Zhou Yi and Jones entered the banquet hall of the castle, where numerous well-dressed men and women stood, chatting and laughing with carefree delight.
Most of them were there simply to enjoy the spectacle.
Jones had no choice but to attend these social gatherings—she couldn’t refuse Princess Carrie’s invitation. It was only after arriving that she learned about Daisy’s situation from a few friends.
Daisy was like a dish served at tonight’s banquet, meant to add amusement for the guests.
The women didn’t care about her fate, while the men cheered eagerly at the chance to "win" this beautiful princess. After all, it was just a matter of spending some money—something they had in abundance.
In the corner, Daisy stood like a flower on the verge of withering.
Beside her was another man—her brother, Adel.
"Where were you just now? I told you to talk to those princes. Why didn’t you listen?"
Adel’s tone was harsh, dripping with accusation.
Daisy lowered her head and apologized, "I’m sorry, brother. They were all staring at me... I was scared."
Adel scoffed coldly. "Now that you’re here, what’s there to be afraid of? Marrying any one of these men would be better than marrying that old man, wouldn’t it?"
"That duke is old enough to be your father. I brought you here for your own good—don’t waste my kindness."
"Daisy, think about your status. You love our country so much, and you know the people of Snowland can’t endure another war. As a princess, this is your duty. Do you understand?"
Daisy bit her lip and nodded lifelessly. "I understand, brother."
A nation’s safety traded for a woman’s body—who wouldn’t laugh at Adel and his father?
In the eyes of the banquet’s attendees, Adel and Daisy had no dignity.
Adel wasn’t doing this for his country or its people. He was in it for the money.
The lives of others meant nothing to him.
With no hope of rising to power, his only goal was to line his own pockets.
If Daisy married the duke directly, Snowland would receive a hefty sum—but none of it would go to Adel.
However, if he "sold" Daisy to these high-society nobles, some of that money would find its way into his hands.
He manipulated his sister Daisy with every trick in the book.
This wasn’t his first time doing something like this.
Before Daisy, he had already married off two of his sisters to wealthy tycoons and nobles in other countries using the same method.
Daisy believed she was here bearing the hopes of her nation, but in reality, she was just a deceived and pitiful woman.
After gaslighting Daisy, Adel returned to mingling with the nobles, drinking and chatting.
Left alone in the corner, Daisy looked utterly forlorn.
She was like a caged canary—except the cage existed in her heart.
While Jones was off socializing, Zhou Yi approached Daisy.
"Daisy, why are you sitting here alone?"
Hearing his voice, Daisy looked up.
Him again.
Was he like the other men, hoping to buy her first night?
She couldn’t quite describe the emotions stirring inside her.
"Please, have a seat, sir."
Adel had told her to engage with these men—perhaps this one would be the one to "purchase" her tonight.
At this moment, Daisy felt no warmth toward Zhou Yi, assuming he was no different from the others.
Zhou Yi sat beside her, feigning ignorance.
"Did you come alone? I don’t see your escort."
Daisy blinked. "I came with my brother. Do you know him? His name is Adel."
Zhou Yi smiled and shook his head. "No, I don’t know anyone here except Jones, who brought me."
"So... you weren’t invited by Princess Carrie?"
Zhou Yi explained with a smile, "No, I’m Jones’s plus-one. I’m from China and just happened to attend this banquet. I’ll be returning home in a couple of days."
"I noticed you were alone and didn’t seem too familiar with the others, so I thought I’d come talk to you. I hope I’m not intruding?"
[Daisy’s affection points +5]
Daisy’s gaze softened slightly. So he wasn’t here for the auction or to gawk at her.
"Not at all, sir. I’m glad you came to talk to me."
"How could your brother leave you alone like this? If I were him, I’d keep a close eye on you—afraid some man might sneak up on you."
At Zhou Yi’s words, Daisy let out a bitter laugh. "If only my brother were like you."
Adel treated her with nothing but cruelty. Compared to Zhou Yi, he was like the devil facing an angel.
"I have a younger sister. She’s just as lovely as you. Seeing you reminds me of her—though I wasn’t the best brother. There were so many things she wanted that I couldn’t give her."
Daisy’s voice carried a hint of wistfulness. "I can only imagine how happy your sister must have been."
Adel only ever talked about how hard he worked or how much he sacrificed for his sisters.
He would never say the kind of things Zhou Yi just did.
Love is feeling like you’ve never done enough. Daisy had never heard this saying, but she understood the sentiment.
"Sadly, my sister passed away—a car accident took her from me forever. Daisy, maybe it’s because you remind me so much of her, but I can’t help wanting to talk to you."
077: "Damn, inventing a sister out of thin air? Smooth move."
Zhou Yi: "We know why she’s at this banquet. She’d naturally be wary of strange men approaching her for no reason."
"Even if she doesn’t show it, she’d lump me in with the men here to bid on her. So I need a different angle—playing the brother card is perfect."
Since meeting her in the garden, Daisy hadn’t shown the slightest flicker of affection, proving how much she resented the men at this event. How could she develop feelings under such circumstances?
Coincidentally, Adel’s terrible behavior gave Zhou Yi the perfect opportunity to shine.
Seeing the sorrow and longing in Zhou Yi’s eyes—as if he were looking through her to remember his sister—Daisy was moved by his love for her.
[Daisy’s affection points +5]
"My condolences, sir. Your sister must be at peace in heaven. May God watch over her."
Then, with a touch of envy, she added, "I envy the bond you shared. Even separated by life and death, you still hold her so close to your heart. Just seeing someone who reminds you of her makes you reach out."
What kind of love must it be, for a brother to seek conversation with a stranger just because she vaguely resembles the sister he lost?
Perhaps they weren’t even alike—maybe it was just Zhou Yi’s longing that made him see her in Daisy.
She murmured absently, "A person's true death is to be forgotten, but your sister will live forever in your heart."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
