Chapter 7

Far away in Stellaris, Evelina had no idea she'd achieved instant fame overnight.

Someone had recorded a video of what she said at Ivan's birthday party. After it was uploaded, it spread rapidly among the citizens of Centoria, and her reputation flipped at lightning speed.

The males of Centoria now had an entirely different impression of Evelina. Although she was an Inferior, considering how many females treated their husbands as nothing more than possessions, someone like her felt like an exceedingly rare treasure.

Who wouldn't want a wife who doted on them? They wouldn't mind being her husband, despite the fact that she couldn't soothe them in their ruts.

But Evelina herself knew nothing about any of this. She was currently clutching the resonance crystal, her expression frustrated.

A resonance crystal worth a million gold astra was nothing more than a decorative item in her hands. She had considered giving it to Jasper, but this thing could only be activated by a female's mind force… and an Inferior like her couldn't do it.

Was it possible to sell it off?

She wondered if there was some kind of secondhand resale platform where she could sell items like this. This was an item of genuine rarity. And with only 70 thousand gold astras left in her bank account, she was entirely focused on getting more money.

Truth be told, it was pretty easy for her to do that. All she had to do was give in to the queen and cajole her for a bit, and the money would come rolling in.

But Evelina didn't dare to do it. Having the original Evelina's memories didn't mean she could truly replace her.

She only managed to fool Hadrian because the two rarely met over the last few years. But if she had to deal with the original Evelina's parents, she couldn't be sure she wouldn't expose herself. Therefore, she decided to avoid meeting the king and queen for as long as possible and cross that bridge when she came to it.

After taking a shower, Jasper felt his way out by following the wall.

Evelina turned at the sound and saw him approaching in a bathrobe. He knelt and leaned against her legs. Her eyes widened, and she immediately pressed one foot against his chest.

"What are you doing?"

Was his eyesight really that bad? She was sitting right here, and he still walked right into her because he couldn't see her clearly? She was starting to worry about whether he could even walk normally.

Jasper froze with her foot pressed against his chest. His eyes flickered with confusion. Was the princess dissatisfied with his performance?

But he didn't know how to please a female in this particular regard. No one had ever taught him what to do.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Evelina didn't think much of it. She stood up and walked past Jasper to open the door. A parcel had just arrived for her.

Earlier, she had bought several sets of clothes for Jasper through her personal terminal. She had to admit that the interstellar era really was amazing. Online shopping was far from being just a little more advanced than modern times—it was on an entirely different level.

It only took five minutes for the order she just placed to arrive!

She signed for the parcel, then turned around, took Jasper's hand, and led him toward the bedroom.

"I bought you some clothes. Go try them on."

Jasper was pulled into the bedroom. He heard the princess turn around, close the door, and leave. Confused, he touched the soft fabric in his hands.

What was Evelina trying to do?

Evelina had no idea what was going through Jasper's mind. She thought of him the way an older adult thought of a teenager, completely forgetting that this body of hers was only 18 years old as well.

Just then, the doorbell rang again.

She opened the door, thinking she had missed something from the previous delivery. But instead, she saw Ivan standing there with a cold expression.

The moment Ivan saw the door open, he walked straight in without waiting for an invitation. And he didn't even bother to look at Evelina as he questioned her icily, "Just what are you getting at, Your Highness?"

Caught off guard, Evelina failed to stop him from entering. "What are you doing here?"

"Why are you pretending to be clueless, Your Highness?" Ivan retorted, his expression mocking.

"The variety show and endorsement deals I had already signed were all canceled today. The few producers I usually have good relationships with have all blocked my personal terminal account as well. What exactly are you trying to achieve, Your Highness?"

Evelina couldn't be more confused. "Is it my fault that you're not good enough in your abilities and have terrible relationships with other people?"

"Aren't you the one pulling the strings behind my back?" Ivan eyed her scornfully. "Everyone in Centoria knows how you humiliated me at my birthday party. You're also using your authority to force me to submit to you and come to you. Well, are you satisfied now?"

Evelina blinked. Now that she thought about it, this matter was indeed somewhat related to her. She'd finally taken the time to withdraw all the resources she had previously given Ivan.

After all, she wasn't the original Evelina, so why should she continue to spoonfeed him everything? But what was this about the entirety of Centoria knowing about it?

