ARC: Curse of the Royal Tribulation
Chapter 90: Accursed Realm
When Thales stepped back into the room, Lilian had already attended to Glover, giving him dicine and rewrapping his bandages.
“What is he doing here?” Lilian’s hands continued their work as she furrowed her brow, stealing a glance at Thales, who appeared oblivious, before refocusing on Glover.
“Is this yet another one of your bodyguard duties? Babysitting so high-and-mighty young master? Even when he’s off indulging in his vices?”
Glover cast a aningful look at Thales and gave a subtle nod.
Thales cleared his throat. “Pleased to et you, Miss Lilian. Um, I am the Second Prince...”[1]
Sensing Glover’s terror-stricken gaze and Lilian’s puzzled expression, Thales quickly interjected with a smile. “...’s attendant.”
“Wya Caso,” he added, feigning a chuckle as he rubbed his hands together and positioned himself in a corner.
Glover let out a sigh of relief and lowered his head to sip so water.
Lilian’s eyebrows arched in surprise, unwittingly emanating a captivating aura. “Oh, the Prince’s attendant,” she remarked. “You certainly seem quite impressive, don’t you? Are you here to have fun?”
Thales waved his hand dismissively and tucked himself away in the corner, attempting to appear inconspicuous.
“No, no, no. I’m just...here to take a peek,” he said.
Lilian cast a swift appraisal at him, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “The Prince’s attendant, is it?” she inquired.
A knowing smile played on the woman’s lips. “So, Wya, does that imply that your duties involve... attending the Prince’s cock?”
A sudden, involuntary sound escaped Glover’s lips as he choked on his drink, spewing a mouthful of water all over the table.
Thales’ expression stiffened, his face frozen in a mask of rigid surprise.
After a sip...
Thales let out a forced, twisted smile, attempting to alleviate his own embarrassnt.
“Haha, ahaha,” he chuckled nervously, his eyes betraying a hint of unease.
“Ma’am, you certainly possess a unique sense of humour...” he managed to utter.
Lilian raised an eyebrow and gave Glover a sidelong glance. “So, Chubby brought you here for so... company, didn’t he?”
Glover’s expression wavered. Thales hastily waved his hand in protest. “N-no, that’s not it at all...”
Disregarding Thales’ response, Lilian sensually stroked her lip, her thoughts slipping out loud. “Hmmm, I doubt soone like him could handle the fiery spirits of Cosette and Olivia. They are insatiable little minxes, after all...”
A glimr of mischief danced in Lilian’s eyes as she locked her gaze on the young man. “But perhaps I could personally attend to your needs, hmm?” she proposed.
Thales found himself completely caught off guard.
A sudden, jarring impact resonated through the air...
“No!”
Glover, still with droplets of water on his face, reacted instinctively by forcefully striking the table with his hand.
“No!”
Trapped within the grip of Glover’s intense, agitated, and even sowhat nacing gaze, Thales felt his heart skip a beat. Yet he managed to summon a smile,
“You’ve misconstrued things, Miss Lilian... I, um, I truly didn’t co here with any intentions of...”[2]
Lilian caught on and felt a tinge of embarrassnt,
“Oh, I see now. You didn’t co here for the girls.”
Thales let out a relieved sigh and flashed an embarrassed smile in response.
“Yeah, that’s not...” he started to say.
But Lilian’s eyes darted, and she smiled anew.
“No worries, we have male companions as well!”
Thales’ smile stiffened.
“Whether you’re into beefy hunks or skinny boys, quirky middle-aged n, or even mature elder n...”[3]
Thales’ expression shifted once more, and he vehently shook his hands.
“No, no, no, I don’t want n either...”
“n aren’t your thing either?”
Lilian raised an eyebrow and gave him another once-over.
The main hostess of the club glanced outside and let out a weary sigh.
“Believe , young sir,” Lilian said, giving Thales a peculiar gaze, “Sissy is pretty and knows how to scratch a man’s itch, but they’re not an easy one to handle. If you get involved with them, you may not have a pleasant experience.”
‘Huh? Sissy?’
Thales was montarily taken aback but quickly grasped the situation.
“I-“ Thales blushed furiously, struggling to find the right words while avoiding direct reference to the nature of the establishnt, “I really didn’t co here to do... to do business with you!”
Glover, who had been looking increasingly uneasy, discreetly whispered a reminder to Lilian under his breath, “Lilian!”
A few seconds later, the hostess at the Laya Club chuckled, finding amusent in Thales’ embarrassnt.
“I know,” Lilian said, crossing her arms and swaying her upper body in a seductive curve, emanating an air of sophistication and worldliness. “I just wanted to ascertain whether you truly didn’t know what you were getting into or if you were simply easily embarrassed.”
Thales was once again stunned, gazing at her with a mixture of bewildernt and confusion.
