Tap tap tap...
Matilda hugged a beach volleyball and ran over to Silvija, curiously asking, "Sister Silvija, who's that round-faced sister?"
She had made a bet with Alita — if Crystalia turned out to be Ye Li's new little sweetheart, she'd have to hand over her stash of precious snacks.
"Crystal?"
Silvija was wiping away the marks Ye Li left on her body. Upon hearing Matilda's question, she paused and told her about the conversation she'd just had with Princess Crystal.
"A big doggo that can teleport? Like, two or three meters tall?"
Only half-grown, the girl had a different focus entirely. She immediately forgot the bet and got excited about the big dog.
Then, with a light spring off the wall, she hopped a few steps and flipped onto the terrace where Ye Li and the others were talking, asking Crystalia, "Sis, did you say… your dog can teleport?"
"Matilda?"
Ye Li tossed a grape, letting it bop against his little sister's forehead, and scolded her, "There are stairs, why climb walls? You're getting naughtier."
"Aw~ I'm sorry, big bro…"
Matilda held her head with one hand, caught the grape with the other, and popped it into her mouth. "Mmm…"
But—
After a few bites,
She blinked in confusion, "Hmm? Why does it taste kinda weird…"
"Uh…"
Ye Li glanced at the tray beside him — there were some faint white specks on the grape bunch.
Looks like this was the tray Rachel had used earlier…
"Oops, I forgot to switch it out…"
Rachel realized too and hurriedly warned, "Matilda, spit it out quick! That was your brother's—"
"It's fine."
Before she could finish, Ye Li interrupted her.
Watching Matilda's cute little mouth chew away, he suddenly felt a rush of excitement and whispered to Rachel, "Let's not tell her the truth…"
"Oh…" Rachel nodded obediently.
Then, she felt her little hand being taken by a much larger one and gently pulled beneath the table…
…..
Ye Li's expression carried a subtle air of satisfaction.
The pretty cat-eyed girl sat quietly beside him, her soft lips gently pursed, her vulnerable look as if she'd just been bullied — it was quite the stimulating sight.
…..
"Oh right, there's still Lockjaw."
Crystalia suddenly remembered —
Her pet dog was still back in the forest on the other side of the island.
She'd been so focused on secretly checking out the handsome guy that she'd nearly forgotten her dog, which she needed to help find her family.
So, the princess quickly turned to Ye Li and asked, "Can I go bring my dog over here?"
"Wait."
Ye Li didn't immediately answer, his eyes turning toward his sister—
Just then, Matilda gave a soft little mmph and swallowed the grape, even licking her lips absentmindedly~
That made his heart skip. Combined with Rachel's tender palm under the table, his eyes lit up with a satisfied, carefree gleam.
"Alright, you mean that Lockjaw, right?"
With a sage-like calm, Ye Li declined the pretty princess's request. "Just let it stay in the woods over there. The island's safe — no need to worry about it."
He figured letting the dog hang out in the wild was already generous enough. No way was he letting it wander into the villa area.
"I see…"
Crystalia didn't understand why Ye Li's tone had turned so flat.
But since they weren't family or close, she couldn't insist, so she switched topics instead.
"Then..... could you help me find a doctor to treat Lockjaw? It's unwell, and without its ability to teleport, it will be very hard for me to find Medusa and the others."
"Teleportation ability? You don't really need your big dog for that."
Ye Li's hand flashed blue, and a slender room key appeared in his palm, which he tossed to Crystalia. "See? I've got that kind of ability too."
"Heavens!"
The princess exclaimed, surprised. "You've got superpowers too, just like my dog!"
'...Wait a minute. What do you mean 'just like your dog'??'
Ye Li's face darkened. Why did it feel like she was low-key insulting him?
This princess... definitely asking for a spanking...
"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean it that way..."
Crystalia realized her blunder and quickly ran to Ye Li's side, wrapping her arms around his and pressing her soft figure against him as she pleaded, "Then... could you help me find my family? Please?"
'Still don't have the "relationship" status with her… If I help now, it's just wasted effort... Though I gotta say… she's got some real curves…'
Ye Li grumbled internally, but outwardly replied smoothly,
"It's not impossible. But I need to head out for a bit first. Stay on the island for now — we'll talk more once I get back."