The days that followed weren't particularly dull. Occasionally, Li Yue would summon the little Clo, and seeing the familiar's lively and cute appearance always brightened her mood. What she didn't know, however, was that every time she played with the little Clo, her own expressions and appearance were being watched by the real Clo, who summoned Li Yue out of boredom.
“Yesterday she wore a white shirt with black trousers, and she even tied her hair in a high ponytail. Hmm...” Clo mused, watching the projection intently. “Truly handsome. It would be even better with a bit of decoration around the neck, or perhaps undoing a button to show off that beautiful ‘heart’ of yours for all to see.”
Knock, knock. There was a rapping at the door. Clo reluctantly tucked away the projection and opened the large brown door to her room.
A young girl with pink twin-tails stood at the entrance, looking restless as she rubbed her small hands together in nervousness.
“Lady Clo, Chairman Leonce has a sudden matter to attend to today. He was wondering if you could preside over the assessment site,” the girl said timidly.
“Why didn't they find one of the other Five Staves?” Facing a junior, Clo maintained a certain level of patience. However, if Leonce had come himself, he wouldn't have received such a pleasant reception; after all, asking someone to work overtime on their day off was quite inappropriate.
“Their schedules are all full today...” The girl lowered her head, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, a pleading expression on her face. “Please, I beg you...”
Looking at the girl whose eyes were practically sparkling with desperation, Clo felt she couldn't refuse.
“Fine, I won't make it difficult for you. I'll do it.” Clo stroked her ring and let out a helpless sigh. “Tell Leonce not to reject my leave application next time.”
“No problem! Thank you so much!” The girl bowed deeply and led the way. Clo tapped her ring lightly, and a beautiful young woman in an evening gown and high heels appeared beside her—a face truly capable of toppling cities.
“Changed your clothes, have you? It looks like you're attending a high-end banquet. You look so beautiful; I really want to go too...” Clo sighed, putting away the phantom image before the red-haired girl could turn around.
She had a distinct feeling that this was for her eyes only, not for anyone else to see.
Li Yue had finished changing into her gown and was sitting in her bedroom, waiting for the people Caesar had sent to pick her up. As for this large-scale noble gathering, she not only had zero interest in it but was also exhausted by the thought of dealing with it. If it weren't for the fact that it could help Roland, she would have flatly refused.
She teased the little Clo flying around with one finger. Although it was just a phantom, she was having a lot of fun.
A blood crystal sat on the table before her. Li Yue hesitated over whether to eat it. She forced herself to look away, but the blood crystal from the clown seemed to be calling to her. She repeatedly forced herself to hide it away where she couldn't see it, only to take it out again and again.
If she just viewed it as food, there should be no problem eating it. But after repeated consumption, she felt as though her perception and reason were being affected.
Will I turn into an irrational monster?
She stared blankly into the empty air.
“Wow!”
“My goodness!”
“How grand!”
...
Li Yue snapped back to her senses and tucked away the phantom with a long sigh. She looked outside and saw several carriages, escorted by soldiers, slowly approaching from the other end of the street.
What on earth...
Li Yue pushed the door open, her expression somewhat speechless. She saw Caesar, dressed in a formal suit, standing on the carriage and grandly extending his hand to invite her aboard.
Li Yue didn't take his hand. Instead, she lifted her skirt with both hands and stepped into the carriage.
She sat directly opposite Caesar, resting her chin on one hand as she looked out the window. Her mind was still on what had just happened. She had slipped the blood crystal into her sleeve. The streets outside were bustling, and as she felt the jolting of the carriage, the hunger in her gut began to intensify.
“Is there any water?” she asked, frowning slightly. The discomfort in her stomach seemed to be surging, causing waves of nausea.
“Would you like some wine?” Caesar pulled out a glass bottle, inside of which a pale purple, cloudy liquid was visible.
“No.” Li Yue covered her mouth lightly. “Where are all your concubines? Why aren't they accompanying you?”
“The concubines are for seeking pleasure together. A banquet as fraught with danger as this one isn't suitable for them.” Caesar smiled, poured himself a glass of wine, swirled it gently, and took a sip. “Having you is enough.”
“I can't guarantee your protection.” Li Yue yawned, the ring set with a blood-red gemstone reflecting the sunlight with a piercing glint.
