CH 62

In the bustling streets, people of various races, including orcs, intermingled, creating a unique and vibrant landscape.

Within the Orc Kingdom, there were many different races. While they usually lived in separate tribes on the vast grasslands, in the cities, they coexisted in a harmonious and friendly manner. Whether they were petite catfolk, rabbitfolk, or towering tigerfolk and lionfolk, they followed the principles of unity, harmony, friendship, and mutual assistance, at least in theory.

Discrimination between different races still existed, but it was somewhat restrained in civilized areas. However, smaller tribes were often subjected to bullying.

The Orc Kingdom was ruled by the four major clans: the Tiger Clan, Wolf Clan, Lion Clan, and Elephant Clan. Every ten years, a new leader, the Orc King, was selected from these four clans in a rotation that maintained peace on the grasslands.

This year marked the changing of the guard for the Orc King, and it was also the final part of the original story. After leaving the orc capital Beist, Pei Xia no longer had his foresight or “golden finger.”

However, Pei Xia wasn’t too worried because his greatest reliance, Lucifer, had become his lover!

This was perhaps the most successful thing Pei Xia had accomplished since arriving in this parallel world. Well, he couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed when he thought about it.

Thinking about this, he couldn’t help but sneak a sideways glance at his perfect boyfriend. Coincidentally, Lucifer also looked in his direction, and his clear eyes, visible through the veil, curved, captivating anyone who saw them.

Pei Xia felt a bit embarrassed and turned his gaze away, trying to give a fierce look to the wild orc onlookers who were staring in their direction.

Although Lucifer concealed most of his stunning beauty behind the veil, his soft golden hair and radiant eyes that were visible still attracted the attention of many.

Pei Xia felt both proud and a little worried. He feared that these overly enthusiastic orcs wouldn’t be able to withstand this level of temptation and would rush over to inquire about Lucifer’s name and whereabouts.

He thought, ‘Oh well, if I have to tell them that Lucifer already has a boyfriend, they’ll probably be insanely jealous and might even start a fight. It’s a sweet kind of dilemma.’

Pei Xia was lost in his thoughts, and the chaotic scene he had imagined actually unfolded. However, the chaos wasn’t caused by Lucifer’s beauty, and the main characters weren’t Pei Xia and Lucifer.

Up ahead on the street, a group of people had gathered to watch something. This street was the only way for Pei Xia and Lucifer to reach the Church of Light, and they didn’t want to waste time by going around. So, they slowly made their way forward, trying to catch a glimpse of the commotion through the crowd.

In the middle of the open space, surrounded by the curious crowd, there stood an elegant but not overly extravagant carriage. The horses pulling it were adorned with embroidered blankets, giving the whole scene a subtly luxurious and cultured atmosphere.

Of course, the carriage wasn’t the focus; the real attention was on the guards surrounding the carriage and, more importantly, the handsome young man in front of it. He had a pair of sharp green eyes and fluffy pointed ears. From the whispers of the people around, Pei Xia learned that he was the second prince of the Wolf Clan.

Indeed, the current emperor of the orcs was from the Wolf Clan. According to the rotation, the next emperor should have come from the Lion Clan. However, the current emperor had been delaying the succession ceremony for some unknown reason.

In front of the second prince of the Wolf Clan stood a petite and adorable female orc with long rabbit ears on her head. She was from the Rabbit Clan, and the two of them were in a heated argument.

The second prince firmly held the hand of the rabbit-eared girl and wouldn’t let go, his sharp eyes locked onto her as he questioned her, “Where have you been? I’ve searched your tribe so many times and couldn’t find you.”

The rabbit-eared girl tried to break free, but the vast difference in their strength made it futile. She replied, “It has nothing to do with you.”

The second prince appeared unhappy, saying, “How can it have nothing to do with me? We agreed to meet in the spring, didn’t we?”

“That’s what you said, I didn’t agree.”

Pei Xia quickly understood the situation. It was a classic tale of a wolf falling in love with a rabbit, a prince infatuated with Cinderella. He watched with great interest as the Wolf Clan’s second prince and the Rabbit Clan’s girl continued to argue.

