Chapter 724: Act 83 – The Ball of Yesteryear IV
The moonlight shone brightly like silver, casting a glow on the floor.
The Young Prince stood bashfully at the boundary of light and darkness, revealing only a silhouette with a delicate chin, a slender upper body, and the hazy outline of a gown; his silver-gray eyes sparkled in the darkness, full of shyness, as he awkwardly extended his hands to grasp the hem of his skirt.
Even though he was just a shadow in the darkness, Brendel was already quite satisfied.
Haruze hesitated slightly before slowly stepping forward. First, a pair of silver shoes adorned with bows appeared, followed by a snow-white gown with lace trimmings, and then his petite upper body emerged—dressed like a noble princess, the gown wrapped in silver with a large bow at the chest, revealing slender collarbones and the rounded shoulders of a young girl. His hair had also grown longer, tied in a bun at the back, with two spirals of curly silver hair hanging down by his temples, and his ponytail consisted of many fluffy silver curls, looking quite elegant.
Moonlight bathed him, and the combination of his snow-white skin and silver attire reflected a faint, glimmering light, resembling a holy spirit of the mountains. Haruze fixed his gaze on the ground, his face flushed up to his delicate neck, and his pointed ears quivered shyly. He blinked slowly, his big eyes filled with moisture.
Brendel was momentarily stunned.
Before him stood the shy Young Prince Haruze, but he distinctly resembled the smaller Princess Grifian. No, even the eldest Princess had never possessed such a delicate aura; the gentle nature matched perfectly with the Young Prince’s outfit. Brendel had never imagined he would see a gentle and quiet Princess Grifian.
He couldn’t help but cough, “Umm… should I call you Prince Haruze or Your Highness?”
Although he had suggested it, he couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful at that moment. Brendel hadn’t expected that after Haruze changed into women’s attire, he would look like this.
Hopefully, there won’t be any repercussions.
“Mr. Brendel… Teacher, if you keep saying that, I will really get angry,” Haruze frowned and replied somewhat angrily. He looked at his outfit from side to side, his face involuntarily turning a bit red. “This… this is just a necessary choice to leave this dream, not an opportunity for you to mock me…”
Brendel was slightly taken aback; he hadn’t expected his little student to be this shy, yet still able to say such a thing. Even on regular days, the Young Prince rarely dared to talk back to him.
For a moment, he almost thought he was hallucinating and couldn’t help but gaze curiously at Haruze.
The Young Prince bowed his head and quietly asked, “At the banquet, ladies can’t wear swords, right?”
Brendel nodded.
“Then please help me put away the Lion’s Tooth,” Haruze handed his sword to Brendel. It was then that Brendel realized that his student seemed to have indeed changed. As he accepted the sword and stored it away in the dimensional pocket, he gently asked, “Haruze, you seem a bit like your sister now—”
“Yeah, I don’t know why I thought of her,” the Young Prince said, his face still red as he nodded. “But you’re right, one cannot always rely on others to live. To leave this dream, I must put in effort. There are many people in Erluin suffering various hardships, and compared to them, this is just a small difficulty.”
Brendel’s eyes brightened slightly.
He hadn’t actually spent much effort convincing Haruze; he merely presented a possibility to his student. They could certainly spend more time looking for that non-existent fiancée, but the dream realm of the lost was a crumbling world in itself. Staying here any longer would increase the danger.
The lost one who brought Haruze into this dream might have such considerations. Though he was uncertain of their exact plans, the task within the dream must be closely related to everyone entering it, never just one person’s task. Thus, he honestly informed Haruze of the danger and risks, allowing him to make his own choice, and assured him that he could share the same risks.
In the end, Haruze opted for this simple approach.
He initially thought it was merely the result of this Young Prince’s weak compromise, but he hadn’t expected such thoughts to be in his heart.
Brendel couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. The Young Prince’s constant weakness was almost disappointing, yet he hadn’t expected that he would have a moment of awakening. Even though it was amusing, would the future King of Erluin recount how his life changed because of a woman’s dress?
However, although his character was hard to change at the moment, as long as he held this understanding in his heart, he would at least gradually become stronger. Historically, Haruze had once become independent and even married Ellara; thus, in this world, it was not impossible for him to become a true king.
All that was needed was a trigger.
Brendel smiled, “It’s quite unexpected for you to say that. But your sister will surely be very happy; at least now you resemble a qualified king.”
But would a king wear women’s clothing? As a player, some peculiar thoughts inevitably surfaced in Brendel’s mind.
“Th-that’s because teacher made me realize that I can also fight and achieve victory with my sword…” Haruze replied softly. “Actually, I’m quite grateful, I don’t know if what I did was right or wrong, but I want to face it first.”
“Very well said. It’s truly reassuring to have a student like you. Since you have such thoughts, let us face this task together.”
Brendel extended his hand, “Actually, I vaguely feel this task might relate to you, Haruze.” He slightly furrowed his brow, thinking of Princess Grifian in the Monstrelos Castle, an inexplicable feeling rose in his heart. “How will history unfold this time?”
