Chapter 74: A State of Sobriety part 1
The Money Turtle was the first to sense that something was wrong. He opened his eyes, and when he saw the scene before him, he froze in shock.
He lunged forward and slapped a hand over the Second Prince’s eyes, his expression shifting drastically. Good grief, the Second Prince isn’t about to transform right here, is he?
The news that the Second Prince was a shifter was not public knowledge. If he transformed right now, at this critical juncture, it would expose the Royal Family’s biggest secret on the spot.
Ning Yunyi was standing not far away, holding a glass of wine. He keenly sensed a fluctuation of mental power coming from the Second Prince’s direction and looked over. Seeing the Money Turtle’s bizarre behavior, he realized something was amiss. He set down his wine and strode toward them.
Ning Yunyi moved quickly, reaching them in just a few steps and positioning himself to completely block the Money Turtle and the Second Prince from view. “What’s going on?”
The Money Turtle was equally bewildered. He lowered his voice to explain, “I don’t know! I was about to have a drink, and the Second Prince took a sneak sip while I wasn’t looking. Then he started acting weird—his face turned terrifyingly red, and his eyes changed color. I—is he about to turn into a merman? But hasn’t his injury recovered?”
Transforming at this moment would truly be treating everyone present like family.
Ning Yunyi simply pressed his palm against the Second Prince’s shoulder. Under the guise of casual conversation, he funneled his healing energy into the Prince. Soon, the unstable, fluctuating mental power around the Prince was suppressed.
Almost simultaneously, the Second Prince, whose face and eyes had been covered by the Money Turtle, suddenly reached out and gripped Ning Yunyi’s wrist. The icy touch of the Prince’s hand formed a sharp contrast with the heat radiating from his body.
With his other hand, he unexpectedly pulled the Money Turtle’s hand away from his face and looked up.
The Second Prince was seated, while Ning Yunyi stood in front of the two to shield them. Because Ning Yunyi was focused on the treatment, his head was lowered. As the Second Prince looked up, their gazes met. Ning Yunyi stared into those deep, grayish-blue pupils; they were clear and calm. As the Prince took in Ning Yunyi’s features from such a close distance, Ning Yunyi clearly saw a flicker of something in the depths of those eyes.
Ning Yunyi frowned as he studied the Prince. He quickly realized that the Prince wasn’t about to transform into a merman—he had… regained his sanity?
“You…” Ning Yunyi took a step back and looked again. His suspicion was confirmed; the Second Prince had truly recovered his mental faculties. His current expression and demeanor were entirely different from the simple-minded Prince who previously cared for nothing but eating salted plum candies.
Ning Yunyi withdrew his hand, feeling a sense of relief. It was good that he had recovered. At the very least, once he returned to the palace, he could look after himself and provide some care for his cousin, Little Lyman.
The Money Turtle also realized what had happened. He poked his head over and exclaimed in delight, “Is he better? Not a simpleton anymore? This is amazing! What kind of wine is this? If I’d known it was this powerful, I would’ve let him drink it sooner.”
Excited, the Money Turtle reached for the wine glass to finish it off; he was dying of curiosity.
However, the Second Prince raised a hand to stop him. His voice had lost its simple, naive tone, replaced by a deep, cool, and composed resonance. “I’ve already drunk from this glass. You may pour yourself another.”
The Money Turtle had spent so much time with the Prince that he was already quite familiar with him. He hadn’t yet grasped the difference between the “silly” Prince and the man standing before him. He waved a hand dismissively. “Hehe, I don’t mind.”
He felt his long struggle was finally over. Now that the Prince was sane and could look after himself, could the Turtle stay by his Master’s side? Boundless luxury was within reach—so much delicious food! Was this something a turtle could have dreamed of before?
The Second Prince didn’t speak; he simply stared at the Money Turtle. Clearly, it wasn’t a matter of whether the Turtle minded or not—he simply didn’t want the Turtle touching something he had used.
The Money Turtle processed this, his mood becoming complex. Good grief, the Second Prince is sane now, but did he turn into a clean-freak demon? Not even this? It’s not like I’m asking him to drink it.
But the Turtle was an easy-going fellow. He’d just pour another glass. He withdrew his hand happily and rubbed his palms together, looking at Ning Yunyi. “Shall I pour another?”
Ning Yunyi nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll talk to him about what comes next.”
The Money Turtle’s eyes lit up. So I really get to stay? Without hesitation, he turned and scurried toward the half-finished bottle of wine, pouring himself a full glass. Hehe, I even got an extra sip out of the deal.
Ning Yunyi and the Second Prince stood and sat respectively, separated by two steps. Ning Yunyi looked down at the Prince, while the Prince looked up at this “Master” whom he previously only knew by voice.
The memories of his simple-minded state felt like fragments of a strange dream in his mind, yet those fragments were also the moments of tenderness he had felt while at his most pained and forgetful.
There had been no fratricide, no struggle or pain from his adoptive mother, and no guilt-ridden father who loved him yet ignored him for fear of the Crown Prince’s wrath. His last clear memory was the fatal blow dealt to him by the Crown Prince—the brother he had believed was his kin in all but blood.
The pain and disappointment of the past had led him to give up and close himself off. But looking at the “Master” standing calmly before him, his lips curled into a smile. He mimicked the tone from his memories and spoke.
“Master.”
That single word made Ning Yunyi swallow whatever he was about to say. “??”
Is there something wrong with this guy? He clearly had his memories back. What normal Prince was this eager to call someone “Master”?
Ning Yunyi took a moment to organize his thoughts. “The Second Prince has recovered, then? You should remember everything from before your accident, right?” He hoped the guy wasn’t just “not stupid” while simultaneously forgetting his status as a Prince.
The Second Prince nodded. “I remember. I remember it all. I am grateful to Master for taking me in during this time. These have been the happiest and most carefree days of my life.”
Ning Yunyi frowned. “Second Prince, since you remember, there is no need to continue using that form of address. That was merely a title of necessity used to keep you from wandering off or speaking out of turn when I took you in.”
Hearing him say “Master” with such a serious tone… it felt very odd.
However, the Second Prince shook his head. “A Master for a day, a Master for a lifetime. Furthermore, my life was saved by Master. I cannot fail to repay such a debt simply because of my status.”
Ning Yunyi finally understood. Is the Second Prince trying to ‘leech’ off me? He laughed in exasperation. “Is this how you treat your savior—pestering me because you want to live at my house and freeload? If that’s all, it isn’t necessary. I’ll be opening many restaurants in the future. If the Second Prince wants to eat, he can go there himself.”
The Second Prince picked up on Ning Yunyi’s dislike for the title and changed his address quite smoothly. “Did Second Young Master Ning see through me? I truly am grateful, and not just for the food. If it makes you unhappy, I won’t call you that anymore.”
Ning Yunyi’s expression softened slightly. In his view, being hounded was never a good thing. Moreover, this man was currently the Emperor’s only reliable son. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to save himself into a heap of trouble.
Zong Hao also noticed the anomaly and walked over. Initially, he had only seen Ning Yunyi’s front, not the Second Prince. As he drew closer and heard the Prince’s last sentence—that normal, composed tone—he realized the Prince had suddenly recovered.
Zong Hao stepped forward to stand side-by-side with Ning Yunyi. Looking down, he saw that the Second Prince indeed looked like a normal person. “Perfect timing. His Majesty was delayed because the Empress suddenly fell ill again. He was originally coming to take the Second Prince back to the palace. Second Prince, you should go see His Majesty. He will be very pleased to see you have recovered.”
Recommended Reads
