Chapter 136: 72. Like a Cat
“Mr. Fisher Benavides, come on, another drink.”
After all, they had started their dinner only after Fisher arrived, so it was just the right time for him to come, and the atmosphere in the restaurant became more lively as they began their main course.
Originally, according to the seating arrangement, the Prince of Shivali should have been seated with the officials of the New Party. At the table, the current party whip of the New Party, Ken, was dispatched to welcome the Shivali delegation.
He was a rotund gentleman, clearly someone who frequented the various entertainment venues in Saint Nali. The officials of the New Party came in two factions: either somewhat overweight like Ken, or somewhat frail like Trandal.
However, even he, who favored revelry, began to struggle with the constant toasting from Prince Losang. His health was not very good to begin with, and after drinking heavily without eating much, he soon found sweat trickling down his forehead.
The remaining officials of the New Party were also detained by the surrounding scholars, falling into the mire of alcohol.
Even the gentleman from Shivali who had brought the sheepkin male confidently introduced how well-behaved his sheepkin was, describing how pleasant it was when the latter obediently kneaded his back, leaving the accompanying New Party officials drunk and speechless.
But Fisher could clearly see that this visit from Shivali carried somewhat of an offensive undertone.
Although the visit was the result of a consensus reached privately between the two countries, it was hard to say how much Shivali actually benefited from the consensus. After all, Shivali’s economy was currently in trouble and needed to explore foreign markets; in this sense, Nali had the initiative.
The New Party might not excel in other areas, but their methods for making money and negotiating should be quite adept. Even if reconciling with Shivali would also benefit them, they could still make some maneuvers in this regard.
At present, it seemed likely that there were many aspects in the consensus that were disadvantageous for Shivali, which Shivali ultimately had to begrudgingly accept.
Thus, it was reasonable for them to engage in some posturing during the subsequent academic visits, such as this excessively toasting dinner, and also the forthcoming academic conference targeting Fisher.
As he watched the New Party whip quickly succumbing to drunkenness, Ken, who was not good at drinking, glanced at the Board member and Roger beside him pretending to be dead, adjusted his elegant mustache, and was about to step in, clearly intending to take matters into his own hands.
As the principal, he certainly could not let the face of Saint Nali University be lost, especially since it was a royal chartered institution.
However, Fisher quickly changed positions ahead of Ken and sat next to Prince Losang.
What a joke, how old was Ken today? If he drank too much tonight, next year today could be his anniversary.
Professor Fisher took on the important task of safeguarding the reputation of Nali and Saint Nali University, and this move gained the appreciation of Roger and the Board member.
As soon as Fisher sat down next to Prince Losang, he immediately sensed a strong smell of alcohol emanating from him. Bare-chested, he looked Fisher up and down and laughed, saying,
“Mr. Fisher, I have read many of your articles back when I was in Shivali. The Nali Journal is reliably placed on my desk every week, and in various fields, such as social sciences, ethics, magic theory, and even obscure subjects like subhuman races, I can see your name. Well, I have a somewhat personal question I’d like to ask you.”
“Please, Prince.”
His face was somewhat flushed, and as he spoke, he poured wine for Fisher. As the wine flowed into Fisher’s cup, he continued, “You know, there are some issues regarding subhumans in our country. I want to ask you, is there any way to make male sheepkin descendants less… um, delicate?”
Fisher paused slightly in his action of drinking, momentarily unable to follow the train of thought of Prince Losang beside him.
You want to solve the problems with the sheepkin far from the Southern Continent without addressing your own noble class that can mistreat sheepkin, right?
Cherry-picking over soft persimmons?
Fisher drained his glass, ignoring whether Prince Losang was truly intoxicated or if he had just spoken carelessly, and with a smile, extended his right hand, making a slicing motion as if cutting something in half, while saying, “I prefer to tackle the root of the problem. Since those guys are so impulsive, simply severing their line would be well, and this could also solve other issues that trouble Prince Losang, right?”
It was previously mentioned that Shivali had a problem with excessively powerful nobility.
Their Parliament was nominally a form of royal power shared with the people, but more accurately it should be “royal power shared with the nobility.” The nobility used methods of support or encroachment to control Shivali’s Parliament, taking away votes that rightfully belonged to the people, resulting in a very distorted political system in Shivali.
Power was both extremely centralized and not concentrated in the hands of the royal family, which was very different from Nali’s current system of checks and balances.
Nali’s system originated from a bloodless revolution, while Shivali’s parliamentary system stemmed from simply mimicking another example, and of course they couldn’t grasp the essence of it, but instead destroyed the original framework. Coupled with the previous emperor’s incompetence, the situation in Shivali’s early years was truly grim.
Not only could the royal family not control the political situation, allowing various nobles to oppress the populace, but the people also had no voice, leading to simmering resentment. In just five years, there had been six uprisings. If their military had not remained strong, Shivali would likely have changed dynasties by now.
It was only after the new queen took office that the situation began to improve, but the stubborn noble powers were not easily toppled. They resembled parasites attached to every part of the national machinery, making repairs far from a simple task; it would require complete dismantling and replacement.
So, what Fisher meant was likely to cut off the nobility’s lineage, and then Losang’s issues would also be resolved, whether they pertained to sheepkin or political matters, though this was certainly just a joke.
Losang paused slightly, then, with a face full of alcohol, he smiled, glancing at the nearby New Party officials but not responding to Fisher’s joke. Instead, he shifted the topic, saying,
“I heard that you came from the Royal Academy but didn’t join the Griffin Party, instead becoming a free scholar?”
“I do not have the talent in that area, so I can only say it’s a pity.”
