The prince narrowed his eyes, studying the drenched, flailing girl in front of him. Something was… off. She didn't act like any noble, or traveler, or ordinary villager he had ever seen. Her movements were wild, her words nonsense, and her eyes were darting everywhere like a startled rabbit.
Suspicion grew in his mind. They were hunting an assassin, after all. Could she be one of them, pretending to be foolish to lower their guard?
His voice came out low and firm.
"Are you from this kingdom?"
Xiaoyun blinked, still half convinced there were ghosts dropping from the sky. "HAAA?! Me? From here? From where? From… wait… which place IS this again?" she babbled, sounding more like a lost child than a dangerous assassin.
The prince frowned. That was enough for him.
"Capture her. Lock her in the prison."
The guards almost dropped their weapons in shock. Prison? Already? His Highness never made a judgment so quickly. Usually, he interrogated, investigated, thought things through. But this time—one question, one nonsense answer, and he was done.
The guards whispered behind their spears as they half-dragged, half-carried Princess Xiaoyun.
"She's really special…" one muttered.
"Yeah, very special," another chuckled, "the first person in history to be sent to prison in less than five minutes." 🤣
"And the first person to soak His Highness like a laundry rag… splashhh!" 😜
Their giggles were cut short when the prince turned his head slowly, eyes narrowing. One glare was enough—instant silence. You could hear a mosquito sweat.
But Xiaoyun wasn't paying attention. She gasped, her eyes wide.
"ASSASSINS?!" she squeaked. "Where?! Show me, show meee! I've never seen a real one before! Do they have scary scars? Long swords? Ohhh, do they walk like this—" she bent her knees and waddled like a crab, "—hunting people from the shadows?"
The guards bit their lips, shoulders shaking.
The prince's voice cut through her little performance.
"You want to see an assassin? Easy. Just look in a mirror."
Xiaoyun froze, then clutched her cheeks like she'd just seen a ghost.
"MEEEE?! Nooo! How dare you! Me, an assassin? You… You're nothing but a big, soggy FROG!" 🐸
The guards' faces twisted as they held back their laughter. One let out a tiny snort and immediately coughed to cover it.
The prince's jaw tightened. His gaze swept over her mud-splattered clothes, tangled hair, and water-dripping sleeves.
"Hmph. Look at yourself. You're puffed up, swollen, and ridiculous. You look exactly like… a puffer fish." 🐡
Xiaoyun's eyes widened.
"WHAT? Excuse you! At least puffer fish are cute! People draw them, make toys out of them! Who in their right mind would cuddle a frog?!"
The prince arched a brow.
"And who told you frogs aren't cute? I see one standing in front of me. Very… lively."
Xiaoyun stomped her foot.
"Frogs are slimy! Frogs croak at night! Frogs eat disgusting flies! Do you eat flies too, Your Highness? Should I fetch you some buzzing snacks?" 🪰🤣
The prince's eye twitched.
"At least frogs can swim without drowning the entire shore. You shoved me into the water like a mad bull. That makes you a… muddy rhinoceros."
"MUDDY RHINOCEROS?!" Xiaoyun gasped, hand on her chest. "How dare you! At least rhinos are strong and majestic! You're just a damp towel with legs!"
The guards' shoulders were now shaking violently.
The prince snapped back, "Better a towel than a featherbrain who mistakes soldiers for ghosts!"
Xiaoyun huffed, pointing at him dramatically.
"You're mean! MEAN frog! At least frogs sing at night. Do you sing, Your Highness? Or do you just ribbit people to sleep? Ribbit ribbit~ 🐸🎶"
The guards nearly collapsed. One whispered, barely breathing,
"She's the first person who ever made His Highness sound like a pond animal." 🤣
Another added, tears streaming down his face,
"And the first person who can turn an argument into… whatever THIS is. Frogs, fish, rhinos, towels… did they both lose their brains in the lake?" 🤣🤣
Another added,
"Argue? This isn't arguing. This is… pond life vs aquarium life." 🤣🤣
Xiaoyun and the prince stood nose-to-nose, both red—not from embarrassment, but from sheer stubbornness.
"You—overgrown bullfrog!" she yelled.
"You—delusional puffball!" he shot back.
"You—wet scarecrow!"
"You—walking disaster!"
"You—you—you frog prince!"
"…!" The prince's eye twitched dangerously.
The prince's jaw clenched at that last one. His glare could have frozen fire. The guards quickly looked away, shaking from suppressed laughter.
Never in their lives had they seen their serious, disciplined prince bicker like this… like a sulky child who'd lost a game.
That last insult hit harder than any sword. The prince's glare could have frozen fire. His patience finally snapped.
"ENOUGH!" he roared. "Take her to the prison. Now."
The guards jumped, nearly saluting in panic. Xiaoyun's eyes went wide.
"PRISON?! But I didn't even do anything! He's the frog! The FROG!" she shouted, pointing at the prince as the soldiers dragged her away, still flailing her arms and legs like a child throwing a tantrum.
The guards carried her off, their faces red from suppressing laughter. Never in their lives had they seen such a scene: their solemn, serious prince completely drenched, out-argued, and called a frog prince by a muddy girl who looked like she'd fallen straight out of a storm.
And so, Princess Xiaoyun became the first person in history to be tossed into the kingdom's prison within mere minutes of arriving.