Rian felt that the rest of the day went well. He accompanied Ren Xiyang in the field; he accompanied Ren Xiyang back to their quarters to clean up before dinner; he accompanied Ren Xiyang to dinner; and he accompanied Ren Xiyang to bed. As he nuzzled Ren Xiyang to sleep, he felt content.
On the third day, there was another spell-writing theory class, followed by spell-writing practice and political science.
Ren Xiyang appeared to be writing notes. There weren’t class related.
After class, he and Rian checked on the greenhouse and field. Ren Xiyang used plant magic to speed the growth of some of the plants, helping the tiny seeds germinate and send up their first little leaves. Together, they put down more fertiliser and watered the plants.
Then, after giving Rian a look and bidding him farewell for now, he headed to the Rosewood house by himself.
Prince Pollux and Hadrian were waiting for him. They exchanged greetings, and Ren Xiyang and Prince Pollux went to Ren Xiyang’s office.
“No adverse effects from the last session?” Ren Xiyang asked.
“No. Here.” Prince Pollux handed over a small bag of gold coins.
Ren Xiyang put away the coins and took out a sheet of paper with a rough diagram of Prince Pollux’s lower body and several annotations on it. “Here, this is the plan. Keep it, it’s your copy.”
Pollux accepted it.
“I’ve talked with Prince Rian. First, I’ll start with the fractured spinal vertebrae, using this standard spell for healing bones. Next, we’ll re-grow the spinal cord through the newly healed vertebrae and follow the branching out nerves downwards. I’ll target the most important nerves first, and at the end of this stage, you should be able to walk again.”
Pollux’s heart skipped a beat. He restrained his emotions and nodded. “Understood.”
“You’ll likely need some physical rehabilitation and gradual practice, though, to retrain your body to walk,” Ren Xiyang said. “After that, I’ll go from top to bottom again, paying attention to the remaining nerves, and healing and strengthening muscles to help you walk. Aside from that, there are other minor areas, such as sexual function and scarring that I can work on approximately in parallel. Any questions?”
“I’ve thought of some candidates for reference,” Pollux said. “But I haven’t confirmed anyone yet.”
“There’s no rush,” Ren Xiyang said. “For today’s first step, it’s best if you lie down on your stomach.”
Ren Xiyang showed Pollux out of his office to a clean and empty guest bedroom nearby. Pollux’s manservant helped him onto the bed, while Ren Xiyang pulled up a chair.
First was healing the fractured vertebrate. Ren Xiyang had practised the relevant spell during magic practice class yesterday. Now, he placed his hand on Pollux back, over the affected vertebrate, and cast.
It only took a few minutes for the magic to work. New bone and blood vessels grew to fill in the fractures. Once Ren Xiyang sensed no more changes, he lifted his hand.
“Bones are fully healed. How do you feel?”
“I’m fine, you can continue.”
“Okay.”
Ren Xiyang’s eyes went distant as he focused on magical sensing. He compared the spinal cord nerves in his body, and then gently stimulated the regrowth of the spinal cord nerves in Prince Pollux’s lower back. The nerves that would reach down to the legs started near the injury, while the nerves that were involved in sexual function were located lower down in the spinal cord.
Ren Xiyang then moved onto the nerves in Pollux’s groin, which would be the first to re-connect fully. Once the modification limit was reached, he shifted his focus to the scarring on Pollux’s back and feet. Starting from the edges, Ren Xiyang nudged the scarred skin cells to die and be replaced by normal skin cells like those higher up on Pollux’s back, or on the unscarred parts of Pollux’s feet. The nerves there were also adjusted.
Pollux closed his eyes. He could feel Ayden’s magic slowly moving from one spot to another. A low level of nervousness bubbled in his stomach and made his chest flutter. Every so often, he’d realise he was tensing and would force himself to relax again.
He felt very vulnerable. But it was for an important reason, so he suppressed that feeling of weakness. Instead, he tried to focus on what was changing in his body.
Half an hour passed.
Ren Xiyang pulled his magic out and exhaled. “Alright, that’s today’s session done. Rest a bit—I’m sure it feels a little odd. And then dinner will be downstairs.”
“Call my servant in. I’ll be down soon.”
Ren Xiyang did so, and left the room, leaving Pollux with his manservant, Benedict.
“Your Highness,” Benedict said.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Pollux pushed himself onto his side.
“Lfiq wf yjmx lcab ws mtjlg.”
“Tfr, Tbeg Llutcfrr.”
Dfcfvlma kjr j cfk rfgnjca atja Cegfilj tjv obecv obg tlw jcv kjr wemt wbgf gfrqfmaoei atjc Ubiiez’r qgfnlber rfgnjcar. Lf ecvfgrabbv atja Ubiiez kjcafv ab vb jr wemt jr tf mbeiv ys tlwrfio, jcv reqqbgafv tlw bcis ktfc jrxfv.
