Alexander Hayes Gossip

Lucky made a couple of happy noises and kept eating his jelly cake. Leonard Li watched Lucky with a smile, seeing that he still looked as silly and gluttonous as ever.

Lily Evans, on the other hand, grew curious. Both Leonard Li and Samuel Shen had mentioned General Alexander Hayes several times—who exactly was this legendary figure? She spoke up: "Mr. Lawrence, who is General Alexander Hayes?"

Leonard Li glanced at Lucky, then grinned, "Lily, you don't even know General Hayes? You really are out of touch!"

Lily scratched her head awkwardly. "I live out here in the sticks. The talk around here is all about how many eggs the hens laid or how tall the grass in the fields is. I've honestly never heard much about court politics."

Leonard Li put on a mysterious air and said, "General Alexander Hayes is the heir to the Marquis of Valor family in the capital. He joined the army at seven, made a name for himself at thirteen, and at sixteen led a pursuit a hundred miles deep into enemy territory, striking fear into their hearts. That's why he's known as the God of War. Now, at nineteen, after driving back the enemy and winning great merit, the Emperor plans to name him Prince of Qin at next year's New Year Ceremony—the first non-royal to receive such a title."

"Wow, a prince at nineteen? General Hayes is incredible!" Lily gasped. This General Hayes sounded like the perfect romance novel hero—she couldn't believe someone so amazing actually existed.

"Isn't he, though..." Leonard Li pouted, "When I was a kid in Jinling, my dad always talked about how promising the Marquis of Valor's heir was, and how I, also an heir, was such a disappointment. Always comparing me to him—drove me crazy!"

"So do you know this General Hayes? What does he look like? Is he some kind of superhuman?" Lily perked up, intrigued.

Leonard Li hedged, "Well, I guess you could say I know him, but not really. I grew up in Jinling, and Alexander Hayes was in the capital. When I moved to the capital with my dad, Hayes went off to fight in the northwest, so we never actually met..."

Leonard Li paused, glancing at Lucky, who was still happily munching his jelly cake. "But later, thanks to a twist of fate, I did get to know him a bit. General Hayes is truly young and accomplished, riding high on success—and apparently, even his love life is dramatic. A princess from the enemy country fell for him on the battlefield and asked for his hand in marriage. When I left the capital, I heard the Emperor had agreed to a political marriage between the two nations. They're just waiting for the New Year Ceremony, when he'll be named Prince and the marriage decree will be announced."

Lily's eyes sparkled as she listened. A princess and a general, falling in love and fighting side by side on the battlefield—this was straight out of a romance novel!

Lucky, meanwhile, was completely focused on his jelly cake, stuffing his cheeks so full he nearly choked.

"Hey, slow down!" Lily hurriedly handed Lucky some tea. "No one's going to steal your food."

"Alright, I should get going. I'll definitely come support you on your opening day!" Leonard Li grinned as he stood up. "Lily, you have to cook a few dishes for me yourself. You have no idea how much I've missed your cooking lately!"

Suddenly, Lucky frowned. "You can't miss my wife!"

Leonard Li took a dramatic breath and glared at Lucky. "Can't I just miss Lily's cooking?"

"No way!" Lucky protectively shielded Lily behind him, as if Leonard Li was about to steal her away.

Leonard Li and Lucky locked eyes, one big and one small, while Lily watched from the side, torn between laughter and tears. How did these two men end up squabbling over nothing?

Finally, Leonard Li blinked. "I'm not going to stoop to your level."

He sauntered off and climbed into his carriage, his old nanny trailing behind.

"Lucky, what's gotten into you today?" Lily chuckled, reaching out to ruffle Lucky's cheek.

"Hmph! I hate the way he looks at you. Really hate it! He looks at you like... like I look at jelly cake!" Lucky huffed.

Lily burst out laughing. She wasn't a dessert, after all!

Up in the carriage, Leonard Li dropped his playboy act and turned to his old nanny. "Nanny Fang, what do you think of that lady's situation?"

Nanny Fang replied, "Young Master, from what I observed, that lady is still untouched."

Untouched! Just as he'd suspected—Lily and Lucky were only pretending to be married!

Leonard Li's eyes lit up instantly.