The newcomer seemed to pause for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly, his voice slightly magnetic and extremely pleasant to hear.

Hold on, that's not the point. So what if you have a nice voice? Does having a nice voice give you the right to wear a fanged mask in broad daylight and scare people?!

If she hadn't promised her father to maintain the princess's elegance and propriety, she would have kicked him right now...

"hiss!!!"

Helian Si stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the person standing before him, his fingers rising and falling in shock.

"You, you dare to flick this princess's forehead! Do you know who I am?!"

Ughhhhh, I'm so angry! Is this person crazy? Wearing a fanged mask in broad daylight to scare people is one thing, but to actually...!

She even flicked her own forehead with her finger—her own stunningly beautiful forehead!

Aaaaaaah! Nobody stop her! She's going to kick that bastard today!!!

"You little coward, is this how you greet your second brother, the imperial brother? Hmm?"

The deep, magnetic voice rang out again, its tone tinged with amusement and affection.

Helian Si, who was eager to roll up his sleeves and get to work, thought: "…………"

Her delicate oval face was expressionless, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes looking at the person standing in front of her with surprise and inquiry, before she stammered out a sentence.

"You, you..."

Beneath the fanged mask, Helian Ci frowned slightly, pinching Helian Si's cheek in displeasure.

"What are you talking about? So all those letters saying they missed me were just lies. My little coward, you've already forgotten about your second brother, haven't you?"

Look, his little timid boy has grown into a beautiful young lady, very pretty, just a bit thin.

Helian Ci's brows furrowed even more beneath the demon-faced, fanged mask. Had his father been mistreating the little coward these past few years?

"Princess, this is His Highness the Second Prince," Changying kindly reminded her from the side.

As for why the Second Prince wears this demon-faced, fanged mask, it all started with how incredibly handsome he is…

Helian Nie alighted from the carriage. Helian Ci withdrew his gaze from Helian Si, looked at Helian Nie, knelt on one knee, and spoke respectfully.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Upon Helian Ci's homage, the entire army that had returned with him knelt on one knee and bowed in respect to Helian Nie.

"This humble general pays his respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

As soldiers who had experienced battles on the frontier, their voices were powerful and earth-shattering.

The common people had never seen anything like it before. One by one, they recovered from their shock and disbelief, realizing that the emperor was indeed standing before them.

He no longer dared to have any thoughts of watching the spectacle. His heart trembled, his legs went weak, and he knelt before the emperor, shouting "Long live the emperor!"

Helian Si's head was buzzing from the shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" echoing throughout the streets, until Helian Nie behind him parted his thin lips slightly...

With a calm and authoritative voice, Helian Si finally snapped out of his daze and said, "No need for formalities."

Helian Ci stood up. Helian Si stared at Helian Ci with his beautiful peach blossom eyes. After a long while, he tentatively called out,

"Second...Second Imperial Brother?"

Helian Ci exuded a sharp, piercing aura honed from years of battlefield experience on the frontier. Upon hearing Helian Si's address of "Second Imperial Brother,"

The terrifying and chilling aura surrounding him had visibly dissipated somewhat, and the handsome face beneath the demon-faced mask had softened at the corners of his eyes and brows.

"Um?"