Chapter 156: The Two Male Leads
“So you were adopted by a baron? Now you’re a noble lady too?” Makin asked.
“Yes,” Charli replied, hesitating as she looked at her childhood friend. “Brother Makin, what happened? Can I help you?”
Makin scratched his head and gave a sheepish smile. As he smiled, the wound on his face started bleeding again.
“We got into trouble with a noble,” he said, pulling his silent companion closer to introduce him. “This is Amos, my good friend.”
“He… well, he used to work for a noble family but ended up offending them. Now that noble has sent people after him. I didn’t recognize you earlier, Lily. I’m really sorry.”
Charli shook her head. She still remembered those days at the orphanage when she never had enough to eat, and how Makin had given her his share of black bread and fought others to protect her.
Later, after she was adopted, Charli began living a comfortable life where she was well-fed and clothed. However, she could no longer find a way to repay him, and this left her feeling guilty.
When she first became the adopted daughter of Baron Cecil, she wasn’t even allowed to leave her room. By the time she could, the orphanage had disappeared, and she was unable to find anyone from her past.
“It’s okay, but Brother Makin, I’ve been gone for a long time now. If I don’t go back soon, my brother will worry,” Charli said, biting her lip. “Maybe you two could come back with me. My brother might be able to help you. He’s just inherited his title, and he’s really capable!”
Charli had a mysterious and strong sense of trust in her brother, Eloren. She believed he was calm and composed, able to handle anything.
Makin blinked, feeling a little shy about her offer. But Amos, clutching his injured side, spoke up, “The one I offended is a viscount. Your brother’s just a baron. He can’t help us.”
Charli immediately grew angry. “Even if it’s a viscount, my brother won’t be afraid! You don’t know how amazing my brother is!”
Suddenly, the sound of horses and running footsteps echoed outside. The three inside the carriage froze. Makin’s normally good-natured expression turned serious as he quickly pulled back the curtain to look outside.
“Damn, could that viscount have sent people after us?”
“Hurry, let’s go!” Amos shouted, grabbing the reins to urge the carriage forward.
But before they could get far, the carriage jolted, and Charli, unprepared, was thrown against the side. At the same time, the riders chasing them caught up and surrounded the carriage, forcing it to stop.
The carriage, which had barely started moving, came to an abrupt halt.
Before either boy could react, they were dragged out of the carriage and pinned to the ground by several strong men.
Charli, rubbing her sore head, climbed out of the carriage and looked up to see Eloren on horseback.
“Brother!” she exclaimed.
Seeing Makin and Amos pinned to the ground, Charli’s lips trembled as she whispered, “I’m sorry, brother, but I know them…”
Yu Mo glanced coldly at the swollen bruise on her forehead. Though he said nothing, his gaze alone was enough to silence her. Charli didn’t dare speak again, terrified by his unspoken disapproval.
In truth, Yu Mo had already guessed who the blond boy on the ground was.
The original protagonist of the story, Makin, was described as having golden hair.
When Makin was dragged forward, he grimaced, baring his teeth. “It’s all a misunderstanding! I didn’t mean to hurt Lily!”
“Sir, if you want to punish someone, punish me. Let my friend go—he’s too badly injured.”
Yu Mo then looked over at the black-haired boy, who seemed on the verge of passing out.
“Take them both away,” Yu Mo ordered.
Makin, the main protagonist, and the black-haired boy, who was likely Amos, the secondary male lead, were now in his custody.
In the original plot, the protagonist, Makin, would have escaped with the heroine by now, missing the part where his best friend Amos was mistreated and forced into servitude by a viscount.
Without anyone to help, Amos would have been trapped in the viscount’s mansion and eventually spiraled into darkness. Later, he would rise to power as a count after becoming the lover of a certain duchess. Despite holding a grudge against Makin for not rescuing him, Amos couldn’t entirely forget the bond they once shared.
He harbored a bitter hatred for Charli, believing her sudden appearance had prevented Makin from saving him, but over time, he would become attracted to her, falling in love.
