The Beautiful Top Being Pursued Relentlessly [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 69

The entire journey was spent in silence.

Nus had lost his usual spirited snorting, quietly carrying Felix Cheng as they followed the Princess. It wasn’t until dawn, as the sun began to rise and the mist gradually dispersed, that Felix having traveled all night,caught sight of the castle’s spires, flickering in and out of view in the gloom.

The sunlight seemed to curve around this castle; the mere sight of its somber outer walls evoked a sense of oppression. The Princess pushed open an iron gate entwled with vines and turned back with a smile. “Guests from afar, you are welcome to stay at the castle.”

“Guests?” Plural?

Felix turned around. There was no one behind him. The wildflowers and weeds he had seen moments ago were now obscured by the encroaching mist, making everything blurry.

This place is definitely strange. He reminded himself more than once, but as the massive shadow cast by the castle enveloped him, he found his body becoming uncontrollable once again.

Detestable.  If he ever found that wandering fellow Jiang Yi, he would make sure he faced the strictest punishment.

Click.

With a soft sound, the iron gate swung shut, carried by a light breeze. The Princess ahead clapped her hands, and a line of servants emerged from the palace with their heads bowed.

“Guests from afar, please step down from your carriage and follow the guide of the emissaries into the palace.”

Felix couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the reins. At some point, the Princess’s form of address had shifted. “Guests from afar” she repeated it over and over, stiff and cold. And… carriage?

Just as Felix was feeling confused, Nus suddenly buckled his front legs, causing Felix to tilt forward. The surrounding scenery wobbled like ripples on water. When Felix looked up again, he met a pair of hollow eyes.

A servant in palace livery stood before him, extending a hand clad in a white glove. “Noble guest, allow me to assist you down from the carriage.”

The same attire, flawless etiquette, and a steady, toneless voice, they were even more rigid than the servants at his own manor. Felix was forced to extend his hand and rest it on the servant’s. Upon stepping down, his feet sank into a plush carpet spread across the ground.

“Noble guest, allow me to show you around the palace,” the servant said with a stiff smile.

Felix truly couldn’t stand this place. The servant guiding him treated him like fragile porcelain; every step had to land on the carpet, and the servant supported him with exaggerated caution. The servant was talkative, seemingly following a sacred mission as he droned on about the palace’s history.

In his description, this was a miraculous kingdom where commoners and nobles alike lived within the vast Ashlea Castle. Everyone shared wealth; everyone shared power. Without a doubt, they shared honor and disgrace.

Felix sneered inwardly. If this were truly an egalitarian kingdom, there wouldn’t be lowly servants and a high princess. Moreover, as they walked, he saw only servants scurrying with bowed heads no sign of the so-called “equals.”

Soon, the servant beside him explained this with a strange sense of pride: “Aside from Her Royal Highness the Princess, everyone lives in that small building to spend their beautiful lives.”

Felix looked in the direction he pointed. Outside the arched windows stood a gloomy, low-rise building, packed with windows pressed tightly together. Occasionally, Felix could see heads poking out from those windows some young, some old. If they leaned out of adjacent windows, their heads would practically touch.

“See, how happy they are.” The smile on the servant’s face grew exaggerated.

Felix calmly retracted his gaze. Except for me, everyone here is mad.

“And we are the emissaries personally selected by Her Highness!” the servant’s voice intensified.

Felix’s lips moved uncontrollably: “That is truly enviable.”

He wanted to see Jiang Yi right now. Immediately.

Please, let God listen,  Whether Jiang Yi hugged him, kissed him, clung to him, or did something even more outrageous, as long as it restored his freedom, he would accept it without hesitation.

“It is indeed enviable,” the servant continued leading him forward. “Noble guest, if you pass Her Highness’s test, you may also choose your own emissaries.”

What is he blabbering about? Felix stared intently at the servant’s mouth.

The servant pushed open a set of double doors. “Noble guest, I truly hope you enjoy your life in the castle. After all, this will be your home from now on.”

A sliver of light peeked through the widening gap, fully exposing the twisted totems on the doorframe. They looked like bats or some strangely shaped birds, nailed to the pillars and shedding tears. Several bird heads were tilted high, chasing a phantom holy light, while beneath their feet were birds with missing wings or sharp beaks, piled up layer by layer until the very bottom became a mass of grayish-white skeletal remains.

Felix stepped forward to see more clearly, but his vision was soon covered by white—more accurately, a multi-colored white. Behind the door, a new servant held a wooden tray with a magnificent formal dress folded neatly upon it, alongside a crown.

