Chapter 59: Late Night Meeting [VIP]
Perhaps it was because Yaris's black eyes were too deep, or perhaps it was because his light was too dazzling, but Talese suddenly felt inexplicably angry.
(I don't like him!)
(He is so beautiful! Too beautiful to be human!)
Talese thought irritably, and for a moment he had the horrible delusion that he would die under his gaze.
(Is he really human? Why is he so beautiful, yet I...)
But even though he felt a strong sense of uneasiness and fear in his heart, Talles had to admit that the Holy Lord was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. The other people at the scene also looked at this beautiful, elegant and noble Son of God with eyes full of respect and admiration.
People looked at him with such fascination that they even forgot who they were.
A beautiful and flawless figure came in front of Xiao Yun.
"Are you Claude Shaw, the recently renowned 'Saint of Flower Street,' 'Angel of the Arena,' the champion of this year's Kukuchia Singing Contest, and the bard beloved by 'Mercenary King' Alfonso?"
"Ah! Yes... Your Highness!"
Xiao Yun resisted the urge to grasp his brother's hand, which was as white and soft as a girl's, and bowed his head in a knight's salute. "I am deeply honored to hear my name from your lips."
"I'm glad to see you here too."
Yaris looked at his brother tenderly and stretched out his right hand with the glove off.
Xiao Yun looked up and kissed his brother's fingers.
"Lord Alfonso has other important matters and will not appear before Your Highness until tonight."
Kucukia is currently busy preparing for the Poseidon Festival and welcoming his brother. Alfonso plans to take advantage of this period of time when the city's defenses are weakened and deploy his army to capture the entire city.
[As expected of the person I chose.]
"...He's about to become king, and he should have someone more important than me by his side."
Yaris said leisurely, retracting his finger.
Looking at the white hand passing before his eyes, smelling the fragrance of Bisarua, which had become elegant and sweet with a hint of allure after being blended with the aura of the sacred Buddha, lust once again occupied Talles's mind -
"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but..."
"Excuse me, I have to go to the temple right now to listen to the prayers of the Twin Gods believers in the Kukuchia region. I'll return to Paradise City tonight to wash away the fatigue of my journey. Perhaps I'll be able to find time to speak with you tomorrow at noon."
"ah--"
"Also, send Claude over tonight. I've heard he has a voice as melodious as a bird's. Maybe that'll help me fall asleep faster."
"But……"
"how?"
His thin eyebrows were slightly raised, with an arrogance that could not be refused.
Talese retreated and glared at Xiao Yun angrily: "As you wish."
…
…
Paradise is a castle of vulgar taste. In order to welcome the arrival of the Holy Lord, the decorations and statues that were usually placed in conspicuous places and could remind people of vulgar and obscene content were moved away by servants. Instead, they were replaced with the most popular exquisite and elegant decorations in the Capital of Light, and the gaps were filled with flowers and sprinkled with perfume.
But even so, walking in the brightly lit Paradise City and looking at the dazzling colors filling the hall, Xiao Yun still felt strongly uncomfortable, as if the crimson, gold, black, and purple colors that were everywhere here could turn into a vortex at any time and swallow up the guests crowded in the hall.
Fortunately, he didn't have to stay here for long.
The steward led two servants to him and said, "Claude, please follow us. His Highness is waiting for you."
"It's my pleasure."
Xiao Yun calmly followed the two out of the hall, passed through the luxurious and decadent vortex of crimson, gold, black, and purple, and walked into the beautiful palace hidden deep in the garden filled with elegant fragrance.
"Stop—"
The Paladin guarding outside Xiaoyue Palace stopped the four people, glanced at Xiao Yun, and said to the steward, "Your Highness only allows the bard Claude to enter."
"Then we—"
"You can go back, or you can stay here and wait for him to come out."
The Paladin gave the order in a polite yet cold tone.
The steward glanced at Xiao Yun and warned, "Although His Highness is very gentle, he is, after all, the most powerful person in the Western Continent. When you meet him, you must be very careful and careful not to say the wrong thing."
"Thank you for your concern."
Xiao Yun smiled and followed the paladin into the palace. He found that although this was a temporary residence prepared by Tales for Yaris and his party, the furnishings were exactly the same as the style of the Silver Moon Palace, so much so that he suspected that he had returned to the Silver Moon Palace.
The leading paladin caught Xiao Yun's doubt out of the corner of his eye and explained respectfully, "—To prevent the 'Sea God Priest' from plotting anything malicious, while Your Highness was at the temple blessing the Twin Gods' followers, the accompanying magicians thoroughly inspected the Little Moon Palace. The attendants also replaced the utensils with items Your Highness was familiar with."
"I see."
Xiao Yun nodded and greeted the magicians lurking in the dark with a smile.
"Thank you for your hard work."
It is our honor.”
.
