Prince Andrew had been publicly snubbed by Rege, but he didnât fly into a rage. He knew the other princes also had their greedy eyes on the chair beneath Charles IIIâs buttocks.
If Rege and Moen swung to any of them, it was the end for him.
If the first in line for the throne disappeared, the person who was previously in second place would naturally get his chance. Similarly, the third, fourth, and fifth heirs would also get wild delusions. Rege was fully capable of making these so-called heirs disappear one by one.
It was his and Moenâs decision that was the final word.
Prince Andrewâs cheek muscles twitched a few times, triggered by the secret gnashing of teeth. After a moment he burst out laughing. âMy dear, I was just having a little fun with your baby. I misjudged his mental tolerance and I apologize to you for that.â
He picked up a glass of red wine and was the first to drink. His tone was quite straightforward: âCome, come, drink to this. Weâre still the best of friends.â
When he heard the words âyour babyâ, Rege reflexively glanced at Jian Qiao. His eyes flashed a little.
As if he hadnât heard, Jian Qiao picked up the wine glass, raised it to Prince Andrew, then drank it down. The scarlet wine tinted his thin lips, and his too pale face made the gorgeous splash of color look shocking.
He felt extraordinarily calm at that moment.
After being so humiliated, he didnât break down or flee. Instead he chose to stay, put on a polite expression, and reconcile with these demons. Because he knew his own dignity was the dignity of Desolette.
Seeing him so relaxed, Rege hooked his lips with interest, then raised his own glass of spirits and tossed it off. He pointed to a Yindu dancer standing in the corner, and ordered in a deep voice, âCome and dance.â
The Yindu dancer had a well-developed figure and dark skin, which wasnât compatible with the current pale, young, thin aesthetic fashion. Therefore, even though she wore a sexy bandeau top and a sheer tulle skirt which completely revealed her beauty, not many noblemen appreciated her dancing.
From the start of the banquet, she and her musicians stood in the most secluded corner, silently waiting to be called.
When she heard Regeâs command, she immediately widened her eyes. These amber eyes, which were painted with black eyeliner, glowed with ecstatic light. She knew if she were given the slightest opportunity she could perform a dance of ultimate splendor.
She was a spirit born for dancing.
As quick as a flash, she and her musicians were in their element.
Two musicians stepped up the rapid drumbeat, quick as a deer in the woods. The dancer leaped out to the dancefloor surrounded by cushioned settees and started to spin on her toes. In a twinkling, the skirt full of golden mandalas bloomed like a flower, the sinuous waist twisted and flexed, and a blue jewel set in her navel grabbed everyoneâs attention.
The joyfulness of Yindu music and the enthusiasm of Yindu dance were more intoxicating than wine aged for decades. Everything from that ancient land seemed full of spice and fire.
Prince Andrew and his followers looked dumbfounded with astonishment, then mesmerized. The previous unpleasantness had been left behind.
Shouts of approval, applause, whistles, and even the sound of gulping saliva, pushed the atmosphere of the banquet to a climax. All the guests gathered around, watching with fascination the dancing girl who continued to spin and jump.
The only two calm and sober-minded people in the room were Jian Qiao and Rege.
âPut yourself together.â Only then did Rege pull out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and pass it to Jian Qiao.
When he said this, he was taking a sip from his glass of liquor, his eyes always following the dancer, as if he werenât interested in Jian Qiao at all. In reality he wanted to take a good look at the other man and further examine his body to see if he were injured. But he knew that doing so would bring no benefit, and it would only cause Jian Qiao more embarrassment.
He knew that what Jian Qiao needed most right now wasnât his urgent attention and care, but a cloud of benign neglect.
No one likes to expose their wounds to others.
Jian Qiao took the handkerchief and slowly wiped the sweat from his forehead, nose, and the back of his neck. He knew how mortified he was, and though Rege didnât glance over at him, his behavior gave him a great sense of security.
The more unbearable it was, the more he didnât want to be noticed by others. It was a self-protective instinct.
The dancers were in full swing and no one had an eye to spare for Jian Qiao.
Therefore, in this lively but quiet corner, Jian Qiao could take some time to put himself together and slowly regain his dignity.
âThank you so much for today.â After a short while, Jian Qiao, whose appearance had become neat and elegant again, said quietly, âYour handkerchiefââ
Rege interrupted him, âYou can throw it away.â
The handkerchief was made of fine silk, and just a small scrap was worth several gold coins. It was enough to feed a family for a year.
Jian Qiao, whoâd always been frugal, was reluctant to throw it away. He carefully folded it into a small, neat square and tucked it into an inner pocket. He said softly, âIâll wash it for you and return it, then.â
Rege saw these extremely attentive actions from the corner of his eye. He couldnât have said why, but there seemed to be another dancer leaping with joy over the tip of the heart. He took a sip of wine to cover the rising corners of his lips. Pretending not to care, he said indifferently, âAs you wish.â
Jian Qiao nodded and asked deliberately, âWhat did you say to them? Why do they think Iâm your âbabyâ?â
He couldnât help but frown at this rather ambiguous word.
