Xue Zi Ning glanced at Sun Hao and the butler. If she couldn't see through it now, she would be a fool. Clearly, the two had done this deliberately, and if she refused, she would likely be accused of great disrespect to Prince Jing. Therefore, whether she went or not, she had to go.
The butler and Sun Hao exchanged a look. Then, the butler left. Sun Hao looked at Xue Zi Ning, a cold smile on his lips, and said, "Ning Luo, serve the Prince well, and you'll be promoted."
After speaking, Sun Hao also left.
Xue Zi Ning loosened her clenched fists. She watched the backs of Sun Hao and the butler, a flash of light quickly crossing her eyes.
"Ning... Ning Luo, are you really going?"
Xue Zi Ning looked up at Jiang Bei and asked, "Can't I go?"
Jiang Bei trembled all over. His once dark skin was tinged with anger. He remained silent, seemingly lost in his own world.
"Jiang Bei," Xue Zi Ning called his name.
Jiang Bei looked up and said to her, "Ning Luo, don't go. His Highness..."
"Ning Luo, what are you dawdling for? If you dawdle any longer, His Highness will be angered, and you will bear the blame for offending him." The butler, who had left and returned, was angry that she still hadn't brought water to the Prince.
Xue Zi Ning looked at the butler and smiled, "Since the butler is in such a hurry, why don't you accompany me!"
"You..."
"What about me? Is the butler looking down on His Highness, which is why he's unwilling to go?"
"You... you shut your mouth. If I could serve His Highness, it would be my honor," the butler said.
"Is that so? Then go ahead!" Xue Zi Ning's smile faded, and she spoke coldly.
"Ning Luo, what do you mean by that?" The butler's face darkened as he looked at her, his gaze icy.
Xue Zi Ning crossed her arms and said, "What else could I mean? I just think that you, who are so loyal to His Highness, are the most suitable person to care for him. How can I, a bodyguard, be compared to someone who is in constant contact with the inner chambers? Therefore, it's most reasonable for the butler to go."
"Ning Luo," the butler said angrily.
"I'm here. Does the butler have any further instructions?" Xue Zi Ning asked coldly.
"Aren't you going?" the butler asked.
Xue Zi Ning spread her hands and shrugged, "I don't know how to serve people. I only know how to... kill."
She whispered the last few words into the butler's ear.
The butler trembled all over. He saw that this unassuming young man before him had exceptionally bright eyes, yet beyond their brightness, there was a seductive quality that could lead people to utter ruin.
"Butler, perhaps you don't actually want me to serve His Highness, but want me to kill him..."
"Shut up! Such treasonous words, you... you..."
"But didn't the butler ask me to say it?" Xue Zi Ning looked at the butler innocently.
"When did I ask you to say that?" The butler was so angry his liver hurt. This Ning Luo was truly troublesome.
"Wasn't it just now?"
"Nonsense," the butler cursed in anger.
"Butler, if you want to spout nonsense, go ahead, but you don't need to say it out loud. After all, I'm not the only one here." Xue Zi Ning's eyes were slightly cold, looking at the butler with chilling intent.
The butler only then remembered that Jiang Bei was also present, and he had completely forgotten about Jiang Bei just now.
"Fine... fine, Ning Luo, you just wait. Let's see if you can resist me to the end." With that, the butler turned away in anger.
"Butler, if you have any killing jobs in the future, come find me. I only know how to kill."
Xue Zi Ning's voice echoed behind the butler.
The butler left without looking back.
"Ning Luo, you've offended the butler. He..."
"Jiang Bei, offending the butler versus serving the Prince, which do you think I should choose?"
Jiang Bei's body stiffened, and he stopped speaking.
Seeing this, Xue Zi Ning patted Jiang Bei's shoulder and said, "Jiang Bei, sometimes fate is indeed unfair, but we cannot resign ourselves to it."
"But the consequences of resistance are very severe," Jiang Bei said.
"Aren't the consequences of not resisting also severe?" Xue Zi Ning asked him.
Jiang Bei lowered his gaze, "Ning Luo, I..."
"Jiang Bei, if you don't want to talk about it, don't force yourself. Remember, it's not your fault."
Jiang Bei's tense body gradually relaxed. After a long pause, he looked up at her and said, "Ning Luo, that day, actually..."
Xue Zi Ning never imagined that Prince Jing would indeed have a preference for men. She looked at Jiang Bei, who was speaking with great pain, and stopped him, saying, "Jiang Bei, that's enough. Don't hurt yourself again."
Jiang Bei shook his head, "Ning Luo, I want you to know that Prince Jing is truly not a good ruler."
Xue Zi Ning was stunned, then said, "Whether he is good or not, what does it matter to me? If I work for a day, he needs to pay me for that day. I am alone, with no one to rely on. Whether this world is chaotic or not has nothing to do with me."
Hearing this, Jiang Bei said, "You're right. What does the chaos or order of this world have to do with us?"
After parting ways with Jiang Bei, Xue Zi Ning fell into thought. She never would have imagined that her imperial brother, Prince Jing, would be this kind of person. Perhaps even their father would not have been able to imagine it.
However, she couldn't simply dismiss Prince Jing's actions based on his behavior. At least for now, Huaze Kingdom was peaceful and prosperous.
This was what she wanted to protect for her father.
The next day, Xue Zi Ning woke up to the news that the person who had delivered water to Prince Jing yesterday had died tragically. It was said that the person was covered in blood when they were carried back.
"The person is dead. Don't you feel guilty?" Sun Hao appeared before her and said angrily.
Xue Zi Ning couldn't be bothered to look up at Sun Hao. She thought Sun Hao was sick. "Why should I feel guilty?"
"If you had gone yesterday, you wouldn't be dead today."
"But I would be dead," she said, looking up at Sun Hao, word by word.
Her cold gaze was like frost-covered snow, chilling to the bone. Sun Hao was startled and instinctively took a step back. "You... what do you want?"
"What do I want? I think you're sick, Sun Hao. If you're sick, you need to seek treatment. Don't just bark like a mad dog here. If you continue here, I won't hold back."
"You..."
"Do you want me to send you away?" Xue Zi Ning placed her hand on her waist, where her saber, symbolizing her fourth-rank imperial guard status, was sheathed.
"You... you just wait for me..." Sun Hao said angrily as he walked away.
Xue Zi Ning snorted. If Sun Hao dared to confront her, she would have respected him. Unfortunately, Sun Hao was not that kind of person. He was just a bully who picked on the weak. Such people were not to be feared.
"You'll easily suffer if you act like this. Sun Hao is a narrow-minded person. With you acting like this, he won't let it go."