In deathly silence, Su Yao calmly took two steps back.

“…I mean, I like your perfume.”

Su Yao actually knew the female lead’s bloodline; after all, it was mentioned in the book.  However, she wasn’t thinking clearly at the moment and blurted out the question.

Everyone looked at her with varying expressions.  The Crown Prince’s expression was particularly grim.

After his initial surprise, he thought it over.  The two were strangers, and it didn’t seem like love at first sight.

Ryan reached out, pulling his fiancée a few steps to the side.  A semi-transparent soundproof barrier appeared beside them.

Su Yao suppressed her rising appetite.  “Is something the matter, Your Highness?”

The blond young man looked down at her.  “Ruan Jiao is just a classmate and friend. I hope you won’t make similar gestures again.”

Su Yao shrugged off his hand.  “What did I do?”

His eyes grew colder.  “Su Yao, even if we were married—and we’re only engaged—you shouldn’t interfere with each other’s normal social interactions. If you’re trying to cause trouble for her—”

Su Yao’s eyes lit up.  “What will you do? Will you break off the engagement?”

She looked around at the lavish spread on another table, considering the possibility of throwing a bowl of thick sweet soup in the faces of the male and female leads.  And whether that would enrage the male lead enough to end their engagement.

“Are you threatening me with a broken engagement?”

Ryan stared coldly at her.  “If it weren’t for my father’s orders, I wouldn’t have accepted this engagement.  Don’t think I care, Your Grace.”

Su Yao frowned.  “So you can’t make decisions? Even if I provoke you, you can’t angrily break off the engagement?”

The Crown Prince clearly didn’t hear the disappointment in her words; he seemed to think she was gloating.  “You—”

“Besides, I didn’t mean any harm. I was just curious.”  Su Yao shrugged.  “If I wanted to cause trouble, there are plenty of ways to do so with your friend.”

“So that’s the reason?” Ryan looked at her with disappointment.  “You didn’t stop them from insulting Ruan Jiao because you enjoyed it? You also like using bloodline rank to feel superior?”

Su Yao occasionally glanced back at Ruan Jiao, noticing the chaotic stream of inner thoughts, barely able to make out complete sentences.  Ryan seemed to have misunderstood her actions, taking it as tacit agreement.

The Crown Prince’s face darkened further.

“As engaged couples with a degree of compatibility, we should have tried soothing each other’s spirit bodies.  Yet you haven’t even managed to condense yours, nor made any effort.”  His voice was icy.  “Compared to you, Ruan Jiao has perseverance and talent; she only lacks the bloodline—”

Su Yao rolled her eyes.  “Then let’s break off the engagement. You two can soothe each other; maybe you’ll discover something new.”

Ryan’s brow furrowed, his blue eyes hardening.  “What are you implying? She’s not what you think.”

His aura grew sharper, the pressure intensifying.  Su Yao almost retreated.

But simultaneously, she felt intense anger.  About this whole time-travel situation, and these ridiculous people.

Su Yao heard her heart pounding faster.  The flesh throbbing in her chest was roaring in defiance.  The surging blood felt like boiling, washing over her limbs.

Die, die, die, die—

Tear him apart.  Tear them all apart!

Deep within her body, at the base of her consciousness, within the double helix of her DNA, something dormant was awakening.

Su Yao stood her ground, her light golden eyes, the round black pupils constricting.  Ryan was surprised.  He hadn’t wanted his fiancée to make a fool of herself, so he hadn’t released his spirit body, only a bit of spiritual energy.  But that should have been enough to make her flinch.  Instead—

“That’s it?” Su Yao challenged him, a smirk on her face.  “So weak.”

Then she quickly left.  If it came to a fight, even if they were the same level, she couldn’t beat the male lead, who was deeply awakened.

The others stared at her back, bewildered.

“That was His Highness’s spiritual power… right?” They were farther away and only sensed it faintly.

“She actually withstood it?  Didn’t they say she couldn’t even condense a spirit body?”

“What’s going on between her and His Highness? Did they fight?”

Some people gloated.

Su Yao’s parents were both A-class, unawakened, holding only Viscount titles.  Su Yao didn’t inherit their bloodline; she inherited a reversion from an ancestor, becoming S-class at adulthood. After the former Duke Su’s death, she was the only S-class in the family, inheriting the Dukedom.  Even though her father was only a cousin of the former Duke—

Her bloodline rank gave her higher inheritance rights than the former Duke’s children and siblings.  Many envied her luck and were happy to see her fail.

