Bo Rui was astonished: “Who looks like Ling Yi? His Highness Oser’s dance partner?”

He turned to take a closer look: “His face isn’t even showing. How did you come to that conclusion?”

“I don’t know. The height, the build, his movements…..they seem familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

Da Lun gradually began to doubt his own judgement. 

Bo Rui figured it out before he did and let out a sigh.

“You miss him so much that you think every passerby looks like him. How could Ling Yi’s hair be that long?”

“But we learned in our investigation class that hair and beards can’t be used as descriptive points for identifying a person.”

“I know you got straight A’s in your academic subjects, but you’re definitely being oversensitive about this. Even if Ling Yi is still alive, there’s no way he would have anything to do with His Highness Oser.”

Bo Rui pressed a glass into his hand.

“How about you drink some wine and relax? When you’re drunk, all of your worries will go away.”

Da Lun felt that his words were not entirely unreasonable. He accepted the cup and took a sip. It tasted good, so he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

“I might just need to get drunk.”

Two little girls of different ages ran through the crowd. The younger one flew into Oser’s long arms, and he picked her up.

The older one was unhappy and grabbed his sleeve, refusing to let go: “Your Highness Oser is playing favorites!”

Ling Yi figured that these were most likely two of the three Sully children. Oser was more popular with children than he would have thought.

The two little girls chattered and wanted to drag Oser off to see their new pet. Ling Yi saw that Oser couldn’t bear to refuse, so he took the initiative to offer: “Your Highness, go ahead and accompany them. I’m a little hungry, so I’ll grab something to eat by myself.”

Oser couldn’t resist the children’s enthusiasm: “Then don’t go too far. Tang De will keep an eye on you.”

Standing inconspicuously at the edges of the hall, Oser’s guards were placed every few meters. It was obvious who they were protecting.

The buffet table boasted a wide variety of dishes, most of which were delicacies that Ling Yi, as a commoner, had never seen before.

Ling Yi had been eating either prison food or hospital nutrient solutions these days, and had forgotten what proper food tasted like.

He became interested in a dessert that looked like an orange, but its shell seemed a bit hard.

He couldn’t take a bite of the shell before figuring out whether it was edible, lest he be laughed at.

“That’s Rosaria’s Treasure, a desert named after Grand Duchess Sully’s sister. It uses the unique orange pulp from Rosaria’s hometown and rare milk from the Sunar plant as the filling. The taste is sweet and delicate, with a unique milky aroma.”

A voice came from behind, growing nearer. Ling Yi turned to see a man in a fox mask stop next to him as he finished his smooth explanation.

“To eat it, you insert a straw through the stem and suck out the flesh.” He took a silver straw from the table and handed it to Ling Yi. “Give it a try.”

Ling Yi did as he was told. The smooth flesh of the citrus fruit, along with the soft, natural taste of milk, melted in his mouth.

His eyebrows rose in delight.

“It tastes delicious.”

“This is one of Florian’s most popular desserts, and only the bakers here can make it. Some people even go out of their way to attend Sully’s dances just to taste it.”

Ling Yi began to size up the fox-masked man in front of him.

“I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sidi, and I’m a nobody without a title. I just happened to be adopted by Viscount Qiao Wen, though you probably haven’t heard of the name – he’s not very well-known.

He looked around and intentionally lowered his voice: “I’m that guy who snuck in just to eat.”

Ling Yi continued to silently savor the dessert.

“I know that His Highness Oser doesn’t want to reveal your identity yet. I don’t mind. It’s fine if you just know my name.”

“Your ability to contain your pheromones is extraordinary. If I’m not mistaken, you should be an Alpha. We’re face to face, and yet I…..”

The man stared blankly for a moment, but quickly continued: “Excuse me, but I actually wear a pheromone suppression ring. I don’t like smelling my own pheromones, because frankly, they don’t smell very good.”

His sincerity seemed to touch Ling Yi.

“You look to be about my age, so since we’re peers, there’s no need to stand on formality. Nice to meet you, Sidi.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

Disi smiled and reached out to shake his hand: “There are plenty of delicious foods here. Would you mind if I introduce them to you one by one?”

