Elder Wang checked the unconscious Zhao Jian, retrieved a green wooden token, and tossed it to the class. Teng Liang stood up, caught it, and bowed respectfully.

Elder Wang nodded in acknowledgment. “Class is dismissed for today. See you all next time.” He picked up the unconscious Zhao Jian and scanned the room once more, focusing particularly on three disciples. 'Who says Class X is hopeless? Today I’ve seen why the Dean insists on keeping this class. It’s truly a place where the academy's dark horses are cultivated. Moreover, today I witnessed some intriguing individuals, especially him.’ He glanced at Han Xiao, who sat with his eyes shut, shook his head with an exasperated expression, sighed, and walked out of the hall, followed by the second elder. The instructors also left shortly after gathering all the scrolls.

Soon, the rest of the disciples began to leave the hall, leaving only Han Xiao and Han Xue behind.

Noticing Han Xiao lounging in a relaxed manner, Han Xue called out, “Stop pretending. Come here and greet your royal sister!” Her voice was elegant, laced with royal etiquette.

Han Xiao approached her, still with his eyes shut. “What do you want?” he asked.

“Where are your manners, Seventh Prince?” she screamed, finally revealing the sassy side few others ever saw.

“Oh, greetings! How are you, Xue Er?” he replied nonchalantly.

Han Xue reached out and lightly tapped him on the head. “Xue Er? You call me Xue Er? Have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten how to properly greet your royal elder sister?” She shook with irritation, breathing heavily.

“Eh! We’re only a few minutes apart in birth. If we had the same mother, we’d be like twins,” Han Xiao said, rubbing his head. “Oh, and the more I think about the story of our births, the more I feel let down.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the story. Let me retell it for you. On the day we were born, I was supposed to come first. But your mother had complications, and the royal physician and all the midwives rushed to help her. Meanwhile, my mother held back from giving birth to me as instructed by the physician. So, technically, you lucked out yourself to become my little sister.” Han Xiao finished with a smirk. There was something deep hidden in those words.

“Lucked out?”

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“Of course, you lucked out to become my adorable little sister.” Han Xiao held his chin and added, “You know I really adore little sisters. Especially one like you. I’d let you be spoiled, but what a terrible fate—you’ve had to look after me and clean up my messes all this time. I feel bad for you. Why don’t you just acknowledge me as your elder brother? Believe me, I’m the...”

She bumped his head with her fist again and snorted, “I’m better off as your elder sister. See, I can beat you up all day long and no one will have a reason to chastise me. And who would want to be the little sister of such a useless brother?”

In reality, both Han Xiao and Han Xue, along with their royal siblings, were well aware of the true events of that day. On that fateful day, the renowned physician Bian Que, seeking to repay a favor to their father Jia An, attended to both royal concubines for their deliveries. Upon examining their pulses, Bian Que predicted that Han Xiao’s mother would give birth over three and a half hours before Han Xue’s mother.

As Han Xiao’s mother was amid delivery, complications arose with Han Xue’s mother, drawing Bian Que’s immediate attention and leaving only a single midwife to assist Han Xiao’s mother. Remarkably, due to Han Xue’s unique physiology, her delivery proved more challenging than anticipated, causing a stir as she was born. The Han Royal Palace atmosphere abruptly shifted, the weather turned cold and windy, and snow began to fall. Fortunately, the palace had enough experts to swiftly seal her powers.

Amidst the chaos, Bian Que's attention was diverted from Han Xiao's delivery. By the time he arrived, Han Xiao had already been safely delivered by the diligent midwife. Bian Que faced a dilemma, as three critical events jeopardized his reputation: his incorrect prediction of Han Xue’s delivery time, his inability to assist in Han Xiao’s birth, and the unexpected scenario of aiding in the delivery of a princess while a newly appointed midwife successfully delivered a prince. To safeguard his reputation, he held extensive discussions with Jia An and devised a plan: he officially declared Han Xue’s birth a few minutes earlier than Han Xiao’s, despite the midwife’s records indicating the opposite.

Upon learning the truth, Han Xue confronted the midwife and verified the sequence of events. However, the rigid palace etiquette surpassed any personal feelings; since childhood, Han Xiao and Han Xue had been taught to acknowledge each other's seniority, and this practice became ingrained in their interactions.

Han Xiao had little choice but to adhere to these rules, ingrained in them since early childhood. Despite becoming aware of the truth, he continued to greet Han Xue as his elder sister, although their relationship dwindled to mere greetings over time, contrasting their earlier days as playful toddlers.

Yet, this newfound courage from Han Xiao to openly discuss the matter after all these years struck a chord with Han Xue. It allowed her to view Han Xiao in a different light. Despite the political complexities of their birth, Han Xiao remained her elder brother in essence, beyond the tangled circumstances of their past.

“Stop rambling about those unnecessary things. If Father heard you then,…”

"Enough about those matters. Father isn't here to hear you," Han Xiao interjected calmly. "We're deep inside the Tianfu Sword Palace in Zhao Nation."

His expression hardened. "And what more could he do to punish me? He banished me here for speaking out against him selling out our elder sisters for political gain. The old man keeps disappointing me, starting with how he manipulated our birth order just to please Physician Bian Que."

Han Xue sensed the strong undercurrent of anger in his words. She gently cautioned, "Even so, it's not right to speak ill of our father... Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Han Xiao replied.

"I'm curious. What would you do if I were forced into a political marriage against my will?" Her eyes sparkled with intensity.

"Hmm, you don't need to ponder that. Unless I'm dead or driven mad by some twist of fate, I would do exactly what I did for our sisters when their marriages were manipulated," Han Xiao answered with a serious tone, his eyes briefly revealing their pitch-black, almost demonic appearance before returning to normal.

Han Xue wasn't intimidated by his eyes. Instead, she felt a strange warmth in his words, sensing safety for the first time. "So, what do you plan to do?"

"Deal with those bastards!" A sudden surge of Curse Qi influenced him, prompting a wolfish growl as a small white wolf pup emerged from his shirt. It leaped onto his left shoulder and began licking his face, calming him down.