［I wonder how abstract a person would have to look to fit your definition of a dream lover,］ Lin Yao continued to tease his romance-obsessed system.
System 1325 whined pitifully: ［Host, you’re bullying me again!］
Lin Yao: ［Oh.］
With the departure of the famed beauty, the ambiance at the banquet cooled significantly. The nobles no longer possessed any inclination for drinking or revelry, their minds occupied with strategies to win the goddess’s favor. Even the King sat uncomfortably on his throne, visibly restless.
“What are you thinking about?” Cody asked, resting a hand on Lin Yao’s shoulder, his eyes filled with gentle warmth and quiet contemplation.
Elina was undeniably beautiful—possessing an extreme, intoxicating beauty capable of captivating nearly anyone. Yet such beauty was also dangerous; to claim it, many men would cast aside reason and commit irreversible follies.
Did Cody appreciate beauty? Naturally. Yet while her presence was striking, it was insufficient to make him lose his composure. When he looked at the princess, his mind conjured not her likeness, but the shimmering, water-lit eyes of his little priest—a clear sign that someone had permanently claimed his heart.
A breathtaking face was ultimately destined to become dry bones. Having claimed countless lives on the battlefield, Cody knew better than anyone that even the most exquisite treasures could be easily crushed in one’s palm. Like a plucked flower, its brilliant bloom would wither beyond recognition in a matter of days.
He held zero interest in her. Yet he had not anticipated that his little priest would remain equally indifferent—gazing upon the scene with clear, unclouded eyes, displaying nothing more than detached appreciation.
Was he truly devoid of worldly desires? Impossible.
Though they had not taken the final step, the youth’s body proved exquisitely sensitive during their nightly intimacies.
Having been raised within the cold isolation of the Sanctuary, yet conducting himself with remarkable composure and precision in every word and deed—his little priest was far from a simple figure.
“I was wondering what thoughts went through Your Highness’s mind after seeing such a beauty,” Lin Yao’s eyes flickered, a faint trace of annoyance surfacing in his mind.
He had assumed Cody would be captivated by her looks, so he hadn’t bothers to conceal his observational gaze earlier. Yet this man was terrifyingly perceptive. If Cody caught on to his detachment, Lin Yao would be forced to adjust his original plans.
A hassle. This man is truly a hassle. Why can’t he just play the role of an easily duped fool? Living with such sharp clarity is nothing but a nuisance.
“Do you truly wish to know?” Cody cast a glance at the nobles, whose enthusiasm had entirely waned, and unhesitatingly pulled Lin Yao to his feet to leave.
With the court’s attention focused elsewhere, few paid any mind to their departure, allowing them to slip away effortlessly.
“Unhand me. Mmh.”
His lower lip was bitten gently as Lin Yao was pressed back against a tree trunk, barely able to withstand the sudden, fiery kiss. Long, powerful fingers roamed across his frame while a broad hand cupped the side of his neck. The intense heat allowed Lin Yao to feel the frantic pulse of his carotid artery, beating in perfect sync with his racing heart.
Golden strands of hair intertwined with long, dark locks, weaving a vibrant, decadent contrast beneath the moonlight.
Cody finally released him only when Lin Yao felt as though his very breath had been stolen away.
Grasping Cody’s broad shoulders, Lin Yao drew deep, ragged breaths while his moist, rosy lips were lightly kissed once more.
Cody teased him softly: “This is the first time I’ve seen someone run out of breath just from kissing. Yao is truly adorable.”
“Your Highness, we are outdoors! Someone will see us,” Lin Yao rested weakly in his embrace, his body soft and trembling, his expression laced with panic. If they were discovered like this, the scandal would be disastrous.
“You are going to be my royal consort. Let them see if they wish. Onassis does not forbid a prince from publicly kissing his consort,” Cody declared without the slightest reservation, sounding almost expectant of such an outcome.
He could not be blamed for pressing forward step by step; his little priest was simply far too cautious, and Cody refused to let him suffer any hidden grievances.
“However.”
“Did you not ask what I was thinking when I saw that maiden earlier?” Cody interrupted smoothly, his deep blue eyes gleaming with mischief. “The moment I saw her, the only thing I wanted was to do this very thing to you.”
Lin Yao’s gaze flickered with undisguised shyness. Yet before he could respond, Cody let out a booming laugh, scooped him up into his arms, and carried him away. Lin Yao’s slender wrists lacked the strength to push against the prince’s powerful embrace, leaving him no choice but to be carried off.
Before departing, Cody cast a casual glance behind a nearby cluster of flowering bushes. Under the dim, shrouded moonlight, no one noticed the silent exchange.
Moments after they left, the bushes rustled faintly before settling back into stillness.
The royal capital of Onassis was never short of turmoil. While gossip had always circulated freely, the city was currently dominated by rumors regarding Princess Elina.
Tales spread like wildfire: a certain noble had scaled Mount Plis to pick armfuls of wild narcissus flowers for her; a prominent general had presented her with a rare, prized steed; His Majesty the King treated her with extreme favor, granting her complete freedom to choose her husband—yet visited her three times a day without fail.
Piles of lavish gifts and elaborate courtship displays added an even more alluring luster to Elina’s legendary beauty.
