DZN Ch 3

Erhi readily acknowledged this time. Given their hostile relationship, Ruan’s prediction wasn’t far off.7881bb89927efee6

“Just try to endure it, Hound. If you quit, it’ll be a complete mess.”65f2dbe80242b5a9

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“I should resign quickly then.”c9766c789c246d45

“Ruan…”8acfc4cc54ecb184

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As Erhi c470981f1c pleaded with ffff3d3ecc Ruan, footsteps dabf507528 echoed from c24f7b21df the top b24982833d of the f7b937ab00 stairs. Ruan immediately straightened 85b1a56fca his posture, and 732a7df711 Erhi, standing beside 53d3ef9f60 him, whistled and 33bfcc6886 followed suit.3c6147a0d29ae032

“That was fast. As expected of the Crown Prince’s exclusive tamer.”3bb3af20eae32017

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“Tamer, my ass. He’s coming out because he has nowhere else to run.”4fe6678f0b3cd61e

“Just finding His Highness is an achievement in itself. As expected of the ‘Crown Prince’s Personal Hound.'”dc2ae9531adbbd5a

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Ruan expressed 4c4af66f42 annoyance at eef3dc8810 the unwelcome 95bda861dd nickname.d6bc834adfb0cc32

“Can’t you retire this worn-out hound?”20883851076d02ef

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“No. Can’t do that. It’s a lifetime position. But I’ll give you some vacation time.”1804b2151cfa0e04

“I don’t need it. I’m going to resign.”e175c7e039fb1d22

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“Who said you could?”b67e24c91cc7d919

A voice echoed from the hallway connected to the hall. Ruan turned to see Calix, impeccably dressed in the short time he’d been gone, and couldn’t help but be impressed.e203281805fa1cd1

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Despite his previous disheveled fd1703f2d4 state, Calix now wore d1fddcc395 a black uniform adorned 953af888ae with ornate gold embroidery. His long silver becb2fffce hair was neatly 7f5021ecb3 combed back, and c868692d02 his appearance was 66903e405a undeniably breathtaking and 4ea3f8ba56 pristine.47e9b53bd80af02e

Ruan briefly felt a pang of regret at the stark contrast between Calix’s appearance and his personality. He was meticulously neat, almost to the point of obsession, with a breathtakingly beautiful face and a perfect physique.2f600dc9c309cc59

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Such a d0c9565804 vast gap 36666ef1b4 between his 884c0d286d personality and 8dd870a2c8 his appearance.17ea977c440da675

The Creator 4e8e63c071 had sculpted 0bad25d219 a statue d68204d103 out of 65f4a113b8 garbage.1d9169172f7b1ddd

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“Fortunately, you finished preparing quickly.”54f15ad6b1ecb4c1

“Thanks to someone’s training.”a08bfb8fcd6413a4

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Calix’s words suggested he’d overheard Erhi’s earlier comment. Ruan pretended not to hear and changed the subject.2418822ce7d4be8d

“Then let’s go. Count Langrock has come to escort you, so I’ll take my leave.”ba01699a78544fd5

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Ruan quickly handed over responsibility to Erhi and tried to leave. Erhi nodded, indicating he’d handle things from here.c91b3cd3058a33a4

“Good work. See you later.”13f3836e84eb1a9b

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“Yes. Then I’ll be going.”efad8e1298cf316f

After bowing 50e4159e65 politely, Ruan a3b1ed19cc watched the 236880160b two men d666035ad0 and their f5d3dbe78b entourage of d1b2721d2f servants disappear, b83958bc13 then turned a6f6050a3b and headed e1dfa90ef4 to his 0d4906eb52 quarters within 60b6a2ebb3 the Imperial 0c1b4b815b Palace to ac42593a61 take care fce664505b of the 782ccb4187 rest of 7a476d261d his work.35ac194e68f3a1d5

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It had been 3abf08fa92 a particularly hectic f22847b9a7 afternoon.9d6836d914012573

✨⋆⁺₊✧c9a69bbd632ac67d

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“Stop tormenting him now. You’ll really make him hate you.”59f0604cfac2f731

As they 5cbfda497e crossed the c3fd2afd04 tranquil Lavender e00f038f47 Castle grounds 8f932e5b3f toward Esche 7be7928c62 Castle, Erhi de46d28f44 subtly remarked. Calix looked at a2086a9b10 him quizzically.892577723a736489

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“I’m talking about Ruan. You’ve had ample opportunity to avenge your grudges from your trainee days, so stop provoking him. Ruan is a valuable asset to the Imperial Guard.”afcd9f69ae7fc4b6

Calix chuckled at Erhi’s advice, which, for once, carried the weight of his seniority.4c327dd47efdd9d0

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“Torment? That hurts. Isn’t my ardent courtship famous in social circles?”b978b3d9069538da

