Evil Dragon Chapter 54: Believe Me

Chapter 54: Believe Me

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Aika

 

To be honest, the Little Prince, His Highness’s skills are quite lacking. Especially with such an excellent knight as a teacher by his side, it becomes more evident that he lacks proper training, completely missing the mark. In the end, the knight had to patiently hold His Highness’s hand, meticulously explaining and guiding him. Finally, the knight fulfilled His Highness’s wish.

When Lin Nuo opened his eyes, it was already dusk. Somehow, the small boat had drifted to the other side of the lake, leisurely spinning near the shore. Tree leaves gently fell, quietly sprinkling on the water’s surface, swaying alongside the boat, like a delicate golden border adorning it.

Rubbing his eyes, Lin Nuo looked somewhat dazed at the sunset filtering through the trees and the occasional birds flying through the woods. Was he… sleeping on Rennes’s shoulder and dozing off on this drifting boat? Suddenly coming to his senses, Lin Nuo hurriedly raised his head, meeting Rennes’s narrow, smiling eyes. The hidden smile in those eyes, Lin Nuo had seen it countless times in recent times, but today, at this moment, he felt particularly embarrassed. He buried his head again, mumbling, “Stop laughing!”

“Okay, no laughter,” Rennes said, though his voice carried a hint of amusement.

This left Lin Nuo feeling even more flustered. He rolled to the side, resting on Rennes’s arm, muttering, “It’s just that my hands are slightly smaller than yours!”

“Is that so?” Rennes said, taking Lin Nuo’s hand, intertwining their fingers together. “Are they really that much smaller?” 

Rennes seemed to be comparing seriously, but his fingers gradually intertwined with Lin Nuo’s, forming an entwined grip. Instead of asking straightforwardly, Rennes leaned close to Lin Nuo’s ear, blowing softly as he spoke in a low voice. This posture, this tone, it was a stark contrast to moments ago!

Unable to evade, Lin Nuo ended up crying again, utterly overwhelmed.

—

The boat finally reached the shore. As they got off, Rennes stepped onto the land first, then turned to assist Lin Nuo. Lin Nuo had intended to get off himself, but Rennes stretched out his long arm and lifted him up.

“Hey, I can walk!” Lin Nuo protested, blushing.Though feeling a bit weak and bewildered, he wasn’t that feeble!

 “I know,” Rennes said leisurely, showing no intention of letting go.

Lin Nuo’s legs twitched in resistance. Finally, Rennes glanced at him and casually remarked, “According to tradition, when the Clement family’s lovers enter the mansion for the first time, they should be carried.”

“Lovers? Huh?”  Lin Nuo’s body tensed instantly.

Seeing the Little Prince biting his lip, looking tense, Rennes sighed, “Could it be that Your Highness intends to start something and then abandon it?”

Start what? Abandon what? That person starting something wasn’t me! Wait, thinking about it… wasn’t it actually me who acted rashly just now? As this thought struck him, Lin Nuo blushed even more deeply than when he was on the boat.

Rennes suppressed a smile and gently pecked Lin Nuo’s forehead. “Your Highness, you won’t abandon me, will you?”

Unable to say anything, Lin Nuo could only hum a couple of times, burying his head again. Covering himself completely, he felt Rennes’s warmth through the shirt, tears streaming down his face as he chuckled foolishly.

—

The next morning, as Lin Nuo woke up, he finally saw Rennes’s sleeping face. His breathing was steady, long eyelashes resting peacefully, occasionally trembling slightly. Last night, Rennes had warned against excessive exhaustion, so they had restrained themselves from too much intimacy, merely kissing each other’s foreheads before falling asleep.

Judging from Rennes’s current breathing, he seemed to be deeply asleep. Unlike before, whenever Lin Nuo woke up early, Rennes would already be awake, silently accompanying him. Observing Rennes’s face like an intricate painting, Lin Nuo yearned to touch his long eyelashes, feel his lips, or even pat his cheeks. Yet, he hesitated, fearing that these actions might disturb Rennes’s rare deep sleep.