Ivan took her silence for admission of guilt and eyed her in disappointment. "I never thought you'd do such a thing, Evelina."

After listening to him, Evelina glanced at him indifferently. "And I never thought you could be this shameless."

"What was that?"

Evelina's smile didn't reach her eyes. "I already said we should no longer have any contact, so why did you come running over to my house? All I did was take back everything I once gave you, Ivan. If you're suddenly unable to get any work because of that, is that not evidence of your own incompetence?"

Ivan was speechless. For a moment, he didn't know how to refute her.

It was a fact that all of the resources he enjoyed came from Evelina, who'd used her royal connections to bestow everything upon him.

"I don't like you anymore," Evelina declared matter-of-factly. "And I'm a princess. I'm very busy, so I don't have the time to waste on you. Kindly stop pestering me from now on."

Ivan's features twisted in anger. She said he was pestering her? She was the one who'd been pestering him for three whole years!

He was about to speak when he looked up and saw someone walking out behind Evelina. His lips curled into a mocking smile.

"You're very busy, huh? Busy fooling around with that lowly creature?"

Evelina followed his gaze and turned around. Her eyes instantly lit up.

Jasper stood in the doorway, having changed into a new outfit. His silver wolf ears twitched slightly.

The simple black shirt outlined his lean waist and defined muscles. His silver hair was still slightly damp as it rested against his forehead. And the tattoo on his face added a touch of mystique and fragility to his skin.

Evelina now knew why the heroine had selected him. He was indeed a handsome, puppy-eyed male.

The moment Jasper stepped out, he caught the scent of an unfamiliar male. He vaguely heard the conversation between the two and hesitated over whether he should interrupt them.

Was this the male rumored to be the one Evelina had pursued relentlessly?

When Ivan saw the appreciation in Evelina's eyes, he gritted his teeth and let out a mocking laugh.

"Hah! Who was it that said last night she would restrain herself and treat her future husband well? And now, just one day later, you're getting involved with a filthy slave? You've brought disgrace to the entire royal family, Evelina!"

Evelina's expression turned cold. "You'd better watch your mouth, Ivan! Jasper is not a slave. He is my guard!"

Jasper froze. Guard?

"Your guard?" Ivan looked as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He pointed at the tattoo on Jasper's face. "That is the mark of a penal slave! You're making a penal slave your guard?"

"Why not? He's an S-class male. What gives you, an A-class, the right to question his abilities?" Evelina retorted.

Ivan could hardly believe she was actually speaking to him like this. So what if this slave was S-class? He was still a penal slave, the lowliest of social classes! How could this slave compare to him?

Meanwhile, Evelina's expression was dark as night. She jabbed a finger at Ivan and snapped, "I'm now ordering you to get out of my sight!"

But Ivan didn't take her seriously. He stood where he was, declaring with absolute confidence, "You'd better think carefully now. If I walk out this door today, I will never come back here—I will never see you again."

He didn't believe Evelina could truly bear to let him leave. Wasn't this just a prolonged stunt in order to get his attention?

If she hadn't been a princess, he wouldn't even bother glancing in the direction of a C-class inferior like her.

Evelina completely lost all patience. She turned to Jasper. "I want you to throw him out. Can you do it?"

Jasper was still wondering whether she'd meant it when she called him her guard. Hearing the order, he immediately nodded.

"Yes."

He could tell from Ivan's aura that the latter was just an A-class, so it wouldn't take much effort. He immediately headed toward Ivan.

Ivan couldn't believe it. He was forced to retreat while shouting, "Evelina! Have you lost your mind? Tell him to get away from me!"

Evelina crossed her arms and waited to see what Jasper could do.

Jasper grabbed Ivan by the shoulder and swung his arm. Ivan screamed as his entire body flew out of the doorway like a piece of discarded cloth and landed heavily on the ground, even rolling twice in pathetic fashion.

The pain turned his face pale, and the humiliation rolled through him.

"Evelina Vellmore! Don't even think that I'll ever speak to you again!"

And with that, he staggered to his feet and left without looking back.

Evelina gasped in amazement. Jasper had thrown an almost six-foot-tall male out with a single swing of his arm! That was so cool of him. It was no wonder he was one of the heroine's strongest guards.