Faced with the coveted gazes of the nobility and the lust of his Royal Father, Cody could silence a single man, but he could not silence every tongue in the realm. Should he lose the support of the aristocracy and the hearts of the people, even an invincible army would not prevent him from losing everything in the end.
Thus, Lin Yao returned to the Sanctuary—not because Cody sent him away, but at his own request.
“Your Highness, your priority right now should be placating the nobility, not wasting time here with me,” Lin Yao stood atop the marble steps of the Sanctuary, clad in his pristine white robes as he looked down at the prince. “We have all the time in the world ahead of us. There is no need to rush this single moment.”
“Very well. Wait for me,” Cody reached out, taking the youth’s hand in a firm grip.
The hand within his palm was pale, slender, and supple as jade—just as the youth had always presented himself before him.
Though his wedding had ended in an utter farce, this person belonged to him, and to him alone he would belong.
After Cody departed, layers of heavy guard posts surrounded the Sanctuary where Lin Yao resided.
Clad in standard soldier attire, these men possessed expressions as cold as glacial ice. Even when Lin Yao passed directly before them, they remained completely unmoved, rigid as stone statues.
Shadow guards?
The true extent of the forces Cody held went far beyond what he publicly displayed.
If Cody were truly a heartless, ruthless man, his absolute power would have been more than enough to depose his father and claim the throne for himself. Yet Lin Yao clearly remembered the genuine filial devotion that had once shone in his eyes.
He would not take such drastic action against his father—at least, not yet.
The Sanctuary was terrifyingly desolate, leaving only the chatter of his system to grant Lin Yao a chance to speak.
［Host, it seems Princess Elina has been placed under house arrest, while Prince Kathy has been sneaking around near here every single day!］
Lin Yao sipped his freshly brewed tea, his gaze sweeping past the distant, blocked figures outside the Sanctuary as he smiled softly: ［She was locked away simply because she proved completely useless.］
Blessed with matchless beauty, she had no idea how to wield it, squandering a prime opportunity until he was forced to step in himself.
System 1325 chimed in with deep sympathy: ［But Host, you seem to be locked away here too.］
Lin Yao let out a soft laugh: ［I am kept here precisely because I am far too useful.］
Cold, pale moonlight bathed the pristine white Sanctuary, casting an ethereal, jade-like radiance over the grand architecture. Yet no one cared to admire the palace’s beauty; their minds were entirely consumed by the person residing within.
Revered throughout Onassis as the divine jewel in the gods’ hands, the young priest slept quietly inside his bedchamber. His long dark hair spilled across the snowy sheets, weaving a striking contrast of colors. Across his translucent, jade-like neck, faint pink traces lingered—intertwining with the fleeting glimpse of a rose-tinted mark near his ankle to form a breathtakingly sensual picture.
This was the very scene that greeted Kathy as he bypassed the outer guards and slipped into the chamber.
When awake, the beauty on the bed was the picture of icy detachment. Yet the colder he appeared, the more he radiated an irresistible urge that drove men to ruin that pristine purity.
Kathy had heard the rumors from their past campaign—the dying words of the soldier burned at the stake. Such a beauty did not belong to a cold temple; he belonged in a man’s arms, to be held tightly and kissed across every inch of his skin. To possess him would be the ultimate indulgence.
And his elder brother—whether during the long campaign or in their daily life since—had touched and caressed this delicate frame countless times. The mere thought drove Kathy mad with envy.
Reaching out, his warm palm gently cradled the youth’s snowy, bare foot. The faint crimson marks upon the pale skin bore silent witness to the exquisite, meticulous devotion this body had received.
“You belong to me.”
Fervent kisses fell continuously across the pale instep. The sudden, overwhelming pressure jolted Lin Yao awake from his slumber.
Through the moonlight filtering through the window, he looked at the familiar yet threatening man before him, almost gasping in alarm—only for a broad hand to clamp firmly over his mouth!
Kathy’s emerald eyes burned with a dark, terrifying intensity in the shadows. Lin Yao produced muffled “Mmh, mmh!” sounds beneath his palm, his limbs struggling frantically, yet he proved entirely unable to break free from the prince’s grasp.
“Yao, do not be afraid. I won’t hurt you,” Kathy’s voice sounded even hotter than the fire in his eyes. “I simply love you too much. Yao, you are so beautiful, you drive me to madness. Are you the goddess of beauty reincarnated?”
His desperate kisses began falling onto Lin Yao’s fluttering eyelashes when urgent, heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor outside! Kathy’s eyes snapped wide. Even with his mind and heart thoroughly intoxicated by the youth, he knew full well what would happen if he were caught by his elder brother right now.
Though they were half-brothers, Cody’s absolute authority far surpassed his imagination. That man had already effectively placed their Royal Father under house arrest, let alone him.
In his moment of panic, a set of pale, delicate fingers lightly tugged at his sleeve.
Within those water-glistening eyes lay a silent pool of gentle warmth.
Torches flared to life, illuminating the Sanctuary in a warm, amber glow. Guards surrounded the bedchamber as a pale hand pulled back the moonlight-silk curtains from within. The owner’s voice still carried the soft, hazy drowsiness of sleep: “What has happened?”
“High Priest, we suspect an intruder has breached the Sanctuary,” the guard captain reported, his tone remaining cold as stone.
As the curtains parted, the interior was laid bare before their eyes. Aside from the beauty resting upon the bed, there was not a soul in sight.