So, he propped his chin and obediently lay there, watching his beloved.

Until Rennes woke up and, feeling Lin Nuo’s gaze, asked softly, “What’s wrong? Why have you been staring at me?”

Lin Nuo pursed his lips, turning around and sitting up. “I was just thinking… I want—I want to make tomato scrambled eggs for you.”

After all, once they returned to the palace, he wouldn’t be able to cook for him anymore.

Rennes paused, then sat up too, wrapping his arms around Lin Nuo from behind. “Shall I accompany you to the kitchen?”

Lin Nuo jumped off the bed, swiftly putting on his clothes. “No need, you just wait here—don’t come in!”

With that, Lin Nuo slipped on his shoes and dashed out of the bedroom, out of the mansion, and ran to the nearest farm. He had noticed yesterday that the tomatoes in the field were ripe and full, perfect for cooking. Now, the red tomatoes were still covered in dewdrops, swaying slightly in the morning sunlight, appearing exceptionally fresh and tender.

Searching through the tall tomato bushes, Lin Nuo picked a few of the largest ones. Just as he was about to pluck them, he heard a series of sneezes behind him. Someone there? The butler? Turning around, Lin Nuo saw nobody.

All was quiet except for the swaying tomato vines.

Did he mishear something? As he turned back to pick tomatoes—

“Achoo!” A distinct sneeze again.

This time, it was impossible to mistake.

Lin Nuo halted, alert, looking around.

“Achoo! Achoo!” Amid the silence, a tomato plant behind him could no longer hold back and sneezed repeatedly.

Staring at the sneezing tomato plant, Lin Nuo widened his eyes: What’s going on? This tomato plant, it’s not an ordinary tomato, has it turned into a magical creature?! Near Clement’s mansion, were there actually magical beings? Did Rennes know about this?!

Just as Lin Nuo hesitated, a small, childish voice sounded, “Dad, Dad, please stop! The Master warned us not to be discovered, we shouldn’t speak—ah!”

The childish voice stopped abruptly. One tall tomato branch suddenly struck down on a shorter one, as if an adult had covered a child’s mouth to stop them from talking.

Lin Nuo had already heard everything. He directly seized the tall tomato plant, questioning it, word by word, “What’s going on? Who’s the Master you’re talking about?!”

In an instant, all the tomatoes drooped, maintaining absolute silence. Seeing their unwavering loyalty, Lin Nuo couldn’t help but smile wryly and began scratching the tomato plant, trying to get a response.

“Achoo—achoo!” The poor tomato couldn’t stop sneezing, and after dozens of sneezes, it finally couldn’t bear it anymore. “Alright, I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

“This, this was a request from the old Master of the Clements!”

“We can’t let people discover that there are talking creatures on the Clement estate!”

“Sob! Please, stop scratching—”

Lin Nuo halted his hand. But he still didn’t release the tomato; instead, he continued asking, “Does the current Master of the Clements know that you can talk?”

“We don’t know, we don’t know. The new Master doesn’t know anything, sobbing!” The tomato vigorously shook its head.

Lin Nuo slowly let go.

“Here, have some good tomatoes…” Seeing Lin Nuo’s silent reaction, the tall tomato reluctantly dropped a few large red tomatoes on the ground, attempting to appease him. “Please, don’t tell anyone, okay?”

Lin Nuo picked up the tomatoes and made his way back. But unlike before, there was no joy or excitement on his face.

—

Soon, a pot of tomato scrambled eggs was served on the round table.

Rennes scooped up a piece of egg with a spoon and tasted it, genuinely praising, “It’s delicious. Very fresh.”

Lin Nuo smiled. “That’s good.”

Rennes looked at Lin Nuo’s expression, put down the spoon, and gently covered Lin Nuo’s hand, asking, “What’s wrong?”

With lowered eyes, looking at the scrambled eggs on the plate, Lin Nuo bit his lip. “Rennes…”

Rennes’s expression changed slightly. He held both of Lin Nuo’s hands and looked at him intently.

