Chapter 73: Golden Ouroboros (Twenty-one)

◎Dudelai "Queen"◎

On the ninth day of the war, Gonda fell.

——No, it should be said that the rebellious Assyrian royal city swore allegiance to the queen again.

Years of chaos in Assyria had left them filled with spies and detectives from various countries. The fall of Gonda was quickly passed through various channels across the Black Sea and reached different people.

In the magnificent palace of Dudley, banquets and singing and dancing continued day and night. The nobles of Calais inherited the ancient Roman tradition of extravagance and used it to show off their wealth. The previous emperor dug a huge swimming pool in the atrium of the palace, which was filled with aged wine instead of water. Common people outside could not drink a glass of such wine in their entire lives, but hundreds of barrels of wine would be consumed at a time at the royal palace banquets.

The banquet hall of the Dudelai Palace covers an area of ​​more than 2,000 square meters. Different spaces are cleverly divided by mirrors, flower walls, etc. The curtains woven with crystals and diamonds make the whole space sparkle. The decorations on the walls are either gold or silver. The luxury is blatant. The owner of the palace would like to engrave the words "I am rich" on his head.

The band on the dance floor was playing a waltz. The gorgeously dressed men and women in the dance floor were turning and moving skillfully. The grand and magnificent court dance music was the origin of group dance. When the notes of changing dance partners fell, all the women's bright and gorgeous fluffy skirts opened into dazzling circles on the smooth floor. The ultimate beauty and impact were hard for others to imagine.

For the emperor sitting lazily at the top, this scene was just a daily embellishment that he had seen since he was a child. He was even tired of the monotonous dance steps.

The little emperor leaned on the golden throne, his body leaning against the armrest as if his bones were pulled out, his legs crossed, his long fluffy woolen hair draped over his back, his black coat open, his scarf long gone, his snow-white silk shirt open in a messy manner, all the way to his abdomen, except for the two bottom buttons that were still in place, the several jewel buttons on top had long disappeared, and lipstick marks of varying depths could be seen at the collar.

Debauchery, extravagance, and decadence.

This was the only thought in everyone's mind when they saw the little emperor on the throne.

However, unlike in the past, the nobles were much more respectful and fearful when facing their emperor. He returned from the border alive and successfully brought back an engagement with Queen Roman. Everyone could smell the scent of impending storm in the air. Didn’t they see that even the usually arrogant Duke became much more low-key?

It seems that this silent war between the uncle and nephew that has lasted for many years is about to come to an end.

Despite this, the nobles couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. Who could have thought that the winner would be the seemingly timid little emperor? When he was a prince, he was notoriously absurd and violent, but he became much better after becoming emperor - it is not ruled out that the pressure from his uncle the Duke forced him to restrain himself.

As His Excellency the Duke has been keeping a low profile for some time, the twisted brutality in the little emperor's character seems to be slowly reviving. The most sensitive nobles can sense that the pressure from the emperor is slowly increasing. The staff in the palace is reduced from time to time, and people can hear the shrill screams from the palace in the silent night. The sound can make the most courageous people shudder, and no one dares to speculate what has happened.

It was truly a bloodthirsty family. The nobles secretly discussed that every member of the royal family seemed to be a born twisted lunatic and sadist. The history of this family was filled with dark and bloody words. Among them were emperors who enjoyed killing, princesses who bathed in the blood of young girls to stay young forever, and dukes who abused their wives to death. The previous emperor had a hobby of whipping his attendants, his younger brother, now Duke François, liked to play with beautiful men and women, and his son, the current emperor of Calais, did not seem to have any perverted hobbies at the moment, but signs of something strange were gradually emerging.

This family has morbid and crazy genes flowing in its blood, and every member is a born sadist and murderer. Letting them wear the crown of the kingdom is a provocation to all the laws in the world and the mercy of the Lord - this passage comes from a noble who was beheaded by the emperor fifty years ago. The reason he was sentenced to death was that he refused the emperor's sudden proposal of love to him.

The key point is that the occasion when the emperor asked for his favor was in parliament. The ministers were discussing the issue of tax collection. The emperor, who was listening to the ministers' speeches carefully, suddenly turned around and made this invitation to his finance minister.

It is hard to imagine what the scene was like at that time. No one took note of this absurd incident - perhaps because they did not dare to. In any case, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who flatly rejected this outrageous invitation, was dragged to the guillotine that afternoon.

This unparalleled absurd incident directly led to internal turmoil in Calais. It was not until Francis III and his brother demonstrated extraordinary military talents and swept away a group of "evil-minded" nobles that the throne was stabilized again.

