Chapter 73: Eighth Episode: Chapter 9 (2/2)

”Baron Erbe, I just saw my sister leaving the hall in another man’s arm, then...” Oscar signaled for the Liar Butler to come closer. ”Tell Snowstorm. Take close look at them. Don’t let that mixed breed touch her. If he dared to try so, take his limbs back to me!”

”Yes, Your Highness!” Ricky respectfully retreated. He did not even dare to look into the young lad’s eyes. He knew that gaze was crazy and overbearing.

When the scenery was covered in a curtain of night, the citizens of Dulin City opened the windows in their home respectively. The scorching heat of summer did not diminish with the coming of night. There was still a great deal of heat and smoke of the market in the air. At the road behind the Hamilton Palace, even though such depressing aura was not that thick, the whole night sky seemed to push the people down. This was even more depressing.

Behind the palace of the Titan Royal Family were numerous cultural places. The shops on this road were mostly doing the business of books and all kinds of art products. It was already late at night, but the businessman dealing with old books on the road have not stop their jobs. They were arranging for their workers to unload the books from the carriages. These newly-arrived books could only be sold after they have been evaluated. This work would at least continue until early morning tomorrow.

These kind and hardworking businessmen have lived in the place for many years. After experiencing the torture of wind, rain, snow, haze and the scorching sun, they have become the same as the ancient books - full of signs of wisdom and age. Whenever anyone passed by them and their books, an unknown feeling would urge the people to buy one or two books. The price of the books might be a little high. But when there was a cup of tea beside you, they were able to touch the ancient book while they recited a few famous quotes of the previous generations. This should be called as a luxurious life.

”Ah...” The little miss called out in a small voice. A large box of books fell beside her. The books were scattered all over the place. One of them even fell heavily on her feet.

”Oh god!” A middle-aged man who looked like the boss rushed forward. Just as in the case of books, his ability to identify people was exceptional as well. This young lady who was somehow injured was definitely an extremely honorable miss!

”Mi... Miss! Are you alright? Are... Are you alright?” This boss was already talking nonsense.

That careless worker also came rushing towards them. He put his hat in front of his chest, trying to act respectful and innocent.

Sasha E. gave a bitter smile as she shook her head. She looked at the worker. This worker was as polite as a sparrow. Hehe. This was the wisdom of the working citizen. They used the saddening obedience to beg for mercy, but this mercy was rarely given to others especially from a noble!

”What are you doing?” Viscount Minsk Drakas Ferdinand actually yelled at them. Even he did not know why he was so angry. ”Do you know who this honorable lady that was hurt by you lots is? You should...”

”Enough!” Sasha turned to look at the gentleman she just acquainted with. Her face suddenly burned in flames. It turned out she was in his arms and in such tight embrace, on top of that.

”Ah... You should let go of me!”

Minsk suddenly realized this as well. He let go of his hands as if he was electric shocked. This young man was also surprised at the distance between the little miss with himself, but he was more reluctant to let her go.

Sasha’s attention was suddenly attracted by a book on the floor. ”Songs of God”! This is the work by a religious revolutionary. The Church already banned this book since a long time ago.”

The boss took the book from the floor and used his clothes to wipe the dust off the pages.

””Songs of God”, the work of Tintin, the representative of Italia’s literature of highest achievement. Even though the servants of the God of Light thought it was ridiculous, but as a reader, we can’t simply categorized its thinking as devilish talk of heresy.”

Sasha thought of her brother for no reason. She took ”Songs of God” from the hands of the boss. When she opened the first page, she was immediately attracted to the first sentence on the page.

”The other side of heaven is hell. When the people kneel and beg, the God hears, the Devil hears. Whose response are you hoping for? Ask your heart!”

Sasha knew she was a small part of the whole world. Her begging and hoping have already turned into nothingness. Was it the Devil who answered her call? Then what was the God doing? Sasha was stunned. Could it truly be the devilish talk of the heresy? If not, why would only one sentence in the page cast doubt about God in one’s heart?

”Ask your heart!” Sasha suddenly understood. She already knew since before that the end must be this way. Ask you heart. If she knew, why would she still be by his side? If she knew, why wouldn’t she turn around before the boundary?

Keeping the ”Songs of God” well, Sasha finally understood. The heart would tell you the answer of God, but also the thought of the Devil. This was simply a choice, a give-and-take.

”How much is this?”

”Oh gosh! What are you saying? This is only a very normal hand copied book. I’ll just give it to you as compensation....”

”No!” Sasha shook her head. She already began to search for her purse, but who would bring such a thing to participate in palace ball? After realizing this, Sasha subconsciously looked at Viscount Ferdinand beside her.

Obviously, the Viscount was extremely awkward. He vowed to do something for this lady, but no matter what, he did not expect to be paying the bills! The young man was from the top class wealthy family. He was not that clear with the exact definition of wealth and money.

