Chapter Volume 8, The Beginning NO.2: My Eve (2/2)

“I am not the Sun Emperor.” I shook my head as I said, “Not to mention, I do not have that kind of imposing aura.”

Briar said with a tone as though it was but a matter of fact, “But Curtis-shūshu calls you Family Head pretty often! Even if you aren’t as powerful as the Sun Emperor, it’s still pretty powerful, right?”

It may be true that I was once a powerful figure, but now, all that is left are memories … Also Briar, you address me as Charles-gē, but call Curtis Shūshu?

Briar said earnestly, “Charles-gē, you can bring me to the supermarket and then hide well. I’ll take care of the shopping. Otherwise, you definitely will be spotted! Really!”

Hearing that, I too became hesitant. There would not be any fewer surveillance cameras in Daystar City than in Sunset City, so if the Church had any intentions of monitoring the hotel surroundings, I might possibly get discovered.

“Let’s go, Charles-gē!” Briar walked to my side, and then automatically held my hand. If it were not for that, I believed that I was on the verge of forgetting the fact that she was still a thirteen year old girl.

I looked at Mr. Bramble, who picked up the evening papers, seeming not to have any objections.

“Bri, let me come along!” Poseidynne said gently, and she looked a little like she was acting coquettishly.

Briar shook her head, saying, “Poseidynne, stealth isn’t your specialty. Charles-gē can carry me away, but he wouldn’t be able to do that for you. Anyways, we’ll be back really quick.”

She was just short of saying the words, “Be good.” What exactly happened in that year I was asleep? How did the relationship between Poseidynne and Briar become so friendly? Moreover, I could vaguely tell that between the two, Briar was the one in charge.

“Charles-gē.” Briar raised her head and looked at me, as she asked, “Should we go?”

I gazed at her, and finally nodded and agreed, “All right.” Miss Briar.

Putting Briar down, I told every item that I needed to buy in detail to her.

“Can you remember that?” I was a little worried, for I had listed quite a few items, and remembering all of them without missing a single one was not too easy. It was a pity that I did not have any paper on hand so that I could write it down.

Briar nodded as she said, “It’s pretty similar to the things to prepare when Bàba’s going on a business trip.”

Hearing that, I felt truly relieved. In certain aspects, perhaps Briar was the one who reassured people the most in that whole room.

“Then I’ll be heading over!”

With that, she turned and headed to the supermarket. She looked just like a normal student walking around the supermarket after class, and indeed true to what she had said, she would not attract any attention from others.

I hid myself in the small alley, which I had already closely inspected and deemed to have no surveillance cameras. Briar had also agreed on that, for she said that the young master had taught her many methods of recognizing surveillance cameras as well as discerning their locations.

With nothing to do, I could only stay alert to my surroundings. The alley was rather clean, and it did not feel awful to stay there. If this was Sunset City, the alleys would always be a place filled with garbage, and on the ground, there would always be foul-smelling homeless people lying there—Or perhaps dead bodies lying there.

At this moment, I heard a ringtone coming from my chest. Ever since I started serving the young master, this phone rang a lot more often, from no one giving me any calls even in ten days, to picking up calls at least ten times in a day. Furthermore, it seemed like the number of times was growing with each passing day.

I took a glance at the cell phone screen. At the moment, this was truly the phone call I did not want to receive the most, but I still had to press the key.

“Did you think that if you left Ah Ye’s side, I would let you off?” The other person did not even start by stating who he was—Perhaps that was because he never needed to state his identity, for the whole world knew who he was.

“I did not think that, Sun Emperor,” I answered calmly.

The Sun Emperor’s tone was extremely cold as he commanded like a monarch, “The time limit is the same. Within ten days, if you don’t bring that person to the specified place—”

“Luo Ye.”

“What?” The other person froze.

“‘That person’ that you speak of is called Luo Ye.” I abruptly realized that the Sun Emperor had never spoken the person’s name since the beginning. Was this a coincidence or deliberate on his part?

“His name is not important at all!”

The Sun Emperor sounded like he was getting angry. Why was that so? It was but a name. It seemed that he was not accidentally omitting his name, but deliberately not wanting to mention the other’s name.

“Mr. Luo Ye is your uncle.”

