing, rubbing her hands, Mao Anan measured for a while before mustering the courage to turn on the laser sword. The hot, highly lethal beam instantly pierced through the Monla beast. Mao Anan exhaled, wiping sweat, “See, I told you it would be quick. Do you want me to stew you whole, or do you prefer multiple servings?” Student Mao, faced with warm food, enthusiastically pondered over how to cook her dinner.
“With such a weak body, killing a Monla beast is quite impressive,” came a sarcastic voice. Mao Anan turned to see Prince Lierben standing there with an air of watching the scenery, arms crossed, not knowing how long he had been there. “I heard you like eating charred corpses, is that right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Due to the many heinous acts committed by Prince Lerben, which had angered both gods and men, Ma Anan did not have a favorable impression of him. After performing a curtsey, she climbed onto the dead Monla beast, raised her laser sword, adjusted the longsword beam to a shortsword beam, and carefully began to skin the beast. “I never knew humans from Earth could be such cruel creatures,” Prince Lerben continued to mutter to himself.
But you, my lord, are the one who has literally squeezed and ground these creatures to pulp. Ma Anan carefully lifted her sword, sliced open the skull of the Monla beast, dug out a large, white, soft mass, placed it on a large plate, stuck a silver spoon into it, and carried it over to Prince Lerben. “Please enjoy, this is a dessert I’ve prepared for you.” Lerben seemed surprised but accepted it, took a spoonful, tasted it, and praised, “It’s actually warm, indeed, fresh brain matter does taste exquisite.”
Ma Anan thought to herself, ‘Like father, like son, this brain-dead dad only knows how to bully Mill.’ Lerben took a few bites, set the plate down, took a napkin from Adjutant Ivan to wipe his mouth, and signaled for Ma Anan to come over for a chat. Ivan tactfully disappeared. “As the pet of Prince Mill,” Lerben asked with a complex gaze, “have you noticed anything unusual about him?” Ma Anan looked suspiciously at Lerben, wondering what this wretched father was thinking. Lerben continued, “It seems he has fallen in love with a lower species, but he can’t waste the precious genes of royalty. He must mate with the strongest female to produce the best heir, so he’s very troubled, not knowing what to do, tormenting himself and me daily.”
Looking into Lerben’s icy eyes, Ma Anan suddenly realized something. Lerben, with his usual haughty demeanor that seemed to promise death to anyone who offended him, wouldn’t be so kind as to chat with a pet… Oh no, he might want to silence me… Shiver… “So why don’t you mate with Gabriel?” Ma Anan asked, resigned to her fate. Lerben paused, “Do you know about Queen Kelly?” “Yes,” Ma Anan said, “Drew told me. Queen Kelly was your consort, Mill’s mother, the noblest woman of the Austin family, but she passed away when Mill was very young.” Lerben looked somewhat downcast, “Both Kelly and Gabriel were noblewomen of the George clan, fierce warriors who excelled even in battlefields, surpassing many men. On that day, they both confronted the Zeraźni family’s challenge. Kelly made a mistake and was captured. They demanded I trade for her release, but I did not go.”
Ma Anan understood the need for the greater good, “At that time, Mill certainly couldn’t rule Austin, and without an heir, you couldn’t risk your life. You did it for the entire Austin family, you truly loved Queen Kelly, didn’t you?” Lerben glanced at Ma Anan, his expression unreadable, “As expected from a higher intelligent being, why can’t Gabriel understand what even you can? She has resented me for nearly a century for not rescuing her sister.” Ma Anan suddenly realized, gaping, “You want Mill to sleep with his mother’s sister?!” Lerben nodded as if it were the most natural thing. Ma Anan: Oh my god, I’ve landed on a planet of craziness!
Lerben turned away, leaving behind a curt remark, “Talking with you has changed my mind. You may leave now, and thank you for the afternoon tea, cute little thing.” Ma Anan, still holding the plate of brain, sweated nervously; that bastard really was here to silence me!!!! To ensure her safety and prevent Lerben from getting any murderous thoughts again, Ma Anan decided to have a serious talk with Mill, making him understand deeply that she was just a pet, that loving a pet was different from loving a woman. She had never been so conflicted about being a girl. “Prince… Mill.” Ma Anan called out to the prince who was about to take a bath. Mill stopped, his hand on the bathroom door handle, back turned to her, “What is it?” Ma Anan cleared her throat, “I met Prince Lerben today; he said you’ve been troubled by something recently.” Mill was silent, his grip on the handle tightening. Ma Anan continued, “Actually, I’m very worried about you, Prince Mill. As your favorite pet (emphasizing the word), your worries are my worries, your happiness is my happiness. If I am the source of your distress, how could I live with that?” Mill turned around, his eyes wide. Ma Anan stepped back in fear, “I… I remember Drew told me the first rule for pets is ‘master first.’ If you continue to be troubled, I…” I’ll be dead soon… To make her stance clear, Ma Anan deliberately emphasized the word ‘pet.’
Oh, Mill, it’s not that I’m not on your side, but your father threatened me today, saying if you keep tormenting yourself and him, he’d deal with me… You know your father, he’s as tough as nails, one bite, and my leg would be gone… ‘It’ was scared by the father. Mill sighed, picked up the trembling Ma Anan, and took her into the bathroom, trying to maintain a polite tone and the necessary distance of a master, “Help me wash my back; it’s full of sand today.” Ma Anan breathed a sigh of relief, took a towel, wet it, and began to wash Mill’s back, noticing many abrasions on his muscular back. Mill was licking his wrist, and where he licked, his skin miraculously healed, leaving no scars. Ma Anan tried licking Mill’s back too, but there was no miraculous healing; indeed, she wasn’t a species evolved over thousands of years, lacking such capabilities. “You… go out first.” Mill suddenly said in a hoarse voice, asking Ma Anan to leave. Ma Anan, puzzled, looked at the prince whose body had stiffened and walked out of the bathroom, confused. Just then, Drew came in with a clean towel, handing it to Ma Anan, “Take this in to the prince, and tell him the midnight snack is ready, the most delicious Monla beast thigh mince.”
