Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Perhaps due to the vigor of youth, the blood that had just been wiped away defiantly started flowing again.

"Ah, this—quick, grab some tissues to stop it! Doctor... doctor! His Holiness!"

Kane, who was busy trying to stem his nosebleed, knew trouble was brewing the moment he heard the commotion around him.

Some rushed out to call for a doctor, while others crowded around asking what had happened. They moved too fast to stop.

"What's going on?" Hearing the noise outside, Ning Chan couldn’t bother with his back scrub anymore. With a push, he leaped out of the bath, wrapped himself in a robe from his spatial storage, and stepped outside.

The moment he emerged, he saw a crowd tightly encircling Kane. This was no good.

"Step back, give him some air. Let me see what’s happening." Ning Chan reached out and pulled the onlookers aside, finally catching sight of the man covering half his face with a towel.

When Ning Chan pulled them away, the guards were initially reluctant, but the moment they turned and saw him, their heated, panicked minds instantly cooled. Trembling, they stepped back, mentally kicking themselves.

They had been taught first aid before—how could they have forgotten to leave enough space for the "patient" to breathe the moment they saw their king in distress?

Seeing Ning Chan with his long, damp hair and the faint steam still clinging to his movements, Kane pressed the towel harder against his nose, berating himself for losing his cool. He had just missed a golden opportunity.

Ning Chan took Kane’s hand, his superpower flaring, dissolving the tension. "Hahaha, it’s nothing. Young people run hot, and the food we’ve been eating on the road was a bit dry—must’ve made you overheat."

Though he laughed, Ning Chan didn’t wait for Kane’s nosebleed to stop on its own. While losing a bit of blood might’ve been beneficial, there was no need to alarm everyone further.

He pressed his hand against the back of Kane’s neck, fingers kneading firmly. A chill spread from the spot, and Kane’s boiling blood gradually calmed.

The bleeding stopped.

With his other hand, Ning Chan pulled away the towel Kane had been pressing against his nose. Seeing no fresh blood, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Get another towel, wet it, and bring it here."

Head bowed, Kane obediently let Ning Chan wipe his face. His gaze lingered on the other’s focused expression, not daring to let it wander lower. His mouth tasted faintly metallic—some blood must’ve trickled in.

If an old house on fire was bad, youthful fervor was worse. Kane had both, and when his conscience occasionally piped up, he realized his thoughts were never pure. But if his mind refused to cooperate, what could he do?

Ning Chan, oblivious, should’ve been grateful he could only sense general goodwill or malice, not the specifics of someone’s emotions. Otherwise, with the flood of R-rated thoughts swirling in Kane’s mind, he’d have fled back to the bathhouse to put on pants immediately.

Once Kane’s bleeding stopped, Ning Chan took another clean towel and dried his hair.

"Here, these are the clothes I wanted to give you. Also... did you still want me to scrub your back?" Though Kane tried his hardest not to let his gaze wander, the sight of those tempting collarbones peeking from the slightly parted robe left him parched and staring.

"No need. And you shouldn’t soak in the hot spring either—just rinse off with water if you want to bathe. I’ll have someone prepare some cooling, heat-relieving food for you." Ning Chan took the basket of clothes and headed straight for the changing room next door. Though the robe covered him well, the lack of clothes underneath felt strange.

If Kane had a tail, it would’ve drooped from eager to dejected.

"Oh... got it." Watching Ning Chan’s retreating figure, Kane could only scream inside at his own failure.

But worse still, Ning Chan wouldn’t be sharing his bed tonight.

"Given how worked up you are, you should drink more cooling tea. Actually, now that it’s getting hotter, two people sleeping together would just make it worse. It’s better to sleep separately. You did prepare a room for me, right?"

No, I didn’t, and I don’t mind the heat!

Struck as if by lightning, Kane wanted to protest, but Ning Chan was already looking around for his room—which meant his decision was final, and no persuasion would change it. Defeated, Kane could only lead him to... the adjacent room.

Why didn’t I get a suite? *Now* I can’t even share a room with him!

"Huh, I never realized sharing a room—or a bed—was such a big deal."

At night, Ning Chan lowered the temperature in his room just a little and slept comfortably all night, completely ignoring the person next door who was tossing and turning all night.

"Bob hasn’t lost his touch. The strawberry ice cream tart he made tastes amazing." Enjoying the delicious breakfast, Ning Chan was in a very cheerful mood.

Even after pulling an all-nighter, Kane looked pretty good, aside from some redness at the corners of his eyes. At least, Ning Chan didn’t notice anything unusual.

Seeing Ning Chan’s smile, the weight in Kane’s chest lightened a little, and he regained his energy, reviewing the day’s plans.

