Kapitel 46: Shadow Guard
“Wow!” Luo Xiao said.
When Jiang Yao mentioned they were going to his palace, Luo Xiao didn’t think too much about how it would look compared to the rest of the city because just Cloudsoar City itself was beyond all expectations.
But, Jiang Yao’s palace was incredible. Multiple stories high, with arched roofs and intricate ornaments, his palace was made almost entirely from precious jade. There were multiple buildings on its sides and an enormous courtyard as well. While it didn't seem too big compared to Cloudsoar City, it was probably around half the size of the entire Heavenward City!
Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao walked down a paved road inside the enormous courtyard. As soon as the two of them got off the carriage the two men guarding the gates bowed with such reverence to Jiang Yao that it made Luo Xiao question whether their backs were alright.
“Your Highness! Welcome back, your Highness!” various servants said as they bowed the moment they saw that it was Jiang Yao walking towards his palace after which they went back to their tasks.
Following Jiang Yao, Luo Xiao noticed firsthand both the respect and fear in the eyes of the servants as the two of them approached the doors of the palace. Once the two passed by, these servants would glance at Luo Xiao with curiosity for a moment before rushing away.
“Your Highness! You’ve returned!” a middle-aged man ran out of the doors of the palace, opening them wide before bowing deeply to Jiang Yao.
Even though Jiang Yao didn’t smile when it came to other people, at the sight of this middle-aged man, the corners of his lips moved upwards. “Housekeeper Chen! I have indeed returned,” Jiang Yao said.
The housekeeper, whose full name was Wang Chen, finally straightened up. While he was middle-aged and past the prime of his life, his eyes were full of vigor. His hair was completely black and not a single strand of grey was visible. Wang Chen was actually surprisingly muscular for a housekeeper, but it wasn’t like Luo Xiao had seen a housekeeper before and didn’t question anything.
Naturally, Luo Xiao knew that he would be unable to see this person’s cultivation even if he tried so he remained silent while observing Wang Chen.
“Housekeeper, this is my lover, Luo Xiao. He’ll be staying here for a few days,” Jiang Yao said.
“Should I arrange a room for him, your Highness?” Wang Chen asked with a bow, already thinking about which room to prepare for Luo Xiao.
His keen eyes had focused on Luo Xiao from the moment Jiang Yao introduced him, and while he seemed to express no animosity, a tinge of confusion sprouted in his heart. It was obvious that Luo Xiao was merely a Sky Rank soul cultivator.
For Jiang Yao to introduce Luo Xiao as his lover something about this person must have captivated the prince’s heart, and just the thought of such a thing made Wang Chen question the reality of their relationship.
“No need, Housekeeper. He’ll sleep in my room,” Jiang Yao said before turning to Luo Xiao, “Xiaoxiao, I’m going to need to deal with some things since I’m back home... Feel free to look around the palace but don’t go outside the courtyard, alright?”
Jiang Yao’s hand gently cupped Luo Xiao’s cheek before finally letting go. “If someone causes trouble for you, just tell me,” he said.
Luo Xiao nodded gently, blushing as soon as he noticed the obvious stare from Wang Chen. “Is there anywhere I can get something to eat?” he asked.
“Ask a servant, they have a kitchen somewhere,” Jiang Yao said as he walked inside the palace with Wang Chen following him.
Being left alone, Luo Xiao quickly managed to extinguish the red flush on his cheeks. His eyes glanced once more at the door of the palace before walking around the courtyard’s path.
From what Luo Xiao had seen of the outside of Jiang Yao’s palace, it was built with absolute mastery. The statues of strong beasts and heavenly apparitions were so lifelike that they seemed like they would jump out of the columns they circled and bite into Luo Xiao.
Once he was done looking around the palace and a few of the gardens in the enormous courtyard, Luo Xiao planned to ask a servant to get something to eat for lunch. Once he had finished eating Luo Xiao hoped Jiang Yao would also be finished with his tasks.
Meanwhile, the prince and the housekeeper walked through the corridors of the palace.
