Chapter 64: Love Rival part 2 Translated by EllaBells of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
[T/N: Apologies for the delayed update, I was super distracted by IRL things and lost track of time and fell behind on translating >.The sound of footsteps coming upstairs was getting closer and closer, Feisha turned around and saw black hair with a handsome face.
Isefel was also a black haired beauty, but most of the time he was like a statue, within sight but out of reach. But the one before him, even if his face was expressionless, one could still understand everything in his heart at anytime and anywhere.
Feisha"s mood dropped as he thought of that statue.
“Hmph, are you using that dead expression to greet guests?” The other party apparently felt very uncomfortable with his poor expression.
Feisha immediately pulled up a professional smile, “Of course not. I just just regretting that my legs are too short and I didn"t meet up with you personally. Your Highness Prince Locktini.”
[As a reminder, Locktini is the 2nd prince of the fairies, younger brother to the fairy king, Almedande, and older brother to Shamal. He was first mentioned back in chapter 34. He was the escaped traitor that Feisha got stuck in a forest with lol.] Locktini looked at him askance and walked up the stairs.
Feisha followed, feeling very curious.
Shamal complained in a low voice, “I am also a prince, how come I never enjoyed such treatment?”
Feisha said, “That"s why as a prince, just be a prince, don"t run away to find a part-time jobs, otherwise your value is easily dropped.”
Shamal said, “Then I can enjoy this treatment after I resign?”
Feisha sighed, “The stain has already been recorded and filed away and can"t be erased.”
“…What about big brother Dea?”
Feisha replied very quickly, “He is different.”
“What"s different? Actually in comparison, my honor and prestige should be a bit higher.”
“Marrying into a prestigious family is like a carp becoming a dragon — the value is instantly multiplied hundreds of times and can"t be compared.”
Shamal said, “Then, I seem to be already within that prestige.”
“That"s why you can only be considered returning to the original shape.” [1]
“…this does not seem to be a compliment.”
“If it was a compliment, I wouldn"t have said it.”
The two of them went back and forth, enthusiastically trading barbs, but Locktini suddenly stopped and turned and lowered his head.
Since the step he stood on was two higher than theirs, Shamal and Feisha could only look up at him.
"Did no one tell you that it is rude to whisper behind someone"s back?" Locktini condescendingly waited for their response.
“Sorry,” Feisha apologized with sincerity. Then he pulled Shamal with him up in front of him and prepared to continue the conversation from earlier.
Shamal felt his scalp go numb from Locktini"s stare and whispered, “My Second Royal Brother has a fierce temper.”
Feisha feigned confusion, “Why would he get angry? I am very capable of humbly listening to critiques. Doesn"t he say that we should not whisper behind him? So I changed to openly and clearly converse in front of him.”
Shamal didn"t dare to look back at all. He could only quietly bring up his thumb to show encouragement.
Feisha turned to Locktini and smiled, "His Royal Highness Locktini should be very pleased, right?”
Without a word, Locktini reached out a hand and a ball of flames appeared to show exactly how strong his inner rage was at the moment.
Shamal pulled Feisila"s sleeve and quietly complained, “Didn"t I say, don"t play too much.”
Feisha gnashed his teeth and replied, “Who was it that gave a thumbs up just now?” In these times, loyalty was more expensive than diamonds.
Shamal toughened himself and spoke up to Locktini, “Royal Brother. Feisha was just joking around, he has always been like this… breezily humorous.”
Locktini glared at Feisha and spoke coldly, “Is that so?”
“That"s right. People call it "can"t be knocked over by winds, gentle and entertaining", shortened to "breezily humorous" by your little brother, me.”
The direction of Feisha"s wind has always turned very fast. [2]
The flame was extinguished. Locktini said coldly, “Why aren"t you leading the way?”
Feisha immediately took the lead.
“Where do you live?”
Just as Feisha was about to open the door for him, Locktini suddenly came up with such a question.
Feisha"s body was instantly stiff.
It seemed that someone also asked him this recently, where was so-and-so"s room, and the relationship between them was…
Shamal cautiously asked, “Royal brother, why are you asking?”
Locktini tossed his hair, covering his uncomfortable expression for a moment, “I am afraid he might hara.s.s me at night.”
This excuse was really bad.
