Chapter 29: You cannot demand that she be your maid, lover

Night like ink quietly enveloped the sky, with only a few scattered stars and a full moon hanging high.

At the village entrance of Guolancun.

After bidding farewell to the villagers, Xia Mingyu brought Anliya and Boge here.

Lord Hughes and his entourage had already been waiting here.

“Your Highness.” Kallen bowed slightly.

Sir Solin and the guards all bowed deeply.

When their lord is present, his servants and attendants must never kneel to others unless their lord kneels first.

“Please step into the carriage,” Kallen said, standing before the luxurious vehicle draped in purple velvet curtains.

He gave a single glance, and a guard immediately knelt down on the left side of the carriage’s front compartment as a step.

“I can climb in myself.”

Xia Mingyu was unused to stepping onto someone’s back to board, so he climbed in from the other side of the front compartment.

He then gestured to Anliya and Boge, and both followed him, climbing in from the same side.

Because Anliya was only about one meter sixty tall, Xia Mingyu had to help pull her up.

Once all three were inside the carriage, Kallen took his seat in the front compartment—the driver’s position—and grasped the reins tied to the two black stallions.

“Your Highness, the night is dark and the road uneven. I have night vision. If you do not mind, allow me to drive you—I guarantee not a single jolt.” Kallen said calmly.

Upon hearing this, everyone except Xia Mingyu—including Anliya and Boge—stared at Kallen in shock and disbelief.

A nobleman, and lord of Black Wolf Domain, doing the work of a coachman—even for a passenger of the highest rank—was simply unthinkable.

“Lord Viscount, thank you for your kindness. I truly dislike jolts. You may drive.”

After a moment of silence, Xia Mingyu spoke.

Before Kallen could answer, he continued:

“Boge, get down and chat with Sir Solin. I recall you said his swordplay is excellent.”

“Yes, my lord.” Boge leapt from the carriage without hesitation, and Sir Solin pulled him up onto his horse; the two rode together.

Seeing this, Kallen’s expression remained unchanged, but a flicker of admiration rose within him.

This prince truly leaves no detail unattended—no wonder he is the heir to a superpower of one billion four hundred million people.

Though he himself had offered, driving in front of so many servants and confidants must still have stung.

After all, the carriage held more than just this prince—there was even that hunter-servant in his coarse linen clothes.

Xia Mingyu’s move accepted his offer while preserving his dignity—brilliant.

Is this what they call vision?

Kallen resolved to learn a little of this himself.

As for the maid—within noble circles, a maid is not considered a person, only an object.

Isn’t it reasonable to place an object inside a carriage?

“Set off!”

With everything arranged, Kallen raised his hand and swung the whip with pride.

Like a fisherman rushing home with a giant catch, he could hardly wait to bring the “gold mountain” on board back to his castle to show his wife and daughter.

Crack! Crack!

With two muffled neighs, the carriage moved forward, the convoy racing toward the full moon ahead.

“What will the future hold?”

Inside the carriage, Xia Mingyu leaned back on the soft sofa, lifting the curtain to gaze at the dense forest flashing by outside and the bright moon hanging high above, thinking quietly.

In this fantasy world where eternal gods and creators exist, what end would he ultimately meet?

Life or death?

Mediocrity or glory?

A trace of melancholy flickered in Xia Mingyu’s eyes—he felt like a tiny boat adrift on a vast ocean, surrounded by violent storms, unsure when the tempest would end or whether the dark shape ahead was an island or a whirlpool.

At that moment, a soft small hand gently clasped his. He turned his head in confusion.

“Forgive me, Master—I touched your body without permission,” Anliya whispered.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a thin veil over the girl’s pale blue dress.

The moonlight pierced the fabric, outlining her slender waist, her golden hair cascading like a waterfall over her snow-white shoulders, her clear blue eyes—like lake water—quietly reflecting his image.

For no reason, Xia Mingyu’s mood suddenly lifted.

He now understood why so many on Blue Star openly declared themselves beauty addicts—when the world is so cruel, one must have something beautiful to endure it.

“I permit you to touch.” Xia Mingyu said calmly.

Hmph, a bottom-feeder. His lips curled slightly.

“Master, my adoptive father often suffers from headaches. To ease his pain, I taught myself a little head massage technique. If you don’t mind, may I massage your head for a while?”

Anliya said softly, her delicate face showing a hint of pleading.

“Agreed.”

The girl sat on the other end of the sofa, slightly lifting her dress to reveal her plump, snow-white thighs, then patted the cushion, signaling him to lie down.

Xia Mingyu: “...”

He fell silent—he hadn’t expected this kind of lying-down position.

Anliya was probably only seventeen or eighteen—wasn’t taking advantage of a young girl like this inappropriate?

Xia Mingyu wrestled with moral hesitation.

“If you don’t wish to, then forget it. After all, I’m just your insignificant, expendable maid—I’m not worthy of serving you.”

Seeing his hesitation, Anliya sighed softly, her voice tinged with a sense of grievance.

Xia Mingyu: “??? ”

He walked over silently and collapsed onto the cushion, eliciting a soft cry from the girl.

To hell with it—even if God, Buddha, and Confucius all appeared now, he was lying down.

Feeling the extreme softness against his face and the faint, sweet fragrance in his nose, Xia Mingyu closed his eyes and thought quietly.

After her brief cry, Anliya began her movements.

Her slender, nimble fingers brushed his temples like a spring breeze, pressing gently, tenderly, meticulously.

“Master, if it hurts, say so,” Anliya leaned close to his ear and whispered.

The man with closed eyes nodded, then shook his head.

Her technique was impossibly gentle, her fingertips slightly cool—how could this be painful? It was pure comfort.

Xia Mingyu felt as if he were cradled in his mother’s arms.

No—his mother never treated him this well.

A person, at least, cannot demand that a girl be his servant, mother, lover, plaything...

As Xia Mingyu drifted into idle thoughts, drowsiness crept over him, and he sank slowly into a warm slumber.

Lord Hughes was right—there was truly not a single jolt.

(End of Chapter)