Chapter 68 An Unexpected Guest, That Heartless Little Rascal.
After relaxing, Easter finished the last sip of milk tea in his cup. To be honest, he used to have no interest in these things at all, but with Cai Cai and other culinary masters feeding him, his desire for food grew stronger day by day.
Easter shook his head and chuckled. This is just human nature, so what?
He stood up from his chair, walked to the window, and opened it. A breeze carrying moisture rushed into the room, washing away the stagnant air.
Braving the cold wind, Ister stretched and yawned. Without closing the window, he turned back to face the pile of things. He couldn't just ignore domestic affairs after failing to conquer the Kingdoms of Ramon and Rivia. What needed to be done still had to be done, and as soon as possible. Winter was approaching, and he was desperately short of food and warm clothing. Fortunately, he wasn't short of money, so procuring these shouldn't be too difficult. Things would get better once he got through this year.
The wind blowing in from the window changed slightly. Easton looked up sharply and raised an eyebrow in surprise at the newcomer. He pressed his temples to relieve the fatigue caused by too many complicated things.
"Why are you here?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
“Since you’ve made such a big fuss, I should at least come and see.” The visitor carefully closed the window, walked slowly forward, stood behind East, and massaged his temples.
Easter comfortably squinted his eyes and relaxed his back, but said, "You shouldn't have come."
On this continent, the only person who could make East not be pretentious or wary was Arip.
“I came because I wanted to. What’s the point of questioning whether I should or shouldn’t have come?” Aripel turned to stand in front of Easter, between Easter and the mountain of documents, leaned against the desk, and looked down at Easter. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
East could tell that Arebo was travel-worn and could smell a faint scent of blood. He knew that Arebo's arrival was not as casual as he made it out to be.
“Of course I’m happy.” Easter couldn’t deny the surprise and joy that welled up inside him when he saw Arebo, which made him feel like he was in a dream again, unreal and unbelievable, making him doubt and dare not recognize himself.
Arip raised his hand and stroked East's lower eyelid, where a heavy shadow contrasted sharply with his fair skin. "How did you get so tired?" he asked, his voice filled with undeniable heartache.
Easter looked up at Areper and said meaningfully, "Aren't you the same?"
“It’s different,” Arip leaned down and pecked East’s lips. “With my abilities, this little bit of hard work is nothing. You’re still just an ordinary person after all. Don’t overwork yourself. You promised me you wouldn’t rush things.”
Easter whispered, "We shouldn't miss such a good opportunity."
Areber knew this all too well, but it only made him feel more sorry for Mr. Rabbit.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” ① Easter pulled out his chair, stood up, and took Arip’s hand. “There are some things I don’t like, but that’s how times are. To put it arrogantly, either I’ll be assimilated by this era, or I’ll change it.”
Arip stared blankly at Easter. He had known all along that Mr. Rabbit was not a real rabbit. He had not witnessed the events of the coronation, but even from the biased descriptions of Mr. Rabbit heard from church personnel, he could see Mr. Rabbit's extraordinary demeanor. What Easter was showing now filled Arip with immense regret that he had not been able to witness Mr. Rabbit's triumphant coronation.
With the large-scale event underway, the number of players inside the castle was unprecedentedly small. The servants were not allowed to go up to the second floor, so the two of them walked in the empty corridor.
Easter pushed open the door to the room. Don't get me wrong, he didn't mean anything by it; the room was simply a private and comfortable space.
Arip sat on the sofa, holding Esther's hand tightly. He had countless things to say, but felt that nothing he said would be appropriate. It was like a traveler who had gone through countless hardships and braved the wind and snow to return to the warm and comfortable home, feeling tired and peaceful, and just wanting to rest.
Easter sat down next to Arip and gave him a hug. "You can't just criticize me; you should get some rest too."
Arip hugged Easter back, his hand on Easter's back pressing down on his spine, counting each bone, which was incredibly relaxing.
He sighed, "Is this why you don't ask me more questions?"
Easter tacitly agreed that Areper had no other reason for coming. He didn't believe it. The reason that he had gone to so much trouble to come just to take a look was too far-fetched.
Arip said lazily, "Rabbit, can't it be because I miss you?"
Easter, "Yes."
Aripo lay in East's arms, laughing "foolishly," his blue eyes filled with joy. He raised his hand to stroke East's cheek, his gaze sweeping over the beauty mark at the corner of East's eye, down to his neck and shoulder, and resting on his collarbone.
Easter awkwardly raised his head, as if to avoid Areber's actions, but then stopped himself, not completely rejecting him.
“Rabbit, do you really want to hear it? It’s not a big deal, but after you hear it, your mood will most likely be affected.” Arip said with his eyes closed, his hand lingering on that warm skin, slowly climbing up the neck, gently touching the earring worn by Easter.
