Mysterious Young Man in White
Nona remarked, “So this is the Imperial City, huh?”
Nona’s voice was evidently somewhat weak. Comparatively speaking, the imperial city she imagined far surpassed the one before in size. That was because the four sisters compared it to the Imperial City in the North, Hilles City and Duargana. Duargana was the smallest among the three palaces and designed after an antique style. Thus, that was what the four sisters expected as a bare minimum. This imperial city, however, wasn’t remotely close to that standard. It was merely an ordinary city. Needless to say, this so-called definition of “ordinary” here was that this “imperial city” was too small by their standards.
From the horse carriage, Vera rubbed her skin and complained. It was too rocky for her thin physique. Next to her were an excited Liu Yue and a happy Daisy. Liu Yue’s tail was a perfect cushion to reduce the bumpy ride, thereby keeping herself and Daisy safe. Nona’s ample butt and breasts came to life on the ride. Meanwhile, Vera and the youngster suffered relatively more than the others.
The group had arrived but had yet to enter at the imperial capital. The line from the entrance was so insane that it was akin to a series of connected mountains.
The young ones got off the carriage to stretch out their limbs. Liu Yue wagged her tail, which garnered the astonishment of many people. She didn’t mind, though. Instead, she looked at the long line and sighed: “Why are there so many people?”
The youngster proudly puffed his chest out and explained, “Because Queen Vera’s coronation ceremony will soon be coming up. These people rushed here to see it. There are a limited number of rooms inside the imperial city, which is why we have to be early. Honestly speaking, these people are already late. I’d say that there will be lots of people who will have to turn back.”
“It seems that Vera is quite popular, then, unlike our Vera, who’s not likable in the least.” Daisy didn’t forget to stomp on the foot of her sister she always liked to tease.
Vera snorted but didn’t fire back. The youngster added, “Of course. The people have good judgement. They can tell who the most appropriate ruler is. I believe these people know the answer, too. Unfortunately, those schemers have already sold their souls, loyalty and conscience. Anybody with half a brain would know Queen Vera will be an outstanding monarch. Only morons and those with ulterior motives would oppose her.”
Liu Yue nodded: “I see. So our goal here this time is to eliminate those scheming to overturn her rule and protect this Queen that everybody believes should be crowned?”
The youngster nodded, but then shook his head: “You’re not wrong, but it isn’t your job; it’s my job, our job. I promised your father that I’d send you back safe and sound; therefore, I think you shouldn’t get involved with something so dangerous. You just need to stay here. With you here, King Troy will personally come to protect you.”
“He’s right. I need to mention that to you all. This matter is not a joke. Indeed, we need to ensure your safety first and foremost and explain this to you beforehand. This is not our territory. This is foreign territory in every aspect. We don’t know anything about the people or the nation. If some mishap were to befall you, not even I would know how to save you. Consequently, I hope you four can tread carefully. Do not do anything dangerous, and do not get involved with conflicts that do not concern us,” reminded Ying.
Surprisingly, Ying, Tanya and the youngster were all on the same wavelength for once. Tanya added, “She’s right. The matter has nothing to do with you. Any involvement with this matter is our job. It has nothing to do with you four. Just treat this as a holiday and keep yourselves safe.”
“Wouldn’t that be a bit too boring?” Daisy asked with a sigh.
Daisy looked at her long sword, feeling it was a pity that she didn’t get to swing it. She was a big fan of weapons just as her mother was. Her father and mother, on the other hand, wouldn’t let her take up a weapon without rhyme or reason, which was why she rarely had the chance to walk around with a weapon at all times as she was doing on the foreign island. That was also why she was so excited. She oddly felt as though she was a girl on a mission,
“Didn’t you come here planning to spend your time here as a holiday?”
Ying hit the nail on the head. The four sisters did forget about what they were there for upon first arriving. They were all enthusiastic about a vacation at the time. They’d probably have had a happy holiday at the port if they weren’t reminded of their goal.
“But we’re very serious now!”