“Rennes… If, if you found… found out that I, and the prince you imagined, are not quite the same…” Lin Nuo’s heart pounded, unsure how to explain. He had a vague intuition that those tomato fairies were not telling the truth. But if Rennes could understand the language of magical creatures, wouldn’t he have discovered my identity long ago? Why has he never… revealed me? The BE conditions provided by the system are so clear. Once a paladin exposes the dragon’s identity, it’s an instant BE. Does the fact that I’m still alive mean that Rennes truly doesn’t know?

Yet, his heart remained extremely uneasy.

“Lin Nuo,” Rennes sighed, “I don’t have any ‘imagined prince,’ just you.” He freed a hand, caressing Lin Nuo’s face, prompting him to lift his head, meeting his gaze. “It’s only because you are you.”

Seeing the complete lack of deceit or pretense in Rennes’ eyes, Lin Nuo’s nose tingled, lowering his gaze, murmuring, “I’m just imagining things.”

Rennes didn’t sigh again but instead pulled Lin Nuo into an embrace, running his fingers through his hair, softly saying, “Linno, even if you tell me you’re actually a cat, a dog, or even—a fire creature, it’s all the same to me.”

Lin Nuo’s heart raced, holding his breath, slowly raising his eyes to look at Rennes. “Then, what if… what if I really am a fire creature…”

Rennes smirked, lightly kissing the corner of his mouth, saying, “So powerful. Can you breathe fire for me then?”

A pang of heartache surged within Lin Nuo. He grunted softly, burying his head in Rennes’ neck, not wanting to move at all.

Rennes sighed, his fingers weaving through his dark hair, saying, “Trust me, okay?”

After a moment, Lin Nuo softly replied, “Okay.”

That night, Rennes escorted Lin Nuo back to the palace. After presenting his learning progress to the old king and receiving continuous praise, Lin Nuo politely excused himself, preparing to return to his room. As he left the audience chamber, he discreetly waved at Rennes, a gesture indicating “see you tomorrow.”

Rennes looked back at him, offering a smile that only he could perceive.

Satisfied, Lin Nuo returned to his room. Hmm, tomorrow, first find Count Kaunitz, then visit Nana, and then he could be with Rennes again.

Returning to his room, the long-absent dragon-form Lin Nuo somersaulted in the air, delightfully thinking. He felt an unprecedented sense of ease and even spat out a few harmless small flames in celebration. Then, holding the gold watch Rennes had given him along with the previously collected gold coins, still in dragon form, he fell asleep with a heavy breath.

Unexpectedly, the next morning, he received a message from Rennes, [There’s a task. Temporarily leaving the palace. Your Highness, study well.]

This?! What task? Why did I have no idea?! Lin Nuo immediately used the crystal stone to contact Rennes but received only an explanation from Rennes about the use of magic circles, completely ignoring Lin Nuo’s questions.

As Lin Nuo was puzzled, it was already time for Count Kaunitz to come for his class. After a summer apart, Count Kaunitz, still spirited, immediately bombarded Lin Nuo with a long string of questions. Fortunately, compared to the questions Rennes usually taught him, these were not that difficult, and Lin Nuo answered them systematically.

Count Kaunitz praised him while saying, “Very good. At this rate, we can start the ‘special course.'”

“Special course?” Lin Nuo asked, puzzled.

Count Kaunitz smiled, “At breakfast today, His Majesty passed on to me that Sir Clement has expressed to His Majesty his willingness to offer the sword to Your Highness.”

“Ah…” Hearing this, Lin Nuo wasn’t surprised. After all, to fulfill Rennes’ wish and make himself king, performing the ‘sword bestowment ceremony’ was necessary.

“So, His Majesty asked me to teach Your Highness in the strictest manner. Your Highness, please be prepared. From now until the sword bestowment ceremony, you may have no rest time at all,” Count said, clearly pleased with Rennes’ choice.

“Okay,” Lin Nuo obediently nodded. He hesitated for a moment, cautiously asking, “Count, have you heard… about what Sir Clement is planning?”

