Hou Hai folded his arms and looked at Xiaoling furiously. Xiaoling's arms visibly trembled as she stretched them before him to shield Zhenzhen from him. Zhenzhen panicked behind her and reached for her robes.
"Young Lady, don't do this!" Zhenzhen pleaded, "Y-Your Highness, please forgive Young Lady. She doesn't mean disobedience!"
Xiaoling dumbfoundedly turned slightly to look at Zhenzhen. She constantly shook her head, telling Xiaoling that going against Hou Hai was a mistake. But Xiaoling couldn't back off even if she wanted to.
"Your Highness, it's my fault I failed to teach her palace rules," Xiaoling confidently, "How about you… just punish me instead?" She hesitantly asked, scared of being beaten again.
Hou Hai scoffed and tried to walk past her, only for her to frantically grab his arm. He sighed and placed his palm on top of her hand, slowly pulling it away from his arm.
