Chapter 57
◎Cantrela◎
Was he here to laugh at him?!
When he saw Lan Ye standing next to His Highness the Crown Prince, he felt extremely resentful, even though he was filled with fear of "Ou Sai" beside him.
Sensing Gani's emotions, "Ou Sai" followed Gani's gaze and naturally saw Lan Ye.
“He seems even more beautiful now.” “Osei” chuckled softly, then turned his head and whispered in Gani’s ear, “Baby, concentrate.”
Gani: "..." Don't think he didn't hear what "Ou Sai" said just now. If he likes Lan Ye so much, why not just marry him? Why bother with him?!
Gani never imagined that one day she would so desperately want "Ou Sai" and Lan Ye to get married.
"Osei" led Gani by the hand and walked to the officiant. This time, the officiant was not Prince Mod, but Osei's uncle, Lord Assal.
Lord Assal, holding the Oath Codex, solemnly asked, "Do you take this man beside you to be your husband? To love him, to be faithful to him, and to never have feelings for another? Regardless of his status, to respect his family as your own, and to fulfill your duties as his partner until death do you part..."
At this moment, Celoé returned control of Ose's body to its original owner, so he solemnly said, "I am willing."
Having said that, Osei breathed a sigh of relief. He could sense that if it were still that ancestor, his answer would probably be "no." But others didn't know that wasn't him. If he said "no" again, regardless of the truth, he would truly become a laughingstock.
All eyes turned to the other protagonist of the wedding—Gani. Gani then realized he could speak. He wanted to say he didn't want to, and wanted to run directly to his father and brothers for protection, but he had no control over his body.
So, with a trembling voice, he said, "I do."
Lan Ye looked at Gani, who was clearly acting strangely, nudged Regas with his elbow, and whispered, "Something's wrong with him."
Although ordinary people could not see anything unusual, to experts like Lan Hua who needed to precisely calculate every angle and timing to operate a warship, Gani's walking state and pace were very abnormal.
"Did you figure it out a long time ago?" Lan Ye glanced at Regas and found that Regas's expression did not change at all.
"He must be controlled by something," Regas whispered in Lan Ye's ear, turning his body slightly to the side. The warm breath gently brushed against Lan Ye's earlobe, tickling him and making him flutter.
Lan Ye and Regas's interaction was naturally observed by those who were paying attention. They couldn't hear the content of Lan Ye and Regas's conversation, but their body language was intimate and ambiguous to the point of being undisguised.
At that moment, "Osei" also looked in Lan Ye's direction and then revealed a meaningful smile.
This scene was witnessed by many, and some couldn't resist secretly filming it and uploading it to the StarNet. After all, live streaming is prohibited, but images and text aren't, right?
Two holographic photos were uploaded to the StarNet: one showed Regas and Lan Ye whispering intimately in each other's ears, and the other showed Osei looking at Lan Ye with an ambiguous smile, immediately startling onlookers.
"I just want to know, why didn't that kind person who took the photo include Gani in it? I want to know Gani's expression at that moment! [leaning against the wall]"
"Ou Sai seems to still have feelings for Lan Ye. With that expression and that smile, I can already imagine a tragic male protagonist enduring humiliation and waiting for a comeback to win back his true love."
"The person upstairs has obviously watched too many dramas. At most, he's just resentful that his ex is doing better after leaving him, it's just male competitiveness."
"If someone asks Lan Ye for authorization, his story can be made into a TV series or movie. Without any modifications or exaggerations, it will be a masterpiece of melodrama and it will definitely be a bestseller."
"How come I never noticed before? The Third Prince and His Highness the Crown Prince look so alike! It's not just the legendary three-tenths resemblance, it feels like at least six or seven-tenths!"
"I used to only think they looked a little alike, but now it's definitely very similar. Could it be that His Highness the Third Prince underwent genetic enhancement?"
...
Regas and "Ose" locked eyes, their two pairs of rather similar purple eyes revealing an endless depth and darkness beneath their calm surface.
After Ouse and Gani finished their oath, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause. The oath was like a signal that an alliance was complete; the Northern Region was officially bound to the Third Prince, sharing both glory and misfortune.
After the swearing-in ceremony, there was a luncheon.
King Leo VI seemed to be in a good mood; his previously serious expression had relaxed, and he even had a slight smile on his face.
He glanced at the guests present: the representatives from the four regions were the same as those sent to Osei's first wedding, with no changes in the selection. The only difference was that there were significantly more people from the Northern Region than the first time.
King Leo VI stood up and tapped his wine glass with a silver spoon. The sound of the spoon hitting the rim of the glass was not loud, but it immediately quieted down the previously noisy room.
King Leo VI smiled and said, "As a father, I wish Ouse a happy marriage and hope that he can live up to his responsibilities after marriage."
Then he said, "Alright, I hereby declare the luncheon officially open."
