Chapter 21 - You are my star

Jian Qiao was stunned when he heard Rege’s words, so close to a promise. He never imagined the other party would be so kind.

If Rege stayed in Grande, it would undeniably bring him a great sense of security. So a bright light shone from his dark eyes, and the source of this light was the handsome, unparalleled Rege.

Now that the carriage door was no longer obstructed, it slowly closed.

Jian Qiao hurriedly stretched out his arm to hold open the door. He leaned down and stared directly at Rege, who stood before the carriage. “I also want to correct a mistaken impression. My lord, you aren’t at all overbearing or rude. On the contrary, you’re too friendly and endearing, it’s my luck to know you.”

Rege raised his eyebrows and asked in a more aggressive tone, “Overbearing? Rude? My lord Earl, is that what you secretly thought? Fine, I’m leaving Grande tomorrow. Good luck!” After speaking, he turned away to leave.

Once his back was to Jian Qiao, a rather smug grin appeared on his face.

Jian Qiao raised his voice and shouted, “Are you kidding me? You can’t take back your words, you’re the greatest knight in Tortus!”

He, who’d always kept a certain distance from everyone, had never said such playful words before. There was no doubt Rege had a unique weight in his heart.

Rege stopped his forward progress and licked his sharp tiger teeth again. He turned his head and said with some ill grace, “The greatest knight can’t resist your sugary words. Yes, I’m kidding, are you happy?”

Yes, Jian Qiao was happy. He’d long ago forgotten what it was to smile, but at that moment his eyes were brighter than the stars.

Rege gazed at the man wearing such a face, pointed at his eyes and said, “It’s amazing. You actually have stars in your eyes.”

Jian Qiao spoke without a second’s thought, “The star is you.”

Rege: “…”

Rege turned his head, groaning inwardly.

Damn it! If a compliment contest were held in Tortus, the gentleman Earl was guaranteed to win the championship. His brain barely needed to think, he just opened his mouth and honey-laden words rolled off his tongue.

Rege was completely defeated. He tsked and then emphasized again, “You can do what you need with peace of mind. I’ll stay in Grande and watch over you. All right, let’s go.”

After speaking, he waved his hand and walked towards his carriage. The brilliant lights reflected his upright posture and lengthened his silhouette.

And this silhouette was going farther and farther away, getting fainter and fainter.

Jian Qiao wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t bear to part so quickly. He liked spending time with Rege, sitting side by side on a sofa, drinking a few glasses of wine at leisure, chatting about nothing. His heart felt constant anxiety, but such a lazy atmosphere could make him feel at peace.

Jian Qiao dreaded the night. Sleep would only lead him into one desperate dream after another.

In those dreams he was like a mayfly, doomed to passively follow a swirling rush of darkness, until he was swallowed by a monstrous fish with gnashing teeth. Aside from this ending, he never dreamed of anything good.

Every morning he woke up covered in sweat, and the fear that lingered in his heart made it impossible for him to recover for a long time. So he especially cherished the safety and peace of this moment.

He shouted at Rege’s back, “Have you ever exercised the Right of the First Night?”

This was the favorite privilege of every lord. When a young couple in his territory were ready to marry, the lord had the right to take the bride’s first night.

Sure enough, this topic captured Rege’s curiosity. He immediately stopped and looked back. In a very serious tone he asked, “Have you used this power?”

If Jian Qiao answered yes, he’d be so disappointed! Just thinking about it, he couldn’t suppress his anger. In addition to the anger there was an indescribable surge of irritability.

“I never have, what about you?” Jian Qiao quietly looked at Rege.

Rege’s tight face instantly eased. He licked his teeth and grinned. “Neither have I.”

“And have you exercised the Right of Destruction?” Jian Qiao continued.

The so-called “right to destroy” referred to a lord’s power to destroy the fields, houses, or pastures of any person in his territory. Destroying a family was just a matter of a few words.

Rege showed an expression of disdain and said with a sneer, “Of course not. Who would do something like that for no reason? Have you?”

Jian Qiao shook his head. “Neither have I.” Then he asked, “Have you ever exercised the Right to Strike Down?”

The so-called right to strike down referred to this: When a lord felt his feet were too cold, he had the right to hack open a serf, put his feet into the other person’s stomach, and warm himself with the residual heat of the blood and viscera.

When a serf died, his body was always laid out flat at the feet of his lord, hence the name “the right to strike down”.

Rege’s voice held the greatest contempt: “That power is nothing but shit! If I was cold all over I’d warm myself with the blood of my enemies, not brutalize my people. Don’t tell me you’ve ever done this, or we can never be friends.”

He believed in knightly chivalry. He would never kill a weak or unarmed person for no reason.

With damp eyes, Jian Qiao stared intently at this tall, strong man. He looked so powerful, so wild and unruly, like a beast that indulged in killing. But there were also gentle and unsullied corners in his heart.