“…”

Su Yao hurried through the banquet hall, only to be stopped.

“Yaoyao?”  Someone smiled.  “How did it go with His Highness? You two don’t seem to have bonded.”

Su Yao suppressed her anger.  “We don’t need to bond. I won’t marry him.”

Others gathered, laughing.

“Oh my god, what are you saying?”  These were Su family members, cousins and relatives, mostly A or B-class.  They knew her situation well and weren’t polite.

“If I could match with the Crown Prince, I’d laugh in my sleep…”

“I don’t like his personality, but among unmarried S-classes, he’s the best.”

Su Yao: “…”  This country is doomed.

“So,” a cousin asked, concerned.  “Did you fight with him? Or clash?”

Su Yao sighed.  “We didn’t get along. He’s five or six years older.”

On a nearby table, temperature-controlled devices held various cooked fish.  They looked delicious.  Su Yao took a plate and started eating.

“What’s the big deal?” A cousin said.  “My partner is the same age as my mother, and we’re still—”

“Stop. No one wants to hear your love story.”

“Age isn’t a problem…”

Su Yao ate.  “I think the Crown Prince is too childish. I prefer older men.”

The cousin’s eyes lit up.  “Right!”

“Okay,” someone said.  “Yaoyao, honestly, there are only a few S-classes in Olai. You won’t find better.”

Su Yao smiled.  The male lead didn’t like his fiancée; the original story mentioned his attempts to refuse, but the King persuaded him—you won’t find better.

Su Yao was speechless.  “Regardless of better, this isn’t shopping or a competition.  Why does it have to be the best? Shouldn’t it be the right one?”

“You two are S-class, with 60% compatibility.  Not suitable?”

Her relatives thought she was just throwing a tantrum, nagging her.  Some praised the Crown Prince, implying she wasn’t good enough; others flattered her, trying to match her son with another noble.

Su Yao silently bit into a fish fillet, hearing a bone crunch.  Others urged her to cultivate her spirit body.

“Otherwise, the Crown Prince will be unhappy.  As compatible couples, you should soothe each other. He’s deeply awakened and could lose control…”

“Do what you have to.  If you’re unhappy, find more lovers later.  That’s what nobles do…”

Su Yao ate until full, wiping her mouth and giving her plate to a robot.  The dizziness was gone, replaced by fatigue.  The buzzing was annoying.  She left the relatives.

Outside was a viewing corridor, showing spaceships in a garden.  Su Yao almost bumped into someone.

“Sorry, Your Grace.”  The person said lazily.  “What are you doing here?  Angered by your fiancé and that rabbit?”

He was tall, with gray-white curly hair, handsome, with sharp ice-blue eyes, yet lazy.  Su Yao found him familiar.

“What’s wrong, little cousin?”  The gray-haired man raised an eyebrow.  “Forgot me?  Too many relatives introduced themselves that day.  Though I’m a little hurt…”

“Wait,” Su Yao interrupted.  “How do you know Ruan Jiao is a rabbit? Were you eavesdropping?”

“Ha? I could smell it.”  He chuckled, leaning in, whispering.  “But you need more experience.”

Su Yao smelled alcohol, smoke, tar, and plants.  And something unique.  It stimulated her senses.  She felt like an animal selecting food by scent.  She sniffed, moving closer.  The result was negative; he wasn’t suitable as food.

Something touched her wrist.  Su Yao looked down.  A furry tail, thicker than an arm, gray-white with black rings, rubbed her wrist.  She reached for it, but missed.  The gray-haired man retracted it, smiling.  “Like it?”

He was in a suit, the tail hidden.  He leaned in again.  “Creeping creatures don’t have tails like that—”

Su Yao understood.  “Are you propositioning me?”

The gray-haired man smiled.  “I’m probably not the first.  Judging by you and the Crown Prince, you’ll both have many lovers.”

Su Yao scoffed.  The male lead was devoted to the female lead.

“Also, you look exhausted? Rumors are false—”  The gray-haired man studied her.  “Sleep.  You S-classes recover quickly.”

Su Yao was stunned.  Abilities!  That explained the hunger and fatigue.  But the only possible drain was reading inner thoughts.  A mind-reading ability?  She was too tired to think.

She yawned.  The gray-haired man stepped aside.  She turned a corner, seeing the male and female leads.

