NOVEL NEXT Chapter 96: Just boys being boys
Although Ren Xiyang’s eyes were closed and his external expression lax, he was still highly aware of Rian’s heat. As long as he felt Rian’s gaze, he couldn’t relax and he couldn’t doze.
He felt embarrassed for some inexplicable reason. He also felt self-aware of his body.
“I see,” Rian said.
Ren Xiyang: “…” What did that mean? What did Rian seem happy about suddenly? He opened one suspicious eye.
“Don’t mind me,” Rian said with that innocent smile that was very suspicious. He placed multiple cushions around Ren Xiyang and draped a blanket over his shoulders and body. “Rest.”
Ren Xiyang snorted lightly. He adjusted to a more comfortable position and closed his eyes.
There was a rustle of paper as Rian took out his heavy books to study.
No longer feeling Rian’s gaze, Ren Xiyang was finally able to doze.
Once Rian was sure that Ren Xiyang was asleep, he peeked up from his books. There was a slight frown on Ren Xiyang’s lips.
Rian half sighed, half smiled to himself. Ah, Xiyang…
The reception at the next fief they visited was polite but unfriendly.
Marchioness Vulturnus didn’t smile back when Prince Rian smiled. She had come from the Capital to welcome the convoy to her castle, and then she had to travel with them back to the Capital. This meant that she missed multiple days of the Angio court, all because Marquis Terra had chosen her fief as a stopping point.
“Your rooms have been prepared. Dinner will be served at due time,” she said coolly.
“Thank you for accommodating us,” Prince Rian said.
“Thank you for agreeing to allow the Sedaverian convoy to stay, Marchioness Vulturnus,” Lady Julia Terra said.
Marchioness Vulturnus’s gaze upon Julia Terra and Hadrian Terra was no more favourable than her look on the foreign Sedaverian convoy. “You’re welcome.”
Once she turned her head away, her top lip curled up slightly in disdain. Mages playing merchants, all of them. The gods gave them magic for a reason, yet these people acted frivolously. Mark her words, that Terra family should watch their actions.
Julia Terra’s lips thinned. She turned to Prince Rian and the rest of the Sedaverian convoy and gave them an apologetic look. “Take the time to rest. We will be departing tomorrow morning.”
“A quiet night is much appreciated,” Rian said, unaffected. He had expected this kind of reception. The Vulturnus Family was loyal royalists and firm traditionalists. If they knew what Ren Xiyang was doing, they might well faint from anger. The thought of that put a faint smile on Rian’s face.
Count Aegean, who saw Prince Rian smiling: “…” What is he smiling about now? Then he saw Prince Rian’s glance to Earl Rosewood. Ah. Of course.
Their time at the Vulturnus castle was short.
Before dinner, Ren Xiyang took the time to have a long-distance meeting with the Rosewood staff back at the Rosewood fief. After dinner, he worked on his magic and magical transition (without Rian’s bodily assistance—Count Aegean and Duke Mauveine were giving Rian another lesson).
The next day, after breakfast, Rian exchanged diplomatic gifts with Marchioness Vulturnus. Then, with the Vulturnus carriage and guards leading the way now, the Sedaverian convoy headed off.
There was now one last stop left before they would reach the Angio Capital.
The final fief they visited belonged to the Helios family. They were the Angian counterpart to the Schauss family. In Angio, the Helios family members were the most powerful healer mages, and they controlled the teaching of other healer mages.
Unlike the Schauss family though, the Helios mages also had in-depth combat training.
One of the original researchers who developed the plague-curse was a Helios mage who worked in the Angio capital.
Duke Helios awaited them.
“The Sedaverians, here at last,” Duke Helios said, his voice dry. He was a tall thin older man, with short white-gold hair. He disdained the messy formation of nobles exiting their carriages and guards and servants milling around them.
Marchioness Vulturnus had a cold expression. She bowed to Duke Helios.
“Marchioness Vulturnus,” Duke Helios acknowledged.
Marchioness Vulturnus raised her head. “Your Grace, the Sedaverian convoy. Sedaverians, this is Duke Helios.”
Prince Rian bowed, leading the rest of the convoy members to bow.
“Welcome to Angio,” Duke Helios said. “I trust you’ve had a pleasant journey.”
Prince Rian smiled slightly. “Yes, Lord Terra and Lady Terra have been impeccable guides, and Marquis Terra, Earl Petrus, Baron Natrium, and Marchioness Vulturnus were impeccable hosts.”
“Good. The servants will take you to your rooms to refresh, and then I expect to see you all in the main hall in half an hour,” Duke Helios said.
Half an hour was not very long, given the time it took to unload luggage and find one’s room, refresh, and head to the main hall at least five minutes early.
Thirty minutes later, the core Sedaverian convoy was seated at the tables in the main hall, with all the Sedaverian staff and guards standing behind them. The placement of the Sedaverians was very deliberate, with Prince Rian and Duke Mauveine near the front, and the non-noble mages at the end.