“Your Highness, the First Prince is, like always, in seclusion. Nobody has really heard any news of him; however, there are rumors that he will leave seclusion in a few months. The Fourth Prince’s faction has been rather restless in the last few weeks, and it seems like the Fourth Prince and the Third Prince have been at odds recently ,” Wang Chen said, swiftly detailing all he knew about the situation at the capital.
This news wasn’t particularly surprising when it came to the usual struggle that happened in the capital, but then a little sentence mentioned by Wang Chen caught Jiang Yao’s attention.
“Second Sister got married? I’m surprised... Knowing her, she doesn’t care about men at all.”
“Your Highness, it seems that her new husband was able to defeat her in a duel of pure strength and won her heart that way…” this was something that even Wang Chen couldn’t believe when he heard it for the first time, but it was the truth.
“Eventually, his Highness the Demon Emperor approved of their relationship and let the two marry.”
“I see,” Jiang Yao nodded as he pondered. “Well, at least I hope Second Sister is happy. I’ve unfortunately missed her wedding, so prepare an appropriate gift for her and send it in my name.”
“As you wish, your Highness.”
A few moments of silence passed while they walked up a flight of stairs.
“Is he really your lover?” Wang Chen suddenly asked, much to Jiang Yao’s surprise.
A tinge of coldness flashed through Jiang Yao’s eyes as he glanced at the man. “Are you doubting me?” Jiang Yao asked.
“No, your Highness, of course not!” Wang Chen said immediately while bowing his head. He gulped a little before finally speaking again, “It’s just... anyone would find it unbelievable that you, the Seventh Prince... has such a weak lover, not to mention him being a human.”
The ice in Jiang Yao’s eyes deepened for a split second before disappearing. “I see. Do you think he is undeserving of my love, Housekeeper Chen?” Jiang Yao asked.
Wang Chen couldn’t find the courage to say as much as a word in response to the other’s question. Having gained the ability to read Jiang Yao rather well from all the time he had been his servant, Wang Chen could tell that he needed no answer.
The Seventh Prince only had to say something was like that, for it to be accepted by everyone beneath him. There was no chance of saying no - one either obeyed or died.
Eventually, the two arrived at the palace’s enormous library. Shelves upon shelves of treasured books and jade slips filled the room. Inside there were various empty corners and nice spots for one to sit down and relax while reading a book.
If one were to actually count the number of texts located in this room, it would add up to more than ten million! It truly lived up to being the personal library of the Seventh Prince of the Demon Empire.
Jiang Yao’s hand gently touched one of the shelves as he walked into the library, his eyes focusing on the last rays of the setting sun visible through the large windows.
“Your Highness, the shadow guard has arrived,” Wang Chen announced.
A second after he spoke, a dozen previously concealed figures appeared around the two of them. These dozen men and women wore simple dark grey clothes and one couldn’t see a trace of weapons on them.
“Your shadow guard greets you, your Highness,” they spoke in unison as they knelt down in front of Jiang Yao.
“Did you finish the tasks I gave you before leaving?”
“Yes, your Highness. Everything has been taken care of and not a word has leaked out. Not even the Sixth Prince’s network caught a trace of us,” one of the shadow guards immediately answered before taking a small object out of seemingly nowhere and handing it to Jiang Yao.
After checking out the object briefly, Jiang Yao nodded. “Good. You will, like always, be compensated for your work.”
The shadow guard said nothing and didn’t even move an inch. They awaited Jiang Yao’s next orders with patience as Jiang Yao himself handed the object to Wang Chen. “Put it in the treasury.”
“As for you all... From now on, two of you will be tasked with protecting Xiaoxiao. Don’t let him find out unless absolutely necessary. The others will return to their usual duties,” and with a wave of his hand, Jiang Yao dismissed the guards.
The twelve men and women nodded before vanishing from the room. Just as they were disappearing, Wang Chen noticed a brief flash of confusion and hesitation in their eyes. It took him no time at all to understand why - none of them had any idea who this ‘Xiaoxiao’ was, after all.
The housekeeper felt no need to tell them - they would find out soon enough. The group of shadow guards had even been personally trained by Jiang Yao, so there was no way they were stupid.
“Actually, change of plans,” Jiang Yao suddenly spoke, his voice making Wang Chen raise his head to look at him. “Send this as the gift to my Second Sister; I think it will suit her more than anything else I have.”
