Chapter 15: Royal Capital: Don’t Leave Him
"Edmund did hate him to the core. But if you look closely, you'll find that Edmund's hatred, jealousy, and even anger towards him...are all because he doesn't love Edmund. As long as he shows kindness to Edmund and says a few compliments in public, Edmund will be overjoyed and agree to everything he asks."
"If that's the case, why doesn't my brother ever—"
"He feels Edmund is unworthy of him."
"ah?"
"He's a picky and willful bad boy who only likes the best and the best."
Marina sighed. "Five thousand years of inheritance have made everyone who cared for him instinctively treat him like a precious, beautiful, and fragile object, carefully nurturing and protecting him. This treatment has caused him, already unloved by his parents and entrusted to others like an object, to gradually forget the true meaning of life, becoming picky, willful, and indifferent to others."
"Then you and Mikael..."
"My brothers and I want to love him as a family member, but he..."
Marina smiled bitterly again: "He has very high expectations for those he loves and those who love him... He looks down on us!"
"...Then...what do you want me to do?"
"I'm a slow-witted person, not good at thinking, but many times, seeing him surrounded by a large group of admirers at a glittering banquet, fear would arise in my heart, thinking that he... was so beautiful that he could disappear at any time..."
Marina let out a long sigh.
"It's a very strange feeling. He's clearly standing there, right there, yet I feel like the one we see is a pale illusion woven by the goddess of death using moonlight and shadows... The real him is leaning on the cold throne of death, his body and mind gradually dying, becoming a beautiful piece of art in the palace of death..."
"Although he always appears to be at ease, he is actually very lonely and anxious inside. He firmly believes that the world likes and admires him because of his appearance, bloodline, and the kindness, elegance, and profound knowledge he displays. Once he loses these things - even just one of them - those who claim to love him will stay away from him."
"He... he needs the love from his family that will never betray him, the love that only you can give..."
"I?"
"Only you."
Marina nodded firmly. "Since you came back, he's been eating twice as much as before. His insomnia has improved significantly, and he no longer needs medication to fall asleep every night. His personality has also improved... Although he used to be the center of attention, he was more like a quietly blooming flower, a beautiful soulless doll, or the moon hanging high in the sky... Now he finally looks somewhat lively and alive..."
"so--"
Marina looked at Lucien earnestly.
"Don't leave him... Never leave him... If you leave, he will wither and die like a broken flower... He... People like him won't live long... You can go wherever you want after he dies... Do whatever you want... But now, please don't leave him..."
"Brother... Is my brother's condition really that bad?"
"The doctor said that living to 30 is the limit."
Marina choked as she spoke, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
"Death may be a merciful release for him, for whom even living is difficult. But... if you, whom he loves most, cannot grow into a mature, strong, and independent person before the Goddess of Death takes him away, I'm afraid... I'm afraid that out of immense regret and worry... he will resort to methods unimaginable in this world to return from the underworld..."
"The blood of the Holy Family is mingled with a peculiarity that neither magic nor science can decipher... This peculiarity is particularly evident in him... He often mutters incomprehensible words when he has a high fever, as if his soul is trapped in the distant past or the distant future..."
(My brother is made of a different substance... He's more like a butterfly with gorgeous wings that could be torn apart by the wind at any moment, a mysterious elf living among flowers, or a strange bird with feathers as white as snow...)
(These words... perhaps they are not the poet's romance at all, but... a true description of what "I" saw of Yaris...)
Thinking of this, Xiao Yun took a deep breath and tried his best to remain calm.
"Don't worry, Marina. I will do my best... I will never... I will never let my brother die because of worrying about me... No, he won't die... He will never die..."
He was a little speechless and his cheeks turned red.
Marina, who was immersed in sadness, was amused and muttered, "Although you only look a little bit alike, but in other aspects, you brothers are exactly the same..."
…
…
"Teacher John——"
John Deere opened the wooden door. There were a few drops of ink on his handsome and peaceful face. It was obvious that he was concentrating on writing.
"What's up?"
Xiao Yun nodded.
After learning from Marina that Yaris could feel things that ordinary people could not see and that Lucien had similar special abilities, he began to suspect that his reincarnation into this world was not accidental.
"Can I come in?"
"no problem."
John Deere stepped aside, invited Lucien into the room filled with the aroma of dried herbs, and poured him a cup of homemade herbal tea.
"Mr. Lucien—"
"Teacher, how much do you know about the Holy Family's soul regression?"
Xiao Yun went straight to the point.
"Um?"
John Deere looked stunned.
"Sir, why are you..."
"I haven't recovered my memory yet..."
