The young girl walked down the hallway, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers. She had just been absentmindedly looking down at the intricate details on the neck of the flower vase when she heard heavy footsteps approaching from afar. Somewhat flustered, she stood to the side, but was still brushed past by the few people who walked by, sending her staggering.
She hadn’t been scared, it was just that her hands shook. She could only watch as the flower vase fell towards the ground.
In that moment, her mind completely froze. Just as she thought that she was about to experience an unprovoked accident, that vase was unexpectedly caught by a beautiful and slender hand.
She couldn’t help but stare for a while before her face exploded with a blush. Her eyes couldn’t help but dart hastily to the side.
“What type of flower is this? It’s quite beautiful.”
The other’s voice was pleasant to listen to.
“This flower is called ‘Natasha’s Smile’. Many thanks, Your Highness Uriah.”
His Highness Uriah was a very frivolous man. Today, the sun shone bright, and so his skin also shone as white as porcelain. With his calm features and fine figure, even if his expression always carried a hint of unreasonable darkness, it didn’t cheapen his fierce, almost untouchable, beauty.
“These soldiers really don’t know how to treat beauties.”
Uriah sighed deeply, as if he really did cherish the fairer sex.
The girl’s face was red as she hugged the vase awkwardly and glanced to the leaving group, no longer as startled as before.
“Your Highness, today…seems less peaceful than usual?”
Uriah laughed, “No, everything is fine, don’t worry. All you need to do is focus on being as beautiful as these flowers.”
He lowered his head as he pulled out one of the flowers from the bouquet and leisurely breathed in its scent. He lowered his voice.
“I’ll be stealing one of these, but don’t tell anyone. I’m begging you, ‘kay?”
For such a distinguished man as Uriah, stealing flowers and stealing hearts were not too different. The girl was again flustered, her soul having flown out her body, leaving everything in disorder. It was a pity though, that before she could say anything Uriah had already walked past her, leaving her heart to shatter soundlessly all over the floor.
Actually, it was true that everything was less calm, rather it was very chaotic.
He had recently heard rumors of the case of Olivia’s disappearance. Actually, he himself didn’t particularly care about Olivia – after all, they were not born of the same mother. Her mother, the former queen, had passed on early, leaving her to practically fend for herself.
However, Uriah was clearly unluckier than Olivia, being an illegitimate son. A child like that was treated somewhat better by the royal family than one who was from the common people, but the cold looks he got weren’t necessarily fewer.
To be honest, Olivia hadn’t treated him badly, but even so…
The flower he held was snapped under his fingers without the slightest hesitation. Collecting himself, he got lost in thought. Then, he raised his head and caught sight of the young Lieutenant General in the midst of conversing with a subordinate.
Like a cold, sharp blade, a falcon under a fiercely burning sun, Yan Shuo was a few years older than him, but was excessively outstanding – he was always the benchmark amongst his peers.
However, Yan Shuo hadn’t been so excellent from the beginning. Earlier on, Yan Shuo had merely been a rather gloomy youth, forced to the front by his father – yet he was still so stubborn that even ten mechs couldn’t hold him back.
At that time, Uriah had once tried approaching the other. After all, from a certain perspective, they were the same kind of person, however Yan Shuo had rejected him. Yan Shuo’s disposition always had an aura of distance, and he rejected practically anyone who approached him.
Once upon a time, Yan Shuo had always had a temperament of “whoever I see is an idiot.”
It was super annoying.
Annoying to death.
Now, he wasn’t much better. At most, he’d retracted his spikes a little.
Up until now, this was also what Uriah had always thought.
“Oh, General Yan, long time no see!” Be that as it may, he still cocked his head and went up to greet him with an excellent temper. “You didn’t bring along Mr. Shen today, ah.”
Yan Shuo glanced at him mildly, “Your Highness is in a good mood today.”
Uriah glanced at all the soldiers around and whistled, “General Yan, what’s this all about?”
“As you can see, we are simply taking more precautionary measures.”
Uriah shrugged, “I hadn’t thought that this was part of your responsibilities.
“Your Highness must have misunderstood,” Yan Shuo dug around for his identity card for half a day before he found it, evidently having left it there a while ago, “Ever since I turned twenty-one, I have served as the third commander of the Royal Guard.”
Uriah made a small sound. He had only been casually saying so and after all, he had always been an extremely dandy prince.
“Alright,” Uriah looked around for a moment, before he couldn’t resist nitpicking, “I wonder if the first commander is in?”
In reality, he was simply splitting hairs. What was the measly Royal Guard in comparison to Yan Shuo’s current power?
Behind Yan Shuo, a subordinate of his laughed abruptly.
Uriah keenly felt something was amiss.
Sure enough, Yan Shuo dug around a little more and pulled out another identity card.
“That’s also me, Your Highness.”
Yan Shuo let out a soft sigh, revealing a trace of pity one would show to an enemy far weaker than themselves.
Uriah, “…”
Very good, he nearly forgot Yan Shuo was a pervert.
Yan Shuo’s talent was something that was gradually revealed. In the past, he was a dazzling existence who stood at the pinnacle of his era. Before he arrived, the mech scene had never been as prosperous and the empire’s territory also wasn’t as vast. It was a pity that he didn’t appear in the public eye often and was extremely low-key, to the extent of making people forget about his intense and unparalleled momentum when he went into battle.
The last two years had been too quiet and he had stayed very low-key. Although he neither went to war nor seized military achievements, Yan Shuo was still Yan Shuo… Uriah silently cursed him in his heart. How could he have forgotten?
Uriah wanted to seize an opportunity, but it was a pity Yan Shuo didn’t want to deal with him. Moreover, it was the direct kind of dismissal, not bothering to find an excuse and simply ordering his subordinate.
