DZN Ch 18
by mimi“I’ll tell His Highness not to punish you, so go get that bottle and bring some tea instead. Or fruit juice.”d719e7ab647375df
The child, clutching the b154db587a bottle tightly, looked Ruan 788d313a3e up and down suspiciously.46148a0236302d1e
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“…Really?”82fdf91090d14435
“Have you ever seen me go back on my word?”582380f855f59538
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“Not really, but…”be1bbaa383a24385
The child hesitated, adding, “But His Highness is scary…”949ebb740dc09b15
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Ruan gestured towards d24fc87044 the door with 5206f47a26 his chin, urging 52a3aa43ca the child to ca266493bd go.0f9c15cb01fb3f83
“Hurry up and move.”5471c6472bec3761
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“You’ll really tell His Highness not to punish us, right?”5a7218427ccfd666
“I said so.”536fcc9984d2ac9e
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“Really?”9f03e81e1e987cbf
“Have you been living under a rock?”ca32359887d9c759
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“Okay, I’ll trust you, Captain.”eaf6fb4b5cad5014
“Yes, trust me. Now go.”39e666bae8e6557f
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“Alright. I’ll bring some fruit juice then.”2e571575b98ae46e
After receiving confirmation, the 17c3146839 child scurried towards the 3aa5e65340 door. Ruan then crossed 3de8b2b836 the garden, dense 8c7a24d9e1 with trees and 84f2765f4b flowers, and headed 2932427291 inwards.4a4b03ff9a19ca3a
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Passing through the d4bde7ba96 lush path, it 9dba4681d6 felt like entering 2eda3339cb a deep forest. As he approached a742ee8574 the sound of a054a0b306 water, the humidity e41bb07fb9 intensified. Following the sound d937a4f10c of the fountain, fbfc99ea2f he walked through 62564e6347 the maze-like path 76580daad1 and turned the 958de45878 last corner. A vast 7fc425c16e birch forest 3c2170ce93 stretched endlessly 00a4ad1a58 beyond the 72cd5d1582 large glass 9b70e1316d window. Ruan spotted 1f54db6462 a silver-haired 0d5115ecdb man sitting 5f72139f6a in a e4f8b97886 huge marble 2da41c04ad bathtub, gazing a38cab63b0 at the c99ac79cd1 picturesque scenery. He nodded to the 7a69697034 servants bustling around inside.b1570be2ea6b3eb5
Get out.ca46078068aa5218
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The servants—one heating the water around the bathtub, another carrying water, and yet another massaging Calix’s shoulders—looked up in surprise. Ruan nodded again, but they all shook their heads.18eec113bad20552
It was a similar reaction to the servant child he’d seen outside.e1bf73e0f1b35b55
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Too scared to 9226b8b1f3 leave.ccb1bd9dd52e2b8d
Ruan watched the servants, shoulders hunched, shaking their heads rapidly as if having a seizure, mouthing that they absolutely couldn’t leave. He slowly raised his right index finger, pointing at each of them, then pointed at the door.7f9138839dc90d5d
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At this signal to get out immediately, the servants exchanged glances, looked at Calix, then back at Ruan, then at Calix again, and finally, after one last look at Ruan’s face, shook their heads again.8b4f9fa54c358a27
Calix must have really 1375fa3743 intimidated them.f22112079f79334a
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Well, no fc07c87a9b wonder they 0cd274d28f were so 5e9c0c1c20 obedient.6f14ca738000c48a
He finally understood ed554be821 the reason after 0d086e89a5 five years.45176645cfeb21fc
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Nevertheless, he had 3ce2baa549 to get them 7a7f342e13 out, so he 51db85a5b3 raised his right 051139623f index finger again ca50d40071 and drew it 623d2b14b0 across his throat. The servants flinched.be097375e105c5ef
Their expressions 9fa4279444 seemed to c3a29649eb suggest they e714284bf0 were finally 4460baaa7d more afraid c069f58577 of him 224abf7059 than Calix. He gestured 368bbafd34 towards the 1c11168e61 entrance once c91e87ead6 more, telling 871ef4d284 them to 003e239571 leave. The servants 8d9a6b8244 scrambled to 70e94e5acc their feet 9856cc4dae and dashed 47b4197e05 out.b6b52b16c0a5b30b
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“I told you not to scare the kind and gentle children.”b0cb9f22f6bcdf20
