Chapter 821: 418 White Arm

"Good."

Li Ang nodded upon hearing this, signaling he understood, then rose and stepped down from the carriage.

At the maid's request, he donned an outer robe and pulled up his hood, concealing most of his face, before entering a restaurant beside the road called "Golden Saffron" and locating the private room the Princess had reserved in advance.

It's really… even having a meal has to be this secretive, like some underground cell meeting…

After mentally grumbling about the Princess's bizarre dining habits, Li Ang, his stomach growling, removed the robe and sat in the meticulously prepared private room, patiently waiting for his dining companion to arrive.

Yet ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty minutes… over forty minutes passed, and the Princess, who had promised to arrive within fifteen minutes, still hadn't shown up.

Li Ang, who had slept straight through the entire day after returning home that morning and hadn't eaten since yesterday noon, was truly starving to the point his eyes were turning green.

I should just order something to eat first…

Unable to wait any longer, Li Ang asked the waiter for a menu, intending to order something to fill his stomach—but after glancing at the prices listed, he immediately abandoned the idea and requested two cups of plain water instead.

There was no choice: although cleaning was considered a "high-salary profession," he wasn't technically unable to afford it—he'd just received two months' pay so far, and had already spent it all on rent, tuition, furniture, Anna's medical treatments, and cigarettes for the unlucky Black Goat…

All these expenses added up to barely any savings left, and with Anna, who managed the household finances, now sent away from the capital, if he ordered a meal and the Princess didn't show, he'd be in serious trouble for the entire week before she returned.

…

It's really… I just defeated a god trying to invade the mortal realm yesterday, and now I can't even afford a decent meal? I'll have to ask the Director for an extra field allowance.

After squeezing his painfully empty wallet, Li Ang shook his head, then stood to leave the private room and find somewhere cheaper to eat—but just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

"Li Ang?"

The Princess, dusty and breathless, flung open the door and, seeing Li Ang still there, let out a long sigh of relief, then apologized with a guilty expression:

"Something came up and delayed me—I'm sorry, did you wait too long?"

"Fine. I reckon it'll take a few more hours before I starve to death…"

He replied irritably, then, noticing the exhaustion on her face and the faint trickle of blood seeping from her elbow, hesitated slightly before asking, surprised:

"Weren't you meeting the Prime Minister? How did you end up looking like this?"

"Because I was set up…"

Hearing Li Ang's question, the Princess let out a bitter laugh, then said helplessly:

"Recently, I've been working with the Minister of Defense to reform the military's non-commissioned officer ranks, aiming to gradually replace those NCOs in the Third-Class Sergeant tier who got their positions through family connections."

"I'd planned to propose this reform at next week's council meeting, but someone leaked it ahead of time—not just this proposal, but even my schedule for today."

"Then, the NCOs who feared being purged, incited by hidden hands, banded together and blocked the entrance to the Prime Minister's residence. The patrol guards had clearly been warned—they didn't stop us at all along the way."

"They didn't just throw stones at the residence—they nearly broke through the guard line and stormed inside. I barely escaped, and that's when my arm got hit."

Ah… no wonder she had to eat like a thief. Looks like the Princess's life isn't easy either…

Looking at the Princess—her forehead slick with sweat, her elbow still bleeding—Li Ang's resentment softened slightly. He reached into the Mirror World and retrieved the 【Infected Blood Band】, his eyes tinged with sympathy:

"Your wound will likely scar. Want me to heal it for you?"

"Yes! Of course!"

Seeing Li Ang's expression, Princess Veronika curled her lips, then sat beside him with a bright smile, rolled up her sleeve to reveal her snow-white arm, and pressed her injured elbow toward him, cooing:

"Li Ang, I'm so glad you're here~"

"…"

I feel like you're manipulating me again…

Watching the Princess gaze at him with such dependence, her eyes sparkling like stars, Li Ang felt a faint tingling at the crown of his head, then snapped:

"Stop pretending! If you came straight from the Prime Minister's residence, it took you at least twenty minutes in the carriage—you had plenty of time to patch up your wound and wrap a bandage!"

"I just wanted to see you as soon as possible~"

Unfazed by being caught, the Princess held up her pale arm and grinned:

"We're both so busy all the time. When we finally get a free moment, we should grab it—better to spend it together while we can. Otherwise, won't our marital bond fade?"

"…"

Wait… we haven't even gotten married yet. Where's this "marital bond" supposed to come from? Did we borrow it from Heaven and Earth Bank?

Li Ang rolled his eyes, then grabbed the white arm waving in front of him, intending to wrap the 【Infected Blood Band】 around it.

But the moment his fingers touched her soft, cool, yielding arm—the sensation like holding a pool of water—he froze, his right hand involuntarily squeezing lightly.

"Mm…"

The motion must have tugged her wound—Princess Veronika let out a soft moan, her elegant brows knitting slightly.

Realizing what he'd done, Li Ang's face flushed faintly. He hurriedly wrapped the bandage, even accidentally winding his own fingertip into it.

"There."

He quickly activated the 【Infected Blood Band】's effect, healing her wound, then turned his gaze away and began unwinding the bandage—but the white arm didn't withdraw. Instead, it suddenly rose and gently brushed against his lip.

"?"

Feeling the warm, soft touch on his lip, Li Ang froze, then shoved the arm away, frowning at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing~"

Glancing at his slightly reddened ears, Princess Veronika blinked, then covered her mouth with her hand, smiling sweetly:

"You were staring so intently just now—I thought you liked it~"

"I'm not interested!"

"You squeezed it."

"…"

"Want to squeeze again? Go ahead—I don't mind~"

"…"

"If you don't answer, I'll assume you…"

"Order the food! I'm starving!"

"Mm-hmm, I'll do whatever you say~"

After sliding the menu stand toward him, Li Ang stared at the Princess's teasing, half-smiling face and wished he could split the floor open and crawl into it forever.

Damn it! Why can't I control my hand!

Ha! Gotcha.

Watching Li Ang, who had arrived with clear resentment but now instinctively turned his head away, avoiding her gaze, the Princess smiled triumphantly, lowered her sleeve to cover her arm, and picked up the menu with dignified poise.

Tease a little, then pull back—don't overdo it. The little man may be young and shy, but he's got a temper. If I push too far, like last time, he'll bite back~