Killer Queen + 18

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Compared to the midday feast, the evening banquet was on a whole other level.

During lunch, people still tried to hold back a bit when it came to drinking. But the night banquet? Totally different story. Especially since this was just a private family gathering—there was no beautiful lady like Xiao Li to keep things proper. With no one to watch their manners, the princes fully relaxed and started drinking freely, laughing and chatting without restraint.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone naturally got a lot more talkative.

Take the Seventh Prince, for example.

He was young and hot-blooded—and a huge fan of drinking—so it didn't take long before he got tipsy. And once he was drunk, he completely lost control of his mouth.

"Hey, my dear royal brothers… do you guys… know what the biggest… reward was for me… today at the Prime Minister's residence?" His tongue was already thick from the alcohol, but unless he got this off his chest, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

"Fifth Bro… why don't you take a guess… lemme see if you're right." He wasn't content to just talk himself—he dragged the Fifth Prince into it, too.

But the Fifth Prince didn't feel like playing along and waved him off. "Get outta here. How would I know what your 'biggest reward' is? If it's so great, why don't you just tell everyone yourself?"

"Tch… I don't even like dealing with people like you!" The Seventh Prince huffed. "You totally know the answer—you're just pretending. I don't believe it. Don't tell me you don't have your eye on Miss Li'er too?"

Huangfu Haotian's heart suddenly skipped a beat—what did Seventh say? Did he just say Miss Li'er?

He kept his face calm and unbothered, still holding a full cup of wine. Smiling, he clinked glasses with Yuwen Ruocai who was seated next to him, then downed it in one go.

When he looked up again, he saw the Fifth Prince's face had turned bright red. "Seventh, you're such a joker. I mean, with a beauty like Miss Li'er, who wouldn't be moved? Let's not even talk about her looks—just her martial arts alone… if anyone could marry her, they'd probably feel like they'd lived a complete life."

"Exactly!" the Seventh Prince slurred. "Anyway… I don't care what anyone says. Once we're back at the palace, I'm telling Father I want Miss Li'er as my consort. Fifth Bro… what do you think of that?"

The Fifth Prince gave a dry chuckle, then smirked. "Dream on. But you better think about whether Li'er would even agree to marry you."

The Seventh Prince just waved him off. "I don't care about that. Once I tell Father, I know he'll agree."

Bang!

A dull thud caught Huangfu Haotian's attention. He looked over—and saw that the sound had come from none other than Prince Wu, Huangfu Haobo.

He was sitting there drinking quietly, looking unusually subdued.

But his face... it was like a storm cloud had settled over him—dark and brooding. Just looking at him made you feel uneasy.

Beside him, Yuwen Ruoxue was staring at him intently, as if his every mood affected her emotions.

Clearly drunk now, the Seventh Prince pressed his hand to his forehead and waved the other in the air: "Everyone's here tonight, so I might as well say it. From now on, Miss Li'er is mine. You guys better stop thinking about her. Got it?"

Bang!

Another thud—this time, Huangfu Jiabo finally spoke up.

"Seventh Brother, I think you've had a bit too much to drink tonight. You're clearly drunk!"

So Haotian had guessed right.

He raised an eyebrow and gave a cold little smile—Second Brother and Li'er… maybe there really was something going on there.

But the Seventh Prince, drunk as he was, didn't catch onto Huangfu Haobo's growing displeasure. He just swayed to his feet with a wine cup in hand and staggered toward Haobo.

"Se–Second Brother… what are you saying? Sure, I've had a bit too much, but my feelings for Miss Li'er? They're real. You believe me, right?"

As he spoke, he clinked his cup against Haobo's.

Then suddenly, his eyes lit up like he remembered something. "Wait… no way! You're not mad because you like Miss Li'er too, are you?"

Haobo's face shifted for just a second—then quickly returned to normal. He plastered on the warm, older-brother smile and said calmly, "Seventh, what are you even talking about? You've had too much to drink. Even though we're at our royal aunt's home, you should still keep up appearances—don't forget we represent the royal family."

But the Seventh Prince wouldn't give up that easily. "Come on, Second Bro, just tell me the truth. Do you like her too?"

Haobo didn't lose his cool. "Seventh, you're drunk."

