SGT CH139: I Will No Longer Humiliate the Shadow Guard

◎ Shadow One could only lie prone on his lap, licking the food from his palm. ◎

Shadow One saw the household registration document on the ground, but his expression didn’t change at all.

“No, it’s not.”

He lowered his eyes, not believing the name on this paper belonged to him.

Every shadow guard had come into contact with such forged household registrations.

They often needed to use these identities to hide themselves and complete tasks.

Although forged, because they originated from the royal family, they were more authentic than real ones, ensuring no flaws during missions.

But, fake is fake.

Every shadow guard was very clear about this.

Mission requirements were mission requirements; oneself was oneself.

They would never believe they were the person on the household registration document.

Shadow guards depended on their masters; everything belonged to the master, everything was bestowed only by the master.

Only the name bestowed by the master was the shadow guard’s name.

Mousse was almost angered to death by him.

The name he seriously chose for him, he didn’t want.

Really want to be called “Lai Fu” (Fortune), huh?

“Fine, fine, since you don’t recognize this name, then from now on you’ll be called…”

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Mousse couldn’t actually say that word.

Words spoken by him were imperial edicts, unchangeable.

Shadow One would only be able to accept that name from then on.

He couldn’t use a dog’s name to humiliate Shadow One.

The light screen would absolutely not agree with him doing so.

Mousse’s gaze fell on the person on the ground.

Covered in injuries, couldn’t be beaten, couldn’t be scolded.

Couldn’t even say harsh words.

Just let We die of anger.

Mousse paced around the room in frustration, his legs no longer numb.

Glancing at the household registration on the ground, Mousse walked over, picked it up, and turned to leave.

“Don’t want it then don’t, as if We care to give it to you! Without household registration, stay in the palace for the rest of your life!”

Hearing this, the person kneeling on the ground bowed to thank him.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Even staying in the palace without name or status, not even having a proper identity, not even comparable to those registered hunting dogs…

But as long as he could stay in the palace, stay closer to the master, he was willing to do anything.

Mousse was choked by him.

He suspected Shadow One was deliberately contradicting him.

Yet he couldn’t do anything about the other party.

For a moment, he was even angrier.

Returning behind the imperial desk, Mousse swept his hand, pushed away the medicine bottle, grabbed the muddy cloth bag, and threw it in front of Shadow One.

“We won’t hold other things against you for now, but you must give We an explanation for going straight to the mass grave to seek death after leaving the palace!”

Explanation…

Shadow One stared at the cloth bag on the ground, not knowing what to say.

A shadow guard abandoned by the master had nowhere to go.

Dogs were the same.

He couldn’t find a place to go, nor did he know the meaning of continuing to live in the world.

Even though before he left the palace, His Majesty had someone send things, implying for him to live on.

But that was too hard.

A shadow guard without a master couldn’t survive alone.

When he was first stripped of his shadow guard status, it was the master allowing him to stay by his side as a dog that let him survive.

But now, the master no longer wanted to raise him, this useless dog.

Shadow One lowered his eyes, his voice flat and dead silent.

“Everything is as Shadow Two said. I went to the mass grave, buried all the items bestowed by the master, lay on them, waiting for everything to end.”

A shadow guard’s life belonged to the master; they had no ownership of their own life and couldn’t commit suicide.

The only thing he could do was find a place to wait for death.

“Why did you do this?!”

Mousse was both angry and puzzled.

He had already released Shadow One from the palace, completely letting Shadow One go.

Shadow One survived that year of being humiliated by him in every way, yet sought death when he was liberated.

Why did he do this?

“Because… couldn’t live alone.”

Shadow One stared at the corner of his robe, his eyes hollow.

“Couldn’t live alone…”

Thinking of something, Mousse’s gaze became fierce, and even his expression was hideous for a moment.

“You wanted to follow him in death?!”

Shadow One was clearly his shadow guard, his!