Duke Helios stood at the front on the stage, with his hands held behind his back. “Within twenty-four hours, you will be entering the Capital. Those previous families you’ve visited were lax. Such behaviour would not be tolerated here, let alone at the King’s court.”
Duke Helios looked meaningfully at Earl Rosewood. Engaging in a cooking duel was extremely demeaning to noble mages.
Earl Rosewood looked back blankly at him.
Duke Helios felt a touch of disdain. Children, he thought derisively. He continued, “You will be entering the Capital as visitors and guests. When you are in our land, you need to obey our rules. I assume that you know these rules already. But, for your own benefit, allow me to inform you about how to act again.” His gaze swept across the Sedaverians below him. “Remember these rules carefully. You must get down on your knee and bow to the King upon seeing him. You must not stare impolitely at the King. You must give way to the King. You must not swear in the presence of the King. You must not speak any language other than Angian in the presence of the King. You must bow to any superiors. You must not speak unless spoken to in the presence of the King. You must not…”
After Duke Helios told them the rules, he spoke a bit about Angio history, and about how the Imperial Lūpiter line had stayed in power for dozens of generations, making it the most prestigious royal family on the continent.
Eventually, Duke Helios stopped talking and had the servants bring in dinner.
With the pressure from Duke Helios, the large hall was quiet except for the sound of cutlery clinking on plates and hushed voices.
Rian’s smile had long faded, replaced with a serious expression. He ate quietly and only spoke when spoken to by Duke Helios. Which wasn’t very often: Duke Helios mostly exchanged words with Duke Mauveine, a man of similar age and status.
After dinner, Rian summoned Ren Xiyang to his rooms.
He locked the door and cast his newest privacy spell. With the magic settling, Rian’s shoulders and back softened and his face relaxed into a familiar smile.
“Did you want to practice before we enter the Capital?” Ren Xiyang asked.
“I trust the powerful Earl Rosewood,” Rian said easily. He walked over to the desk where his servants had unpacked his books. “I’ve received two new reports. I haven’t read them yet.” He took out two thin sheets of folded paper from the secret compartment in his notebook.
Ren Xiyang accepted a report. After they finished reading, they exchanged reports.
One report noted that Marquis Terra had prepared the first instalment of his promised tribute. Those caravans should arrive at the Angio capital in a few days after the Sedaverian convoy.
The other report noted that local bandits had links to the Angio king. The agent had found traces of transactions going both ways.
Rian collected the reports at the end and put them away again.
“Interesting,” Rian said lightly.
The latter piece of information changed things. It meant there was more to that attack on the Terra fief than Rian had expected.
It also meant that ridding Angio of bandits was suddenly in Rian’s best interest. It would weaken King Augustus’s power, and if anyone found out, it would still be good publicity.
“Hm.”
“We’ve travelled a lot over the last few days. Have you found any bandit hide-outs yet? Or any suspect locations?”
Ren Xiyang blinked. “…I forgot.”
Rian made an exaggerated gasp. “You forgot?”
“There’s nothing suspicious along the roads we travelled,” Ren Xiyang said with a frown.
“The great Earl Rosewood forgot?”
“…”
Rian smirked, light dancing in his eyes.
Ren Xiyang raised his hand.
Rian instantly formed an ice shield and jumped back.
Ren Xiyang’s lips twitched. He formed some ice balls and lobbed them at Rian.
Rian caught the ice balls with his shield and directly incorporated them to make a bigger shield.
Not long after, the air was filled with spherical balls of fire, ice and water as Ren Xiyang chased Rian around the room.
If Queen Mira had seen this, she could be speechless: Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood did have really good aim! The furniture in the room remained perfectly unscathed despite all the near misses. Which meant that they were purposefully damaging the Imperial Palace’s duelling shields!
Ren Xiyang narrowed his eyes as his projectiles missed Rian again.
“Come on, try a little harder,” Rian said with a laugh. His eyes sparkled as he jumped backwards into the air.
After a split-second calculation, Ren Xiyang threw out multiple ropes of water and fire. Rian dodged, bending his body and flying to the side. At that instant, Ren Xiyang lunged forward and caught Rian directly in his arms. The two tumbled and landed on the sofa with Ren Xiyang on top and Rian underneath him.
Rian laughed breathlessly. “A physical attack, really? What kind of mage are you?”
“One that caught you, with all means necessary,” Ren Xiyang said. He couldn’t help but smile though. “You didn’t expect it, did you?”
Rian quirked his lips. “I’ll expect it in the future.”
“Mm.”
Rian said nothing more. He simply gazed up into Ren Xiyang’s eyes, losing himself in the warm familiar red eyes.
Ren Xiyang’s mind went into a daze as he met Rian’s soft blue eyes. The thump thump of his heart and puffs of their breathing filled his ears.
He felt like he was falling.
The author —> _(:ι」∠)_
Shorter chapter today…