Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

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

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Chapter 176

Dr. Salman had prepared for this journey when Erica contacted him upon leaving Lababata, asking for his help.

At that time, Salman had just found his lover and sent him away, feeling aimless and lost. The message from the outside world gave him a sense of still being alive, so he agreed without much thought.

However, it wasn’t until he boarded the ship to White Bridge that Salman gradually learned about Priscilla’s special circumstances through letters from Erica and Charlie.

Priscilla had heard Erica talk about the miraculous doctor who could transform into a pigeon, so only Prima and Amber were astonished by his transformation.

With more hands, things became easier. They found a supervisor’s rest room with a bed, and Dwight carried Priscilla over.

“Where’s Erica?” Priscilla couldn’t help but worry, looking at her brother.

“Focus on deep breathing,” Dwight told her. “The knights at the house will look for Erica, and Shivers is also on his way.”

Priscilla turned her gaze to the rabbit-headed shopkeeper by the door.

The recent wave of pain had just passed, giving her a bit more strength.

“Can I talk to Charlie?” she asked Dwight, still looking at the door.

Dwight was silent for a moment.

He was already surprised that Priscilla hadn’t spoken up until now. Given her relationship with Louis dating back at least two years, she must have been suspicious when she first met Charlie in the Mokwen palace and realized he wasn’t Louis despite the resemblance.

But she never asked, even ignoring Charlie’s alternating rabbit and human forms. To some extent, both Priscilla and Louis were the type to hide their thoughts deeply. Dwight doubted even Louis knew Priscilla had met Charlie before.

“Wait until you feel better,” Dwight said softly. “You need to conserve your strength now.”

“This is important to me,” Priscilla said, gently squeezing Dwight’s hand. “Just a few minutes—let me talk to him alone.”

Charlie could guess what Priscilla wanted to discuss. Their connection was primarily through Dwight and Louis.

He knew Louis well enough to know it was hard for him to open up. Even for Charlie, it mostly took intuition and mutual understanding to guess Louis’s thoughts accurately.

So Priscilla’s unease was understandable. Charlie was feeling the same but was accustomed to not showing his anxiety to avoid affecting those around him.

“Can you tell me where Louis is?” Priscilla asked directly as soon as they were alone in the rest room, forgoing the noble habit of indirectness.

Charlie thought for a second. Louis had never revealed their connection to the Holy Grail to Priscilla, and she was a victim of Lestrop’s obsession with the Holy Grail. Not wanting to make decisions for Louis, Charlie carefully replied, “I’m not sure. But I guess he might have gone to find Khalif.”

Priscilla knew Louis disliked Khalif, but—

“Is he going to kill Khalif and take his place?” Priscilla asked, looking up at Charlie.

Alright, as expected. Charlie coughed. “He does want to kill Khalif, but not to take his place.”

Louis was probably the person who least cared about the Wolf name. As for the nobles who despised the Black Gold Families for centuries, their disdain never included the wealth accumulated by these giants.

“If you must call it something, it’s revenge,” Charlie said, pondering. “Louis has always been resolute. This has been his goal since childhood.”

“So it’s because of hatred.” Priscilla nodded, accepting this explanation. “Does he—or you—think this is a good time?”

“We don’t have much choice,” Charlie replied.

Dwight didn’t stay in the lounge to eavesdrop on their conversation. True to his word, Charlie and Priscilla talked for less than ten minutes before he came out. During that time, Salman had done some basic sanitization and was urgently training Prima on some midwifery basics. Amber was also listening, though his expression betrayed his fright.

Charlie walked over to Dwight. The two stood close, their heads bowed in a low conversation. Only the alert Emerald perked up its ears.

“I need to go,” Charlie whispered. “Louis can’t—we can’t be apart. He’s prepared for bloodshed tonight.”

With one twin shedding blood, the secret of which twin was the Holy Grail would no longer be a secret, revealing the answer to everyone interested.

Dwight glanced at Dr. Salman.

“You stay here,” Charlie continued. “Louis should have been here too. I can’t take you away from Priscilla’s side again.”