I tried to remind him that the person he wanted to kill was not a stranger, but a blood relative. In the Ri family’s current situation, a relative was considered something very rare indeed.

“He is not. He is nothing!”

The Sun Emperor’s voice sounded like he was bursting in anger. Should I perhaps not continue to agitate him? However for some reasons unknown to me, I felt that compared to facing the cold Sun Emperor, I felt better facing an angry Sun Emperor. If he was angry, it meant that he was at least not indifferent to what I said, and better still, he was not coldly calculating something.

I tried harder to persuade him, “No matter whether you acknowledge it, you are still related by blood. Killing him for no good reason—”

“My father searched for him for so many years, yet he has only suddenly appeared now. Where has he been all this time? Do you think that it is that easy to escape the Sun Alliance’s search for someone?”

The Sun Emperor rebuked in a burst. This was… An explanation?

“Ah Ye told me that he was living in Daystar City. Like hell he was! The headquarters of the Sun Alliance used to be in Daystar City. No matter where he was hiding, there is absolutely no way he could be hiding where the Sun Alliance’s headquarters were!”

The more I listened, the more I fell into deep thought. Indeed, it was so. Daystar City was an area where many economic alliance’s headquarters were located, and there were countless surveillance cameras around. Under such circumstances, could an ordinary person really hide for so many years?

Even for a vampire specialized in hiding, it would also be an extremely difficult task to spend so many years in hiding. This could be seen just by looking at X, for due to the Church’s pursuit, he could only spend many years in hiding, and become a wandering vagrant across the whole world.

“Why don’t you go back and ask the one in your family, how many sets of eyes he has in Daystar City and how much combat strength he has. If the person he is looking for is hiding in Daystar City, ask him if it’s possible that they wouldn’t be able to find or catch him!”

Hearing that, I knew that I did not need to ask Curtis about it. After all, if the Sun Emperor was saying so and even specifically told me to inquire about it, then I believed that the only thing I would hear from Curtis was a confirmation that what the Sun Emperor said was right.

I was a little puzzled as I inquired, “Why did you not bring up all these suspicions before?”

The Sun Emperor fell silent, and following that he roared in anger, “I do not need to explain anything to a butler!”

I explained further, “But the young master needs all these explanations.”

The other end of the line suddenly went quiet.

“Have you ever brought up all these suspicions to him?”

Silence remained on the other end of the line.

I could not comprehend in the slightest as I asked, “Why did you not tell the young master?”

The Sun Emperor finally answered. In a stiff voice, he said, “Ah Ye does not need to worry about such things. All he needs is to live his life happily!”

However, it is rather evident that the Young Master is unhappy due to whatever is happening between Sun Emperor and Luo Ye, so why would he not tell the young master his suspicions, so as to seek his understanding? Even now, the person he chose to tell is me and not the young master.

Thinking back on it, back then when the young master failed to call home after a long period of time, the Sun Emperor also called me to give me a warning instead of calling the young master directly… Is the Sun Emperor not very good at communicating with the young master?

I was about to ask the Sun Emperor if he wished for me to pass on all these words to the young master, when he just said, “Remember, the time limit is ten days,” and hung up. Evidently, he did not wish to speak any further—or perhaps, he did not want to hear me speak any further.

I put away my phone. It seems like the items that I have to notify the young master of has somehow increased by one more.

Behind me, I had felt movement that had been going on for a while. Turning around, I was unsurprised to see Briar standing behind me, and walked up to her to carry the plastic bags for her.

Briar asked curiously, “Was that call just now from Gēge?”

“Gēge?” I froze, not understanding who she was referring to.

She quickly explained, “Ah Ye’s gēge. Because Ah Ye-gē calls him Gēgē, I also followed along.”

I wonder what kind of reaction the Sun Emperor would have if Briar calls him Gēgē straight to his face? I smiled and answered, “Indeed, the call just now was from the Sun Emperor.”

“Gēge has also called me before.” Briar paused for a moment, before she continued, “Actually, he gave me a phone.”

The Sun Emperor gave… I looked at Briar, a little surprised. Soon afterwards, I did not find it strange anymore. Given how much the Sun Emperor values the young master, it would not be possible for him to ignore the fiancée that the young master chose, unless he took the fiancée matter as a children’s joke. However, most people would take it as a joke. After all, Briar was currently merely thirteen.

