Chapter 158

The cold wave triggered a series of events, causing widespread and drastic temperature drops in various places along its path, and even some extreme weather events.

For example, heavy snow, strong winds, and frost.

These disasters have a severe impact on people's lives.

Two days ago, it snowed heavily again starting this morning, and the snow that hadn't melted yet has thickened again...

The excess colors seemed to have been wiped away, leaving only a vast expanse of white.

The streets inside the city were even more deserted.

Not to mention the mountains and forests outside the city, which seemed to have become a forbidden zone, isolated from the world and deserted.

Par Mountain

Cyrus braved the snow to check on the planting area.

He had already taken precautions to keep the area warm—setting up a greenhouse, laying out thin cloths, and implementing temperature control measures...

Each plant needs to be checked daily to ensure it thrives in this environment.

Moreover, these measures to protect plants during winter have been widely publicized and disseminated through the Thorn Merchant Guild and the guild halls within the territory.

After all, agriculture is the sector most vulnerable to cold wave disasters.

Food is extremely important to the people.

Today, a problem arose in the plantation area. The servant managing the plantation area dared not make a decision on his own, so he reported the problem to Judas, the castle's head steward.

[Honestly, I've been using this app to follow my favorite books lately. It has multiple reading sources, various voice options, and works on both Android Apple.]

Judas then reported to Cyrus.

So, for some reason, Cyrus decided to come in person.

Now that the problem was solved, Judas lifted the thick curtain hanging over the greenhouse, opened an umbrella to shield himself from the snowflakes, and waited for Cyrus to come out. "Lord."

Cyrus wore an earmuff hat and a thick, fluffy cloak, even tucking her hands inside a cotton hand warmer. Despite this, she still couldn't resist the cold trying to seep into her body.

The distance between the planting area and the castle is quite far, but before it snows, there are special horse-drawn carriages to transport the produce, so there's no need to walk.

But after it snowed, the carriage wheels sank deep into the snow and could not move forward.

Therefore, the disasters brought by cold waves not only severely affect agriculture, but also transportation, maritime and river navigation, etc.

Cyrus was wearing cotton boots, and although the soles were thickened with cowhide, after walking in the snow for a while, even though the boots were very warm, they became icy cold and lost all warmth.

He felt like he was losing feeling in his toes.

Cyrus sniffed, her nose also turning icy cold. She buried her mouth and chin in the raised fur collar of her cloak and mumbled, "Judas, next time I come out, I'll definitely bring Eggy and a board, um... and a rope too..."

Judas looked puzzled. He understood bringing Eggy, but what were the board and rope for?

Although puzzled, the earnest head steward nodded and said, "Yes, lord, I'll prepare in advance next time we go out."

Cyrus:... There's no need to be so serious. He was just joking.

Eggy is such a mischievous boy; I bet after pulling the sled he was dragged into the snowdrift, and then he excitedly jumped in with him...

Thinking about it, it really is possible. Cyrus sighed wearily.

The sound of snowflakes fluttering down on the umbrella, accompanied by the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow, made Cyrus slightly distracted. The distance from the planting area to the castle was neither long nor short, and he quickly finished walking it after his thoughts had all drifted away.

"My lord, the person standing there looks like... His Majesty the Emperor."

Judas hesitated slightly, but the sound of her voice brought Cyrus back to her senses, and she stopped in her tracks.

He looked in the direction Judas had indicated— Par Lake, frozen and covered in snow, possessed a unique and stunning beauty, quiet, vast, like a tranquil painting.

At this moment, a tall, slender figure stood beside the painting.

He had no umbrella, only a black fur cloak. Snowflakes fell thick and fast, covering his shoulders. It was unclear how long he had been standing there.

Judas looked more closely and confirmed that the person standing by Par Lake was indeed the Emperor.

He said, "My lord, should we go...?"

The emperor didn't seem to be wearing much clothing, and he just stood by the lake, doing who knows what... Was he admiring the scenery?

Just then, seemingly sensing the movement behind him, the Emperor turned around, his golden eyes meeting Cyrus's sweet, caramel-like eyes, and he smiled.

Cyrus said, "Judas, go to the servants' quarters behind the umbrella and give me this umbrella. You all go back to the castle first."

"Yes, lord." Judas took a pair of gloves from his pocket and handed them over.

Cyrus took the umbrella but didn't put it on. She stretched her fair hands out from inside her thermal cotton blouse, first stuffing the gloves into the pocket inside her cloak, then took the umbrella and walked towards Par Lake.

Judas glanced at him, slightly worried about the lord holding the umbrella alone, but ultimately obeyed orders and led the servants behind him away first. Before long, they all entered the castle.

At that moment, Cyrus had already arrived beside Segalot. She frowned, noticing that His Majesty was not wearing a hat, nor gloves.