Sasha suddenly laughed cheekily. ”Paul! Paul!” The little miss called at the street behind her.

The King of Assassins seemed to walk out of pure nothingness. Viscount Ferdinand was frightened by him. He cautiously glared at this tall and skinny man who wore a black tuxedo.

”Little miss, do you need me?”

”Hehe, I’m lucky to have you. Do you have any change? Look, I have a difficulty here!” Sasha looked at the assassin with all smiles. She knew this was not difficult for Paul.

”Oh, of course! Working for you is my pleasure.” Paul said as he took out a copper coin. He put this Ti coin in the hands of the book trader.

This unlucky boss smiled bitterly as he took the little profit he received. Who was this guy with black clothes? Could it be that he did not know the worth of a banned book? A Ti coin? In Titan these days, a Ti coin can only be used to buy a few rough papers!

”Hehe! Thank you for the reward of this Sir. Thank you! This was truly embarrassing!” The boss still had to say this.

”Then... Sir Viscount, I will take my leave now! Thank you for walking with me for a while!” The little miss bowed to the young master Minsk of the Ferdinand Family.

”Please know that this is my honor!” Minsk looked back at her. The highest class carriage that represented the Andrew Family has arrived. There were more than ten fully-armed Knights around the carriage.

”Hehe. It seems that brother of yours is not as what it seems on the surface. He still cares a lot about you!” The Viscount waited for the carriage to become stable before opening the carriage door for the little miss.

Sasha wanted to say ‘So what?’ but she did not say it out loud in the end. She simply nodded then entered the carriage.

Snowstorm took over the carriage door and slammed it close. He used a hawk-like gaze to stare at the young Viscount.

The Viscount did not want to back off, but the sudden burst of gleam in his opponent’s eyes stabbed his nerve like a dagger. He could not help but take a step aside.

The carriage slowly moved away. The voice of the young girl rang in the carriage.

”Did you let me be found out on purpose?”

”Yes!” Snowstorm nodded.

”Why?”

”Because of that young man.”

”And why is this?” Sasha was a little confused.

Snowstorm sighed. ”Little miss... You do not want to know that reason!”

”Why?” Alfa III His Majesty questions the Prince. ”Why do you have to make such a fun and festive ball into...”

”Your Majesty!” Oscar rudely interrupted an Emperor! He was truly impatient now! ”Your Majesty, I suddenly became your son-in-law. This you should understand. Can you tolerate an unlucky guy to challenge me in front of the whole nobles’ circle?”

”That was all because of you!” The Emperor was a little furious. ”Even I can see it. You were indeed hesitating.”

Oscar became cautious. He already knew that this Emperor was not that easy to deal with as he looked.

”Your Majesty, should I not consider this carefully? You should know what meaning the engagement of the Princess and me holds. Oh God! I even have not received the permission of the family before I did this. Maybe...”

”There’s no maybe!” Alfa III His Majesty could no longer hold his anger! The sound of the Emperor resonated in the huge living room with only two people.

”Let me say this one more time! There’s no maybe! If your family cannot accept this arrangement, then they shall accept my punishment.”

Oscar shivered. He carefully moved towards the Emperor. ”I believe all that you have said, but saying this made me uneasy. Is this arranged? This intersection of fate between the Princess and myself. It is the marriage vow that will receive the blessing of the God of Light.”

The Emperor stared into the eyes of the young man. He wanted to confirm the sincerity of the young lad. ”Could it be... Do you not care at all about the fact that Andrew is about to receive punishment? That is your family. Your home!”

Oscar shrugged without caring. ”I don’t believe my father would do something to disobey the royal order, so... I won’t worry about the punishment that you spoke of. I think that won’t happen because my family will definitely agree to this marriage.”

”You are very smart!” Alfa III His majesty leaned on the sofa, laid back. ”But you should at least ask yourself whether you are as smart as me. Do you think I don’t know the plan of the Andrew? They are using you to receive more power and benefits.”

Oscar shook his head. ”I am not sure about the things that you have said. The family may have plans to use me, but that assault case at the southern mountain should not be included. I believe my father will not joke about these sort of things. Moreover, an officer in the Secret Service Department once told me himself that the matters in the south is extremely complicated. The case may involve some extremely influential businessmen in the south.”

”What?” Alfa III His Majesty straightened his back. ”Businessmen? From who did you hear it from? Why didn’t I ever hear of this from the Secret Service Department?”

Oscar smiled luckily. He knew he has successfully distracted the Emperor from Andrews.

”Your Majesty, this is all your fault. The one who talked to me about this was the ex-Secret Service Action Officer based in Rylie Province. You are the one who rid him of his duty. Urgh... I’m sorry! I have forgotten about the name of this Action Officer. I am really not good at remembering names of people, but I have a strong memory of what he said. His original words were: the one who truly rules the southern area of the Empire is not His Majesty the Emperor. It isn’t the local officer as well. Nor is it our army or Secret Service Department. It is a bunch of businessmen. A group of businessmen that are wealthy beyond imagination.”