“Laurent, properly explain to His Highness the importance of putting precautionary measures in place.”
Laurent didn’t know how he’d offended the general a few days ago, but he had been thrown into the logistics department to toil, angering him to the point of tears before he was finally let off. Presently, he was extremely obedient; Everything Yan Shuo said was practically gospel, he would immediately obtain the moon to prove his loyalty if he could. Once he heard that Yan Shuo had an order, he immediately pulled out a copy of ‘The Imperial Law’ that was as thick as a fist, and began to discuss it.
Uriah was born allergic to books. Once he heard long and winding doctrines like these, he would freeze up, and this time was no exception. His face paled and he turned around to leave without hesitation.
Yan Shuo continued to speak from behind him.
“Prince Uriah, please send my regards to Prince Ferdinand.”
Uriah’s step paused, turning back to look at him.
His face was very beautiful, but once it turned cold, it appeared particularly evil.
Yan Shuo was still leisurely speaking with his subordinate, not sparing him a glance, as if his previous words had been Uriah’s imagination.
But Uriah knew it wasn’t, and his heart sunk.
Yan Shuo’s motive definitely wasn’t as simple as sending his regards to Ferdinand.
“I’ll definitely pass on General Yan’s concern.”
He laughed lightly in response. But when he turned back, his expression sunk.
Olivia should have been dealt with earlier.
He felt somewhat regretful.
Yan Shuo watched Uriah’s retreating figure. The corners of his lips didn’t curve but his brows raised meaningfully.
Just as Olivia said, Uriah and Ferdinand were in the same league.
Uriah might have been the textbook example of a dandy prince, but just like how everyone thought Olivia was merely a beautiful mascot, no one knew what Uriah had up his sleeves.
Uriah was a person who hid things extremely deeply, and his thought processes were sly. Even Olivia had to take a step back, she also couldn’t get a handle on him.
As two princes, just what kind of deal could Ferdinand and him have made? Or was it like how Olivia said, that the reason he was completely loyal to Ferdinand was only because he was his brainless fan?
After he finished handing over his affairs to his subordinates and apprehensive that it was all done in a moment of Uriah’s impulse, he cheerfully prepared to abandon his post and leave.
But there just had to be someone who could not read the atmosphere, “General, where are you going?”
Yan Shuo sighed, feeling sad about himself for having such a subordinate. It was fortunate that not everyone was like Laurent, otherwise, Yan Shuo estimated that he’d shed a lot more years of his life.
And wouldn’t that just be a loss?
The youth beside Laurent hurriedly pulled at him and sighed.
Laurent, “?”
Yan Shuo apathetically turned to look at him, “On a date.”
Laurent blanked as he silently watched his General walk farther and farther.
“No, it can’t be.” Laurent turned to his colleague, “What did the General just say?”
The colleague beside him honestly repeated, “He said he was going out on a date .”
“A date? With whom? Princess Olivia?”
Laurent’s whole face twisted in confusion.
“But isn’t the princess missing?”
That colleague did his best to explain to this blockhead, “Who cares who she is, in any case it isn’t you.”
Laurent felt his heart become stuffy, “But how comes it feels like something has just been stolen away?“
“…can you say that in a more nauseating way?”
Laurent felt extremely wronged, “I want to go and see the General’s lover.”
“Wake up! Do you really want to be moved to the logistics department?”
“What’s wrong with the logistics department,” Laurent mumbled in protest, “The girls there are gentle and pretty, much better than here.”
The colleague fell into contemplation.
“Don’t you want to see the seductress who has hooked the General? Currently, no one knows whether Olivia is dead or alive, how pitiful is that!”
Laurent shouted self-righteously.
“We must pull our esteemed General back onto the right path.”
The other man paused, then wailed, “I just want to know whether the logistic department really has so many beauties. Currently, what difference is there between me and a monk with how I’m living? It’s been several months since I’ve heard the voice of a girl other than my sister.”
Laurent, “…That’s easy, from now on, as long as you say what I say, I guarantee that we will one day make it.”
Shocked, his colleague glanced at him, “So you actually do know why you were shooed out.”
Laurent pouted angrily, puffing up his cheeks, and stayed silent.
The colleague laughed and couldn’t help but poke at his puffed up cheeks.
…
In the end, the colleague silently stared at the esteemed General’s house, covering his face.
He’d actually been lured here.
Alright, the news of the General dating had been really explosive.
Laurent watched in anticipation as the General walked through the door. He had just gone to his personal lounge and changed out of his military uniform. Now, he wore a fitted, older-style black overcoat; extremely low-profile and graceful, he stalked through the room with his long legs.
“We really look like perverts right now.” The colleague was hidden behind a flowering shrub, nothing left to live for, “So why the hell did I agree to come and do something like this? I might as well have gone home and spoiled my little sister.”
“Because it’s clear that you’re very curious as to what woman would be able to bewitch the General.” Laurent beamed, “Well, he’s obviously going home to clean up a bit before his date. Come one, let me see what that shameless witch looks like.”
The colleague fell silent, then suddenly said, “What if they aren’t a woman, what then?”
Indeed, although Yan Shuo had a fiancee, there was really no difference from the years before. There were no ambiguous persons, nor were there any women around him. Even the ants in his house were probably male.
Laurent had a face full of alarm, “Then, wouldn’t we really be in danger?”
The colleague fell silent again, and said, as if looking at a tragic sight, “I feel like you’re overthinking.”
Death: hello there, hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during these difficult times!…more time to read bl I guess hehe. This chapter is split into three parts, so a word of warning that my weekly update thing might have to go out the window bc school really wants to kill death…Rest assured though, I’ll always try to get new parts up at least fortnightly!
Also, dummytls finally has a discord channel! You can join us here: https://discord.gg/EvN6ysx