The Protector—those three words don't really mean much to outsiders. It's like how, to students who've spent their lives in the ivory tower, the title 'Section Chief' just screams 'minor official,' with the emphasis on 'minor.' There's a certain dismissiveness to it. But once you step into the real world and get a job, you quickly realize that 'Section Chief' means 'boss,' with the emphasis on 'boss'—the kind of person who can chew you out so thoroughly you can't even lift your head, let alone open your eyes.
Rachel Luo isn't some ivory-tower student—she knows how to show respect for status, and she always tries to err on the side of overestimating what 'Protector' means. But it wasn't until she looked out the car window herself that she truly felt the weight of it.
Before the motorcade even arrived, the Moonlight Palace had already thrown open its gates. Countless palace maids rushed out, lining up in perfect formation and kneeling in welcome.
"Welcome back, Princess!" Their sweet voices rolled in like waves, layer upon layer, as the motorcade moved forward. Rows of female guards and officials lined the road like wheat fields flanking a country highway. As each respectful, kneeling figure passed by, Rachel Luo began to grasp the true weight of the title "Guardian Princess of the Flower Kingdom."
And as for The Protector, rumor has it their status is no less than that of the Guardian Princess—making them one of the Flower Kingdom’s most esteemed figures.
Mr. Yang also saw the sea of kneeling figures. But while Rachel Luo and Fiona Fang couldn’t help but tense up, he just sat there quietly, his face perfectly calm. All that reverence and awe swirling around him? Didn’t even make a dent. He glanced over once, then stopped paying attention, his back straight as a pine, cool and collected.
Princess Flower Shifter gave a barely noticeable nod, then sat sideways next to Mr. Yang and whispered, "It’ll be a bit before we reach the rear hall, so let me give you the rundown. Our Flower Kingdom has two main lines: the ruling line and the guardian line, each with its own legacy. The ruling line is called the royal family—father to son, straight succession. They’re the ones living the high life, with all the luxury and concubines you can imagine, handling the business of running the country. The guardian line is all women, called the Guardian Princesses. Their status is even higher than the royal princesses, and they’re responsible for protecting the nation."
"Protecting the nation?" Mr. Yang looked at Princess Flower Shifter. "Doesn’t sound like it’s about fighting wars—I mean, you don’t strike me as the military strategist type."
"Of course," Princess Flower Shifter nodded. "Even though we’re called guardians, we have palace maids and guards assigned to us, but we don’t actually command the army. Regular wars aren’t our business—we mainly deal with martial artists. And while we’re called ‘princesses,’ not all Guardian Princesses come straight from the royal line. The first Guardian Princess was appointed, and while a few have been direct descendants, most are from side branches or even outsiders. Like me and my sister—we’re not directly related to the royal family, just distant kin."
"Got it," Mr. Yang nodded. Even the most impressive royal bloodline can’t produce martial arts prodigies every generation—gotta keep the talent pool open. Plus, most royals are too busy living it up to bother with training. Both Embroidered Jade and Flower Shifter have that air of pride, but none of the usual princess fussiness. Makes sense now. "So what about The Protector?"