A Cowardly Madman

Shi Sheng suddenly felt the White Phoenix in his arms move.

He looked up in delight and met those familiar golden eyes.

[Elaine!]

The White Phoenix lowered its gaze to look at Shi Sheng.

Shi Sheng met his eyes nervously, unsure whether Elaine still had his own consciousness at this moment.

Then he felt something gently touch his forehead.

Shi Sheng was so flustered that he did not know what to do.

One moment, he instinctively made sign language gestures; the next, he searched everywhere for his voice device.

The White Phoenix's golden eyes held the gentle look that only appeared when Elaine looked at Shi Sheng. He lowered his neck and gently stopped the Omega's panic.

Shi Sheng froze for a moment, then cautiously touched the White Phoenix's feathers.

He suddenly did not know what to do.

Elaine seemed to want to shelter Shi Sheng beneath his wings, but when he raised one, he remembered the heavy chains wrapped around it.

Shi Sheng hurriedly tried to undo them, but to prevent Elaine's aggression, the institute's chains were thick and heavy, layered over and over. He had no idea where they began.

Shi Sheng stood there in frustration. When he turned around, he saw that Elaine had been watching him the whole time.

[What should I do... Why, why can't I speak?]

Shi Sheng's eyes gradually reddened.

A soft, gentle itch brushed against his neck. Elaine had touched him tenderly again.

Shi Sheng steadied his emotions and slowly began signing.

"Can Elaine understand now too?"

Elaine nodded.

Shi Sheng finally smiled and hurriedly made a string of gestures, until a hint of helplessness appeared in Elaine's eyes.

Only then did he remember that Elaine was merely a beginner at sign language too.

Shi Sheng smiled sheepishly and slowed down.

He slowly "told" Elaine many things: Yumian's plans, Izel's concern for Yumian.

"And also, I..."

Shi Sheng's hands paused before moving even more slowly and solemnly.

"I'm not afraid of what Elaine looks like now."

"It's okay. I'll wait for Elaine to recover. I'll keep waiting, no matter how long it takes."

Afraid Elaine would not understand, he picked up his voice device and repeated it.

Then he added one more sentence.

"Elaine, don't be afraid."

When Lindsay came in to remind him of the time, that was the last sentence he heard.

He paused, watching Shi Sheng put down the voice device before reaching out to hug the White Phoenix again.

The Omega curled up beside the White Phoenix, like a human leaning against a beautiful divine bird.

Lindsay did not interrupt him immediately.

Shi Sheng was the first Omega who had not shown fear or disgust toward Carlos.

He could even accept this version of Elaine with such calmness and sincerity.

Lindsay could not help thinking that perhaps Shi Sheng was completely unlike the Carlos family—a child raised in a peaceful, loving environment.

That was why he still possessed such innocence and kindness.

Inside the imperial palace, moonlight cast everything in cold, solemn clarity.

After seeing the old Emperor, Ning Zhao had returned and remained lying in his chaise lounge. The pain in his wrist had already turned to numbness.

He lay motionless as moonlight and darkness fought to tear at his body.

A soft click came from the floor-to-ceiling window not far away, followed by a gust of wind pouring in.

Ning Zhao could not even be bothered to look up and see which bold assassin had broken into the Crown Prince's bedroom.

Not until a familiar voice sounded in surprise. "Not a single guard?"

Ning Zhao opened his eyes just in time to see a sleek, powerful black panther shift into human form.

He slowly sat up but did not stand. He merely raised his head.

"If you came to meet Noah in secret, his room is on the other side of the corridor."

Izel rolled his neck after returning to human form, his tone as lazy as ever. "Of course I came to Your Highness's room to see Your Highness."

Ning Zhao blinked. "Through the window?"

As if deliberately, he slowly looked Izel over from head to toe. "And you aren't afraid I'll see you shift forms."

"Anyway, it's a secret the royal family and the Carlos family both know, isn't it?" Izel leaned against the wall. "And let me correct your wording. That isn't called shifting forms. I'm not some monster from an ancient legend."

Ning Zhao sounded tired. "Fine. Then what are you here for? Izel, our relationship does not seem close enough for me to accept you climbing through my window into my room."

Izel's voice was casual. "Of course, of course—Your Highness is so perfect and upright, unlike me, who is used to climbing through Omegas' windows."

Ning Zhao choked, genuinely unsure how to respond.

Ever since he had criticized Izel's promiscuity to his face, the other man had apparently taken it as a point of pride.

Ning Zhao's thoughts were not as sharp as usual. When Izel approached, he could only belatedly hide his right hand behind his back.

Fortunately, Izel did not notice. The Alpha merely moved a little closer.

With one standing and one sitting, Izel now looked down at Ning Zhao.

"Does Your Highness remember that you owe me a reward?"

Ning Zhao paused before sluggishly recalling something.

At the royal hunting tournament held a year ago, Izel had defeated him.

They had made a wager before the competition, but Izel had not cared for any of the rewards Ning Zhao offered, so the debt had remained unpaid until now.

Ning Zhao had actually thought Izel had long forgotten about it.