The devil was used to walking on the corridor filled with silver light and stopped in front of the marble arch with veil hanging.
“
"But--"
From behind the archway, someone could faintly hear an elegant and graceful love song being sung. The lyrics were surprisingly—
"...Kiss, while your lips are still red,
Wait silently while fate is still in the dark.
Close to you, falling into your deep eyes, holding your untouched hand,
Ignoring the worldly troubles, I will linger with you in the night where dawn will never come..."
Xiao Yun couldn't help but frown.
(Why would my brother let someone sing this song?)
"What..."
The servant who came out from the archway called softly.
"Lucien..."
"knew."
Xiao Yun walked through the veil lifted by the servant and entered the archway.
…
The Little Moon Palace was a place of pleasure built by successive Kukuchia lords to receive distinguished guests of noble rank and above. After being transformed by magicians and servants, it managed to regain the elegance and restraint of the Silver Moon Palace, but the overall architectural layout was still filled with an atmosphere of decadence and luxury.
The world behind the arch is no exception.
The space covers more than 200 square meters, and the five-meter-high circular dome is painted with entangled and ambiguous murals. In the middle is a marble bathtub with exquisite patterns carved on all sides. There are carefully carved elegant lounge chairs half exposed above the water in the pool, ensuring that bathers can relax in the bathtub without sinking into the water due to sleepiness.
At this moment, Yaris was lying on a marble chair in the bathtub, his body immersed in warm water with a lot of spices and flower petals, his soft black hair sliding with the waves.
In a corner of the hall, the band was playing music that made Xiao Yun feel at a loss.
“…While fate still waits silently in the darkness.
Close to you, falling into your deep eyes, holding your untouched hand,
Ignoring the worldly troubles, I will linger with you in the night where dawn will never come..."
After the song ended, Yaris looked up at his embarrassed brother and said, "You've lost a lot of weight. Have you not had enough rest recently?"
"I have always been in good health, but you——"
Xiao Yun walked closer to the pool and sat on the edge of the marble bathtub. He glanced at the fair body half-submerged in the water and said in confusion, "You're slimmer than the last time we met."
"I've been trying really hard to eat, but unfortunately my body seems to be less and less willing to absorb the nutrients from worldly food."
Yaris smiled bitterly, left the comfortable lounge chair, cut through the flower petal-covered water, and came to his brother's side.
"Of course, it could also be that every time we met, I was always dressed, except this time..."
"elder brother……"
Xiao Yun bit his lower lip.
He knew that Yaris's bones were thinner than those of an average person, and his cheeks were smaller than those of a woman, but it wasn't until his brother leaned against the edge of the marble bathtub and looked at him that he truly realized Yaris's body—
"You're becoming more and more like an elf in a fairy tale. I'm worried you'll be blown away by the wind."
“A lot of people have said similar things to me.”
Yaris raised his eyes and looked at Xiao Yun: "Only when you said this to me did I feel your love from the bottom of your heart."
"them……"
"They just want to take advantage of me."
Yaris smiled a smile that was a little too beautiful even for a woman.
"Even if it's for personal gain, my many suitors would rather have me on the bed than be embraced by a frail me. But I... from the beginning to the end, I have only one wish... Lucien, you should know exactly what that wish is."
"elder brother……"
Xiao Yun's tongue stagnated.
Yaris's expression suddenly became serious: "Lucien, take off your clothes."
"Now?"
"Um."
Yaris smiled brightly and said, "I heard that you earned the nickname 'Angel' in the arena of Kukuchia. I was wondering if you were hurt."
"I--"
"You wanted to reassure me, so you took off your clothes."
"……All right."
Xiao Yun stood up, took off his coat and shirt, and handed them to the servants waiting beside him.
"Do you want to take off your bottom too?"
"I don't mind, but you look like you do."
Yaris, wearing a robe, smiled gracefully, reached out, and starting from his shoulders, stroked his brother's muscles, which were both tough and beautiful after long-term training.
"...Even I can't tell how muscular you are through your clothes."
"Everyone was shocked when I jumped into the arena that day."
Xiao Yun tried hard to ignore the burning sensation at the back of his neck and the sweet, slightly alluring aroma that kept entering his nostrils.
"You are still too impulsive..."
The cool fingers stopped, and the soft fingertips carefully stroked the skin on the back.
"There's a wound here, though it's a small one."
"It must have been accidentally touched in the past few days."
Xiao Yun didn't care.
"Lucien, you are so naive."
Yaris criticized harshly: "In order to kill us, the enemy will not only use swords but also poison."
"Brother, what you mean is—"
"You're poisoned."
“…”
"A poison called Renolite."
Yaris turned around and ordered his servant to bring a glass of wine and a pinch of gray powder.
He poured the powder into the wine and handed it to his brother: "Drink it, it's the antidote."
"good."
