Chapter 712: National Power Grid

The water's surface was briefly quiet for a moment, then was broken by the slight tremor of her steadying breath.

Heimu leaned against the door outside, hearing the entire process clearly.

She closed her eyes, resting the back of her head again on the icy marble wall, suspecting that the water temperature inside was probably at least five degrees higher than before.

"…I didn't permit you to call me twice in a row."

"Ke Lv De La also didn't order me to stop."

"…Do you think I can't control you."

"Ke Lv De La."

HaiSeYin called again, this time softer than before and closer, "From the moment I entered the water until now, you've kept talking. Yet you haven't pushed me away. Your hand is still on my arm, your back still pressed against my chest, your hair tangled in my fingertips. So I'm wondering—do you actually enjoy me treating you this way, but just need someone to acknowledge it for you?"

"I— I didn't!"

"Is that so," HaiSeYin's voice pressed down again, "Then push me away now. I won't stop you."

The sound of water stopped.

It remained quiet for a long, long time, long enough that Heimu lowered her head to glance at her panel, confirming the time hadn't lagged.

The sound of pushing the water surface never came.

"…HaiSeYin."

When Ke Lv De La spoke again, her voice was far softer than before, the iron‑blooded monarch's tone reduced by the steam to a thin shell, "If you say these things again in the bath next time— I will—"

"…what then."

"…punish you—"

Her voice faded further, the latter half swallowed by the water, indistinct.

But the phrase "punish you" was uttered so softly it didn't sound like a punishment at all.

"Punish me for attending the emperor's bathing and changing?"

"That's not what I meant!! Shut Up!!"

"I accept the decree," HaiSeYin said, her mouth corners definitely upturned.

Heimu leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, her violet‑black eyes fixed on the golden glass dome of the ceiling, her face showing a hint of every expression, blended together, indistinguishable whether it was embarrassment or an urge to instantly teleport away.

She felt she shouldn't be standing here, should go elsewhere.

Anywhere, but certainly not in front of a half‑closed bath door.

She instinctively brought up the System Panel, intending to distract herself with data.

She swiped her fingers in the air a few times, pulling up the real‑time status bars of the two at the doorway.

Then she saw the entries for those two people.

Above Ke Lv De La floated three lines of tags: tsundere, hidden, masochist.

New Three Kingdoms.

Pure‑hearted.

Heimu stared at the words "tsundere pure‑hearted hidden masochist" for several seconds, wondering if Aha was just a side dish.

Then silently shifted her gaze to HaiSeYin's entry beside it.

HaiSeYin's tag box was a ring larger than Ke Lv De La's, the font a deep dark violet, the edges faintly shimmering with indigo oceanic light, but the content made Heimu's eyebrows involuntarily lift a full half‑inch.

Extreme possessiveness (sadist).

Womanizer (adept at handling girls).

National Power Grid Partner (likes girls who look young).

Ke Lv De La's tags could still be treated as personal privacy, but HaiSeYin's already completely exceeds OOC limits!

The phrase "National Power Grid Partner" specifically targets girls who look young, and with Ke Lv De La being a petite 1.4‑meter‑something, the tag's implication is obvious, a tailor‑made perverted label.

Does Ke Lv De La know about this?

Most likely she doesn't.

If she did know, this monarch who was just called three times in HaiSeYin's arms and almost turned into a puddle would now have exploded in the bath like fireworks filling the sky.

Heimu silently extended a finger, tapping the panel a few times, completely shutting off auditory input.

She leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, took three deep breaths, feeling the temperature of her cheeks rise slightly.

No—it was just a simple soak inside.

Just two people simply soaking in the bath, a servant simply helping the ruler relax his shoulders, a simple ruler‑subject interaction that became somewhat intimate, and the water temperature simply a bit high.

She kept repeating the sentence to herself, trying to suppress the chaotic images in her mind with objective facts.

But on the still‑active panel before her, HaiSeYin's "National Power Grid Partner" tag kept flashing, blinking to remind her how subtle the atmosphere in the room truly was.

I really can't listen any longer.

If I keep listening, even Fortune will stick together.

When she lowered her hand from her ear, her fingertips traced an ultra‑thin arc in the air, precisely looping around Ke Lv De La and HaiSeYin, and two violet‑black strands of light drifted lightly over their heads.

The tsundere hidden masochist tag vanished, the extreme possessiveness (sadist) tag vanished, pure‑hearted and womanizer vanished, and the National Power Grid Partner tag also dispersed.

All entries were cleanly erased from existence, leaving not even a trace of lingering light.

Heimu withdrew her hand, straightened her hat brim, and plucked a sticky note from the void with her fingertips.

The paper was deep violet, its edges lined with dark fine borders, crisp and flat, unmistakably the system's built‑in aesthetic.

Seeing this, it's clear that talking today is inconvenient.

Putting aside whether Ke Lv De La can even get down from HaiSeYin's lap right now, even if she does, with that level of blushing she probably can't hold any proper conversation that requires maintaining royal dignity.

Moreover, beside them sits a sadist womanizer copper‑smith who continues to radiate tension.

Her other hand's index finger hovered over the paper, drawing a few strokes, violet‑black shards of light seeping from the tip, burning neat lines of characters onto the paper.

After writing, she flipped the note over, confirming the wording was suitably proper, mentioning none of the scenes she had inadvertently perceived, nor any of the conversation she was forced to eavesdrop on, merely politely stating that she had visited, would arrange another meeting later, and invited the two to converse when convenient.

Then she bent over, placed the sticky note neatly on the white jade stone wall beside the doorframe, choosing the spot carefully—at a height that could be seen at the first glance after stepping out, yet without risk of being dampened by the steam drifting out through the door crack.

After finishing all that, Heimu straightened up, and finally cast a glance at the half‑closed white jade stone door.

Inside, the sound of water still whispered lightly, steam curled, and the two's bathing time continued.

She turned around, her ash‑gray long hair swayed at her shoulders, the brim of the Witch Hat sat half a notch lower than usual, and she walked out along the corridor she had come in, quick yet orderly.

She still had to go find the next one.

She hoped the next one wouldn't be soaking in the bath; preferably it wouldn't even be near the water's edge.