The prince wanted to take the girl away immediately, but she was resistant to the idea. As he listened, Pei Xia realized that the voice and silhouette of the rabbit girl seemed familiar. He felt like he had seen her somewhere before.

Subconsciously, Pei Xia turned to Lucifer for help, and Lucifer replied, “Kidnapping case.”

Suddenly, it all made sense to Pei Xia. He remembered that this girl was one of the orc girls who had been kidnapped, and she had even expressed her gratitude to him.

At this point, the argument between the prince and the rabbit girl intensified. The girl had no intention of being entangled with him and just wanted to leave, but the prince insisted on taking her with him.

The second prince of the Wolf Clan exerted a little force, causing the petite rabbit-eared girl to cry out in pain, and he forcefully pulled her toward the direction of the carriage.

Pei Xia angrily placed his hand on his sword, ready to intervene. His anger wasn’t just because he knew the rabbit-eared girl; even if she were a complete stranger being harmed, he would still feel infuriated. This was a fundamental quality of a knight and a matter of common human decency.

He glanced at Lucifer, who nodded in agreement. Pei Xia took a step forward and entered the circle, demanding, “That’s enough, let her go!”

Both the prince and the rabbit girl turned their attention to him. The prince looked puzzled and somewhat angry, asking, “Who are you?”

The rabbit girl, on the other hand, showed a delighted expression and said, “Sir Knight!”

Pei Xia nodded to her and then turned to the prince, stating firmly, “Your Highness, this young lady is my friend, and she does not wish to go with you. Please release her.”

The young Wolf Clan prince, not much older than Pei Xia, had a hot temper and furrowed his brows in irritation. He questioned, “How is this any of your business? This is a matter between me and Ribe!”

“Of course, anyone can intervene in an unjust situation. Also, when a lady says ‘no,’ it means ‘no.’ If you don’t even understand this, what right do you have to earn a lady’s admiration?”

The young Wolf Clan prince was growing increasingly frustrated with Pei Xia’s defiance. He clenched his teeth and said, “You!”

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ribe managed to free herself from his grasp and took refuge behind Pei Xia. She bit her lip and said, “Your Highness, I don’t want to go to the palace with you. Please give up!”

Both of them were a handful, and the young Wolf Clan prince was still somewhat immature. They valued individual combat and despised using their status to oppress others. Thus, the prince was infuriated and thought of challenging the young man who might have some connection with Ribe.

Just as he was about to issue a challenge to the young man, a voice broke the silence from inside the previously quiet carriage.

“Enough, Norsen. This matter was originally your fault. The gentleman is right; if you want to pursue your beloved, you should learn to respect her.”

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing another man who bore a striking resemblance to the young Wolf Clan prince, but he was taller, more mature, and incredibly handsome. He was none other than the elder brother of Norsen, the Crown Prince of the Wolf Clan, Nord.

Chastised by his elder brother, Norsen appeared somewhat defiant, saying, “Brother, I just wanted to have a private conversation with Ribe.”

“But Miss Ribe was frightened by you,” the Crown Prince replied.

Norsen’s expression softened as he said, “Brother, I just wanted to talk to her.”

The Crown Prince of the Wolf Clan, Nord, addressed the gathered crowd, saying, “I apologize on behalf of my impulsive younger brother, Miss Ribe. I am Nord, Norsen’s older brother, and I apologize for his behavior.”

Ribe tugged at her dress and murmured softly, “You’re too kind.”

“It was my mistake for not stopping him in time. Please forgive my indulgent behavior as his elder brother,” Nord said, trying to make amends.

Ribe wasn’t sure how to respond, so she simply nodded in agreement.

Nord then turned to Pei Xia and said, “I want to thank you for standing up for her. Norsen is my only brother, and I tend to spoil him too much. Your words have made me realize that I should be stricter with him to prevent him from ending up lonely in his old age.”