“Yes, your Highness.”
“Housekeeper, when was enrollment for Cloudsoar Royal Academy?”
The question startled Housekeeper Chen, making him frown for a moment. “I think they were three months ago... At least for the first years. Your Highness, do you want to go…”
“Not me, housekeeper,” Jiang Yao said. He almost rolled his eyes as he turned around to face the man. “Xiaoxiao will attend school there,” he said.
“That human lover of yours?” Wang Chen asked with raised eyebrows before frowning even more. “But the earliest he could enroll would be during next year’s admissions. That will be in at least nine months, your Highness.”
Jiang Yao’s lips moved upward causing a small smile to appear once he heard the middle-aged man’s reply. “Housekeeper, you’ve known me since I was a child... Do you actually think that can stop me?”
Silence took over the library for a brief moment before Wang Chen sighed, shaking his head a little like a parent who had given up reprimanding their child. “I should’ve expected this, your Highness.”
With that he turned around and left the room, almost looking amused as he set to work on the task given to him.
Jiang Yao remained in the library for a bit longer, thinking about the information that Wang Chen had given him regarding the current situation in Cloudsoar City. “It seems that Fourth Brother has a trump card up his sleeve if he’s clashing with others so openly…”
Even he frowned a little as he looked through his library’s windows. Despite having a few facts that he could discern with the given sparse information, Jiang Yao had no way of seeing what exactly was going to happen. After all, he wasn’t a prophetic genius, no matter how much he wished to be.
He could only surmise that some sort of great upheaval might occur in Cloudsoar City with his royal brothers and sisters at the center. His expression seemed to frost over as he thought about the possibility of his Xiaoxiao, an innocent, being dragged into such a mess.
“Maybe I should allocate more than two shadow guards to protect him... I wonder where he is at right now?”
Thinking about the surprised expression Luo Xiao would make once he appeared behind him, Jiang Yao became relaxed, and in a few moments he left the library to search for his little human lover.
Kapitel 47: Kiss in the Garden
Naturally, Luo Xiao was unaware of any of this. While Jiang Yao was talking with his shadow guards and the housekeeper, Luo Xiao found his way towards the gardens of the enormous palace.
Despite the palace itself being extraordinary, the gardens were even more so extravagant and luxurious.
It was as if he had stepped into a field of flowers and small, perfectly trimmed, delicate trees. Colorful bees and majestic butterflies flew from flower to flower, while small tame beasts poked their heads out from the bushes occasionally. Luo Xiao saw a beautiful snake with rainbow scales appear momentarily before slithering back into the forest of flowers.
There were scents of all sorts, each more fragrant than the last which overlapped with each other forming a beautiful symphony of fragrances. None of which were too overpowering or faint: each one complemented the others.
There were small winding paths through the field of flowers paved with wood tiles, and occasionally, one could see a servant or two going around tending to the plants.
Luo Xiao took a deep breath, trying to take in as many of the scents as he could, but there were far too many. As he stepped onto one of the wood-tiled paths and entered the gardens, his face lit up with curiosity and excitement.
By the time Jiang Yao found him, Luo Xiao was deep in the gardens with his eyes closed as he enjoyed the aroma of the millions of flowers. Watching the youth walk around peacefully, Jiang Yao gently smiled before quietly following him with his hands clasped behind his back.
For a few minutes, he only silently observed the other, following him without making a sound, but he got bored of that rather quickly. He wanted to see Luo Xiao’s surprised face after all.
With a sly glint in his eyes, Jiang Yao stealthy leaned over from behind, and his lips barely moved next to Luo Xiao’s ear. “Hey there, Xiaoxiao.”
Absolutely shocked, Luo Xiao screeched, jumping away from Jiang Yao in the fastest manner possible, though he didn’t get very far. Jiang Yao’s arm had instantaneously grabbed Luo Xiao’s and pulled him back.
“You seem to like my gardens, Xiaoxiao,” Jiang Yao smiled at the surprised Luo Xiao with a warm gaze.
Luo Xiao simply stared at him, eyes wide with surprise. It took him a few seconds to finally breathe out his thoughts, “Why’d you do that?!”
