The princess finally blinked awake, rubbing her eyes. Everything was hazy at first, but then she noticed a crowd—a Empress she hadn't seen before, a dignified sister, and three familiar faces.
Without missing a beat, Xiaoxi sat up, gave the sweetest smile, and chirped:
"Good morning, Aunty! Good morning, Sister! Good morning Brother Dumplings, Brother Long Noodles, Brother… Bun—eh, what was your name again?"
The three brothers looked at each other in horror.
Brother Dumpling whispered: "Did she just call me a dumpling again?"
Brother Long Noodle muttered: "Better than a noodle, I guess…"
Brother Bun puffed up: "Excuse me? Bun?? I'm Chubby Bao!"
The sister nearly burst out laughing, while the Empress raised her brows, intrigued by this little girl's boldness.
Xiaoxi, yawning, asked innocently:
"So… why did Frog Prince drag me into the hall today? Did he miss me already?"
The hall went silent.
Empress: "Who?"
Sister, grinning: "She said Frog Prince… of course, your best serious son."
The Empress let out an unexpected chuckle, while the sister actually clapped her hands, laughing so much her hairpin nearly fell off.
The brothers panicked and bowed.
"Forgive her, Your Majesty, she's just talking casually!"
But Xiaoxi stood up, hands on her hips.
"No, no, I wasn't talking nonsense. He is Frog Prince. Yesterday you three promised to be my brothers, not his. Why are you not supporting me? Hmph!"
The brothers' mouths opened… then closed. They had nothing to say.
The sister leaned closer, smiling slyly.
"You're absolutely right. Keep this up. We're not angry, we'll never get angry. But…" she lowered her voice dramatically, "…just be careful of him. Sometimes he becomes inhuman."
Xiaoxi gasped.
"YES! That's what I've been saying! He's a frog, not a human. Finally, someone understands me!"
The brothers covered their faces, already imagining Haoran's rage when he heard this.
Xiaoxi then looked down at her messy dress, stained from last night's chaos.
"By the way, where can I get fresh? I need to wash up, change clothes… oh, and also brush my teeth 🪥. Frog Prince might faint if he smells morning breath."
The Empress chuckled again and nodded toward the sister.
"Take her to the washroom."
But the brothers immediately objected.
"Wait, wait, Sister! If she makes the prince wait this long, he'll explode!"
Xiaoxi crossed her arms.
"So what? Let him explode. Boom. At least then I'll be free."
The sister patted her head.
"She's right. Let's go, little puffer fish."
Then, she added proudly,
"Don't listen to him, Sister. My name is Xiaoyun—you can call me Xiaoxi!"
And so, Xiaoxi was taken away. She sang loudly while walking, completely carefree:
"La~ la~ la~ Froggie's waiting~ la~ la~ la~ let him wait foreverrr~"
The three brothers facepalmed so hard their hands turned red.
Two hours later…
The hall was full again—Empress, sister, brothers, everyone waiting. But the food trays were untouched.
Off they went. Two hours later—after splashing, humming, and arguing with the soap—Xiaoyun emerged sparkling clean and looking proud of herself.
Back in the hall, the Empress, the sister, and her three brothers were waiting. Xiaoyun strutted in, waving cheerfully.
The Empress shook her head with amusement, the sister giggled, and even the brothers smiled.
Xiaoyun grinned and said loudly,
"Good morning again! Look at me! Fresh, shiny, and ready!"
One of her brothers muttered,
"Unbelievable… even in two hours, she managed to look this confident!"
And with that, Xiaoyun felt fully ready to face whatever mischief awaited her next—probably including the Frog Prince himself.