Yu Deng struggled for a while before he could finally fix the heavy crown atop his head.
He wasn't sure whether he had to wear this crown in particular, or if another one would do. Either way, he planned to try switching to his vampire crown later.
After all, this princess crown was ridiculously heavy; not only did it risk falling if he bent his head, he was worried it might even compress his neck. (〒﹏〒)
[The baby holding the crown is so cute…]
[The goddess descends!! I'm seriously in heaven!]
[Sob sob sob, wife, I want to be your dog!!]
[Hehehe, little princess Deng Deng, baby in a dress hehehe (smile slowly turning twisted).]
The little golden bird holding the crown received Yu Deng's gentle pat, chirped happily, and flew away through the window.
Yu Deng took a couple of steps forward, saw that they hadn't moved, and asked puzzledly, "Are we going?"
Weren't we supposed to have breakfast?
"Your Highness, you haven't put on your shoes yet," the head maid reminded him.
Yu Deng reacted a beat late. Stomping on the floor, he realized he was barefoot.
"Oh… where are my shoes?"
The kneeling servant moved deftly, producing a pair of sparkling crystal shoes, ready to help Yu Deng put them on.
Yu Deng froze. "???" Wait a minute? What kind of shoes are these?
He looked at the dreamy, colorful pink crystal shoes and recoiled. Although crystal shoes were a standard for princesses in many stories, these were just too over the top. He didn't want to wear them.
Yu Deng stepped back a few paces to express his reluctance: "I don't like crystal shoes."
The servant looked a bit embarrassed, sneaked a glance at him, and then brought out a pair of black, round-toed leather shoes. Of course, these were still adorned with gems, but much less exaggerated than the crystal ones.
"Your Highness, are these acceptable?"
Compared to the crystal shoes, Yu Deng could grudgingly accept the leather pair. He lifted his legs and had the servant help him put them on, finally completing the extravagant princess outfit.
Yu Deng walked to the front and exited the room, reaching the castle's staircase. He looked at the tall, spiraling staircase ahead and felt dizzy.
He realized his room was located very high up, almost near the castle tower's tip, with an estimated height of at least fifty meters. If he had to go back to his room every day, that would be like climbing over ten flights of stairs…
"I don't want to climb so many stairs," Yu Deng frowned, displeased. "It'll be exhausting… I don't want a room that high up."
Who on earth decided to put his room so high? Climbing those stairs would drain all his energy.
He voiced his complaints, but no one seemed to take issue with them. After all, he was the kingdom's most pampered little princess, so a bit of a temper was normal.
The head maid replied respectfully, "Your room receives the most holy light. It was personally chosen for you by His Majesty, the King."
Holy light? Why did he need to bathe in holy light?
Yu Deng noted this keyword with a confused frown.
The servant knelt again: "Your Highness, you can sit on my back, and I will climb quickly and steadily."
Yu Deng: "?!" Huh?
He turned his head and refused, "No."
Perhaps the servants were far too reverent, almost to an extreme, making him feel subtly uneasy.
"I understand." The head maid tapped lightly on the wall twice, and soon a soft, cloud-like thing floated in.
Following her guidance, Yu Deng, still bewildered, sat on the strange object. The next moment, the head maid waved her hand, and it slowly began to descend with Yu Deng aboard.
Yu Deng: "!?"
Amazing! Was this a magical elevator? But… if all the NPCs here could use magic, what if a conflict arose—would the players be able to win?
Carrying this thought, Yu Deng descended. After about an hour of navigating the instance, the little princess finally arrived elsewhere.
He had moved from the topmost room of the castle to the first floor, exited the main castle, crossed a long garden path, and headed toward the royal dining area.
The kingdom's architecture was extravagant. The castle was resplendent in gold, as if gold and silver were ordinary building materials. Both inside and out, exotic plants grew abundantly, with many small animals in the garden.
Along the way, Yu Deng spotted three rabbits, four puppies, and a flock of small birds. Why was he counting them so precisely? Because each little animal came over to greet him.
Along the path, he also encountered many soldiers in red-and-white uniforms on patrol, wearing leather high hats and carrying silver swords.
All the soldiers and servants he met were extremely respectful, hardly daring to look directly at him.
So far, the instance didn't seem abnormal… just as the initial introduction described—it resembled a perfect fairy tale world.
But this was an A-rank instance on hard mode, so there had to be hidden dangers. Yu Deng suppressed his doubts and awkwardly held up his skirt as he entered the dining hall.
The dining hall was equally luxurious. On the gem-encrusted table, a silver knife flew up, spreading butter on toast; a brass teapot floated in midair, pouring tea into an empty cup.
Yu Deng's eyes widened as he stared at everything.
Magic, huh… magic was everywhere. No wonder this instance was called the Dream City.