Laughing, Jiang Yao leaned in and his lips gently touched Luo Xiao’s forehead. “I love seeing you like this, my dear Xiaoxiao…”
His words produced an even faster reaction than his greeting, with Luo Xiao’s cheeks warming up showing his embarrassment.
“You are still as shy as ever,” Jiang Yao whispered into his ear as he observed every single change in Luo Xiao’s expression. He enjoyed the increasingly red hue that was appearing on his face.
“It’s because you’re so close,” Luo Xiao muttered with a low voice. It was impossible for him not to be embarrassed. When Jiang Yao was this close to him, it was impossible for him to forget his own emotions.
As if Jiang Yao could determine the thoughts of Luo Xiao, he grinned at the young man in his arms, and he couldn’t help but widen his smile.
The arms surrounding Luo Xiao tightened, and Jiang Yao felt that if he used just an ounce of his strength, he would snap his waist and break the weak but attractive man within his arms.
Luo Xiao was pressed against Jiang Yao’s chest, his hands trying to separate the two of them as his heart was incapable of handling their close proximity. However, Jiang Yao had no intention of releasing Luo Xiao. His eyes which had been filled with mirth observed the red face of the young man within his arms. Then he quickly glanced at his lips and he couldn’t think of anything else.
He wanted nothing more than to cover the lips of the young man in his arms, and he did just that.
When Luo Xiao was weakly trying to free himself, he felt a shadow looming over him, coming closer and closer, and he looked up only to see Jiang Yao’s face right next to his.
Jiang Yao had closed his eyes as he pressed his lips onto Luo Xiao’s. Although they had kissed many times, most of those kisses had been very gentle and soft, not very deep but instead fleeting. Whereas this time Jiang Yao had no intention of having a fleeting kiss with Luo Xiao.
His lips were smoldering hot as they pressed hard against Luo Xiao’s lips, and with an overbearing attitude he slowly savored the taste of Luo Xiao. The more he tasted, the less he wanted to let go: he wanted more.
He started nibbling on Luo Xiao’s lips, biting slightly hard and when Luo Xiao opened his mouth to yelp in pain, he felt a tongue invade his mouth. Luo Xiao’s heart beat rapidly, and his strength quickly vanished from his body. If it wasn’t for Jiang Yao holding him up, he was afraid that he would have collapsed on the ground.
Jiang Yao had plunged his tongue into Luo Xiao’s mouth. His kiss was domineering and overwhelming making Luo Xiao’s mind turn to mush. He was unable to tell which direction the sun rose from or even how to spell his own name.
Jiang Yao wanted more, and his overbearing attitude gave Luo Xiao no chance to defend himself. As a result, he was being led by Jiang Yao, and his tongue intertwined with Jiang Yao’s dancing within their mouths.
Jiang Yao finally had more than just a fleeting kiss, but he wanted even more. He felt that the weak boy within his arms was unable to continue kissing. He was almost without any breath left, so Jiang Yao regretfully withdrew with a final lick of Luo Xiao’s lips.
Looking at the man in his arms, Jiang Yao had to use all his self-control not to take him straight back to their bedroom and undress him, but he knew it was far too early for his little lover to reach this step. He could only sigh to himself before he bent down and scooped the dizzy young man into his arms as he started moving towards the palace. While moving, a satisfied smile could be seen his face as he glanced at the glazed-over eyes of Luo Xiao.
As he carried Luo Xiao like a princess towards the castle two shadows appeared at the spot just moments later, looking at one another with complex expressions in their eyes.
“Do you think that is the ‘Xiaoxiao’ his highness was talking about?” One of the shadow guards asked the other, and the other nodded his head with hesitation.
“I thought this human might just have been a pretend lover, but the truth seems to be quite different,” The shadow guard who spoke was called Mo Yi, his friend was Mo Er. The two of them were the strongest in the shadow guard and they were also the ones tasked with protecting this Xiaoxiao.
“Mo Yi, do you honestly think that His Highness would fall to like a weak human of the Sky Rank?” Mo Er asked with disdain in his voice. “It has to be a pretend lover, someone he has brought back to lure the Fourth Prince out.”