Pei Xia nodded in acknowledgment. “You’re welcome, Your Highness. I’m glad I could help clarify the situation. I hope everything can be resolved peacefully.”

Nord expressed his gratitude once more and, after a brief exchange, turned back to Norsen, giving his younger brother a stern look.

Pei Xia looked at Nord with some surprise. He hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to be not only reasonable but also humorous and charming. Most importantly, he was quite handsome.

Pei Xia found himself rather fond of him and said, “You are a well-mannered prince.”

Nord smiled and replied, “Thank you for your compliment. Let’s consider this matter settled. When we return, I’ll be sure to discipline Norsen more.”

Then he turned to Ribe and added, “Miss Ribe, I hope you can forgive this wayward child. Our Wolf Clan values love and loyalty deeply, and ever since Norsen saw you last spring, he has been deeply in love with you. He just hasn’t learned how to interact with young ladies correctly. I apologize if he frightened you, and please believe me that he will learn to be more courteous in the future.”

Ribe whispered, “I just hope he won’t disturb my work anymore.”

She had finally found a job in the city to support herself, and Norsen’s disruptions could jeopardize her employment.

Nord assured her, “I promise he won’t.”

With that, the commotion came to an end. Nord and Norsen boarded their carriage, escorted by the guards, and headed toward the palace.

The onlookers gradually dispersed.

Pei Xia walked over to where his silent companion, Lucifer, had been standing in the corner.

Ribe also followed, mainly to express her gratitude. Upon seeing Lucifer, who had his face veiled, she was somewhat surprised. Ribe started to speak but was hushed by Pei Xia, who gestured for her to speak quietly.

Ribe understood and nodded, inviting Pei Xia and Lucifer to her small restaurant where she worked, offering to treat them.

Pei Xia declined the offer, explaining that they needed to visit the ruins of the church and might not have enough time for a meal.

Ribe asked when they would be leaving, and Pei Xia looked at Lucifer. Lucifer replied in a warm tone, “We won’t be leaving for at least ten days.”

Ribe felt relieved, insisting on showing her gratitude before asking for their current address. Afterward, she waved goodbye and left.

Pei Xia and Lucifer continued on their way to the ruins of the church. However, Pei Xia’s thoughts were on the original storyline. He couldn’t remember if there was a part involving Ribe and the Second Prince in the original plot. He did recall that the current delay in the Wolf Clan’s leadership succession was related to demons and their extreme loyalty to love.

It seemed that the Wolf Clan’s Emperor had been bewitched by a demon after his wife’s death due to excessive grief.

Pei Xia felt envious of the Wolf Clan’s view of love. He sympathized with and pitied the Wolf Clan Emperor.

Suddenly, Lucifer asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Pei Xia blurted out, “The Wolf Clan is so devoted to love.”

Lucifer couldn’t help but chuckle. “You envy them?”

Pei Xia sneaked a glance at him and said, “Well, usually, people would envy that, but I already have you, so I don’t envy anyone else.”

Lucifer seemed quite satisfied with this answer. However, there was a hint of subtle bitterness in his tone as he looked at Pei Xia and said, “You seem to like that Wolf Clan Crown Prince quite a bit?”

Pei Xia didn’t understand why he was asking that. “I just appreciate the qualities of an upright, gentle, kind, and polite gentleman.”

Of course, being tall and handsome is an added bonus.

But he already had Lucifer, and his appreciation for Norden was purely platonic.

Lucifer subtly repeated, “Upright, gentle, kind, and polite.”

Pei Xia detected the trace of jealousy in his tone and happily continued to praise him, “Of course, you are the most upright, gentle, kind, and polite person in the world. In my heart, no one is more perfect than you. Plus, you have the fragrance of fine tea and the beauty of a rose. I adore you the most.”

“Is that so?”

Lucifer smiled at him, maintaining his calm demeanor, but for some reason, Pei Xia felt that his mood might not be the best.

The author has something to say:

Raising a flag means it’s meant to be toppled, haha! Just giving you a heads-up; the real conclusion might not come anytime soon.