Oser patiently acted as the girls’ climbing tree for a while before finally, at Madam Sully’s strong request, the two daughters climbed off of him with pouting expressions.

“I apologize, Your Highness. The children are getting more and more precocious as they grow older.”

“It’s fine for children to be a bit wild.”

Madam Sully sighed: “It’s because Your Highness is so kind to them that the children like you so much. Were Your Highness to have your own children, who knows what they’d be like?”

Oser lowered his head, his expression unclear. Sully nudged his wife nervously.

“Ah.” Madam Sully covered her mouth regretfully. “I’ve spoken out of turn.”

When Oser raised his head again, there wasn’t a trace of displeasure or offense on his face. Every one of his features was full of spirit.

Grand Duke Sully even suspected that he had lowered his head just now to prevent himself from laughing out loud due to excessive happiness.

“Madam, you’re overthinking things.”

He subconsciously glanced around for Ling Yi for the nth time, and it was also the nth time he glimpsed Ling Yi with the man in the fox mask. The two seemed to be chatting it up, and looked to be having a great time. The smile on his face vanished instantaneously.

Madam Sully glanced in the direction he was looking and immediately understood: “I know he’s on your mind, so hurry up. Don’t neglect your distinguished guest on his first visit.”

Oser nodded and said his goodbyes. Madam Sully gazed after his back with a sigh: “It seems our Oser is about to reap the fruits of love.”

Grand Duke Sully was still thinking crookedly: “Madam, do you want to add an un-masking segment?”

Da Lun held and empty cup in his hand, waving it around as he played a dodging game with Bo Rui. 

“Where is he different? Tell me…..where is he different?”

“You’re drunk, shut up, shh! You can’t yell in here.”

“I just think he and Ling Yi are similar…..no, I think they’re exactly the same, they’re basically the same person!”

“Stop messing around, Bro. Come back with me, okay? Let’s go back and go to sleep.”

“I won’t.” Da Lun smacked Bo Rui’s hand away. I want to see…..I want to see Ling Yi!”

“Pei, pei pei! Even though Ling Yi’s our brother, you can’t just say such things casually. Be careful that he doesn’t come to haunt you in the dorms tonight.”

“Why don’t you believe me…..then I’ll prove it to you!”

He walked around Bo Rui, stumbling but not slowing down at all.

Bo Rui reached out to grab him, but the drunk’s movements were so irregular that he missed.

“Hey! What are you doing? Get back here!”

“I have to make you see…..see his real face…..”

Bo Rui had never known that the thin-looking Da Lun possessed such strength when drunk. He himself was a big guy, but he was dragged away.

“Good brother, gege, daddy, please stop making trouble, okay? Can you be my real dad tonight?”

Following Disi’s instructions, Ling Yi sampled every delicious dish on the table. Just as he was in a good mood, he caught a glimpse of Oser heading his way.

He smiled back, ready to greet him, but then saw Oser’s expression change.

He clearly saw Oser move his lips, as if warning him of something.

Tang De’s subordinates simultaneously rushed in from all directions.

Ling Yi turned his head in surprise and was hit by a gust of wind. He instinctively dodged backwards, and the gust brushed past him, taking with it only the mask on his face.

Hundreds of eyes converged on the same focal point. It was as if someone had pressed a slow-mo button. His silver hair arced through the air like a waterfall, a mysterious face appearing and disappearing between the strands.

The cat mask flew high into the air. Da Lun and Bo Rui were both pinned down by the guards who rushed over, and struggled to raise their heads off the floor.

Everyone held their breath, and the hall was so quiet that one could even hear the echo of the mask falling to the floor.

Ka-clack—

Clack—

Clack—

When his hair finally fell, the face revealed was both stunning and slightly bewildered.

Da Lun and Bo Rui stopped struggling at the same moment. They stared, blank and motionless, as if time had frozen.

Ling Yi looked down condescendingly at Da Lun: “Do you have something to say?”

There were gasps of shock all around, and Grand Duke Sully’s jaw dropped. The guards dragged the two frozen men away, and the briefly paused world began to function once more.

Oser paced forward quickly, picked the mask off the floor, and put it back on Ling Yi. This time, it was sighs of regret that could be heard all around.

