CHAPTER 320: CHAPTER 199: TRAITOR, NO REST UNTIL DEATH

However, occasionally Gu Wenyu’s brother would get up early and prepare breakfast for the family, and Gu Wenyu would always finish eating before heading out. Meanwhile, Li Qingping could only sit alone in the shop eating and drinking, with Gu Wenyu playing on his phone nearby, urging:

"Can you eat a bit faster, you pig?"

Li Qingping envied Gu Wenyu’s family.

After all, he was an orphan. Whenever Gu Wenyu asked about his family situation, Li Qingping would just mention things like "nouveau riche" or "oil tycoon" to dodge the topic and then subtly change the subject.

Over the years, because Gu Wenyu was shy, he never suggested visiting Li Qingping’s home.

If Gu Wenyu had ever mentioned it, Li Qingping might have been too lazy to continue lying and would have taken him to see the tiny broken apartment where he usually lived, but he never did.

On the contrary, Li Qingping had visited his home once or twice.

Speaking of which... Li Qingping always felt that Gu Wenyu’s brother wasn’t simple, but couldn’t pinpoint what was peculiar about him. It was just intuition telling him that the seemingly gentle young man wasn’t as straightforward as he appeared.

"What are you daydreaming about?" the little Shark asked, "With free time to daydream, wouldn’t it be better to earn a friendship fee for Sharky?"

Li Qingping glanced at it from the corner of his eye, saying nothing.

He accompanied Cezar into the palace, crossing corridors laid with red carpet and walls adorned with oil paintings, before pushing open the hall doors ahead.

Behind the door were the six members of the Royal Court Team: Ruth, Laine, Lewis, Jiugui Suye, Koajenna, and Di Rejie.

Sitting at the deepest point, Ruth raised her eyes, her sea-blue hair flowing with the dim red afterglow.

Her pupils contained anger, seemingly pondering who was so rude to barge in during their meal time without any greeting.

The first thing to catch the eye was Li Qingping in a black suit, clutching a Crystal Ball in his arms, which held a Nobel Shark. Subsequently, a white-haired youth in royal robes and crowned slowly walked in.

He lowered his gaze, his pale face showing no expression.

The six members of the Royal Court Team were slightly taken aback, as if no one had anticipated this unexpected visitor.

"Hey hey... the Third Prince comes at this time? What’s going on?" Lewis adjusted his glasses, scratching his brown hair, while talking to Koajenna beside him.

"Who knows?" Koajenna yawned, half lying on the table, her two hair buns atop her head particularly noticeable.

In the silent hall, Cezar’s footsteps were notably clear.

A moment later, he stopped, pulled up a chair by the long dining table, and sat down leisurely, facing Ruth’s seat, the captain of the Royal Court Team.

He then slowly lifted his eyes, silently meeting Ruth’s gaze.

Ruth was the first to get up from her seat.

According to royal rules, even upon seeing the King in the hall, one need not kneel on one knee, merely stand and bow slightly, otherwise, the scene would be too ludicrous.

The other five members of the Royal Court Team rose, placing their hands on the Royal Court Team emblems of their robes, nodding and bowing to Cezar, and said in unison:

"Welcome to the arrival of the Third Prince."

Cezar’s blue eyes scanned them one by one, Li Qingping silently stepped forward, holding the Crystal Ball beside him, awaiting orders.

"There’s no need for formalities," he said, "I’m just here to dine with you... Father always forbade me from leaving the castle, now that there’s finally a chance, I wanted to meet you."

"His Highness truly has refined tastes." Ruth sat down, meeting Cezar’s eyes.

Cezar leaned back slightly, his body against the chair back, "Miss Ruth, I’ve heard that at just twenty years old, you’ve already become the captain of the Royal Court Team, which is truly impressive."

"You’re flattering me, Your Highness," Ruth whispered.

"Mr. Laine, I was impressed by your performance in the Beast Fighting Arena." Cezar turned, looking at the long-haired man with a beard, "Being acknowledged by the Sword in the Stone is tough, its resonance difficulty far exceeds other Anecdote Fragments."

Laine nodded slightly, his deep eyes lowered.

Cezar moved his gaze from his face to the Asian face with a buzz cut:

"Mr. Jiugui Suye, as an outsider and not born innately in Whale Court, being selected and becoming a member of the Royal Court Team is something everyone knows the difficulty of."

Jiugui Suye was taken aback, then nodded respectfully.

"Lewis, Koajenna, Di Rejie... I remember all your names and am aware of all your experiences, knowing the effort you’ve put in to become members of the Royal Court Team." Cezar said, "I came this time... to fulfill a childhood wish."

He paused: "At that time, I admired you all greatly, seeing my brothers with you, always made me envy, envy so much, but I could only sit alone at the window watching you from afar each time. But now it’s different, even if I suddenly fall ill one day, I won’t allow myself to continue being a Caged Bird."

In the silence, Cezar raised his head: "From today on we are friends, what do you think?"

Ruth remained silent.

Lewis took the initiative to speak: "How could it be... we are just guards, how can we become friends with Your Highness?"

"Guards..." Cezar chuckled lowly, "Do you really see yourselves as my guards?"

He suddenly raised his head, lowered his voice, and said word by word: "Then... if my mother or my brother orders you to kill me, as you say, guards, would you draw your swords against me?"

As the words fell, everyone present except Li Qingping was startled, no one dared to make a sound.

"I sincerely trust you all, and, at the same time, do not wish for those noble figures I admired in my childhood to vanish one by one in my mind," Cezar said, "Therefore, there’s something I must tell you."

He paused for a moment: "Anyone who betrays me... we shall not rest until one of us is no more."

After saying this, the white-haired youth raised his eyes from the shadow of the crown, his blue pupils indifferently sweeping across each face, memorizing their expressions at this moment.

At this moment, his expression was aggrieved and gloomy, not fitting for a youth, nor a pampered royal; it resembled more like a wild beast from deep in the mountains.

In the dead silence, Cezar slowly rose from his chair, turned towards the hall’s exit.

Li Qingping, seeing this, glanced expressionlessly at the six members of the Royal Court Team, then lifted the Crystal Ball from the table with one hand, turned slowly, and followed behind Cezar.

Their steps synchronized, slowly leaving the hall, their figures shrouded in blood-red twilight.

Behind them, the six members of the Royal Court Team silently watched the backs of Cezar and Li Qingping.

"This is what our family’s darkened elementary school student looks like."

The little Shark in the Crystal Ball turned its head, glancing at Cezar’s expressionless profile, then twisted, pressing against the glass, wriggling its tail and rear at the six from behind.

It revealed sharp little teeth, making a face at them, "Does your Royal Court Team have such a darkened elementary school student?"