Chapter 63
There was no blue sky or white clouds, only endless darkness stretching into the distance. Small, brass birds flew through the billowing steam, landing on the metal spires and perching on the brightly lit windowsills.
One bird tilted its head, its red gemstone eyes fixed on the swaying gilded bells in the hall.
Suddenly, the air cracked, and a short arrow pierced its metal chest.
The bird flapped its wings weakly, fell from the sky, and crashed to the ground, scattering gears and metal shards.
“Hey, you broke Peleg’s toy.”
“Father will be angry when he sees it, it’s better to clean it up now.”
The elf, wearing a royal insignia, handed his quiver to a servant and sighed, “I don’t know where those brats found it, I thought they were all locked away in Father’s storage tower…”
“Elf children at that age are little monkeys, you never know what they’ll get into. Peleg was so well-behaved when he was young, either picking flowers by the Endless Sea or tinkering with his little trinkets in his room.”
“If he was truly well-behaved, he wouldn’t have angered Father.”
The two similar-looking princes, born from the same egg, sighed as they talked about their younger brother.
Gliti: “I hope he can earn Father’s forgiveness this time.”
“If he even comes.” Lino, recalling his always timid and silent brother, shrugged indifferently, but his eyes kept glancing towards the entrance.
Gliti was still worried. She looked around, most of the noble guests had arrived, even their father, the lord, had ascended the steps to the center of the hall.
Meeting his condescending gaze, she quickly lowered her head and kicked the broken bird aside, “Forget about that, you should have someone clean this up, otherwise…”
Just then, a few elf children, chasing each other into the hall, noticed her action and, looking at the broken mechanical bird, their eyes welled up, their small wings and lips trembling.
Gliti and Lino waved their hands frantically: “Don’t cry, don’t cry!”
Just as a powerful quartet of wails was about to begin, the corner of a bronze leather cloak appeared in their tear-filled vision. Following the tall, straight figure upwards, they saw the shimmering crystal insignia of the royal family on his chest.
The children, forgetting their tears, tugged on their uncle and aunt’s clothes, but received no response.
They looked up, and the two adults who had been chatting were frozen, staring incredulously: “Pe, Peleg?”
The lively music in the hall stopped, and the lord, surrounded by nobles, placed his wine glass on a tray with a clink. Countless gazes followed him, past the moving mechanical servants, towards the figures at the entrance.
A golden-brown carpet unrolled beneath his feet. Shadow Elves didn’t care for flashy attire, their formal wear always in dark, heavy colors, and his was no exception. But as the light illuminated him, his shimmering scorpion tail broke the somber atmosphere.
The long-lost prince placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly towards the center of the hall.
Intricate, antique gears turned on his fingertips. Without any jeweled adornments, his unique elegance and extravagance, as he straightened his back, stunned everyone.
The children, mesmerized, before they could even touch his shimmering tail, were distracted by the black raven on his fingertip, their small hands reaching out and accidentally grabbing the hem of the person behind him.
The soft fabric felt pleasant in their hands, and they couldn’t help but squeeze it.
“Hee hee, Banqing, are these your brother and sister’s children?” The handsome human youth bent down, rubbing the children’s bewildered faces. “So ugly-cute, quite adorable.”
“Ugly?”
The children looked at each other, then turned and flapped their wings sadly, their lips trembling as tears welled up.
“Sorry, sorry, not ugly, not ugly…” Ning Zhixia slapped his mouth and frantically tried to appease them.
The commotion in the hall drew everyone’s attention towards Qu Banqing, and as the young man expertly soothed the children, their whimpers turned into soft coos.
“It’s a human…” Gliti whispered to Lino.
The human youth’s features were delicate and refined, and the more they lived in darkness, the more they were drawn to such gentle auras. Shadow Elves, who valued pure souls, couldn’t help but feel drawn to him.
Lino blinked, a thought suddenly appearing in his mind: “If I had known Peleg went to the human world, I should have gone with him…”
Gliti swatted his mouth with her wing, preventing her unreliable brother from saying anything inappropriate.
“Is that the little prince? Who’s behind him?”
“A human, a human! My god, he looks so soft and shiny, no one ever told me humans were so cute!”
“Wait, look at the little prince’s nails and tail…”
“What are those decorations?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never seen them before, but it’s not surprising coming from him… you know, he always likes those strange and unusual things.”
Sensing the whispers in the hall, the lord, from his elevated position, looked over, his gaze sharp as a hawk.