There were already people in the dining hall. At the central seat sat a man around fifty, with plain features, wearing opulent clothes and a crown—obviously the old king, nominally Yu Deng's father in this instance. Beside him, a woman of stunning beauty was dressed equally extravagantly. Several servants busied themselves around the hall.
The old king's face was heavily wrinkled, his gaze cold as he looked at Yu Deng: "You're here."
His tone was sparse and distant, not that of someone addressing their favored child.
Yu Deng glanced at the two at the main seat and tentatively said, "Your Majesty, Queen."
The royal couple made no acknowledgment of his address. Compared to the old king's coldness, the queen's gaze lingered on Yu Deng, tinged with approval.
Yu Deng sat down, awkwardly arranging his skirt. A maid served him a bowl… of plain water.
Yu Deng was confused.
"Child, this is dew from the Ice Crystal Lotus," the queen said with a smile.
Yu Deng: "?"
What? Princesses here drank dew?? Yu Deng was shocked but cautiously took a sip—and found it surprisingly pleasant, like sweet water.
Ignoring the slightly strange atmosphere, the breakfast could at least be considered somewhat harmonious.
The old king set down his utensils first and said to Yu Deng: "As a princess, you must shoulder the heavy responsibility of restoring the glory of the Sturrit Kingdom."
Yu Deng, puzzled but polite: "Hmm?"
"Though I do not know who your mother is, you are blessed by the holy light and will surely help the kingdom return to its former glory."
Yu Deng was even more puzzled: "??"
He looked at the old king and then at the queen, utterly confused.
[Host, the queen is your stepmother.]
Recalling some childhood fairy tale tropes, Yu Deng guessed casually, "So… does that mean I should have two older sisters too?"
[…] System01 remained silent for a moment, deciding it wasn't appropriate to explain during breakfast. [You guessed correctly.]
The servants had left without him noticing. The old king's expression grew serious as he continued:
"You must understand, the Sturrit Kingdom was once the most powerful and glorious of all races, with the Chicheng Castle as its grandest structure. But now, our power is far inferior to other races. Erazia will soon leave no place for us. Our citizens suffer constantly, at risk of losing their lives at any moment."
Yu Deng was struggling to keep up, his mind in a mess.
Wait, how did it fast-forward to everyone being in dire straits? Weren't all races supposed to coexist peacefully?
"I am old. You must bear this responsibility."
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has triggered a side quest: Restore the glory of the human kingdom. Do you accept this quest?]
[Note: Completing this side quest will increase your favorability and trust with the human race.]
Yu Deng read the quest description twice and realized—so the main quest's trust-building relies on completing side quests?
Hmm, all he knew for now was the human race; he had no info on other mysterious races. Might as well accept this quest first.
Yu Deng thought for a moment and agreed: "Alright, I understand. I'll do my best."
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has accepted the side quest.]
At that moment, a man dressed like a butler rushed in from outside the dining hall, followed by several soldiers escorting a lavishly dressed man.
After hearing the butler's report, the old king scrutinized the man: "Hunter, you are a count of Sturrit, yet colluding with the Giants?"
Count Hunter remained silent.
The old king turned to Yu Deng: "Do you know the punishment for betraying the kingdom?"
Yu Deng remained silent, because he didn't know.
Before he could answer, the count, apparently provoked, raised his head and spat out with hatred: "You should be burned alive, demon! The Sturrit Kingdom will be destroyed sooner or later!"
The old king's expression darkened: "Betraying the kingdom and showing disrespect to the king. The kingdom's glory no longer protects you. This land no longer accepts you. You are hereby exiled."
As soon as the king's judgment-like words fell, the count let out a piercing scream and was torn apart by invisible forces, reduced to countless pieces of flesh.
Yu Deng had not anticipated this. He watched the count explode into blood and pieces, his face pale with terror.
Huhu, he had eaten nothing for breakfast—thankfully.
The previous conversation had been information-heavy; Yu Deng's brain felt sluggish as he tried to process it.
The old king had mentioned betrayal twice, along with such terrifying punishment. So… betraying one's race was clearly forbidden?
And the king's words carried weight because of his royal status? And the count had called the king a demon…
Yu Deng was dizzy, still trembling, with a thin layer of tears in his eyes—clearly still recovering from the shock.
System01 sighed lightly. Breakfast was destined to be turbulent, poor timid host.
A count had just been gruesomely executed in the dining hall, with blood and flesh strewn across the floor, yet the king and queen continued their conversation as if nothing had happened.
The servants cleaned up the mess without complaint.
The old king looked at Yu Deng again: "By the way, you are now of age and must select a personal knight."
Yu Deng reacted slowly, hesitant to look at the king: "A knight?"
The queen clapped her hands, and a group of people entered the dining hall: "Exactly. A princess naturally needs a knight to guard her. These are the kingdom's finest knights, and all are eager to serve as your personal knight. Come, choose one."