“Do you know those two people?” he asked in a low voice.

“They’re my classmates. I didn’t realize they were here.”

Sully arrived a bit belatedly: “Your Highness Oser, one of those kids just now is my cousin, and the other is a classmate he invited over to play. The children must have drank too much and offended your friend.”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his face. It was true that he had thought about removing the mask, but this wasn’t something that could be done so roughly and forcefully. 

Oser looked extremely unhappy: “I thought he was some hooligan who came in from nowhere, but it turns out he’s half the owner of Florian Castle. This brand of hospitality is truly novel.”

“Not so, not so, my cousin rarely comes to visit. Besides, he attends the military academy and doesn’t know much about the etiquette and rules in the castle.”

Sully naturally defended his shortcomings: “Once they’re sober, I’ll teach them a lesson for you. I’ll punish them by…..making them write self-criticisms and clean the courtyard. What do you think?”

Ling Yi: “Grand Duke Sully, if you don’t mind, I would like to ask you to hand those two people over to me to deal with.”

“This—”

“I’ll maintain a sense of proportion and not cause them or you undue trouble.”

Sully secretly observed Oser’s reaction and knew that this result was a foregone conclusion. Since he couldn’t save them, he might as well go with the flow and do them a favor.

“Of course, of course. They offended you, so naturally they should be handed over to you to be dealt with. No need to be polite, and don’t bother giving me face. They deserve a beating so that they will remember this lesson deeply.”

Xi Lei, whom Ling Yi had been waiting for all night, finally showed up and gestured to him from a distant corner.

It was a standard signal within Luban Military Academy: target acquired.

Ling Yi understood, saying to Oser: “Is my hair messed up? I’ll find somewhere to fix it.”

“There are rest chambers for guests. I’ll take you there.”

Ling Yi gently pushed against his chest: “I was a little scared just now, so I’d like to rest for a while. I see that there are a lot of people who still wish to speak with you, Your Highness. Just send a couple of guards to accompany me.”

Oser acquiesced and waved over two guards: “Keep him safe and sound. Report to me immediately if anything happens.”

Ling Yi was escorted to the rest chambers and left the guards outside.

“You two stay here. Don’t let anyone come in and disturb my rest.”

He quietly locked the door, then walked to the other side of the room, opened the window, and leaped out.

Xi Lei was nearby, and led him to the door of another room.

“Wu De is resting here. I watched him go inside with my own eyes, and I didn’t see anyone else.”

Ling Yi tried the door, and it wasn’t locked. He told Xi Lei: “I can handle this guy myself. You guard the door for me. If anyone comes, give me a signal.”

Wu De was lying in bed, playing on his phone. When he heard the door open, he lazily turned his head and said: “Wasn’t it you who asked me to come? What took you so—”

He was strangled by the neck from behind, and his attacker continued to increase the pressure. Wu De was unable to breathe, and his face turned the color of pig liver.

Ling Yi loosened his grip when he saw that he couldn’t hold on any longer. Wu De scampered on his hands and knees to a corner near the bed, coughing desperately.

He finally got a good look at his attacker: “Why is it you? Aren’t you…..His Highness Oser’s dance partner?”

“I’m a ghost who’s come to take your life.”

His high and mighty demeanor, calm tone of voice, and mask created an eerie atmosphere.

Wu De was so frightened that he stammered: “W-w-why did you come for me? I-I-I really haven’t hurt anyone, ah!”

“Is that so? Think again.”

Wu De wracked his brains to think of the bad things he’d done: “The most I’ve done is having a secret affair with a married woman…..did her husband send you?”

Ling Yi was so angry that he laughed: “Listen carefully. I’ll ask a question, and you answer it. Were you there on the day Lu Dawa died?”

“Yes, yes, yes! He brought an underaged little O that day, very fresh and juicy!”

Ling Yi punched him in the face, leaving a bruise around his right eye.

“He molested a minor, and you still dare to say you’ve never hurt anyone?!”

Wu De covered his eye and said aggrievedly: “He had that kind of hobby! I’m not interested at all, I like mature women, ah…..so, so when he was about to do that, I excused myself to the bathroom. I don’t have that kind of perverted voyeuristic fetish…..it’s true!”