“He’s prepared for bloodshed, but what about you?” Dwight asked.

Charlie didn’t answer, and Dwight didn’t expect him to. He pushed Charlie away.

“Khalif isn’t worth it,” he said. “Not worth making any sacrifices for an old madman.”

Charlie’s wide, bright eyes fixed on him, but Dwight didn’t look back.

“I sent letters to the Empire. The documents have reached Erica’s contacts in Mokwen and Lababata. Do you know what that means?”

It meant Pennigra might intervene in White Bridge because of the Holy Grail’s existence. White Bridge didn’t belong to any kingdom on the Doran continent, so technically, this action wouldn’t violate the peace treaty between the continents.

“It might be too late,” he said.

Dwight said nothing more. He looked colder when angry, but Charlie’s words were true. He disagreed with Charlie provoking Khalif, who had countless protectors, and couldn’t leave Priscilla about to give birth. He was also angry at himself for being unable to handle both.

For the second time tonight, he felt inadequate, and he hated it.

Charlie’s next words finally stopped him.

“Remember Kurt’s prophecy? Don’t forget why you’re here.” Charlie tried to touch Dwight’s ear, but he turned his head away.

The childish gesture lightened Charlie’s mood. Ignoring Dwight’s expression, he turned to Dr. Salman. “Doctor, forgive me—but I need Miss Prima’s help.”

Prima, who had tied up her hair and donned an apron, widened her eyes.

“But I—” She looked around the room. She was the only woman there besides Priscilla. Though not a doctor, her presence provided significant comfort to Priscilla. Prima couldn’t think of anything more important than being here.

“I’m going to find your father,” Charlie said solemnly. “Did you know he left the auction early to go home? We saw it. The Monkeys might be planning to break their cooperation, and he might want to test the final results of those ‘doors’ immediately.”

“Of course, he can’t find you now, but if Khalif is determined, your absence won’t stop him.”

“Someone else will become the door instead of me.” Prima immediately understood Charlie’s point.

“No,” Charlie gently corrected her. “No one should become a door, including you. So no one will replace you. Doors shouldn’t exist.”

Charlie’s words magically lightened the heavy burden Prima had felt. Without hesitation, she began untying her apron, speaking to Amber as she did. “Remember what the doctor said…”

Amber stepped back.

“I know you remember.” Prima smiled sweetly at him. “So I’m counting on you. Dr. Salman will guide you.”

She handed the apron to Amber, glanced at the half-open lounge door, and hesitated for a second.

“Please explain to Priscilla that I have something urgent to do…but I’ll keep praying for her and the baby’s safety.”

Fearing she might change her mind, Prima took a deep breath and walked towards the hall, stopping at the corridor to wait for Charlie.

Only Dwight knew Charlie didn’t need Prima’s help. She had already told Louis (disguised as Charlie) everything she knew. Charlie just wanted to take Prima away because Khalif’s pursuers might soon close in due to the blood connection.

Running away wouldn’t solve the problem for Prima, but Charlie wouldn’t let her walk into a trap either. The excuse to separate Prima and Priscilla was to protect them both.

Dwight actually wanted to maintain his cold and ruthless persona and clearly express his disapproval and dissatisfaction with Charlie by keeping silent. But when the supposedly anxious Charlie looked back every few steps, he finally realized that this was more difficult than he had anticipated.

On the flip side, times like these, when a storm was brewing, were often the best moments to deepen relationships. Many overly sentimental love stories liked to have characters say a few heart-wrenching lines at such moments, leaving a deep impression on the audience. Regardless of whether the ending was happy or not, those few lines were destined to be remembered by the protagonists for a lifetime.

The Duke had read many lyrical poems by great writers, and his own literary grades had always been good. But when he found himself in this situation, he realized that his current feelings had nothing to do with moonlight, chirping insects, roses, nightingales, or sweet summer dreams. His overwhelming sense of loss and anxiety could be summed up in a short play composed of a few simple words.

“Just stay alive,” he said. “Stay alive for me.”

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