Because of the knight commanderâs wordsââmay not returnââJian Qiao immediately jumped into the carriage and rushed to the ducal residence.
He wanted to exchange himself with Rege. He was afraid of dying, but he was even more afraid Rege would die for him.
After knocking on the door of the ducal residence, he learned from the butler that both Rege and the old Duke had gone to the military camp. The two of them, father and son, would march to the battlefield together.
Jian Qiao hurried to the barracks again, but he didnât even get through the door. Rege firmly refused to see him.
Jian Qiao stood outside the camp and waited. If Rege didnât come out, he wouldnât go back.
But he overestimated his ability. He didnât even get a chance to use this tactic. Rege sent a few soldiers to directly kidnap him back to the hotel, and instructed his two manservants to keep him locked up in the bedroom.
It wasnât until the day the army marched away that Jian Qiao regained his freedom.
With a pallid face he climbed the tall gatehouse at the entrance to the city and looked down.
Rege, wearing black armor, rode on horseback at the forefront, and the old Duke was half a length behind him. This time the Grande father and son were the chief and vice commanders of the army. Prince Andrew, the culprit who instigated the war, followed behind them with burgeoning ambition hidden in his eyes, unreconciled to his subordinate position.
He wanted to use the war to establish his position as crown prince, and he needed a remarkable military success to show off his prowess. As for how many people would die in the war, he didnât care at all. Perhaps the massacre of three hundred people was no more than a means for him to provoke the outbreak of hostilities.
âRege, Rege!â Jian Qiao was leaning over the wall, shouting again and again until his throat was hoarse.
There were many other people shouting with him. They stood on the city walls watching their sons, husbands, friends, brothers⌠walk away. Some of the soldiers in the army might never return.
Thinking of this, Jian Qiao shouted even more urgently. Half his body was already stretched over the city wall, so he almost fell straight down. The two servants quickly held his waist.
Jian Qiao really wanted to jump down and fall directly into Regeâs arms. That way he could exchange their places.
His shouts were drowned out in the tidal wave of calls.
At that moment Rege seemed to sense something. He turned his head and looked straight at Jian Qiao. His handsome face was without a hint of expression, like it was carved by a knife, and there were no ripples in his azure eyes.
He just looked at Jian Qiao quietly, his gaze so deep it seemed about to suck the other person in.
Jian Qiao was fixed by his overly focused gaze.
The two were far apart in their own time and space, far apart from the crowd, and looked at each other for a long time.
Hot teardrops welled up in Jian Qiaoâs red eyes, but Rege withdrew his gaze. He clamped his heels into his horseâs flanks, forcing the stallion beneath him to gallop forward, departing Grande at a faster pace.
Jian Qiao braced himself against the wall with both hands, hastily leaning over as he shouted, âRege, Rege, come back!â
The two manservants not only hugged his waist, they also held his legs. If no one had stopped him, he would have jumped down just now!
The army disappeared at the end of the road. The crowd slowly dispersed, except for Jian Qiao, who remained on the wall with a lost expression on his face. On the other end of the wall stood a woman surrounded by many servants and knights. Some held umbrellas for her, others helped to separate her from the crowd.
She dragged the train of her gorgeous skirt as she unhurriedly walked over.
âAre you Jian Qiao?â she asked softly.
Only then did Jian Qiao look away from the road and glance at the woman, surprised to discover the other party was Princess Clarice.
âI am.â After learning the ladyâs rank, he should have bowed in greeting. But Jian Qiao, who had always been cautious and discreet, stood in a daze without the least acknowledgement. Regeâs departure seemed to have taken away his brain and half his soul.
His whole being was caught in a whirlpool of confusion, uncertainty, disorientation. He was incapable of reacting to the outside world.
Princess Clarice openly inspected him up and down, and finally hooked up the corners of her mouth. This smile was very sugary, but there was a layer of venom in her eyes.
The two manservants turned pale with fright, while the usually keen and intuitive Jian Qiao didnât react at all.
After Rege left, he could no longer think. If Princess Clarice was hostile towards him he didnât care at all. He only wanted Rege to come back.
âThe Earl of Flowervale indeed lives up to his name. This face is even fairer than mine.â Princess Clarice chuckled lightly as she praised him, then walked away. It was as if sheâd merely come to say hello.
Jian Qiao didnât greet her and didnât bow to see her off. He stood on the city wall staring into the distance like a statue.
â
Every day after that, Jian Qiao waited for news of Regeâs triumphant return.
From early spring to early summer, from early summer to autumn. On that day, the frontline finally sent a battle report. The advance army led by Rege was intercepted by the main force led by General Landon and disappeared in the wilderness.
The entire battalion of hundreds of people failed to return to camp.
The swampy wasteland seemed to have swallowed them up.
When Queen Moen received the communiquĂŠ she fainted on the spot. And Charles III had died two months earlier, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Gloriaâs morale.
After a big war broke out, the king suddenly died. It was ominous no matter how you looked at it.
Queen Moen spent three days in her sickbed before barely regaining her energy.
