CR CH84

Chapter 84: Empire (Part 2)

Contrary to his gentle exterior, Nolan was a madman who had killed three of his brothers during the initial struggle for the crown.

His Majesty was extremely pleased with his performance and never doubted the child, for Nolan was the most like him among all the princes.

In truth, however, Nolan’s biological father was His Majesty’s elder brother.

Years ago, Miss Eisner and the Second Prince had crossed paths at an evening banquet. But the struggle for the crown had already begun, and the day Miss Eisner received news of the Second Prince’s death was the very day she discovered she was pregnant.

She did not follow her father’s arrangements to leave the Empire. Driven by a heart full of hatred, she resorted to extreme measures, and Nolan was ultimately born under the identity of the Third Prince.

Miss Eisner was in no rush for her child to grow up quickly. She would often say to Nolan:

“My child should grow up slowly.”

While using her status to consolidate power and build momentum for her child’s future, she also told Nolan a long story.

Miss Eisner told this story for many years. By the time Nolan grew smarter and developed the ability to think independently, she had reached the end of the tale.

When Nolan heard the phrase “Miss Wind Orchid led her lover’s child down a path of no return,” he understood everything.

Miss Eisner died when Nolan was fifteen. She had sensed the relationship between the Holy Envoy and the Imperial Family, but while digging deeper, she inadvertently left behind traces. Before she was silenced, she entrusted all her clues to her confidants.

To avoid implicating Nolan, she staged an accident, framing a hostile family for her death and successfully drawing His Majesty’s suspicions toward them.

Having lost his mother, Nolan displayed extreme grief and vulnerability. Gazing upon that face so remarkably similar to his own, the middle-aged Emperor ultimately softened his heart.

It was also in that very year that Nolan met Ling Kongmiao, who had been brought into the royal palace by Aileen.

He had been wandering aimlessly through the gardens when an idle glance made him hallucinate his mother for a brief moment.

It was a remarkably beautiful child, far too similar to his mother.

Having just lost his mother, Ling Kongmiao seemed like a small gift in Nolan’s eyes. He felt that if he had a younger brother or sister, they would probably look like this.

Regrettably, his royal father placed the child under house arrest in a side palace, making it nearly impossible to see him.

The next time Nolan saw him was by the lake. The child’s silver hair was messy, his clothes tattered, and no one was taking care of him.

He seemed to have suffered an immense shock, trembling all over as he clutched his head and babbled, alternately screaming and chuckling softly to himself.

Whenever he reached a certain breaking point, he would harm himself, unable to endure the agony.

Guards stood watch around him, but they all kept their distance.

At first, Nolan merely watched from afar, until one day he saw the child crash his head into a pane of glass, shattering it. Only then could Nolan no longer resist stepping forward.

The nearby guards hurriedly tried to stop him, but Nolan ignored them. Running to the child’s side, he heard Ling Kongmiao’s faint voice:

“Mama…”

A bloody hand reached out and grasped him. Gazing at this face so strikingly similar to his mother’s, Nolan felt a surge of overwhelming emotion. Even after more than a decade, he could still clearly recall his feelings at that moment.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he treated this child so differently.

“Your Highness.”

In the Imperial Palace, Nolan was trimming the flowers and plants in the garden when a silver silhouette glided up behind him.

“Unwilling to return?”

Without waiting for the Silver Guard to speak, Nolan let out a sigh and casually tossed his pruning tools to the person beside him.

“…Yes,” the Silver Guard said softly. “That person said it is not time yet.”

“He hates this place,” Nolan chuckled softly. “Perhaps when the old man goes to hell, he’ll be in the mood to come back and look at the flowers.”

Ling had no need for a fixed nest; he would live well anywhere.

The surrounding Silver Guards lowered their heads like hard blocks of stone, obeying only their master’s commands.

“Ling is very likable, but he doesn’t realize it himself.”

Nolan ran his fingers over petals floating with energy. These flowers—so out of place among the rare and precious plants in the garden—had been planted by Ling Kongmiao. When his first mission went smoothly, his royal father had asked him what he wanted.

Ling Kongmiao had remained quiet for a moment before finally saying he wanted seeds for energy plants. Nolan had once asked him:

“You like flowers?” Nolan had watched the child seriously planting flowers, reaching out to quietly stroke his hair. “Your royal brother can give you prettier, more precious seeds.”

“No need.” Ling Kongmiao retrieved his hair from Nolan’s hand, hiding it inside his hat, his voice somewhat muffled. “They’re different.”

These low-grade energy plants did not rely on soil; they survived by absorbing energy, so it didn’t matter if one simply scattered them at random.

Yet Ling Kongmiao planted them with utmost focus. Nolan rested his chin on his hand.

“Ling, there’s no difference.”

In Nolan’s eyes, the only difference between them was their value.

“You have plenty of seeds. There’s no need to be so careful.”

Ling Kongmiao was puzzled as to why he would say such a thing. His blue eyes were crystal clear, utterly pure.

“I need to, because I like them.”

Nolan paused. Amidst a long silence, Ling Kongmiao continued to plant his flowers with dedicated care.

