Samus froze.

got engaged?

His breath suddenly turned heavy, and he gave Leo a sinister look.

Previously, the lion approached the princess only because of his personal affection, and the Astoria family might not agree to him being with the princess.

But now, his entire family stands behind him.

His affection was more than just affection; it also brought the princess a powerful army and a steady stream of financial support...

Will the princess agree to his request?

But she clearly said that if he was willing, he would be her only beastly husband...

“Princess, don’t agree to him.” Samus grabbed her hand nervously. “What he can give, I can give you.”

What he can't give, I can give.

Shen Zhiyi immediately realized what he was talking about, and her face suddenly turned red.

She patted his hand.

Leo, seeing this, scoffed resentfully, "You think you can take me on?"

“A mere black snake dares to compare itself to the entire Astoria family.”

"You overestimate yourself!"

Samus's eyes narrowed, black energy surged from his body, and he no longer concealed his oppressive aura, facing him with overwhelming force.

Leo was shocked.

He actually got an S-rank!

Such a huge improvement in just a few days?!

His scalp tingled, and a chill ran down his spine.

How could there be such a terrifying increase...?

He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

Samus's murderous intent intensified.

Fearing they might fight, Shen Zhiyi quickly said to Leo, "You should go back first."

“I am not satisfied with the plan offered by the Astoria family,” she said coldly. “What I want is not loyalty behind the scenes, but open loyalty that cuts off all escape routes.”

"Colonel, go back and think it over carefully."

They truly are businessmen.

He wanted to secretly curry favor with her, but instead resumed business dealings with the royal family.

This means that she and her stepmother maintained a superficial peace by playing along with each other.

But what she wanted was for them to cut off all possibility of currying favor with the Queen and stand on her side before she had completely seized power.

Leo, of course, understood her intentions.

He failed to obtain her promise of engagement, and could only give up for the time being.

He reluctantly took his leave.

"Leo will go back and discuss with his family to continue to provide a solution that will satisfy the princess."

After Leo left, Samus ignored everything and hugged Shen Zhiyi tightly.

Why should the princess give him hope?

Shen Zhiyi chuckled, "I'm not giving him hope, I'm giving the Astoria family..."

“I don’t care.” Samus picked her up somewhat childishly. “The princess gave another man hope, so she should give me something in return.”

Shen Zhiyi rarely saw him so assertive.

"Okay, what do you want?" She leaned against his chest, casually tugging at his black hair.

Samus stopped and stared at her intently.

I want half.

Shen Zhiyi: ...

She punched his chest and glared at him, "Trying to take advantage of my misfortune?"

Samus felt a tickle in his heart, a tingling sensation, and he longed to pin her down right there and kiss her passionately.

His eyes darkened. "Then let's try the other side."

"No way!" Shen Zhiyi glared and refused decisively. After a long while, she sighed, "Alright... half."

“But absolutely, absolutely not,” she warned.

She really couldn't understand it either.

How could such a tall and slender person possess such a terrifying creature?

She couldn't understand it at all.

There were two of those terrifying things!

Last night, just that little bit almost made her faint...

It's hard to imagine accepting everything...

Shen Zhiyi trembled involuntarily.

She has never been afraid of anything since birth.

I'm really a little scared now...

Samus, however, gently curled the corners of his lips and carried her back to the inner sanctum.

*

Not long after Leo returned to Ice Crystal City, portraits of Shen Zhiyi were hung inside and outside the city.

Her story of healing the black snake and saving the people of Ice Crystal City was written into a story and widely circulated among the masses.

A righteous and heroic figure naturally needs to have targets to fight and expel.

Although no one explicitly said who it was.

But everyone knows that the one who does inhuman things and doesn't care about the lives of the people is the second princess, Shen Xiya.

The Queen was so angry that she smashed a teacup in front of Shen Xiya's sickbed.

"This Shen Zhiyi not only deprived Xiya of her talent and frightened her to this extent, but now she also fabricates such stories to win over the people and smear Xiya!"

The teacup shattered.

Shen Xiya flinched in fright, pulling the blanket over her head. "No! Don't kill me!"

She was delirious, as if she was terrified.

Katarina clenched her fist, her eyes blazing with fury.

How can she be an heir when she's acting so erratically?

If she can't be the heir, how can she, as queen, continue to control the empire?

Katarina grew angrier the more she thought about it.

Shen Zhiyi has really gone too far!

How dare they bypass her and do such a thing to Shen Xiya!

Katarina was furious and ripped off Shenxia's blanket, yelling, "You worthless thing!"

"You've ruined all my plans!"

Herbert looked at Shen Xiya as if he were seeing himself being tricked by Shen Zhiyi and Samuel not long ago, and said with a sinister expression, "Your Majesty, please calm down."

"The most urgent task is to come up with a solution as soon as possible."

"The Astoria family is completely unusable."

"Their blatant overtures to the eldest princess suggest they've decided to support her."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!