“Relate to me?”
Brendel nodded, “I think Viscount Kartel had his own considerations for dressing you like this. Everything in this dream may be strange, but nothing is without connection.”
The Young Prince dared not refute, only murmuring a soft acknowledgment.
Brendel extended his hand, watching him.
Haruze was slightly taken aback and looked at his teacher. Brendel sighed, “Put your hand here; you wouldn’t want people to think Viscount Kartel is an uncultured and ungentlemanly person, would you?”
“B-but…” The Young Prince was momentarily stunned.
“You’re wearing gloves, so what are you afraid of? Besides, this is just a dream. What are you thinking? Practice a bit so you don’t end up making a mistake later.” Brendel stared at his student, and that wasn’t just idle talk. In past tasks, they had often disguised themselves as various individuals; players even had a self-deprecating saying that the self-cultivation of the actor is an essential quality for every player.
Of course, especially for players like Nightingales.
Dressing as the opposite gender was a common occurrence.
The Young Prince finally complied, reluctantly placing his hand in Brendel’s. Brendel didn’t react unusually; he had fully entered task mode, checking the Young Prince’s attire carefully, and then asked, “Do you know what upper-class noble ladies are like?”
“Um… I think I know a little.”
“Walk a couple of steps for me to see.”
Haruze’s face turned red as he awkwardly took a few steps. However, Brendel immediately called out, “Stop—” Haruze looked up at him in confusion, and Brendel couldn’t help but shake his head. “Forget it; just walk as you usually do. In fact, you seemed a bit more like a girl originally…”
The Young Prince paused slightly, then glared at his teacher with clenched teeth.
But Brendel didn’t pay it any mind; his thoughts had already flown into the palace of the royal city. In his previous life, Prince Haruze should also have been at this banquet; what had he witnessed?
Brendel vaguely felt that his memories, the Young Prince’s memories, and Viscount Kartel’s memories had become intertwined, and there must be a latent knot within them.
But to unravel this enigma, he would likely need to go to the center of that event.
So after a brief practice in the ‘Saint Maiden’s Tailor Shop,’ Brendel directly took the Young Prince out. Since they were in a dream, he replicated Viscount Kartel’s coach, harnessed four snow-white war horses, and headed straight for the center of the royal city.
As the coach traversed the main road of the royal city, every street and alley of Erluin’s ancient capital, Monstrelos, appeared so familiar to Brendel at that moment. It was as if, with each step deeper into memory, everything that had once become hazy was gradually becoming clear again.
This process felt like not only seeking Viscount Kartel’s memories but also mending his own.
Brendel observed the familiar shops, fountains, and squares; this route was akin to the one he took when he attended the banquet with his senior sister. Details that had originally been blurred were now becoming clearer.
It felt as though he had returned to that piece of history.
Brendel’s breathing gradually became rapid. He furrowed his brow as he gazed at the lights in the night, his mind returning to the day in Erluin. The Valkyrie had already perished, and the entire kingdom was shrouded in sorrow.
Yet, the nobles still indulged in revelries, their magnificent palaces and splendid lights seemingly the last song of this kingdom.
The lights transformed into a sea of flames in Brendel’s eyes.
“Teacher?” Haruze glanced back, noticing that Brendel’s expression was somewhat off.
Brendel came back to his senses. He shook his head at his student—truthfully, the Young Prince now looked more like a smaller version of the Princess. He hesitated for a moment and said, “Haruze, you might see some scenes that are beyond your imagination soon.”
“Is it because we are in a dream?”
“Sort of—”
“But no matter what happens, you must not act impulsively. The dream itself is a bizarre yet logical world. Its logic is closely tied to memory; changing the dream is meaningless—we must mend Viscount Kartel’s regrets.” Brendel paused, “Do you understand?”
He said this not just as a reminder to Haruze, but also to himself. He certainly knew what had transpired at the banquet, but he recognized that he had to restrain his emotions.
Because this was a dream, merely a realm of memories.
Haruze nodded, seemingly grasping it.
At this moment, the coach finally came to a stop.
Brendel opened the door. But just then, his hand froze, staring blankly at the person standing outside the door. It felt like witnessing a terrifying nightmare.
Nemeses—no, or rather, a woman who looked exactly like the Lady Knight stood outside the coach, gazing at him. After comparing the piece of paper in her hand, she lifted her head and smiled slightly:
“Viscount Kartel, I presume?”
Brendel felt as if a vast wave surged within him.
…
(PS: I have some matters today, so this is all for now. Consider the rest pending, but it may not be filled in quickly; my current limit is about ten thousand words a day. I’ll supplement it when inspiration strikes.
Also, I felt a little embarrassed reading the reviews on the Taiwan site yesterday; it’s not that I intended to go silent and stop updating. How to put it… I felt a bit bad always taking leave, so I simply hid away! I’ll pay more attention in the future.) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please support with a recommendation or monthly ticket on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