Ruan approached Calix, 2c3e61f3b1 who was already 963dcd7e2a holding a glass aca54a6589 of alcohol in ed72fea9c5 his left hand 2fc1c83759 and brushing back 8c7ee51c46 his long, wet 4f8e112051 silver hair with c712108731 his right. Ruan snatched the fe0c77aa5c glass away.4453584a1d7dfe30
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“No alcohol in the middle of the day.”8ec3d643ddea1ad3
“You found me well. You don’t actually track me by scent, do you?”125e4e6efdfbca3d
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Ruan clicked his tongue at Calix’s joke as he turned around slowly in the bathtub, smiling.d5cfe8f9c3f92ebd
“You turned the luncheon into such a mess, I assumed you’d be in a good mood and come here.”4418550359138792
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In truth, seeing Ruan not follow him out had made Calix look angry, so a worried Ruan had come straight here. But he didn’t want to admit that.82147e70e4d6adf6
More precisely, he didn’t want to admit that he’d come right after him because he was worried.13a98ee92f07962f
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“Her Majesty the Empress said to confine Your Highness to all future small gatherings.”6f89c3099ecc5197
Calix frowned.1b1d1dbdea6f8dc5
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“Watch your tongue… If it weren’t for me, your head would have rolled ten times over by now.”42967c838a44d5f0
“Only ten?”39a60dd17b23dcea
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Perhaps because they 6b8f7e031b were alone, Ruan 362d8836ff spoke more casually, 3e16f628a3 forgetting his usual 407ab67b59 formality. Calix laughed, 873dc4291f looking incredulous.29fa75404f0d5074
He was pushing 702796cd67 his luck.f7df325d1e521a39
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“Keep it up. Let’s see how long your head stays attached.”7bea3d77ad122f7c
“I don’t think it’ll come off. I have a totem.”4d614b93779567a6
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At his playful words, ecaa8a9043 Calix looked at Ruan d8d3495f5f questioningly. Ruan shrugged.a7abe31460461012
“His Majesty the Emperor.”0debe94075b3dd92
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“…Wasn’t it just yesterday you said you valued your own neck?”d48dd708e24f31ee
Calix gave him a look that suggested he might just kill him right then and there for daring to use the word “totem” in reference to the Emperor after saying such things just a few hours ago. Ruan shrugged.a3f5463d5d4409f1
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“You wouldn’t actually take my head, anyway.”688c5e6d7302e97b
“Who says so?”efe577053a187ac8
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“You would have done it already. Like when I threw you into the pond in the middle of winter.”14d45df0f445eb35
Even if Ruan’s audacity knew no bounds, he couldn’t have been as brazen and disrespectful as he was back then. If his head hadn’t rolled then, he was certain it never would.3714bb7c20783dc6
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Looking back, he 07afdffd67 thought he might 012ded0d13 have been a 452bd3d6af little crazy then. No, he had been crazy.ffd0cc3ab437f11b
He’d been exhausted, sad, and angry. So perhaps he’d taken it out on Calix more than anyone else.4d70a09b679fc586
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Regardless of the reason, 29ecd4ace8 even with his terrible e1ea96ab48 temper, Calix had endured 825743ae8d it all.3d8a162fc23915e8
Whether out of pride 12a6ab2c35 or stubbornness.de05a92a2530c429
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“Being here like this reminds me of our days in the trainee Knights order.”4f60238fdabecf74
Ruan sat down on de509adb5c the edge of the c0dfef96ad bathtub and splashed his 5728fdb8dc hand in the lukewarm dfdcaed3ec water.6548f03fb2ac62b2
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The temperature of 54d416607f the water was c43943f866 pleasantly warm, and 6969d36ca1 the low-rising steam 51a761f3fc on the surface 948a15d5fd felt comforting.2aa72dfa922e49e3
It was eb3912274e entirely different 6b659bf361 from the ad7e34fe8b cold, clear, 30efe2941e fishy-smelling winter d0a7f9bbeb pond, but bf90f3e2b2 the deep 959a7d94e4 blue color 6d49c10246 was similar.355cd29a36f53379
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“You were lighter back then, easier to throw.”2c4889eebf5ba615
