Chapter 617: Won’t Disappoint

    Gu Luoxin remained in a daze until Noir vanished from sight and their group entered the waiting lounge. Any overwhelming joy and delight bursting out of his chest was dampened by the sudden revelation unfolding before his eyes, leaving only tangled emotions he could not quite comprehend.

    Noir... turned out to be the Eldest Young Master of the Land, and the person whom he was about to marry was Young Master Ares, also the person who had a face that was nearly identical to Gu Luoxin?

    What in the dog blood novel plot was this??

    Gu Luoxin’s stomach gave a sickening twist. There seemed to be a ball of fire burning in his heart, screaming at him and tempting him to remove his mask at once. Then maybe, maybe Noir would not mistake Ares as him! Those deep and piercing emerald eyes would only fall on him, not Ares!

    But fortunately, Gu Luoxin was quick to return to his senses. He bit the inside of his cheek so hard that he tasted blood.

    Snap out of it, Xinxin! He chided himself mentally. Removing your mask? Do you have a death wish or something?! Besides, it’s not like this is a real wedding. The person Ares is betrothed to is not Noir himself, but the character he is playing aka the Eldest Young Master! So what are you getting jealous of? This is not the time for it!

    Besides, he trusted Noir from the depths of his heart. Not only because of his feelings for the man, but also because Noir was a formidable player with a strong observational skill.

    He might not be able to recognize Gu Luoxin through the distance, but once he made contact with Young Master Ares, he would soon realize that his so-called fiance? was not Gu Luoxin! By then, he would definitely sense something and shift his attention to the people around Young Master Ares!

    Gu Luoxin sorted the chain of logic in his mind and took a couple of deep breaths before he could once again focus on the matter at hand.

    Inside the lounge, the servants positioned themselves along the wall with their heads down while Master Grinu addressed his son, "Make a good impression on him, do you get it? This is beneficial for the future of our sky territory. You might be a failure as a garuda, but you certainly won’t disappoint me on this simple matter, will you, son?"

    He gripped Ares’ thin shoulders with both hands, his sharp eyes boring down on him as if instilling the warning into his mind, word by word. "All I ask of you is not to mess up. Just sit there, go through the ceremony, and smile. Show them a grace befitting of a young master. Understand?"

    Ares’ lashes quivered softly as he responded, "...Yes, Father. I won’t disappoint you."

    "You’d better not," Master Grinu left one last warning before releasing him and turning around. "The ceremony will start in half an hour. I will go down first to greet the guests. Just stay here until you’re summoned."

    As he walked toward the door, his gloomy gaze briefly swept over the row of servants, prompting them to lower their heads more, not even daring to breathe too loudly—that included Gu Luoxin. He already had lingering trauma upon witnessing Young Master Ares be beaten half to death, but now another layer of fear was added after the bloody scene he had inadvertently spied on last night. Just the mere reminder was enough to make him feel nauseous.

    He trained his gaze to the floor, praying that the man didn’t sense the timidity emanating from him.

    It wasn’t until Master Grinu took his leave, bringing the servants with him, that Gu Luoxin let go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

    At this moment, only four people remained in the lounge—Young Master Ares and the three servants.

    Gu Luoxin secretly stole a peek through the corner of his eye, only to see the young master sitting on the sofa with his back to them. Despite the opulent interior and crystalline chandelier, somehow Gu Luoxin couldn’t shake off the nagging notion that the young master seemed out of place. Was it the aura of stillness and desolation exuded from him? Gu Luoxin had the urge to ask how he was faring, but he waited until the other two servants took the lead in preparing drinks and snacks from the fridge and bringing them to the young man before he seized the chance to inquire,

    "Are you okay, Young Master Ares?"

    Ares’ eyes briefly flicked upward to meet his own before he lowered them again, smiling softly, "Of course. I’m looking forward to the banquet."

    Tilting his head slightly, Ares finished the whole glass of juice before handing it back to the servant. He then gave a sudden instruction, "Leave. I’d like to be alone for a while."

    Gu Luoxin and the two servants exchanged glances. He could see the pity, resignation and helplessness in their eyes before they bowed and responded politely, "Alright then, Young Master. We will be outside if you need us."

    Once outside, one of them heaved out a long sigh and lamented with a pitying shake of his head, "Our poor young master... he has no choice but to be a pawn in the Master’s scheme of conquest. How pitiful ah, who in the world wants to be wed to a lowly human?"

    I want, Gu Luoxin thought sullenly as he glared at the pattern on the carpet. If Young Master Ares doesn’t want to do it, I can take his place. Even though it’s not real, even though this is the Nightmare Cycle, I still want to experience it just once in a lifetime...

    At this moment, Gu Luoxin felt like he was no different than a dirty beggar crouching on the side road, watching enviously as people tossed the leftover food they no longer wanted with disdain, treating them as no more than garbage. But what they regarded as trash was a priceless treasure for his ravening self, something he could only yearn and dream of with greedy, longing eyes because he knew it was unattainable for him.

    Alas, it was apparent that none of the two servants would agree with him, for the other replied with contempt dropping from his tone, "So what if he is of noble birth as well? Hmph, surely he can’t hold a candle to our young master!"

    As the two servants conversed in hushed voices, Gu Luoxin let his thoughts wander—to the breathtaking sight of Noir he had glimpsed at before. There was a nagging sensation on the back of his mind that had been bugging him for a while, telling him there’s something very, very important he had forgotten...

    But what was it?

    Gu Luoxin’s brows twisted into a thoughtful frown, until all of a sudden, it came back to him like a lightning bolt. He jerked his head up with a gasp.

    Goodness, how could he have forgotten?! The whole betrothal banquet was a trap, and Master Grinu had been planning to assassinate the Eldest Young Master of the Land!

    —Noir was in danger!