The Prince-Consort's residence, situated beside the royal palace, was already tightly besieged by thousands of elite troops.
The narrow streets were packed with fully armored soldiers, while squads of cavalry patrolled back and forth around the perimeter, nodding silently to each other when they met.
On the rooftops of the houses and by the windows, archers stood everywhere with their bows drawn to full tension. Gleaming arrows pointed straight at the tightly sealed gates of the Prince-Consort's residence.
The entire district had been locked down. A gust of wind swept through, sending fallen leaves swirling in the air. All residents were ordered to stay indoors—no going out, no talking, and absolutely no spreading of any news.
The atmosphere was solemn and tense.
Inside the Prince-Consort's residence, on the second floor of a three-storied pavilion, a handsome man with thick brows and bright eyes quietly lifted the bamboo blinds to peer outside.
He wore black robes embroidered with gold, and a large amethyst hung from his hair knot. Though dressed as a scholar, his broad frame rivaled that of any military officer.
After a long while, he let out a faint sigh and lowered the bamboo blinds.
"How is it out there?"
Seated on the bed behind him was a beautiful woman.
Her skin was as white as snow, her long pink dress blooming like a lily in full flower. Her hair was swept up high and pinned with a white jade hairpin. There was an indescribable air of regal grace about her, though her face was somewhat haggard, and a trace of melancholy lingered between her brows.
Two children sat close by her side.
The older child looked to be over ten years old, while the younger appeared to be five or six.
In the woman's arms, swaddled in cloth, was an infant.
At this moment, the woman and her children all gazed expectantly at the handsome man.
The man hesitated slightly, let out a faint sigh, and said softly, "It's still the same—the entire Prince-Consort's residence is surrounded. His Majesty has even recalled the border troops."
With that, he turned, walked to a nearby long bench, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, brought it to his lips, but only sipped at it, as if deep in thought. His brows were tightly furrowed.
"Then... what should we do next? Why don't I go into the palace and speak with Father?" the woman suggested.
"It's useless. Everything that should be said has already been said. He'll only think I've bewitched you with demonic arts. If you enter the palace, you'll most likely be put under house arrest, and our family will be separated," replied the man.
As he spoke, the man drank the tea in one gulp.
The woman blinked in a daze and lowered her head, noticing her three children all gazing at her expectantly, the eldest reaching out to tightly clutch her sleeve.
She quickly smiled and gathered them into her arms, whispering, "Don't worry, Mama won't go. Our family of five will not be separated."
"Why does Grandpa want to arrest Father?" the younger child asked in a soft voice.
"Grandpa has been misled by slanderous ministers. In a few days, he will surely come to his senses," replied the woman.
These two adults were Zane Lang, the Third Prince-Consort of the Kingdom of Precious Elephant, and Belle, the Third Princess. The three children were all born of their union.
Hearing this, the princess forced a smile. After a long pause, she again asked softly, "Are you... really a demon?"
"What? You still don’t believe me? Didn’t I tell you this the very first time we met?"
"Back then... I thought you were joking. How could there be such a good-hearted demon in this world?"
Watching her intently, Zane Lang spoke softly, "Strictly speaking, I’m not just a demon. I should be considered... a heavenly spirit who took mortal form. A monster recruited by Heaven, who, once appointed, is no longer truly a demon. Six hundred years ago, after the great war left Heaven’s ranks depleted, many celestial posts stood vacant, so Heaven had no choice but to fill the gaps with monsters from the mortal world. In your previous life, you served as a maid in Fragrant Cloud Palace. You were sentenced and cast down through the Exiled Immortal Well, and I followed you here."
The princess did not reply.
"None we can use?"
The Prince-Consort glanced back at the Princess and gave a wry laugh. "If I chose war, even if all the forces of Precious Elephant Kingdom gathered together, they would not be my match. Even without resorting to any supernatural power, a single letter sent to the barracks would trigger a mutiny by dawn. Even General Westwyn, who now commands the siege of the Prince-Consort's residence, secretly sent me a letter before encircling this place, asking how he should respond to His Majesty's decree."
He shook his head helplessly and continued, "All these generals and commanders were personally raised by me. How could they believe His Majesty's words and take up arms against me? If I had not nodded my consent, His Majesty would never have been able to mobilize troops to besiege the Prince-Consort's residence and defend the palace."
The Princess lowered her head slightly, sitting motionless.
"Rest assured, I would never do such a thing," he said.
Upon hearing this, the Princess forced a smile. After a long hesitation, she softly asked, "Are you... really a demon?"
"What, you still don't believe me? Didn't I tell you the very first time we met?"
"Back then... I thought you were joking. How could there be such a good-hearted demon in this world?"
Gazing at the Princess, the Prince-Consort spoke softly, "Strictly speaking, I am not truly a demon. I should be considered... a heavenly spirit who secretly descended to the mortal realm. A monster recruited and pacified by Heaven is no longer a demon. Over six hundred years ago, after that great war, Heaven was gravely weakened, and many celestial posts were left vacant, so they had to fill the gaps with monsters recruited from the mortal world. In your previous life, you were a maid of Fragrant Cloud Palace in Heaven. You were sentenced and cast down through the Exiled Immortal Well, and I followed you here."
The Princess did not reply.
Lowering her head, she gently stroked her eldest son's forehead with her hand.
On his forehead grew a small tuft of wolf fur.
Not only that, the child's ears were also wolf-like, merely concealed beneath a specially made wig, so they were not visible in daily life.
The other two children, including the infant in swaddling clothes, were the same.
More than ten years ago, the Kingdom of Precious Elephant was but an obscure little state in Western Niu He Continent, so insignificant it had to pay tribute to neighboring kingdoms just to survive.
Yet it was this man who appeared suddenly and brought earth-shaking change to the nation.
He first joined the Precious Elephant army in its darkest hour, and amidst ten thousand troops, he slew the enemy general, single-handedly saving the kingdom from the brink of destruction.
Next, this newly rewarded young commander petitioned the king for five thousand troops, vowing to seize the enemy capital. The condition: if he succeeded, he would marry the Third Princess.
Everyone thought he was drunk on victory, mad with dreams of becoming Prince-Consort.
Never mind five thousand troops—even with fifty thousand, no general in the kingdom dared accept such a task.