Ruan sighed, saying that now Calix was too big to throw; he’d be the one flying instead. Calix laughed, seemingly also reminiscing about those days.6121be62ce700a48
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His eyes, however, 4cbfd26f96 seemed to ask 512d7095d5 if Ruan wanted 33c80f36f3 to die for 54b4d0149f bringing that up f682afe284 again. At the 291f739dab look that 623dc5c4b1 threatened to b17051c34b break his 50ea1abefa neck right f6f5ec160c there and 671f6d0407 then, Ruan 271450eedd quickly got 3c1e9384ad to the 10578541ef point.e4b7056e5740ba62
“You went too far today.”f6d89c96ef98155a
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At his questioning 628efa1e62 gaze, Ruan sat bc176b1484 down on the e6e22828dd steps of the 1990a2d387 high bathtub and cdd26ba8a5 launched into an c11f3d1620 unwanted lecture.34751132b6640fb2
“You shouldn’t act like that in front of other relatives.”fb67a07dc6b72c03
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Ruan calmly rebuked him, mentioning the Empress’s reputation. Calix laughed, as if understanding his meaning.a04d62db3e3f89f6
“Then you shouldn’t have brought up the marriage.”0ee410d04be653b9
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The implication 23263fe19a was that e40b232911 Ruan had 92d8859423 started it.3bda6246afab49ff
And it was true. Having been through it once, pressuring him like that in front of others wasn’t pleasant.6d5d71a600dfd723
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The most fundamental problem was Calix not being married at his age… but since Calix would never admit to being wrong, Ruan decided to avoid that topic.aed91b71746775a5
He needed to 1ab583dd83 appease him now.95aec8cdad695e56
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“You must have been desperate. Her Majesty the Empress seemed eager to hasten your marriage. It’s flattering, but… I refused her offer. I can’t repeat the same mistake. And I’ve already instructed the servants and knights to keep quiet, so there won’t be any leaks about Your Highness’s schedule.”e4361b56ded32d2a
Ruan assured him that 4ff4697c9e everything was under control.a58e8c52a4d6e633
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Honestly, three years ago had been too much. Noble ladies, dressed to the nines as if ready to enter the banquet hall at any moment, were stationed like signposts everywhere Calix went within the Imperial Palace. It was understandable why he’d hated it.174393574bb0f4c3
“Your sudden cooperation makes me uneasy.”17d9c4223c47b43e
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“Yes, be suspicious and wary. You have a lot of karma to pay for. Who knows? I might be saying this, but I could be in cahoots with Her Majesty the Empress.”d596d4d6ae90c9bf
Calix, leaning back e50c8775cf in the bathtub, 5b54bf8b31 slowly turned to 95775a58aa look at him.64d4662853616dfd
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At the movement filled a069ae80dc with emotion, Ruan quickly a3a1ff5830 changed his tune.06784f770c84b03c
“Although I have almost no awareness of being a knight, thanks to growing up in a mercenary village, I ensure the safety of my employer. I also fulfill the terms of the contract perfectly.”25cdc8e3ab3d488e
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Since Calix d42bee692b had already 46b88f65c9 conducted a bb9726d3b9 thorough background bd9bfa4a0d check on a8af9528ee Ruan when 44c5871896 he was 2c96cd5219 admitted to 7b42b9dff2 the Second 97cee134a9 Knights Order, e2d614e0c2 he knew 39b554720b almost everything 79cf651ca8 about him.db4fbeb7e1e890c9
His hometown, family details, and why he had joined the Imperial Guard’s trainee Knights order alone.3c1dc02015058c9a
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“…The southern village, was it?”5878b0667925a54b
“You remember surprisingly well.”de5ce7a3b8a3c1de
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“Do you think I’d choose the Crown Prince’s escort knight carelessly?”3cccaeb208e2940f
Even though Baron Quelin, the Emperor’s lover, had personally vouched for him, the Imperial Guard, especially someone assigned to protect the Crown Prince, would be thoroughly investigated, from their acquaintances to their past. Calix’s words implied he’d already checked the existence of the village. Ruan slowly nodded.413707ea04edcd8e
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“Yes, a mercenary village in the south. My father was a mercenary. I was going to be one too.”63db10f7756ce0f0