Then some people secretly cursed that members of this crazy family often died in dishonorable murders or harm, but it was easy for extraordinary geniuses to emerge among them. This was simply the punishment from the Holy Lord on Calais!

The little emperor opened his half-drunk and half-awake amber eyes, adjusted himself to a comfortable position, hung his feet on the armrests, and lay horizontally on the throne in an extremely impolite posture - although it was very impolite, who dared to blame him?

The gold-inlaid ceiling is painted with intricate and gorgeous murals made of dissolved colored minerals and large amounts of silver. The huge crystal chandelier shines brilliantly, and the light is illuminated by the cross-section of the crystal, and the falling light carries an extremely pure and transparent colored halo. This halo is so beautiful that it looks like a dream, and looking at it for a long time will bring a dizzy feeling to people.

François felt a little dizzy now.

The brisk and flowing music was distorted into scattered tones in his mind. In his peripheral vision, he could see the women's changing postures. Their wide skirts, scarlet, snow-white and dark blue, bloomed like flowers. They wore silk brocade shawls on their plump arms, and their snow-white flesh, soaked in perfume, was wrapped under the soft tassels. It looked like melted paint mixed together, reminding him of a highly saturated bright pink liquid flowing down viscously.

François then laughed strangely, and the lady closest to him dared to cast a wink at the young and handsome emperor - they were very aware of the emperor's bad reputation, but which girl would be indifferent to the noble queen's crown?

Returns always come with risks, and your majesty seems to be in a good mood now.

François slid lazily down from the chair, sat on the cold ground and thought for a while, then stood up unsteadily and stepped onto the dance floor.

Everyone was delighted at the emperor's arrival.

He shuttled between countless arms, and soft, fragrant fingers gently caressed his cheeks, shoulders and chest as the dance steps changed, trying to stir his emotions in an ambiguous way. François casually took a lady's hand, kissed the back of her hand, and then pushed her into the arms of her dance partner, and heard the undisguised gloating laughter around him.

The fervent, admiring gazes wrapped around him like a silk net. If François were an insect, he had no doubt that he would be completely tied up and eaten by the ladies' gazes.

Unfortunately, he is not an insect.

The little emperor seemed to be tired from walking, or perhaps he felt drowsy from the large amount of alcohol he had just consumed. He did not care at all that this was the center of the dance floor and simply lay down. Without his order, the band did not dare to stop playing and the dancers on the dance floor did not dare to leave without permission. So everything continued smoothly, even though the scene looked really ridiculous.

The dishevelled little emperor lay on the marble floor, squinting his eyes slightly. The light from the crystal chandelier made his eyes feel a little uncomfortable. The expensive and gorgeous skirts of the ladies and girls bloomed and spun around him. The bold women deliberately turned their skirts towards his face, like an unspoken invitation.

François reached out to touch the snow-white thighs that were deliberately close to him, held their ankles, pulled them over amid their whispers, and lay on the ground hugging and kissing those whose faces he could not see.

This half-drunk and half-awake state of confusion made him feel comfortable. The pupils in his half-closed eyes were filled with the sticky and cold inorganic substance of a snake. The girls, with flushed cheeks, who were intoxicated in the dream of the queen, were afraid of these eyes that were infinitely close to reptiles, but also longed to be close to the monarch of the empire. This contradiction made the people around François come and go like flowing water.

This grand event was interrupted by an untimely sound of a piano.

The string of a violinist in the orchestra suddenly broke. It was a minor mistake, but the emperor, with his keen hearing, caught it even in his drowsiness. ◎

Through countless pairs of shiny leather boots and exquisite high heels, the emperor's snake-like eyes stared at the violinist who had made the mistake. The ferocity in his eyes slowly turned into surprise after he saw the other person's face clearly.

The orchestra was disrupted by this sudden episode, and they all stopped moving stiffly under the emperor's gaze. The violinist being stared at by the emperor was trembling all over, his hand holding the bow was so hard that it turned blue, and his purple eyes were full of panic.

He has purple eyes.

The color is special, like a pair of purple quartz.

François got up from the ground, stumbled through the crowd and walked over. Under the gaze of countless people around him, he bent down, lifted the violinist's chin with one finger, and leaned forward to look at him carefully.

The other party was terrified to the point of being beyond words. His face was as pale as paper and his body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Considering his exquisite appearance, he looked extremely pitiful.

To be selected into the court orchestra, one must not only have outstanding talents, but also have regular facial features and good looks. This violinist's talent may not be that great, so he can only be at the end of the orchestra, but his face undoubtedly provides the most thoughtful explanation for why he can sit here at this moment.

A handsome young man with beautiful and rare purple eyes, many nobles showed covetous looks on his face.

The little emperor looked at him carefully for a while and suddenly asked: "What's your last name?"