However, a figure blocked his view, skillfully pulling Ning Zhixia behind him.
Silver-gray hair brushed past the light, and the lord and the noble beside him were startled.
“This power… My Lord, who is that?”
Others might not know, but the lord recognized him, after all, he had asked him to deliver the crystal. He just hadn’t expected Audrow to come along.
Fortunately, Audrow stopped, his hand on Ning Zhixia’s shoulder, his indifferent expression suggesting he was simply accompanying the long-lost elf to witness a father-son reunion.
The music in the hall resumed, and Qu Banqing bowed respectfully again, “Father, I…”
The lord, ignoring the other guests, said calmly, “Come here, Peleg.”
Qu Banqing looked up. His father, standing on the platform, hadn’t changed, his dignified and noble figure cloaked in dark colors, his gaze as cold and condescending as ever.
The smile on Qu Banqing’s face faded, and he obediently walked up the steps, the sound of his footsteps on the carpet like a heavy weight on his heart.
His father’s gaze remained fixed on him, the intricate patterns on his tail shimmering. The lord frowned slightly and called for servants to attend to Qu Banqing.
He then said, “Remove those useless decorations before you approach.”
“Father?” Qu Banqing’s heart skipped a beat, and he looked back at Ning Zhixia, who was equally surprised.
Ning Zhixia, afraid he would be troubled, waved his hand, indicating it was okay.
He didn’t want the atmosphere to become too tense. Although he had spent a long time on the manicure, it wasn’t a big deal if Qu Banqing chose to remove it to avoid a conflict.
However, Qu Banqing took a deep breath, pushed away the servants who were trying to lead him away, and shook his head, refusing, “No.”
“You’re no longer at an age where you can be so willful.”
The lord’s voice was calm but firm. “Remove them now, don’t make me repeat myself.”
He had heard this command countless times throughout his life, and Qu Banqing looked down at the carpet, his heart surprisingly calm, as if he had already anticipated this and rehearsed it countless times in his mind.
“I apologize, but these were done by my human friend, and I like them, they should stay on me.”
Qu Banqing pushed the servants away, looked up at his father’s stern face, his wings still trembling slightly, but his voice was surprisingly steady, “Unless I choose to remove them myself, no one can erase these beautiful marks, and no one can make decisions for me.”
The light in Ning Zhixia’s eyes brightened, especially when Qu Banqing mentioned him, his back straightening, eager to announce: Yes, that’s me.
Audrow’s soft chuckle brought him back, and he pulled Ning Zhixia closer, shaking his head, indicating that it wasn’t their place to interfere.
Ning Zhixia calmed down and followed his gaze. The atmosphere on the platform was stifling.
Qu Banqing’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clearly heard by his siblings and the nobles around him.
Lino’s tail twitched nervously, and he glanced at his sister, Gliti, whose expression was focused as she stopped the others who were trying to intervene.
A vertical line appeared between the lord’s eyebrows, the pressure of his authority like a heavy weight.
After a few breaths, Qu Banqing’s wings stopped trembling. He brushed past the servants and took another step up the stairs, saying calmly, “I’m doing well in the human world, I’ve studied, made friends, and I enjoy my work every day, and I’m happy with the trinkets made by other humans who share my hobbies. No one tells me I’m doing it wrong or not good enough…”
He reached the top of the stairs, stood before his father, and arched his tail gracefully, saying proudly, “I like who I am now, I think this is how I should be.”
“But this is not the appropriate setting for such things.” The lord looked him up and down, as if he had just heard some childish nonsense. “The moment you step outside this palace, everyone will stare at you.”
Qu Banqing pursed his lips and said after a moment, “Because I represent the royal family, even though I’m the most useless member…”
“Don’t feel wronged, Peleg. You hate the formalities and restrictions imposed by the royal family, but every moment of your existence is revered by our subjects, every bit of wealth you use is provided by them, honor and freedom are never equal, no one wants to see a royal member indulging in frivolous pursuits…”
The lord seemed to see through his thoughts. “Don’t waste your talent, Peleg. I thought after so many years away, you would have matured.”
His words were harsh, but perhaps because they hadn’t seen each other for so long, or perhaps he didn’t want to cause a scene at the banquet, the lord’s unusual patience was surprising.
In the past, Peleg would have obediently complied, discarding his handmade dolls, wiping off the flower juice from his tail, and suppressing his insignificant hobbies.