However, the young master was serious about it, and I believed that the Sun Emperor fully knew that too. After all, the two of them were brothers, and no one understood the other more so than them, even if they always threw tantrums at each other.

“What did the master talk to you about?” In that moment, I started pondering if I should tell the young master. If I told him that Briar had called me to complain about it, then it ought not to raise the young master’s suspicions.

Briar tried to recall it in detail and said, “Gēge asked me if I was serious, whether I really love Ah Ye-gē a lot, and if I’m willing to sacrifice my life for him.”

I frowned. Asking all these questions to a thirteen-year-old seemed to be going overboard.

“What was your answer?”

Briar replied honestly, “I told him I didn’t know.”

“Has the Sun Emperor made you feel troubled?” I sincerely feel like I should talk to the young master about this.

Briar shook her head, saying, “I thought that Ah Ye-gē’s gēge definitely wouldn’t let me be together with him.”

Indeed, rich and powerful families would usually carefully pick their prospective marriage partner based on how well-matched they are in social status. Given how much the master values the young master, naturally he would be even more particular about the young master’s partner. Briar was merely the daughter of a bodyguard, and there was a ten year age difference between the young master and her. Furthermore, she was still young and only thirteen years old as of now. Any normal parent or brother would object, let alone the master.

“But Gēge did not say that he forbids us to be together. He even said that if I want to be Ah Ye-gē’s wife, I have to get at least a Ph.D. in Economics.”

Economics? I was confused for a few moments. Perhaps he wanted to have Briar help manage the Sun Alliance. After all, the Sun Emperor did not have any relatives, and the young master clearly had not even stepped into the world of business. It also seemed that the Sun Emperor had no intention to have the young master help manage the Sun Alliance.

Briar pondered a little, and continued, “And also to go for a check-up after my period arrives, to see if my body is healthy and able to bear children.”

Master, you… talked to a little girl of thirteen about periods and bearing children?

Briar abruptly lowered her head, and softly said in embarrassment, “I even thought that Ah Ye-gē was unable to have children!”

“Hm? Why would you think so?” Actually, what I wanted to inquire more was the reason she had considered such a thing. Would an ordinary thirteen-year-old think about something like having children?

“Because Ah Ye-gē said that his entire body has been modified, and was filled with metal all over. S-So I thought that he couldn’t. Hearing Gēge say that, I’m not sure whether Gēge just didn’t think about whether Ah Ye-gē could have children or not, or he really is able to…”

No matter how mature and understanding Briar behaved, it seemed that she was too embarrassed to continue further.

“I will help you ask Mr. An Te Qi. I believe he is the person who will be the most knowledgeable on this.”

“Okay!” Briar happily nodded. It seemed that this problem had been bothering her for a long time.

At this point, I realized that in that year that I spent asleep, I had really missed many affairs, be it the relation between Briar and Poseidynne, or between Briar and the Sun Emperor. These were all people who were the most important to the young master, but I was completely in the dark about them. How could I possibly serve the young master well like this?

“Charles-gē?”

Briar looked at me in confusion. I quickly came back to my senses and told her, “Bri, you are merely thirteen. You do not need to be so troubled over so many issues.”

“I’m almost fourteen.” Briar shook her head, and said, “If I want to get a Ph.D. in Economics, then I have to start studying hard now. Gēge even said that I can’t just read the textbooks. I also have to take some time to do an internship starting in high school. If it’s like that, then I really have to work very hard.”

Briar spoke with a maturity over what a thirteen-year-old girl ought to be like, “At first, Bàba said that it’s impossible between Ah Ye-gē and me. Even if Ah Ye-gē was serious about it, there was no way the Sun Emperor would let us be together! Bàba even told me not to get too serious with Ah Ye-gē! But now Gēge is willing to give me a chance, so I obviously have to work very hard!”

Indeed, the Sun family was undoubtedly the richest and most powerful family at the moment. Even if there were not many people in this family and the young master was rather easy-going, it still stands that it was still impossible to freely fall in love without any obstacles, for the weddings of such families were mostly for a certain goal. I did not think that the Sun Emperor would actually be able to accept Briar. I was rather surprised.

