"Isn't it obvious? Bai Yunyu, my beloved, I will always be by your side."

"H—How? You're an Imperial Prince. You're not supposed to be here! Where is your entourage? Your guards and servants?"

"What Imperial Prince?" Huang Shu asked lightly as if they were just talking about trivial stuff.

That short question put a chill in Yunyu's heart. He thought it wouldn't be possible, hoping that Huang Shu was just joking. But from the likes of it, there was no way Huang SHu could leave the Imperial Palace without anyone guarding him. Even worse, he was now the coachman for a mere peasant!

"N—No, this is not what it's supposed to be done!" Yunyu was erratic as he realized that Huang SHu had discarded everything he got for something so ridiculous. He tossed his status as an Imperial Prince for a peasant Ger.

Huang Shu chuckled, "Relax, Yun'er. This is all my choice. I've decided to discard my rank, so I can follow you. Don't think much about it. It's just a rank anyway. As long as I can stay with you, I can discard any rank I have."

"But that's your birthright! Don't you understand what idiocy you did just now?" Bai Yunyu tried to pull Huang Shu's collar. "Y—You should return to the Imperial Palace, kowtow, and beg to him that you want your position to be restored. This is wrong, Huang Shu!"

Huang Shu stared at Bai Yunyu, who struggled to stop him from controlling the horse. He asked Yunyu, "So you don't want me to be with you?"

"You don't understand! It's not about that. This is about your birthright as the Imperial Prince!" Bai Yunyu replied. "I will not allow you to discard something you have since your birth, just because of what? Because of—"

"Because of you," Huang Shu snippet. "I will never leave you, Yunyu. You fill my dream as you fill my reality, and you expect me to forget all of our sweetness together?"

"Yunyu, there is no rank more important than you," Huang Shu confessed.

Yunyu's cheeks reddened, but he still didn't want to admit that he was touched by Huang Shu. He tried to make Huang Shu regret this.

"Hmph, I don't care about you anyway. You're just being an idiot here. I don't love you at all!" Yunyu yelled, hoping that Huang Shu would turn his back.

But Huang Shu only smiled and replied, "It's fine. I know what is deep in your heart right now. I love you too, Yunyu."

[Pupa: Ding! Fatemeter increases to 75%. This is good growth, a very natural one.]

[Hehe, told you, right? His love for me is sincere and beautiful.]

[Pupa: Then how about your love for him?]

[…]

Bai Yunyu looked away and then scoffed at Huang Shu, "Remember, I will not accept you. You must return to the Imperial Palace!"

Huang Shu smiled, he knew that Yunyu was secretly happy with his presence, but he wanted to prioritize Huang Shu's rank as Imperial Prince.

'But you're my priority, Yunyu.'

**

The military caravan stopped for a rest. The soldiers glanced at their former Imperial Prince, Seventh Prince Huang Shu. He humbly sat with the soldiers on the ground, eating a loaf of wheat bread and water served for the common soldiers.

The news about Seventh Prince, who personally requested his rank to be stripped off just to follow his beloved Ger spread around the Imperial Palace and the soldiers, then it spread like wildfire in the Capital City.

They just didn't expect something so ridiculous, many called him a brave man who followed his heart, but the other called him a fool who was enamored by a mere peasant Ger.

Even after he was stripped of his rank, Huang Shu's handsomeness didn't falter. His tall and gallant posture already showed that he was no mere soldier either. In fact, he fits more as their Commander or a high-ranked general.

Everyone was too scared to talk with the Seventh Prince until a soldier braced himself and tried to talk to the Seventh Prince. He just replied, "Please refer me as my name, Huang Shu, no need to put an honorary title. I am no longer a Prince."

"But Your Highness—I mean, Huang Shu, is it really true that you stripped your own rank because of a peasant Ger?"

Huang Shu smiled and confirmed it, "Yes, I've fallen in love with a Ger that is now the National champion. He is both smart and strong, though it's quite difficult for me to catch him because he is quite slippery."

Huang Shu chuckled at his own joke, "But yes, I'm no longer a prince because I want to follow my beloved Bai Yunyu. I will follow him everywhere."

The soldiers were so impressed by Huang Shu's humility and devotion, they started to flock around him and then introduced themselves. Some of them even asked Huang Shu if he wanted to be their leader because they were drawn by his charisma.

Meanwhile, Yunyu watched from his carriage. His eyes didn't leave Huang Shu's back. He was both worried and pleased when he listened to what Huang Shu said. But when Huang Shu turned in his direction, he looked away immediately.

[He is so humble, eh? This is so different than the previous Huang Shu. Pupa, he doesn't remember anything, right? He shouldn't remember anything from the previous timelines.]

[Pupa: He doesn't remember anything, but traumatic experiences throughout the timelines caused him to develop a subconscious hatred towards few things, including the throne.]

**

It took one month and a half for them to reach the northern border. The temperatures gradually dropped as they entered the garrison. The Commander assigned the soldiers to their stations. And then, he brought Yunyu to his medium-sized room with a wooden bed and blanket. There were plenty of cupboards for him to stack his books, papers, et cetera.

"This will be your room from now on, you will eat with the soldiers, but you will have extra food delivered every night. I know that thinking requires a lot of energy," the Commander said.

"Thank you, Commander," Bai Yunyu bowed his head.

"Okay, I will leave now, I shall call you tomorrow, and I will ask someone to give you a tour around the garrison."

"Commander, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"How about the soldier's barrack? Is it… proper enough? Does it have a bed and necessity for them to live properly?"

The Commander smiled when he heard the question. It was obvious that Yunyu was worried for the Seventh Prince, "They have proper barrack to live, it might not be as good as yours, but they still have a proper one. Our nation is not poor, and His Majesty is a generous one. Especially since his son has been drafted here. He gives us more than needed, and he secretly watched over his son."

"As for you, Bai Yunyu, I believe you know about Seventh Prince already. You know his motivation to come here. You should realize how brave Seventh Prince is to strip his own birthright for you."

"… Yes, Commander, I understand."

The Commander chuckled as he left the room, "Young bloods."