Chapter 82 She Can't Tell
Xia Feng's heart jolted in shock. Instinctively, he turned to look at the barefoot woman in red standing before the glass coffin.
She lifted her foot slightly, as if wanting to step closer to the coffin, but ultimately set it back down.
Click—
At that moment, the cabin began ascending into the air. The Mushroom Girl inside thrashed violently, her eyes burning red as she twisted and struggled. Yet her limbs and neck remained shackled in an X-shape by the alloy restraints, leaving her unable to break free.
"Liszt! You bastard!!"
The girl's furious scream echoed from the cabin. Liszt smirked, casting a glance at Xia Feng. "Well, the outcome's the same either way. Boy, why don't you convince my daughter to acknowledge the princess? If she does, I might just spare your life."
As he spoke, he idly hovered his right hand over the red button—ready to press it—when Xia Feng suddenly spoke:
"Fine."
"…?" Liszt paused, eyeing the young man in confusion.
Xia Feng's expression was solemn. "Lord Wangjue, your reasoning makes perfect sense. I'll persuade Mushroom."
"…"
For a moment, Liszt was stunned. Then his lips parted in realization. Ah, this brat must be afraid—afraid I'll kill him, afraid I'll hunt him down later. So now he's scrambling to show goodwill and switch sides.
But would it work?
No.
How naïve~
A light chuckle escaped Liszt as he curled his lips. "Seems you understand the wisdom of yielding to the inevitable. Don't worry—Lord Wangjue is magnanimous. Once this is settled, I'll let you go."
Of course, Lord Wangjue is broad-minded. I'm sure he won't hold a grudge over me becoming his wife's master~~ Xia Feng sighed inwardly.
[Link Degree: 99.9999%—Abnormal Status. Unable to complete link—Subject has not yet been born.]
Now, only one final step remained: getting Mushroom to acknowledge her mother.
For him, it should've been effortless.
Xia Feng tilted his head toward the Mushroom Girl in the cabin and smiled. "Mushroom, acknowledge the princess as your mother."
"…Huh?" Mushroom blinked, bewildered. Hadn't they agreed to stop the birth ceremony at all costs?
"Trust me. I have a way to deal with the prince." Xia Feng subtly stepped closer, transmitting his voice directly into her mind through their close-range psychic link.
Mushroom's eyes widened in suspicion.
Xia Feng's mental voice continued, "For some reason, the princess has already recognized me as her master. All we need now is your acknowledgment to let her be born and form a contract with me. Everything the prince has done will be for nothing."
"…" Mushroom's lips parted slightly. She glanced down at the restraints binding her, then back up at the button beneath the prince's hand—still unpressed.
So… this isn't a dream?
Xia Feng watched her expectantly. Though they'd only known each other a few years, their bond was deep, their trust unshakable. He was certain she'd believe him~
After a brief silence, Mushroom wrinkled her nose and huffed, "No."
Xia Feng: "…"
"Don't think I don't know—I've already fallen into the real dream!" Mushroom lifted her chin, eyes gleaming with triumphant wit. "You're just pretending to be Xia Feng to trick me! Well, it won't work!"
Xia Feng: "..."
Xia Feng and the prince exchanged glances. The latter grinned.
"Boy, seems my daughter doesn't trust you much. Pity. Guess we'll have to do things my way after all."
As he spoke, his finger hovered over the button again. Xia Feng had no choice but to interject, "Wait, Your Highness - there's no need to rush. Give me one more minute."
Using a real dream to coerce Mushroom into acknowledging her mother would take hours. But Xia Feng's third-level state only lasted thirty minutes. He couldn't afford to waste time with the prince.
After a brief pause, he turned to Mushroom and spoke gravely:
"Mushroom, you're a lesbian. Your favorite anime is Citrus, your favorite character is Aihara Yuzu, your favorite color is green, you love bear bile tea and Blue Cat underwear, you're 155 cm tall, your weight fluctuates between 47 and 48 kg, your waist is 61 cm, your hips are 82 cm, and your chest—"
As Xia Feng rattled off her stats, Mushroom's eyes bulged. Her face flushed crimson, steam practically rising from her scalp. She shot him a glare brimming with humiliation and rage:
"Shut up! SHUT UP!!"
Xia Feng obediently clamped his mouth shut, leaving her chest measurement unspoken. Mushroom was careless at home, never bothering to hide anything from him. Her clothes were always strewn about, and with eyes as precise as rulers, how could he not know her measurements?
Mushroom's complexion slowly normalized. She narrowed her eyes, pouting. "So what if you know all that?"
Her gaze swept the cabin, thoughtful. "This dream must've pulled from my memories—even my memories of Xia Feng. That's why you can mimic his voice and mannerisms so well! You're just the 'Xia Feng' from my head. A pervert. A shameless creep."
Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Mushroom!!
Xia Feng's fists clenched. "Fine. Looks like we're doing this the hard way."
He tilted his chin up, smirking as he transmitted mentally: "Mushroom. Under your bed, hidden in the far right corner, there's a sliding panel. Inside is a green box. It's stuffed with toys—a single-headed dragon, a vibrating egg, moisturizer…"
The more he listed, the redder Mushroom burned. Scarlet spread from her cheeks to her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, chanting under her breath:
"La-la-la, not listening! Fake, fake, all fake!"
She'd hidden those treasures so meticulously—how could Xia Feng have found them? Impossible! This had to be another memory extraction. The dream's 'Xia Feng' knew only because she knew! That had to be it!
Right. Social death isn't real death! The thought comforted her. After all, dying in a dream didn't count~
"Remember when you asked me to help find your keys last time? I checked under the bed. Guess what? You forgot to lock the panel. The box was wide open. Tsk. Can't blame me for that."
Xia Feng's voice slithered through her mind like a devil's whisper. Just his low chuckle was enough to make her want to curl up and die. Mushroom gritted her teeth, eyes screwed shut, praying to wake from this nightmare.
Seeing her stubbornly ignore him, Xia Feng sighed.
Never had he imagined his greatest hurdle would be his own idiot teammate. But he understood. If roles were reversed, he'd struggle to believe someone could inexplicably earn the princess's recognition. It sounded like pure fantasy.
And with a device like the real dream right beside her, doubting her own wakefulness was only natural.
(End of Chapter)