Ruan Jiao said, “…Your Highness, is it okay to be out here?”

Ryan shook his head.  “It’s fine. I need some peace. I’ll go back soon.”

From thirty meters away, and sleepy—Su Yao miraculously heard them.

“…Stay away from Su Yao.”

“Your Highness? I don’t know how I offended her… I hope she hasn’t misunderstood…”

“What she thinks doesn’t matter.  She’s like the others.  Be careful of her.  Don’t contact her if I’m not around.”

They looked at a screen showing a news report—the Sereya Empire’s space military parade.  The vastness of space, fleets, and the Emperor, Kail III.

Ruan Jiao said, “…Your Highness, you seem worried. Our fleet can compete with them, right?”

Ryan stared at the screen.  “The Empire is the strongest.  But Kail III—”

“The Emperor of Sereya?”

Ruan Jiao said.  “What’s wrong with him?”

Ryan sighed.  “In the Guangyi Clan War, we lost twelve deeply and fully awakened S-classes, including royals.  They couldn’t hurt the Guangyi’s core wills.  But Kail III destroyed them instantly.”

“…Wait, I thought that was propaganda.”

“He doesn’t need propaganda.  If he wanted to—”  Ryan shook his head.  “After the Federation’s collapse, there haven’t been super S-class heirs in a long time.  Sereya’s previous Emperors were S-class.”

He paused.  “Before the war ended, my family had contact with the Sereya Emperor.  He’d just been found by the royal family.”  His tone was strange.  “That guy… is a monster.  Not human, literally.”

Ruan Jiao looked at him.  “I’ve seen Chaotic Demon Dragons in encyclopedias.  Their fully awakened forms are terrifying…”

Ryan chuckled.  “If you say that, A-class and above bloodlines aren’t pretty.”

Ruan Jiao bit her lip.  “But I think Your Highness’s awakened form is handsome.”

Ryan patted her shoulder.  “Thank you. I…”

They walked away, their voices fading.  Su Yao, exhausted, slid down the wall and fell asleep.

Her consciousness fell.  Into a silent, cold void.  In the distance, a light flickered.  She saw uneven ground, craters with bones, forming a pale forest.  A cold touch on her skin.  Something crawled on her.  She saw a huge black shadow.  A long, black-scaled tail, with bone spurs, swung silently.

If the fluffy leopard tail was cute, this one was terrifying.  Though, if it were thinner…

“Here, I can only…” A low, pleasant voice echoed.  “See… parts of your experiences…”

The tail moved, circling her waist.  “One question…” Scales folded like waves, more shadows emerged, like snakes or tentacles.  “If you answer, I can let you…”

The shadows climbed her arm, touching her wrist and fingers.  Two coiled around her knees, then moved upward.

“So…”

Su Yao was incredulous.

“How did you enter this world?”

At that moment, Su Yao woke up, her figure vanishing from the dream.

…

On a nearby table, a temperature-controlled display case held a dozen different kinds of fish, prepared using various cooking methods—fried, grilled, baked, and stewed.  Garnished with either cuì lǜ – emerald green) or fēi hóng – crimson leaves, the neatly arranged fish looked incredibly tempting.

Su Yao grabbed a plate and started piling on the fish.

“What’s the big deal?” a male cousin waved his hand dismissively.  “My partner is the same age as my mother, and we’re still—”

“Stop, no one wants to hear your love story.”

“I mean, age isn’t a problem…”

Su Yao lowered her head, continuing to eat.  “Oh, actually, I think the Crown Prince is too immature. I prefer older men.”

The cousin’s eyes lit up, as if he’d found a kindred spirit.  “Right!”

“Alright,” someone else interrupted, pushing the cousin aside.  “Yaoyao, seriously, there are only a few S-class people in Olai. You won’t find anyone better.”

Su Yao suddenly smiled.

The male lead didn’t actually like his fiancée.  The original story mentioned that he’d tried to refuse the engagement, but the King had persuaded him:  “—You won’t find anyone better.”

Su Yao was exasperated.  “Regardless of whether there’s someone better, this isn’t shopping or a competition.  Does it have to be the best? Shouldn’t it be about finding someone suitable?”

“You two are S-class, with 60% compatibility.  Isn’t that suitable enough?”