“Ah, His Majesty said that Sir wishes the sword bestowment ceremony to be different from before and wanted to prepare in advance. So, I heard Sir hurriedly left the palace last night, probably to make preparations?” Count pushed up his monocle.

“A sword bestowment ceremony different from before…” Lin Nuo was puzzled. Why hasn’t Rennes informed me about this? Lin Nuo’s hand stealthily gripped the pocket watch Rennes had given him.

‘Trust me…’ Rennes’ voice seemed to echo in his ears.

Lin Nuo took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and smiled, “I’m ready, let’s start the class.”

Subsequently, as Count predicted, all the teachers opened ‘special courses’ for Lin Nuo, and he had almost no rest time. But that was just as well. Instead of complaining, Lin Nuo pushed himself further, even adding ‘internship courses’ such as visiting other major aristocratic territories or disguising himself to explore the latest production conditions in the factory area.

He hadn’t forgotten: making himself king was Rennes Clement’s wish, his lover’s wish.

In the blink of an eye, the beautiful autumn of Saros passed. For a full three months, Rennes had not appeared in the palace, nor in front of Lin Nuo. But this did not hinder the spread of the news in the palace that “Clement had finally chosen the young prince as his allegiance.”

To be honest, this news was not surprising. After all, the eldest prince, Otto, had disappeared for treatment, and the second prince, Josef, had been bedridden after a sudden illness and had yet to recover. Among the three princes, only Linno was the most suitable. Moreover, Linno’s abilities and knowledge were outstanding, so his succession was also the popular expectation.

On a day when a cold front swept down from the north, engulfing Faro City. The temperature plummeted, the sky gloomy as if snowflakes were about to fall at any moment. Fortunately, the palace had excellent heating facilities, the rooms were always warm as spring, and neither the nobles nor the servants suffered from the cold. Walking outside would make one shiver, seeing the breath turn into white vapor, signaling the arrival of winter.

Lin Nuo had just completed most of his day’s schedule, draped in his coat, accompanied by his attendant, rushing towards the side palace where Nana resided. After Otto was secretly imprisoned in the tower, the old king clarified Nana’s identity as a “princess” and arranged for her to officially live in the palace. Additionally, the old king appointed specific teachers to tutor her, starting from scratch.

The child learned quickly and was very diligent, but she always found various excuses to make Lin Nuo spend more time with her. Knowing the feeling of being abandoned by loved ones, no matter how busy he was, Lin Nuo made time to visit Nana every day and inquire about her studies. Today was no exception.

The calm and elegant little princess in front of others would dash towards Lin Nuo playfully as soon as she saw him. She refused to address Lin Nuo as “uncle,” but calling him “brother” was also out of the question. So she settled on calling him by name.

Lin Nuo didn’t bother about such trivial matters, following Nana. He indeed had very little time now and could only read a few pages with Nana before having to hurry back to his room.

After bidding farewell to Nana and heading back through the courtyard, Lin Nuo, looking at the accumulating snowflakes on the ground, couldn’t help but think: When at Clement’s estate, Rennes mentioned how beautiful the lakes were in winter. The snow powder on the trees, the ice on the lake reflecting silver light, occasionally emitting crackling sounds. He clearly said that when it snowed, he would take me to the estate. He also said that during the first snow, he would hold my hand and leave footprints in the snow together. But now that it was snowing, Rennes, what are you really doing?

During these days, aside from inquiring about his progress in his studies and guiding him on constructing magic circles, Rennes had no other communication. Even when Lin Nuo asked about what was special about the sword bestowment ceremony and why Rennes needed to make preparations, he avoided answering.

From the crystal stone he carried, Lin Nuo only heard Rennes’ calm and indifferent voice without any emotion. 

Once, unable to bear it, he changed the way he addressed him, “Rennes…”

The person on the other side fell silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, “Your Highness, please maintain the proper address before the sword bestowment ceremony.”

Lin Nuo’s heart trembled, swallowing back all the words he wanted to say. Why was this happening? His hand clenched tightly onto the golden watch, using the calmest voice he could muster, “Alright, teacher.”