Both Makin and Charli had complicated feelings toward Amos. In the end, the two would rise to become the Emperor and Empress of the Glory Empire, with Amos playing a crucial role in their ascent, assisting them behind the scenes.
Reflecting briefly on the messy emotional entanglements of the original storyline, Yu Mo made up his mind to take control of the situation.
Rather than letting these three run wild and potentially dragging Charli into chaos, disrupting his plans, it was far better to keep them close and manage them himself.
…
It was late, and instead of returning to the city, the group headed to an estate outside the city.
“Charli, come with me,” Yu Mo said, heading toward his study.
Charli, who had been anxiously watching Makin, nervously lifted her skirt and followed her brother. Before he could ask, she told him everything that had happened that day, including her childhood connection with Makin. Finally, she timidly pleaded for their mercy, “Brother, could you spare them?”
“What do you think I’m going to do to them?” Yu Mo asked.
Charli thought that her brother was capable of doing anything to them. Locking them up, giving them a beating—she even secretly feared that he had brought them to the estate to use them as sacrifices, maybe even to kill them.
Her thoughts were written all over her face, and Yu Mo said, “The two of them can stay here for now. I’m not going to do anything to them.”
Hearing this reassurance, Charli immediately relaxed. She trusted her brother; he had no reason to lie to her. If he said it, he meant it.
Sensing his softened attitude, Charli hesitantly asked, “Then, brother, could you help them with the trouble they got into with the viscount?”
Yu Mo didn’t answer that question and instead brought up another matter. “Charli, you need to get ready. I’m going to start teaching you magic.”
“Okay, I’m ready,” Charli obediently replied. “I’ll work hard to learn.”
Although she still felt a bit afraid of the Moon Goddess’s teachings, it didn’t matter—she could learn!
“I’ll be teaching you light magic,” Yu Mo said.
“Light magic?” Charli blinked in surprise.
Doesn’t my brother follow the Moon Goddess?
Whenever she was surprised, her eyes would widen, but she wouldn’t dare to ask questions, much like a doll-faced cat.
As she left, hugging a book on the basics of light magic, Charli kept wondering what her brother’s true intentions were.
It was nothing much; Yu Mo was simply considering that if he wanted her to become the future Empress of the Glory Empire, it would make more sense for her to learn Light Magic.
Yu Mo sent his younger sister away and then met with Makin and Amos.
His attitude toward the two cautious and nervous young men was the same.
“You can stay here for now; no one will come to harm you.”
Makin thanked him, but his vigilance didn’t lessen at all. He asked, probing and serious, “What price do we have to pay?”
Having scraped by in the slums for so many years, neither he nor Amos believed a noble would offer them help unconditionally.
Yu Mo looked at Makin. “I will find some teachers for you. They will teach you etiquette, dance, flower arranging, music, painting, art appreciation, and so on.”
Makin: “?”
Makin was confused. “What? Why?”
Because it would be appropriate for the Consort to have at least a few talents to show off. In short, he couldn’t be the like this.
Yu Mo cast a critical glance at Makin’s disheveled, dirty appearance.
“These are my terms. You must learn well; otherwise, both your friend Amos and Charli will be punished along with you.”
Makin was dumbfounded again. It was one thing to threaten him by using his friend, but why was his own sister being dragged into it as well?
After dealing with Makin and sending him out of the room, Yu Mo finally approached Amos’s bedside.
The two black-haired individuals stared at each other for a moment. Compared to Yu Mo, the green-eyed Amos was like a young panther—destined to grow into a predator but still too young.
“What do you want me to do?”
Yu Mo, satisfied with his intelligence and ability to read the situation, said, “The first option is for you to learn etiquette alongside Makin. In the future, you will become a noble and live a prosperous, stable life.”
He thought that when his sister became Empress in the future, she couldn’t have just one “Consort.”
Since Amos was so close to them and destined to be entangled with them, it wouldn’t hurt to add another member to his sister’s harem.