After speaking, he sat down. To his left sat Regas, and Lan Ye, whom Regas had brought with him.
Leo VI was deeply impressed by Lan Ye, not only because he had captivated his two nominal sons to the point of openly acknowledging their relationship despite his lowly status, but also because of his face, so stunningly beautiful that it seemed strangely familiar. He felt as if he had seen this similar face somewhere before.
But he couldn't quite recall it. Perhaps it was because he was an illegitimate child of the Lan family that he resembled Lan Hua. But he had a vague feeling that the face he remembered shouldn't be Lan Hua's.
King Leo VI didn't dwell on this, after all, he had important matters to attend to. The Lan family was a tough nut to crack for the empire, coveted yet impossible to deal with.
King Leo VI watched as Regas picked up his wine glass and swirled it, but didn't drink it, and laughed, "What are you thinking about? You're thinking about something but not drinking."
Regas smiled and said, "I'm just a little envious of Ose."
"What do you envy about him?" Leo VI asked.
"I envy him for being able to get married."
Lan Ye was slicing meat when he heard this. He raised an eyebrow but didn't stop what he was doing. He said, "Your Highness hasn't even proposed. How can you tell that you want to get married?"
Lille couldn't help but chuckle. He sat beside Queen Eve, his gaze fixed on Lan Ye and his brother ever since Lan Ye appeared. But no one present paid him any attention. Lille was used to it; he'd been practically invisible in the palace since childhood. But being invisible had its advantages—at least it was less stressful and safer.
Lille's sudden laughter drew the attention of everyone at the table. Lille raised his hand and said, "I was just laughing. You can continue."
"If I propose to you, will you say yes?" Regas showed no emotion in response to Lan Ye's teasing, and simply looked at him gently.
"It depends."
Lille interjected, "What's going on? Is there a requirement for the occasion of the proposal?"
Lan Ye nodded and said, "If it can touch my soul, I will naturally agree."
Lille: "..." He no longer envied his brother at all. It turns out that to fall in love, one needs a high spiritual level and to touch the soul. How can such an abstract and subjective requirement be achieved?
What is the soul? Is it emotion or brainwaves? How do you trigger it? How do you know if you've been triggered? Is this a marriage proposal or some kind of philosophical discussion...? Just thinking about it makes my head spin. Staying single is the best way to stay safe.
"Okay, no take-backs." This demand, which made Riel incredibly frustrated, was met with a light laugh from Regas.
“Of course,” Lan Ye said. He was also a little curious, because Regas gave him the impression of being confident. But how could he be sure about such an unsubstantiated request?
Regas took his hand and kissed it reverently on the back of his hand. "It's a deal."
Lan Ye: "..." Why does he feel like he's digging a hole and jumping into it himself?
King Leo VI laughed heartily and said, "Then I'll be looking forward to your wedding." With that, he raised his glass to Regas and downed the wine in one gulp.
Regas merely swirled his wine glass, remaining motionless. Faced with the emperor's signal, only Regas dared not refuse the wine.
The emperor's attendant naturally understood the unspoken meaning in His Majesty's words and spoke on his behalf, "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"
Regas said to Lan Ye, "Do you know 'Cantrera'?"
"The legendary poison passed down through the Borgia family," Lan Ye said knowingly.
"Yes, it's a white powder, odorless and tasteless. When mixed into wine, it makes the wine taste better, making people want to drink more and more, and leading them to death when they get drunk."
"This wine must taste good." Lan Ye's focus was always different from others.
“But when the poison takes effect, one will suddenly feel tired, have wrinkled skin, sunken eyes, white hair, and lose teeth…” Regas chuckled, “and the corpse will also swell.”
Lan Ye: "So ugly."
Lille quickly put down his glass, recalling whether he had been drinking, and felt a wave of fear wash over him.
“However, this poison has been improved now. It will make the wine taste better, and the death will be silent and silent, occurring in one’s sleep, without becoming ugly. Even with current medical methods, the cause cannot be found; the only conclusion will be sudden death,” Regas said.
"They've actually kept up with the times," Lan Ye exclaimed.
Upon hearing Regas's words, Queen Eve's grip on her wine glass tightened violently, causing the wine inside to swirl. But it was only for a fleeting moment.
"So you knew all along." Leo VI completely dropped his pretense, his smile vanished, and his face instantly turned sinister.
"There are no secrets in this world that stay hidden forever." Regas didn't even blink at Leo VI's change of expression.
"Are you waiting for a signal that the Northern Fleet has succeeded?" Regas put down his wine glass and slowly added, "You might not be able to wait that long." The Northern Fleet has long been blocked at the starport by the Royal Fleet.
"Even without the Northern Fleet, you're still here, aren't you?" Leo VI sneered. "Killing you would be the same." Since neither side intended to let the other go, Leo VI naturally didn't intend to continue the charade.
A note from the author:
Note: Reference books
Poison Notebook by Tatsuhiko Shibusawa
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