He was about to hurriedly cut off the communication when a slightly anxious voice came from the other end, “Your Highness…”

Lin Nuo’s heart throbbed, and with a bit of anticipation, he asked, “Teacher?”

In response, Rennes said, “The strawberries and tomatoes in Clement’s territory have ripened. I’ll have the steward send some over. Alright, please rest early, Your Highness. Goodnight.”

Is that all? Just that? Strawberries and tomatoes?? You even changed your tone just to tell me you’re sending strawberries and tomatoes to me?! Wait, strawberries… and tomatoes? Why are these two fruits being mentioned? Lin Nuo always felt that Rennes wouldn’t bring them up without reason. Could it be that Rennes is trying to convey some message to me? But why use such an obscure method? And what exactly does he want to convey?

Lin Nuo’s mind held fragmented pieces, unable to piece them together. Looking at the snowflakes falling all around, Lin Nuo’s overloaded mind felt as though it was covered in a haze, unable to think clearly.

Just as Lin Nuo was feeling a bit absent-minded, the attendant by his side reminded him, “Your Highness, we’ve just received an invitation from Prince Josef, asking for your presence at a small gathering in his resting room.”

Prince Josef? Since returning to the palace this time, Lin Nuo had only visited Josef once out of courtesy and hadn’t had any further contact afterward. Why would Josef want to invite him to a “small gathering” at this time? It couldn’t possibly be for some “brotherly affection,” right? But even if Lin Nuo knew Josef didn’t mean well, at this moment, he had no reason to refuse the request of his elder brother.

Thus, Lin Nuo changed direction, accompanied by the attendant, and went directly to Josef’s resting room.

Upon entering Josef’s room, Lin Nuo’s first reaction was: it’s too hot in here. The room had thick, insulating curtains blocking the windows, the heater was on the maximum setting, and even the floor felt slightly warm. The attendant with Lin Nuo started sweating the moment they entered. As for Josef, he didn’t dress lightly as other nobles would in such warm surroundings. Instead, he was wrapped in a thick fur coat, with a blanket over his knees, huddled on the couch.

The last time Lin Nuo saw him, Josef’s complexion was already bad, but at least he still had some semblance of a person. Today’s Josef, with his face partly visible from the fur collar, resembled a skeleton. Despite his withered appearance, Josef still maintained the demeanor of a prince. As Lin Nuo and his attendant entered, Josef exchanged a glance with his personal attendant, who immediately escorted Lin Nuo’s attendant out and closed the door to the room.

Seeing Josef’s ghostly appearance and those eyes that seemed to glow with an unnatural light, Lin Nuo felt a wave of resistance, yet he still politely bowed his head and greeted, “Elder brother.”

Josef’s eyeballs seemed almost bulging as he stared at Lin Nuo, grinning coldly, “I can’t afford that. Letting the young master of the Dragon clan call me elder brother, I don’t have that status.”

If it were Lin Nuo from a few months ago, he might have changed his expression right then, or even run away on the spot. But now, he managed to maintain a calm demeanor, imitating Rennes’ tone, and said indifferently, “Josef, have you lost your mind?”

Josef chuckled dryly a couple of times, followed by a cough that shook the room. After the coughing fit, he leaned back, trying to make his bony frame sit a bit more comfortably. When he spoke again, his voice sounded as harsh and broken as a shattered windbox, “You can continue pretending. But, I believe Rennes Clement, whom you trust so deeply, has already set up how to catch you in a trap. He’s just waiting for the sword bestowal ceremony to obliterate you.”

Author’s note:

Thanks to all the readers following the story!

This story will soon come to an end in a few days, so I’d like to gather preferences. Which side story would you like to read first? (Note: “first” means which one you’d like to read before the other, both side stories will be written, just arranging priority.)

Option 1: The exchange of identities between Nuo Nuo and Rennes! Nuo Nuo becomes a silly and cute knight, while Rennes turns into a cunning evil dragon!

Option 2: The modern story of Nuo Nuo and Rennes, where Nuo Nuo remains a dragon and Rennes, well, is still akin to real a knight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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