“The second option is to follow me and learn Night Magic, and from then on, you will work for me.”
A faint fire burned in Amos’s green eyes, and he almost immediately made his choice: “I choose the second option!”
Coming from the lower class, people like him didn’t care about beliefs when it came to surviving and living better lives.
Moreover, after enduring oppression, he wanted more than anything to become strong.
“Can you really teach me magic?”
“If you choose the second option, this will be our secret. You must not tell anyone, not even your friend Makin. Also, in the future, you will walk different paths, and you will face even greater dangers to your life.”
Yu Mo waited for him to make his decision.
Amos was silent for a moment, his rapid breathing the only sound in the room.
After a while, in a hoarse voice, he said, “I am willing to learn Night Magic from you. I swear on my life that I will keep the secret, learn magic diligently, and work for you.”
“Good,” Yu Mo said, offering a rare compliment.
Though he had already cast spells on both boys, ensuring they couldn’t escape or reveal any of his secrets, he appreciated Amos’s attitude.
“First, focus on healing your injuries.”
In the meantime, Yu Mo would continue to observe the two.
…
Makin and Amos stayed temporarily at the estate outside the city, while Yu Mo took Charli back to the royal capital.
Upon returning, the butler delivered an invitation.
Earl Trek was hosting a banquet and had formally invited him.
This Earl Trek was the same man old Baron Cecil had once established connections with. He was also the biggest buyer of Eloren’s magical potions.
Eloren had decent magical talent, with a strong affinity for Night Magic. However, without a mentor, he could only make a few types of magical potions based on the magic books he had studied on his own.
The most popular potion—the one that kept old Baron Cecil active in noble circles—was an aphrodisiac magical potion.
No matter the era, such potions always had a broad audience.
As long as they worked, it was no surprise they were popular.
But no potion, no matter how effective, would have warranted an earl eagerly inviting a baron to a banquet.
After all, old Baron Cecil had always been the one taking the initiative to visit.
Thus, Yu Mo suspected that the invitation might have something to do with the blessing ceremony at the Holy Temple yesterday.
Peruth’s actions had indirectly raised his status.
“Oh! My goodness!” Lady Cecil, dressed in a green gown, fluttered into the room like a butterfly.
“Eloren! I heard you received a blessing from Cardinal Peruth, and he even publicly expressed his affection for you, is that true?!”
Lady Cecil’s eyes sparkled.
“What an immense honor! By the God of Light! I don’t even have the privilege to meet Cardinal Peruth, and yet Eloren, you’ve earned his favor—how enviable!”
In just one day, this event had already spread through the noble circles, reaching even peripheral figures like Lady Cecil.
Yu Mo took a step back, frowning as he dodged his stepmother’s enthusiastic approach.
His stepmother was the daughter of a farm owner. She had married old Baron Cecil because of her youth and beauty.
Given her young age, only a few years older than Yu Mo, it was no surprise that she had no affection for her older, lecherous, and obese husband.
At old Baron Cecil’s funeral, she had cried so bitterly, not out of grief, but out of fear that her stepson might treat her poorly once he inherited the family estate.
However, after a few days, she realized her stepson was easy to get along with and hadn’t cut her off from money for dresses or jewelry. Her mood quickly brightened, and she happily resumed her daily outings and social activities.
“Oh! It’s an invitation to Earl Trek’s banquet!”
Lady Cecil let out another excited squeal, as if she were a husky eager to go out and play. “Eloren! You’ll take me with you, won’t you?”
Before Yu Mo could say anything, she had already rushed upstairs to search for a new dress and matching jewelry.
Charli couldn’t help but laugh when she saw her brother rub his forehead in exasperation. Despite his cold demeanor, her brother seemed powerless against Lady Cecil.
“Charli,” he said.
Charli quickly suppressed her laughter. “Yes, brother?”
“Go find the lady and have her take you to get a new dress as well.”
“Alright, brother!”