Tanya mercilessly shot Daisy down: “You just need to avoid causing us trouble.”
Vera shrugged: “Of course, we will be obedient… So don’t worry.”
“I genuinely hope you can do as you say.”
“If something happens to you, I’ll definitely protect you. This is our territory, after all. Not to mention the fact that I was the one who asked you to come. I will keep you safe.”
Despite the youngster repeating his oath, the four sisters were frankly worried. The youngster continued to find himself in unexpected situations repetitively. Vera even felt they’d be safer without his presence. Liu Yue, who didn’t believe in metaphysics, was occupied thinking about how to avoid getting into a predicament where she’d hurt him again…
Right when the group was slowly walking with boredom in the line, a white cloak suddenly flashed past. The owner of the cloak accidentally bumped into the youngster, causing him to stumble a few steps. The person in white looked back. His handsome appearance froze the sisters for a moment. For some reason, his appearance made them feel as though they were intimately close. His clear facial features looked so familiar. It was their first time meeting. His cloak strongly resembled the cloak in the North, but there was a slight difference.
The young man in white caught the youngster and bowed. He sincerely apologised, “Sorry. I’m very sorry.”
“Ah, no, it’s fine.”
The youngster initially wanted to flip out, but upon seeing the other young man’s sincere gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to say something mean. The young man in white swept his gaze across the four sisters’ faces. Slightly puzzled, he inquired, “Sorry, may I ask if, um, we have met before?”
The four sisters finally realised they had been staring at him for a long while, so they quickly shifted their line of sight elsewhere. The young man in white turned and continued heading to the city door. Liu Yue scanned him from behind. She hesitated for a moment before asking, “I don’t know why, but I can’t help feeling that he’s very familiar. I strangely have a good impression of him… Why would I feel this way?”
“I haven’t seen him before.” Vera’s ears slightly twitched.
Vera scratched her head and pondered to herself. Vera had a great memory, a talent she shared with her grandma. If not even Vera remembers somebody, it meant she definitely never met them before. The question was why did she feel that way?
The young man in white ignored the people in the line and went straight up to the guards. He turned around to look at the furious woman behind him and apologised. He then took out a small leather wallet and said to the guard that wanted to stop him, “King Troy’s envoy, Raul, here on orders to help Miss Vera and protect her for her coronation.”
“I-Is that right?”
The young man was very young. He didn’t strike one as the type of guard with ample experience, but his composed manner was enough for one to not make light of. Furthermore, he was their Queen’s guest; therefore, the guards didn’t know what to do.
“I shall go and see Miss Vera… Sorry…”
Vera had yet to succeed the throne, which was why they referred to her as Miss Vera as opposed to Queen Vera. Though they couldn’t confirm if the young man was who and what he claimed to be, they couldn’t afford to delay. They quickly made way to let him in. He nodded and entered the city.
========
“Has he left?”
“He should’ve arrived by now. It only takes about one week to fly from here to there.”
Sylvanas asked, “What next, then? What do you want to do next? Troy won’t acknowledge Raul. Troy won’t acknowledge his son because he’s not Troy’s son in name.”
“I am obviously aware of that. I do not plan to force Troy to acknowledge Raul, either. It is difficult to decide what arrangements are appropriate for him, true? At the end of the day, he is not Troy’s legitimate son. I do not want to give him trouble. I plan to have him train himself by Troy’s side, nonetheless. Raul cannot stay in the forest all the time. I will probably let him work as a guard in the future. He wants to be by his father’s side. He does worship his father, after all.”
“Raul is quite the pitiful child. His father is right by his side, yet he cannot acknowledge him. He’s the four sisters’ younger brother, but all he can do is watch them from a distance.”
Irina exhaled heavily: “It cannot be helped. It is my fault, or rather, our fault. Our selfish reasons are the reason he, an innocent child, has to suffer this cruel fate. I cannot make it up to him, but I am sure that Troy has some feelings for him, right? Raul is his only son, after all, his only child he cannot acknowledge…”
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter
