Atlas Battle Song

After the trial, the emperor summoned Kaloyalo alone and asked him why he was reckless in saving the boy.

Kaloyalo was very relaxed during the private meeting with his old friend, so he directly explained the reason:

"Because we are friends. And...that kid is so good-looking, who doesn't like handsome men? His father is also good-looking."

"You are really..." the empress sighed distressedly, "Sometimes I think it might be a mistake for me to bring you to the court."

"Ha, I'm fine!" Mr. Kaloyalo laughed.

"But I still don't like that child, he is too much like his mother." The empress said.

"Trust me, Turna, Yi Ge is a good boy, and I will educate him well."

"There's nothing you can do about it, let him be your knight."

The Duke was sincerely happy: "Well. I really didn't expect... I could have a partner to live with."

"So you need a stable family, not wandering around like this every day, being cheated by strange people."

"It doesn't matter, that child will be my family from now on." The Duke was elated, thinking about how to arrange the boy's room. "What about Turna...! I'm so nervous, it's my first time raising a child! Do I need to go to some training courses?"

"That child is like a kitten, he will definitely dislike you."

The empress smiled wryly, picked up the soft forest cat in the chair, and scratched the cat's chin helplessly.Snow began to fall outside the window, but the greenhouse garden was still quiet and fragrant.The two friends chatted and laughed freely, and sipped hot vanilla tea together.

****

Egg was released two days later.

The heavy carved wooden door was opened, and the court maids changed the boy into clean clothes and re-bandaged his injured calf.The court guards escorted him down the tower.

When dusk came into view gently again, he saw the Duke and the carriage waiting in front of the tower.

"How's the injury on the leg?" The Duke hugged him naturally.

"much better."

"That's great... Egg, let's live together from now on." In the sunset, those jewel-like red eyes flashed a friendly smile.

"Yeah." Egg nodded.

Sitting in the carriage, the Duke took the boy back to his mansion in the imperial capital.

"The garden of my house is very beautiful. When winter is over, apricot flowers will bloom and there will be apricot fruits in autumn. However, children around me often come to pick fruits secretly. If you like it, I will pick some fruits in advance and keep them. We can make jam."

"Ah."

"But..." the Duke smiled awkwardly: "Maybe we will have to leave the imperial capital soon. It's not safe here, because someone hates you and may come to seek revenge... Let's go back to Vulkan to avoid the limelight .It's remote, but the scenery is beautiful and it's good for your body."

Egg listened quietly.

The carriage stopped, and the Duke helped Egg get out of the carriage.Before he could stand still, he heard the sound of footsteps——Trander rushed over.

"Ow!"

"Hey, take it easy, his leg is injured...!" The Duke was a little anxious, but he couldn't hold back the excited little lion at all.

The two boys hugged each other and rubbed their foreheads, their noses were red from the cold.

"Silly lion."

"..."

Trander couldn't speak, but held the young master tightly in his arms.It's a pity that the warm atmosphere only lasted for a while, and Egg couldn't hold back anymore.

"Doctor! This lion is gasping for breath. Is it hopeless? Let's euthanize it."

Egg squeezed Trander's nose to keep him from breathing.

"The good atmosphere is ruined by you!"

Trander laughed angrily, and quickly rubbed his eyes.But the big emerald eyes soon became moist again.He turned his head away, angrily pretending to be indifferent.

Seeing the little lion's teary eyes, Egg suddenly became inexplicably excited, and bit Trand's hand in a loud voice:

"It's not good, the wild cheetah was released and hurt people!" He also added a commentary to himself.

"What's the matter with you guy! I'm so worried that you're crying!"

"Leopards don't understand! Bite!"

The two boys wrestled again, rolling in the white snow of the garden.The Duke was worried about Egg's leg injury, but he couldn't control the two rambunctious teenagers at all.They rolled for a while, then stopped panting, hugging each other.

Tired of playing, Egg put his head on Trand's chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"Plop plop plop," said Egg.

"I'll never do this again..." Trander hugged his lover, looked at the white sky, and recalled this tortuous and painful experience.

"No heartbeat anymore? I'll help you." Egg happily strangled Trander's neck.

"Hey, it's too dangerous! You can't do this children!" Just as the Duke wanted to take a break, he was frightened and stopped when he saw Egg start messing around.

"Okay, okay boys, let's talk about it when it's cold outside." Levinya, the maid, opened the house with a smile, revealing the warm light inside.

A group of people entered the house, and the dinner was ready. Levinia and the chef brought up the main course of roasted leg of lamb, followed by buttery mushroom pike, pepper lobster roll that Igo likes, vegetables mixed with cream, and baked apples with honey , plum pudding, and hawthorn jam that every household prepares for the winter solstice celebration.

The two boys finally calmed down. The playfulness just now consumed a lot of their energy.Egg sat obediently, looked around secretly, and found that the house was beautifully arranged with dried red garlands, hawthorns and salt grains, and the festive atmosphere was warm.

The Duke said: "The Winter God Festival is coming, and there will be ice sculptures in the square."

"It's too late to read, you have to leave the imperial capital as soon as possible."

Instinctively, Trand helped the maids, pouring everyone piping hot wine with cinnamon and citrus.

The duke said: "It's okay, when we return to my fief, everyone will also make ice sculptures, but it's not as beautiful and big as the ones in the imperial capital."

"Is this really good?" Yi Ge hesitated, "The Duke left the imperial capital... What about the theater troupe? Don't you still have a lot of dates? Are you going to break up with them all?"

"Ah, nothing! Don't talk nonsense, kid!" the Duke shook his head in a panic.

The maid Levinia also sat down at the dining table, and said with a smile: "It seems that Yi Ge is a reliable knight, and I will ask you to look after the Duke in the future. Who told him to always believe in those nonsense foolishly and be deceived by others?" .”

Trander tasted the lobster rolls he made: "I see... His Excellency should find a reliable love partner."

Mr. Kaloyalo almost choked on drinking:

"Why do people start talking about my blind date when it's the holidays? Your Majesty already reprimanded me for the whole afternoon a few days ago..."

Egg sniffed the lobster roll carefully, and found that it was his favorite taste, so he took a small sip carefully.He looked up, saw Trand staring nervously at himself and the lobster roll, and smiled.When Trander got excited, he almost ran out to buy lobsters from the market in the whole imperial capital.

The Duke is still struggling with the topic of blind dates:

"I must solemnly declare: I haven't dated many people at the same time! And I don't want to always encounter liars, but fate..."

Egg gracefully sliced ​​the lobster roll:

"I think it's not that the Duke doesn't want to fall in love with four or five strong and handsome knights at the same time. After all, in the ending of "Mage's Choice", you married the beautiful mage and five knights, and described them in detail... ..."

The duke was dumbfounded, and quickly raised his wine glass as if nothing had happened: "Ahem, it's almost the holidays, let's eat and drink well."

Trander was happily holding a large piece of roasted leg of lamb, showing his canine teeth, and was about to gnaw it down, but when he heard this, he put down the leg of lamb in surprise:

"Wait, is the book "Mage's Choice" written by Mr. Kaloyalo? No way! I don't believe it... I like that book! The author obviously lives in the academy, and is the real Master Scholar!"

"It sounds like the Duke's style." The maid Levinya said.The chef who was dining with him was a taciturn man, and he couldn't help laughing together.

Kaloyalo insists on saving dignity:

"No, I'm a serious playwright. My only pseudonym is 'Prince Andran'. I only write serious plays that can purify the hearts of the audience. People in the theater company can testify to me...! Hey, I won't be able to do it often in the future. I saw them... But even if I return to the territory, I can still send someone to deliver the script to perform. They are an amazing troupe, and my spirit can be with my friends."

Speaking of this, the Duke had another brainstorm:

"Ego, we can still read scripts together in the castle in the future, and finally I don't have to play a one-act play by myself!"

Yi Ge shook his head: "Please allow me to support you mentally and applaud you."

"Can you actually support me?" The Duke looked at the boy pitifully.

"Thank you for the invitation, no need."

Egg was expressionless.

Trander rubbed his head in distress: "I really can't imagine what it will be like for the two of you to live together in the future."

In the warm dining room, friends sat around and enjoyed a hearty meal.Laughter came from time to time.Trand watched Egg quietly, and saw the young master surrounded by his friends.Trander thought to himself: Master Egg seems to like the Duke very much, and the Duke...seems to be in need of company.

Maybe that's a good thing.

After dinner the boys wanted to be alone, but the Duke held the chessboard and looked longingly at his friends.They had no choice but to play chess with the Duke.By the early hours of the game, the two of them were already yawning from sleepiness, while the Duke was still full of energy and wanted to continue the game.Adult sybyl nobles are usually active from dusk until early morning.But Trande and Egg are still young, and they still work and rest like ordinary people.No way, the two boys couldn't hold on anymore, so the Duke reluctantly ended the game and let them go to sleep.The maid had already cleaned up the boy's room.

While taking a bath, Trand carefully wiped Master Egg's body with a fine sponge, and was afraid that the water would get on the wound on Master Egg's leg.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's nothing, I used to get hurt when practicing swords." Yi Ge shook his head.

"That's different..."

Trand lowered his head.Seeing the wound on the young master's arm, the bruises on his wrist and ankle, his heart ached.Egg was a little cold and shivered.Only then did Trander realize that he had forgotten something important, and hurriedly used hot water to keep Egg warm.

"Don't worry, it's not Trander's fault."

"No." Trander shook his head firmly, "Actually, I understood this truth a long time ago...but on the day they judged you...I could only stand aside and watch, there was nothing I could do, and I couldn't even say a word ! What am I to do?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Why doesn't it matter!" Trander adjusted his emotions and continued: "Egg, I thought that little home was safe and could protect you...but that was an illusion. If I were always here Such an insignificant man, then when disaster strikes, I don't even have the ability to protect the one I love..."

Egg was happy, and teased Trander out of time: "The silly lion's house was demolished, and the neighbors laughed when they saw it."

"Honey, we're not kidding."

"Slightly slightly." Egg stuck out his pink tongue expressionlessly.

Trander sighed helplessly, and took a towel to dry the drenched young master.He had something on his mind, and felt that tonight was not suitable for talking.Since Egg is avoiding talking about his time in prison, maybe now is not the time...

"Sleep, sleep, lame little leopard is going to sleep." Trander picked up Egg by the waist, and kissed again and again.

"Hmph, how childish." Egg curled his lips.

The moon shines through the glass window.

The two teenagers changed into white pajamas, but they couldn't fall asleep again when they lay down on the bed.

Egg shook his arms instinctively, and patted the bed and pillows, but found nothing, so he had to withdraw his hands resentfully and hugged his chest.

Trander said: "Ah, the puppet lion has gone on a trip, and I will come back to you after a while."

"Where did it go?"

"Go to your grandmother's house, spend more time with her."

"Wow."

"Okay, okay, don't be sad, my good friend will be back soon."

Trander smiled and propped himself up, and kissed the young master's forehead.Unexpectedly, Egg grabbed him by the collar at once—the childish kiss turned into a fierce tongue kiss, the two embraced tightly, their tongues lightly touching and stirring, until the hot feeling made the teenagers gasp for breath, Reluctantly parted.

"Sleep, dear young master, I will accompany you."

"No way!"

"why?"

"Trander said before that only the Duke and I will go to Vulkan to receive...you won't go." Egg hugged the pillow.

Trander froze for a moment, but decided to say what he had been struggling with for a long time:

"Yes, I want to stay in the imperial capital, stay in the Knights... As I said before, I have to climb up to gain more power and status. The Duke is a really good man, but his status is not forever, His Majesty the Emperor will not protect him like this forever. If one day encounters such a disaster again, I must have the ability to protect you."

Egg was silent for a moment, then nodded:

"Yes, I know."

"You will live with the Duke in the future, you will be his knight, and he will be your master... Do you understand? This is a job, you must treat the Duke cat well."

"understood……"

"We won't be separated forever, as long as there is a vacation, I'll come to see you, okay?" Trander lay on his side, took his lover into his arms, and stroked his soft black hair. "And you come to the imperial capital every year, shall we secretly date at that time?"

"When can I live in the same house as a silly lion?"

These words hit Trander's heart, and he remembered that when they were young, they played and practiced swords together during the day, and looked at the starry night together at night and had endless words to talk about.How extravagant this kind of life is, Trund realized now how much he wanted to go back to that time, but time cannot be turned back.

"When we're all grown up."

Trand thought of the Aquila he saw that summer night.I once swore to the stars: one day I will become a capable man and keep the home with Yi Ge.

Drowsy, Egg fell silent, resting his head on Trent's chest.The breathing of the two of them lightly overlapped, and their chests rose and fell.

It's late at night, let's call it a day.

"Baby is asleep?" Trander smiled, lowered his head and kissed the young master's forehead, "Good night."

Rustling, the two tossed and turned.

"..."

Egg propped up his upper body and said weakly, "Let's do it."

"!"

Trander froze, then shook his head lightly: "No, your current state is not suitable...we should..."

Egg didn't say much, took off his pajamas, leaned over and kissed his lover.

Under the night, the boy's body was clean and bright.They kissed each other, touched the scars and bruises on each other's body, stroked the other's curled bare back and neck.

Egg sat straddling Trander's abdomen, his black hair was loose, and his gray-blue eyes were like lake water in winter.He summoned up the courage to glance at Trand, but pretended not to care:

"The world's favorite silly lion."

The full moon shines through the tall windows.They looked at each other with deep and burning eyes.

"I love you."

Trand caressed his lover's lips, like a pilgrim timidly stroking a handful of white snow on a holy site, showing a bitter smile.

"Because it's Trand...so...you won't hate and be afraid."

"Ok, I know."

Trander turned over and took advantage of the opportunity to press Egg under him.The teenagers kiss each other, recognize each other tenderly under the moonlight, and love each other.