Who was that man??

It was the first thing that popped into Bai Xing's head when he woke up. He was still wearing his clothes from last night. Only that his mask was put on his bedside table and his cloak was hung on the coat rack attached to the wall.

He was still alive. Moreover, the man brought him back to his bedroom. He thought the man would bury him somewhere in the woods last night after making him fall asleep.

It wasn't a dream…right?

He could still feel the lingering sensation of the man's tongue in his mouth. He went to the bathroom and splashed his burning face with cool water. It was then he noticed in the mirror, a dark red hickey on the side of his neck, right under his ear.

"!?"

It wasn't a dream…

Still, just how hard did he suck to make the bruise be this dark??

Was that man actually just a pervert!?

Bai Xing left his room in a complex mood. After he saw the hickey he checked his whole body. Fortunately, there was no other sign the man did anything else other than that.

He sighed.

He should go directly to Cinderella's house tonight to avoid meeting the man at the ballroom again.

Today, he was told to help the cooks and the kitchen maids to help prepare tonight's banquet for the ball. The fact that the ball still continued until the third day means that the prince didn't read his letter saying Cinderella was a witch. In fairytales, witches were thought of as evil beings. If the prince read it, he would at least suspect something.

He could also have read it but didn't trust it.

Or maybe that man did something with his envelope.

Either way, he only got until tonight to cut down the tree. He didn't want to risk cutting it down when Cinderella was at home.

"You, over there. Can you deliver His Majesty's and His Highness's lunch? Our hands are currently full. It is on that trolley over there," one of the cooks pointed at a metallic food trolley, "His Majesty and His Highness are waiting at the garden."

Bai Xing hesitantly pointed at himself in askance which the cook answered with a nod before going back to his work.

He didn't have any choice but to comply. Thankfully, the maid who was usually assigned to deliver the food instructed him on what to do.

Arriving at the garden, he looked around and found the king and the prince was sitting at a table on the grasses. Standing behind the king was his royal guard while Bai Xing guessed that the one behind the prince was his personal butler from his uniform.

Why did they want to eat lunch outdoor with the sun out like this? Was it a royal thing?

He, as a commoner who hated the sun, couldn't relate to them.

Bai Xing carefully placed the plates on the table, copying how the servants in royal setting movies did. Inwardly, he chanted his 'they are characters' mantra to keep his calm.

After he successfully arranged them and poured their drinks without any mistake he inwardly sighed in relief and got ready to leave. The maid said that he didn't need to wait for them to finish since the king and the prince often discussed private matters. He just needed to come back after 2 hours to take the plates and glasses.

But when he was about to walk away, the king suddenly stopped him, "Do not leave yet."

Bai Xing flinched and slowly turned around, uncertain about the king's order.

Why? Did he make a mistake? Or does the king wants him to serve them like refilling their drinks or something? No, but what if he hears something he shouldn't? Where should he stand? Or just wait here with the trolley? But the position is a bit awkward…

With many thoughts flooding his mind, Bai Xing missed the king's amused chuckle, "Stand here and help us refill our drink once they are empty."

Hearing the instruction, some of Bai Xing's worry was lifted. He stood near the side of the table where the water jug was, a step away next to the royal guard. Feeling their distance was a bit too close, he shifted to widen their gap.

The royal guard who saw it, "…"

Am I that scary?

While the king and the prince chatted and ate their lunch, Bai Xing's mind played the memory from last night. The king's voice really was too similar to that man, he couldn't help it.

Reflecting on himself, he didn't seem to feel disgusted by the man's kiss? Was he actually gay all this time? He did enjoy reading danmei once in a while since there were many good ones, but that could only mean he was a rotten guy at most. Guys who read danmei didn't mean they're gay by default.

Or maybe that man was the one who has the ability to turn men into gays!? The man was very attractive even with half of his face covered. The person himself was definitely aware of that. Not to mention, he could knock people out of their minds with his kiss.

That man was too scary!

Or maybe it was him that was too weak…

Bai Xing was awakened from his thought by the royal guard calling him, "The water."

Bai Xing then noticed that both of the king's and the prince's glasses were empty. He hurriedly took the jar and carefully filled them.

The king saw the hickey on Bai Xing's neck. A corner of his lips faintly quirked up.

"What are you thinking so seriously?"

"What are you thinking so seriously? Focus your eyes on me."

Bai Xing's hand shook from fright, resulting in the water spilling to the table cloth. Fortunately, he has a tight grip on the jug, so the worst didn't happen.

He quickly put the jug down and wanted to clean it, but the king stopped him.

"Let it be. It is just water."

"What are you doing not apologizing to the king?" the prince's butler reprimanded him.

Bai Xing bowed and said in a small voice, "I-I apologize f-for my mistake…"

The king gave the butler a look, making the other stiffened and backed away. He turned back to Bai Xing, "It does not matter. Raise your head."

Bai Xing slowly straightened up his body and stepped back into his previous position.

The prince brought up a new topic to release the tension, "Father, tonight, I will certainly catch that maiden."

"Our ball only lasted until tonight, my son. Tonight is your last chance. What plan have you thought of to achieve it?"

"I will order all ballroom doors to be locked before midnight and place several guards at every exit for reassurance." The prince answered confidently.

Bai Xing, "???"

That wasn't how the script was written!

No, wait.

Yes, the prince should just do that!

If the prince did it like that, the plot would be destroyed without him needing to do anything. Moreover, losing the glass slipper was the main plot of this story, so the virus would definitely fail.

But…according to M, the virus was really powerful. Would it let the plot be destroyed like that? Definitely not. More likely, it would break through the ballroom door and the guards, literally or metaphorically, to run out and leave its glass slipper on the stairs.

But what if he managed to cut the tree down before midnight?

"That is a very crude and inelegant manner to chase down a lady, my son," the king broke Bai Xing's thought, "What if she became too scared to marry you because of your action? There must be a reason why she must leave at midnight."

Bai Xing wanted to shake his head to disagree so badly. Who wouldn't want to marry a prince just because of his capture method? She would be over the moon that the prince would try to catch her at all!

The prince considered it, "You are right, father. Then, what should I possibly do?"

"It is said that a maiden's slippers are unique to each lady. If you can get the lady's slipper, you can find out her true identity beyond her mask."

Bai Xing inwardly refuted.

The size of a woman's feet isn't unique like fingerprints! So just do your initial plan!

Why is the king talking nonsense to the prince??

"Father, that is a brilliant idea. Then, I excuse myself first to devise a plan for tonight." The prince stood up.

The king nodded and watched him leave.

Bai Xing silently sighed in disappointment. Whether it was the virus's doing or the world itself, the plot was definitely strong. All he could do now after cutting down the tree was to steal the slipper away. Without the slipper, Cinderella's story wouldn't be complete regardless of how it would end.

"Let us also leave."

The king stood up. He smiled in goodbye at Bai Xing before leaving with his royal guard.

Bai Xing, "…"

The king is really nice, isn't he?