Her less-than-enthusiastic relatives seemed to think she was just throwing a tantrum, each one looking at her with a mixture of exasperation and disappointment, resuming their nagging.  Some praised the Crown Prince’s looks and abilities, subtly implying she wasn’t good enough for him. Others were busy flattering her, hoping she’d connect her son with another titled noble.

Su Yao silently bit into a fish fillet, hearing the satisfying crunch of the spine between her teeth.  Others continued to advise her to seize the opportunity to cultivate her spirit body.

“Otherwise, His Highness will definitely be unhappy. As compatible engaged couples, you should soothe each other’s spirit bodies. The Crown Prince has already achieved deep awakening, and there’s a risk of losing control…”

“You should still do what you should do; if you’re really dissatisfied, just find more lovers later.  That’s how most high-ranking nobles do it…”

Su Yao ate until her hunger was completely gone, dabbing her mouth with a napkin and tossing the plate to a service robot.  The dizziness vanished, replaced by a profound tiredness and weariness.  The buzzing in her ears was irritating.  She ignored her nagging relatives and turned to leave the banquet hall.  They shook their heads at her retreating figure.

Outside was a viewing corridor; through a transparent crystal wall, she could see a garden where countless spaceships were docked.  Su Yao stepped into the corridor, almost colliding with someone at a corner.

“Sorry, Your Grace.”  The person said lazily, his apology unconvincing.  “What are you doing here? Did your fiancé and that rabbit upset you?”

He was tall, with gray-white curly hair, a handsome, lean face, and clear, sharp ice-blue eyes, yet his posture was languid.  Su Yao subconsciously felt he looked familiar.  Her former self must have met him, but that was all she could recall; she didn’t know his name or any other details.

“What’s wrong, little cousin?”  The gray-haired man raised an eyebrow.  “Forgot who I am, huh?  Not surprising.  There were so many relatives introducing themselves the day we met.  Though, I’m still a little hurt…”

“Wait,” Su Yao interrupted.  “How do you know Ruan Jiao is a rabbit? Were you listening to their conversation?”

“Ha? I could smell it.”  The gray-haired man chuckled, bending down to hook her shoulder and whispering in her ear.  “But little girls your age need to gain more experience.”

Su Yao smelled a strong scent of alcohol, a faint smell of smoke, a blend of mellow tar and fresh plant aromas.  There was also a subtle, unique scent that permeated her senses, stimulating her olfactory nerves.  She felt like an animal selecting food by smell.

Su Yao sniffed, subconsciously leaning closer.  However, her assessment was almost certainly negative.  She had a judgment—he wasn’t suitable as food.

Suddenly, something brushed against her wrist.  Su Yao looked down in shock.  A furry tail, thicker than an adult’s arm, gray-white fur, soft, dense, and glossy, with dark ring-shaped patterns, the fur lighter underneath.  The long tail rubbed against her wrist, its tip brushing her palm.  Su Yao instinctively reached for it, but it was gone.

The gray-haired man quickly retracted the tail, smiling down at her.  “Like it?”

He was wearing a suit; the long jacket hid the base of the tail.  The beautiful, flexible tail stood up behind him, curling in the air.  Su Yao figured he must have a hole in the back of his pants.

He leaned into her ear again.  “Reptiles don’t have tails or fur like that—”

Su Yao finally understood, remembering her relatives’ earlier words.  “Are you propositioning me?”

The gray-haired man smirked.  “I’m probably not the first, am I? Judging by your interactions with the Crown Prince, you’ll both likely have many lovers.”

Su Yao scoffed.  Regardless of anything else, the male lead in the original story was devoted to the female lead, only ever having her.

“Also, you seem to have overused your abilities. Rumors are unreliable, it seems—” The gray-haired man thoughtfully studied her.  “Go get some sleep.  You S-class people recover in minutes.”

Su Yao was stunned.  Abilities!  That explained the sudden hunger and fatigue.  But she’d been standing still; the only possible drain on her abilities was reading inner thoughts.  Was this a mind-reading ability?  There was no such information in her former self’s memories; did she gain it after time-traveling?

She was still very sleepy, lacking the energy to think.  The sleepiness, temporarily subsided by the fluffy tail, returned like a tide.  Su Yao yawned.

The gray-haired man wisely moved aside.  She turned the corner, looking for an elevator, but at the end of the corridor, she saw the male and female leads talking.

Ruan Jiao’s voice sounded.  “Your Highness, is it alright to be out here?”