âSummon Jian Qiao to the palace!â she ordered in a deep voice.
A short time later, Jian Qiao was brought to the Queenâs palace by a court lady. He had lost a lot of weight. His complexion was far paler than before, and the heavy mist in his eyes was as deep as an abyssal sea, burying all his emotions.
Sadness, grief, regretânone of the emotions a human was supposed to feel were rendered on his overly handsome face.
He sat by the window, but it was as if he were floating in a very distant place.
Seeing him like this, Queen Moen was speechless for a while. After a long, long time, when the flames on the candelabra began to dim, Queen Moen gradually began to speak. âI know it was for you that Rege refused the marriage I arranged, while at the same time rejecting my protection. If not for you, he would now be living in the ducal palace, laughing and teasing his kittens and puppies, or accompanying his wife on her travels.â
Jian Qiaoâs thin body swayed slightly. He resembled a flame that was about to go out.
He bowed his head, hiding his rapidly reddening eyes in the shadows.
Fortunately, Queen Moen was eager to closely inspect his beautiful face, so good at bewitching peopleâs hearts. Closing her eyes, she said, âGo back and pray. Pray for Regeâs safe return with your utmost sincerity. This is the only thing you can do for him.â
âGo. I donât want to see you again.â She waved her hand, and her voice was very tired.
Jian Qiao silently stood up, bowed, and excused himself.
When he returned to the hotel, he took off his velvet coat and boots and walked through the streets barefoot. He wore only a thin white shirt and black pants, bearing a candle protected by a glass dome.
He walked into the church, knelt before God, and prayed sincerely for Rege. Then he walked around the whole of Grande, silently reciting the same words in his heart with every step he took. âPlease God, bless my dearest one. Bless him with a safe return.â
This ritual of walking barefoot with a candle was a tradition. Once started it must be carried out to the end, regardless of wind, rain, or snow. It was a ritual many people followed when there was a major disaster in their family.
But this was the first time for Jian Qiao. He came from modern times, from a secular country, from a society that believed in science. He had never worshipped God and didnât believe in miracles.
But now he was desperately praying for a miracle. He prayed and hoped Rege would return alive.
As he walked barefoot down the street, many people realized what he was doing. News of the defeat had spread throughout the city.
So many people followed him, forming a winding river of faces and candlelight. The river wound slowly through every street, and the sound of prayer spread everywhere.
Without his awareness, a fine drizzle began to fall. Jian Qiao had always been afraid of wind and rain, but he didnât try to evade it at all. He even wondered, could the rain be Godâs response to him?
Would Rege come back alive? He left because of me. He loved me. Thatâs why he disappeared.
Love is truly the most terrible thing in the world.
Love is destruction.
As he marched, these thoughts nearly broke Jian Qiaoâs mind.
After having lived two lifetimes, everyone around him, including himself, always seemed to be destroyed by love.
After returning with a broken heart, and exposed to an autumn rain, the exhausted Jian Qiao fell violently ill. The illness raged with such suddenness and fury that it nearly deprived him of the ability to walk on the first day. He lay in bed coughing without cease, coughing so much his mouth was full of blood.
The doctor came to see him a few times, but finally shook his head and left.
Jian Qiao realized he wouldnât live long. He was afraid of death, but he also had an accurate foreknowledge of death. He ate a good meal to replenish his energy, then with his weak hands he wrote two crooked letters.
He wrote a letter to Rege, but he didnât know where to send it. The letter he wrote to Queen Moen was delivered to her by a court lady that evening.
The next morning, Queen Moen sat by Jian Qiaoâs sickbed and tore up several thin land deeds in front of him.
âItâs a fact that Rege knew early on there are several high-quality iron ore mines in your territory. He actually wanted to control you, and by extension the iron mines in your hands. He befriended you for my sake, because I wanted to be queen. We need troops and we need weapons.â Queen Moen openly and unapologetically stated her ambitions.
âI know. Otherwise, why would he take so much trouble over a little earl with a little jewelry shop.â Jian Qiaoâs voice was very weak, interspersed with violent coughing.
The first time they met he guessed at Regeâs purpose, but he allowed him to approach. He craved his light and heat.
"
"
Queen Moen looked at him sharply and said, âBut later he gave his heart to you. Otherwise he wouldnât have traded his life for yours.â
âI know this too.â Jian Qiao closed his eyes, locking away the rush of tears.
âYour life was bought with my brotherâs, so you have to live, understand? Live until my brotherâs safe return.â Queen Moen held Jian Qiaoâs hand, which was so emaciated that only a few bones remained, and said these words almost like a threat.
Then she raised her chin slightly. A large group of court physicians walked in to treat Jian Qiao.
Jian Qiao had given up struggling long ago. He was ready to let himself fall into a dark, eternal sleep, but at that moment he struggled to sit up. The thick mist in his eyes seemed to be blown away by a strong wind, revealing a flame-like brilliance.
He wanted to live, he wanted to live until Rege returned!
TL Notes:
Transliterated names, titles, and placesânew in this chapter: