Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 173
Prima was the youngest child of Khalif, known as the apple of his eye. After Khalif and her mother separated, she stayed with him because she was both obedient and gentle—a lovely girl.
Khalif had seriously considered fulfilling Prima’s wish by ordering Louis to marry her, giving Prima a beautiful house and servants, ensuring she lived as carefree as before. This plan changed only because Louis displayed untimely competence and ambition.
As a middle-aged Wolf King, Khalif was hostile toward any emerging young talent, and Louis wasn’t the first or only one. Only Prima believed her feelings were pure and innocent. When she looked at Louis with joy, rumors began to spread that Louis would ascend to the head of the Wolf Family through Prima.
The wolf pack didn’t follow a hereditary system. Each Wolf King rose to power through strength. Even if the predecessor intended to pass on the position, the successor needed to accumulate enough reputation or merit to convince everyone.
Khalif considered it an affront to be questioned before he had aged, so he deliberately ignored Prima’s youthful romantic notions until he faced a bottleneck in his cooperation with the Monkeys. Xanye suggested using his bloodline as a medium to partially compensate for the lack of magical talent, which further solidified his resolve.
Most of his children were grown and had left home. Khalif first experimented on a rebellious son who had left him at a young age and confirmed Xanye’s hypothesis. He then continued to “invest” in three more children, gaining significant returns. The near success increasingly overshadowed his paternal affection. He kept Prima, the most understanding, by his side as the final candidate for the last door.
Khalif believed Prima loved him and would be willing to sacrifice for him. She was nothing like those ungrateful Wolves who, despite living a noble life thanks to him, would break down, scream, and even dare to curse him.
“Do another divination,” he instructed Xanye. “Find Prima.”
“Searching magic requires cooling inspiration. You can only locate the same person once in a sunrise-to-sunset cycle,” Xanye replied.
“Then have your cousins try,” Khalif demanded. His eyelids drooped more than the day before, making him look even more somber. “You all excel at these sneaky tricks.”
Xanye bit her lip. The corset of her dress was too tight, making her feel as if her heart would burst. She suppressed the urge to vomit. “But they need something Prima carries with her. If we send them to fetch it…”
Khalif glanced at her, surprised by her suggestion.
“I let you into the house because you’re not only beautiful and sensible but also talented,” he said with a smirk. “You’re special. Your cousins aren’t needed. There are Prima’s jewelry pieces in the carriage. Would you like to pick one yourself?”
Expressionless, Xanye stood up and left the private room, followed by the Wolf servants. In their presence, she could feel offended by Khalif’s contempt for the Monkey but could not show any guilt or other emotions, as Khalif had never truly trusted her.
But she had not failed his suspicion either. Xanye sneered inwardly, deliberately quickening her pace. The delicate yet impractical heels were ill-suited to this speed, causing her to nearly fall onto a passing man as she wobbled past the corridor connecting the private rooms on the second floor.
“Sorry,” Xanye apologized, her head slightly raised. The ruby necklace on her white neck and her exquisite red lips made the man who had helped her up stare in a daze. It took him two seconds to recover and softly ask if she was hurt or if she wanted him to buy her new shoes.
Two attendants, who initially wanted to intervene, averted their eyes, hiding their disdain. An older attendant lightly coughed. Most guests were concentrated in the grand hall, and those on this floor were wealthy nobles who didn’t wish to create unnecessary trouble. They subtly reminded the pair that their behavior was inappropriate.
Regretfully, the man let her go, watching Xanye’s graceful figure until she disappeared. He then continued walking, not toward any private room but further down the corridor, leading to the more secluded smoking parlor and washrooms.
His polished shoes made no sound on the floor. It was almost eight, and the grand hall’s orchestra was already playing, ensuring no one would come here now.
He slipped into a spacious washroom that was so eerily quiet that there wasn’t even a dripping sound. The man quickly moved to the innermost sink against the wall, throwing his hat and cane onto the marble counter and removing his gloves to scrutinize the mirror.
A barely noticeable purple mark, resembling a snake, marred the originally white gloves.
This was Xanye’s warning signal.
His gaze shifted from the gloves to his reflection, the clear mirror suddenly rippling like water and distorting his face. The sound of bones cracking was accompanied by his well-fitting suit becoming loose. The tall, muscular man with a handsome mustache vanished, replaced by a small man standing by the sink. He was less than five feet, four inches, had sparse hair, a flat face, and no attractive features.
He stuffed the now ill-fitting coat into the sink and turned on the tap. Amidst the sound of running water, the coat melted, and several black snakes slithered over the overflowing edge and hurried outside.
“Go, my little darlings,” the man murmured. “Keep an eye on the Wolves for me.”
He followed the snakes out of the washroom.
The water still flowed. A few minutes later, a hand turned off the wolf-shaped faucet, stopping the water.
Hasting’s handsome face reflected in the mirror above the faucet. He glanced at the sink, then at the small broom closet across from it, the only one with an outward-facing window.
……
“The astrologer will make the final appearance, but if Khalif is determined to withdraw, why is he here?” Dwight vowed never to look at the bug stuck in the door crack again.
“The family head must show up, especially with Adan dead,” Charlie said. “The Lion Family acted ruthlessly.”
As part of the informed few, they knew Adan’s death wasn’t Vasilia’s doing. It seemed a younger girl did it, probably due to inexperience, not ensuring Adan was completely dead before leaving. Unlike Cameron and his unlucky entourage, who were nearly all cut in half, blood flowing down half the street. Not even the elven fruit could revive them.
“Neither Lion nor Fox have directly promised to jointly deal with the Wolf, knowing someone else is more desperate. They’re all cunning,” Charlie said, dissatisfied. “Khalif must be looking for Louis and Prima now. He won’t have the patience to watch a bunch of rich people bidding.”
“So?”
“So the presence of the ‘Wriggling Postman’ is necessary. It can monitor Khalif’s movements, and once he leaves—”
He hadn’t finished when the half-worm’s butt started wriggling madly again.
Charlie glanced at it and immediately got up, retrieving the paper-folded green caterpillar, which curled up into a tight ball in his palm.
It was clearly scared.
Charlie calmly opened the door a crack, just enough to peek outside. The corridor was empty.
“?” Charlie scanned from the ceiling to the carpet and noticed the black and gold patterned carpet had changed.
He thought he was seeing things until he spotted a smooth tail quickly disappearing over the carpet’s edge.
He quickly shut the door and backed away from it.
“The Monkey’s snakes,” the rabbit-headed store manager grumbled. “That’s why I dislike black magic. Sure, trading with evil forces is efficient, but their usual mediums—blood, bones, or these slimy, cold animals—are hard to accept.”
Dwight thought, ‘Your caterpillar isn’t much better.’
“They are indeed not on the same page. That snake must be spying on Khalif. If the Monkeys don’t genuinely want to support Khalif, they’ll find a chance to betray him. Khalif’s current concerns are the Holy Grail and the door in his basement. The Monkeys can’t interfere with the Holy Grail, but the door relies on their magic,” Charlie said, pocketing the green worm. “They don’t intend to let Khalif succeed in time reversal.”
“Then why help him with the magic experiment?” Dwight asked. “Why not refuse to cooperate from the start?”
“There are countless mages on the continent. If the Monkeys didn’t participate, Khalif could seek other collaborations, like with the Mokwen’s Holy Grail creation attempts,” Charlie said.
The Monkey had planted Xanye in one of Khalif’s deepest secrets. She could monitor progress and betray him at the critical moment.
Dwight suddenly looked up, meeting Charlie’s eyes.
“Prima,” they said in unison.
“If that girl is sane, she won’t stay in the house waiting to be turned into a door key.” Charlie frowned. “But she’s Khalif’s daughter, her bloodline making her easily locatable with magic.”
Hasting entered at this point, careful not to step on the missing green bug. Charlie quickly explained his Wriggling Postman’s dislike for snakes.
“If it’s snakes, I saw them,” Hasting said, describing his experience in the washroom.
“Their family has average looks. What you saw was likely a Monkey hiding his true appearance,” Charlie nodded. “It seems they haven’t found Prima. Otherwise, there’s no need to be so sneaky.”
“You said hiding true appearance.” Dwight frowned. “That woman by Khalif’s side—”
“Xanye?” The rabbit-headed shopkeeper caught on, twitching his ears mischievously. “Their family genes are like that. Xanye is no exception. They’ve studied various tricks to enhance their appearance over the years. That’s why White Bridge has so many female customers. But unfortunately, the Monkey’s starting point was lower than most. No matter how much they enhance, it’s just a temporary fix.”
Some of the undercurrent conflicts between the families were due to this: regardless of behavior, most Wolf Family members were above average in looks, while the Monkey’s efforts over generations yielded limited improvement.
“So Khalif’s magic success might be because the Monkeys had prior research in this area,” Dwight said astutely. “Khalif proposed cooperation, making him the unwitting financier and material supplier, but the Monkeys never intended to welcome a resurgent Khalif.”
“We can’t let either find Prima.” Charlie thought for a while before resuming his seat and clearing the cluttered table. As he did, the deep blue curtains outside the private room seemed to come alive, slowly drawing back. Through the large glass window, they could see the grand hall below, where all the lights focused on the central stage. A tall man in a tailcoat, with a red-haired girl on his arm, stood in the spotlight, smiling broadly. The orchestra’s final high note rang out.
Below the stage, nearly a hundred small round tables, each with velvet-cushioned armchairs, were filled with guests, all eyes on the couple in the spotlight.
The auction was about to begin.
The author has something to say:
Wolf: Healthy complexion (except for the chronically ill Fahim and the outdoor-averse Louis), slender waists, long legs, and abs from their combative nature.
Lion: High nose bridges, high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, tall, solid, and pale-skinned snow queens.
Fox: Both men and women are stunningly beautiful and naturally seductive, half the famous beauties on the continent are named Fox.
Monkey: Generally possess magical talent but are naturally small, with soft, sparse hair, and plain features.
……
Monkey: All you bastards, stay away from me!
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