Xiao Yun took the wine glass and drank it without thinking.
Yaris stared at Xiao Yun as if he was looking at the most precious and rare treasure in the world, his long eyelashes trembling slightly.
"...You're not poisoned. I just made up the name Renolite."
"I know."
"Then why are you still—"
Yaris frowned.
"Because I know there is absolutely no problem with the wine my brother gave me."
"Why?"
"There's no reason, and there's no need for a reason," Xiao Yun said calmly, "I just absolutely believe in you."
"As expected... in this world, you are the only one... you are the only one who is always sincere to me..."
Yaris murmured, and suddenly asked: "You will stay with me forever, right?"
"yes."
"No matter what happens, you'll never run away from me?"
"No, never."
"Really? Even if I feed you poison, you will still trust me?"
"I believe it."
"Lucien..."
Yaris was still looking at Xiao Yun, as if he was looking at an object that was both distant and illusory.
"Four years ago, you made the same promise to me, but you ran away the day before my eighteenth birthday... You said you had no choice but to leave me. Even though we were still brothers physically, we were strangers in heart..."
"sorry……"
Xiao Yun tried hard to suppress the passion in his heart and repeated slowly, "This time, I won't run away, never. No matter where you go, even to hell, I will accompany you and always be by your side..."
"Why?"
"Because... apart from you, there's no place I want to go..."
"oh."
Jarris narrowed his eyes and looked at his brother intently, as if this was the first time he was seeing Lucien.
"Thinking about it now... maybe everything is the best arrangement..."
He muttered softly, his deep and mysterious eyes tinged with fatigue.
"I'm a little tired and want to fall asleep listening to your heartbeat."
"good."
"besides--"
Yaris said softly, "The more meticulous and rigorous a plan appears, the more likely it is to go wrong during execution. You must be prepared for the unexpected."
"Although no matter what happens to your and Alfonso's plan, I am confident that I can get things back on track."
He added.
…
In the room as dark as the bottom of the water, a light and elegant fragrance filled the air.
Xiao Yun suddenly remembered something and asked quietly, "Brother, can you take Lisa, Lina and the others with you when you leave Kukuchia?"
"Lisa? Lena?"
"They are the poor people I redeemed from the red-light district."
Xiao Yun was a little embarrassed. "The Sea God Cult is extremely discriminatory against victims trafficked to the Red Street. The doctors here even refuse to enter the Red Street to treat them, believing that the illness of the people in the Red Street is a punishment from the Sea God... Given the current situation in Kucukia, even if Alfonso and I successfully capture the city and close the Red Street, it will take at least ten years to change the local people's minds and get them to accept these unfortunate people..."
"It's really not easy to change deeply ingrained ideas."
"Plus, the medical care here is very poor, and most people who have lived in Flower Street for a long time are ill..."
"You want me to take them to the capital for treatment and to start a new life?"
"...Is my request too much?"
Xiao Yun was extremely embarrassed. "I should have resettled them in Gaola, but the current Gaola... the Gaola curse hasn't been completely lifted yet, and the conditions are very... We can't provide the patients with the medical treatment they desperately need, nor do we have enough manpower to help them integrate into their new lives... We don't even have housing to house them..."
"You've been very thoughtful and truly deserve the title of 'Saint of Flower Street.'"
"elder brother……"
Xiao Yun muttered embarrassedly.
Yaris looked up, kissed his brother's forehead, and said gently: "You are becoming more and more mature and responsible."
"But... I'm worried that my requests will put unnecessary burdens on you... Will Edmund know..."
Xiao Yun was even more at a loss.
"It doesn't matter, he won't know about this."
"real?"
Xiao Yun suspected that Yaris was lying to him.
"...If you're worried that Edmund will harm me, then wait until the Kukuchia incident is over and speed up the construction of Gaola and bring these people to Gaola as soon as possible."
"elder brother……"
Xiao Yun grasped his wrist and said thoughtfully, "I don't know why, but I've been feeling a strong sense of unease lately, as if my current happiness is all a dream... Something irreversible could happen to you at any moment... I'm scared... Very, very scared..."
"What are you afraid of?"
"have no idea."
Xiao Yun's breathing quickened. "I don't know what I'm afraid of. Maybe it's because... because no matter how hard I try, I can't really hold you... I'll lose you one day. I... I'm scared! I can't do it!"
"I see."
Yaris pulled his hand out, gently hugged his brother, and whispered, "You won't lose me, you will never lose me... I need you, only your warmth can make me feel the meaning of life..."
"I am a terrible person. I have never tasted my mother's milk, nor have I received my father's love. Since I was born, I have been cursed by darkness. I don't know why I was born, why I am alive, until I met you... I won't let you leave me, because I can't live without you..."
"elder brother--"
"Sleep well, tomorrow is a brand new day."