“Now it appears,” Lilian remarked, giving him another appraising glance and shaking her head with a disapproving tut. “It’s both.”
She covered her mouth and let out a laugh.
“Haha, a little wet-eared indeed.”
Thales’ expression hardened.
He wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t there for that; really, he wasn’t...
However, Lilian’s playful teasing had co to an end, and her deanour turned icy.
“Now if you guys are quite done, get lost,” she said in a frosty tone.
Glover hesitated at her words.
“Lilian, I didn’t intend to...” he began, attempting to explain himself.
“That’s right! You didn’t intend to!” Lilian interrupted sharply, her tone revealing her uncompromising nature. “You said the sa thing last ti!”[4]
Glover’s voice faltered, instantly deflating his spirits.
Thales felt a lump form in his throat, his instinct urging him to retreat further into the corner, attempting to distance himself from this unfolding ‘lovers’ quarrel’.
However, Lilian was not finished. Anger and pain flickered in her eyes,
“But the burns, cuts, and scars on my body—the sha and marks—they haven’t faded!” she exclaid.
In a shocking and unapologetic move, this captivating yet fierce girl boldly lifted her flimsy top, exposing her exquisite upper body before the two of them. The sight left Thales and Glover so startled that they instinctively turned their heads and squeezed their eyes shut.
“Do you want to see? Look!” Lilian’s voice took on a slightly different tone, a mix of anguish and an insistent demand, as she locked her gaze onto Glover, who still refused to lift his head.
“Your achievents? Look at what you’ve given !”
Even though it was just a fleeting glimpse by chance, Thales had seen enough. Despite Lilian’s captivating beauty, her upper body, from neck to chest, from waist to abdon, bore nurous scars—a haunting sight that stirred a profound sense of anguish within him.
That unexpected revelation left him startled and filled with questions. ‘What kind of grievances and tangled history had accumulated between Glover and his beloved to result in such a peculiar and unsettling relationship?’
The room filled with the rustling sound of garnts being hastily donned, and the tension was palpable in the air.
“Open your eyes,” Lilian’s voice cut through the silence, icy and devoid of warmth.
“I’m all dressed up,” she sneered.
“I’m sorry, Lilian, I’m so sorry,” yet Glover remained with closed eyes, his voice trembling with anguish,
“I truly apolo-“
But Lilian interrupted him, her tone sharp and biting. “Oh, sorry? Offering apologies?” She spat out her words, laced with a potent mix of hatred and heartache.
“Whether before or after, that’s the only thing you’re capable of saying,” she continued, her voice carrying the weight of their complicated emotions.
Having finished dressing, Lilian let out a cold, bitter laugh and averted her gaze, resembling a lover who had long lost their passion.
“For fuck’s sake, every... single... ti.”
Glover’s complexion turned ashen, drained of all colour, as the weight of Lilian’s words crashed upon him. He staggered, his body trembling as if struck by a devastating blow.
Thales stood silently in the corner, afraid to utter a single word.
That wasn’t his battlefield.
A few seconds later, faced with Lilian’s heartlessness, Glover rose wearily,
“I... understand.”
He struggled to steady himself against the table, turned towards the door without even acknowledging Thales,
“I’ll... leave now.”
At that very mont.
“Wait!” Lilian’s voice rang out once again, cutting through the air with a cold and distant tone.
Glover’s body froze in place.
“Wait until your blood has dried,” Lilian’s gaze shifted to the bandages adorning Glover’s body, her expression a mix of complexity. “They’ll scare off the guests.”
Lilian’s footsteps echoed as she made her way towards the door.
Glover remained motionless, not daring to even turn his head to look at her, let alone speak.
“What are you staring at?” Lilian’s attention shifted to Thales, the silent observer in the corner. Her gaze sharpened, and she made a deliberate move to loosen her clothing, “My tits?”
Thales was startled and quickly lowered his head.
Lilian’s eyes lingered on him for a brief mont, and then she emitted a soft chuckle, laden with charm. With that, she gracefully walked out of the room, pushing the door open.
“Hmph, wet-eared.”[5]
The resounding click of the door closing filled the dimly lit room. Thales and Glover, finally alone, released simultaneous sighs of relief.
The forr found solace in leaning against the wall, while the latter slumped unsteadily into a chair. One lost in profound thoughts, the other resigned to the weight of the situation.
“Glover?” Thales cautiously ventured.
The weariness in Glover’s voice was palpable as he replied, “Yes, Wya—Your Highness?” He caught himself halfway through his response, realising there was no one else present and reverting to the respectful address.
A pause ensued, both of them lost in their own thoughts. It appeared that the lingering influence of Lilian had not yet dissipated.
In the end, Thales broke the silence with a sigh, “How is Kommodore faring?”
