A Royal Obligation - Chapter 43: Summer Palace (1)

“Listen up, my obedient disciple, it's time for you to descend from this mountain. Your master has arranged a marriage for you with a stunning beauty, and it's quite a steal!”With those words, the master absconded with the dowry, leaving Lin Chen feeling both aggrieved and furious. Determined, he descended the mountain to find his betrothed.However, fate had other plans, as he was waylaid on the road by a captivating woman who insisted he play the role of her fake boyfriend. To make matters even more bewildering, this woman bore an uncanny resemblance to his intended bride!

Zhou Leng was once a martial arts genius yet since being attacked by demons half a year ago he has gained no progress in his cultivation.The turning point comes when he heads into the mountain to find his dog, where a majestic tree seems to heal his injuries.“What if that unknown otherworld is a demon lair...”As Zhou Leng hesitates, a vast white shadow of the Frost Giant Tree flashes in the depths of his eyes.“What was I thinking just now?”

“I am Bianca Valestra, Witch of the Frozen Night, an enemy of Humanity. By choosing to follow me, you will be fighting not just humans—but the entire world. I no longer wish to lie to you, Elian. If you wish to walk away or choose another path, I will let you.”Yet the boy shook his head and laid his hand gently over hers.“I am no longer human. I just committed what I think to be genocide. I am not afraid. For you—the one who saved me, gave me purpose, and my only desire—I will fight. I do not care how many come. I will kill them all.”___In the year 2030, everything changed.Portals to other dimensions appeared without warning.We called them dungeons.And from them came monsters that knew only destruction.But in humanity’s darkest hour, a sliver of hope emerged.People began awakening strange abilities—Talents—to fight back.Years passed. A fragile normal returned.Our story begins with Elian Reeds, a teenage student born in this new world—without a Talent.A Defect, they called him. Useless. Broken.That is, until he meets her.A fallen villainess whose name still strikes fear and reverence alike:Bianca Valestra—divine in beauty, and colder than death.This is the tale of their meeting.The chronicle of their journey.And the legacy of their triumph.

Just when I got to know her, the hairy girl only wants to beat me up!Prim childhood sweetheart treads on me underfoot!Childhood friend turned sister suddenly demands I repay the kindness of upbringing?...Are all these twists of human nature, or the moral decay?Surrounded by young girls wielding knives, Shen Mo Dust trembles: 'Author, why do I only meet bad women?''What exactly are you not satisfied with, let's switch roles!'Jealous at having crafted the protagonist's peak of life with his own hands but without a single girl by his side, the author furiously slams the keyboard!(Spotting the little whips raised by the venerable readers, he picks up the keyboard again)The alternate titles of this book are 'They Shine Like Stars' and 'They Are Lonely Like Stars'.