Chapter 378: 378 Night and Lanterns

During the day, you protect my father, mother, and sister; at night, when you're tired, you come to protect me?

Sounds fine on the surface, but if you're so tired you just fall asleep, then who's protecting whom here?

After hearing Li Ang's words, the freckled prince froze for a full ten seconds before finally untangling the logic, then burst out in anger:

"Damn bastard! I'm filing a complaint against you at the Clearance Bureau!"

"Mm-hmm."

Li Ang, exhausted from a full day of guarding the Princess, had no energy to deal with him; he simply closed his eyes sleepily and replied indifferently:

"Go ahead and file. But the headquarters has been busy lately—they might take longer to process it, or even send it right back to our branch for self-resolution."

"Luckily, our chief is also swamped right now. So I'll probably be the one handling your complaint anyway. If you're okay with that, go ahead—file as much as you want. I'll take it all."

"..."

I file a complaint against you, and then you're the one who handles it? What's the point of complaining at all!

Enraged to the point of turning pale, the freckled prince instinctively reached for his weapon—but this bastard was unlike anyone he'd ever met; if pushed too far, he'd truly slap him across the face.

"This is unfair!"

After recalling the beatings he'd endured in the past, Joshua forced himself to swallow his rage, stomped his feet twice, and shouted:

"I'm the prince! Why do you protect Veronica when you're awake, but only come to protect me when you're dead tired? What if danger strikes at night? What if something happens to me?"

Huh? So you've learned to argue logically?

Li Ang opened his eyes slightly in surprise, glanced at the freckled prince "pleading his case," paused thoughtfully, then said with a strange expression:

"Fine, if you want to switch, I can accommodate you—but I'm providing close protection."

"You and your uncle, the Minister of Finance, have been actively contacting the old aristocracy and negotiating repeatedly with the Lower House to overthrow the Princess, right? If I'm with you during the day, aren't you afraid I'll leak your secrets?"

"..."

Now that he put it that way... it does sound inappropriate... wait!

"How do you know who I'm negotiating with?"

"I saw it on your sister's desk... Also, you don't seriously think this is still a secret, do you?"

Looking at the freckled prince's shocked face, Li Ang sneered:

"The old aristocracy was never united. The Lower House is full of gossip—leaky as a sieve. There's no way to keep it secret. Your efforts to court them? It was already reported last Wednesday."

"..."

Honestly, you're really weak...

Watching Joshua, rendered speechless by his mockery, Li Ang couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

Forming alliances with the old aristocracy and courting the Lower House is an open strategy—if the Princess still wants to extract wealth from the old nobles and big merchants, you'll keep gathering anyway, and there's no real need to hide it.

But you managed to turn something that should've been quiet into a city-wide scandal. Even when visiting, you refused to change your carriage—how could anyone miss it?

With your level of competence, it'd be a miracle if you could outmaneuver the Princess.

"Any other problems?"

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Ignoring Joshua's flushed, shifting face, Li Ang—who'd spent the whole day as a bodyguard and nearly been kept by the Princess for the night—yawned loudly again.

"If there's nothing else, sleep. Your sister will wake up before five tomorrow to fight the Minister of Finance over the new Tax Secretary appointment. I plan to go watch too..."

"Wait!"

Seeing Li Ang pull the thin blanket over himself, as if ending the conversation, the freckled prince stomped his foot again and shouted:

"Get out! I don't need your protection! What right do you have to sleep here? Get up! Go sleep in the servants' quarters! Or else I..."

"Have I been too nice to you?"

Seeing that after all his explanations, Joshua still wanted to provoke him, Li Ang—who'd been under heavy work pressure lately—flung back the blanket, sat up, rolled up his right sleeve, and narrowed his eyes:

"I'll give you two choices. First: go back to bed now and sleep straight through till morning. Second: I'll beat you up, and you'll stay unconscious till morning. Pick one."

Same old trick!

Seeing Li Ang preparing to strike, the freckled prince stepped back half a pace and blustered:

"You... you're violent! You're barbaric! Using force is the worst choice! True nobles should..."

"The true noble is the one with the bigger fist."

He raised his clenched right hand, making Joshua retreat another half step; then Li Ang lay back down.

"Also, the right choice is the useful one. Who cares if I'm barbaric? Just go to sleep."

"..."

You'll regret this.

The freckled prince stood before the sofa, breathing heavily. Considering the vast gap in strength between them, he ultimately dared not move.

When Li Ang closed his eyes and his breathing slowed, clearly drifting off, the prince let out a furious grunt, stomped his feet hard on the rug, and marched step by heavy step back to his own bed.

Sleep! I'll shake you awake!

And you'll only get to be arrogant for a few more days!

Once I overthrow Veronica and take my father's place as the new king, I'll put up a sign at the palace gate: "Li Ang and dogs forbidden." Then I'll pass a law: anyone who assaults the king shall be hanged.

After failing to drive Li Ang out, Joshua lunged onto his bed with a thud, then violently shook his blanket, producing a series of loud puffs.

After tormenting him for a while and hearing Li Ang roll over and mutter in annoyance, certain he'd gotten his revenge, Joshua finally succumbed to sleep, a faint sense of satisfaction lingering.

"That's enough."

Shortly after the freckled prince closed his eyes, a weary voice echoed from a clock tower three streets west of the palace.

Gazing at the silent, darkened capital, its streetlamps all extinguished, the old investigator sat cross-legged on the rooftop, his expression calm:

"Apart from the Blood-Haired Woman and that Li Ang, all personnel from the Virgin Branch have left the capital. And both of them are asleep now... Nicole, it's time for you to act."

"Understood..."

With a hesitant reply, a faint glow appeared behind the old investigator. The female reporter, who had stolen the wallet and vanished earlier, stepped forward carrying a small lantern emitting a warm, gentle light.

After glancing hesitantly at the old investigator, the reporter pressed her lips together and gently shook the delicate glass lantern in her hand.

As she carefully moved it, the entire capital, mostly shrouded in darkness, flickered faintly in response to the lantern's flame—then suddenly blazed with brilliance, as a blazing sun replaced the moon and hung high in the center of the sky.