CHAPTER 110: STANNIS VS CARMINE

But Stannis didn’t listen. After finishing off the porridge and packing away the containers, he began to explore. He touched everything, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

He sat in Jian Rui’s chair, his smile so sharp it would have terrified his generals. On the desk sat a globe with rotating stars. He picked it up, shook it, watching the stars scatter. Turning it over, he found childish handwriting etched beneath: To the best big brother in the world.

While he was lounging in Jian Rui’s chair, spinning the star globe in his hands, when the door slid open with a soft hiss. He arched his brow, his expression sharpening as a familiar face appeared in the doorway.

The young guide froze, startled. It was Carmine.

The only reason Carmine had managed to enter Jian Rui’s office unimpeded was because Jian Rui had forgotten to inform his assistant that Carmine was not to be allowed inside. By sheer luck, or perhaps carelessness, the assistant was nowhere to be found when Carmine arrived. He tapped the panel, and the door obediently slid open.

He couldn’t remember much about that night, the fragments of memory blurred and broken, but he did remember Jian Rui’s cold dismissal. He had been blacklisted, cut off completely. Still, his father had been urging him to get close to Jian Rui, insisting it was vital for their family’s standing.

On his last day in Virelia, Carmine had resolved to try again. He even brought a care package, a small gesture of goodwill, hoping it might soften Jian Rui’s heart. But instead of Jian Rui, he found himself staring at the infamous demon in human skin: Marshal Stannis.

Carmine’s breath caught.

Stannis’s gaze swept over him, sharp and unrelenting. His annoyance reached its peak, more especially when he saw how handsome Carmine looked, standing there obediently, clutching the care package like a supplicant. The sight made Stannis’s jaw tighten, his patience thinning.

The air between them grew heavy, charged with tension, as Carmine hesitated on the threshold, unsure whether to step forward or retreat.

Stannis knew exactly who Carmine was. The young guide had been part of the diplomatic envoy from Elaris, a face Stannis had seen before in passing. But what gave him the audacity, the sheer nerve, to walk into Jian Rui’s office, in one of the most secure buildings in all of Virelia?

Stannis rose smoothly from Jian Rui’s chair, sliding one hand into his pocket, his gaze sharp and unyielding. "Can I help you?" he asked, his tone deceptively calm.

Carmine stammered, his voice trembling. "I—I—I can come back."

Stannis smiled, but it was the kind of smile that made Carmine’s blood run cold, as if he had provoked a terrifying ghost. "Sit," Stannis ordered. "I am also waiting for him."

Carmine hesitated. "I can wait outside."

"No," Stannis said firmly, his voice carrying weight. "It’s okay. You can sit. His Highness will be upset with me if I let you sit outside."

"Really?" Carmine asked, genuinely surprised.

Stannis tilted his head. "Why do you seem surprised?"

Carmine swallowed hard. "Oh... he blacklisted me. I thought he didn’t want to speak to me."

That piqued Stannis’s curiosity. He sat down, gesturing for Carmine to take the opposite chair. "Why would His Highness not want to speak to you?"

Carmine looked hesitant, his lips pressed tight. He clearly didn’t want to discuss private matters with Marshal Stannis. But under the oppressive weight of Stannis’s aura, his resolve crumbled. His mouth began to move, spilling details he had sworn to keep hidden, each word dragged out by the sheer force of Stannis’s presence.

He shifted uneasily in his chair, his fingers tightening around the care package he had brought. His voice trembled as he tried to explain. "I must have said something to upset him on our blind date."

Stannis’s jaw clenched, fury boiling beneath the surface. So this was the one Jian Rui had been on a blind date with. The intel had been correct about the encounter, but the person... the person was wrong. He forced himself to remain composed, though his aura was heavy enough to make the air feel suffocating.

"It didn’t go well?" Stannis said flatly, his tone sharp as a blade.

Carmine swallowed hard, skipping over the darkest truth. "He wasn’t feeling well, so I offered for him to stay in my room and rest. But when I woke up the next morning, he wasn’t there. I was blacklisted."

"Oh really," Stannis murmured, his voice deceptively calm.

Carmine’s legs felt weak, as though they might give out. He wanted to run, but something unseen pressed down on him, constraining him, preventing escape.

Meanwhile, Jian Rui, still in his meeting, was informed that Carmine was waiting in his office. He nodded, unconcerned, not at all worried that Carmine and Stannis were in the same room together. He stayed an additional ten minutes before finally returning.

The office door slid open, and he stepped inside. His gaze immediately met Stannis’s, fierce and unyielding. The atmosphere was charged, the tension palpable, as if the room itself held its breath.

Jian Rui, on the other hand, was not shaken by Stannis’s fierceness. He walked into the office with calm authority, his steps measured, his aura cold and indifferent. His gaze fell on Carmine, who was still seated awkwardly, clutching the care package. "Why are you here?" Jian Rui asked, his tone clipped, leaving no room for pleasantries.

He sat down, crossing his legs with deliberate ease, and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. Just as he was about to light it, Stannis leaned forward and snatched it away without hesitation.

Jian Rui’s expression froze. "..."

Carmine let out a sigh of relief, realizing from the exchange that Jian Rui and Stannis shared a bond strong enough that he hadn’t just spilled secrets to Jian Rui’s rival.

"You can’t smoke in here," Stannis said firmly.

Jian Rui set the lighter down harshly on the coffee table, his glare sharp as it cut toward Stannis. Stannis only snorted, unbothered.

Turning his attention back to Carmine, Jian Rui said, "Carmine."

The young guide flinched. "I—I... I just came to bid you farewell. I am leaving tomorrow."

"There is no need," Jian Rui replied coolly. "I was going to escort your envoy tomorrow."

Carmine nervously rubbed his fingers together. "Yes, I know, but I wouldn’t be able to speak to you in private, so I just..." His voice trailed off, his eyes darting nervously toward Jian Rui.

Jian Rui’s gaze remained steady, his tone final. "There is really nothing to talk about."

The words hung heavy in the air, leaving Carmine pale and silent, while Stannis leaned back, watching with a predator’s patience.