Chapter 11

In the city of Moiyi, where the climate remains springlike throughout the year, the diligent early risers among the citizens witness a spectacle almost every morning. After spending the night resting in Butterfly Valley, thousands upon thousands of colorful butterflies emerge, carried by the fragrant morning breeze, and flutter gracefully through every corner of the city, dancing on the perfumed air.

This is a unique and famous sight in Moiyi, a must-see for nearly every traveler who visits. Yet, even the breathtaking beauty of butterflies swirling outside the window cannot compare to the shock that someone feels within at this very moment.

Inside a lavish single room belonging to Yasa—

Apart from the gentle creak of the wooden window as the cool morning wind, heavy with sweet floral scents, blows against it, the room is so quiet that Lin Yu can clearly hear the pounding of a heart—thud, thud, thud.

But the heartbeat is obviously not his own.

“………………”

He must have opened his eyes the wrong way!

Lin Yu blinked in disbelief; he was still in bed. He blinked again—before him remained the handsome man wearing a silver mask. Then, blinking rapidly and frantically, he found that his own position, nestled in the man’s arms, had not changed in the slightest!

“…Good morning.”

The man’s emerald eyes half-closed, a barely perceptible smile flickering across his face, as his voice, deep and low, greeted the person in his arms whose incessant blinking threatened to cramp.

“I think I must be hallucinating from not being fully awake! All right, handsome, don’t say or ask anything right now—let me go back to sleep!”

Lin Yu muttered as he prepared to flop back down, apparently oblivious to the oddity of his octopus-like embrace of the man.

After a moment, the man let out a muffled sound from his throat, a questioning “Mm.”

“Your hand…”

Hand?!!

Lin Yu, eyes squeezed shut and body tense, tried desperately to make sense of the situation. Yet, almost instinctively, before he could fully process the words, his hand slid down, feeling the warm, smooth skin beneath, and—his hand, still tucked inside the man’s loose black shirt, seemed to touch…something…something!!

Wtf!!!

Hughes turned his head, glancing sideways at the golden-haired man in his arms, whose hair seemed electrified and whose lashes quivered against tightly closed eyes.

In an innocent, calm tone, Hughes whispered in Lin Yu’s ear, “You touched…”

“T-t-touched what?! I didn’t touch anything!!”

Lin Yu’s face flushed red, eyes wide with panic, as he scrambled out of the man’s arms, scooting backwards while vigorously rubbing his hand on the blanket, indignantly demanding, “…Why are you in my room?!”

“Why?” Hughes repeated unhurriedly, lifting his hand from the rose-embroidered pillow to pick at a knot of golden hair entwined between them, his movements careful. After a moment, he explained patiently, “Someone’s terrible sleeping habits—when I came to check the rooms last night, I was grabbed and not allowed to leave.”

His tone was mild, showing no sign of deceit.

Lin Yu, now perched at the edge of the bed, glanced skeptically at the man’s black robe, which had been pulled open to reveal an expanse of pale chest, paired with Hughes’ indifferent expression.

After a moment’s awkward silence, Lin Yu mumbled, clearly lacking confidence, “…Couldn’t you just tear off a sleeve and hand it to me?”

Hughes let go of the loosened hair knot, casting a mildly amused glance at Lin Yu’s disheveled figure, and retorted, “So, you’d prefer me to…cut off a sleeve for you?”

Lin Yu: “………………”

I don’t think we can ever play together with pure thoughts and happy moods again!!!

Half an hour later.

In the bustling front hall, the air was thick with lingering steam, and every table was laden with an assortment of sweet breakfast treats, making mouths water.

“Master Qi, are you feeling unwell? Why is your face so red?”

Ess, the little elf, scratched his golden hair, staring intently at Lin Yu, whose face was flushed (…from embarrassment), and asked with concern.

“Uh, I…I’m a bit hot,” Lin Yu replied awkwardly, turning his head.

“Then…then I’ll go to the kitchen and fetch some ice. Just wait, young master…” Ess, clueless about the situation, immediately responded and scampered off toward the kitchen.

In the awkward, quiet atmosphere that followed, Lin Yu, having regained a bit of composure, noticed—where was that enchanting seductress? Hadn’t come down yet!

He withdrew his wandering gaze, pretended to calmly sip from a small porcelain cup, savoring the fragrant spring wine, while his eyes lingered on the man beside him, who ate with elegant movements.

No matter how tempting the dishes on the table were, Hughes seemed deep in thought ever since he returned to his room that morning.

After a while—

“Is something wrong?”

Lin Yu quietly withdrew his hand from Hughes’s black sleeve and asked, embarrassed, “Hughes, all the guests are talking about ‘last night, screams, monsters.’ Did something happen? I…I don’t recall hearing anything. I remember falling asleep as soon as I got back to my room, but…maybe not?”

A deep furrow appeared between Lin Yu’s brows as he tried to recall, but all he could remember was falling asleep right after returning to his room…no, that wasn’t right. He vaguely remembered hearing ethereal music from outside the window, then nothing. It felt as though he’d forgotten something important! Was it just his imagination?!

“There was indeed a monster attack last night. Someone was abducted…”

Lin Yu’s attention sharpened at Hughes’s words. “Are you sure…a monster?”

Watching Lin Yu’s troubled expression, Hughes’s emerald eyes flashed with understanding. As expected…he remembered nothing from last night?

“Mm. Ivan investigated—it was indeed a rare type of monster.” Hughes tapped the wooden table, his gaze drifting to the next table where Ivan, his efficient elf subordinate, wolfed down food with no regard for appearances.

“…So, the person abducted by the monster last night was a citizen of Moiyi?” Lin Yu frowned, resting his chin in his hand as he asked.

“Not exactly,” Hughes replied calmly. “The abducted one was Somuel, the youngest son of the wealthy human merchant Soazi, here on business for his father and temporarily residing in the city.”

Sensing a hidden meaning, Lin Yu raised an eyebrow and speculated, “…If a living person went missing in Moiyi, surely the human merchant Soazi would join forces with the city lord to investigate, right?”

At this, Hughes’s lips curled into a rare smile, his eyes growing more alluring. Yet his low voice held a trace of mockery: “Join forces? Perhaps…they might break apart instead.”

“…Break apart?” Lin Yu stared in confusion at Hughes.

After a pause, Hughes lowered his eyes and mused, “Perhaps it’s a case of ‘when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits.’”

Lin Yu: “…Huh?”

Damn it!

Does being handsome give you the right to play word games and riddles?!

Don’t you know how to speak plainly?!

Swallowing his questions, Lin Yu quietly asked, “By the way, why haven’t I seen that flamboyant seductress today?”

“Seductress?” Hughes repeated with a smile.

“Uh…that’s…Yinfei,” Lin Yu replied, his confidence waning.

“Him? Probably off hunting ‘beauty,’” Hughes said, eyes narrowing with obvious amusement.

Though he knew this ‘beauty’ was not what it seemed, it was certain to leave anyone stunned cold.