In that instant, Zu An thought about many things. He even wondered if this spacetime fragment was the segment of history missing from the world he knew. All sorts of time travel terminology came to his mind.

When he remembered that this world’s Mermaid race did have a Shang surname, he felt that there was indeed likely a connection with the present era.

Then what about the Gong surname? Considering the pride the queen showed, the Gong surname was clearly the surname that carried absolute superiority throughout history. So why is it that there was no trace of it at all in the present?

Could it be that something ended up happening to the Mermaid race, which caused the Gong bloodline to completely disappear?

He couldn't help but shiver when he thought of that. He recalled recent events.

If I hadn’t appeared when the Mermaid Queen went to Four Way Palace, she would’ve most likely failed. Even if she managed to escape by a fluke, she wouldn’t have been able to survive the entrance of Mojard’s group just now.

Could it be that the Mermaid race’s Gong bloodline was completely destroyed because of what happened here, and that was why they were replaced by the Shang clan?

Now that Zu An had saved the Mermaid Queen, the Gong surname would still occupy the most powerful position of the Mermaid race. Then wouldn’t that mean the Shang surname would no longer hold that position in the future?

Once he had that thought, Zu An started to panic. Even though he had a favorable impression of the beautiful Mermaid Queen in front of him and was willing to help her too, if it ended up harming the Shang sisters, that was definitely something he wasn’t willing to see happen.

“What’s wrong?” the Mermaid Queen urgently asked when she sensed that something was wrong with his mood.

“It’s nothing.” Zu An was also a bit perplexed when he saw the genuine concern in her expression.

The Mermaid Queen is a really good person. Do I really just have to watch as she dies to Mojard?

But if I save her, what if that ends up causing a problem with the Shang sisters? What do I do then?

“Ah~”

A voice that resembled the sounds of nature gradually filled the air, and Zu An’s chaotic feelings gradually calmed down. Both his breathing and blood flow were restored to their best condition. It was clear that someone had applied some positive effects to his body.

He looked at the nearby beauty with a complicated expression. “Thank you, queen.”

The mermaids’ songs were works of art that harmonized with the spiritual essence of the world, as expected.

“It was no trouble. I sensed that your complexion seemed to have suddenly worsened, so I just made some sounds.” The Mermaid Queen’s face turned a bit red. “By the way, I said that you were my… Well, don’t treat those words as truth. I just said them to deal with the problem at hand.”

Peach blinked.

Huh? What are these two playing at? Why don’t I seem to get what is going on?

Zu An nodded slightly. “This humble one understands. The queen needs not worry.”

When she saw how straightforward he was and that his emotions weren’t affected at all, the Mermaid Queen began to start questioning life a bit.

Could it be that in his eyes, I really am just that lacking in charm?

Any man who received her appreciation would immediately lose control of themselves. There was no way they would be able to remain this calm. This wasn’t her being self-absorbed; rather, it had been proven by countless similar situations throughout her life.

She suddenly thought of something.

It seems the one he remembers is still Suyin, whom he went through all those trials and tribulations with, after all.

When there was another woman on a man's mind, no matter how beautiful other women were, he wouldn’t be shaken in the slightest.

Aiya, it must be because my charm is just too great. Even when I'm pretending to be ugly, I can still make a guy like me in a short amount of time.

She briefly felt happy when she realized that, but it soon gave way to annoyance.

Did I go too far?

He likes the other me, but if he finds out that that person is fake, won’t he be really hurt?

Do I really have to get to know him with this real identity? But the difference between us is so huge. It’d be impossible for us to be together!

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

I have to find a way to nip that love he has in the bud before it grows... But I absolutely cannot hurt him.

Ahhh this is so annoying! If I'd known things would end up like this, I wouldn’t have done all that acting.

Is there any way for me to make it up to him?

Her eyes shifted to the overjoyed Peach.

Should I give Peach to him?

Even though Peach is young, she is pretty. I know just how many guards like her…

No way, no way!

For some reason, she immediately felt a bit annoyed as soon as that thought arose. She seemed to be subconsciously resistant to that plan.

Peach is my personal maid. Even though she is a bit slow in some aspects, she is very devoted to me. How can I just randomly give her to someone?

Yeah, it has to be this way!

She suddenly snapped out of her daze and looked at Peach. “Right, you still haven’t explained to me what happened before. Where did Deputy Officer Sha go?”

Zu An sighed. It seemed that in the end, he couldn't avoid that topic.

Apart from that, Peach was already feeling really pent up. She quickly explained with exaggerated emotion, “Deputy Officer Sha barged in with murderous intent and wanted to seize us to threaten you outside. Then, future… ahem. The young master interfered and killed Deputy Officer Sha.

“I don’t know what he did, but with a wave of his hand, Deputy Officer Sha’s corpse disappeared too. That was why the Incestuous King didn’t notice anything when he came to investigate. The young master really is amazing! He already predicted what the enemy would do…”

The maid was explaining everything in high spirits, but the smile on the Mermaid Queen’s face froze.

What? This foolish guard actually killed Deputy Officer Sha?

How could someone like this possibly kill him? How could he win against him?!

She was very pretty and there were many people with bad intentions who tried to approach her through all kinds of different ways. That was why she immediately realized that this guy had been fooling her this entire time! She hadn't thought of it before, but now that she linked it all up together, many suspicions now made sense.

This guy’s strength was clearly low, and yet he displayed a calm that didn’t match his ability.

He clearly seemed as if he didn’t know much about the world, and yet he was able to face me completely normally even after seeing my appearance.

He was probably just acting calm to gain my good intentions, right?

And he was able to change his appearance so easily with just a mask. The face I saw before might not even be real.

For some reason, she didn’t feel much anger, only a sense of heartache. “Just who are you really?” she asked as she stared at Zu An, unwilling to let go of even a single change in his expression.

As she spoke, Peach was in high spirits, but her story came to an abrupt halt when she heard that. She looked at the Mermaid Queen, then back at Zu An.

Wait, weren’t the two of you putting on some kind of act?

I was even starting to get confused by the two of you.

He was already about to become your husband, yet you’re still asking who he is?

Zu An opened his mouth, but the Mermaid Queen interrupted before he could say anything. “Don’t tell me you're some Eddie Peng or any nonsense like that!”

Since the disguise was fake and his skills were fake, that name was clearly also fake. Their relationship was actually founded entirely on lies! She discovered that even breathing was a bit hard right now.

Zu An was speechless. He sighed and said, “I must ask for the queen’s forgiveness. I didn’t intend to fool you; rather, there are just some important reasons that I can't tell you my true name.”

He didn’t want to disturb the timeline and cause some irreparable damage to his future world. After all, whether it was him or the Mermaid Queen, both of them were influential figures of their respective timelines.

“Good, you really are quite something.” The Mermaid Queen chuckled a few times, but there was no smile on her face at all. “Then did you already know who I was from the very start?”