Glover snapped back to attention, his voice distant as he replied,
“Tinker moved him to another room. He needs so good rest—both mine and Young Master Karabeyan’s punches are challenging to withstand.”
A furrow ford on Thales’ brow, “So, Kohen, you recognised him?”
Glover nodded, his emotions still at a low ebb and his mind elsewhere,
“When we called off the fight.”
Once again, the two fell into silence.
Finally, unable to contain his thoughts any longer, Thales spoke up,
“Regarding what just happened...”
However, his words were abruptly cut short as the door swung open once more. Both Thales and Glover instinctively fell silent, their gazes averted from each other.
“Ah, that piss took forever, but damn, it felt good,” Tinker remarked with contentnt as he pulled up his pants and entered. His gaze swept over the room, taking note of Glover’s downcast mood while conveniently overlooking the presence of the shorter, sowhat cowering figure of young Thales in the corner.
“Hey, I saw Lilian leave,” Tinker settled himself in a seat in front of Glover, releasing a heavy sigh as he did so.
“You... you gotta understand her, Chubby,” Tinker said, using the nickna that made Glover shiver involuntarily.
“I get it,” Zombie’s voice snapped him out of his reverie, his gaze eting Tinker’s with a sense of gratitude and closeness. “Thanks, Tinker... brother.”
Tinker’s forehead creased.
He wanted to say sothing, but ultimately remained silent.
There was a mont of hesitation, and his hand extended as if to give Glover’s shoulder a reassuring pat, but he pulled back upon noticing the bandages that adorned Glover’s body.
“So,” Tinker’s expression beca complex, “did your boss lash you again, like last ti?”
Glover’s countenance grew gloomy, and he shook his head. “Not the sa.”
Tinker let out a soft grunt.
“Will you have the sa rotten luck as last ti? You know, being locked up for months—”
“No.”
Glover quickly shook his head, denying the possibility, and his gaze instinctively shifted towards the corner of the room. “I... got a new boss,” he explained quietly. “He... is sowhat reasonable.”
Thales, adopting an “I don’t know you” stance, swiftly lowered his head.
“Well, that’s good,” Tinker, seemingly unaware of the underlying dynamics, didn’t pay much attention to the subtle exchanges and released a long sigh. “During those days, Lilian was on the verge of losing her mind.”
At the ntion of her na, Glover reacted, trembling once again.
The two n sat in silent contemplation.
“I don’t understand.” After a few seconds, Glover, seemingly regaining so spirit, recalled sothing and grew indignant. “That outsider—the cop—”
Glover halted mid-sentence, glancing at Thales and adopting a more formal address. “I an the police officer.”
Tinker responded with nonchalance, shaking his head slightly. “Hmm?”
Glover withdrew his sceptical gaze.
“He’s not Lilian’s man?”
“No,” Tinker chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Lilian says he’s a good man, too good.”
“So good that he can’t be her man.”
Glover fell into a brief silence, grappling with the weight of those words.
“So, he’s not her man... Which ans you’re just cooperating with the cop?” he inquired.
Tinker responded with a derisive laugh, “Cooperating? That dim-witted cop? With that little bit of brain of his?”
Thales, standing nearby, arched an eyebrow, allowing himself a mont of silence for Kohen’s reputation.
“He actually believed we were cooperating with him—making him feel important so that he would provide us protection in return.”
Tinker sarcastically remarked, “Lilian has known him for a long ti. I must admit, sotis that guy can be quite handy.”
He glanced at Glover for a brief mont.
“Much better than relying on a certain enemy-infested noble bastard son to protect us, wouldn’t you say?”
As those words reached Glover’s ears, a montary pause seized him.
“I...” he began to speak, but anticipating his reaction, Tinker impatiently waved his hand, dismissing his response.
“Alright, I was just kidding,” A sigh escaped him as he gestured towards the door, beckoning Glover’s attention elsewhere.
“That cop, Kashenyan, or whatever his na is, arrived a few years ago as a wide-eyed rookie, much like the rest of those fresh-faced officers. Impulsive, stubborn, and brimming with lofty ideals of fairness and justice.”[6]
“After the ‘One Night War,’ he bounced around from the Black Street to the Underground Street, from the Red Street Market to Linhe Street, from the Brotherhood to the Iron Bat Organisation. He stirred up quite a commotion in the Lower City District and the Western District, unsettling the peace. Needless to say, he failed to garner much favour—whispers circulate even among the cops; there are many who don’t think highly of him.”[7]
Thales felt a flicker of curiosity, digesting Kohen’s activities over the years.
“Having exceptional skills and being tough is one thing; after all, we’ve encountered cops of that sort before,” Tinker remarked, crossing his arms with a hint of sarcasm tainting his voice.
