Chapter 30

The duel was officialized the next day with the king, the queen, and the members of the royal court as the witnesses. Despite it entailing one of the princes must die, neither the king nor queen spoke up any objection.

Unlike the first trial which was difficult to interpret, the hint for the second trial was clear. Magic was commonly hailed as the blessing of the stars by the church.

The second trial would be a battle of magic.

For everyone in the hall, the winner was already clear. If the first prince died as a result, it was the consequences of his own actions. They would say it was good riddance.

Still, the king pardoned Vesper from his royal duty to focus on preparation. It wasn't that he didn't believe Vesper would win, but they could never be too prepared. He must be ready for whatever the northern star could throw at him.

At the pond, Shen Yuan looked at the man reading on his lap without a care in the world and finally protested, "If you only want to read, then we should just stay in your study. Princess Tiara can't play here because of you."

"She used this area to secretly play with magic, so I banned her from playing here again." Vesper flipped a page.

"You're tough on her, huh?"

"I'm only establishing authority in her subconscious mind. Since I don't plan to have a child, I need her as a bargaining chip."

"You don't want to have a child?" Shen Yuan raised his eyebrows. "What about the next heir?"

Vesper peeled his eyes off his book and glanced up at Shen Yuan. "If you want to have a baby, I can order the research tower to formulate a potion to give males the ability to conceive."

"…No, thanks." Shen Yuan couldn't imagine how conceiving a child, let alone the vulture's child, would affect his psyche in reality.

Besides, they wouldn't be here long enough for such an opportunity.

"You don't want a little me?" Vesper chuckled.

"I don't know about yours, but I definitely don't want a little me." Just imagining what kind of a menace such a creature would be already gave Shen Yuan a headache. "Speaking of which, you haven't answered my question. How did you stir Zain to such a corner in your childhood?"

"I'm sure many have told you about it."

"They did. They kept saying Zain bullied you because of jealousy and all that stuff. But that's the narrative you direct. I want to know the behind-the-scenes."

"If you already figured that out, then there's really nothing else to add."

"You did those just to prepare for this trial?"

"Mostly." Vesper closed his book and stared into Shen Yuan's eyes as if searching for an answer. "You might think it's strange, but the second I saw him after I was born, my instinct told me to kill him. To get rid of him—destroy him in any way possible."

"I don't think it's strange at all." Shen Yuan brushed the corner of Vesper's eyes. "Your hate for him is more carnal than your feelings for me. You can't help it, can you?"

"I don't like how that sounds."

Shen Yuan laughed. "Of course, you don't."

Vesper took in the joyful view with warmth akin to nostalgia in his gaze.

The beauty of this human affection never ceased to amaze him. Even though he had him by his side right this moment, he also missed the version of him from the days that had past and anticipated the version of him for the days to come.

His heart was so full that there was no room for anything or anyone else. Especially not his enmity towards someone who was as good as dead.

"I'll prove it to you, then."

"Prove?"

"Though I do plan to make you my queen, if you want me to, I can let go of all this. The throne, my status, this hatred, everything. I'm more than capable of earning us a fortune while living a slow, commoner life." Vesper took Shen Yuan's fingers into his hand and gave them a squeeze. "We can go anywhere you want."

Shen Yuan felt his heart tremble.

He had lost count of the number of victims who had promised the same thing for him through his countless missions, and they never moved him. More like, he pulled those words right out of their throat.

But this man…this creature wasn't supposed to be something that could go against their instinct. And their instinct was to conquer.

Yet, he was willing to let go of the throne, the entire kingdom, and all the people and resources in it that was well within his grasp for him?

"Do you like that idea?" Vesper chuckled at Shen Yuan's stupefied face and kissed his fingers. "We can live back in your hometown and I can go meet your parents. I promise I won't give them any heart attack."

Shen Yuan finally regained himself and blocked Vesper's mouth, stopping him from spiraling further away. He tried to offer his usual, playful smile, but what formed was only a forlorn one. "I think I rather be a queen here."

Vesper had never seen such an emotion on Shen Yuan's face. It sent needles into his chest and riddled him with stinging pain. He propped himself up and turned to face Shen Yuan properly. "I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

"Hm? No, not at all." Shen Yuan feigned nonchalance as he stood up and patted the grass and dirt off his pants. "It's about time for lunch. I'll go get your meal."

"Sean—"

Shen Yuan walked away from the pond, not wanting to expose himself any further. He half-expected Vesper to stop him from leaving, so when he didn't, he silently appreciated it.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. He shouldn't be this much of an emotional person. If he was, the department wouldn't recruit him in the first place—putting aside his unique ability. It must be this peaceful world affecting him.

Don't get him wrong, he didn't hate his job. It gave him something to do in his life and paid well. In the current times, this much was already a luxury. Though it was dirty work, he wasn't someone that bothered himself with unnecessary things like that.

But who would ever choose such a shitty reality over this dream? This was the peace everyone died for in reality.

None of that mattered though. Every mission cost him his right to live as a normal person and he paid for them with no regret. Without the bureau, he would've long been dead in the first place.

A vulture had less right to pursue happiness. Their existence itself was a threat against it. But perhaps, that was why he could indulge with ease.

He could allow himself to.

They might not be able to keep living in another person's dream, but they could still stay together in reality. Whatever that would lead to, he would leave that to the future him. His job right now was to not sow any seed of regret. That was the one thing he didn't want any version of him to deal with.

And for that, he would continue to accomplish this mission.

When he returned to the pond, Vesper was already seated in the gazebo, overlooking the still surface to mask the anxiety in his gaze. Something incredibly foreign in his years of existence.

Like a ship finding a beacon on a stormy night, his eyes shifted towards Shen Yuan's presence and anchored himself to him. Shen Yuan placed the meal cart aside and took a seat next to Vesper.

He considered for a brief moment before breaking the silence, "My hometown is very, very far and it's not as pleasant as it is here."

"I didn't mean to say it as a fixed plan. We can just stay here as you said." Vesper held Shen Yuan's hand. "Whether you want to laze about in your room or rule the people as you like, everything is up to you."

"That's impossible. I'm going home soon."

Vesper felt his blood ran cold. He tightened his hold on Shen Yuan's hand as if it could slip away at any second. "For how long?"

"I'm not coming back. I'm leaving."

"Then, take me with you," Vesper decisively said.

In the first place, he aimed for the throne just to trample over Zain. With his mere strength, he could take over the kingdom at any time, but it would only give Zain an opportunity to be a hero, so he chose the troublesome route.

The short separation earlier was enough for him to ascertain his feelings. He could no longer imagine a future without Shen Yuan in it. He would only return to his days playing pretend as a human only to achieve empty power and status.

Now that he finally found the meaning of his life, he would never let him go.

The scorching obsession in his gaze dazzled Shen Yuan with its fervor, borderline madness. He shifted his hand in Vesper's hold and interlaced their fingers. "If you're truly sure you want to come with me, then I need your unconditional trust because what I'm about to demand from you is something beyond unreasonable. It's too complicated for me to explain or for you to comprehend right now, but I promise, you will understand in time."

Vesper affirmed with a nod.

"There are 2 things I need you to do…"