“That's a truly beautiful ring.” Caesar spread his hands, showing Li Yue the various rings on his nine other fingers—all except for the ring finger of his left hand.
“Why isn't there one on your ring finger?” Li Yue asked, startled.
“Perhaps because I haven't met my true fated person yet.” Caesar gave a self-deprecating smile. “I'm curious, what kind of person could win your favor?”
Fated person? Li Yue mulled over the words, too lazy to care about the romantic history of the playboy before her.
“An idiot,” Li Yue replied simply, a vague answer that could cover almost anyone. She turned her head away as the faint discomfort in her stomach churned once more.
Caesar smiled and didn't force the conversation. He savored the remaining wine in his glass, swirling it as time ticked by.
Feeling a wave of drowsiness, Li Yue leaned against the carriage's sofa and quietly fell asleep. Caesar extended a hand out the window, signaling the driver to slow down and reduce the jolting.
He glanced at the ring on Li Yue's finger and then looked out the window. The tenderness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a trace of confusion and coldness.
Is that ring style from the Royal Court or the academy? Tsk.
The sky gradually neared dusk, and the swaying of the carriage came to a halt. The surrounding noise began to rise. Inside the grand estate, it seemed a magnificent feast was truly waiting.
Caesar wanted to gently wake Li Yue, but as he reached out, he saw her body give a slight start. Caesar turned and stepped off the carriage, waiting beside it for Li Yue to compose herself.
She slowly opened her eyes, her blood-red gaze revealing a hint of exhaustion. Her dilated pupils gradually narrowed into vertical pupils.
She rubbed her eyes, seemingly unable to adjust to the bright lights along the road. She shielded her eyes with her hand as she stepped off the carriage.
“You look very tired.” Caesar stretched his wrists. He stood slightly behind her, just out of view of her profile.
“I think I had a nightmare, but I forgot it as soon as I woke up.” Li Yue lowered the hand covering her forehead. “It's fine. I'll be fully awake in a moment.”
“Sir, Miss, this way please.” The waiter had been waiting at the entrance for some time. Caesar and Li Yue were among the later arrivals; by now, people inside the estate had already begun drinking and chatting.
“Mr. William will surely be delighted to see you all...” The waiter made a gesture of invitation, but accidentally caught a glimpse of Li Yue's cold, blood-red snake pupils. He felt as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar, a chill running through his entire body.
“Lead the way.” Li Yue glanced at the waiter, who had suddenly frozen for some reason. The waiter snapped back to his senses and cautiously looked at Li Yue's eyes again. They were water-blue, clear and noble.
The waiter sighed inwardly, wondering if he was overworked and seeing hallucinations, or if he had encountered some kind of curse.
“We are also very honored to be invited.” Caesar took out the invitation and placed it on the tray held by the receptionist at the door. Although everyone knew this high-ranking noble who represented the Reformists, the proper procedures still had to be followed.
“Wonderful, wonderful. Sir, Lady, this way please.” The waiter led them into the estate. “I wish you a pleasant evening.”
“Let's go pay our respects to Mr. William first.” Caesar extended a hand, but Li Yue remained unmoved. “Won't you take my hand symbolically? Even though I know your heart already belongs to someone else.”
“No, I have blood on my hands.” Li Yue came up with a random excuse. The real reason was that she still couldn't psychologically accept having become a beautiful girl; otherwise, if it were just a disguise, she wouldn't have minded holding hands.
“I've been on the battlefield myself, and I achieved quite proud results.”
“Monster blood.”
“Fair enough.” Caesar shrugged, merely staying close to Li Yue so that even without holding hands or locking arms, they wouldn't appear too distant.
Li Yue didn't want too much physical contact. Although her impression of Caesar wasn't actually bad—at first she thought he was just a playboy, but later found that he was not only famous but also quite refined in his private behavior, with a personality that chased freedom, a persona she had admired in her past life.
However, there was a constant feeling of resistance in her heart. It didn't seem to stem solely from the awkwardness of being treated as a woman by a man, but also a trace of instinctive repulsion and disgust, appearing for no reason.
It was truly strange. She recalled having this feeling toward others as well—some figures in her memories, that clown, and now Caesar, though it was faintest with him. It was like seeing spoiled food; she didn't want to touch it at all.