Although Shamal was his younger brother, he couldn"t help but spit in his heart. “Uh, you can rest a.s.sured, right now he is…”
“I live on the upstairs of upstairs,” Feisha quickly cut off his words.
Locktini frowned, “That is to say, your room is above mine?”
“The floor is, the room is not. The room is bit more to the side.”
“I want to change rooms.” Locktini turned and left.
Shamal and Feisha looked at each other.
Locktini turned and said, “Why aren"t you keeping up?”
Who exactly was the front desk manager?
Feisha wrongfully went to keep up. Shamal followed him.
Feisha suddenly remembered, “Where is Layton?” When receiving guests, wasn"t he running all enthusiastically?
Shamal whispered, “Royal Brother said that he is not good-looking, so he let him go back first.”
“Those aren"t the words originally used, right?” Feisha could think with his kneecap and still figure out that the original words were much sharper.
“Royal brother said, "Unsightly. Go away!"”
Feisha, “…” Simple yet so powerful.
Shamal evaluated Feisha, “Speaking of, you are pretty good looking. Much better than I imagined.”
“We have known each other for so long, your impression of me is still only within your imagination?” Feisha resentfully said, “Can"t you just see it clearly?”
Shamal said, “I meant before I knew you, my impression of human beings.”
Feisha curiously said, “What did you imagine?”
“It"s about the same as Layton.”
“…you are also unsightly, go away.”
Locktini"s footsteps stopped again. Feisha and Shamal obediently closed their mouths at the same time.
“He is right,” Locktini said to Shamal, “You should also go.”
Shamal looked at him incredulously, “Second brother? Although when you rebelled, I helped big brother deal with you, also laughed at you in front of the ministers and called you not self-aware, and cursed you to go to h.e.l.l after you stabbed big brother… but, well, we are also brothers. You are being so hurtful!”
Cursing people to h.e.l.l was not comparable to the hurt of "you go"… Shamal"s mental structure was also quite strange. Feisha looked happily from the sidelines.
Locktini sneered, “You still recognise that I am your brother?”
Shamal said, “It is written in the family tree.”
“So we are brothers in blood?”
“Father and mother have confirmed so.”
“Then,” Locktini"s dark eyes were as cold as frost. “Who was it, after I was arrested, ran to Almedande and proposed to lock me in the Water Prison and let all kinds of torture methods have a turn on me?”
Shamal shrank his head away, “Either way, big brother definitely wouldn"t have agreed, so I just said it for fun.”
Could this kind of thing be said for fun? Feisha once again confirmed that this child"s brain was not normal.
Locktini"s hand stretched out again…
“Feisha, my royal brother will be handed over to you. You should take good care of him, make sure that he feels at home, completely satisfied and happy!” The last four words came over from the end of the hall.
Thus, on the empty stairs, there was only one long-haired and one short-haired left, the two people looked at each other.
Locktini turned away first and said, “Hurry up and lead the way.”
Feisha followed him, whispering depressedly, “Saying lead the way, but still walking so fast.”
Not long after he said that, he was surprised to find that Locktini"s footsteps slowed down to walk side by side with him.
“From what Dea said,” Locktini said slowly, “You were originally planning to visit me that day?”
This was a huge misunderstanding. His original intention that day was just to not end the annual leave so quickly and return to Noah"s Arc. But even if it was a misunderstanding, it was a beautiful misunderstanding. Feisha was certainly not foolish enough to admit that, so he stupidly confirmed, “Of course. We did go through so much trouble together.”
The corners of Locktini"s mouth slightly raised before the expression was quickly put away, and said with a very fast and extremely quiet voice, “Thank you.”
“Oh, ah?” Feisha was stunned. The sentence just now was him hallucinating, right? An illusion? No matter what, Locktini did not seem like someone who would say thank you. But then again, even Tsukasa Domyoji can fall for Tsukushi Makino[3], Locktini saying thank you should not be impossible. He was filled with great expectation, “Can you say it again?”
To be thanked by the incomparably arrogant second prince of fairies, it was such a satisfying thing!
“Did I say something just now?” Locktini stared at him coldly.
Feisha quickly put away his smile and lowered his head, “Your room is here.”
“Where is your room?”
“A little bit to the side of under your feet.”
Locktini wordlessly stared at him.
“Is… is there a problem?” Feisha was uncomfortably stared at. His room was not a time bomb. Was it necessary to avoid it so?