But now, Qu Banqing was no longer Peleg.
He stood under the light, no longer the timid little prince hiding in the shadows, a transparent figure amusing himself.
Bathed in the bright light, Qu Banqing turned and walked down the platform, his tail picking up the broken mechanical bird, his composed and dignified figure catching everyone’s attention.
The lord, realizing that he had changed, and wondering what had caused this change, turned to look at the human youth in the corner.
However, this time, it was Qu Banqing who blocked his view, his eyes filled with a newfound determination.
Qu Banqing took off the crystal insignia from his chest and tossed it towards the platform. The symbol of royalty rolled to his father’s feet.
A gasp echoed through the hall, even the music stopped.
“I can never live up to your standards, Father. As a defective product, a disgrace to the royal family’s honor, it’s better to break free from these shackles.”
Qu Banqing’s back was straight, his voice unusually calm as he spoke with a courage he had never shown before, “So I choose to leave, as I did before, and as I will now.”
His words were clear, and the lord, ignoring the insignia at his feet, finally lost his composure and said sternly, “Peleg, do you know what you’re doing?”
“Of course.” Qu Banqing had already made up his mind before coming. His father’s familiar words had only brought his buried thoughts to the surface.
This was good, he didn’t feel any guilt.
Qu Banqing glanced at his stunned siblings and the nobles, raised his chin, met his father’s gaze, and bowed one last time, “I don’t think you ever had any expectations for me, and I’m destined to never earn your approval, and I no longer care. I don’t need the turning of gears anymore, I’ll fly however I want.”
Silence. Qu Banqing quickly repaired the brass bird and placed it on the windowsill. As the bird flew away, he turned around, his beautifully decorated tail swishing.
“Clap!”
A sudden clapping sound startled everyone, and they turned towards the source—
Ning Zhixia was clapping enthusiastically, a warm halo surrounding him in the bright light. Seeing Qu Banqing approaching, he clapped even louder, as if afraid he wouldn’t be heard.
“Okay, okay…”
Qu Banqing’s face burned, and he stopped, turned back, and pulled Ning Zhixia along. Ning Zhixia grinned, then turned and pulled Audrow, the three of them leaving the hall together like a flock of birds.
“F-Father… please don’t mind Peleg’s foolish words…”
“Yes, yes, even adults have rebellious phases…”
Lino quickly picked up the insignia, and he and Gliti hurried to their father’s side, the other nobles also trying to smooth things over, while many were still discussing the strange and captivating decorations.
The hall was noisy, but the lord couldn’t hear anything. He stared at the receding figure, a strange emptiness in his heart as the doors closed.
“Wuwuwu… wuwuwu…”
The previously resolute elf threw himself onto his bed, burying his face in his pillow, his tail thrashing as he sobbed, muttering, “Why doesn’t Father understand me,” or “Now even if I had hatched first, Ning Zhixia wouldn’t be the crown prince anymore.”
After all these years, his bedroom, still cleaned daily and kept in its original state, was now a mess.
Audrow hesitated, suppressing his urge to freeze and mute him, and sat down on the sofa.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, it’s good that you said it, bottling things up isn’t healthy…”
Ning Zhixia handed him a tissue, then asked casually, “But do elves even get… emotional baggage?”
Qu Banqing abruptly lifted his head, tears streaming down his face, and pushed him.
“Ouch…”
Ning Zhixia rolled on the bed, grabbing a dusty doll.
“Don’t cry, Banqing, it’s just that your elves have no taste.” Ning Zhixia held the doll in front of him. “Look, even their toys are ugly, yours would be much better.”
Qu Banqing stared at the doll, his eyes welling up even more, and he sobbed, “This doll was made to look like me when I was young…”
Ah.
Ning Zhixia awkwardly took the doll away.
Audrow, his chin resting on his hand, said cheerfully, “It does look like you, excellent craftsmanship.”
Qu Banqing buried his face in the pillow again, sobbing even louder.
Seeing that his newly disowned friend needed to cry for a while, Ning Zhixia knew he needed to vent, so he took Audrow outside for a walk.
An airship floated above, its shadow passing over the window. The warm lights in the corridor illuminated the mechanical servants’ shiny shells.
Ning Zhixia stopped one, curiously playing with the gears on its chest. Audrow, his arms crossed, leaned against the window, his eyes half-closed as he watched.
Suddenly, a tall figure approached, and Ning Zhixia quickly retracted his hand, gripping his backpack strap.