Her fair face and hands, set against the backdrop of snow and ice, resembled carvings of white jade, translucent yet icy cold.

Cyrus admitted he felt a little sorry for her, and he raised the cotton cover with one hand, saying, "Put it in."

Segalot slipped a hand inside; the cotton cover was breathable. The two people and their hands met inside, and then the cool fingertips gently touched the warm fingers.

But Cyrus immediately pulled the hand out from under the cotton cover. Holding the umbrella in one hand, he took out the glove that Judas had given him earlier from under the cloak and handed it to him.

"Here, put it on."

Segalot didn't speak, obediently following orders. After putting gloves on both hands, he took the umbrella from Cyrus and said softly, "I still scared you. You've been avoiding me these past two days."

Cyrus wanted to say that she wasn't scared at all...

No, I was still scared.

However, this kind of "frightened" is not the same as what the emperor understood.

He wasn't frightened by this kind of love that defied societal norms and common sense—the idea that "same-sex love is a sin"—but rather by the person who had revealed their feelings to him.

This person, ironically, is the one who convicts and punishes all those who advocate "homosexuality as a crime."

Cyrus always had a sense of uncertainty.

Before he could sort out his thoughts, he naturally had to avoid the Emperor, but it had only been a short time since he'd gone there.

Only two days.

"Your Majesty, didn't you say there was no rush, that you could wait..."

Segalot smiled gently, "I'm waiting for your answer, but I don't want you to hide from me. Stay where I can see you, and I won't force you."

Are you forcing me by not staying where you can see me?

With her hands free, Cyrus put them back into her cotton quilt, buried her chin in the fluffy collar, and didn't want to talk anymore.

He was like a cat huddled in its den, watching from the sidelines. Even with dried fish and cat food laid out outside, he only sniffed and then remained motionless.

Although there were plenty of external temptations, he couldn't be completely sure that there was danger.

Segalot, however, wanted to lure him out of the nest.

Wearing gloves, he placed his right hand behind Cyrus Zuoyi, brushing away the snowflakes blown by the wind, and said, "I'll wait for your answer, but I'll only accept the answer I want to hear."

This isn't him forcing me; he's giving a definitive answer.

Cyrus: "You are guilty."

Segalot's voice, seemingly entangled in the falling snowflakes, drifted on the wind into Cyrus's ears. "Yes, I am guilty, for I have fallen in love with a rose surrounded by thorns."

This rose is beautiful and vibrant, though thorns sway at its base. Rooted in the hard soil, it defies wind and rain...

Cyrus's ears turned red, hidden inside her hat.

He hadn't expected the Emperor to be so blunt. "Your Majesty, as the Emperor, shouldn't you set an example..."

Before she could finish speaking, everything suddenly went black before Cyrus Zuoyi's eyes.

--It was the Emperor who pulled down the brim of his hat.

"What are you doing...?"

Before he could finish speaking, his words were abruptly cut off.

Segalot leaned in and kissed Cyrus's soft yet cool lips with a kiss as light as a feather. His golden eyes were deep and unfathomable, yet seemed to burn with brilliant flames.

The spark is buried deep inside, ready to ignite at the slightest touch.

"Do you hate it?"

Segalot's voice seemed to scatter around him, Cyrus heard it clearly, but he felt that the three words fell on his ears and mind like snowflakes—melting in an instant, leaving no trace.

He couldn't answer.

Do you hate it?

Of course I don't dislike it.

But how is he supposed to say it?

The black umbrella, tilted to shield them from the wind and snow, obscured their figures. Snowflakes, gathered on its surface, fell silently to the ground...

Under the umbrella, Segalot held Cyrus tightly around the waist. The person in front of him seemed startled by his sudden action, or perhaps afraid. His lips were pursed, and he didn't utter a single word.

His hands were bound inside cotton covers, and because the two were pressed tightly together, he couldn't pull them out. His eyes were covered by the brim of his hat, so his expression was unreadable.

Segalot felt a string in his heart being plucked hard. He didn't know what his expression looked like, but he was glad that the person in front of him couldn't see it.

Otherwise, what if they get scared away...?

After scaring her away, he would probably stop at nothing to chase her back, pluck that rose, and imprison it forever in his heart.

The dangerous thought was fleeting.

Segalot softened his voice. "If you don't mind, can we continue?"

He leaned in and kissed her again, a fleeting touch.

Cyrus pursed her lips and moved them slightly, as if she wanted to say something. She looked at Segalot, her eyes darkening, and her gaze swept over him...

"Hmm."

Segalot grunted, but a hint of a smile flickered in his golden eyes. He left, a cut on his lip leaving a noticeable mark.

Cyrus ground her fangs and opened her mouth, saying, "Do you hate it?"

"Want to take a bite?" Segalot replied.

Cyrus: "..."

Come on, if you dare!