East's ears twitched slightly. "If you weren't in a hurry, you wouldn't be rushing like this," he said calmly.
Arebo, "The speed at which the monster seal is loosening may accelerate."
Easter, “Just because of this?” He was already prepared for what Aripelago was talking about.
"It's not that simple. What we're seeing now is just a small-scale skirmish. In a month at most, hell might be better than the human world." Arui lifted his eyelids, his mysterious blue eyes swirling with emotions that others couldn't decipher.
He continued, "The era when monsters ravaged the land is long gone, and everyone has forgotten how cruel it was, when even the power of the gods..." He smiled and didn't finish his sentence.
Ister knew some of the inside story; the system had told him that many gods were incorporated into the seal, which showed how great the threat posed by the monsters was.
“You don’t need to tell me this in person,” Easter said matter-of-factly. “Just write to me.”
Arip chuckled, "You little ingrate, I'm here for a reason."
He put his arm around Esther's shoulder and sat up halfway. "Do you know why there are only four human empires on such a large continent as Luomanjier?" He didn't wait for Esther's answer. "Because whether it's the four human empires or places where mermaids, elves, dragons, etc. live, there are large-scale defensive magic arrays. These magic arrays have been passed down from thousands of years ago and are more or less related to gods. They are not very useful under normal circumstances, but with the seal on the monsters loosening, their role is self-evident."
After hearing this, Easter couldn't possibly not understand why Arip had come. He looked at Arip and said slowly, "No need."
Arip frowned in displeasure and pinched Easter's cheek. "Bunny, are you being too polite with me?"
“No,” East grasped Areber’s hand and explained earnestly, “It doesn’t matter if there are more monsters, my summons will also increase, and they can handle it.”
Arip didn't break free from Easter's hand; instead, he gripped it even tighter. "Isn't an extra layer of defense better?"
Upon receiving the news, his first thought was of Mr. Rabbit. He believed that Mr. Rabbit could handle it, but he was still worried and uneasy. This feeling was strange; he had never experienced it before. Killing more monsters could not relieve his anxiety. So he came. At that time, he didn't care about the look Randall gave the hopeless person. He only had Mr. Rabbit in his heart.
Unexpectedly, it seemed that Mr. Rabbit was not particularly welcoming of his arrival. Arip was not very happy, and he thought that he might have overstepped his bounds.
“That magic circle is difficult to set up, isn’t it?” Ister lowered his eyelids. “I don’t want to see you overworked. Besides, the territory will expand soon, and it’s unnecessary to set up a magic circle just for the current Felix Kingdom.”
Arip took a vicious bite of Easter's lips, then carefully licked away the blood with the tip of his tongue before parting their lips and exchanging a bloody kiss.
“Wouldn’t my coming be completely pointless?” Areper mumbled.
Easter hugged Areber tightly. "No, you came very usefully." To find a moment of peace amidst exhaustion was already very, very good.
Arip stroked East's hair. "Rabbit, don't push yourself too hard." He was angry, but not that angry. He could understand Rabbit, but that only made him feel more sorry for her.
Nestled in the broad, warm embrace, every pore on his body opened up as he breathed freely, his tense emotions finally calmed.
Aripelago picked up Easter and got up.
Easter opened his eyes in a panic, his arms instinctively tightening, his scarlet eyes wide open, making him look just like a rabbit.
Arip laughed out loud. Well, that's fine, it's not so bad.
"Sleep with me for a while. Since you don't need my help, I should leave soon."
Arip kicked open the door, picked up Easter and placed him on the bed. He leaned down to look at him. The first time he saw Mr. Rabbit, he knew that Mr. Rabbit was good-looking. It was a comfortable kind of good-looking, like a breeze, a warm current, and all things beautiful and gentle.
Easter's eyelashes fluttered, more captivating and beautiful than the trembling of a butterfly.
Arip couldn't resist kissing Easter's eyes. "Mr. Rabbit, I'm so glad I met you that day."
If East hadn't appeared there, he could have endured it all without getting too involved with another person. After experiencing the beauty of love, he was truly grateful to have met Mr. Rabbit that day.
"Me too," East replied frankly. Without the accident with Arip, he wasn't sure what he would do. Like a drifting duckweed, without any reverence for life and death, it wouldn't be surprising if he sought death early.
Arip helped East take off his shoes, socks, and clothes, then took off his own clothes as well. He lay down next to him, pulled him into his arms, and said lazily, "We're not going to do anything, just lie here together for a while." He fell asleep before he could finish his sentence.
East could guess that Arebo was tired, but he didn't expect him to be this tired, and his heart ached.
-----------------------
Author's note: ① This is from Charles Dickens's work "A Tale of Two Cities".
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com