What Really Happened
A family of four appeared out of nowhere at the gates of Chancellor Gregory Hayes’ estate, so suddenly that Gregory Gu Jr. and Princess May were left dumbstruck, unable to respond. Once, it was said: 'Gregory the Scholar, Alexander the Warrior.' But now, the contrast between them couldn’t be starker.
“This is Chuland City, the capital of Chu! How could you just waltz in like it’s nothing?” Gregory Gu Jr. stared, eyes wide with disbelief. The years had not been kind to him—his once scholarly aura now faded, while Alexander Hayes stood taller, more magnetic than ever.
While Gregory Gu Jr. was still reeling, two guards at his side stepped forward, knelt respectfully before Alexander Hayes and Princess Jade Hayes, and saluted. “Your humble servants greet His Majesty King Alexander and Her Highness Princess Jade Hayes!” Gregory’s face twisted with anger and embarrassment—the comparison was unbearable.
“Rise, you two have worked hard.” Princess Jade Hayes smiled gently. Her features glowed with feminine warmth, yet her regal bearing made her nearly impossible to look at directly. The tension between Gregory Gu Jr. and Alexander Hayes was palpable—right in front of her.
Gregory Gu Jr. watched the scene unfold, his heart in chaos. He could hardly believe it—those two guards, they belonged to Alexander Hayes and Princess Jade Hayes! His gaze lingered on Princess Jade Hayes, filled with an obsessive longing. Yet now, to her, he was just a broken, dirty old man.
How—how could this be possible?! Princess Jade Hayes’ gaze swept over him, and Gregory wished he could vanish from sheer embarrassment.
“You—you’re not sent by House Zhao, are you?” Gregory Gu Jr. stammered, his hands shaking like leaves in the wind as he stared at the two guards, wishing Princess Jade Hayes would remember him as the gentle, cultured Imperial Grand Tutor he once was.
The two guards shot Gregory Gu Jr. a cold, almost pitying look, as if he were a fool. Princess Jade Hayes let out a soft sigh, her voice gentle yet familiar as she addressed him.
"Gregory Gu Jr., it’s been a long time," Alexander Hayes said, his voice pulling Gregory out of his shock and back to reality. Princess Jade Hayes’ familiar tone triggered memories of a life long gone.
In just a few years, Alexander Hayes had grown even more refined—like a piece of jade, polished to perfection. Gregory Gu Jr. was swept up in memories of their days at Phoenix Academy, as if it were only yesterday.