Evil Dragon Chapter 52: Guarding You

Chapter 52: Guarding You

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Aika

 

When Lin Nuo spoke, there were no tears. After all, it was just a dream. What was there to cry about? But after finishing, he felt a bit weary. He slowly opened his eyes, his voice ethereal, “Teacher, my dream is probably like this. I feel a bit tired, I…”

As Lin Nuo spoke in a daze, he tried to stand again. Yet Rennes still held onto his shoulders, showing no intention of letting go. Not only did he not show any sign of releasing him, but Rennes tightened his arm around Lin Nuo’s shoulder, the other arm embracing Lin Nuo firmly.

Lin Nuo’s chin bumped against Rennes’s shoulder, leaving him bewildered, “Tea…cher?”

Rennes held the back of Lin Nuo’s head with his palm, pressing it against his neck, repeatedly running his fingers through his soft black hair.

“Teacher…” Lin Nuo called again, this time with a hint of a sob in his voice.

Rennes responded. Rennes’s fingers interlaced in his hair, his voice calm and tender, “I just… really wanted to enter your dream. If I could appear in your dream, I would… I would tightly embrace little Lin Nuo. I would… protect him well…”

Lin Nuo, who had decided not to cry again for that distant past, suddenly couldn’t control his tears. He buried his head in Rennes’s shoulder, silently letting the tears flow. Rennes’s silk shirt quickly dampened. He remained silent too, just sitting there. Lin Nuo didn’t know how long he had cried. He only knew that within him, a floodgate seemed to have opened, a gate he thought would never reopen. The torrent behind it almost suffocated him.

When he was nearly breathless from the rush, a pair of hands grabbed him. These hands pulled him out of the torrent, gently enveloping him, “I will protect you…”

The torrent gradually receded.

Lin Nuo’s eyes were swollen, he was dazed, not understanding anything anymore. Rennes held Lin Nuo’s back with one arm, the other arm circling around his legs, carefully laying him flat on the bed. Even though it was only a few steps from the living room to the bedroom, Rennes made sure Lin Nuo’s head rested securely on his chest without jostling.

In the bedroom, the knight placed the little prince on his large bed. Just like before, he removed Lin Nuo’s indoor shoes, white socks, black trousers, and fitted vest. Lastly, he delicately removed Lin Nuo’s shirt, soaked with tears, and quickly dressed him in his own nightclothes.

The nightclothes were too large for Lin Nuo. When he shifted, his entire collarbone and even half of his shoulder were exposed.

Rennes’s hand stiffened for a moment. He sighed softly, pulling the nightclothes up to Lin Nuo’s shoulders and then wrapping him snugly in the blanket, leaving only his arms and head outside. He half-knelt by the edge of Lin Nuo’s bed, gently placing his palm on Lin Nuo’s swollen eyelids, transferring a cool sensation slowly.

Lin Nuo seemed to enjoy this temperature, unconsciously nuzzling against Rennes’s hand, occasionally making soft whimpers, resembling a tired little creature. Rennes maintained his kneeling position, his hand resting on Lin Nuo’s forehead until Lin Nuo grew tired of nuzzling and his breathing slowed. Only then did Rennes lift his hand, smoothing Lin Nuo’s disheveled hair once more. Finally, he leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Lin Nuo’s forehead.

Lin Nuo, who should have been fast asleep, fluttered his eyelashes a few times. Drowsily, he opened his eyes slightly before closing them again, exhausted. He turned over, his arm encircling the other’s neck, his lips touching the edge of the other’s ear.

“Don’t… go,” Rennes heard the little prince speaking softly.

“Not going,” Rennes murmured. “I’ll stay here.”

But the prince seemed dissatisfied. With closed eyes, his arm weakly reached out, “Hug.”

So, Rennes, treating him delicately as if handling something fragile, gently embraced him through the blanket. Yet, Lin Nuo was still dissatisfied. Despite finally being comforted in Rennes’s embrace, his previously smoothed eyebrows furrowed again as he murmured, “Want… hug…”

This voice, much like when he was at the Summerhill Estate, murmuring and constantly asking Rennes to touch him, to comfort him. Was it only when he was drunk, losing his self-control, or exhausted to the point of being unconscious that he could openly express what he wanted? At any other time, he was a well-behaved child without desires.

Thinking of this, Rennes raised his head, took a deep breath, and a hint of imperceptible redness appeared around his eyes. The little prince who had never received a hug curled up, his body shrinking, occupying as little space as possible.

Rennes embraced Lin Nuo again through the blanket, then laid down along the edge of the bed, holding the prince who curled up into a ball in his arms. Lin Nuo arched slightly, finding the embrace secure and comfortable. Satisfied, he made a couple of soft noises before falling back asleep.

The next morning, when Lin Nuo woke up, he was still curled up like a tiny spoon, enveloped in the larger spoon behind him. He rubbed his eyes and, with some effort, turned around, facing Rennes’s sleeping face.

Huh? Yesterday, I told him something about a “dream,” then for some reason, I cried a lot and got so tired. Then, I fell asleep snuggled against him? And in such an intimate position again?!

