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Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Second Meeting with the Princess

[The Kremlin palace banquet is held in the garden. The weather today is exceptionally clear, the sky as blue as if it had been wiped clean by an angel's wing—a divine scroll.]

[Dressed in the same black priest's robe you wore when you first entered the palace, you arrive before the garden.]

[You can hear the clinking of glasses and the cheerful chatter of ladies from within. You look at Nicholas II and his wife, who are respectfully waiting at the garden entrance. Today, His Majesty the Tsar is wearing a white formal attire, more dashing than his usual military uniform, with golden epaulets on his shoulders. His beard is impeccably groomed. Upon seeing you, he immediately kneels on one knee to express his reverence for the sage.]

[Tsarina Alexandra's eyes also light up when she sees you. She is still wearing an off-the-shoulder Victorian dress, but as she curtsies, the beautiful curve of her chest is subtly revealed. Her silver-white hair is tied up, revealing a pale neck. Her elegance carries a faint, alluring charm that draws one in. She praises you as a dashing sage and the most handsome of youths.]

[You are noncommittal, merely responding: 'You are also very beautiful, Your Respected Majesty, my dear Tsarina. May God grant you eternal youth.']

[Oh, this damned formal speech, you think to yourself.]

[Nicholas II leads you into the garden. The scent of food mixed with the rich freshness of flowers and plants greets you. The sunlight, soft as dust, sprinkles on the exquisitely arranged tables, chairs, and dishes. Amidst the gold and silver decorations, you see one dapper nobleman after another. You see the uppermost echelon of this empire's nobility—they are princes, dukes, earls, and at the very least, marquises. The lower-ranking ones cluster around the higher-ranking ones, fawning. The higher-ranking ones cluster around those even higher, flattering them.]

[These are the people at the very top of a crumbling empire, you think to yourself again.]

[They think they are safe and sound at the top, but they don't know that this great edifice is already teetering.]

[With your years of experience wandering among the common folk, you recall the widespread suffering of the people. This is what you believe.]

[But you never considered yourself a true sage. You are just a counterfeit wearing a sage's skin. You feel that since this great empire is bound to collapse sooner or later, taking a few things from it won't hurt.]

[You do not approach the nobles, nor do you need to curry favor with them, because even the great Emperor and Empress must cluster around you.]

[You only need to 'step' on the Emperor and Empress to display your existence.]

[Naturally, countless people will scramble to curry favor with you.]

[Even if you put on a face that keeps people at a distance, you will only be praised as 'holy'.]

[This is human nature.]

[You only need to appear.]

[Your goal has already been achieved.]

...

"How boring." That was Lu Kang's assessment of the banquet. He swirled the wine in his tall glass. He stood apart from the chattering crowd, amidst the lush flowers and plants. The youth in the black priest's robe observed the court banquet from a short distance. The attendees bowed respectfully to him from afar. Without permission, no one dared to approach and disturb him.

At this moment, Lu Kang truly felt bored. He thought to himself that a thrilling game of Ludo with a few friends at home would be more fulfilling. But at least standing here, he could admire the graceful figures and faces of the noble ladies, so it wasn't entirely without merit.

"Mmm... so boring." Just then, a soft and familiar voice drifted over, mixed with the rustling of leaves in the breeze. Lu Kang tilted his head and glanced to the side. In another corner of the open-air banquet venue, covered in shadow, he saw a small figure with swaying silver-white hair. He couldn't help but pause.

Anastasia—

"You find it boring too?" Since he was bored anyway, Lu Kang walked over casually.

"It is boring..." the small figure with flowing silver-white hair responded subconsciously, her back to him. She didn't turn around, just lifted her clear, blue-green eyes to look at the crowd mingling with their glasses. She muttered, "How can my sisters be so excited about such a boring place? Father and Mother too—My sisters must be lying to me. They told me how much fun the banquet would be. When I get back, I have to play a good prank on them... Yes, that's what I'll do!"

"Hmm... Huh!?" The girl, who thought she was talking to herself, suddenly stopped her head-shaking. Her body trembled as if she had just realized someone was speaking beside her, and the voice sounded very familiar. So she turned her head.

And so, she saw Lu Kang, who had walked up beside her. "Your... Your Eminence Lu Kang!?"

The girl was so startled she stumbled backward, tripping on a vine in the grass. But after staggering for two steps, she steadied herself—she had been caught by Lu Kang's hand!

"So excited to see me, Your Highness?" Lu Kang was all smiles.

The still-startled Anastasia steadied herself, her chest heaving slightly. The even more gorgeous dress she wore today outlined a faintly trembling figure. Then, she blushed. Meeting Lu Kang's young, handsome face... just like before... she blushed.

"No, that's not, I—"

Lu Kang felt this little princess was about to turn into a steam engine. But... was this Anastasia's real personality? This was a question he'd had before. As a transmigrator, he had some impression of the princess of this world. The Anastasia in his memory was a cold person, aloof on the outside but warm on the inside. She wouldn't trust others easily, but once she did, she would show no aversion.

However, the princess in his memory was not a 'living person'. She was information from the 'Throne of Heroes'—the record of a historical figure left behind in the world after death, manifested as a 'Heroic Spirit' upon being summoned. But now it was 1912. Anastasia was still alive, and endearingly naive. Perhaps this was the personality of a pure girl of thirteen or fourteen who had not yet faced a great tragedy, who was still full of wonder for the world.

"Your Eminence Lu Kang's hand..." the princess said in a small voice.

Lu Kang felt the delicate and gentle touch in his palm and, without changing his expression, let go of the girl's wrist. He said, "What? Want to sprain your ankle again? There are no crutches for you here."

"I don't want a crutch!" Anastasia said shyly, embarrassed not only by her performance last time but also by what she had just said. So embarrassing! she thought.

"Don't want a crutch? Want a wheelchair then?" Lu Kang asked deliberately. He found teasing this girl and seeing her various reactions quite amusing.

"I don't want anything!" Anastasia realized she was being teased again and puffed out her cheeks. In a flash, she seemed to forget that the youth before her was the 'Eminence' she had always admired. A moment later, she remembered, and suddenly, her previous nervousness was gone.

"Feeling more relaxed?" Lu Kang said. "I'm not some monster that eats people. No need to be so tense."

The princess gave a soft "mhm," then replied in a small voice, "Your Eminence... is a bad person—"

"That's not what you said before," Lu Kang glanced at her sideways. "You even said I was someone with thirty-six pairs of wings... By the way, can you really call that a 'person'?"

Such disrespectful words about God would surely have been reprimanded if spoken by anyone else. But coming from Lu Kang, who was recognized as a sage by the Emperor and Empress, they became a sign of wit and humor. And so, Anastasia couldn't help but laugh. The corners of her lips curled up, her eyes squinted, and she revealed a very pretty smile.

Just like that, she was no longer nervous at all.

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