“Keep talking!”

“Then that guy came. I saw Lu Dawa lying on the floor through a crack in the door. There was blood on him. I felt like I had to leave some kind of evidence, so I took out my phone and recorded it. I saw him pick up the fruit knife on the table and aim it at the back of Lu Dawa’s neck. One stab, another stab, and another……”

Wu De couldn’t help but shudder as he recalled the bloody scene that day.

“Everyone says he was acting in self-defense, but that wasn’t the case at all! How could someone be so cruel to a person who couldn’t even resist? He’s a murderer!”

Ling Yi asked darkly: “You clearly filmed the scene, so why did you backtrack later and say that you didn’t?”

Wu De’s eyes widened: “How do you know so much? Were you at the trial too?”

Another punch flew over, and Wu De closed his eyes fearfully. The fist stopped right in front of him.

“Stop talking nonsense! Just answer whatever I ask you!”

“I handed over my cell phone memory card at the beginning!” Wu De curled up into a ball with his eyes closed, shouting: “Later, they told me that the memory card was broken and the video couldn’t be played, so it couldn’t be used as evidence. But if this was made known, the evidence would seem weak, so they asked me to change my story!”

“Who are they!”

“Someone from the court! The Chief Justice! He told me personally!”

Ling Yi slowly retracted his fist.

“So you’re not sure if the memory card was actually broken.”

Wu De muttered quietly: “It was definitely fine when I handed it in.”

Ling Yi knew that it was highly unlikely that he would get anything more out of this person.

“If you tell anyone what happened today—”

“Then I’ll die as miserably as Lu Dawa!” Wu De raised his right hand and swore, “I won’t say anything, even if I die! You have His Highness Oser backing you, so I, I wouldn’t dare tell…..”

Xi Lei rapped a signal against the door, and Ling Yi knocked the man unconscious before slipping out of the room.

“I saw His Highness Oser heading toward your rest quarters. You go ahead, I’ll take care of things here.”

Ling Yi returned the same way he had come. When he climbed into the room through the window, he heard someone anxiously knocking on his door.

He messed up the bed, removed his mask, and tossed it next to the pillow. Pretending to be sleepy, he opened the door. Outside stood Oser and two nervous-looking guards.

“Apologies, you were taking quite a while and didn’t open the door when we knocked, so we had to invite His Highness Oser over.”

Ling Yi deliberately rubbed his eyes and said: “I wanted to lay down and rest for a while, but I fell asleep. How long was I out?”

Oser’s relief was evident: “Not long. I said that you haven’t recovered yet. I shouldn’t have brought you here.”

Ling Yi griped inwardly: And who is it who releases pheromones at me indiscriminately when he knows I haven’t recovered yet?

He recalled that Wu De had been waiting for someone to have a tryst. It seemed that upper-class balls were not as simple as he had imagined.

Ling Yi reached out and pulled Oser into the room, closing the door behind him.

“What are you—”

Before Oser could finish his question, his mouth was covered by something soft. He quickly took over the initiative once he realized what was happening. He gripped the other’s waist tightly, and the two of them exchanged a passionate kiss.

Ling Yi pulled away before it could go any further, licking his lips with the tip of his tongue. His eyes gleamed with the cunning of a successful sneak attack.

“You’ll have to get used to this with me. I’m not a passive Omega by nature.”

Oser looked at him as if he wanted to devour him.

“Tell me, what do you want this time?”

“I can only use a honey trap when I want something?”

“I’m not used to you seducing me without an ulterior motive.”

“Hmm……” Ling Yi pretended to think. “If Your Highness insists on making an exchange, take my classmates back and make them copy the school rules twice, then let them go.”

“Leaving them to Grand Duke Sully’s disposal will result in them sweeping the courtyard at most, but you can’t even bear to make them do that?”

“Those two idiots are my sons, after all. It’s only natural for a father to feel sorry for his sons.”

“I was planning to speak with their instructors, but since you’ve asked for mercy, I’ll let them go this time.”

Oser pressed his index finger to Ling Yi’s lips, stopping him from saying “thank you.”

“But the content of the punishment is up to me.”