Everyone favored that guy, even Shadow One…

Mousse was so angry he kicked over the imperial desk.

Amid the huge crashing sound, memorials scattered all over the floor.

Those two medicine bottles Mousse wanted to smash several times but couldn’t bear to also rolled down.

One of the medicine bottles rolled to Shadow One’s knee, spun, and stopped against his knee.

A crack appeared on the smooth jade bottle.

Bright red blood slowly flowed out, soaking a patch by Shadow One’s knee.

Shadow One stared dead at the spreading bloodstain by his knee, watching it soak the plain white corner of the master’s inner garment.

The rich, metallic sweet smell spread, making one dizzy.

Shadow One lost all color in his face, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Mousse was red-eyed with rage, so angry he wanted to dig up the grave and whip the corpse. It took a while before he noticed Shadow One’s strangeness.

The full chest of anger was like having a basin of ice water poured over it.

Seeing Shadow One’s terrified pale face and trembling body, Mousse disregarded everything, walked quickly over, bent down, held Shadow One’s shoulders, and called him anxiously.

“Shadow One? Shadow One!”

Shadow One seemed not to hear at all.

His body trembled incessantly, breathing rapid, eyes staring stiffly and hollowly at the spreading bloodstain on the robe, as if trapped in some terrifying nightmare.

This state was somewhat similar to when Shadow One was fed tea with his blood added earlier.

But worse than then.

Mousse didn’t understand what happened, uneasy in his heart, flusteredly supporting Shadow One’s swaying body, turned his head and shouted outside:

“Summon the Imperial Physician! Li Defu! Go invite the Head of the Imperial Hospital!”

Hearing his voice, Shadow One, like a soul leaving the body, suddenly looked up and grabbed his arm.

Mousse looked down at him, “Shadow One? How are you?”

Mousse observed his appearance.

Shadow One’s expression was still very wrong.

Purs-ing his lips tightly without saying a word, only widening his eyes and staring closely at him, stiff gaze sweeping over him, looking him from head to toe, as if searching for something on him.

He seemed not to be lucid.

Mousse raised his hand and waved it in front of his eyes.

Shadow One’s reaction was also very slow.

The hand holding his arm was very forceful, trembling faintly.

As if trying to grasp something extremely important, or about to be lost.

Mousse picked Shadow One up and placed him on the couch.

During the process, Shadow One kept holding his arm and wouldn’t let go, so he had to sit by the couch, accompanying him.

Palace servants cleaned up the things scattered on the floor and moved the overturned imperial desk aside.

The Imperial Physician arrived quickly.

Mousse exempted him from bowing and urged him to diagnose.

The Head of the Imperial Hospital stepped forward, squatted by the couch, observing the expression and state of the person in the Emperor’s arms while carefully taking the pulse.

“Pulse irregular, face bloodless, dizzy… Did this lord suffer any stimulation before?”

What stimulation could Shadow One suffer?

The one stimulated was him.

Although thinking so in his heart, Mousse still seriously recalled the previous events.

Shadow One became like this after he mentioned following that person in death and kicked over the desk.

Mousse’s heart sank slightly.

Did not want to mention that person again.

Only said: “I scolded him, the commotion was a bit loud, maybe scared him.”

The Head of the Imperial Hospital dared not pick up this statement.

He glimpsed that striking red mark on the plain white inner garment.

“This is…”

The Head Physician reached out to probe.

As soon as he touched it, Shadow One, who had been stiff and motionless, struggled, breathing suddenly rapid, face even paler.

Mousse hurriedly hugged him, patted his back, and comforted in a low voice:

“It’s okay, it’s okay, We won’t be fierce to you anymore, don’t be afraid.”

Hearing the Emperor’s voice, smelling the scent on him, Shadow One stopped struggling.

Only grabbing the lapel in front of the Emperor, burying his head in his chest, sniffing the refreshing scent on him rapidly like a big dog, trying hard to confirm something.