Lin Nuo’s body instantly stiffened. His mind was filled with: How do I handle this? What expression should I use to face Rennes? As he panicked and couldn’t think clearly, Rennes’s long eyelashes fluttered, slowly opening.

“Morning, Your Highness,” Rennes’s voice was deep and lazy, as if he had slept comfortably.

Lin Nuo clutched the blanket with hesitant fingers and replied, “Morning…”

Rennes casually sat up, naturally stretching. His long hair fell loosely over his shoulders. “Strange, I haven’t slept this well in a long time.”

“Huh?” Lin Nuo didn’t expect Rennes to bring up this topic. He instantly cast aside his inner turmoil and leaned forward, trying to see if Rennes’s dark circles had improved.

Unfortunately, the play of light and Rennes’s loose hair prevented Lin Nuo from seeing clearly. He could only hear Rennes saying, “The last time I slept this well was when I held that little pet.” Saying this, Rennes turned to smile at Lin Nuo. “Didn’t expect, Your Highness, to have the same effect.”

Oh… hmm… Lin Nuo recalled from ancient texts that sleeping beside Rennes might actually help him recover strength and enhance magical abilities? With that in mind, his awkward feeling of “insisting on hugging someone while sleeping in a confused state” suddenly dissipated. On the contrary, he nodded seriously and even exaggeratedly stated, “Perhaps your body temperature is lower, and mine is higher, so when we’re close, you sleep better?”

Hearing Lin Nuo’s confidently twisted reasoning, Rennes chuckled and tousled his hair, saying, “Maybe.” Then, Rennes stepped off the bed, stating naturally, “Rest a little more, I’ll bring your clothes over.”

With that, he left the room, granting Lin Nuo ample time and space to daydream freely.

As Rennes exited the suite, the butler, waiting nearby, approached with a wooden box containing brand-new clothes. Rennes didn’t let the butler in, instead saying, “Give it to me; I’ll take it to him.”

After handing over the clothes, the butler didn’t immediately leave. He looked at Sir, who appeared fatigued, and softly suggested, “Your Excellency, I’ve prepared some items for Prince Your Highness.”

Rennes furrowed his brows slightly, saying, “No need.”

The butler, somewhat surprised, thought Sir didn’t understand and explained further, “Your Excellency, if you use nothing at all, what if the situation becomes too… uncomfortable?”

Rennes interrupted the butler with a wry smile, “I said, no need.”

The butler raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Sir – did he plan to use a magic circle to help His Highness overcome his initial discomfort?

Then Rennes added, “For now, no need.”

This thoroughly confused the butler. For now? But hasn’t Your Highness already moved into Sir’s room? Moreover, Sir’s complexion clearly indicated he hadn’t slept all night. Why temporarily refuse?

The butler, aware of how “open-minded” nobles were and how they despised “brief affairs,” watched Rennes return to his room, quite unable to comprehend.

Actually, Rennes hadn’t particularly pondered this issue before. In his view, everything should happen naturally. If he wanted, he had a hundred ways to coax the little fool into obediently lying down and letting him take control.

But…

He had previously thought that Prince Your Highness didn’t know how to express or feel love, which made him ignore all details and truly consider “accidents” as accidents. Now, he realized that Lin Nuo not only didn’t know how to feel love, but he didn’t believe he was worthy of pure love. He would instinctively ignore all expressions of love and unconsciously avoid it.

He’d constantly find excuses, always use some odd reasons to explain his or Rennes’s behavior. Longing? Must be due to the dragon’s habits. Satisfaction? Still because of the dragon’s nature. In this situation, even if he let himself be indulged in physical desires and let him experience pleasure in that collision, what would be the point? He would never believe someone loved him, never understand that he deserved to be loved.

In the brightly sunlit dining hall after breakfast, Lin Nuo thought it would be another day of rigorous studying. But Rennes said it was a day off to visit Faroe City during the festival. Lin Nuo was surprised: Rennes, who usually wants me to focus on studying even during sleep time, wants to take me – shopping? Why?

After pondering, he finally came up with a reasonable answer. He cautiously asked, “Are we investigating the giant crow’s magic circle? Do we have new clues about the person controlling the Goldswallow and the giant crow?”

Rennes furrowed his brows, saying, “No.”

Lin Nuo was even more surprised, “Then… is there a new mission?”

Their previous visits to Faroe City or Crystal Town were for specific missions, so Lin Nuo assumed this visit would be the same.

Rennes thought for a moment and solemnly said, “It’s a mission. To help Prince Your Highness better understand the citizens’ lives in Faroe City.”

Oh, that makes sense. Lin Nuo sat calmly in Clement’s specially designed black four-wheeled carriage with Rennes. This time, Rennes didn’t sit opposite Lin Nuo but naturally sat beside him. He then said, “Your Highness, turn to me and look.”

Lin Nuo immediately turned his head, staring at Rennes who was less than 10 centimeters away. He instinctively held his breath.

Then Rennes handed something over to him, saying “Breathe,” while placing it on his nose.