“Noble guest, the dining area is just ahead. Allow me to change you into your formal attire.”

The servant took the dress and shook it out. Felix saw an exaggerated, floor-length… gown?

A dress? Felix couldn’t believe his eyes.

“I refuse.” Felix said decisively.

Great and kind God, if You can hear my call, please allow Jiang Yi to return to my side at once.

“Noble guest, the dining area is just ahead. Allow me to change you into your formal attire.”

A pale yellow gown was shaken out. Felix felt that God had probably heard his plea, yet he still couldn’t change the terrifying outcome. He pressed his lips thin. “I refuse.”

“Noble guest, the dining area…” A peach-pink gown was shaken out.

Felix: “I refuse.”

“Noble guest.” A “I refuse”

 “Noble”… “A…” “I refuse.”

****

The sky outside the window suddenly grew dark; perhaps it wouldn’t be long before heavy raindrops started to fall. If possible, he wished he could go out and stand in the rain to be soaked to the bone and chilled through rather than deal with this nonsense.

Felix’s responses became mechanical. His eyes were hollow; the servant’s words became a lullaby in his ears. He let out a yawn without any concern for his image.

Until he saw a set of Knight’s attire.

White satin breeches and a fitted tunic in black and white simple and solemn. Draped over the right shoulder was a large black satin cloak embroidered with intricate star patterns. On the shoulder sat a sparkling badge. Beside the Knight’s suit was a black top hat tied with a white ribbon.

This was the most normal outfit he had seen so far. Felix chanted in his mind several times.

Thank God.

The words “I refuse” didn’t appear again. Following the forced movements, Felix took the clothes. In the blink of an eye, he had changed into the Knight’s attire.

The servant who led him here quietly retreated. Felix stepped into the dining room to find a long, straight table with the Princess at the far end. “Guest from afar, you must be hungry. Quickly, taste the food of the castle,” the Princess hosted warmly.

In truth, Felix wasn’t hungry. His memory was still stuck on the previous night; one moment he and Jiang Yi were talking about staying the night, and the next, they were separated without warning. Felix felt somewhat sullen. He didn’t touch the delicacies on the table, instead using his knife and fork to slowly carve up the steak on his plate.

The sharp metal surface scraped against the porcelain plate, making a harsh, unpleasant sound. Neither of them reacted. One ate in silence; the other stared blankly in a stupor.

Noble Duke Felix Cheng thought to himself with a trace of subtle grievance. If Jiang Yi were here, he would surely bring fresh vegetables to him, and seeing Felix’s reluctance to eat them, he would stuff them into his own mouth without a second thought cheeks full and bulging, looking quite cute.

Perhaps it was a hallucination, but Felix saw Jiang Yi sitting across from him, holding a silver fork with various vegetables on it, offering them with a beaming smile. Felix reservedly reached out his hand.

Then. God was no longer merciful. The illusion vanished cruelly, and across from him sat the detestable Princess.

The hulking Princess stood up and accidentally bumped the corner of the table, causing the bowls and spoons to clatter. She offered an apologetic smile.

“Guest from afar, I know you must want to rest after your meal. I have had the servants prepare a bedroom for you. May you have a good dream.”

Felix:  Don’t be so fast. Sleeping right after eating? Are the people here reincarnated wild boars?

Felix didn’t want to lie on a cold bed. But the vanished servants reappeared, leading him through winding stairs and stopping before a pitch-black wooden door, declaring his resistance futile.

Terrible horse, terrible Princess, terrible servants, terrible castle, terrible God, terrible world… and the terrible Jiang Yi, who knows where he’s gone off to play.

“Noble guest, may you have a good dream.”

Felix stepped into the room expressionlessly. His gaze rose higher and higher, pinning itself to the very top. Even with his vast experience, he had never seen a place so terrible.

There was no bed in the center of the room. Instead, over twenty mattresses of different materials were stacked together. Layer upon layer, pressed tightly. Atop the soft mattresses were over twenty down duvets red, blue, green. every color imaginable.

Felix imagined for a moment: if he woke up from this bed in the morning, his head would surely hit the ceiling, just like that idiot Jiang Yi, leaving a huge bump.

“I refuse.” Felix tried the old trick.

But this time, no matter what Felix said, the smiling servant only had one line: “Noble guest, may you have a good dream.”

Not only that, the servant thoughtfully brought over a long ladder and carefully leaned it against the bed. “Noble guest, the journey has been exhausting. May you enter the land of dreams as soon as possible.”

Support