Inside the inn
They had already spent half a day in the Endless Indulgence Kingdom. After Ivy Shen and her group wandered around the marketplace, what struck them as odd was that, despite their obviously unusual identities, nobody gave them any strange looks.
Later, the innkeeper explained that the king had issued a decree: anyone from outside who managed to enter the Endless Indulgence Kingdom must be treated kindly, because it's fate!
Hearing this, Ivy Shen honestly didn’t know whether to call the king compassionate or just... what? I mean, who can guarantee that a random stranger coming in is always well-intentioned?!
"Young Master, everything here is so magical! Even this inn is magical!" Aiden Chen chirped away, making a fuss.
Seeing this, Ivy Shen frowned slightly and said, "Aiden, zip it. Mind your manners!"
"Got it, got it," Aiden quickly waved his hand, but those curious eyes were still darting all over the place.
Seeing this, Ivy Shen couldn’t be bothered to keep nagging him, so she picked up some food and handed it to Eli Crane.
"Don’t blame Aiden, Xin’er. It’s our first time leaving the valley, so we’re curious about everything!" Eli Crane said, a bit embarrassed.
"It’s fine," Ivy Shen hurried to reassure him. "Let’s finish eating and then go for a walk. I need to figure out the layout here and see how we might get into the palace!"
"News, news, breaking news!" Suddenly, a man dressed in ethnic-style clothes burst in. "Everyone, go look! The crown prince wants roast duck, and the queen has decreed a competition—whoever wins can cook roast duck for the prince and will get enough jewels to last a lifetime!"
The man's loud announcement got everyone's blood pumping. In the next second, people dropped their bowls and rushed outside—news like this was a once-in-a-century event! After all, the castle’s security was so tight, not even a mosquito could get in most days!
Hearing this, Ivy Shen’s smile grew wide. "Heaven is totally helping us out!"
"Huh?" Eli Crane frowned, confused.
"Eat first—afterwards, I’ll take you to watch the fun!" Ivy Shen grinned mysteriously and urged them to eat. This was exactly one of those ‘searched high and low, only to find it by pure luck’ moments. As long as she got into the palace, she’d definitely find a way to get the blood she needed. As for happiness? Eh, she’d improvise when the time came!
**** Scene Break ****
"I want duck! I want duck!" Caleb Miles pouted and angrily shoved the dozen or so ducks in front of him off the table and onto the floor.
"Your Highness..." Charlie Qiao called out softly.
"Caleb..." Yvonne Yun watched her son with aching concern, not knowing what to do. "Be good, Caleb, aren’t any of these ducks to your liking?" She stepped forward, but as soon as she did, Caleb immediately stepped back, his eyes full of wariness.
"Caleb..." Yvonne Yun’s hand trembled as she looked at him.
"These are no good! I want the best! I want roast duck, roast duck, roast duck..." Caleb stood up and kept repeating himself, his irritation plain on his face.
"Be good, Caleb. Mother has already ordered a competition to find the best roast duck chef in the Endless Indulgence Kingdom to cook for you," Yvonne Yun hurried to reassure him. Dressed in her regal finery, she still seemed utterly helpless before her beloved son.
But now, her son didn’t remember anything. Was she right to agree to have his memories sealed?
"Ugh, so annoying! So boring!" Caleb stuck out his foot and angrily kicked a broken plate across the floor, then stormed out, shaking his sleeves.
Seeing this, Charlie Qiao quickly bowed to Yvonne Yun. "Your Majesty, I’ll go after the prince!"
"Mm," Yvonne Yun nodded quickly.
"Caleb..." Yvonne Yun called softly, helpless. What could she do to make him happy again?
"Your Highness, where are you going? You haven’t eaten yet!" Charlie Qiao hurried after Caleb Miles, asking anxiously.
"I told you, I’m not the prince! I want duck!" Having lost all his memories, Caleb acted just like a child, stubbornly refusing to cooperate with everyone.
"Your Highness, the queen has already sent for the best duck chef, but it’ll take time! You haven’t eaten in days. Can’t we just eat something for now and wait for the chef? Maybe have a little more once he arrives?" Charlie Qiao coaxed him gently, as if speaking to a child.
"No, no! I just want duck! I won’t eat anything else, not eating, not eating!" Caleb Miles shouted several times in a row, furious. He hated them all!
"Your Highness..."
"I want to go out and play!" Suddenly, Caleb Miles turned around, tilting his head as he asked.