“But what I’ve heard goes far beyond the ordinary,” he continued. “Rumour has it he even served on the Western Frontline. The gang’s top brass are wary of crossing paths with him. Otherwise, with his level of competence, how could he continue to strut about, making a spectacle of himself?”[8]
Glover’s gaze narrowed slightly.
“So, you’re saying he brought about change?”
“Change?” Tinker’s mouth twitched, as if he had stumbled upon an absurd joke. A silent scoff escaped him.
“I’ll admit, it was sowhat intriguing at first: ‘Oh, look, a cop in the Western District nest who has not only skills and connections but perhaps even a flicker of conscience.’”
At that point, Tinker’s disdainful laughter resounded like a bitter echo.
“But as ti went on,” he continued, “everyone, whether it be us or the Black Bands, gradually deciphered how to handle this imbecile. We greased the palms of his contacts, unearthed his principles, observed his predictable approach to law enforcent, and tailored our actions accordingly. We even cut off his enthusiasm from both ends. We hid the people he wanted to capture in advance while simultaneously bribing cops to release those he had already apprehended. We fed him false information, set him up, and made him suffer. And so, the years passed...”[9]
Tinker’s tone grew increasingly despondent, his mockery more deliberate.
“Reality has proven that he’s no different from the black-hearted cops of the past,” he declared, his tongue clicking in a gesture of disdain and shaking his head.
“At best, he’s a little more cheerful.”
In the depths of his heart, Thales let out a hidden sigh.
It beca apparent to him that Tinker, soone closely connected to both Glover and Lilian, seed to be associated with the Blood Bottle Gang.
If Glover’s claims were true—that he was once a beggar from the Blood Bottle Gang—their enduring acquaintance suddenly made sense.
Yet, Thales couldn’t help but find it peculiar: why did Tinker have such intricate sentints whenever Kohen was brought into conversation?
Glover lapsed into a brief silence, his irritation palpable in the way he huffed.
“A friend of mine put it quite bluntly: that man is utterly crazy.”[10]
“It would be wise to limit your interactions with him,” he cautioned.
Tinker erupted into laughter once more, but to their surprise, he shook his head this ti.
“It’s not about whether he’s crazy or not,” Tinker responded, followed by a soft sigh.
“The Red Street Market, the Black Street, the Underground Street, the grand bazaar, the sewers, and even the Star Plaza and the Renaissance Palace... Every brick, every wall, and every blade of grass in Eternal Star City has basked in the sun, been drenched in rain and snow for centuries.”
“They remain unchanged.”
“And they will remain so.”
Glover furrowed his brow, his gaze fixed on Tinker.
“It is as if an unseen force binds every facet of Eternal Star City, rendering it firm and unyielding,” Tinker mused.
“No matter how much wind, rain, sun, or snow it faces, it remains immovable.”[11]
At the sound of these words, Thales was seized by a sudden pause.
“And a man who clings solely to ideals and morality, be he the most erudite scholar, the mightiest warrior, or even the most exalted king in the realm—let alone a re silly cop …”
Tinker’s expression turned lancholy and resigned as he let out a hollow chuckle.
“Hmph, won’t make a difference. Can’t change a thing.”
Thales stood in a daze.
solely... ideals and morality...
can’t change a thing
“Just like the world we’re in, this accursed realm,” Tinker leaned heavily on the table, his spirits descending into gloom. “It will never change.”
“Never shall it waver.”
[1] Thales is being formal.
[2] From here on he started using the informal ‘you’ to refer to Lilian.
[3] ‘quirky middle-aged’, I don’t know how to translate this well but, in raws ‘中年怪叔叔’, 怪叔叔, an variant of 怪蜀黍, queer uncle, referring to a young to middle-aged male pedophile (Internet slang).
[4] ‘sharply’; 疾言厉色, harsh words and stern looks. ‘uncompromising’; 说一不二, to say one and an just that (idiom); to keep one’s word.
[5] I’m struggling to find a word with the sa weight as ‘noob’.
[6] ‘Kashenyan’; Ka-shén(什么)-yan that is Ka-sothing-yan.
[7] ‘caused quite a stir’; 鸡飞狗跳, lit. chickens flying and dogs jumping (idiom).
[8] ‘strut about’; 活蹦乱跳, to leap and frisk about (idiom); lively.
[9] ‘Black Bands’; Black Street Brotherhood ; 黑绸子, lit. Black Silks. ‘acted according to the situation’; 看人下菜, decide on the dishes according to the guest—treat a person according to his social standing.
[10] It was DD, “The nobles in the capital are spreading rumors… that this man… is crazy.” Chapter 512 in the official translation.
[11] 风吹雨打,lit. windswept and battered by rain; to undergo hardship (idiom). 日晒雨淋, fig. exposed to the elents; lit. exposed to sun and rain (idiom).
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