Locktini said slowly, “Do you think that I am not worthy of being equal to you?”
“You are thinking too much, obviously it"s me that isn"t worthy of being on equal footing with you.” Feisha finally understood the meaning of his words, “If you are willing to lower yourself to live on the same floor as me, haha… then it"s definitely honor that was bestowed on me from a lifetime of praying." He can live wherever he wants, either way, Feisha doesn"t sleep in his room at night.
“Lead the way.”
Does he have no other features besides leading the way?
Why does it seem like he"s saying that he was a guide dog? Feisha walked down while protesting in his heart.
“What are you thinking?” Locktini asked from behind him.
“I am not thinking about anything. Your honorable demeanor made my mind blank.” For Feisha, spouting flattery was easier than breathing.
Locktini seems to be satisfied and didn"t say any more.
After much difficulty, he finally settled him into a room and told him that he lived next door. Feisha wiped his sweat and was about to leave but he heard another order from within the room, “Wait by the door.”
“f.u.c.k!” Feisha couldn"t help but kick the wall.
Actually, before, in human society, the procedures for receiving VIPs were a hundred times more complicated. Just checking the room could be done several times from the staff to the supervisor to the manager to the director to the general manager. However, after arriving here, he didn"t know if it was because the guests were too few, or if the hotel had too many high quality guests. In short, Feisha had become accustomed to anarchism. So Locktini"s series of requests made him impatient to the extreme.
Locktini settled his things and came out. White shirt, beige tights, high boots, ponytail. Neat and n.o.ble.
Feisha stared at his chest and emotionally thought: If there were two more lumps in the front, it would be so wonderful!
“What are you looking at?” Locktini asked coldly.
Feisha"s mind was immediately saved!
No, he already had Isefel… although Isefel hadn"t asked for him yet. However, it was not right to have two rails. Even if it was just a mental derailment, it is still being derailed!
He cleared his throat and tried to find the impatient emotions from before, and then said, “What else can I do for you?”
Locktini said, “Dining. Do you actually need me to remind you?”
I am not a worm in your stomach. If you are hungry, you should remind yourself. Do you need a radio station to remind you as if it"s a weather report?
Feisha lowered his head and his mouth quickly muttered a bunch of things.
“What are you saying?” Locktini asked sullenly behind him.
“I am silently recording the time you are hungry.” Feisha turned with a bright smile and walked out, “The same mistake can"t be made twice.”
Locktini stared at his smile and say, “Then why aren"t you leading the way?”
Leading the way again. Feisha"s guide dog fate continued…
Finally, Locktini was sent to the restaurant to enjoy the brunch, then he asked to tour Noah"s Arc. It was clear that every room on every floor of Noah"s Arc was similar, and yet Locktini still looked through them one by one all the way until night time. Feisha could only escort him to dinner. At the end of the dinner, he thought he could get free. Who knew that Locktini would proposed to drink a few gla.s.ses.
Feisha finally couldn"t help but speak out, “I"m sorry, our bartender is out on annual leave, coincidentally not in the hotel.” He couldn"t help but grateful that Gin disappeared at this time.
“It doesn"t matter,” Locktini said, “I can do it myself.”
Feisha refused, “I am sorry, our hotel does not provide self-service.”
Locktini raised his eyebrows, “Or do you want to continue to take me around the hotel?”
Touring the hotel or going to the bar?
After a difficult ideological struggle, Feisha said resolutely, “Please allow me to lead you.”
But one really couldn"t tell until it was happening.
Locktini may not have Gin"s superb techniques, but at least he didn"t have a ton of weird personal preferences. Therefore, the alcohol he mixed were much more orthodox.
He saw him point with a finger, the orange-red liquid was lit up by blue flames, climbing higher inch by inch, then inch by inch coming down. It was beautiful like magic.
Feisha couldn"t help but applaud.
Locktini looked up confidently, “Try it.”
Feisha took the cup, the flame on the liquid was already extinguished, releasing a mysterious fragrance. “What is this?”
In light of the aphrodisiac incident, he was very cautious about eating anything.
Locktini said, “Honey Orange Orchid.” [4]
“Fruits? Flowers?”
Locktini impatiently spoke, “Alcohol.”
Feisha"s mind churned and he said, “My stomach has been bad recently, I can"t drink alcohol.”