She didn't know the meaning of these intuitions, just as she didn't know why her spirit felt hungry or why she could eat blood crystals.
Perhaps the academy mentioned by Clo and Roland held the answers, or maybe that legendary Royal Court really was inextricably linked to her?
She watched Caesar walking ahead with large strides, his hands behind his back. Although she felt a bit guilty for her coldness and rudeness, she remained unmoved, just as people wouldn't force themselves to eat expensive but spoiled and rotten food.
Forget it, I'll just treat it as a mission and act according to the relationship between employer and employee.
She stepped into the estate building, which was filled with 18th-century marble-style architecture. Because it was in the city center, there were no large tracts of land or vineyards, but it didn't lack for fountains, squares, or back gardens.
Through the hall's floor-to-ceiling windows, Li Yue could see people reveling under the night sky. The powerful and influential of the entire city were gathered here, whether from the political or secular spheres.
“Sir, Lady, this way please.” The waiter walked ahead, leading the two up a spiral staircase. The emerald-green wallpaper gave the floor a sense of luxury and magnificence.
Vaguely, she could hear the sounds of revelry coming from the direction of the rooftop.
William stood on the rooftop, surrounded by a circle of elegantly dressed men smoking cigars and joking with one another.
“Oh. Look who's here, hahahaha.” Wearing a tailcoat and with his hair slicked back, William held a cigar. A waiter stood beside him, holding a tray with glasses of champagne.
“My dashing officer, this seems to be the only time you haven't brought your troupe of concubines to a banquet.” Marquis William laughed, appearing to be in a good mood.
A waiter brought Caesar a freshly clipped cigar and lit it with a match. At first, no one seemed to notice Li Yue behind Caesar.
Li Yue locked eyes with the two guards standing at the entrance. They were wearing suits and small round hats, but their magical aura was very faint. Li Yue estimated they were much weaker than her, based on a rough comparison of total mana.
Li Yue clearly realized that those gazes lingered on her for a moment. The gentlemen before her, who had been laughing somewhat excessively, fell silent for a moment, taking the cigars from their mouths to stare at her briefly.
“It seems you've chosen a favorite?” William laughed as he raised his glass to clink with Caesar's. “What a wonderful night.”
Caesar shook his head, though it was unclear which statement he was negating. The two leaned against the balcony, and Li Yue followed, her eyes sweeping over the people chatting at the open-air banquet.
“Look at that one...” William pointed with a laugh at an elderly man with a ram-like beard, his expression holding a mix of disdain and mockery. “That's our Mayor, Schnaen. He'll have his hands full tonight.”
Schnaen tipped his hat toward William as a greeting, and William gave a casual wave.
“A scapegoat, hahaha, always caught in the vortex.” William said with his back turned. He shifted his body and pointed toward another somewhat plump man.
“General Ryder. Many still call him a hero because he suppressed the riots inside and outside the city.” William's tone shifted as his finger moved slightly. “The lady in his arms is, well, his young wife who only just came of age.”
“I know, of course.” Caesar laughed along. He knew William was saying this for Li Yue's benefit.
“Enjoy this fine night, ladies and gentlemen.” William waved his hand with a laugh, exhaling a long puff of smoke. Caesar smiled, offered no formal bow, and led Li Yue back down.
“That fellow is definitely up to something again.” William frowned. “Forget it, he won't make any moves for now.”
Caesar and Li Yue slowly descended the spiral staircase. The two were silent for a time. Li Yue's mood was complex, but such was the way of the world; she had nothing to sigh about.
“Enjoy the banquet. William wouldn't dare do anything to me.” Caesar smiled, casually taking a glass of champagne from a waiter and offering a toast to Li Yue.
“Watch your safety.” Li Yue nodded. She wondered if Roland had received her letter and if he was at this banquet.
She walked aimlessly across the grass. With her pale hair and peerless beauty, several nobles who had been chatting comfortably immediately approached her, offering warm greetings.
Li Yue suppressed the waves of discomfort in her stomach, managing a faint smile as she spoke with them. While the people before her didn't inspire heartfelt disgust, she felt a trace of irritability. As she answered, she could feel waves of scrutinizing gazes.
I'm being watched?
Rate on N.U.