Xiao Yun made a distressed gesture.
"After spending these days together, I'm 100% convinced that I'm Lucien... But even so, I still often feel unreal. When I'm with you, I always feel a sense of alienation, a sense of being unable to fit in... The blank memories make me uneasy and panic... I worry that I'm just someone else who happens to look exactly like the real Lucien... After all... Lucien left the Capital of Light four years ago... and what brought me here was another assassination plot against Yaris..."
"Your Highness would never mistake his brother for his own."
John Deere said firmly.
"I don't want my brother to recognize the wrong person... If he is wrong, I will have to leave... I don't want to leave him... I have become attached to him..."
Xiao Yun sighed, "Perhaps, I'll only feel reassured when I demonstrate the soul-retracing ability that Lucien may possess, as mentioned in the book '5,000 Years of Historical Research and Peculiarities of the Holy Family' that Yaris and you co-authored."
"I see."
John Deere suddenly realized something and turned around to pull out a stack of parchment scrolls from the rickety bookshelf. "These are transcripts of all your diaries from the age of eleven to seventeen."
"But--"
"After reading this, you will definitely regain your sense of reality."
"……All right."
Xiao Yun reluctantly accepted Lucien's diary, and suddenly remembered what he discussed with the students in the lower town last night -
"I heard that Dean Durham not only banned professors from giving lectures in private schools, but also planned to restrict civilian students from entering the Royal Library?"
"There is this rumor—"
"Does my brother know?"
"I intend to report to His Highness when he returns from Denos."
"So, during this time, we've allowed Duren to do whatever he wants?"
"After all, he is the dean appointed by His Majesty himself."
John Dill smiled wryly. "His Majesty entered the academy at thirteen, dropped out at fourteen to ascend the throne, and still hasn't received his diploma. This has led him to develop a skeptical obsession with the Royal Academy, believing that commoners tarnish its dignity. This is especially true after His Majesty proposed increasing the number of commoner students and streamlining the approval process for private schools."
"The Holy Family has always been the most important academic protector of the Western Continent."
John Deere added.
"And so he—"
"Your Highness and I all originally thought that he appointed Duren, a third-rate fortune teller, as the dean of the empire's highest institution in order to demonstrate the emperor's authority. Unexpectedly..."
"As for the Emperor and the Palace, perhaps we can wait for my brother to return from Denos, but as for the Academy—I will never allow Duren to do anything that tarnishes the sanctity of knowledge!"
…
…
"Dean, do you have time now?"
Xiao Yun walked into the dean's office and glanced at the crystal ball and divination stick on the table: "I want to talk to you."
"What does Master Lucien want to discuss with me?"
Kanoa Duren stood up with an ingratiating smile on his face.
"I've heard some bad rumors about the academic district and the civilian students..."
"They actually complained to the Silver Moon Palace..."
Durren muttered in disgust, then explained with a humbled look, "Everything I do is to carry out Your Majesty's will. Your Majesty has heard that some people in the Lower City have dared to forget their status, constantly talking about 'our country', criticizing national politics and the nobility, and the common people in the academy have also echoed them."
"So you just—"
"Yes."
Duren showed a proud look.
"I've discussed state affairs with them, and I think what they say makes a lot of sense. They're more insightful than most of the nobles I've come into contact with."
"Sir, do you agree with them?"
"right!"
Xiao Yun's eyes were firm. "I also believe that the power and obligations of a ruler are equal. A ruler who ignores the people is not worthy of wearing the crown!"
"you--"
Duren was furious, veins popping out on his forehead, and he tried to use his authority as dean to educate Lucien.
[bite--]
[Keyword 'benevolent love others' is highlighted!]
[The Chinese Heroic Spirit card drawing system is officially open.]
[Would you like to enter the time-stop state now to experience your first card draw, or——]
(Enter now——)
[good! ]
Time and space froze instantly.
Durham, who looked awful, became a statue of flesh and blood with bruised veins.
An open book shining with golden light appeared in front of Xiao Yun, and above the pages was flying a huge bird that looked like the three-legged golden crow in mythology.
[You can call me 'LA'.]
The Golden Crow spread its wings and saluted gracefully.
[The first card draw has officially begun. Please concentrate your thoughts—reach out your hand—]
Xiao Yun followed his words, held his breath, and reached out to the shining book!
The Golden Crow then flapped its golden wings, and square golden characters gushed out, condensing into golden light and rushing into Xiao Yun's palm!
[Ding! Guaranteed SSR on the first release! Congratulations to the host for winning the SSR card: King Wen Jichang! Also, receive a random bound gift pack of the I Ching Sixty-Four Hexagrams!]
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