Chapter 184: Peruth, the Charming Little Fairy
After the Winter Snow Festival, Peruth stayed in Margburg for three more days, but it was finally time for him to leave.
As a cardinal who had “failed in his coup and retreated to the north,” he chose the location for the new temple in Tusihe.
The northern lands were vast, and Tusihe was not close to Borotosh; even for a fast rider, it would take a day or two to reach it.
Yu Mo rode his horse and accompanied him for several dozen miles.
“This time of parting means we won’t see each other for a while. Eloren, please walk with me a bit further,” Peruth said, gazing at his lover with a wistful tone.
It was precisely because of this way of speaking that Yu Mo kept extending his farewells, bringing him this far.
The lord, having indulged him several times, decided he wouldn’t let him push any further.
“If I take you any farther, I’ll be sending you to the borders of Borotosh. Do you want me to take you directly to Tusihe?”
Seeing that this tactic was useless, the cardinal’s realistic expression of disappointment vanished completely, and he smiled, “Why not? Eloren hadn’t been to Tusihe yet, right? Don’t you want to take this opportunity to see it?”
“Even if I wanted to go, it wouldn’t be now.” Yu Mo stopped in his tracks and didn’t move forward.
“Goodbye, Peruth.”
“Okay.” Peruth sighed heavily, “I look forward to seeing you next time. You know, you’re always welcome to come.”
“Mm.”
“When will you come then?”
“When the time is right.”
Just as the cardinal was about to leave, he turned back and asked, “Do you think Tusihe is too far? How about I try to concoct a teleportation scroll?”
He seemed to be joking, yet at the same time, he appeared quite serious.
“You can give it a try.”
“Then it’s settled.”
The clingy cardinal finally left.
The happiest person in the entire castle was Amos. It wasn’t for any other reason; he was simply concerned about his teacher’s health.
When Amos first saw the interaction between his teacher and the cardinal, he always thought his teacher’s attitude was too cold, but recently he discovered it wasn’t that simple.
His teacher, seemingly indifferent on the surface, was actually very indulgent towards the cardinal behind the scenes!
Not to mention, over the past few days, as the cardinal prepared to leave Margburg, he had used this reason to monopolize his teacher’s time, and to deal with him, his teacher had consumed more than a dozen bottles of energy-boosting potions.
Having delayed his teacher’s work like this, his teacher wasn’t even angry with the cardinal; today, he had personally escorted the cardinal such a long distance, wasting half a day of work!
In a short time, that highly respected and profoundly knowledgeable cardinal had become, in Amos’s eyes, a charming little fairy who was skilled at sweet-talking and seducing his teacher.
…
Once Peruth left, Yu Mo resumed his previous work intensity, going out early every morning and returning at night to light magical lamps and handle official business.
The coldest season in Borotosh had passed, and the temperature gradually rose, with no more piercing cold winds.
The entire Borotosh seemed to have entered a belated spring, awakening from the bitter cold and displaying a thriving appearance.
Most things had nearly returned to normal, allowing Yu Mo to finally catch his breath and take a rest.
Just as he was considering whether to visit the cardinal, who hadn’t made a sound for months, the new temple in Tusihe announced its completion. Cardinal Peruth invited all the lords and nobles from the North to attend the ceremony at the Tusihe temple.
The timing was so coincidental that Yu Mo couldn’t help but suspect that the cardinal had been keeping an eye on the situation in Borotosh, knowing that he was now free, and had chosen the date accordingly.
This was a significant event, and almost all the lords and nobles would not refuse such an invitation.
Many small nobles who had not been invited also sought news and spontaneously went to admire the cardinal’s demeanor, hoping to receive the temple’s blessing.
This was the most comfortable climate of the year in the North—not too cold, not too hot—allowing plants to grow rapidly, desperately showcasing their most vibrant vitality before the next bitter winter arrived.
Even the destitute, who barely had clothing on the streets, found things to be much better; at least they could find some food in the wild, and they wouldn’t easily starve. At night, lying on the ground outside, they wouldn’t freeze to death.
Tusihe, unlike the more northern Borotosh, was the most prosperous place in the North, often referred to as the Little Royal Capital of the North.
The common people in the North did not hold their faith in the God of Light with the same fervor as those in the royal capital, as they had never felt the “light” of His favor; they only experienced the continuous oppression from their lords, and merely surviving was a struggle.
In contrast, the nobles, both large and small, in the North yearned for the temple as much as they yearned for the royal capital.
In the past, the temple had only existed in the royal capital, but now the North also had its own temple, which made them very happy.
With the cardinal in charge, even in the event of a terrible plague, they wouldn’t be without a place to seek help.
Because of this, many nobles came with gold to build a new temple for the cardinal, praying for his protection over their territories.
Due to this enthusiasm, Tusihe was filled with nobles of all ranks within just two days.
Yu Mo arrived the latest, even lords from farther regions had already made it there.
“Why does it feel like they don’t really welcome the lord?”
“It seems like the lord is being pushed aside and isolated by this group of nobles.”
Two knights whispered behind him as Yu Mo passed by, navigating through the complex and subtly rejecting gazes from the nobles, without initiating any conversation with them.
This was quite normal. As a lord of Borotosh, Yu Mo held a significant amount of territory and was a young marquis, yet his actions were far from “noble.”
Not only did he not frequently host banquets to build relationships with other nobles, but he had also made a series of unconventional changes in his territory, attracting many residents from other lands to secretly relocate to Borotosh.
Moreover, most of the nobles present were locals from the North, while a small portion from the royal capital had married into local noble families.