Being stared at by the gentleman Earl with such “deep affection”, Rege couldn’t help but touch his numb cheeks. He asked in a hoarse voice, “Why do you keep staring at me? Is something wrong with me?”

Such bright eyes pierced his heart like a needle, making him itch and ache.

“There’s nothing wrong with you.” Jian Qiao shook his head and added softly, “I’ve never exercised any of these powers either, and I think they’re all shit, too. So, can I be your friend now?”

Five years ago, Jian Qiao firmly believed he’d never make any friends in this era, because his ideas, concepts, and values were incompatible with the people here. He was like a spark that had fallen into a desert. Without any dry grass as tinder, he’d never be able to ignite the flame of modern civilization.

All he could do was try his best to integrate himself into the world. And every night he silently told himself: Jian Qiao, you must not forget you’re just an ordinary person. You’re not a lord, you cannot exercise the power of life and death at will.

Power fascinates people as well as transforms them. If he really fell into the euphoria of exercising power and grew addicted to it, one day he would turn into a monster.

And such monsters could be seen everywhere in Grande, Polsa, and all the other cities he passed through.

But Rege was different. In this era, he was the exception.

“I want to be your friend.” Jian Qiao held out his hand. He said slowly, “It’s the first time in my life I’ve had such an urgent desire. I want a friend, and that friend can only be you.”

After a moment’s pause, he asked, almost cautiously, “Is it possible?”

Rege: “…”

The sensation of pins and needles in his heart turned into heavy hammering. No one knew how wildly his heart pounded for every word the gentleman Earl said.

The big round eyes of a little deer in the woods didn’t inspire as much compassion as this man could when he quietly stared at him. Rege looked away and gave a secret sigh. Then he turned back and took the gentleman Earl’s hand which was stubbornly suspended in mid-air.

The pale, slender hand felt just as he imagined. Holding it was like holding a cloud—soft, delicate, fragile.

Rege quickly weakened the strength of his grip, shook that hand twice, and said in a muted voice, “Now we’re friends.”

The statement made Jian Qiao reveal a satisfied expression.

Seeing his sparkling eyes, Rege grinned.

“Well, it’s time to go, my friend. It’s getting very late.” He pointed to the darkening sky.

Jian Qiao, however, was still a bit reluctant.

He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. “You know, my biggest income is only from the one shop here in Grande. The proceeds from that shop have to pay for nurseries, schools, almshouses, all kinds of relief facilities for the common folk. I’m supporting not only the Earl’s household but also my people. That’s why I rejected your request to cooperate before.”

Rege had almost forgotten about the dispute when they first met. For a moment he was taken aback, then he revealed an expression of realization.

“That incident has passed. I’ll say the same thing I said when I left that day, you don’t have to take it to heart.” He waved his hand indifferently.

Jian Qiao leaned down, looked into his eyes, and said carefully, “If you can subdue all the lords of Gloria and get them to open up their cities to each other, I’ll be willing to cooperate with you. When we can open our shops in every corner of Gloria without hindrance, I’ll be able to feed my people even with only fifty percent of the profit.”

This extremely bold proposal made Rege freeze.

Jian Qiao immediately added, “Of course, I’m only talking about if.” He looked at the sky and sighed, “Then goodbye, my friend. The time I spend with you is always so short. I haven’t even left and I’m already looking forward to our next meeting.”

These words without a doubt were from the heart. If possible Jian Qiao really wanted to stay with Rege, chatting from moonrise to moonset, and then fall naturally asleep. That way he might escape the nightmare in peace.

Rege exuded a powerful energy, and Jian Qiao needed that energy.

Rege retreated backwards, but this time he didn’t turn away. He didn’t want to show his back to the gentleman Earl.

Those parting words the Earl had spoken possessed the sincere power to move a person’s heart. So he made an instant decision.

“Our next meeting will be in three days. I’ll hold a banquet at the ducal palace. I’ll invite the lords who hold a lot of fertile land and more food than they can eat. Then I’ll introduce you to them one by one. Whether you can pull enough food from their granaries depends on your ability.”

Rege joined his index and middle fingers, gestured at the tip of his eyebrows in salute, and said with a smile, “This time it’s really goodbye. I wish you good dreams tonight.”

This blessing was too significant for Jian Qiao. And the banquet would help him solve his biggest worry.

He poked his head out of the carriage window and said to Rege, “You’re not only my only friend, you’re my best best friend!”

Like a kindergarten kid, Jian Qiao added two identical adjectives in a row to express his excitement.

Responding to him was Rege’s bright, hearty laugh.

In the darkness of the night, the stars shone above their heads, just like their eyes shone when they gazed at each other.

TL Notes:

横躺 – strike down – lie flat across (a road, room, etc.). “The Right to Lie Flat” just sounded really weird.

Sometimes these two are so cute I’m just like o(≧∇≦o) (o≧∇≦)o ヾ(o✪‿✪o)ｼ~~~

… I also think this society needs QiaoQiao to stop messing around with jewelry and invent a guillotine.