When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 456: A Splendid Idea?

Chapter 456: A Splendid Idea?

Flashback to the night before, a few hours after the guard relayed Noir’s sudden request to the King.

"Your Highness," a guard knocked on his door, delivering the message in a respectful tone, "Your presence is required in the dining hall by His Majesty."

Noir, who had managed to doze off while Lucius was running all over the town in search of Gu Luoxin, sat up in bed and ran a hand through his tousled hair, further disheveling the curls. "Alright."

With the help of the servants, he changed into another cumbersome attire and made his way to the dining hall, where the one-eyed King was already waiting for him. As he prepared to offer a formal greeting, the King waved his hand dismissively, "Save the formalities. There’s no one else but you and me here, so let’s speak comfortably. Sit down, my son."

Nodding, Noir took his seat across from the King at the other end of the long table. Shortly after, maids entered to serve dinner, and the King promptly dismissed them. "Leave us alone."

"Yes, Your Majesty." With a deep respectful bow, the maids withdrew, leaving Noir and the King alone in the spacious dining hall.

For a while, only the clinking of utensils broke the silence as Noir and the King began to eat. Noir’s keen eyes scanned the sumptuous spread before him— smoked salmon with dill sauce, spit-roasted pheasant with wild mushroom stuffing, cream of asparagus soup, and there were also honey oat bread and buttered peas with mint for side dishes.

All of them looked particularly appetizing, the kind where commoners could only dream to eat. But because Noir had no appetite, he merely focused on the roasted pheasant in front of him and ignored everything else. Had Gu Luoxin seen this scene, he would have cried enough to drench the entire floor.

"Is the food to your liking?" The King inquired. "Or would you prefer something else?"

"No, this is enough," Noir replied. "The heat of today’s sun must be getting to me, dampening my appetite."

The King expressed his concern and urged Noir to summon the physician if he was feeling unwell, to which the latter responded with a curt nod. "You have to take good care of your health," the King admonished. "The royal ball will be held in three days. We can’t have you collapsing at such an important event, can we?"

Finally, they broached the main topic.

Without a second delay, Noir brought up the matter which he was certain was the reason why the King summoned him to dine together. "I’m sure you’ve heard of my additional stipulation," he remarked.

The King paused for a moment, setting down his utensils and dabbing his mouth with a napkin. "... That’s correct," he started. "I actually wanted to discuss this with you. What has come over you to make such a request? You know that our family has a bad history with mice. And what did I hear from your guard? You’ve been quite taken... by a mouse?" A strange gleam flashed in the King’s lone eye as he scrutinized his son.

Although Noir did not show anything on the outside, he was honestly quite surprised inside.

They had a bad history with mice? Sounded like there was an interesting history behind this. Alas, judging from the King’s words, Noir should have been aware of that. If he were to probe for more information, the King would become suspicious of him and it didn’t close off the possibility that he would be deemed as OOC.

Now, how should he answer this?

After a prolonged silence, Noir finally let out a mild ’oh’. Raising his eyelids, he shot the King with a similar measuring gaze. "A bad history? I thought we’re already past that, Father. As a Prince and the future King of this nation, naturally I—" he abruptly halted mid-sentence.

It was because Lucius had successfully found Gu Luoxin.

...Hmm, cuter than he expected.

A faint twitch touched the corner of Noir’s lips, prompting the King to inquire, his brows furrowed. "What is it?"

Suppressing the curve on the corner of his lips, Noir picked up his spoon and dug into his soup. He continued his unfinished sentence, "As a Prince and the future King of the nation, naturally I have to be fair and impartial towards all, regardless of their status and species. Just because we have a bad history with mice doesn’t mean we have to discriminate against them, don’t you agree, Father?" With that, he brought the spoon to his lips and stretched out his tongue to give it a tentative lick.

The timing coincided with the first lick Lucius gave Gu Luoxin.

Not that any of them would ever know about this.

The King’s face darkened visibly, clearly displeased with Noir’s stance. "I don’t care about you being impartial to all, but not the mice..." he hissed fiercely. "Definitely not them! They’re the filthiest and lowest animals that only deserve to live in foul garbage!"

At the same time, Noir received the shocking revelation relayed to him by Lucius and he couldn’t help but study the person in front of him in a new light.

This... was supposed to be the deceased Queen?

Hearsay the King and Queen’s love story was one that was worshiped through ages, with the glass slipper serving as a symbol of their eternal devotion. So how did she end up transforming her husband into a mouse while assuming his throne? And how did the symbol of their love and loyalty become the cursed item?

Sounds like a marriage drama, Noir sighed inwardly, already feeling exhausted.

Now he understood why this person became so sensitive as soon as this matter was brought up; it was because her husband was still somewhere out there, surviving as a small animal. She must be afraid that the additional stipulation would lead him back here. The question was— why?

Tapping his fingers on the table, Noir spoke up, "I understand."

Just as the King’s expression showed relief and pride, he added with a slight tilt of his head, "Then how about this? Since we hold them in such disdain, let’s just... purge them all."

Under the King’s startled gaze, a small grin tugged on the corner of Noir’s lips, casting his emerald eyes in a sly and wicked light. "A town without mice. We can finally be free of the dirtiest and lowest creatures you spoke of. Isn’t that quite a splendid idea... Father?"