Pollux suspected that Aurelia paid him a lot.
As Pollux settled back into his chair, he immediately noticed his lower back feeling different. There was a bit more sensation where his back pressed into the chair.
…In fact, he soon felt more sore than usual. He hadn’t predicted that restoring nerve function would also mean restoring some pain sensations. But it was different from the pain he usually felt. This was more real and more manageable.
What Ayden was doing was really working.
“Anything else, Your Highness?”
“Let’s go downstairs.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Benedict opened the door.
While His Highness Prince Pollux and Earl Ayden Rosewood went off, Hadrian went to the drawing room next to the dining room to wait. He chatted a bit with Kel, and then took out a new book to read.
He was curious about what Prince Pollux and Ayden were talking about, but he knew better than to ask. Prince Pollux wasn’t as bad as he had initially feared, but he wasn’t as close to Prince Pollux as Ayden was with Prince Rian.
“Hey,” came a voice from the door.
“Ayden,” Hadrian greeted, his eyes brightening. With relief, he inserted a bookmark and closed his book.
“What were you reading?” Ayden asked, sitting down across from him.
Hadrian smiled sheepishly. “His Highness Prince Pollux showed me the library at the Angio embassy. I picked up this book on historical trade relations…it was the slimmest book available.”
“And how is your research going? We can meet tomorrow or on Friday,” Ayden said. “Or if you have any immediate problems, we can talk now.”
“I—er, Friday?” Hadrian said, flustered. He had to prepare; he couldn’t gather his thoughts on the spot like that!
“And how have you been finding the capital?”
“His Highness Prince Pollux has kindly allowed me to accompany him to have a look around the city. I hadn’t realised there were so many Angio nationals living in the capital. We were even able to find some Angio restaurants…”
They didn’t chat for long before Prince Pollux came down for dinner.
Hadrian blinked. Prince Pollux seemed to be in higher spirits than usual. Perhaps he was about to make a lot of money?
In the dining room next door, Solicitor Carmine, Kel, and Maria were already seated. Once Hadrian, Ayden and Prince Pollux took their place at the table, the head chef in the Rosewood house emerged.
“My Lord, tonight we have made roast duck with thin pancakes and toppings,” the chef said. As he spoke, kitchen staff emerged with food trolleys with plates of golden roasted duck, thin pancakes, sliced cucumber, spring onions, and a brown sauce. “Please enjoy.”
Hadrian looked at the thin pancakes and expected that they’ll be making tonight’s dinner.
But instead, the kitchen staff carved the duck, rolled the pancakes, and placed the finished product on their plate for them.
“We can roll them ourselves—” Ayden started.
“No, we’ll prepare them for you,” the chef said sternly.
“Alright,” Ayden said.
“We do things differently here in the Capital,” the chef said.
“I understand…” Ayden said.
Kel and Maria didn’t hide their amusement.
“My Lord, eat,” Kel urged.
Once Ayden and Prince Pollux started first, Hadrian took a bite. It was delicious, as always.
Ren Xiyang returned to the Academy, carrying a box of snacks that the head chef at the Rosewood house had given him.
Rian was seated at his desk. He didn’t look up as Ren Xiyang came in. “So, you’ve returned.”
“I’m back, dear,” Ren Xiyang said. He put the box of snacks on the coffee table and headed into his room to shower.
Rian, who had been waiting for Ren Xiyang to come over for a kiss: “…”
The sound of Ren Xiyang’s shower felt like a taunt. But no, he would resist and he wouldn’t join in!
Presently, Ren Xiyang reemerged and sat down at his desk, opposite Rian’s. “Tomorrow, I have the Imperial Council Meeting, so I won’t be attending classes.”
“Understood,” Rian said. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you about what you missed.”
“Thanks.”
Ran decided to act detached like Ren Xiyang.
Ren Xiyang decided to let Rian mope a little.
Both of them buried their heads and worked.
Sometime later, Ren Xiyang stood up. “I’m going to bed.”
“Go ahead,” Rian said, continuing to write.
A few minutes later, Rian’s head snapped up. Wait a minute, Ren Xiyang had gone into Rian’s bedroom! Rian abruptly stood, closed his books and strode into his bedroom too.
Rian woke up the next day feeling much better. He wrapped his arms around Ren Xiyang and squeezed, not letting Ren Xiyang leave just yet.
Ren Xiyang slowly peeled off Rian’s arms. “Why don’t we have breakfast delivered here?”
Rian brightened. “Good idea.”
Gary delivered their breakfast and quickly left.
That morning, they enjoyed a quiet breakfast together. Then, Rian put on his scholarly outfit and Ren Xiyang his Councillor robes. With a light parting kiss, Ren Xiyang headed off to the Parliament.
This was Ren Xiyang’s first Imperial Council gathering since before he went to Angio. He greeted Baltasar Cordovan and sat down next to him.
“Hello, it’s been a while,” Baltasar said.