“Bad stomach?” Locktini frowned, “Let me have a look.”
“No need,” Feisha put down the cup and quickly dismissed it, “This is an old problem. It has been with me for many years. I am very used to it.”
Locktini fixed his eyes on him for three seconds, then walked away, “As you will.”
Feisha inexplicably looked at his back, then looked at the cup on the bar. He finally decided that one less thing was better than one more thing. Going back to the room to sleep was priority — of course, the room was Isefel"s room.
Usually at this time, Isefel always sat on the sofa reading a book. Actually, he once curiously observed, would staying in that position not cut off blood circulation and cause his limbs to go numb and such. But the result of observation was that he himself felt paralyzed from the legs to the arms while Isefel was still fine.
This once again proved how fragile the human body was.
Feisha walked into the room and surprisingly found the sofa to be empty. Not in the pool, not on the sofa, then at this time he should be…
His eyes violently brightened and almost lunged towards the bathroom door. Actually, he had waited for this opportunity for a long time —
Isefel taking a shower in the room, and then he pretended to inadvertently break in… Hehehe, this way he could see whatever he wanted to see. If the ground happened to be very slippery, then the foot might conveniently slip…
“Hahaha…” That beautiful future was right before his eyes. He calmed his mind, reached out and prepared to pull open the door, but the door opened from the inside.
White shirt, black suit… The steam was still lingering, apparently it was just after washing up.
Feisha dropped his head down in disappointment. If only he knew, he wouldn"t have been with Locktini for so long.
“Bath?” Isefel moved his body aside.
“No.” Feisha turned away silently.
Isefel followed him, and said, “Was it busy today?”
“It"s okay.” Feisha finished his reply, only to realize that Isefel was caring about him, so his feelings quickly changed. He left behind the previous moment"s regrets and began to spill and rant all about Locktini"s bad conduct today.
“Say, did he come to make trouble or what?” After Feisha finished complaining, he still felt that it was wasn"t enough.
Isefel was silent.
“What do you think he is here to do?”
Wasn"t Noah"s Arc supposed to be a transfer station? Why was it that the guests that he met from Noah"s Arc strange all had such strange reasons? What to avoid the moon; what a.s.sault; what to ask master to a challenge…
"Is it important?" Isefel asked lightly.
“Of course it"s important. I want to know what he is doing and when he leaves so I can be mentally prepared. I can"t always be at his beck and call like this.” Feisha finished complaining and found Isefel looking at the book indifferently.
Although it was said that the sin he was carrying was indifference, but he was too indifferent. He should at least try to express his point of view or take up Feisha"s side and against a common foe.
Feisha stared at him, unconvinced, for a long time, and the indignation in his eyes was slowly replaced by doubts. “Did you fall asleep? The page has not been turned for an hour.”
Shua.
A page turned.
T/N:
[1]When Feisha said "carp becoming a dragon" the original text is:
鲤鱼跳龙门 – "carp jumping the dragon gate". It"s a Chinese lore where if a carp can swim upstream and to the top of this waterfall, they can transform into a dragon and become an immortal deity.
When he said "return to original form" the original text is: 打回原形 – "beaten back to original form", something usually used to describe demonic ent.i.ties/monsters being stripped of their power and forced back into the original (animal or object of lower intelligence and power) form, no longer human shaped. [2] The original text for "breezily humorous" is 风趣 – "witty/humorous" with the characters for "wind" and "interesting/fun". I was going for a "blase and funny" meaning to try to keep the meaning while not alienating the rest of the pun. The lines that Shamal spouted (风刮不倒,温柔有趣) were nonsense to expand the term so it doesn"t seem like they were making fun of Locktini lol.
As for "direction of Feisha"s wind" it basically refers to his att.i.tude and ability to adjust to changes, building on the pun that he can"t be knocked over and overwhelmed by wind. [3]This is a reference to a j.a.panese manga called "Boys Over Flowers", a high school romance drama where the couple starts off as sworn enemies. [3] "蜜橘兰" I translated this very literally since I can"t find an actual translation. In this case, "兰" could also mean "blue", which refers to the blue fire and not the drink itself. As for the drink itself, I don"t know any alcohol by that name and wasn"t able to pull up anything specific so I"d personally recommend something similar to Gold Rush (whiskey sour with honey) with an orange citrus burn.