“Why do you like them?” Nolan asked him.

“They are very much like me.”

“Ling, you are very much like my mother.”

Nolan smiled softly, a warm light of nostalgia emerging in the depths of his eyes as he spoke of his mother.

“You must be even more like your own mother.” Because he didn’t resemble His Majesty at all.

Nolan likely understood why Ling resembled his mother, but right now, he didn’t want to think about anything related to His Majesty.

Miss Eisner had a resilient nature, and her love was subtle; at most, she would hold Nolan’s hand as they chatted in the garden.

Ling’s mother was naive and romantic, her love passionate and intense; she would hold her child up high into the sunlight, shouting “Miaomiao.”

Ling Kongmiao had suffered a great deal because of his looks, yet he still felt happy whenever he heard others speak of her.

“Yes, I’m very fortunate.”

Everything his mother had gifted him left him a vital cushion at the crossroad of destiny.

Uncle Zuo’s assistance, Nolan’s goodwill, and Jiang Tianji.

When there was nowhere left to go, even though his mother was no longer by his side, she still protected him from harm.

His mother had always said she was weak and useless, but from his earliest memories, she had left a imprint deep within Ling Kongmiao’s heart.

Through countless difficult nights, when he might have to scramble for Star Coins or figure out how to survive the next day, Ling Kongmiao could still sleep soundly in a soft embrace as his mother gently patted his back, humming melodies unique to the Beastfolk.

And so, Ling Kongmiao did not fear summer nights filled with buzzing insects, nor the bone-chilling snows of winter.

At his core, Ling Kongmiao was soft, because a part of him had been caressed by his mother.

During the time he was trapped in the Empire, Nolan had heard many stories.

However, after a certain day, Ling never told him stories again.

As the situation stabilized, His Majesty summoned Ling.

“I heard there is a child named Jiang Tianji by your side?”

Nolan knew that the child named Jiang was connected to what the Holy Envoy and the Hunter Association were searching for. After the previous leader of the Hunter Association passed away, certain clues had been severed cleanly, but that leader seemed to have left behind a child, and Jiang was one of the suspects.

His Majesty wanted Ling to return to the Federation. Ling refused, and His Majesty did not force him, giving him time to consider.

After leaving the main hall, Nolan saw him sitting by the lake, staring blankly while rubbing his wrist.

“Ling,” he sat down beside him. “Is he your friend?”

Ling Kongmiao didn’t answer right away, hugging his knees in a daze. “…I don’t know.”

“Then do you like him?”

Nolan asked the question innocently enough, but Ling Kongmiao suddenly turned bright red all over. Before Nolan could process what was happening, Ling Kongmiao stood up with a sudden swish to refute it.

“I don’t!”

Alright, so he likes him a lot, Nolan thought.

Ling was still young back then. Watching his rare display of shyness, Nolan let out a soft sigh.

He waited a moment, but only a moment.

“You should go to the Federation.”

Nolan watched the flush fade from his face, replaced by a flash of astonishment as Ling looked at him.

“What?”

“If you don’t go, that child will be in even greater danger,” Nolan looked at him calmly. Those eyes remained gentle, though filled with an indifference that Ling Kongmiao couldn’t quite understand. “Royal Father will arrange for someone else to go.”

“Ling, you know how to choose.”

Occasionally, Nolan would wonder: if he hadn’t intervened back then, perhaps Ling would have become a gardener.

Yet if he could do it all over again, he would still intervene, because he needed a useful ally.

The royal attire was grand and complex, inlaid with precious gems. Nolan turned the gold ring on his thumb, gazing toward the side palace.

Ling Kongmiao had stayed there for a period initially; after accepting the mission, he had a chip implanted into him.

He seemed to have forgotten the flowers he had planted, leaving Nolan to tend to them all these years. Initially, Nolan hadn’t wanted to bother with these low-grade, nameless flowers, but the child’s blue eyes kept flashing before his mind.

“I need to, because I like them.”

“They are very much like me.”

These flowers remained as they always were. Nolan didn’t know what expression the person who planted them would wear if he saw them again.

It was only because he held a lingering thought in his heart that he had kept them alive until now.

“Your Highness, here is the information you requested.”

The Silver Guard stepped forward, bowing slightly as he activated the device’s projection. His words interrupted Nolan’s thoughts.

Recent photos, detailed information, and data analysis of Jiang Tianji were displayed on the floating screen, including quite a few shots of him standing together with Ling Kongmiao.

There was little difference in height between the two. Whether by coincidence or not, the black-haired youth in the photos was always looking at his younger brother.

Nolan stared at Jiang Tianji’s photo for a moment, a trace of perplexity passing through his eyes.

“Alpha,” he confirmed with the Silver Guard. “S-rank Combat Type, Hunter?”

The Silver Guard nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”

A flicker of deep thought crossed Nolan’s gentle and composed expression. He hesitated briefly before pulling out a specialized device and sending a message.

At that moment, far away in the Federation, Ling Kongmiao received a message through an encrypted channel. His expression turned slightly cold as he turned and walked to an unoccupied spot to check it.

Nolan:Ling, why didn’t you find someone cuter?

Ling:?