MTL - Sweet Beauty - Chapter 21 grounding

[Special Containment Procedures]Calamity neared, and a special Containment Subject known as “Bonfire Company” awoke from its slumber, sending out invitation after invitation to join its ranks—“When The Night comes, there ought to be someone to light a fire, to illuminate in all directions.”At the same time, it also brought forth a prophecy.In the year 2044, at the end of a year, a dark disaster would descend from the heavens.

When the enigmatic and overpowered Kieran Drayke awakens in a foreign magical world after a sudden transmigration, he brings along a system unlike any this realm has ever known. The “Sovereign Architect System” doesn’t just make him invincible—it gives him the tools to build something far greater.But Kieran isn’t interested in world domination. At least, not in the usual way.Disillusioned by the world's surface-level glimmer and the rot beneath it, Kieran sets his sights on the forsaken—those discarded by society, lost in the shadows of nobility and corruption. From slums, war zones, and forgotten ruins, he gathers orphan girls of various races—elves, beastkin, humans, and more—each with untapped potential and pain behind their eyes.He trains them in secret. Guides them. Empowers them. Not as soldiers, but as a family. A hidden organization that operates behind the curtains, shaping the world while appearing as ordinary students at the prestigious Aetherion Magic Academy.Kieran himself? Just a carefree, slightly lazy transfer student with a penchant for sweets, sarcasm, and sneaking naps between classes—on the surface, at least.With a slow-burning plot that weaves magical worldbuilding, deep friendships, training arcs, casual comedy, and a cast of unforgettable girls who grow into queens of the unseen, Chronicles of the Hidden Crown explores what happens when an OP MC doesn’t conquer the world with brute force…But builds a legacy from its forgotten pieces.No betrayal. No forced drama. Just the steady rise of a secret kingdom in the shadows of a crumbling empire.

Twenty years ago, the Gu family’s eldest daughter, Gu Wan, went missing without any news on her whereabouts.

The Gu family was left with only the youngest daughter, Gu Chu, so they doted on her.

Twenty years later, Gu Wan returned. Gu Chu was thrilled and she showed her sister around the city, even giving her everything she treasured.

However, Gu Chu gradually realized that Gu Wan was here to take everything away from her, including her fiance! Their mother said, “We owe Gu Wan all of this. We all do, especially you! Gu Wan only went missing back then because you insisted on having a candy.

That’s why Gu Wan went out and ended up going missing!

She had suffered for twenty years out there! You will never be able to fully repay Gu Wan what you owed her!

Hence, the engagement with the Feng family should be given to Gu Wan!”

Their mother even said, “When we arranged this marriage with the Feng family, although we didn’t specify if it was for Gu Wan or Gu Chu, the elder child should take precedence.

Gu Wan should’ve been the first choice. And now that she’s back, she should take what was rightfully hers. What’s wrong with that?” Gu Chu wanted to defend herself.

She didn’t understand why Gu Wan would lie because she didn’t go missing because of her. Yet, the man chose to marry her sister, and that was when Gu Chu regained her senses.

It was just a man. Men weren’t reliable, so she didn’t want him anymore! Their mother even used their family’s shares to bribe Young Master Feng.

However, Gu Chu was surprised when the quiet and unsmiling Young Master Feng suddenly had a change of personality.

Three times a day, he would propose to her. Gu Chu asked, “Are you in such a hurry to have a wife?” Young Master Feng answered, “I’ve been planning this for a long time. Please bear with me.”

Later on, Gu Chu found out his secret. So he had actually been planning for a long time after all…

He’s the apathetic, sinister school prince, she’s the silly, joyous new student.

When the simple girl meets the sharp-tongued boy——

Gu Zichen: “Su Niannian, are you a pig!!!”

Su Niannian: “….can you communicate properly, and not attack people like this? Even if I am a pig, then I’m a precious and unique pig!”

When the wounded girl wants to escape from the oppressive boy——

“Caring for precious animals is my duty.” Merely one heartless sentence, and he carries her directly home.

But why did he need to care for her all the way to bed, hey!!!

- Description from Novelupdates