"These are the instructions given to me, your highness. Please don't hesitate to call me in case you need anything."
Hinata bowed and left after explaining to Tang Yue some more details about her current living conditions.
Lotte as well followed her to discuss other things so that he could now prepare himself to be an upgraded palace aide.
After all, he was no longer simply just another concubine's servant, his master might very well be the next Queen Consort and even end up becoming the Crowned Queen one day.
Once these two left her side, Tang Yue suddenly started feeling very alone.
Unlike the rest of the palace, which always had a low murmur of indistinct chatter and dull footsteps, this part of the palace was desolate and cold.
The maniac apparently did not like the palace maids wandering about here and there in his private quarters, so barely anyone entered this section of the palace.
"Ok. Ok. Let's calm down. Being this jerk's personal disciple might not be too bad."
"He is a genius in alchemy and I can learn a lot from him. And… umm… this place doesn't look half-bad to live in."
Tang Yue curiously looked around and took a stroll to calm her nerves.
Just like anyone else would be, she was also eager to see how presumably the richest person in all of the nine countries lived.
The Crown's private quarters was quite big. There were several luxuriously adorned chambers littered around a marvelous central courtyard.
The courtyard itself was fully filled with crystal clear water and beautiful golden lotuses floating on the surface.
Hinata had told her that the prince often liked bathing in this courtyard, using the gigantic pool with precious golden lotuses, one of the high-grade spirit herbs, as a personal bathtub. How extravagant!
Tang Yue nodded in amazement and started snooping everywhere without any restraint.
The air around her was cool and crisp and was enriched with an unnaturally thick concentration of mana.
Serene guqin music floated around, probably originating from a rune since Tang Yue couldn't see any guqin musicians in the vicinity.
Everything combined together gave an extremely calm and austere vibe, very suitable for cultivation and focusing on important tasks.
After roaming here and there for a while, she then came across a gigantic chamber which was partly closed.
Even at the first glance, it looked very different from the rest and exceedingly shining and sparkling.
The mere doors to the chamber were made out of pure gold with exquisite meticulous carvings that looked like unfathomable runes.
"This is definitely where he rests in the night!" Tang Yue gulped. "Hmm… Do Demi-gods even need to rest regularly?" She had no idea.
No matter what one's cultivation level was, it was common knowledge that sleep and proper rest were irreplaceable.
But then again, everything changed in the higher realms. So for all she knew, this maniac never ever slept!
Tang Yue hesitantly pushed open the door to observe more of the mysterious bedroom.
And just like she had expected, the sturdy golden doors creaked slightly revealing a luxurious chamber. In fact, it was actually more than what she had expected.
Every single piece of furniture in the room was made out of the rare peacock wood, a wood containing the essence of several calming and nourishing scents and more importantly, it had the additional benefit of strengthening one's soul in the long run.
This type of wood was extremely expensive and moreover, even if one had the money, it was almost impossible to purchase it.
There were several high-grade beast skins fashioned as mere rugs decorating the gray marble floor and other unique and precious gems tossed around here and there.
The rich really did have it all! She sighed!
Tang Yue's eyes then fell on the huge feather bed in the center of the room.
She could see several robes littered on the ground near the bed and the feather bed itself was kind of messy with blankets left unfolded.
"Hmph! What a slob!" She snickered with a smug expression.
"I need to leak out all this random information to exact my revenge little by little. Watch me destroy your reputation, you asshole!"
Tang Yue then prepared to leave but stopped suddenly deep in her thoughts. She hesitantly took a couple of steps and entered the huge bedroom chamber.
"Tch. Tch. Without a maid regularly attending to the chamber, everything is in a mess. He probably wouldn't notice a few things missing!"
The snake grinned and then unnervingly proceeded to pocket a few of the sparkling jewelry which was randomly strewn about in a corner of the chamber.
"Ha Ha. This should fetch a decent amount of gold!" She quickly tucked a couple of jewelry pieces into her space pearl.
"Nope! This is not stealing. I am only taking back what I am owed, even though it's going to be in installments!"
She chuckled and skipped out of the room with a big smile on her face when suddenly she felt something tugging at her robe.
Huh? Tang Yue instantly froze. Was the madman already here without her even noticing? Her heart sank.
Wasn't he supposedly busy in the courtroom for the entire day?? She cursed her bad luck and slowly turned around, already resigned to her fate.
After all, just how much more trouble could she get into!
Fuck! Tang Yue yelped in relief and chuckled nervously.
Her robe had simply got caught on a Myr Dragon head hanging as decoration on the marble gray wall.
The dragon looked particularly fierce with a sharp horn jutting out from the center of its head, on which her long robe had mistakenly hooked on.
Tang Yue patted her chest in relief and quickly untangled the piece of her cloth robe that was stuck.
She then took a deep breath and turned around to hurry out of the chamber, when her head unexpectedly banged against something strong and sturdy.
"Ha Ha. Look at me. I am so nervous that I am running into things left and right! Damn it."
She chuckled bitterly and rubbed her nose... but when she looked ahead... she could clearly see that it was not a door that she had run into!
Ah~ Tang Yue fell backward in surprise and terror.
Standing right in front of her and staring at her with his cold crimson eyes was the other occupant of these quarters, the Crown Prince Xander!
"You… Your highness…" A chill ran down Tang Yue's spine as her brain quickly tried to comprehend just when might he have arrived!
Tang Yue fumbled on the floor like a fish out of water, trying to get up, but for some reason, her knees and legs had given out and failed to cooperate with her.
Watching her clumsy actions, the man who had previously glared at her with his bloodthirsty and arrogant face, unexpectedly broke out into a wide grin, albeit an evil and wicked grin.
What a jerk! Tang Yue sulked and stopped her actions in an attempt to calm herself down.
She looked away from his soul-piercing eyes and slowly picked herself up.
She then rearranged her clothes and shamelessly bowed as if she was an elegant noble lady and none of the previous few seconds ever happened.
"Cough… Cough… Greetings, your highness. Sorry for intruding." She mumbled the few words quickly and started to slip out in a hurry when a lean pale arm shot out and held her back.
"Not so fast, little snake." A deep and husky voice sounded in her ears.
Tang Yue heard that familiar nickname and the veins on her forehead instantly throbbed.
"Please, your highness. Call me Tang Yue." She gritted her teeth and muttered.
She was already in deep waters and a lot of trouble but somehow her mind focused on this non-issue.
Xander smirked. He decided to willfully ignore her.
"What were you doing in my room, little snake?" His stern condescending voice sounded again.
Tang Yue's lips twitched but she managed to keep a steady face and quickly cooked up an answer.
"Ah~ That… I am new here, your highness. I wandered in by mistake. Sorry, my apologies, your highness." She mumbled half-heartedly.
Xander chuckled. It looked like she really didn't like being addressed as little snake!
He decided to adhere to her wishes this time around. He opened his mouth again, but this time used a different tone and a different nickname.
"Were you by chance looking for me, my dear WIFE?"
Huh? Huh? Tang Yue's eyes instantly flew wide. She hurriedly nodded her head, vehemently rejecting such a ridiculous notion.
And not only that, but the man's voice and his words just now were a little too disturbingly intimate.
To hell with this! I take back my words! Please call me little snake. I am proud of that name! I love that name! Tang Yue cried inside.
Her only consolation was that he at least didn't catch her robbing him in the broad daylight.
Without waiting for any other response, Tang Yue quickly bowed a couple of times and ran the hell out of that chamber like a frightened three-horned dear in the woods…
And Xander silently watched her slender figure scurry away and disappear. The two ends of his lips pulled up into a wide grin.