Yu Deng looked up and saw more than ten tall knights, male and female, all in silver armor.
He even recognized someone. The president of the Candlelight Guild, Song Shiyu, whom he had met at the player meeting a few days ago.
Yu Deng now noticed that Song Shiyu appeared scholarly but was actually very tall and not weakly built.
"As a princess's personal knight, you must remain loyal at all times and never disobey the princess's orders," the queen said with a smile. "And you must be powerful."
[Ding. Player Yu Deng has triggered a scene quest: Acquire a knight and test him.]
Scene quest? Test?
Yu Deng's gaze fell on the knights in the distance as he observed them.
System01 emitted several electric scanning sounds: [Host, data scan complete. Player Song Shiyu is your special mission target. You must establish a contract with him within this instance.]
Eh? Yu Deng was a little surprised and looked at Song Shiyu a few more times, just catching his gaze. Song Shiyu's eyes were calm but seemed to see through him.
Yu Deng looked away and heard the queen instructing him:
"Good child, to test a knight's suitability, first test obedience, then loyalty. You are of age and should learn to have a knight who will never betray you."
Meanwhile, Song Shiyu's livestream chat was unprecedentedly lively.
[Song-ge's mission now is to be the princess's knight?]
[Yeah, can't imagine Song-ge, the stoic type, being a knight.]
[Let me see the princess… wow, the princess seems like a boy but so beautiful… beautiful wife, muah muah muah.]
[Wait, the little princess is also a player?? I checked the princess's clear records… Brother Song, I'm switching sides.]
Yu Deng pondered for a moment and said to the knights, "Then… please prove your strength."
The knights looked at each other. The first to step forward was the largest and most handsome knight. He knelt on one knee.
"I am the strongest member of the knight order. I once defeated a terrifying flame beast. I can do anything for you."
As he spoke, the knight attempted to kiss the back of Yu Deng's hand.
But Yu Deng wasn't willing to let this big guy kiss him. Without hesitation, he pulled his hand back.
"Your Highness…"
Before the knight could finish speaking, he was suddenly lifted up and casually tossed aside.
Yu Deng looked up and realized that Song Shiyu had walked forward on his own initiative, expressionless as he grabbed the previous knight and threw him away.
That day, when Yu Deng saw Song Shiyu in the conference room through the screen, he already knew that this person's emotions were very faint—an extreme calmness and indifference. But now that he looked longer, it felt as if beneath that abyss-like calmness, molten lava was hidden.
Song Shiyu slowly knelt down with precise, proper movements and asked,
"May I become your knight, Your Highness?"
Yu Deng looked into his eyes, reached up to steady his crown, and slightly lowered his head.
His long black hair naturally fell down, the ends brushing against Song Shiyu's neck with a soft, lingering fragrance.
"You want to be my knight? Then you'll have to fulfill many, many requirements."
Yu Deng didn't like doing tasks in front of other people, so he instinctively lowered his voice.
His soft voice was very light. Because he had been frightened earlier, it still trembled slightly, like a feather drifting into Song Shiyu's heart.
Yu Deng slowly listed his everyday requirements.
"I need you to serve me, protect my safety, and maybe carry me or give me piggyback rides. I don't like walking for long, and my temper isn't very good."
Yu Deng's lips were rosy and soft as they moved while he spoke in front of Song Shiyu. Song Shiyu didn't really listen carefully to what the little princess was saying.
There was only one thought left in his mind.
Why is Her Highness the Princess so delicate?
Song Shiyu's expression didn't change.
"Of course I can do that."
Yu Deng waited for a few seconds but didn't hear the dungeon notification saying the test was complete. Could it be that his requirements weren't enough?
Yu Deng thought for a few seconds.
He lifted his leg. His fluffy, luxurious skirt swayed, and the small leather shoe stepped onto Song Shiyu's chest.
He continued,
"And I like obedient knights. Even if I step on you, or order you to crawl like a dog, you still have to do it."
The little princess was so casual, so spoiled, as if he didn't take anyone seriously—yet it made people unable to refuse any of his demands.
Song Shiyu lowered his eyes, looking at Yu Deng's fair and beautiful foot, as well as the snow-white leg revealed beneath the hem of the skirt. For the first time, a slight change appeared in his gaze.
He seemed to recall the self-recommendation of the previous knight, summarizing some experience from it.
"I can do all of that. I possess a certificate as a Light Knight and also hold a magician's qualification. I'm confident I can protect you."
Song Shiyu's tone remained calm and steady throughout. When he said the final sentence, his tone didn't change either, but his voice lowered slightly—quiet enough that only the two of them could hear.
Song Shiyu reached out and held Yu Deng's ankle.
"Also, I'm very healthy. According to general size standards, I'm considered excellent. Your Highness may use me at any time."