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Regeâs upturned lips stiffened for a moment, then he said bluntly, âI told them youâre my prey. No one can touch you until I get tired of playing.â
He looked straight at Jian Qiao and said in a mocking tone, âDonât get me wrong, Iâm not interested in men. I only did a good deed on a whim. I think you should thank me instead of questioning me. If not for me, these people would be stuck to you like leeches.â
Rege was a playboy. The women heâd pursued were many. Maybe there werenât quite a hundred, but there also werenât fewer than eighty.
Jian Qiao had heard the bards tell stories about his love affairs countless times, so he naturally didnât have the slightest misunderstanding.
âThank you very much.â Jian Qiao looked deep into those azure eyes. âYou saved me. Youâre not just the best person Iâve ever met in Grande and Polsa, even in my territory of Desolette thereâs no better man than you.â
After a momentâs pause, he said with unparalleled sincerity, âAt this moment there are no words that can express my gratitude. Meeting you has been the greatest blessing in my barren life.â
He pressed his heart with his thin fingertips to prove how violently it was beating for Rege. His pitch-black eyes, which were always covered with heavy mist, actually shone with a faint light when he gazed at Rege.
Hearing these words wrapped in honey and seeing the crystalline shimmer in those eyes, Regeâs brain fell into a state of chaos.
The beautiful figure of the dancer, the rousing drums of the musicians, the laughter and cheers of the people around them, all these were like the sky swallowed up by night, fading until they were undetectable to the senses. In his eyes, ears, and heart, only the figure and voice of Jian Qiao remained.
He froze for a while before licking his sharp tiger teeth. Feigning indifference he said, âMy lord Earl, you really know how to flatter someone.â
âEvery word I said comes from my heart.â Jian Qiao lightly pressed his fingers to his chest again.
No one else could know, when he was about to fall into the abyss of despair, Rege had shone on him like a warm beam of light. When he clung to that beam and used its power to wake himself from fear, heâd almost wept with gratitude.
Thinking of this, Jian Qiao gazed at Rege more seriously.
This person shone in his eyes.
Rege really couldnât stand it anymore. If possible, he really wanted to hold his forehead in grief.
Because he knew that fragile little animals always regard their protector as their deepest bond. Wherever you go they follow in your steps, and their wet round eyes constantly look at you with admiration and longing, and they bark at you sweetly, as if you were all they had.
That was how Rege had come to adopt stray cats, stray dogs, and a little leopard. Whenever Rege was home they followed him around in all shapes and sizes, calling âawoo, awooâ.
And the gentleman Earlâs eyes at that moment were exactly the same as those little animals.
This is bad! Damn it, I donât want a man to get stuck on me!
Rege grumbled in his heart, but he didnât realize his expression was completely unrelated to negative emotions like âimpatienceâ or âdisgustâ.
He gave a brief, perfunctory smile to Jian Qiao, then raised his head and drank up the alcohol in his glass. With the action of drinking, he hid the corners of his lips that had risen wildly.
The dancer was still spinning on the dancefloor, round and round, like a flower that would never cease to bloom. Sweat ran down her forehead, making her dark skin reflect a lustrous glow. Although she wasnât pale or thin or young, like a devil she possessed a fatal magnetism.
Prince Andrew pulled the spinning dancer into his arms and kissed her crazily.
The dancer accepted the rough treatment with just a slight flinch.
The other guests also confined the men and women theyâd long been eyeing and began to indulge in pleasure.
The strong aroma of opium, the richness of spirits, the sweetness of perfume, and the sourness of sweat fused into a disgusting syrupy fragrance of corruption and rotting vegetation which spread in all directions.
A courtesan swayed her slender hips as she walked to the sofa and staggered into Regeâs arms. Her flushed cheeks showed how drunk she was.
In the past, Rege would have laughed and put his arms around the woman and teased her with abandon.
But today he pushed her away, and his face was full of impatience and disgust.
He looked to Jian Qiao and said in a deep voice, âYou see? This is the center of power you aspire to. Itâs not a paradise but a swamp. Any creature that falls into this swamp will eventually be covered in thick, sticky mud and decay. So before you sink too deep, I advise you to return to your Desolette as soon as possible. This place is not for you.â
As he spoke, his heart was leaping up and down in his chest, and a faint but bewildering tingling sensation floated up.
TL Notes:
ćźèŽ â bÇobĂši â baby â a word with many meanings including baby, treasure, darling
ć°ćșŠ â Yindu â Indian, India. This is an AU with a fictional continent and locations so I kept the original pinyin. Otherwise it felt a bit jarring