Ryan shook his head.  “It’s fine. I just want some quiet. I’ll go back later.”

From thirty or forty meters away, and feeling drowsy—Su Yao miraculously heard their hushed conversation, sometimes clear, sometimes muffled.

“…Keep your distance from Su Yao.”

“Your Highness? I truly don’t know how I offended her… I hope she hasn’t misunderstood…”

“What she thinks doesn’t matter. She’s no different from the others. But be careful of her. Don’t contact her if I’m not around.”

They were silent for a moment, then looked up at a screen showing a news report:  —Relay of the Sereya Empire’s Capital Star System Space Military Parade.

The screen showed the vastness of space, golden-red dust clouds, and then a dark fleet.  From nimble destroyers to massive battleships and enormous aircraft carriers.  Thousands of ships moved with incredible speed and precision, their trails forming a sea of light.  The camera moved to a distant fortress.  On a high platform, Sereya Empire officials stood silently, surrounding a central figure.

Ruan Jiao raised her head.  “…Your Highness, you look worried. Our fleet can compete with them, right?”

Ryan stared at the screen.  “The Empire is the strongest force in the universe, undoubtedly.  But Kail III—”

“The Emperor of Sereya?” Ruan Jiao interjected.  “What’s wrong with him?”

Ryan sighed deeply.  “In the Guangyi Clan War, we lost twelve deeply and fully awakened S-class individuals, including royals.  They tried their best, even self-destructing, but couldn’t harm the Guangyi’s core wills.  Those things transcended intelligent machines, but Kail III destroyed them instantly.”

“…Wait, I thought that was exaggeration, propaganda.”

“He doesn’t need propaganda. If he wanted to—” Ryan shook his head.  “After the Federation’s collapse, there haven’t been super S-class heirs for a long time.  Sereya’s previous Emperors were all S-class.”

He paused.  The corridors outside the banquet hall were connected; within tens of meters, several people were walking or standing.  With his abilities, he could easily sense their positions, all some distance away.  Few guests were awakened; the unawakened had less sensitive senses.  Ryan wasn’t worried about being overheard.

“Before the war ended, on the battlefield against the Guangyi Clan, my family had contact with the Sereya Emperor. He’d just been found by the royal family.”  The Crown Prince’s tone was strange.  “That guy… is a monster. Not human, literally.”

Ruan Jiao looked at him blankly.  “I’ve seen holographic images of Chaotic Demon Dragons.  Their fully awakened forms are terrifying…”

Ryan chuckled.  “If you say that, then A-class and above bloodlines aren’t very attractive.”

Ruan Jiao bit her lip.  “But I think Your Highness’s awakened form is handsome.”

Ryan patted her shoulder.  “Thank you, I…”

They walked away, their conversation fading.  Su Yao, finally unable to hold on, slid down the railing and fell asleep on the corridor.  Her consciousness seemed to fall… into a silent, cold void.  A light flickered in the distance.  She saw uneven ground, craters filled with bones, forming a pale, gruesome forest.  A cold touch on her skin.  Something crawled on her body.  She saw a huge, majestic black shadow, covering the cratered, bone-filled ground.  From the darkness, a long, black-scaled tail emerged, its scales uniform and black, the tip ending in meter-long bone spurs, like sharpened spears.  Su Yao almost instinctively recoiled.  If the fluffy snow leopard tail was cute, this one was terrifying and bizarre.  Though, if it were thinner…  But its immense size, up close, only inspired fear.

“Here, I can only…” A low, melodious voice echoed, as if from a distant dream.  “See… parts of your experiences…”

The tail slowly moved, circling her waist.  “One question…”  Scales folded like waves; more shadows emerged from the gaps, like a swarm of snakes or hunting tentacles.  “If you answer, I can let you…”  The shadows moved up her arm, caressing her wrist, even brushing her fingertips.  Two coiled around her knees, then moved upward.

“So…” Su Yao felt everything incredulously.

“How did you enter this world?”  The voice asked.

But at that moment, Su Yao woke up, overwhelmed by emotion, her figure vanishing from the dream.

…

Millions of light-years away.  The Sereya Empire star system.  The capital planet.  The palace gardens were filled with flowers and rare plants.  A figure walked through the stone path, suddenly stopping.

“Strange.”  The black-haired man tilted his head, looking at the clear blue sky.  A hint of confusion on his handsome face.

“Afraid? Don’t you like tails?”