The blond violinist swallowed and still felt his throat was extremely dry. He began to regret madly that he had to join this performance. For this reason, he even deliberately injured the wrist of a violinist. He just wanted to come here to seduce a noble lady. With his looks, it would be easy for him to become the lover of a noble woman, but he really didn't expect to be noticed by His Majesty!

It’s so horrible, so horrible.

In essence, he was a timid, selfish petty bourgeois. How could he have imagined that one day he would come into such close contact with the emperor?

But he dared not not answer the question asked by His Majesty.

"Euggie... Your Majesty, my name is Euggie." Excessive nervousness made his eyes go white, and he even misheard François' question. The little emperor slowly raised an eyebrow, and he was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled affectionately.

"What does your family do?" the little emperor asked in a very amiable manner.

"...my great-great-grandfather seemed to be a banker..." It sounded vague and unrealistic, an "ancient family history" that was merely used verbally to gild oneself, but François showed a thoughtful expression.

The descendants of the Portia family are numerous, some of them hold great power like Julius, and of course there are also those who have drifted to a foreign country and have such weak bloodlines that they have forgotten even their surnames.

collateral

Even the name of this family member will no longer appear in the family tree. Only they themselves are still passing on the glorious history of the past, but no one even knows their last name.

Francois laughed happily, pinched Eugene's chin and shook it, as if he was caressing his pet, and casually dropped a bomb: "I like you very much, I will make you a viscount, and you can live with me in the palace in the future."

The good news came too suddenly, and the violinist felt dizzy for a moment.

Ten minutes ago, he was a penniless violinist, but now he has become a noble Viscount? !

"But I don't like your name very much. Let's change it." The little emperor narrowed his eyes and gently patted Yugi's head with his palm, as if he was patting an obedient dog. Yugi also stiffened his body to let him pat, as if he was afraid that he was not doing it well enough, and he wanted to bend his head all the way down. "Let's call you Yulia, the archangel beside the Holy Lord, what a beautiful name!"

But this was a girl's name, so Yugi didn't dare say it out loud, but laughed in agreement.

The newly-appointed Viscount Julia became a favorite in the Dudley court. He and the young emperor went in and out together, inseparable like conjoined twins. The emperor's favor for him once reached a point that shocked everyone. Jewels were delivered to the Viscount's palace like a stream, and all kinds of rare works of art were sent for him to enjoy. The emperor even allowed him to enter and leave his study at will.

An unknown servant claimed that he saw the viscount acting coquettishly to the emperor in private, and the emperor actually let the viscount play with his crown.

The overwhelming favor instantly made this young man of ordinary background lose himself. He frantically and greedily demanded wealth and jewels from the emperor, arrogantly ordered his attendants of noble birth, and was rude to the ministers who came to see the emperor. For a time, Calais seemed to have an uncrowned queen - except that he could not give birth to a child for His Majesty, Viscount Juliar had everything that a queen had.

François sat on the bench, watching Julia bending down to tune the violin. Unlike the shabby uniform he wore at the previous banquet, the Viscount was now wearing a gorgeous suit similar to the emperor's. His short golden hair had grown to the point where it could barely be tied up. His pampered life had made his frivolousness and arrogance infinitely expand. After tuning the violin twice, Julia threw the violin on the table and touched the ends of his hair at the base of his neck.

"Your Majesty, my hair is a little too long and I want to cut it." After testing for a period of time, he had discovered the emperor's inexplicable indulgence and kindness towards him. He interpreted it as love at first sight, because every time the young majesty looked at him, there was such a strong and passionate love in his eyes that even the maids around him blushed.

But to his surprise, the emperor did not agree to this small proposal. Not only did he not agree, he also showed a chilling smile: "No, dear, I hope your hair can be--"

He stretched out his hand and gestured to Yulia's waist: "It can grow to there."

Under the refraction of the sunlight, the emperor's amber pupils were tinged with a snake-like golden color, and his tone was sweet and intimate, just like every time he coaxed her in bed before, but it made Yulia's back stand on end: "I like this length, dear, what do you think?"

"Me...me too, Your Majesty." Yulia murmured with all his strength.

"Oh, by the way, I remember you like Iris paniculata. I asked the gardener to plant a lot of it in the garden. Let's go and have a look." François invited with a smile. The love in his eyes was as rich as fine wine, enough to make everyone who saw it fascinated.

…Except for Yulia.

He didn't like Anshen Iris that much. At this moment, the Viscount felt as if he was falling into an icy cave, but he dared not say anything. Like a rabbit being stared at by a snake, he could only nod tremblingly.

The author has something to say:

Take the perverted little emperor out for a walk hehehe... no one should forget him, right? !