After all, this was an Alpha who would not linger over any memory.

Yet he said, "Of course. What could be important enough to make you come all the way here in the middle of the night?"

Ning Zhao had a premonition.

What did he still possess that Izel might covet? Was it not only the Omega Izel had always cared about?

Ning Zhao adjusted his posture, putting on his practiced smile.

Just as he was about to speak, Izel beat him to it.

"It isn't terribly important, but it should be effortless for Your Highness. I assume the royal family is not eager to marry into the Carlos family either."

Ning Zhao paused and looked up at Izel.

The Alpha's face was slightly blurred beneath the moonlight. "Then please remove Yumian from the candidates for Crown Princess."

It took Ning Zhao a while to react. "I thought that if it concerned Yumian, you would ask me to make him Crown Princess instead."

Then he realized something, and the tip of his tongue went slightly numb. "Oh, for Noah's sake, you can go this far. Izel, you truly are..."

But he did not know what to say after that.

Praising and mocking Izel at the same time had always been what he did most naturally.

Yet he could not say a word. Only the pain of his nails digging deep into his palm kept him clear-headed.

But Izel keenly noticed something. He suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Ning Zhao's hand.

His movements had always been swift. Ning Zhao had no time to react at all.

Under the moonlight, the faint smell of blood was especially obvious to Izel.

"What are you doing?" Izel looked at Ning Zhao's bleeding palm in confusion, then abruptly noticed that even more was wrong.

He gave Ning Zhao no time to react, yanking up the expensive sleeve of the Crown Prince's shirt and exposing a wrist far too slender for an Alpha.

But that was no longer the important part.

Under the moonlight, Ning Zhao's wrist was covered in scars.

There were even fresh cuts.

Shock flashed through Izel's eyes. "What happened?"

Ning Zhao's lips were pale, and an oddly inappropriate question flashed through his mind.

He even voiced it at an equally inappropriate time. "Izel, so you can make that expression too."

Izel's brows drew together slightly. "You need to call someone to treat those wounds, Your Highness."

Ning Zhao ignored him, and there was even laughter in his voice. "Every Omega in the capital says you are affectionate yet heartless. It seems that really is true."

Izel had already expertly concealed his initial shock, but his mood remained poor.

"That should have nothing to do with you, Your Highness."

"Then what does this have to do with you?" Ning Zhao put some force into it and pulled his hand free from Izel's grasp.

He smoothly pulled down his sleeve. "It's nothing more than the useless venting of a cowardly madman. Are you so surprised?"

A complicated expression appeared on Izel's handsome face.

Ning Zhao asked Izel, "Do you remember what you said to me at last year's hunting tournament?"

Without waiting for an answer, he slowly continued, "You said you wanted to shatter my perfect mask."

Ning Zhao smiled faintly and stood to face Izel.

Once he stood, the two of them were very close. If Ning Zhao lifted his head, his lips would nearly brush against Izel's jaw.

"Look, isn't the opportunity right here?" His voice was soft, carrying a trace of mockery. "Izel, now you can see it."

"The Empire never had a perfect Crown Prince. Me? I'm just a—madman."

Izel frowned again, but this time, he lowered his eyes to meet Ning Zhao's.

He stared until Ning Zhao could barely keep the smile on his face.

When two Alphas stood this close, their mutually repelling pheromones would usually make them both uncomfortable.

Yet neither Izel nor Ning Zhao reacted.

Izel did not step back. He only asked, "Have you seen a psychiatrist?"

Ning Zhao froze. "What?"

"Apparently not." Izel's gaze made Ning Zhao's throat tighten. "His Majesty does not know either?"

Ning Zhao finally regained his composure and gave a soft laugh. "Does that matter? What does it have to do with you?"

"Perhaps the Crown Prince's health concerns every citizen of the Empire." Izel spread his hands.

Ning Zhao said, "How rare."

In the end, Ning Zhao was the first to retreat. He sat back down in the chaise lounge, putting distance between himself and Izel.

"What if I say I insist on being a madman? What will you do?"

Izel said nothing.

Ning Zhao stared somewhere for a while before suddenly beckoning to Izel.

"Izel, let's make a deal."

Izel remained where he was.

"I promise you, Yumian will never marry into the royal family—not to me, nor to any other terrible Alpha."

"And you—"

"As the price, I want you to stay by my side."

Elaine had regained consciousness, and Shi Sheng was in a very good mood.

He happily said goodbye to Lindsay and returned to the Carlos family home.

Neither Yumian nor Izel was anywhere to be found, but that was just as well. It made it easier for Shi Sheng to do what he wanted.

After dinner, the butler Merico asked, "Would you like some desserts sent to your room?"

Shi Sheng hurriedly refused and asked Merico not to come by, nor let anyone else come.

He rushed back to his bedroom and pulled up an interface from his wristband.

Countless message windows instantly appeared before him, filled with densely packed information.

Information on Noah.

Shi Sheng did not rush to read it. Instead, he saved everything in his private space.

Then he sent a message to the person who had sent him the information.

[Brother, I need to find out the truth behind the massacre of their family.]