Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 88

The handsome blond youth sat by the window with a worried expression, half his body framed by the large glass window like a pleasing oil painting.

Less than an hour after sitting down, he received several handkerchiefs through the hands of waiters, each one without exception carrying a rich fragrance, highly tantalizing.

Even the middle-aged male waiter wiping glasses behind the counter felt that such melancholy in the gentleman could only be due to love troubles.

And as it is well known, the quickest way to forget an unsuccessful romance is to dive into another passion. Thus, he was more than happy to help those sufficiently bold young ladies by acting as Cupid delivering their messages.

On one hand, he lamented that a man as handsome as him wouldn’t be heartbroken for long. On the other hand, the generous tips made him hope that the gentleman would sit for a while longer, sigh for another hour, and he could buy that new bow tie he had been eyeing for a long time.

Though the cause of his worry had nothing to do with romance.

The reason for his anxiety was that the Duke and his party were heading to White Bridge.

As the Knight Commander, he absolutely trusted that each of his knights was excellent enough and loyal enough to offer everything for the Duke, but this trust hardly eased his anxiety about not being able to guard the Duke personally.

After all, it was White Bridge, a notorious lawless zone, a place where even if he was right beside the Duke, he would have to be on guard with twelve times the usual vigilance.

Moreover, Miss Priscilla was also joining this time.

Shivers just wanted to sigh deeply without regard for appearances.

Although the Dwight family was powerful, it was relatively sparse in terms of kin; the Duke and Miss Priscilla were the last of their lineage. If anything happened to these two on the continent of Doran, there would be no need for him to return to Lemena—his family had served the Duke generation after generation, all their glory and responsibilities tied to Brandenburg. If anything went wrong on his watch, he wouldn’t need his family to blame him. He could bury himself in a hole.

Shivers drank the last of his chili tea, the aggressive flavor giving a jolt that significantly reduced the dizziness he had been suffering from due to recent sleepless nights. It was no wonder that many people used it as a medicinal tea. He raised his hand to signal the waiter for a tea change, just as a somewhat frail figure appeared in the large glass window by the door and pushed it open, the bell above tinkling gently.

The tea house wasn’t very crowded at the moment, mostly occupied by young women in lively chat, which was consistent with its more femininely oriented menu and décor. However, it was rare that Shivers, a man, didn’t feel out of place in such an environment.

The one who pushed the door, Yitzfa, was not in a good mood.

He rarely got up at this time, let alone went out, and the large glass window design of this shop allowed the sunlight to fill the space unabated, which he found irritating.

Shivers looked up and met his gaze, but Yitzfa didn’t move immediately. His beautiful cat-like eyes swept around, and he indeed noticed a chestnut-haired girl with a headband in the corner glancing towards Shivers—and the stack of lacy handkerchiefs beside him.

Ha—

Yitzfa took off the scarf he used to block the sunlight and his bad mood and then made his way over, sitting down next to him without ceremony.

Shivers was somewhat perplexed but didn’t push him away. The waiter timely came to replace the tea and, thinking he was being discreet, glanced at Yitzfa, then couldn’t help but take a couple more looks.

Yitzfa looked up at him, his cold gaze making the waiter beat a hasty retreat.

Shivers: “Why did you have to scare him?”

Yitzfa turned his face, returning to an innocent expression. “I didn’t.”

Shivers: “……”

There was really no need for such blatant lies.

This was why he was rather reluctant to deal with Yitzfa—this guy was definitely the most unpredictable, most changeable person he had ever met and hard to rationalize with ordinary logic. Shivers liked to operate according to plans. Anything that broke the rules was a headache for him.

But he didn’t show his troubles and instead took the initiative to pour Yitzfa a cup of tea.

As Shivers had expected, the local gentry’s probing of Thorn Manor wasn’t going smoothly.

The manor’s staff rejected the so-called “sister working in the manor” claim made by Yitzfa, with the steward dismissing all visitors with an almost rude demeanor, causing Mr. and Mrs. Peters significant embarrassment and exhausting Yitzfa’s patience.

The Fox family always had a backup plan, and when Yitzfa realized conventional methods were ineffective, he quickly turned his attention to Shivers, who had unexpectedly appeared here.

After their brief transaction last time, he had tried to probe the identity of this generous, mysterious client.

But no official records of their passage through Doran could be found, which meant if they weren’t smugglers from another continent, then some kingdom in Doran was likely keeping their identities hidden for undercover activities.

It was possible to trace, but that would require certain permissions and manpower, and would need to be included in the annual report. Yitzfa, who loved gossip but hated hassle, didn’t think much of it at the time and decided to treat the transaction as an insignificant episode, quickly forgetting about it.

Unexpectedly, they met again soon after in this border city.

Yitzfa had reassessed Shivers and his backing, judging that whoever they were, they were much more reliable than the local gentry represented by the Peters—he knew those who thought themselves high society but only indulged in pleasures were useless, but he didn’t expect them to be so incompetent, completely uncharismatic, not even worth passing time with.

“Cooperation?” Shivers slightly furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Take me into the manor in exchange for sharing information,” Yitzfa said bluntly. “If we can’t go through the front door, we use unconventional means.”

His voice was so low it was almost inaudible. Shivers had to lean in close to make out his words, which brought their faces uncomfortably close.

Shivers looked at him somewhat amusedly. “Why do you think I can get in?”

The manor’s defensive posture had intensified daily, and although he didn’t know what pressure Yitzfa had applied to the Peters, all viable strategies had likely been exhausted recently, which was why Yitzfa was seeking a more powerful partner.

But the Knight Commander saw no need for a partnership.