“Yeah. Lunch together afterwards?”
Baltasar agreed.
The room quietened once Prime Minister Duke Mauveine called for the start of the gathering. Deputy Prime Minister Marchioness Cloud kept the gathering on schedule and to the agenda. Under her direction, the councillor nobles debated, and occasionally held votes.
“…Next on the agenda, Earl Rosewood, if you please,” Marchioness Cloud said.
Ren Xiyang stood up. “I, Earl Rosewood, greet the Prime Minister and the Imperial Council. Today, I’ll first like to notify the Council of the recently modified laws and new initiatives starting in the Rosewood fief.” Reading from his notebook, he listed everything out.
“Thank you, Earl Rosewood. Is there anything else?” Marchioness Cloud asked.
“Yes. I would like to propose to fellow members of the Imperial Council to consider opening public schools in their fiefs.”
Marchioness Cloud’s eyes swept the room as several councillors raised their hands. “Baron Carmine, you’re first. Speak.”
Baron Carmine stood up. “Respectfully, Earl Rosewood, you have great ideals, but have forgotten practicalities. How do you expect us to fund these public schools? Will you provide us the funds?”
“We can reach a co-funding agreement,” Ren Xiyang said. “For example, those students can come to visit the Rosewood fief and work with me for a while.”
Baron Carmine’s expression cracked. Wouldn’t that speed up the depopulation that was happening in his fief? “That is all.” He sat down again.
“Baron Lavender, speak.”
“With all due respect, the farmers are busy working the fields. What use is reading a book? They can’t eat them,” Baron Lavender said. “However, we welcome Prince Rian’s initiative to improve their farming skills.”
“In the past, the Sapphire fief has trialled a public school,” Countess Sapphire said. “Unfortunately, commoners could not learn no matter how much they were taught. They were rowdy and destroyed the books given to them. It is against their nature. Mage commoners are one of the few exceptions. If the schooling is free, the commoners won’t cherish it.”
“I agree with Countess Sapphire,” Earl Coral said. “Poor commoners do not have the mental capacity for reading and writing. As Baron Lavender mentioned, it is more useful to teach them to farm properly.”
Duke Schauss stood up. “I commend Earl Rosewood’s idea. The Schauss fief has a public school, which allows us to train several talented workers.”
Nearby nobles suppressed their snort. Duke Schauss’s public school costed a lot of money and was attended by rich merchant families—it was completely different from Earl Rosewood’s schools.
Baltasar glanced at Ayden as various councillors stated their position. Ayden looked like he was calmly taking names for ‘future reference’.
Ren Xiyang: *blinks innocently*
Thank you to Coffeezombie, ale, Trin, esreadsbooks, and felis for the support!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Thanks to Xevi for the name “Ben”, which I gave to Benedict, nicknamed Ben 😆 (not that Pollux is as casual as to use ‘Ben’)
I guess if you have other character name ideas, please give them to me. Names are one of my weaknesses…
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the name carol came to mind somehow, though i have no idea if any other characters still need a name for now
Thanks for the name! There are a lot of students and teachers, so surely someone will be in need of a name 🤣🤣🤣
Can’t remember if you already used these names but I thought of the names Beaufort, Brook, Gabriel, and Alexander.
Ren Xiyang: just you wait, all your citizens will defect to my fief 🙂
Thank you for the names!
HAHAHAH, and the Rosewood fief’s population increases once more…
Ayden being overpowered by his capital staff is so funny to me. Like he is forced to be served.
And what is with those nobles? So stuck up
Great job!
Even Ren Xiyang knows when to back down, those capital staff are scary!
Some people are indeed stuck up. Thank you for reading!
I highkey doubt that they spent a lot of effort trying to teach them
Rosewood people can learn just fine so
Yeah, exactly! Sooo many Rosewood staff have already been taught to read and write, let alone all the new students…
little book full of names to fight later, i wager. i know not all nobles would be decent but blech that classism was disgusting
well, Ren Xiyang may only bother fighting if he wins gold from it 🤣🤣🤣
When did Baltasar Cordovan get so friendly with Ren Xiyang? Did I miss something? 🤔
Also Rian shouldn’t play the waiting out game, he’ll always lose. Ren Xiyang is just naturally less ardent and clingy. It doesn’t mean he cares less.
Thank you for the chapter.
“When did Baltasar get so friendly with Ren Xiyang?” — sounds like something Rian would say 🤣🤣🤣🤣
The two of them got friendly because their fiefs are next door, and they travel together to the Capital sometimes 🤣🤣
Indeed, Ren Xiyang expresses his feelings differently.
OMG, Rian would totally say that! 🤣
Hadrian musing that his relationship with Pollux isn’t as close as that between Ayden and Rian—almost choked on my water. No, Hadrian. Nope. The Guards who are always hovering make me think of Winking, Blinking and No-Didn’t-See-Anything …
🤭🤭🤭
Those Guards have seen a lot u_u