"Take your clothes off, quickly."

  As soon as Ryan finished speaking, he immediately began stripping off his stealth suit right in front of Evelyn. His movements were so swift and practiced that he did not bother to avoid her gaze at all.

  Evelyn, as always, quickly turned her head away. A faint, almost unnoticeable trace of embarrassment and irritation flashed in her eyes.

  Her cool voice carried a hint of clenched teeth."Why must you always change in front of me? Do you feel no shame whatsoever?"

  "Shame? What shame? We know each other so well already."

  Ryan finished changing, then walked up to her with a cheeky grin."How about this? If you think you're losing out, you can also change in front of me. Then we'll be even."

  Evelyn shot a glance at Ryan, who was grinning like a scoundrel. She could not be bothered to argue with him and simply walked into the bathing room inside to change her clothes.

  A short moment later, Evelyn came out again.

  Her stealth suit had collected plenty of dust earlier, so she needed to treat it with a purification charm as soon as possible.

  "Evelyn, where's the stealth suit?" Ryan glanced around, not seeing the nightgear she had taken off, and asked in confusion.

  Evelyn shot him a calm, expressionless look, her tone carrying a hint of vigilance."What do you want it for?"

  If Ryan suddenly took an interest in clothes she had worn, he definitely did not have good intentions. He was probably planning something inappropriate.

  Ryan felt awkward under her scrutinizing stare and hurriedly explained,"To destroy it, of course. What else? Keep it as a collectible?"

  Suddenly, loud knocking erupted from the door outside, so forceful it sounded as if the door might break in the very next second.

  "Open up! Quickly, open the door!"

  Urgent voices from the guards echoed in the hallway.

  Ryan's heart tightened. Had they been discovered? He had no time to think. He quickly strode to the door and slowly opened it.

  Two palace guards stood outside, their expressions stern. But the moment they saw Ryan and Evelyn, their rigid expressions froze.

  In the next instant, both guards forced flattering smiles onto their faces.

  "We did not realize it was the two honored guests. Our apologies for the disturbance. Truly, very rude of us."

  They had personally seen the princess strolling through the palace gardens with these two, chatting warmly. Clearly, these were personal guests of the princess.

  Forget thieves sneaking into the palace. Even if these two truly were thieves, the guards still would not dare question them. Palace rules were strict, and they knew better than to meddle in affairs outside their authority.

  Ryan quietly breathed a sigh of relief, though he maintained a puzzled look and leaned out to glance around."Why is it so lively outside? What happened?"

  "Nothing!" The guard on the left quickly waved his hands with a fawning smile.

  "Just a few petty thieves sneaking into the palace. They stole some insignificant items. We are conducting a search. We deeply apologize for disturbing your rest, honored guests."

  "Then why don't you come in and search?"

  Ryan suddenly waved them in and pushed the door wide open, his tone firm and confident.

  "We definitely did not hide any thieves. Feel free to inspect the place."

  The door was wide open, and the entire room was laid out clearly before them.

  Evelyn was not wearing her usual veil at the moment. The guards at the door froze the instant they saw her, their eyes fixed on her face.

  They stood there stunned for several seconds, even forgetting how to breathe properly. One of them nearly dropped his spear.

  They had served in the royal palace for many years and had seen countless noble ladies. Yet never had they encountered a woman with such extraordinary presence.

  Cold and distant, like an untouchable goddess. A beauty that inspired reverence, leaving no room for even a stray improper thought.

  "No problem at all!"

  The guard on the left finally snapped back to his senses, his cheeks tinted with embarrassment. He bowed deeply to Ryan, sounding far more respectful than before.

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  "We absolutely trust the integrity of both honored guests. There are many other places we must inspect, so we will take our leave now!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, he turned away in a hurry as if afraid a second glance would be disrespectful. He waved at his partner, and the two guards briskly jogged off, their retreat so hurried it looked like they were fleeing.

  Ryan watched their awkward backs disappear, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

  A beauty like this truly was a weapon wherever she went. He closed the door casually.

  "Your talent for deception must be close to perfection by now."

  Evelyn walked over and sat on the bed. The soft mattress sank slightly beneath her weight, lifting her gently as it rebounded.

  Ryan waved his hands quickly, wearing an expression of absolute sincerity.

  "Tricking simple-minded guards is one thing. But you, Evelyn, are sharp as ice and snow. Even if I had the courage of a dragon, I would never dare deceive you."

  Evelyn gave him a look that resembled a smile yet was not quite one, her violet eyes filled with scrutiny. His tongue was getting sweeter by the day, which clearly meant he was up to no good.

  Ryan scratched his head, attempting his best innocent expression, then tiptoed cautiously toward the edge of the bed.

  "You want to sleep here?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow, her tone calm.

  But in her heart she murmured: His courage keeps growing. He used to keep his distance, yet now he dares to covet a spot on the same bed.

  "There is only one bed here," Ryan replied with a hint of pitiful grievance.

  This time, the situation truly was different. The room had no other bedding. Only this one large bed. And with guards patrolling outside, they could hardly have one of them standing all night.

  Evelyn frowned slightly, then stood up and stepped onto the floor.

  "Very well. Then you may have it."