The Emperor looked at the little Prince in surprise. After a while, he said this. ”The Secret Service Action Officer based in Rylie Province.... He said this?”

”Yes, Your Majesty!” Oscar nodded determinedly. ”We did not talk about this topic any further like now, but Alanis and I once discussed about this. We both thought that when your rage surfaced and the political and military systems at the southern province became unstable, that will be the time for the true conspirator to appear.”

”And Andrew,” The young lad poured a glass of white wine for the dumbfounded Emperor. ”I believe your arrow is pointing at the wrong subject all along because the true aim of the conspirator is at the south of the Empire.”

”The south?” Alfa III His Majesty was deep in thought. He was almost persuaded by the Prince. If this Emperor had any impression of the south other than the opera in Vielonna, it would be those businessmen. Those influential Titan businessmen that travelled between Italia and Faran have provided countless strange new playthings and all sorts of luxury goods for their own palace.

Maybe... Maybe something was truly wrong! Alfa III His Majesty thought how one-sided his doubt towards the Andrew was. Wasn’t this case still under investigation? Then it would be best to notify Rudolf Hoss of the Secret Service Department. This head of spies would understand what to do next.

The Emperor took a glance at the young lad. He again thought of another problem. The flash attack of the Narcissus Knights truly made him panic. Then would this sort of ‘forced marriage’ towards the Andrew disturb the cooperation pact that they had just established? Maybe they might waste the effort they have been putting in?

”Then... how would your father think of your doing?” Alfa III His Majesty asked to probe. ”Just as you said, you have not receive the permission from the family before deciding this marriage. Will your father distance himself from you and punish you?”

Oscar wanted to show all of his disdain towards the Emperor’s questions, but he decided against it after gritting his teeth! Fuck! This selfish old thing actually thought of this question only at this moment! Didn’t he just want to force the Andrew to be obedient? Didn’t he just want to let the Andrew step back without condition? He now knew Andrew was not as what he had imagined, then every wrong was pushed onto me! Oscar thought about this furiously! According to the way the Emperor phrased his question, the one who was forcing the family to acknowledge this marriage was him.

”Actually.... Actually there was no need to worry about this,” Oscar tried his best to let him sound as calm as possible. He was in great rage right now, but he has to console the ultimate reason that created all of these mess at this moment!

”When Alanis visited Andrew with an unofficial identity, my father already prepared to accept my marriage with the royal family. So, your worries are unnecessary.”

”Oh... As expected!” Alfa III His Majesty could finally relax, then he made an expression that said he had expected all of this.

”Alright! Little guy! In the near future you will be my son-in-law!” Alfa III His Majesty was very glad. The engagement of his daughter with the Prince was acceptable. If the situation was as little Oscar had said, then it was necessary to observe for a while.

”Yes, Your Highness!” Oscar did not know what to think at this moment. He knew this Emperor could do anything when his brain was not functioning.

”Then... Let us talk about your future further!” Alfa III his Majesty suddenly changed the topic. ”Speaking of this, we should look at a document submitted by Marshal Alan representing the Army. Wait for a moment. That document is not here. I must go and take it.”

Oscar already understood the content of that document during the seniors meeting in the Family, but he acted like he did not know anything right now.

”Your Highness, what are you doing? It’s fine to just send someone to get it! If you feel uneasy with that, I can do it for you!”

Alfa III His Majesty pushed the young lad who was about to stand back to his seat. He waved his hand. ”Little guy! Let me do it. That is a confidential document. It is put in a place only known to me.”

Only Oscar was left in the living room. The young lad removed the button on his collar. He laid on the sofa, unmoving. The indescribable exhaustion hit his heart and soul! Changing his expression whenever he met a different person and using different lies to accommodate different lies.

The palace servants came in. They prepared fruits and desserts on gold plates for the Prince. Oscar did not even look at the fresh food. The young lad simply took hold of the wine bottle.

”Get out!”

The servants retreated respectfully. As the door closed, he did not even open his eyes and look at it.

The heat of the strong wine burned the young lad’s stomach. His eyes were a little out of focus. Why did this world need so many lies and pretence? Could this be a must to live? Could this be the only path to the top?

Why was everything so chaotic outside?

The young lad opened the door of the living room. The walkway was stuffed with panicked crowds. The people were rushing to the direction of the palace gate.

The Prince took great effort to reach the gate. There was no place to stand on the tall platform of Hamilton Palace. The scenery in front of him was unbelievable! After going off for a few months, the war beacon on the Tower of Heroes lit up in great flames once again. The smoke rose to the sky, straight into the pitch black sky.

”Has the Emperor announce the Beacon Decree again?”

”No!” A soldier answered this question. He pointed to the few lights at the shadows of the southern mountains.

”It is the beacon from the south. This means that that place is under attack from the enemy!”