Yaris slowly closed his eyes, as if to drive away the entanglement of darkness.
"Don't worry...you and Alfonso will soon have everything you can get in Kucukia..."
"Yes, I will get everything I want."
Xiao Yun said decisively.
(What you want is what I want...)
…
…
To welcome the arrival of the Holy Lord, Paradise City changed its former vulgarity and presented an unprecedented splendor and elegance. However, even so, every corner of the castle was still shrouded in a thick atmosphere of nihilistic decadence, and even the morning mist carried a miasma-like shadow.
The servants were not without elegant manners, but their uniform movements only reminded people of the distorted human nature.
Did you notice this too?
In the spacious and luxurious dining room, Yaris, who was having lunch with Talese, suddenly shook the hand of his brother who was standing beside him as a bard.
"Your Highness—"
Xiao Yun pretended to be frightened.
"Sit next to me and eat with me."
"But……"
Xiao Yun glanced at Talese.
Talese forced a dry laugh. "The only thing I care about is that Alfonso isn't here."
“…”
Xiao Yun pretended to be frightened by Talese's threat and trembled slightly.
Yaris moved his fingers and asked his brother to sit down.
[In this castle, tens of thousands of resentful spirits and undead wander, all victims of the tyranny and evil deeds of successive lords of Kukuchia.]
[After Alfonso and I liberate Kukuchia, can you arrange for a priest to pray for the souls of these poor dead and restore this land to its original freshness, prosperity, and happiness?]
【sure. 】
Yaris looked at Xiao Yun lovingly and fed the cut fruit into small pieces into his brother's mouth.
"In fact, as my beloved brother, you possess power far exceeding that of a priest... You can easily dispel the deep hatred that binds them to this place and send the undead souls back to eternity..."
I can really——
"ha!"
Unable to endure any more, Thales screamed and said ferociously, "Claude! If Alfonso knew that you actually betrayed him and won the favor of His Highness before him, he would definitely kill you out of jealousy! You may even be subjected to brutal torture and interrogation before you die! Your limbs may be cut off, your eyes may be gouged out, and your tongue may be cut out..."
"ah……"
Xiao Yun cried out in surprise, as if he was about to faint from what Talese said.
Yaris raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't say such bloody and brutal things in front of me."
"So, Your Highness, will you take him with you when you leave Kukuchia?"
"this……"
Yaris showed a melancholy expression: "Tales, you know, I can't..."
"Understood."
Talese gave a smile that seemed to indicate he understood.
Yaris looked at him with contempt and continued to feed his brother.
…
After lunch, Yaris returned to the Little Moon Palace to rest, while Talese called Claude over.
"Claude—"
"grown ups?"
"Honestly, I sympathize with you."
"Um?"
"You must be very proud right now. You've just lost Alfonso's love and yet you've captured His Highness's heart. Compared to Alfonso, this is indeed a wonderful new relationship...but..."
Talese gave a dark smile.
"My master, the Seagod Priest, once told me personally that while the Holy Lord may appear gentle and kind, he is actually arrogant, cold-blooded, and easily bored with the old. His fondness for anything is temporary; once completely possessed, he abandons it without a single ounce of guilt. He delights in using his demonic charm to seduce the world, making them intoxicated and acting according to his will..."
"Then...then what should I do?"
Xiao Yun pretended to be shocked.
"Come, have some wine and calm down."
Talese raised his hand and called for the servants to bring them some wine.
"Yes, Lord Earl."
A sweet voice sounded, and Romila came to Xiao Yun with a tray.
"--you!"
"Please forgive me."
Romila said nonchalantly, "I have no interest in Alfonso, but the Count promised to give me a special license for a brothel at sea. In fact, I would rather sleep with you."
"I don't want to..."
"So I ask the Earl for help."
Romila blinked. "I won't let anyone kill you until I have your body."
"Romila—"
Talese cleared his throat.
Romila just smiled. "Come, drink the wine I prepared for you. When you wake up, we will all be safe."
"I--"
"You have no right to refuse!"
"But……"
During the confrontation with Romila, Xiao Yun retreated step by step and unknowingly retreated to the vicinity of the trap leading directly to the water dungeon.
"Claude—"
Romila gave a twisted smile.
Tales cooperated and pressed the trap mechanism!
"Romila, you—ah!"
As if in an illusion, the bard Claude fell into a water dungeon.
"——Let me out!"
"No one can get what I can't get!"
Romila glanced at the angry Claude in the dungeon, her lips curled into an evil crescent.
"Tales, turn off the mechanism and take me to see His Highness Damo! I want him to be addicted to the happiness I bring and completely forget Claude."
"Once Damo leaves Kukuchia, the forgotten Claude will become our plaything!"
"You are so wicked, Romila."
Talese, whose lust was aroused by Romila's words, said with deep feeling, "She is indeed the worst legend in the red-light district."
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