“Haha, it’s not your loss, but Nali’s loss. Moreover, I’ve heard that your relationship with Princess Elizabeth is quite special. Before I came here, the Griffin Party had suggested to your King that I marry one of the princesses in the Golden Palace to solidify the relationship between our countries, but it was rejected by both the Golden Palace and myself.”
Fisher was somewhat surprised to hear this, not surprised that the Golden Palace would refuse, because now Elizabeth was the commander of the royal military, making it clearly unrealistic for her to marry a foreign prince. Moreover, Elizabeth had never liked arranged marriages; otherwise, she would have been married long ago in university, having no need to entangle herself for so long.
As for Isabel, she had always been sheltered by Elizabeth, never experiencing much hardship growing up, and Elizabeth definitely would not agree to her marrying.
Thinking of this, Fisher’s gaze flickered.
Back in university, he truly had a crush on Elizabeth and had resolved to distance himself from other ladies, determined to marry her.
However, after experiencing some events at the university, Fisher hesitated after careful consideration.
Elizabeth was a woman who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, and Fisher knew this better than anyone, whether it concerns love or any other matter.
This was also the reason Fisher eventually decided to steer clear of Elizabeth, even knowing she would not give up easily.
He still remembered at the graduation party, that princess had warned him with a serene smile,
“If any Nali lady marries you, you will never be happy. Only I can bring you happiness.”
The warning in her words was almost explicit. If any other Nali lady dared to be with Fisher, she would undoubtedly bring devastation to their family by any means necessary.
But that was so long ago; she was no longer that 22-year-old girl, and he was no longer just a bookish nerd focused on studying.
Seven years had passed, until shortly before when Elizabeth expressed some guilt before him outside the carriage, saying “she had changed, and wouldn’t be like before,” Fisher felt as if he were back to the time he had a crush on her in university.
Only this time, he already had someone else by his side.
“I am quite curious about the reason why Prince Losang rejected this request.”
Fisher poured himself a glass of wine and swallowed it quickly, washing away the thoughts that emerged in his mind.
Prince Losang poured himself a glass as well, looking at the clear, shimmering liquid as he said, “To pursue my own love.”
“Oh?”
Faced with Fisher’s curious gaze, Losang confidently patted his chest, saying, “You know, I cannot marry any noblewoman; otherwise, the delicate balance that the queen and I have painstakingly maintained would be shattered in an instant. So, in matters of romance, the queen has granted me considerable freedom.”
“The thing I loathe the most is homosexuals! So, since childhood, I have vowed to find a lady that belongs to me, regardless of her status or position, my only requirement is: she must be a lady whom I like; that’s all there is to it.”
Fisher felt a surge of sympathy for the prince. After all, his father was a notorious pervert from the Western Continent, bold enough to bring a horde of men into his son’s room to “play games.”
At the time, Prince Losang was only ten years old. If Fisher had encountered such a “heated atmosphere” upon returning to his room after a day of studying at ten, he probably wouldn’t have handled it any better.
This incident left a deep psychological shadow in Prince Losang’s heart, and Fisher could see that.
Both of them had their own worries—one thinking about Elizabeth, while the other reminiscing about his father’s sordid past—so they drank heartily, even Fisher faintly felt tipsy.
Time passed slowly in pouring drinks, drinking, and chatting, soon they were discussing what was in the sky, and what other continents had yet to be discovered when they found that the prepared drinks had run out unexpectedly.
Fisher turned around to look; the new party members from Nali were either thoroughly intoxicated or passed out, with a couple of sober souls being embraced by Shivali scholars, seemingly discussing their life aspirations.
“Mr. Baza, I can’t drink anymore.”
“Don’t call me Baza, call me brother.”
That was the nature of the dialogue.
Ken cleared his throat and instructed the servants to separate the drunken scholars and New Party officials, then to carry them back to their own quarters to rest.
Fortunately, Fisher held the scene together; otherwise, Ken really wouldn’t have known who would take charge if everyone got drunk.
Prince Losang set his cup down; his face was still as red as when he first started drinking, but after pouring down a great deal of alcohol, he seemed unaffected at all.
Who knows whether he was actually drunk?
Fisher wasn’t certain.
At that moment, he stood up, stretching his muscular frame, then turned back to Fisher with a smile, saying, “Mr. Fisher, it’s been a pleasure talking with you; I look forward to our academic conference next week. Our scholars have prepared many points, and I hope you’ll be ready.”
“I will be adequately prepared.”
Prince Losang smiled, draping his discarded clothing over his shoulder, and walked toward the outer quarters. He planned to visit the restroom first, largely addressing his physiological needs, and when he walked out, he saw a sneaky lady in the corridor.
The lady had long brown hair and was dressed in a servant’s outfit, her figure decent, and she was whispering to something she held in her arms,
“You dare run into my room, huh? Are you here to rub your belly for me?”
“Meow~”
Prince Losang’s gaze was somewhat blurred, and he frowned, calling out, “Hey,” startling the shadowy figure.
The figure suddenly turned, and a delicate, beautiful face emerged, slightly panicked, catching Prince Losang’s eye, like a white lotus leaping from the water. Her gaze was clear, and she cradled a small cat, at that moment, making them seem akin to one another.
That girl was as adorable as a cat.
Losang thought to himself, as he was about to say something, the girl hurriedly clutched the cat and ran away, leaving him stunned in place. He looked down at himself, realizing he hadn’t put on his clothing yet.
Did his appearance scare her away?
He chuckled and shook his head, not chasing after the girl, simply preserving the memory of her appearance.
That girl who resembled a cat.
Please vote, tip, and support; it is very important to me.
Thank you for your support!
(THE END)