What’s this? Glasses? Lin Nuo touched the thin, cool item on his nose.

Rennes clarified, “A mask. Too many people in Faroe City have seen Your Highness’s true face. If you appear casually, it may cause a stir. Also, masks are common during the festival. Moreover, there are many masquerade balls during the festival. Wearing a mask while moving around is quite common.”

Lin Nuo nodded, curious, “And you? Will you wear a mask too?”

Truth be told, Lin Nuo really wanted to see what Rennes looked like wearing a mask.

Rennes smirked and took out a mask, covering his face, “I will. The same as Your Highness’s.”

Both masks were half-faced, made of pure silver, intricately carved with beautiful patterns, extremely light and fitting perfectly against the skin. Lin Nuo wasn’t sure how he looked with the mask on, but seeing Rennes with the mask made him swallow a mouthful of saliva. It was… intoxicating.

The pure silver mask clung tightly to Rennes’s fair face, revealing only his prominent nose, his jade-like smooth chin, and… exceptionally rosy, thin lips. It made Lin Nuo want to lift the mask off and do something underneath.

As Lin Nuo unconsciously bit his lips and his ears turned pink, Rennes tousled his hair, saying, “Sit tight.”

So Lin Nuo sat still, guessing where Rennes might take him to familiarize himself with the citizens’ lives in Faroe City.

The square? Shops… Church? Lin Nuo never expected that they’d end up at the “May Flowers” Club, specifically, the “Children’s Playground” area of the club. Standing on the grey brick-paved ground, Lin Nuo pointed to the exaggeratedly large swings ahead, questioning, “Here?”

Rennes nodded, “Yes.”

Finishing his speech, this person didn’t explain why he wanted to observe the people’s sentiments at the children’s playground. Instead, he directly took Lin Nuo’s hand and strode into the playground.

Perhaps due to the carnival, Faroe City was bustling with laughter and joy everywhere, and the playground was no exception. Most of the people frolicking around the playground were children under the age of 10, accompanied by their parents. Occasionally, there were young couples holding hands and enjoying the carousel.

Observing the surroundings and then Rennes holding his hand, Lin Nuo felt a bit… awkward. He attempted to withdraw his hand, but Rennes tightened his grip slightly.

Alright, then. Lin Nuo allowed himself to be led by hand to a two-person large slide. The slide had a steep slope and ample space, enough for two adults, seemingly not designed for children. Even so, Lin Nuo muttered softly, “A slide? Isn’t this too childish?”

He glanced at Rennes, who was walking beside him, not responding. Lin Nuo thought, ‘The cool and aloof knight playing on a slide? What kind of character-breaking behavior is this?’

In my ‘Knight being tormented by a dragon and meowing’ mini-comic series, I imagined the foolish knight screaming as he slid down, but minutes later, Lin Nuo found himself screaming while tightly clutching Rennes’ hand as they slid down together.

Arriving at the bottom of the slide, Lin Nuo adjusted his mask and watched the knight, who was calm and composed without even catching his breath. Lin Nuo complained, “Teacher, did you use magic? How are you not scared at all?”

All along the way, I was the only one screaming! It’s so embarrassing!

The knight smirked, “No, I didn’t use magic. But, Your Highness, it seems that such a childish slide frightened you enough to consider using magic.”

With Rennes’ remark, Lin Nuo immediately stomped his feet, “I wasn’t scared! I… let’s do it again! Hmph!”

After saying this, Lin Nuo quickly went back up and, once again, grabbed Rennes’ hand, screaming as they slid down. Perhaps after the initial embarrassment, subsequent times weren’t as uncomfortable. Gradually, Lin Nuo stopped worrying about embarrassment and immersed himself in the simplest joy.

Slides, swings, carousels, bumper cars filled with crystals… all the things Lin Nuo had yearned to play with as a child but never got the chance to, he experienced them all. Eventually, he sat at the roadside, with a cotton candy resembling a cloud in one hand and a toy bear won from a game in the other, grinning foolishly as he nibbled the cotton candy. So joyful. No need to think about anything, just pure happiness.

Rennes sat silently beside him, patting his head. He said, “Are you tired? It’s time to go home.”

Lin Nuo licked the quickly melting cotton candy, looked at the sun that had already set, and nodded, “Mm.”

Instead of immediately getting up, Rennes patiently waited for the prince to finish eating all the cotton candy.

After the cotton candy disappeared, Lin Nuo stood up first, stretched lazily, and murmured, “It feels like a dream…”

Rennes also stood up, his hand resting on Lin Nuo’s shoulder, “Tomorrow, we shouldn’t play like this again.”

Lin Nuo obediently nodded, “Mm-hmm, it’s time to study.”

He still couldn’t figure out why Rennes brought him to the playground, just to play aimlessly all day. Rennes poked his blushing face due to excitement and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll take you somewhere else.”

“Hmm? Where?” Lin Nuo’s eyes brightened, feeling a bit expectant.

“To Clement’s family estate, the place where I was born, raised, and trained.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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