He planned to show Ning Chan around the palace and arrange for a meeting between Ning Chan and the citizens... There was quite a lot to do.

Ning Chan went along with Kane’s plans—after all, he was the guest. After resting for these two days, he also planned to start preparing for his own matters.

"Why is this plot of land empty? What do you plan to do with it?" Whether as someone from the Flower Nation or a Wood-element Superpower user from the apocalypse, farming was second nature to Ning Chan. He couldn’t stand seeing such a large piece of land left barren.

"This is prepared for you. Don’t you like plantations? Others might not do it to your liking, so I left it for you to arrange however you want." Kane had also considered preparing a garden himself as a gift for Ning Chan, but he had no talent in this area—the only things he could grow were poison weeds.

Knowing his limits, Kane figured he should leave professional tasks to professionals and not force himself.

"Mm, good." Ning Chan was very satisfied and buried a seed to test the soil’s fertility.

Ning Chan had picked the seed randomly from a mixed bag. Without deliberately checking, he had no idea what would grow—it was like a mystery grab bag, which was quite fun.

When the seed sprouted, the tender shoots emerged, and the branches gradually stretched out, Ning Chan’s smile deepened.

Oh, a little rose—and a rare ‘Princess’ variety, no less. Lucky!

The tiny pink rose, peeking through golden leaves, looked even more delicate and charming with a sprinkle of water, dewdrops clinging to its budding form.

"For you." Ning Chan plucked the most vibrant bloom and tucked it into Kane’s hair. "Pfft, adorable."

Kane, with his sharp, model-like features, looked even more radiant with a pink rose nestled in his golden hair, creating no dissonance but rather enhancing his allure.

The attendants following from a distance glanced up at the scene, like they’d just had an epiphany.

Previously, due to Kane’s status and imposing presence, they’d never let themselves notice just how hot their king was, only vaguely aware that he wasn’t unattractive.

But now, seeing Kane so amiable and smiling, they finally noticed their king’s beauty.

So gorgeous—side by side with His Holiness, they looked like a masterpiece.

Their lips curled slightly as they felt the breeze grow gentler.

With Ning Chan grinning like a troublemaker and his "somewhat bold" laughter, what could Kane do but stroke the flower and laugh along? "Mm, thank you."

Heck yeah! Chanchan gave me a flower!

"Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. A king shouldn’t let his subjects see him like this." Seeing Kane not angry at all but even thanking him so politely, Ning Chan glanced around, rubbed his nose, suddenly feeling bad, and reached to take the flower back.

He was being a jerk, bullying such a sweet guy.

"No, it’s fine. I’ll keep it." Kane leaned back to avoid Ning Chan’s hand, stepping away before carefully removing the flower from his hair and tucking it into a hidden pocket in his sleeve.

No take-backs. He’d keep this flower forever—press it in a book or something.

Seeing he couldn’t retrieve it, Ning Chan gave up with a shrug and let Kane have his way.

Once the palace tour wrapped up, Kane got to work on the ceremony.

Most of those who followed Kane to challenge the status quo were hands-on fighters. Although they had no issues with reading, writing, and arithmetic after years of study, they weren't particularly skilled in etiquette or sacred texts.

So, even when Kane ascended the throne, the ceremony was kept simple. But when it came to Ning Chan, Kane refused to settle for something so plain.

The royals and nobles in the capital weren’t completely wiped out—those young ones who hadn’t committed any offenses were given leniency.

Of course, if no one in their family had caused trouble, their assets could be retained. But if they had, and if they had benefited from their noble status and wealth, then it was simply unfortunate—their assets would be confiscated depending on the circumstances.

Faced with shrinking coffers and unwilling to oppose the king, the young nobles had no choice but to seek new livelihoods. Answering the king’s call and working for him became a viable path.

Lefevre was one of them. His uncle had been a Marquis, and he himself was originally an insignificant member of a collateral branch. After being taken in and educated for a few years, who would have thought his uncle’s entire family would be purged by the new king?

Lefevre felt some regret over it for a while.

After sizing up the situation, he packed his things, attended the royal selection, and successfully secured a position.

Upon hearing the king’s summons, Lefevre gleefully put on his best outfit, checked himself repeatedly in the mirror, and only then walked briskly into the palace.

Ah, the king was flawless—it was just that opportunities to see him were too few.

"Your Majesty, this is..." When he noticed the person seated beside Kane, Lefevre’s heart lurched.

"Lefevre, this is His Holiness, the newly appointed Pope." Kane didn't bother with formalities—after all these years, who didn’t know of Ning Chan’s heroic deeds?

Lefevre gazed at Ning Chan’s gentle smile, bowed his head slightly, and respectfully addressed him as "Your Holiness." Yet his heart sank like a stone.