Chapter 42

"We are friends, right?" Luo En asked softly, "At least, that's what I think."

Andre looked up, a flash of complex emotion in his eyes: "Of course, I think so too."

"Then, if there is anything bothering you, you might as well say it." Luo En's tone was calm and sincere:

"I dare not say I can definitely help you with anything, but at least I can listen. Sometimes, after saying some very bad things, it can make people feel much more relaxed."

Andre sighed again. He put down the teacup and clasped his hands together, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"I don't know where to start..." He finally spoke, his voice carrying a trace of rare fragility: "This matter... is too complicated."

Luo En waited patiently without urging. He knew that at such a moment, the best way to comfort was to give the other party enough time.

"Do you remember when we were chatting last month, you mentioned Cui Xi, and my reaction was a bit unusual?" Andre finally spoke again.

Luo En nodded: "I did notice it, but it was inconvenient to ask at the time."

This kind of reaction was not once or twice. Whenever the girl who counterattacked from a hunter's daughter to an intermediate apprentice was mentioned, Andre's emotions would always fluctuate.

"As for Cui Xi, I saw her once at the herb shop more than half a month ago." He continued calmly, maintaining an appropriate sense of distance: "She looks very busy."

"Yeah, as a disciple of Lady Ke Lin Na, her status is not low now."

Andre's tone carried a trace of indescribable emotion, his mouth pursed into a straight line:

"Do you remember when we first gathered in the Black Mist Jungle? At that time, she was still very..."

His voice got lower and lower, a flash of nostalgia and bitterness in his eyes.

Luo En did not answer, just listened silently.

He had a premonition that the other party might be about to say some hidden thoughts.

"I once..." Andre hesitated, his fingers subconsciously rubbing the buttons on his lapel:

"I once wanted to approach her, wanted to pursue her. At that time, I hadn't been in the Black Mist Jungle for long and still held some silly ideas from the kingdom."

Luo En raised his eyebrows: "You pursued Cui Xi? Seriously?"

"Don't look at me with that expression." Andre rolled his eyes: "Anyway, I am the Thirteenth Prince of the Royal Family. You know how many noble ladies sent autumn waves to me when I was in the Royal Capital."

"And then? Rejected?" Luo En asked straight to the point.

"Of course I was rejected." Andre smiled self-deprecatingly:

"The wording was quite direct—'I came here to change my fate, not to relive the miserable life of the past. You pampered royal nobles should stop provoking me'."

"Tsk tsk, this blow is ruthless enough." Luo En couldn't help laughing out loud: "So you were heartbroken and recognized reality from then on?"

Andre punched Luo En in the chest hard; he knew his attack didn't hurt the other party at all:

"Have you laughed enough? That's right, it was only then that I truly recognized the rules of this world—no matter where you are, the weak only deserve to look up to the strong. Here, no one cares which prince you are; they only look at how strong you are."

"But this is actually just a small part of the problem..." He continued, his voice getting lower and lower:

"In fact, those guys who sent me to the Black Mist Jungle never hoped that I would become a qualified wizard apprentice."

Luo En raised his eyebrows, waiting for him to continue.

"The Royal Family had long since given up on my spiritual power aptitude."

Andre revealed a bitter smile: "They sent me here with the real purpose of using the rich extraordinary resources here to cultivate my knight aptitude."

"Knight aptitude?" Luo En was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, my talent in knight cultivation is far better than spiritual power."

Andre explained: "The Royal Family's plan is to let me become a guard knight for their key investment object, and by the way, break through to become a formal knight here."

His voice suddenly became unusually painful: "And that so-called 'key investment object' is Cui Xi, whom I initially wanted to approach."

Luo En finally understood part of this complex relationship, but he felt that Andre's pain seemed to have deeper reasons.

"Cui Xi rejected you, which makes you feel embarrassed, I can understand." Luo En said softly: "But this doesn't seem enough to explain your current state."

"Because things have gotten worse!" Andre almost roared this sentence:

"My plan to please Cui Xi failed, and now they are starting to demand that I follow another female apprentice—Xin Xi Ya."

This name made Luo En frown slightly: "Sorry, I don't seem to have heard you mention this person before."

"She came to the Black Mist Jungle ten years ago." The blond young man's expression became like a dry field that hadn't rained for months:

"She is already a high-level apprentice now, although she only just promoted not long ago."

His fingers were clenched tightly, almost pinching into his flesh: "Xin Xi Ya... her reputation is extremely poor. She always plays with her slaves in her spare time, especially those handsome young men."

The blond young man's face was unusually painful; he put his fingers together and made a drilling rotation gesture:

"This crazy woman likes some very... special ways of playing, such as using thorn ball grass to drill into the sensitive parts of those men... It is said that she 'consumes' one slave on average every year."

Hearing this, Luo En was somewhat stunned, and a phantom pain faintly came from below. He began to understand the source of Andre's pain.

The Royal Family actually demanded that he serve such a person, which is almost equivalent to sending him out as a male pet, and the most lowly kind at that.

"Does the Royal Family know about these?" Luo En asked cautiously.

"Of course they know." A flash of anger and despair in Andre's eyes:

"But they don't care. In their eyes, being able to exchange for the support of a high-level apprentice, what is a mere Thirteenth Prince who is not favored?"

His voice was almost choked: "Luo En, I don't know what to do. I have always hoped to get rid of this fate through my own efforts, but..."

"But your progress is not fast enough." Luo En took over the conversation: "And my breakthrough gave you a glimmer of hope."

Andre nodded, complex light flashing in his eyes:

"I originally hoped to form a more solid alliance with you, but even if you become an entry-level apprentice, your influence and strength are far from enough to confront a high-level apprentice."

"So you have been hesitating whether to tell me these."

Luo En suddenly realized, "Because you are not sure if I can help, and you are not sure if I am willing to take the risk to offend a high-level apprentice for this."

Andre nodded powerlessly: "I know this is very selfish, but I really don't know what to do."

(End of chapter)