After that, Rulu and Nana settled into the secret house. Under Rulu's careful attention, Nana gradually recovered her health over the course of a week. One day the two of them were sitting idly in the basement living room watching television when a news report caught Rulu's eye:

  "Breaking news! Wonderful news — the new Governor, the 536th Imperial Prince of the Sanctuary, His Highness Prince Suwen, has arrived in Blue Sea City! To welcome His Highness Prince Suwen, a grand reception banquet will be held this evening at Blue Sea City's Central Pza. His Highness the Prince will attend in person and deliver an important address. Citizens who wish to witness His Highness Prince Suwen in person absolutely must not miss this extraordinary opportunity…"

  "So that fellow has arrived?" A strange gleam flickered in Rulu's eyes and a cold smile pyed at the corner of his mouth. A pn began to take shape in his mind. After a moment, he turned to Nana beside him and said: "Nana, can you manage cooking on your own tonight?"

  Nana looked at him, a warm smile on her face. "Of course I can. I've fully recovered. Whatever you'd like to eat, Rulu, I can make it."

  Rulu blinked with a slightly awkward air: "I won't be eating at home tonight. You go ahead and make something for yourself, Nana."

  A look of surprise crossed Nana's face. "What's the matter? Are you going out, Rulu?"

  "Yes, I have something to take care of tonight. I might not be back until quite te."

  "What is it? Does it involve the Sanctuary?" Nana suddenly grew tense. She fixed her gaze on Rulu's eyes and asked in a low voice.

  "Don't worry, Nana — it's nothing important." Rulu smiled and made a show of being rexed.

  Nana was silent for a moment. She looked away from him, lowered her head, and said quietly: "If I asked you not to go — to stay home and keep me company — would you?"

  Rulu's tone turned slightly detached: "You've recovered, Nana, and you're not a child. You don't necessarily need me around."

  A look of disappointment settled on Nana's face. "So you've made up your mind to go?"

  "What's the matter, Nana? Are you unhappy?"

  Nana shook her head and said softly: "No."

  Seeing that Nana was in low spirits, Rulu grew subdued as well. He sat frowning, sinking into silence, and the atmosphere between them became a little awkward.

  Then suddenly Nana raised her face, forcing a smile: "I'm sorry — I was being too willful just now. I shouldn't try to manage your affairs like that."

  "So you'll let me go, Nana?"

  "Yes. I know that once you've decided on something, no amount of persuading will change it. But you have to promise me — whatever it is you're pnning to do, you come home safe."

  "Of course. You can count on it, Nana." Rulu smiled with an easy, carefree look that, when Nana saw it, only made her worry more.

  As evening drew near, Rulu put together a simple disguise and left the house, driving to the area around Blue Sea City's Central Pza. The vast pza was packed with a dense crowd of people — tens of thousands at minimum.

  Tall metal barriers had been erected around the perimeter of the pza to keep the outside crowds at bay, with several gates left open as entry points. Beside the barriers, many armed Sanctuary soldiers stood guard maintaining order, while Sanctuary humanoid armored soldiers patrolled the surrounding area, scanning for troublemakers and suspicious individuals.

  "They've even mobilized the military? Judging by this scale, Prince Suwen really will appear tonight. Good — let me see what this fellow is up to." With that thought, Rulu made his way toward the venue entrance.

  As he approached the gate, a uniformed guard immediately stepped forward and said in an unequivocal tone: "Only registered residents of this city may enter. You must present valid identification."

  Rulu gave a slight smile, produced a card from his pocket, and held it out to the guard: "Here you are."

  The guard took the card and looked at it — only to find it was a store discount membership card. He was not pleased: "I asked for identification documents. What on earth is this?!"

  "What do you mean? This is my identification." Rulu feigned surprise, and fixed his gaze on the guard's eyes.

  The guard blinked. He looked at the card again more carefully, then said: "Oh… oh, I must have been mistaken just now — my eyes were pying tricks on me. Your documents are perfectly in order. Go right ahead." He handed the card back to Rulu.

  Rulu entered the venue without difficulty and found a spot with a good line of sight. After a while, the evening event began — song and dance performances started on the stage at the center of the pza. Rulu hadn't come for any of that, however, and he watched the performances with mild boredom while waiting patiently. Time passed —

  Then suddenly the venue erupted. Screams burst from the crowd across the pza as voices cried out in waves:

  "Look — His Highness Prince Suwen has appeared!"

  "Your Highness, over here — look this way!"

  "Your Highness, I love you — make me your wife!"

  The crowd surged wildly, shouting as they pressed toward the stage at the center of the pza. The guards struggled greatly to hold the crowd back and narrowly averted a safety incident.

  To the roar of the crowd, a bck-haired man of short stature dressed in a long robe of purple and gold, appearing to be in his forties, slowly emerged from backstage accompanied by several guards and came into view of the crowd.

  Rulu studied the man carefully. Despite the magnificent purple-and-gold garments he wore, the man's appearance was entirely unremarkable — the kind of face one forgets the moment it's out of sight. His mood seemed poor; his expression was fixed in a perpetual scowl, his bearing dull and lifeless, and his eyes carried a faint undercurrent of menace that inspired an instinctive aversion in anyone who looked at him.