"You can’t! It’s dangerous out there," Charlie Qiao quickly objected. Right now, the prince’s mind was like a child’s—if he got lost, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough to pay for it!
"Ugh, so boring!" Caleb Miles squatted down, picked up a fallen branch, and started doodling circles on the ground out of sheer boredom.
Seeing this, Charlie Qiao could only shake his head helplessly. He really didn’t know how to handle the prince these days.
"Hey, let’s go fly kites on the rooftop!" Suddenly, Caleb Miles stood up and said with a smile.
"Uh..."
"Yay, kite flying, kite flying!" Not giving Charlie Qiao a chance to object, Caleb Miles bounced away, hopping and skipping ahead.
"Your Highness, Your Highness..." Charlie Qiao hurried after him.
Below the castle
"Xin’er, are you really going?" By now, a crowd of chefs had gathered. Ivy Shen said she wanted to join, which made Eli Crane a bit worried—could she really do it? He honestly didn’t want her to take any risks.
"Trust me, okay?" Ivy Shen patted his hand and started walking toward the crowd.
"Xin’er!" Suddenly, Eli Crane grabbed her hand tightly. "Don’t go. I’m fine, really. As long as I’m with you, nothing else matters to me." All along, he’d heard that the castle and palace were heavily guarded and dangerous inside. He didn’t want her to take the risk.
Seeing this, Ivy Shen crouched down in front of him and smiled up at his worried eyes. "I’ve said before, I love every one of my husbands, and I’ll do whatever I can for them. If it were you instead of them, I’d do the same. Trust me, I can handle it." Then she stood up and looked at Aiden Chen. "Take good care of him!"
"Mm!" For once, Aiden Chen didn’t chatter—he just nodded hard. He knew it was dangerous inside, but... selfishly, he still hoped she’d go. If she succeeded, their young master might have a chance to survive...
"Stand ready, everyone line up and follow me in! We’ll be roasting ducks in the palace’s grand square. Is everything prepared?" Only the duck chefs were allowed inside.
"All set!" The hundred duck chefs shouted back. For them, this was the chance of a lifetime—to get rich, maybe even become a royal chef. Even if not, just being praised by the prince for their roast duck would guarantee a booming business. Some might even become legendary, with a shop that lasted a hundred years!
With a loud boom, the giant castle gates were pulled open, and the hundred chefs filed in one by one.
Once the chefs were inside, the guards slammed the heavy gates shut again, keeping the curious crowd outside. Even though they couldn’t watch the contest, people still filled the square—mostly the chefs’ families, all hoping for good news, and a few bored onlookers eager to see which chef would win.
"Hey, brother, why are so many people gathered here?" Suddenly, a puzzled voice rang in Eli Crane’s ear.
Turning his head, Eli Crane looked up at the questioner. "They’re waiting for the results. A hundred chefs have gone in to compete at making roast duck. Apparently, the prince wants to eat!" This was the first time he’d spoken to a stranger—despite being out for days, he’d never said a word to anyone but Ivy Shen and Aiden Chen. But today, for some reason, he answered this man’s question.
"A roast duck contest? You have one here too? Hmph, no matter how good it is, it can’t beat Beijing roast duck!" Butterfly Hua said, pursing his lips.
"Beijing roast duck?" Eli Crane repeated the words, a little confused.
Hearing this, Butterfly Hua smiled at Eli Crane. "Let me tell you, my wife makes Beijing roast duck, and it's delicious—nobody else could ever learn how to do it! Next time you’re in Rui City, I’ll treat you!" He patted his chest proudly, as if he owned the duck shop himself.
"Thank you!"
"Don’t mention it! We’re all brothers under the same sky. By the way, are you waiting for someone?"
"Mm!" When Eli Crane answered, his face lit up with happiness he couldn’t hide.
Seeing this, Butterfly Hua laughed. "Ah, waiting for your beloved?"
Eli Crane nodded again.
"So lucky!" Butterfly Hua smacked his lips in envy, then took a deep breath and said, "I wish your beloved victory! I’ve got something to do, so I’ll head off now. See you around!"
"You’re leaving?" Eli Crane asked, feeling an odd sense of kinship with him.
"Yeah, I have to find someone. This Liuyu Kingdom is really huge—I’d better hurry!" With that, he nodded and dashed off toward the inns. Someone had suddenly gone missing, and he had to find him, no matter what!
*****
PS: Fourteen thousand characters updated today! Yiyi is working herself to the bone—please support with red envelopes, diamonds, magic pens, flowers, coffee, throw them all my way, haha~