  She was straightforward, offering no hesitation at all, clearly intending to sleep on the floor for the night.

  "No need for that!" Ryan quickly held up his hands and grabbed her wrist.

  "Look how big this bed is. Easily enough for two people without squeezing. You sleep there, I sleep here. We will not disturb each other."

  He then picked up the blanket, folded it neatly in the middle of the bed, and created a clearly defined boundary.

  Yet the line made of soft blanket looked impossibly flimsy.

  Ryan put on an extremely serious expression, his gaze upright, as though making a solemn magical vow.

  "Don't worry. I will never cross this line. If I do, you can freeze me solid with your ice magic. How about that?"

  Evelyn stared at the thin boundary, then looked at Ryan's overly serious face.

  A hint of hesitation flickered in her violet eyes.

  Evelyn considered for a moment, her gaze shifting between the thin boundary line and Ryan.

  Ryan was sly, yes, but he had never crossed the line with her.

  Besides, the blanket line might look flimsy, yet as long as he dared cross it, her Ice Shard Technique could activate instantly and teach him a lesson he would never forget.

  "Very well." She finally nodded, her voice as cool as ever.

  "But remember this. Do not cross that line. Otherwise, bear the consequences yourself."

  With that, she walked to the far side of the bed and slipped off her shoes.

  Her small, pale feet appeared beneath the hem of her clothing, and she lay down gracefully.

  Seeing this, Ryan let out two silent, mischievous chuckles in his heart.

  The fact that Evelyn was willing to share the same bed meant she now considered him someone trustworthy.

  He lay down at once, shut his eyes, and stiffened his body straight like a spear. He silently circulated Chaosforge Arcana.

  Within minutes, Ryan's mind went blank as he fell into a deep sleep, breathing steadily.

  Evelyn slowly opened her eyes again. She turned her head slightly toward him, staring at the side of his face, lost in thought.

  A moment later, the corner of her lips lifted into the faintest smile. She then turned back, rested her hands lightly on her abdomen, and drifted quietly into sleep.

  Late at night, the patrols in the palace began to thin out.

  In his sleep, Ryan suddenly rolled onto his side, scratched his backside, and like a man wandering in a dream slowly inched toward Evelyn.

  He moved forward until he bumped into the flimsy blanket boundary.

  Without even waking, he grabbed the blanket line, pulled it over himself, rolled over, and continued snoring peacefully.

  Roughly half an hour later, Evelyn's eyes snapped open. Her entire body tensed.

  In front of her eyes was Ryan, wrapped tightly around her.

  One arm was locked firm around her waist, pinning her own arms to her sides.

  His other hand rested on her shoulder, and one leg pressed heavily over hers, practically enclosing her in his embrace.

  Ryan, completely unaware, slept even more soundly.

  His eyebrows relaxed, and there was even a hint of a pleased smile at the corner of his lips.

  In his subconscious, he felt unusually warm and safe, surrounded by a comforting scent that lulled him deeper into sleep.

  Evelyn tried to pry his arm off, pulling at him gently.

  He did not budge.

  She added more force, attempting to break free, but Ryan's arm felt like forged iron, holding her in place without effort.

  Finally, she used her full strength. Her wrist twisted hard, yet he still did not loosen his grip.

  Evelyn glared furiously at the man tangled around her.

  He had lied to her.

  There was absolutely no way Ryan's physical strength was below Journeyman Mage.

  It might even surpass her by a good margin.

  Ryan seemed to react instinctively to her movement, tightening his embrace even more.

  His head nuzzled toward the crook of her neck, his warm breath brushing across her skin.

  Warm… comfortable… fragrant…

  These were the instincts drifting through Ryan's sleeping mind.

  A jolt went through Evelyn.

  The heat of his breath against her skin made her uncomfortable, and she immediately surged with magic to break free.

  Yet before overwhelming physical strength, her power felt pathetically ineffective.

  It was like a spellcaster caught in close combat, unable to use her arcane techniques and forced into passive struggle.

  Her beautiful eyes glared ice-cold at Ryan, the air around her turning frigid.

  Her fingers curled slightly as she considered summoning the Ultimate Ice Sword.

  With a flick of her wrist, she could summon it in an instant.

  But the moment the thought arose, hesitation followed.

  This man, despite being shameless, had never truly harmed her.

  On the contrary, he had stepped in to help her many times.

  And judging from his peaceful sleeping face, he was not doing this intentionally.

  It looked more like the instinctive behavior of someone deeply asleep.

  At last, Evelyn slowly loosened the rigidity in her body.

  Within her spiritual domain, the Ultimate Ice Sword shrank pitifully into a corner.

  Its blade glowed with faint blue light, as though crying out miserably:

  "Master, you do not love me anymore. He is bullying you and yet you refuse to use me!"

  Just then, Ryan shivered from the sudden drop in temperature around him.

  He loosened his grip ever so slightly, groped behind him for the blanket, and pulled it over both of them.

  Then he wrapped his arms even more tightly around Evelyn, as if seeking warmth.

  Evelyn's attempt to slip away halted in an instant.

  Her body was once again held firmly in place, enveloped in the weight of the blanket and the heat radiating from his chest.