The Head Physician confirmed the red substance on the robe.

“It’s blood, but not from this lord’s body.”

At the word “blood,” Shadow One’s body suddenly tensed, breathing becoming rapid and chaotic again.

The Head Physician confirmed it completely, withdrew his hand, bowed and reported:

“Your Majesty, this lord seems to have hematophobia (fear of blood).”

Mousse: “???”

Mousse’s first reaction was disbelief.

How can a shadow guard be afraid of blood?

Shadow One followed him all these years, what bloody scenes hadn’t he seen?

Could say he protected him all the way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

How could such a Shadow One be afraid of blood?

But he immediately remembered Shadow One’s reaction when feeding him “medicine.”

Upon seeing the tea with added blood, the other party resisted trembling all over, and after being forced to drink, vomited heavily by the couch, almost vomiting out bile.

Just now, it was also after that medicine bottle containing his heart’s blood broke that Shadow One showed a strange reaction.

Although still hard to believe, Shadow One seemed really afraid of blood.

But in the past, Shadow One fought assassins countless times, splattered with blood all over his body and face, yet remained expressionless.

Didn’t look like he had a fear of blood.

Did something happen in between, causing huge stimulation to Shadow One, making him fear blood from then on?

Mousse had doubts in his heart.

But since the cause was identified, it was easy to solve.

The Imperial Physician prescribed a soothing prescription for palpitations.

And under the Emperor’s order, cut off that blood-stained corner of the robe and took it out to destroy.

During the process, Mousse kept covering Shadow One’s eyes, not letting him see.

Only after he put down his hand, Shadow One still turned his head, staring blankly at that missing corner of the robe.

Mousse noticed his gaze.

This was the only piece of clothing Shadow One had to cover his body, and now it was torn too.

Mousse felt apologetic and comforted in a low voice:

“We will have the Clothing Bureau make several sets of clothes for you to change. In the future… won’t let you be without clothes to cover your body again.”

Hearing this, Shadow One’s hand gripping his robe tightened.

Immediately, Shadow One seemed to realize what he had done, quickly let go, hurriedly climbed up from the Emperor’s arms, wanting to get off the couch and kneel.

Mousse held him, “Said not allowed to kneel again.”

Shadow One stopped stiffly by the couch, looking panic-stricken.

“Your Majesty, I…”

He had just done too many things colliding with His Majesty, offending His Majesty.

Each item was enough for His Majesty to detest him and never allow him near again.

“Hungry?” Mousse changed the subject.

The sky outside was almost dark.

Shadow One only drank a bowl of porridge this morning, slept for most of the day, and went through that turmoil; his stomach should have been empty long ago.

Shadow One paused, nodded slightly, then hurriedly added:

“No, slave… I, I can go hungry for a long time, it’s okay not to eat.”

“What kind of talk is this?” Mousse frowned.

Although he treated Shadow One very badly that year, he never deprived Shadow One of food.

It’s just… every meal was a humiliation for Shadow One.

Shadow One often could only crawl and kneel by his feet to eat.

Or lie prone on his lap, eating things from the bowl placed on his legs.

Sometimes, he even needed to lick the food from his palm while held in his hand.

Hard to say which was worse, such humiliation or starvation.

Mousse was silent for a moment.

He withdrew his hand from Shadow One, stood up silently, and walked out.

He was used to Shadow One following him closely as a shadow guard.

Shadow One would always follow by his side too.

After walking a few steps, he realized no footsteps followed.

Looking back, he saw Shadow One sitting stiffly by the couch, looking up at him blankly, eyes carrying some panic and helplessness of being left behind, and even deeper… a resigned dead silence.

Mousse’s steps paused slightly, turned back, took Shadow One’s hand, and promised in a low voice.

“Return to the palace with We for a meal. In the future… will absolutely not let you endure hunger, nor let you suffer humiliation again.”

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