Lin Yao covered his mouth with a soft yawn: “Where would an intruder come from? Be a bit quieter next time you enter, I am so sleepy.”
His every gesture exuded an enchanting grace. The guards searched the chamber thoroughly, and upon confirming it was empty, prepared to bow out—only for a deep, commanding voice to echo from the doorway behind them:
“If there is no one, so much the better. Guard the perimeter closely.”
Cody wore a simple outer robe. As he removed it, he brought with him the crisp chill of the night air.
“Your Highness, why are you here?” Lin Yao leaned into his chest, his eyes heavy with sleep. Yet the kisses trailing down from his earlobe forced him to regain his senses bit by bit.
Even though his return to the Sanctuary had been arranged for public show, their nighttime intimacies had never ceased for a single moment.
“I missed you, so I came,” Cody tilted his chin up, leaning down to press a deep, possessive kiss onto his lips. His body throbbed with a raw, aching desire to possess the youth entirely. Only after bruising those petal-soft lips into a vivid crimson did he pull back slightly, whispering: “Yao, when will you give yourself to me?”
“Your Highness.” Lin Yao rested his hands against Cody’s chest, his eyes clouded with a delicate sorrow. “I am like your private prisoner right now, locked away here with nowhere to go. I do not wish to—”
“You know that is not true,” Cody smoothed his long dark hair, his tone deeply earnest. “You are my beloved. My entire heart beats solely for you.”
He guided the youth’s hand to rest directly over his chest. The pulse beneath his touch was steady, powerful, and overflowing with vibrant life.
“Then let us wait until after our wedding,” Lin Yao requested softly, a hint of pleading in his voice. “I am a little afraid.”
“Very well. I will do my best to hold back,” Cody kissed his chin, wrapping his arms tightly around his frame.
The faint pink traces across his skin were covered once more by a fresh layer of rose-tinted marks—gleaming through his fair skin like crystalline crimson threads through pure white jade, possessing an irresistible, soul-stirring charm.
Cody did not spend the night. Yet to restrain his own raging desire, he caressed the youth’s body repeatedly. At every passing moment, Lin Yao thought the prince would lose control, yet Cody held back from taking the final step every time.
He departed just before the break of dawn. Before the rest of the world awakened, the relentless touch finally ceased, and the youth’s breathless, soft pleas for mercy gradually faded into quiet.
Having been tossed and turned for nearly the entire night, Lin Yao felt not only profound exhaustion but a lingering physical soreness throughout his frame. As he stepped out of bed, his legs nearly buckled beneath him. He moved slowly toward the wardrobe and unlocked the latch.
Looking at Lin Yao—whose cheeks were flushed with a delicate rosy hue—Kathy tightened his fists into trembling balls. The young priest radiated a soft, thoroughly awakened sensuality, clearly having been teased and toyed with without mercy. Meanwhile, Kathy had been forced to hide inside a cramped wardrobe for hours, listening helplessly as his elder brother used every imaginable method to harass him.
“Your Highness, please leave quickly, or you will be discovered,” Lin Yao stepped aside. Seeing Kathy unfold his long legs and step out with bloodshot eyes, Lin Yao instinctively took a step back.
Kathy caught him firmly by the shoulders, looking down at him: “Does he bully you like this every single night?”
Lin Yao remained silent, merely looking at him with a faint smile: “Your Highness, it is time for you to leave.”
Though a smile touched his lips, his eyes were clouded with a quiet, lingering sadness: “If you stay any longer, even I will be drawn into trouble.”
Dawn was approaching fast. Kathy swallowed hard, suppressing the wild impulse surging within his chest, and promised earnestly: “Yao, do not worry. I will rescue you from this place.”
Casting lingering glances back with every step, he departed in a hurry.
Yet the moment he vanished from sight, the watery sorrow in the young priest’s eyes vanished, turning instantly cold and emotionless.
Prior to today, Kathy’s interest in him had been nothing more than lust for a beautiful face. But after today, everything would change completely.
When a man was met with the tender affection and quiet grievance of a breathtaking beauty, he invariably became overly confident and light-headed—mistaking a subtle gesture of goodwill and discontent for genuine love.
Having just been unmuted by his host, System 1325 piped up like a curious child:
［Host, why did you save Kathy just now? Wouldn’t it have been better to let Cody catch him red-handed?］
Lin Yao let out a soft yawn and collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted after being kept awake all night:
［Because he still has his uses. I’m dying of sleepiness; I’m going to sleep.］
［Oh,］ the system offered a friendly suggestion, ［Would you like me to play a lullaby for you?］
［I’m not dead yet,］ Lin Yao muttered softly, falling silent as his consciousness drifted into a deep sleep.
The system remained quiet, observing its host’s sleeping face in silence, realizing he was truly, insanely gorgeous.
Having escaped from the Sanctuary, Kathy let out a sigh of relief as his own palace came into view. Yet as he stepped inside, the sight of the figure sitting in the center of the hall made his heart leap into his throat once more.
“Kathy, out so early in the morning—where have you been?”
Cody rested one arm on his knee, looking straight at him with an unreadable gaze.
In that exact moment, Kathy realized with absolute clarity: Cody had known he was hiding inside that wardrobe all along. And it was precisely because of his presence that his elder brother had intentionally tormented the young priest for the entire night right before his ears—as a ruthless display of absolute ownership.
A dark shadow crossed Kathy’s eyes as he offered a smooth smile: “I went to visit Princess Elina.”