ITF Chapter66

“Are you alright?”

Bai Heting moved his hand away from his mouth and waved to the person behind him, saying, “I’m fine.”

This was his first time entering Luo Congye’s quarters in the servants’ building since the Colosseum celebration. This room had no windows and was as dark as night even during the day. He picked up the ignition tool on the table and lit the half-burned candle that he had once blown out himself.

The room remained exactly as it had been when the two of them left together; that piece of paper he had crumpled was lying conspicuously on the table.

However, the tequila pheromones in the air had dissipated completely.

Su Xingchuan closed the door, shutting out the guards who had been tailing them, and said in a very low voice, “I heard that His Majesty has found a suitable physician for you.”

Bai Heting reached out his hand, trying to smooth out the paper with his name written on it, but it only became a little flatter than before.

He had received a handwritten letter from the king today, summoning him to the palace tomorrow. This was the first time Bai Jiashu had summoned him alone since the coronation ceremony. Luo Congye being rescued by the Urdan people had enraged Bai Jiashu; no one had ever seen a king with such a terrible expression at a coronation ceremony.

Su Xingchuan said, “Luo Congye was rescued from our place. I’m afraid he will pin the blame on you.”

“Blame me for what exactly?” Bai Heting was still obsessively pressing down on the paper. “All of my subordinates were put under house arrest by him, and those guarding the dungeon were all his people. The ones who failed in their duties were all his people too.”

On the day Luo Congye was rescued, Bai Heting had thrown a tantrum in the dungeon, and that same night he said he was in a foul mood and went out, insisting on a night hunt. Nearly half of the guards in the General’s Mansion accompanied him to the hunting grounds. Although there was no direct evidence linking him to Luo Congye’s rescue, the coincidence in timing could hardly avoid raising suspicions.

His distracted demeanor made Su Xingchuan even more anxious. The old steward couldn’t help but remind him, “His status is different now. He no longer needs a reason to blame someone.”

The gap in status between the two was vastly different from before, and Bai Heting knew it full well in his heart. But he was too exhausted to think about these headache-inducing matters, so he just brushed it off with a casual response, “I’ll just go along with his wishes.”

He raised his hand to rub his face, then placed that hand in front of him before spreading his palm open.

“There is the scent of his blood on my hands.” He said blankly.

More than half a month had passed since Luo Congye was rescued. It was impossible for any remnants of Luo Congye’s pheromones to still be on Bai Heting’s hands; what he smelled was probably just the scent of fir intermingled with tequila under the influence of the marking. But Su Xingchuan did not refute him, only saying, “I’ll call someone to bring you water to wash your hands.”

Bai Heting shook his head. “No need. This scent makes me feel a bit more comfortable.”

Every time that paper was pressed flat, it would quickly wrinkle up again. He gave up struggling with the paper and asked in a low voice, “Mister Su, do you think… he is dead?”

Su Xingchuan said, “He didn’t have any fatal injuries. He is a young Alpha; those minor flesh wounds will heal very quickly.”

Bai Heting pressed his lips tightly together, silently recalling the final strike he had dealt Luo Congye.

The abdomen is a location that is both safe and fragile. If the position and angle of the blade are off by even a fraction, a person’s life could be in grave danger.

But his hand trembled when he delivered that strike.

He wasn’t sure if he had damaged Luo Congye’s internal organs.

If time could flow backward to that morning after the rain, he would have definitely let Luo Congye die in his arms without any pain.

“Did I do the wrong thing?” Bai Heting murmured.

“If you hadn’t done that, all the suffering he endured before would have been for nothing, and all of his efforts would have gone to waste,” Su Xingchuan comforted him. “Don’t blame yourself. He is already very fortunate to be loved by someone as powerful as you.”

“Love?” Bai Heting turned his head, looking blankly at Su Xingchuan.

Love. That word was something Luo Congye had said to him many times on that morning shrouded in soft light.

He still remembered the tone of voice when he said, “I love you.”

His voice had been very soft, a little raspy, but every single word was crystal clear.

He still remembered his serious face, his focused eyes, and the warmth of his embrace.

Luo Congye was the first person to ever tell him he loved him.

Bai Heting supported himself with both hands against the table and slowly lowered his head, asking in confusion, “What is love?” The paper he had managed to flatten with great difficulty was crumpled by his grip once again. “Do I love him?”

From the age of eleven to twenty-eight, Su Xingchuan had personally witnessed Bai Heting’s growth from a stubborn, isolated boy into an undefeated general, yet he had never once seen him look so lost.

He even felt that if a gust of wind were to blow by at this moment, Bai Heting would scatter right into it.

Su Xingchuan let out a slow sigh.

“Love is,” he said softly, “the tear that fell onto your name.”

Bai Heting froze, abruptly looking down at the brown paper beneath his hand.

The black ink had already blurred slightly, and that teardrop had fallen onto the paper, resembling a scar just above his name.

Before he could even react, another tear fell.

He raised his hand and wiped his face, feeling ashamed of his own vulnerability. He suddenly remembered that it hadn’t been long since the last time he cried.

The last time was also right here.

He thought of that pitch darkness, and he also thought of that infatuated, chaotic kiss.

He forced himself to pull his thoughts back, and beneath a few blank sheets of paper, he found a palm-sized linen pouch. Inside the pouch, he discovered a round, smooth pearl.

It was the one he had brought back from the south.

The corners of Bai Heting’s lips turned up slightly.

This was probably the thing Luo Congye regretted not being able to take with him.

Beneath the linen pouch was a book. He picked it up, flipped through it and was surprised to find that the book was actually a handwritten copy of foreign poetry.

He had only flipped a few pages when a piece of paper tucked inside the book came into view.

This piece of paper had once been balled up into a paper wad by him, but now it had been pressed completely flat. Written on it was—”What are you standing there for?”

However, his gaze did not linger long on his own handwriting. His entire attention was quickly drawn away by a poem on that page.

It was a poem he was very familiar with, but someone had vandalized it. In the line “The fine trees are wide in the crane’s courtyard,” the words “Jiashu¹Fine trees.” had been crossed out with black ink.

“Childish.” Bai Heting touched the dried ink and smiled gently. “So, that’s why he doesn’t like this name.”

You can unlock the complete translation in epub format HERE!

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  Fine trees.