Ray had arrived at the king's palace. Seeing the grand palace again from afar brought back memories of the incident he had faced there once before.
As he walked closer, the image of a little bubbly princess—full of smiles and energy—flashed in his mind. She had always been excited to play his games. But today, Ray doubted he'd get to see her. Rena had told him the princess was being heavily guarded and focused on cultivation.
Ray followed Rena and Norris into the palace. He expected to be taken straight to the vault for his reward, but instead, they led him to the same grand hall where the royal party had once been held.
Inside, the king was seated—not with the queen, but with one of his concubines beside him. Another figure stood near them: the little bubbly girl, Princess Alice. The moment she saw Ray, she wanted to run up to him and jump into his arms. Her eyes sparkled with joy, her little feet twitching, waiting for the moment she would be allowed to move.
What Ray didn't know was that Alice wasn't staying still by choice—the king was using his cultivation to restrain her. He was glaring at Ray with a grumpy expression. His beloved daughter, whom he doted on endlessly, was now giving more attention to Ray than to him. And so, in the king's eyes, this child before him had become a rival.
Ray could feel the king's intense gaze—it was like a laser piercing into him. A shiver ran down his spine. He glanced at Rena, silently asking for help. Rena cleared her throat and stepped forward.
"Your Highness, we have brought young Ray to receive his reward," she announced.
Ray stepped forward, saluted politely, and said, "Ray greets Your Highness."
The king gave a curt nod. "Good. Your reward for saving the princess is already prepared in the Qi Vault. Rena, take him there."
Ray nodded and began following Rena. Behind him, the little princess was watching with wide eyes, still unable to move. She had been waiting for this moment to meet Ray, to laugh and talk with him again. But now, right in front of her eyes, he was walking away.
Her bright smile faded. Tears welled up in her eyes and began to fall silently. When Ray didn't even glance back at her, she began crying out loud.
Ray had expected this. He wanted to look back. But the moment he had entered the hall and exchanged even a brief look with her, he had felt the king's killing intent. From that moment on, he didn't dare to meet her eyes again. He just wanted to leave in peace.
The king was already under immense stress—there had been recent assassination attempts targeting Alice, and internal struggles were shaking the kingdom. He had allowed Alice to see Ray to make her happy, but he wouldn't risk letting her get close to someone who might be a threat.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" cried Alice, tears streaming down her face as she watched Ray walk away.
The king flinched, panic flashing across his stern expression. Ray continued walking silently behind Rena. Rena occasionally glanced back to see if the king would call them back. Even the butler holding the vault key kept checking the king's reaction.
Just as they neared the door, Alice looked at her father with pleading, tear-filled eyes.
"Daddy… please… Let me go… waaahh!" she begged.
The king hesitated. The concubine beside him, tears in her own eyes, softly said, "Please… let Alice have her moment. Rena and Norris will be there to protect her."
The king's heart finally softened. He released the restriction holding Alice back.
The moment the invisible force vanished, Alice sprinted forward, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
Ray, still irritated by the king's attitude, didn't look back. He just wanted this visit to be over.
Though the king had never forcefully taken inventions from inventors, asking for them through noble families was as good as coercion. Ray knew the truth: if he ever created something great, the king would demand it from his father—and his father wouldn't hesitate to hand it over, including the production and selling rights. That thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Just as Rena opened the vault door, a little white-haired, bubbly girl clung tightly to Ray's arm from behind.
Ray finally looked at her. He said nothing, only nodded at Rena.
Rena understood and continued walking.
Alice still clung to Ray, crying quietly against his shoulder. Ray could only sigh and say, "You know, Princess Alice—"
"Alice!" she interrupted.
Ray tried again. "Princess—"
"Alice!" she insisted once more.
Ray looked at Rena and Norris. Both gave him a slight nod.
Finally, Ray gave in. "Alice."
She smiled softly through her tears.
Ray continued, "You almost got me in big trouble, you know that?"
Alice tilted her head. "How?"
Ray said, "Your father's under a lot of pressure. Assassins are after you, and there's tension in the kingdom. The way you acted—he thought I was one of the assassins. He released killing intent on me more than once."
Alice looked down, her smile fading. She had no words.
Ray then asked, "One day in the future… if I became your father's enemy, what would you do?"
Alice frowned. "Why would you become his enemy?"
After hearing what Ray said, both Rena and Norris became cautious. But when they heard Alice's question, they wanted to know what Ray would answer. That answer could determine his future—or his fate.
Ray replied, "I want to become an inventor. Let's say I make something amazing. What would the king do? He'd demand it from my father. And my father? He wouldn't even ask me—he'd give it all away. Not just the invention, but the rights to produce and sell it too. How do you think that would make an inventor like me feel?"
Ray shrugged. "I'd feel betrayed. I'd probably end up joining the king's enemies. After all, those 'enemies' are mostly people who were cast out from noble families. So, Alice… you shouldn't be friends with someone like me."
Before Alice could respond, Norris stepped forward. "Why do you think inventors are behind the assassination attempts?"
Ray answered calmly, "Go investigate. I'm willing to bet I'm right. My grand-uncle joined the enemies of the Richard Kingdom. Why? Because the king refused to return his rights. What would a man like that want? Revenge."
Norris froze. Everything suddenly clicked. He started sweating.
He looked at Ray and said urgently, "Come with me, Ray. We need to report this to the king."
Ray simply replied, "I'm only six years old. I can't go. You can take the credit—I don't need it."