Moreover, with how much the Sun Emperor valued the young master, I believed that if Briar started working hard now to be the young master’s wife, it may very well not be considered too early.

At this point, I started to comprehend something, and asked, “Bri, the reason you insisted to come out with me, was it to have a conversation about this?”

As expected, Briar nodded, and seemed embarrassed as she said, “Gēge said not to tell Ah Ye-gē that he contacted me, so I couldn’t tell him. I only brought it up to Bàba a bit, but I couldn’t say too much either. If Bàba were to know that Gēge told me to get a health check-up in the future to see if I can bear children, he will definitely be mad!”

I can understand Mr. Bramble’s rage.

“But…” Briar hesitated as she said, “I-I really wanted to talk to someone about this, but I can’t tell Bàba, nor Ah Ye-gē. I definitely can’t tell my classmates, and when Poseidynne heard a little, she became really angry, saying what’s so great about the Sun Emperor. But—”

I interrupted her words that were faltering more and more, “The Sun Emperor is indeed great. No matter what people think of him, the Sun Emperor has created an incredible business empire, and is indeed worthy of his title of ‘Emperor.’”

Briar nodded her head repeatedly, looking a little worried.

“The young master too.” I gave a helpless smile as I specially mentioned, “Other than being the most precious little brother of the Sun Emperor, he is also a hero. Now he has actually also become a celebrity. It really makes one want to ask him not to be this kind and hardworking.”

Briar gave a smile, but her smile looked a little bitter.

Seeing that, I squatted beside her to look her in the eye, and said, “Bri, the future that you are walking toward is definitely going to be a difficult road. Perhaps, it will be so harsh that you will regret agreeing to the young master’s proposal—”

“No!” Briar immediately refuted, “I absolutely will not regret this!”

Seeing that she was this resolute, I felt relieved. The young master’s attitude toward Briar had never changed, and if Briar could be as unwavering as him, then perhaps the two of them really would be a good match together.

I asked with a smile, “Do you like the young master that much?”

Briar’s face turned red, but she still nodded vigorously as she replied, “Yeah!”

At this point, I abruptly remembered the interaction between her and Poseidynne and quickly asked, “Do you not mind the matter between the young master and Poseidynne anymore?”

Briar pouted, and showed a rare display of a little girl’s willfulness as she complained, “Ah Ye-gē said that as long as I am still around, he would not be together with Poseidynne. Otherwise, I absolutely would not forgive him!”

Her expression turned frustrated as she said, “Ah Ye-gē is really good, that’s right! But my Bàba says that a rich man’s kid would usually have a lot of women. If he becomes like that, I-I… Anyways, I wouldn’t stand for it!”

At this point, she suddenly raised her head and asked, “Ah Ye-gē has kissed Poseidynne before, right?”

“Indeed.” I nodded my head. That was the young master’s first meeting with Poseidynne. At that time, it was what Poseidynne requested in order to save Yue Gang, and the young master had actually obliged.

“How awful, awful!” Briar was so angry that she kicked the pebbles on the road continuously. She muttered softly, “Poseidynne says that if I kiss Ah Ye-gē twice, I would win against her. B-But, I’m still too young. Bàba would be angry, Ah Ye-gē…”

“The young master would not be mad.” He would be very happy about it. That was what I strongly believed.

Briar’s face turned sour as she said, “But he would want to keep kissing, just like how he wanted to keep hugging after my showers… I’m just thirteen!”

I nearly broke into laughter. It seems that I would not need to worry about the young master letting others go into the queue. His private life would probably be the same as now, and it seemed that it would not change for many years.

At this time, Briar suddenly turned to me with curious eyes, saying, “Charles-gē is definitely different. It seems like I can tell you anything, and I feel more relaxed after doing so.”

“You are welcome to talk with me at any time.” I said as I patted her head. Though it was simply not a dignified thing to do to the future mistress, as for now… It would not hurt to treat her as an ordinary little girl.

Briar nodded her head with an extremely sweet smile, giving off the feeling of a dainty and delicate lady. Perhaps, the young master, who was a late bloomer, with the little miss, who was an early one, really was a match made in heaven.