“I don’t think so,” Mo Yi said seriously as he looked at the back of Jiang Yao and the carried Luo Xiao who were slowly vanishing into the distance. “I know that he has had lovers in the past, but he has never treated any of them as he does this Xiaoxiao. Not to mention he even made us, his strongest shadow guards, guard him. If he was using him to lure out the Fourth Prince, would he really have gone to the trouble of protecting him?”
“I cannot accept that this child is what his highness likes!” Mo Er sneered, his eyes filling with disdain. “Not only is he a child, but he’s also a human, and a weak one at that. In every aspect, he is unsuitable for his Highness!”
“His Highness decides his own matters,” Mo Yi casually said, “We have been given the order to protect this child so we will have to do anything in our power to do so.”
Mo Er still looked unhappy, but he didn’t say anything else. Instead, Mo Yi nodded his head with satisfaction when he saw Mo Er’s expression and together the two shadows vanished from their positions. Although no one could see them, they both followed Jiang Yao all the way to the palace while staying in the shadows.
Luo Xiao didn’t awaken from his stupor before they reached Jiang Yao’s room, and when the door closed, his eyes widened in surprise, his face turned crimson like the setting sun.
“You... you... What did you do to me?” Luo Xiao asked indignantly. His face was filled with confusion and bashfulness.
“I kissed you,” Jiang Yao answered with a serious expression on his face. “Do you want to try once more?”
Hearing the question, Luo Xiao was completely taken aback, his eyes widened like two bronze bells and his breathing quickly became ragged.
“No... No thank you,” he muttered while lowering his eyes, not daring to look at Jiang Yao anymore.
He wasn’t sad about the kiss, but Luo Xiao was still very young and pure. He was like a blank piece of paper which was being painted on by Jiang Yao, and he was still unable to fully admit to liking it.
Sensing Luo Xiao’s conflicting emotions, Jiang Yao said nothing but gently moved towards the bed and placed Luo Xiao onto it.
Outside the door, the two shadow guards positioned themselves. Although they had been ordered to protect Luo Xiao, they weren’t audacious enough to enter Jiang Yao’s personal chambers; in fact, no one had been allowed inside these chambers before, not even his previous lovers, but now they had been told by Housekeeper Chen that this young boy would be living there together with him.
They exchanged glances with one another and could see the shock within. Others might not know what it meant for Jiang Yao to let Luo Xiao live in his quarters, but the shadow guard clearly understood. This was the only place where Jiang Yao could relax. And as such, it meant that he fully trusted that Luo Xiao wouldn’t stab him in the back.
While Mo Yi and Mo Er were hiding in the shadows around the door, they suddenly heard rumors about the kiss out in the garden. There were certain servants and maids who had been in the garden at that time and had seen the kiss. Now the rumors were flowing all around the palace, but no one dared to speak about it to anyone outside the palace.
These servants were very well aware that one could gossip within the palace, but rumors about their lord were not allowed to travel outside as it could cause problems for him. Even if they very much wanted to tell the world that their lord had found a lover, they knew better than to do so.
They had all been handpicked by Housekeeper Chen. The servants within the palace were a hundred percent loyal, and they also gained many benefits from being in the Seventh Prince's palace; they would never cause him problems.
While the rumors about the kiss were being spread in the palace, and everyone started wondering about what Luo Xiao looked like to have taken the heart of their lord, Luo Xiao was slowly getting back his senses in the room, looking at Jiang Yao like a poor woman who had been taken advantage of by a lecherous man.
“Come here,” Jiang Yao said as he laid down on the bed, and beckoned for Luo Xiao to come closer. “We’re going to relax a little before it is time to eat dinner. We are going to do something exciting tomorrow, so for today, you should relax at home with me.”
“Do I have to sleep with you on the bed?” Luo Xiao asked with a low voice, but Jiang Yao just smiled brilliantly and looked at Luo Xiao, not even answering.
“We have slept together so many times. Don’t be shy, come into my arms and take a nap,” Jiang Yao said as if he was admonishing a small child, the smile on his lips growing bigger and bigger. He wasn’t going to lose the cuddle time he had with Luo Xiao.
Geschenke
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