Deviant: No Longer Human

Xinyue Zhilan shook her head, sinking back onto the bed and rubbing her forehead in frustration. "It's bad... I don't know what we can do or what we can't..." She glanced toward Mei, the weight of the situation bearing down on her.

The "Prince" Mei referred to could only mean the Eight Prince, the sole ruler of the most mysterious and hidden continent in the world—Atlantia.

If her daughter had truly been harmed by him, the situation was far more complicated than she could have imagined.

They would need to gather significant support to stand against him, and even then, success was far from guaranteed.

She knew there were many who harbored grudges against the Eight Prince, who would leap at the chance to oppose him.

But to do that, Mei would have to reveal everything that had happened to her—a burden that would be crushing for her to bear.

Even then, dealing with the Eight Prince would be almost impossible.

His arrogance knew no bounds.

He had openly invited those who wished to kill him to enter his villa, flaunting his power and disdain for the law.

He was above the rules that governed others, and the law only held power because there was someone to enforce it.

But who would dare execute justice on one of the world's rulers?

Their only hope might lie with the Guardian of Asia, but even then, it was uncertain whether they could bring the Eight Prince to justice.

But the road ahead was uncertain, and the thought of dragging Mei into such a dangerous conflict tore at Zhilan's heart.

"You two... Calm down," Wang Mei urged, her voice firm yet gentle as she watched the mounting panic in her mother and sister's eyes.

Their frantic talk of defying the Eighth Prince was spiraling out of control, and she couldn't let their fears lead them to do something reckless.

Xinyue Zhilan and Wang Xueying, both striking in their own right, exchanged worried glances.

Xueying, with her delicate features and soft, her beauty marred by the worry creasing her smooth brow.

Mei, slightly younger with soft, glowing cheeks and a naturally youthful charm, felt her heart thud with anxiety.

She knew her mother and sister meant well, but their concerns were misplaced.

Was her mother, the ever-charming Xinyue Zhilan, truly considering going against the Eighth Prince?

Her mother's beauty had a mature voice, a mix of elegance and seduction that made her seem unshakable.

But now, even Zhilan's usually confident demeanor was filled by the tension tightening her full lips.

Mei's fear grew as she realized that every word they spoke against the Prince felt like a curse directed at Wang Xiao.

And that was something she simply couldn't bear.

"Huh?" Both Xinyue Zhilan and Wang Xueying turned to Mei in surprise, their worried expressions softening slightly at the calm resolve in her voice.

"Mei... he's not going to come back," Xueying said softly, her voice tinged with sadness as she tried to prepare her sister for what she believed was the inevitable truth.

She didn't know how to explain that the Prince had likely used Mei, that after getting what he wanted, he would simply vanish from her life.

Especially now that they knew his true identity.

Xueying's mind buzzed with understanding.

Her sister, so sweet and naive, had fallen into a trap that many young women did—the classic hero saves beauty tale.

Xueying could picture it clearly: Mei, with her wide, trusting eyes and delicate features, had probably been enchanted by the Prince after he saved her.

It was the kind of story that always captivated the innocent, drawing them in with promises of safety and protection.

But Mei wasn't defending the Eighth Prince out of gratitude or naivety.

She was defending him because he was Wang Xiao—her brother, and her first man.

And despite everything that had happened, she couldn't bring herself to turn against him.

She couldn't undo the past, but she could try to protect him from her family's wrath.

Earlier, Mei had been overwhelmed with fear.

But after learning Wang Xiao's true identity, she found herself relying on him again, trusting that he had reasons for his actions, reasons she didn't yet understand.

Despite her fear, there was a comfort in knowing that Wang Xiao, with his unfathomable power, was still looking out for them.

Determined to calm the storm brewing between her mother and sister, Mei moved to her handbag, her soft and slender fingers trembling slightly as she pulled out a folded piece of paper.

When Wang Xiao had given it to her earlier, she hadn't understood its significance.

But now, as she looked at her family, she felt certain that he had anticipated this moment, knowing they would need reassurance.

"Here... take this," she muttered softly, holding out the certificate toward Xueying and Xinyue Zhilan.

Both women, their beauty only heightened by the seriousness in their expressions, exchanged puzzled looks before stepping closer to examine the paper.

As they unfolded it, their eyes widened in disbelief.

"What is this...?" Wang Xueying whispered, her voice faltering as she stared at the document in her hand.

Her usually composed, delicate features now showed a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

"You've... married?" she asked, her voice tinged with exhaustion and exasperation, as if she couldn't deal with any more surprises.

The thought seemed so absurd that she struggled to wrap her mind around it, desperately needing to rest from this barrage of shocks.

"..."

Xinyue Zhilan's eyes were also fixed on the paper, her expression mirroring her daughter's disbelief.

It was a marriage certificate, officially registered under the jurisdiction of the Qing Dynasty, and bearing the signatures of both Wang Mei and the Eighth Prince.

For a moment, Zhilan was too stunned to react.

How could this be?

She had no way of verifying the Eighth Prince's signature herself, but she knew that no one would dare to forge it.

The consequences of impersonating him were severe—such fools never met a good end.

Wang Mei, feeling the weight of their gazes, bit her lip and shook her head. "The document still needs to be submitted to the civil affairs bureau," she explained quietly. In truth, she hadn't even signed it herself.

Somehow, Wang Xiao had obtained a perfect replica of her signature and had everything ready, anticipating this exact situation.

He hadn't offered any explanation when he handed it to her.

At the time, she had been too overwhelmed to question it.

But now, as everything started to fall into place, the pieces of the puzzle came together.

Wang Xiao had foreseen this, planned it all out, and now she was caught in the web of his plans.

Xinyue Zhilan slowly sank onto the edge of the bed, the reality of the situation beginning to settle in.

She looked at Mei, then at the certificate, and back at Mei, as if hoping the pieces would somehow make more sense. "Why didn't you tell us...?"