Chapter 43: None Other Than Her

Even if he had lost his memories, even if he could not remember who she was, Tan Konglin was utterly convinced that such a person existed.

That lingering sensation remained etched deeply into his bones and imprinted upon his soul.

"I will not attend the royal ball," Tan Konglin lowered his gaze and suddenly spoke. "I have found a female that I adore."

"?" The Emperor was completely baffled. "Since when?"

Why had he never heard of this before?

"During these past few days when I lost control, I met her," Tan Konglin said with solemn sincerity. "Although I cannot picture her face right now, I want no one else."

This was utterly absurd. The Emperor was astonished.

It was common knowledge that a male's memories during a state of loss of control would vanish once his consciousness awakened. How could he be certain that such a female genuinely existed rather than being a mere delusion of Tan Konglin's mind? What if this female did not exist at all? Was he prepared to wait in vain forever?

Furthermore, even if this female truly existed and they managed to find her, a serious problem loomed ahead.

Tan Konglin was a rare S-class male, and the Empire currently had no S-class females who could match him.

Because of this, the royal family had already prepared the worst-case scenario: invoking imperial privilege to bind Tan Konglin and an A-class female in a monogamous partnership.

Although an A-class female's soothing effect on him would be minimal, increasing the frequency of pacification and having an A-class female dedicated solely to soothing him would, to some extent, delay his loss of control.

If the female Tan Konglin favored possessed A-class spiritual power, that would be a happy outcome for all. But if not...

The Emperor asked, "If her spiritual power is below the A-class, will you still insist on being with her?"

That would be equivalent to choosing suicide.

As the Empire's most exemplary crown prince and the Emperor's favored successor, Tan Konglin had been sensible since childhood and had always prioritized the greater good. He ought not to make such an irresponsible decision.

Faced with his father's questioning, Tan Konglin clenched his fists and remained silent for a long time.

The air grew frigid.

After a long pause, the Empress broke the silence and offered a cheerful, smooth-tempered remark, "Perhaps the one Konglin likes happens to be an A-class female!"

"In any case, let's find her first before we discuss the rest," the Empress asked Tan Konglin, "How much of an impression do you still have of her?"

"If you can't remember what she looks like, do you remember how tall she was? What about her hair color?"

Regrettably, Tan Konglin could remember none of it. He could recall nothing at all.

This made things difficult.

The Empress frowned, suddenly recalling the recent fake news story about a widowed female raising a cub alone.

The news had already been completely scrubbed from the network, but the Empress felt that the small white cat in the accompanying picture bore a striking resemblance to Tan Konglin.

Could the female Tan Konglin liked be that same little female holding a cat?

Previously, the Empress had sent someone to contact the editor-in-chief of that news outlet, but no extra information had been gleaned.

This time, the Empress decided to take matters into her own hands and directly contacted the hidden owner behind the news agency, immediately revealing her identity.

The other party's tone instantly turned respectful. "Please tell me your commands."

However, upon hearing the Empress inquire about that fake news story, the person appeared deeply troubled. "All backups have been completely wiped out. There truly are no other photographs left."

Although there were no photographs, passenger records for public air-cabs still existed. With a determined effort, one could certainly trace the female's identity.

Yet Tan Konglin stopped the Empress. "Do not investigate any further, Mother."

Without a legitimate reason, even the royal family could not conduct such a high-profile investigation into an innocent female.

"Then you..." Were you just going to give up like this? The Empress wanted to say more, trailing off. "Never mind. As long as you have thought it through yourself."

Give up? Of course not.

Tan Konglin lowered his gaze, masking the emotions in his eyes so that no one could guess what he was thinking.

The owner of the news agency ended the communication with the Empress and hurriedly contacted Marshal Feli Lane.

The reason why that fake news story had been swiftly deleted in the first place was precisely because Marshal Feli had intervened, warning the news agency and sternly ordering them to prohibit the disclosure of any information regarding that female to anyone.

However... the person inquiring this time was no mere nobody; it was Her Majesty the Empress! The most revered person in the entire Empire.

Cold sweat drenched the news agency owner's back as he reported the matter to Marshal Feli at top speed, before letting out a long breath and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Had he known he would attract the attention of a figure of this magnitude, he would not have dared to let that fake news story be published, not even if he had been given a hundred lives.

What on earth was the background of that female holding the kitten?? To be able to command the attention of two such prominent figures simultaneously, she must surely be someone of great importance herself.

The news agency owner gave a bitter, helpless smile and shook his head.

For such an important figure to travel by public air-cab—could she perhaps be experiencing how the ordinary citizens lived?

For the Empress to personally inquire about her...

Was she interested in Niannian? No... perhaps it was the cat.

Feli tapped his fingers lightly against the desk, musing thoughtfully, before knocking on the door to Niannian's bedroom.

The little female seemed to have just finished bathing; her hair was damp and wreathed in mist, and her cheeks resembled white peaches tinged with pink as she poked her head out of the bedroom. "Uncle Feli?"

When the exact same word "Uncle" was spoken by Zion, it sounded cold and rigid. But when uttered by the little female, it carried an entirely different flavor.

Feli narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling that "Uncle" might not be such a bad title after all.

"I heard that cat was something you picked up?" he asked Niannian.

Although Niannian had accepted the fact that Marshmallow had left, she still felt a pang of sadness. She pouted her lips with a wronged expression and nodded. "I just found it in the courtyard."

The moment Marshmallow was mentioned, her desire to confide overflowed, and she poured out the entire story of the little cat accompanying her over the past few days to Feli.

Feli listened quietly without the slightest sign of impatience, though deep inside, his suspicions grew stronger.

Based on his speculation, the royal family held numerous secrets, and transforming from a tiger into a cat through some secret method was entirely possible. Perhaps that cat was a member of the royal family, with the highest probability being the Crown Prince himself—only that could explain why the Empress herself would step forward to investigate.

Yet the personality of the little cat in Niannian's description was drastically different from the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was composed and majestic, whereas this cat was clingy, fond of acting spoiled, and even prone to crying.

Feli frowned.

Could he have overthought it?

He cautiously probed her for the physical traits of the small white cat. "What did it look like?"

"White long hair, very pretty blue eyes," Niannian raised her hand to sketch a shape in the air. "And there was a black marking shaped like the Chinese character for 'King' on its forehead, just like a little tiger."

"You don't need to help me find it. When it misses me, it will definitely come back on its own," Niannian said, full of confidence.

Hearing that the small white cat had white fur, blue eyes, and the character for "King" on its forehead, Feli felt his suspicions were seemingly confirmed.

He lacked the heart to shatter Niannian's steadfast belief and dared not tell her that the little cat was actually a male beastman of extraordinary status, and that having left like this, it would probably never return.

Once the Crown Prince recovered from his out-of-control state, he would have no recollection of this experience whatsoever and would forget her entirely.