HRPM – Chapter 348 Sister’s got your back

After the villagers left, Auntie Zhang arranged for the two of them to stay in the same room.

The two sat there staring at each other.

Jin Luoluo grumbled indignantly,

“Look at the nonsense you made up. My image has completely collapsed. Now whenever those villagers look at me, their eyes are full of awe, as if I’m some kind of man-eating monster.”

Xiao Luo lounged comfortably against the heated brick bed, gazing out the window at the mountains and rivers beyond. He looked perfectly relaxed and carefree.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. As long as everyone believes we’re unfortunate travelers, that’s enough. Right now, the important thing is to recover from our injuries and wait for my subordinates to find us. Actually, this village isn’t bad at all. It’s like a hidden paradise. Living here means not having to worry about all the troubles of the capital. That has its own charm.”

“Not many people can be as carefree as you while being stranded. I certainly can’t. My father, my maids, and all my servants must be worried sick. By now they’ve probably beaten the government office drum to pieces looking for me.”

Jin Luoluo looked dejected.

“The thought of them worrying about me makes it impossible for me to relax. Unlike you, who seem completely heartless.”

“I’m on my own. Who would worry about me?”

Xiao Luo smiled faintly in self-mockery.

“One prince goes missing, and there are still plenty of other princes around. One more doesn’t make much difference, and one less doesn’t matter either.”

Hearing that made Jin Luoluo feel unexpectedly sad.

She was anxious because she feared her family would worry, but that anxiety was warm and comforting at the same time. It was proof that she was loved, a source of strength supporting her.

But Xiao Luo was the Emperor’s seventeenth brother. His father and mother were long gone. With so many royal siblings, even if they got along well, there had to be limits to their closeness.

Moreover, he usually avoided becoming too friendly with court officials, fearing the Emperor’s suspicion. As a result, he probably had very few close friends.

Tsk, tsk.

Who would have thought that the glamorous, scheming prince had such a lonely side to him?

“Poor little Xiao Luo.”

Jin Luoluo patted her chest heroically.

“Who says nobody worries about you? You’ve got Big Sister Luoluo worrying about you. Remember this: if anything happens in the future, just think of me as your protector. Even if you die, you’d better find a way to come back to life for me.”

“You’re truly unreasonable.”

Xiao Luo laughed.

“Even if I die, you still expect me to come back to life? And besides, I’m several years older than you, Little Sister Luoluo.”

His smile softened, and so did his eyes.

Whether others cared about him or not had never mattered much to him.

Life passed year after year regardless.

A person’s life belonged to themselves; as long as they cherished themselves, that was enough.

Yet hearing someone say they worried about him still warmed a corner of his heart.