Honestly, if Shivers were to infiltrate the manor alone, he could flexibly handle any potential emergencies, but bringing along an unknown variable would be nothing but a hindrance.

“Because you’ve been inside before.” Yitzfa also smiled, the corners of his eyes curling up slightly.

This statement made Shivers’s heart skip a beat, but his face remained unchanged, feigning a timely, confused expression.

Yitzfa, nearly half-leaning on Shivers, spoke in a tone that was ambiguously flirtatious yet chillingly calm. “I know you’re waiting for the right moment. The reward for cooperation is sharing information. I might have something you’re interested in.”

Shivers’s expression remained neutral.

“The manor’s owner is coming back.” Yitzfa’s hand rested on his shoulder, his chin nearly touching him, as if certain that even in such a lazy posture, the prey would definitely take the bait. “The balance will soon be disrupted.”

“Our interests don’t conflict. Forming an alliance temporarily won’t do any harm,” he continued to entice.

“Oh, what are your interests?” Yitzfa’s recently thrown-out piece of information had momentarily distracted him, but Shivers wasn’t easily swayed, instead focusing on the core issue.

Yitzfa tilted his head to look outside the window. “That question is rather unfair. I’m not that kind of casual person.”

The implication was clear: no cooperation, no answers.

Shivers followed his gaze outside, where a sophisticated two-seater carriage was arriving across the street, slowly pulling up to the curb.

“How about it?” Yitzfa blinked.

Shivers didn’t answer right away but watched as Mr. Peters got out of the carriage and pushed open the door of the teahouse. The crisp bell rang again, and a waiter immediately stepped forward to attend to the small-mustached gentleman dressed in an elegant navy blue suit but was interrupted by a gesture from the man.

“Yitzfa, ah, good you haven’t gone far…” Mr. Peters hurried over. “Dolly is upset. She wants to talk to you in person.”

Yitzfa stood up abruptly, his large movement drawing the attention of everyone in the shop, making Mr. Peters uncomfortably clear his throat.

“I do not intend to be a burden.” His voice was clear, making the choke in his tone quite evident. “I’m not shameless, clinging to the home of my lifesaver, unwilling to leave. Your wife is a kind-hearted woman, and if my presence causes discord between you two, such a sin would disturb me day and night.”

Mr. Peters quickly interrupted him, “No! You’ve misunderstood!”

Unfortunately, it was too late. Shivers saw the waiter not far away with an “oh” expression on his face and, without looking back, knew that most of the few customers in the teahouse probably felt the same.

After all, Yitzfa’s voice was indeed quite loud.

“Please go back!” Yitzfa said with moral righteousness. “I can fend for myself. Please don’t worry about me anymore. Mr. Green—”

He turned around and, with a force that belied his slender frame, yanked up the knight who he thought was enjoying the drama.

“Has generously offered me a job just now!”

Shivers: “???”

“If you really care about me, please let me go, to give me a chance to prove that I am not a parasite to the Peters family.” His eyes, somehow filled with tears, miraculously spun in their sockets but never fell.

Mr. Peters looked both puzzled and shocked and somewhat disconcerted by the onlookers.

“No, you’ve misunderstood,” he repeated weakly. “We should talk this over…”

“I’ve already spoken with Mr. Green, who has been borrowing the landlord’s maid and needs help.” Yitzfa’s cheeks and nose were red, making his skin appear as white as snow, compelling one unconsciously to hold their breath to avoid hurting him.

Perhaps stung by the onlookers’ condemnation, Mr. Peters could only leave hurriedly after dropping a “this is a misunderstanding”.

Shivers stood there, looking down at Yitzfa, who clung to his arm, nearly hanging off him, feeling speechless.

“I ‘offered you a job’,” Shivers said. “When did we discuss this?”

Not just Mr. Peters, but Shivers, who had become the center of attention by accident, also felt uncomfortable and left two silver coins before attempting to leave.

Yitzfa stubbornly clung to him, letting Shivers drag him along. “I will work hard!”

Everyone watched as they left the shop in a strange pose. Shivers had no choice but to forcibly stand Yitzfa up. “What exactly did you do to the Peters?”

Yitzfa kept pace behind him. “It’s not what I did to him. It’s what he wanted to do to me. Unfortunately, the madame walked in on it, and it led to a big fight.”

Shivers stopped abruptly, causing Yitzfa to run into his back, truly reddening his nose this time.

“Mr. Peters forced you?” Shivers turned around, frowning at him.

Yitzfa blinked, but before he could speak, Shivers lightly pinched his cheek, examining it up and down, left and right, checking his exposed neck and hands as well. Though gentle, the motions were devoid of any flirtation, more like a doctor examining a small animal—only relaxing after confirming there were no suspicious marks.

“If I said yes, would you take me in?” Yitzfa asked.

Shivers stared at him intently, almost making Yitzfa think he was imagining a scene of himself being mistreated, when suddenly Shivers flicked his forehead. “Don’t lie indiscriminately.”

The sound was so loud that both of them were stunned.

Shivers: “…Sorry.”

He momentarily forgot Yitzfa wasn’t Shiloh, who could have taken a stronger hit.

“It’s okay. You’re the employer. I’m just a poor manservant with nowhere to go that you took in. You can do whatever you want to me.”

“Stop talking about that—we’ll talk about cooperation next time.”

Yitzfa weakly covered his forehead. “Ah, my head is spinning. Maybe I was hurt by the hit just now. I need to lie down at your place to recover.”

Shivers: “……”

“Just now it was so loud. Maybe my brain was shattered? My vision seems a bit blurry.”

Shivers: “……”

He was utterly at a loss.

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