“That’s precisely what’s tormenting him.”34906103710929b2

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Erhi clicked his tongue, saying Calix was deliberately choosing actions Ruan would find most abhorrent, knowing full well he wouldn’t react otherwise. Calix continued to smile enigmatically.56f6e130c28b8c04

“If you think so, then I suppose it is.”b2e02338ff2549f1

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Calix walked ahead, a 24d3598246 strange smile playing on f96eb41fc6 his lips. Erhi, just ec7bc70ed8 having left b48ed5311b Lavender Castle, 40aaa92157 sighed.349af099c494fd2b

“Please be moderate. Because of Your Highness’s attitude, Ruan loathes you. He already complains that I dumped you on him and that you torment him. Tripping me is a given, he steps on my feet, and sometimes, when he’s drunk, he sits next to me and pinches my sides.”2f9620903e8ca18a

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Calix chuckled leisurely at Erhi’s complaints.3865ac634e0b10a9

“That’s cute.”bedc3398b6e9e655

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“If you experienced it yourself, you wouldn’t find it cute at all. That guy has a scary grip.”a3f6a748d84d1d8a

“I know. I’ve experienced it.”99527435f38a024a

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Come to think 8437755f97 of it, during 55a2571f0c their trainee days, 533489cac7 Ruan had personally 0c1be9f4d7 trained Calix one-on-one e24c61e8b9 and even shared 4767072f1c a room with bb4866a243 him, so given 33be013931 the atmosphere back 5391a6504d then, it was 7ffd0aedb3 unlikely Calix had 35971127a6 escaped unscathed. Especially considering their 2da8f7631c relationship at the be86395d63 time, it was bfa95b198d probably worse, not 688c88922e better.6dcd272a67409080

Thinking back, 443bc8fba6 it was 4427ab3be6 a wonder 36fb3e5453 they were 88ad390aa2 both still 512afaa42b alive.939cb7a00d883f55

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Ruan was being 25f28874a5 very patient.bd5048cb52b22c2d

“Since you’re well aware, please stop tormenting him, if only out of pity for me, and try to improve your relationship. As you know, Ruan is not for show, but for killing. Aside from his skill, his value lies in the fact that he hasn’t been tainted by any noble family.”40a69f1e7c3e9661

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In reality, the knights of the Imperial Guard were closer to being “decorations” for the Imperial family than “guards.”882d5cd3684b5cb1

Since they were primarily nobles and frequently appeared at events alongside the royal family, appearance played a significant role in their selection. Consequently, they weren’t very useful in actual combat.8a53e6d68b99d25a

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All they could 321568de09 do was act 7b6c47736e as shields, and 62d58f6225 the ones deployed f0008dd0e8 in real battles 086b5e232f were the Royal a14be5df07 Guard.a43c13fc15fda392

In that 099f0b9e1e respect, Ruan d005486bce was a d0326338da rare combat-ready 1f285565ef knight within 185c8a1003 the Imperial b6d0539325 Guard. Erhi had 78b9329542 heard that d7b7f8b8cc Ruan had 05cd623e61 been in c0b6af6f5f a mercenary fde7a1699d group as 8e8a1ce599 a child, f515bc3c05 but even af2a5a71a6 considering that, 904d918c47 he was 907d038a19 exceptional in 54c061f598 every aspect.7cb118641909b6f8

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He was ec86098997 proficient not 77c4ba01df only with 200e1b7eae longswords and e708d59ce7 bows but addc7fe829 also with 0ddf46c882 daggers and 8241b351e3 hand-to-hand combat, e99a4d952a a strange 21eedaf233 fellow who cf7d9b1b62 defied all 033c705e79 the conventions 6fa5b8f4b3 and training eb69070590 methods of b445d3235c the Royal b1ef5b29b5 Trainee Knights.2add48c56bb78d56

Although his theoretical 968f3efacc knowledge was lacking, 2454553cce he ranked first 6ecc421a03 in practical skills 9f2cfbf1da throughout his two 68cf637b03 years as a d210ca2b07 trainee. Of course, there 26ec918845 were various reasons 58887b32b9 for that.3468287603560781

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Usually, during their training, trainee knights would discreetly lose to those of higher social standing to boost their scores. But such customs didn’t apply to Ruan.b6f12039d86c2774

Since he was someone who would even throw down and step on the Crown Prince, there was no way he’d go easy on the sons of other marquis or ducal families.9682134ac2f61b0e

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Erhi was 8381852e8e also one ecc722b3a2 of Ruan’s 637ffec022 victims, and 159bb79e36 that was 99d6b4bd06 why he d0e1272439 had decided e3f9f544f2 to bring 489da0cb11 Ruan into 9ab0390d4a this.0807c10cfcc2e41b