Ling Yi shrugged, appearing indifferent.

“Your Highness has been away for too long. If you don’t return, the people outside will come to the wrong conclusion.”

“Wait a moment.”

Oser went to the bedside and grabbed the cat mask, then carefully put it on him.

“Careless.”

Oser linked his arm with Ling Yi’s and led him back to the hall. Everyone who saw them gave them strange looks.

Just as he was puzzled, he saw Sully winking at him and tapping his lips repeatedly with a finger.

Oser rubbed his lips lightly with his hand, and his knuckles came away bright red.

“Tsk.” He shook his head and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the lipstick.

When he looked up again, he caught several heads turning away, averting their faces in a way that just made their actions more obvious.

— Since they all had the wrong idea anyway, he might as well do something about it.

There was a commotion nearby, and everyone’s focus was finally diverted from the two of them.

Wu De appeared in a terrible state, with two bruised black circles under his eyes. His carefully-styled hair had become a chicken coop, and his outfit was wrinkled like wine-stained rags.

Ling Yi clearly remembered that he had only punched Wu De in his right eye, so the other side was obviously a souvenir left by the person who had cleaned up the mess.

Xi Lei, a moral role model, was following in his footsteps and growing increasingly distant from the word ‘moral.”

Grand Duke Sully had always disliked his wife’s incompetent relative. Upon seeing that he was injured, he didn’t ask after his well-being, but instead found it embarrassing.

“How did you get like this?”

Wu De met Ling Yi’s eyes through the crowd and immediately lowered his head, shaking it violently.

Grand Duke Sully had heard a little about the dirty things he got up to, but usually turned a blind eye for the sake of his wife.

Seeing that he had been beaten but didn’t dare say anything, he just thought that the truth had been revealed and he’d been taught a lesson by the person involved. Further investigation would only make things worse.

“Go find a doctor and get some medicine, don’t embarrass yourself here!” he scolded.

Wu De walked away in disgrace, tail between his legs.

Grand Duke Sully was internally fuming. This was the first time His Highness Oser had brought a distinguished guest, and so many unexpected things had happened.

“Your Highness Oser, it’s my fault for not educating the young people around me properly. I’ve made you and your friend laugh.”

“With so many troublesome youngsters, Grand Duke Sully must also be very tired. It’s getting late, so we’ll take our leave first.”

Grand Duke Sully personally escorted them to the door. Da Lun had been forced to drink sobering soup, and he and Bo Rui waited anxiously for their fate to be decided.

Oser was not polite, and waved a hand: “Take them away.”

Bo Rui and Da Lun had originally thought they would be taken to His Highness Oser’s palace, but upon arriving at their destination, they found themselves at the Royal Medical College.

The guards took them to a small, dark room in the basement of the medical college. It didn’t seem like a respectable place. There was a sofa and a coffee table in the room, upon which was a stack of white paper and a few pens.

“His Highness Oser won’t conduct any human experiments on us, right?” A terrible thought occurred to Da Lun.

“Don’t be ridiculous. This is a society ruled by law. Even a prince isn’t above the law. Besides, His Highness Oser and I are related by blood, so he wouldn’t be so cruel.”

Bo Rui boasted out loud, but his anxiety was no less than Da Lun’s. He was a nominal member of the royal family, but even he had never spoken to His Highness Oser before, and was as marginal as could be.

Oser waited a while before making his appearance, and the two people rushed to apologize.

“Your Highness Oser, I was drunk tonight and acted so rudely toward your friend. I’m sorry!”

“I was the one who dragged him to the dance and forced him to drink. I couldn’t stop him, so I’m also at fault! Please forgive me!”

Oser waved his hand impatiently and asked a question that neither of them could figure out.

“Do you know what ‘Teacher Tony’ means?”

The two of them exchanged glances, and Da Lun posed tentatively: “A barber?”

Oser was satisfied with this answer.

“How much civilian jargon like this do you know?”

“……Ah?”

“The kind of trendy words you young people often use among each other.”

The two were confused: Is Teacher Tony a trendy phrase?

Oser pointed at the paper on the table: “Write down all the civilian jargon you know, at least five pages per person. You can leave once you’re finished writing.”

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 26 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 28