Looking again at Yu Mo, he was still a well-known bachelor, without anyone who could help him break into the circle of northern nobles.
All of this contributed to Yu Mo’s isolated situation at that moment.
He showed no signs of this himself, standing alone in a corner, gazing at a patch of white roses growing outside the corridor.
This place was not suitable for growing roses, yet this particular patch thrived.
Yu Mo’s arrival caused a momentary silence in the gathering, but soon, people began to converse again with that deliberate tone.
Suddenly, there was another hush, followed by a rapid shift in atmosphere as several priests in divine robes entered.
The northern nobles who had been chatting rushed forward, eager to greet them and inquire about the cardinal’s well-being.
Yu Mo glanced in their direction but didn’t see anyone familiar; instead, his attention was drawn to a swaying white rose outside the corridor.
No one noticed him as he walked toward the corridor, naturally looking toward the spot shaded by the pillars and the roses.
He caught sight of a pair of brilliant amber eyes.
“Eloren.” The smiling cardinal released the white rose, having successfully drawn people’s attention, and no longer needed to shake it deliberately.
After not seeing each other for several months, he was dressed in formal cardinal’s attire: a pure white robe, a bright red sash, and holding a splendid scepter he had never seen before, which was quite impressive.
“Eloren, were you just isolated by them?”
“Were they isolating me?” Yu Mo retorted.
The cardinal chuckled softly. “Of course not.”
Eloren was not lacking in social skills; whenever he wished, he could win anyone’s favor and get along well with anyone.
Just like in the royal capital, Eloren had made a good impression on most nobles he met in a short time, regardless of their gender.
Peruth felt this the most keenly, as the noble ladies and young women increasingly spoke of Eloren in his presence.
Many young girls admired Eloren, finding his demeanor mysterious and possessing a unique charm.
This was not a pleasant situation for him, so he helped dispel their unrealistic hopes.
He knew Eloren well, understanding that Eloren was always purposeful in his actions and never did anything unnecessary.
He ignored the attitudes of the northern nobles simply because he felt there was no need to establish good relations with them.
In simple terms, Eloren believed they were of no use to him.
On the other hand, he found Eloren useful and was willing to invest more attention and energy in him.
The cardinal smiled as he thought.
“Eloren, can you stay for a couple more days here in Tusihe?”
Yu Mo replied, “I will stay for three days.”
Having not seen him for a while, he had thought that Peruth would be unable to resist sneaking off to Borotosh during these months. To his surprise, Peruth had held back and hadn’t gone even once, which astonished Yu Mo a bit.
“Three days? That’s great! Once it’s over, I have a gift for you.”
…
The cardinal arrived late, greeting and blessing each noble with enthusiasm.
No one knew that just moments earlier, he had been standing behind a pillar in the corridor, chatting for quite a while with the lord of Borotosh.
By the time all the nobles had approached him for their blessings, Yu Mo was the last to step forward.
Like everyone else, he lifted the cardinal’s gloved hand and pretended to kiss the back of it.
Afterward, he took a step back, but Peruth moved a step closer, leaning down to kiss his forehead.
“May the light bless you.”
Yu Mo felt the astonished gazes of those around him, along with the buzzing whispers.
The priests standing behind Peruth were much calmer than the nobles present; even though the cardinal had whimsically granted a special blessing to one noble, they found nothing strange about it.
This was not the first time.
This incident caused every subsequent step of the ceremony to be filled with curiosity, and even if Peruth did not show him any special treatment afterward, people continued to glance back at Yu Mo.
Once the tedious ceremony finally ended, the nobles, who had been holding back their comments for so long, began to chatter again.
“I’ve heard that Cardinal Peruth used to favor Marquis Cecil back in the royal capital, but didn’t they have a falling out long ago?”
“Yes, I heard it was because Marquis Cecil supported Cardinal Croft, the teacher of Princess Charli, in the dispute between the two cardinals, which led to their break.”
“It’s been so long since he arrived in the North, yet I’ve never heard of Marquis Cecil coming to Tusihe. People have been saying that Cardinal Peruth has grown tired of him.”
“Then what’s going on today?”
Yu Mo realized that, according to the rumors outside, he and Peruth had already fallen out.
The two knights who followed him heard the discussions around them and wore serious expressions, though their hearts were quite conflicted.
Others might not know the truth, but they certainly did; the cardinal and the lord had been seen together during the Winter Solstice Festival, carrying each other in the streets. It hardly seemed like a relationship in turmoil.
While the confused nobles continued to gossip, the clever opportunists had already begun to act.
Yu Mo was intercepted by a lord, who was not young and owned a small territory near Tusihe.
He changed his previously distant demeanor and expressed an interest in befriending Yu Mo.
“Marquis Cecil, young nobles always need a lady to manage their castles and estates. Focusing solely on territorial affairs and neglecting oneself isn’t a good thing!”
“You must attend more banquets to find the right lady. Coincidentally, I have a lively banquet at my estate coming up soon…”
As the other nobles left the temple, Yu Mo was called back by a priest, who said that Cardinal Peruth wanted to see him.
The friendly attitude was both generous and apparent.
Peruth, as expected, was sitting in the rose pavilion waiting for him, having removed his hat. His light-colored long hair glimmered in the sunlight.
“Eloren, how was it? Did those northern nobles come to curry favor with you?”
“You’ve spent too much on building Borotosh. Next, you can wait for them to come and apologize and present gifts to you, which will help lighten your burden.”
Seeing the elegant smile on Peruth’s face, which seemed to exude confidence and control, Yu Mo replied nonchalantly, “Yes, to please me, they are even preparing to marry their daughters to me.”
The cardinal’s smile vanished.