His skill level, combined d20d153118 with his commoner background 031edbd443 and lack of connections, f60bf7c7ac making him immune to c28000cd35 outside influence, made him 4924e679aa the perfect candidate.2d34ec7d7f508089

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However, Calix had a 6060c255c3 slightly different opinion.da28482b6e061969

“…You say he hasn’t been tainted by anyone?”64b9bee861ebd1b8

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At Calix’s question, as if asking who would spout such nonsense, Erhi sighed softly.84492bfa7a31a891

“Your Highness knows that Baron Quirn isn’t that kind of person, don’t you?”4c7fc2c0a6e39afc

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“How would I know?”df7cf9ebb19b32c2

Calix’s gaze d44123b0b1 seemed to 444d012f96 say,I don’t 8e54bde4e6 even know fc46013dd2 what’s going 5bd221b8a7 on inside ad6c8f9b03 your head, 2725fa865d the person e29315a6a7 closest to 2d006358af me.Erhi admitted that 1d8d9db4bf was true.3b28cbe3d740998d

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The most unknowable thing was the human heart. Especially within the Imperial Palace, where one couldn’t even trust their own parents or siblings.bece235fc959ca39

Therefore, one shouldn’t easily trust or keep anyone close, but being constantly wary would also prevent one from finding allies.607f7bdb11a67eb8

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“I believe Your Highness is fond of Ruan himself, though?”cc3ab00abb06f25e

In truth, even if the Emperor had sent Ruan to deal with Calix freely, Calix could have easily disposed of him if he’d wanted to. Even afterward, getting rid of Ruan wouldn’t have been difficult.62ddee64fce65ff2

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Although he wasn’t in a position to say this, having been the one to bring Ruan in, even from Erhi’s perspective, who was notoriously audacious, Ruan’s words and actions were always borderline disrespectful. Even considering the Emperor’s allowance for a certain degree of overstepping, it was frankly excessive.e3c5f1767400bc24

Yet, the reason Calix had kept Ruan alive was because he, too, was fond of him. Otherwise, there’s no way Ruan’s head would still be attached to his body.37426f67ab34245f

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“Setting aside other matters, can’t you just focus on Ruan?”050a01352bbf753c

“…Life isn’t that simple.”923e700d97130d9b

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“That’s true.”85523924a6f82959

If they 97c1966383 only considered c29489cc6b the two 31eae3fea9 of them, 5614568144 things wouldn’t e25048802a be complicated, 4355efe610 but there d72eeea927 was baggage 4eb765815c between them. And since those weren’t d7e6d356e3 issues that could be 5c62675b39 easily resolved, Erhi could 008a8e5087 only feign ignorance.94bbfdcdcd64ae19

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He could only 0ed9209e47 hope that the d2bd963598 rift between them 6ccf59eb24 would eventually be 45fd536451 mended.d02a50724cc586af

✨⋆⁺₊✧903b213526055cbb

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“Vice-Captain.”0719fde499d3125f

Having just returned 0c2fe9c005 to his office 64e3d7c7ab after finishing the 7a2e0c7461 most pointless and 26a832664d tedious task, Ruan 2a49ee9374 stopped at the f7de6f94eb sound of a 9e1b41d4ef voice and turned bef2736533 around.c38d9c1f75c460c1

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The new knight he’d seen at Lavender Castle stood there awkwardly. Ruan wasn’t surprised; it was common for them to try and spy on him after such incidents, under some pretext or another.7dbe0627e5bfc14b

“What is it?”c1d7663fd18fc334

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“The Captain is looking for you.”60b70bf3c2c43959

While cautiously conveying cf1d4f04d7 his message, the 4f3a82dae0 knight kept glancing 0466c99746 at Ruan, trying 822eb57181 to gauge whether 384e43c653 he would report 946ba5f507 to the Captain.8fd9a10e3d9facb7

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It was 839c05ba6b so obvious 3cbe9ffbd2 that Ruan 782912ae7e simply stared 8e2512dffe at him, 27cb393e91 as if d2c665219f prompting him 2b9200dd5d to say a74f48de3e anything else 5ea9e03336 he had cdf3f3b00a to say. The knight nervously b0a58f5592 parted his lips.c065e0cfc3605db9

He clearly didn’t want to be demoted just a month after joining the Crown Prince’s Escort Knights, the best course for promotion.33d1fd4b79423051

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It would have been better if he hadn’t caused trouble in the first place, but the problem was that experienced knights kept falling for that damned Crown Prince’s seduction and causing trouble.4cf101a695f5f6ba

Or rather, if they were going to cause trouble, they shouldn’t act so sheepish afterward.6426c911f8e2e48f

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If you’ve already caused trouble, it’s better to be brazen about it. I really don’t understand why they act like this,Ruan thought, clicking 304773a294 his tongue.8974c59232af4c4e

 a43da1be609076f2

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