"You liar! You're all liars! You think I don't know? You all have your eyes on Miss Li'er! And now you're trying to fool me? No way!"

Seeing Haobo's brows knit again, Yuwen Ruoxue quickly stood up to help him out. "Seventh Brother, you've misunderstood Second Cousin. He's right—you've drunk a bit too much, and you're letting your imagination run wild. Honestly, he doesn't have any feelings for Li'er."

She gave Haobo a small smile as she met his gaze. "Li'er is our friend—mine and Ruocai's—and she saved both our lives. She only came today to visit us. It was just coincidence that she ran into you all. You're all meeting her for the first time, so you should just treat her as a friend. Why would Second Cousin have any other kind of thoughts about her?"

Then she turned to Haobo and smiled sweetly. "Right, Second Cousin? Don't you agree?"

Of course Haobo knew she was helping him save face. So he nodded along. "You're right, Cousin Ruoxue. Since it's our first meeting, I just consider Miss Li'er a friend."

A friend… That was just how he saw her at first. But he wasn't about to let anyone know his feelings for Xiao Li had gone way past that.

"Ugh, what's wrong with all of you?" Yuwen Ruocai pouted from her seat next to Haotian, clearly a bit tipsy now too. "Didn't we all agree this party was supposed to be for me and my sister? How did it suddenly turn into a debate about Li'er?"

Haotian saw her pout and quickly raised his cup with a laugh. "Aiyo, now look—you've made Ruocai upset. Come on, let's all raise a glass and apologize to her!"

That immediately cheered her up, and she gave him a dazzling smile. "Hehe, I knew it—Haotian-gege is the best. Alright, everyone, bottoms up! I'm drinking with all my cousins tonight!"

"Yeah! Let's forget everything else—cheers!" Even Haobo raised his cup again to join in.

The lively, joyful atmosphere returned to the banquet once more.

"Haotian-gege…" Ruocai leaned on him, holding a glowing green glass in her hand. Her cheeks were flushed red from the wine. "Haotian-gege, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time… but I was too shy…"

Haotian glanced over and noticed the strange light flickering in her eyes.

Something stirred in his heart, and he smiled gently. "Ruocai, don't tell me you've had too much too? What could you possibly be shy about with your own cousin?"

Ruocai suddenly lowered her head bashfully. "Haotian-gege… if it weren't for my sister and I being ridiculously lucky this time, maybe… maybe you wouldn't have ever seen me again…"

She looked up, tears glimmering in her eyes. "Do you know how scary that was? I was really afraid we'd fall off that cliff and die. If that had happened, wouldn't my sister and I have ended up like Cousin Youlan?"

"Ruocai!" her mother snapped from the side. "What are you talking about?"

But Ruocai clearly wasn't worried about whether her mother was mad. She kept swaying in front of Haotian. "If that really had happened… would you have missed me? Like the Crown Prince misses Cousin Youlan every day…"

Haotian was caught off guard—not just by her words, but by the deep feelings she seemed to have for him.

Who would've thought this usually bold and playful girl would use wine to confess?

It was a bit inappropriate to mention Cousin Youlan in this setting… but if she hadn't died young, she would've been the Crown Prince's consort by now. And the Crown Prince still suffered because of her.

But Ruocai wasn't Youlan. And Haotian wasn't the Crown Prince.

He wasn't the kind of man who would let someone like her affect him like that.

Still, he gave her a gentle smile. "Silly girl, you've really had too much to drink. You're not Cousin Youlan—you're our lucky star. You're going to live a long, peaceful life. Don't think about nonsense anymore, okay?"

"You don't like me, do you?" she asked suddenly, her face falling. "If I'd known that… maybe I wouldn't have let Li'er save me that day. Maybe then I wouldn't be hurting like this…"

Hearing her mention Li'er again stirred something inside Haotian.

"Ruocai, you're overthinking it. Of course I like you. You'll always be my favorite little cousin."

"Really?" Her smile returned instantly. "You really mean it? Hehe… I'm so happy to hear you say that."

And then she leaned sideways—and collapsed into Haotian's arms.

"I knew you were the best, Haotian-gege. And no matter what… I still need to thank Li'er properly!"

"....."