Inside her bedchamber, a hand adorned with a translucent gemstone ring lightly brushed against dew-covered flower petals. Drops of fragrant water trickled down, glistening with a clarity that rivaled precious gems.
The flowers presented to her were no mere picked stems; they were delivered rooted in pots and planted straight into the soil before her bedchamber, filling the air with a delicate fragrance.
Yet those slender fingers plucked at the petals with zero tenderness, scattering them across the ground one by one. Elina bit her red lip. Though precious gifts were piled high around her—many of which she had never seen even in Venus—her face held not a single trace of joy.
A maiden was merely a political sacrifice. Arriving in a foreign land to select a husband she had never met was already deeply disheartening. Yet the man she had set her sights on was intimately entangled with a priest.
Did they possess no sense of shame? Were they not afraid she would expose their secret to the world?
Yet she had never witnessed such an intense, passionate embrace before. That man’s arms were filled with absolute strength, his eyes brimming with tenderness—far more handsome and striking than any man she had ever encountered.
Back in Venus, she had watched him from a hidden corner as he sat upon the throne, his calm and detached composure utterly spellbinding.
They shared the same golden hair and striking eyes. Standing together, they would make the most fitting pair under heaven.
“Princess, a prince of Onassis has sent a gift,” a servant’s gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.
Elina tossed aside the flower stem in surprise, hastily snatching a cloth to wipe her fingers, asking urgently: “Is it Prince Cody? Where is he? Quick, clear these petals away.”
She bounded toward the mirror like a startled fawn to inspect her hair. Yet the servant’s next words froze her mid-motion: “No, Princess. It is Prince Kathy. He has sent a small bird that can actually speak—it is quite remarkable.”
A golden cage was brought inside, housing a lovely little songbird that hopped about inside. Its dark, glossy eyes showed no fear as it opened its beak and chirped: “Princess! Princess!”
Though the pronunciation was awkward, it was undeniably miraculous. Setting aside her disappointment, Elina bent down before the cage: “Oh! It really speaks! How adorable!”
“I am glad it pleases the Princess,” Kathy’s gentle voice sounded from the doorway. His gaze held undisguised affection, as attentive and refined as a courtly knight. “I wonder if I might be fortunate enough to invite you for a stroll?”
His appearance was handsome enough, and Elina was reluctant to turn down the gift, so she gave a subtle nod.
By the next morning, news that the Second Prince had been severely reprimanded by the King swept through the entire royal palace.
Lin Yao idly tended to a Posuo Flower in his hands. As his jade-like fingers brushed past the petals, the bloom seemed to turn even more vibrant, burning like a fiery red flame.
System 1325, having nothing better to do than snoop around the palace, proved useful for once as an information gathering tool: ［Host! Kathy was chewed out by the King! Are you happy? He dared to flirt with you before—serves him right! Serves him right!］
［I am thrilled,］ Lin Yao offered a perfunctory reply, asking: ［What about Princess Elina?］
［Her? She’s been going to see Cody every single day!］ The system sounded utterly furious, posing with hands on its hips in his mind: ［She creates ‘accidental’ encounters daily—dropping an earring here, twisting an ankle there, using every trick in the book! Host, if you don’t go keep an eye on your man, he’s going to be stolen away!］
［If he can be stolen away, then he wasn’t worth keeping in the first place,］ Lin Yao sneered softly. ［Just keep watching. Enjoying a show doesn’t require getting emotionally invested. Why are you so foolish?］
A woman’s desire for conquest was exceptionally strong, especially one blessed with striking looks. Unfortunately, the stronger that desire, the easier it was to lose. Still, using her to ruffle certain people’s feathers was more than sufficient.
“Cody, your wedding date ought to be brought forward. The war is over, and since you favor Priest Yao, how about I arrange your grand wedding?” The King looked at his remarkably heroic son, feeling an inexplicable wave of irritation.
Previously, seeing how outstanding his son was had always filled him with pride. Yet recalling that the breathtaking maiden from Venus favored Cody for the exact same reason—while his own attempts to regain his youth yielded only cold rejection—left a sour taste in his chest.
“Royal Father, I wish to wait until the surrounding states have fully stabilized. Marrying a priest will harm the reputation of Onassis,” Cody looked up at the King sitting above, a deep, knowing smile flickering across his eyes.
The King waved his hand dismissively: “You need not worry about that. As you mentioned before, he has worn a mask since childhood. All we need to do is remove his mask, substitute another person to remain in the Sanctuary in his place, and no one will ever know. What do you think?”
Cody’s smile deepened: “Whatever Royal Father decrees, I shall obey.”
Aside from her beauty, that princess proved to have a few other uses after all.
His little priest was constantly making excuses to delay; now, this was no longer Cody’s own idea, but a royal command.
［Host! Host! That big villain is about to marry you!］ System 1325 had been eavesdropping around the palace and rushed back to report: ［He’s so devious! He actually used that princess to manipulate the King into moving the wedding date forward! So scheming!］
［Weren’t you the one eagerly anticipating our marriage earlier?］ Lin Yao didn’t seem surprised by the system’s report in the slightest.
The moment Cody allowed that woman to approach him, he had been harboring this exact calculation all along.