Officially, the ball was meant for selecting the crown princess, but in reality it was just one massive matchmaking party. All the invited males were the absolute top-tier elites, while every single invited female had a ranked spiritual power. The video of Nian Yan calming the furious black mamba had gone totally viral on the Star Network, so naturally she had caught the royal family's eye.
Meanwhile, over at the royal palace, the atmosphere was incredibly tense. The emperor and empress were both stressed out of their minds, and all because right after the invitations were sent out, things had gone horribly wrong.
The crown prince had disappeared.
That same day, just as Nian Yan walked into the courtyard, she saw a snow-white little furball curled up on the swing. Stepping closer to take a look, she was instantly, completely melted by its cuteness. It was so soft and fluffy all over, looking just like a cloud of cotton candy.
But wait. It had the character for king on its forehead, looking absolutely adorable but somehow majestic, exactly like a tiny, ungrown tiger cub.
Nian Yan fought back an overwhelming urge to just scoop it up and pet it, carefully inspecting it from head to tail. Finally, she came to a conclusion. This was just a normal little kitty, not a beastman. Because a male beastman's animal form would always have at least a little bit of dark mist swirling around it. And this little kitty didn't have a single trace of dark mist. It was completely clean.
Since it wasn't a beastman, Nian Yan excitedly reached out her naughty little hands. With her natural gift for making animals love her, the little white kitty didn't stand a chance either. It let out the sweetest, squeakiest little meows at the girl and then dove headfirst right into her soft, sweet-smelling embrace. It was so cozy that it even rolled over and showed its tummy.
But no one could have ever guessed that this clingy, cuddly little baby was actually the crown prince of the Empire.
As an incredibly rare double S-class male, the crown prince's beast form was the ancestral divine white tiger. To hide from danger and build up his energy, he would often shrink back down into his juvenile form. And a baby white tiger basically just looked like a little white kitty. This was a top secret of the royal family. Nobody outside the direct bloodline knew a thing about it.
Watching the little white kitty rolling around and acting so cute in her arms, Nian Yan's heart was totally melting. She buried her face in its fluffy head, giving it a million crazy kisses.
It was just a little pity, though. Her eyes accidentally drifted down to a certain spot, and she let out a tiny snort. This super clingy and cuddly little kitty was actually a boy. But she stubbornly named him Cotton Candy anyway, with the cute nickname Tang Tang.
Figuring that little Tang Tang might be hungry, she headed off to the kitchen to whip him up a snack. When Lu Zan heard she was cooking for a stray cat, his face instantly darkened. He insisted Nian Yan take him to see it.
But by the time they got back to the swing, the little kitty was nowhere to be found. Lu Zan figured the creature was obviously hiding from him. He warned Nian Yan that this cat had a sketchy background, and that it might actually be a beastman who had sneaked in.
But Nian Yan firmly shot that idea down, totally confident because it didn't have any dark mist.
Lu Zan had to admit she had a point, because as long as someone was a male beastman, even if they were underage, their frenzy levels would never just be at zero. So maybe it really was just a normal cat.
With the kitty running off, Nian Yan felt a little empty inside. Luckily, she had other things to do, which quickly washed away her disappointment.
Getting ready for the grand ball a month away, Nian Yan had asked Lu Zan to find her a ballroom dancing instructor, and right on cue, Coleman arrived a little early.
He looked way different from his resume photo. In person, the man was far more mature and incredibly elegant. Every little move he made was so dripping with charm that it would make countless young male beastmen pale in comparison. Thankfully, he was already over three hundred years old and happily married.
He was a very professional private tutor, but still, it made Lu Zan instantly tense up.
Nian Yan's polite and friendly attitude instantly won Coleman over. He couldn't help but want to design a custom evening gown just for her. Tutoring was just a little side gig for when he got bored. His true identity was actually the absolute top fashion designer in the entire Empire. It was just that he was semi-retired now, almost never taking personal orders anymore. If someone could show up to the royal ball wearing a custom gown handmade by Coleman, it would be an absolute honor that everyone would die for.
But Nian Yan had absolutely no idea. So she nodded without hesitation and agreed. "I completely trust your taste."
After the two-hour tutoring session ended, Nian Yan thought of that fluffy, sweet little cat again. She thought taking a stroll in the courtyard might give her a chance to see it. Unfortunately, she searched for a long time, but found absolutely nothing.
With the little cat constantly on her mind, she slept very restlessly that night. In her dream, the tiny white cat actually transformed into a towering, ferocious tiger and gently gave her a rose.
The moment she opened her eyes, she was still reminiscing about the two fluffy creatures from her dream, one giant and one tiny, secretly wishing it could all be real. She would definitely kidnap Cotton Candy and take him home to keep.
Then she noticed there was actually a real rose sitting right on her windowsill.
She froze for a long moment, then spun around and bolted toward the courtyard.
Seeing Nian Yan rush out of her bedroom in such a panic, Lu Zan chased after her with a heavy, serious expression. He followed her all the way to the swing in the courtyard, where he finally laid eyes on the little white cat she had mentioned yesterday.
He watched with his own eyes as Nian Yan buried her face right into the little cat's fluffy belly, holding it in her arms and kissing it over and over again. A wave of bitterness washed over Lu Zan's heart, though it was mixed with a tiny spark of relief. Thank goodness this was just an ordinary little cat and not some male beastman.
It took Nian Yan quite a while to finally pull herself away and look up. Realizing that her crazy, obsessive cat-cuddling had actually been witnessed by Lu Zan, she suddenly felt extremely shy. Blushing furiously, she begged him to make a portion of the cat food she had talked about yesterday. Then she took the sweet-smelling rose, tucked it beautifully into her hair, and began playfully teasing Cotton Candy.