MRG Chapter 37: Hunting Game

Translator: Kii

Editor: EllieKit

Mu Chen’s lip color was originally light, but after drinking, they looked like crabapple petals dyed red by rose juice. When he smiled, it would reveal his two sharp canine teeth, and the bright light fell on his angular jawline, making it hard not to remind people of medieval vampires.

However, at this moment, there was a hint of frivolity in those deep eyes.

Looking at the empty wine glass, Light steadied his eyes, and the veins on the back of his hands were faintly visible. He furrowed his brows, there was a hint of anger in his tone—

“If you don’t care about your own body, then I also won’t bother.”

After saying that, he withdrew his hand.

But the moment Light turned to leave, there was a warm feeling on his wrist. Mu Chen held his wrist from behind and pulled him to the wall.

With a loud crashing sound, the glass cup broke.

The scattered shards of glass reflected the polished marble countertop, as well as the intersecting glossy leather shoes of two people not far away.

Caught unprepared, Light’s back pressed against the wall, a few strands of blonde hair spread messily on his forehead. When he looked up at Mu Chen, the straight back of the black suit drew an arc as he straightened his body, and his narrow yet strong waistline was clearly revealed at this moment.

Because his arms were spread open, his shirt was stretched tightly across his chest.

Mu Chen gripped Light’s wrists and looked down thoughtfully at him. The man’s shirt buttons were meticulously fastened all the way up to the sharp line of his jaws. From this angle, he faintly made out the contours of the firm muscles on Light’s chest. The fabric around the buttons was slightly stretched, leaving faint impressions, and those two points stood out conspicuously.

He was clearly dressed formally, but why did it seem like he was seducing him.

A vibrant light flashed in the deep blue pupils, which were half covered by long eyelashes. Mu Chen pursed his thin lips. He suddenly felt his canine teeth itching and was eager to bite something.

Noticing the man’s furrowed brows, Mu Chen let go of his hands. He tilted his head and blinked at Light. “Is Gege angry?”

He still knew when to use his advantage to keep Light from getting angry at him, just like drawing a bow to its limit, but then pulling it back just when the arrow was about to leave the string.

And as expected—

“…”

Looking at the curved corners of his lips, Light only steadied his gaze, but couldn’t say anything to berate him.

Mu Chen pursed his lips, asking him, “What does Gege want to control about me?”

“Who I date?”

Light was stunned for a moment, then corrected him, “Choosing a suitable partner.”

“Oh…” Mu Chen curved the corner of his lips. “Since Gege had been looking the entire night, did you find a suitable one?”

After a moment of silence—

Light stiffly said, “No.”

Once he thought about those suitors, he couldn’t hold back from frowning.

“How could that be?” Hearing this, Mu Chen chuckled, his long lashes like crow feathers falling down. “Those are all the eligible nobles in the entire Oz Empire.”

He curiously said, “How did you choose, Gege? Are the conditions that strict?”

Hearing Mu Chen’s casual tone that carried some confusion, Light furrowed his brows slightly…

It couldn’t be that he found someone decent among those people?

He looked at Mu Chen’s beautiful and bright face, and then thought of the other party’s surprisingly tolerant eyes. His tone couldn’t help but turn a bit serious, “Those people aren’t worthy of you.”

Mu Chen raised a brow in ‘surprise.’ “If they aren’t worthy of me, then who is?”

Seeing that Light was still silent, Mu Chen slightly leaned closer to him. With half-lidded eyes, he asked in a teasing tone—

“It couldn’t be that…”

“Gege is using himself as a reference standard?”

Mu Chen’s hot breath fell on the side of Light’s neck, and his eyes couldn’t help but tremble. As if a hidden thought buried in his subconscious mind had been unearthed, his fingertips, which were hanging at his sides, curled up, and his back unconsciously tensed.

It was undeniable that when looking at those suitors, Light would subconsciously measure them against some of the standards he set for himself. But if they lack even basic competitiveness, how could they possibly be considered an excellent partner?

Seeing his reaction, the smile in Mu Chen’s eyes became even more intense, and he blinked. “Did I get it right, Gege?

“…You want to control who I date, but also use yourself as the reference—doesn’t Gege think he’s being too much? Are you trying to make me stay single forever?”

“After all, you can’t find someone more excellent than Gege in the entire Oz Empire.”

The other party’s feather-like breath fell between his lips, and Light suddenly felt that the temperature in the venue was a little unbalanced, so hot that he wanted to untie his bow tie.

The bottom of his eyes were colored with some impatience, and when he was about to say something…

“Mu Chen, Da-ge?”

Lance’s clearly surprised voice came from afar. He saw the two people huddled together in the corner and raised a brow. “What are you guys doing here? The banquet is about to begin.”

The scene before his eyes no longer seemed like a simple quarrel; it looked like they were going to start getting physical.

……

On the balcony of the palace, Vincent’s elbows were resting on the railing, and he held a cigarette in his mouth. The flickering sparks of the cigarette reflected the excitement in his eyes.

There was the sound of footsteps beside his ears. When he turned around, he saw a familiar figure.

The other party grabbed Vincent by the lapel, stood on his tiptoe, and moved closer to him very naturally.

But just as the two lips were about to touch, Vincent reached out and pulled the other’s chin, creating some distance between him and the person in front of him.

There was a hint of confusion in the young man’s eyes.

Vincent put out his cigarette and looked at him as he slowly spoke, “Edmond, I thought about it carefully, I don’t think we are suitable for each other.”

The young man called “Edmond” was stunned for a moment. “Are you breaking up with me?”

Vincent, “I’m not too fond of using the term ‘breaking up.’ I said in the beginning that this was a matter of mutual consent and neither of us should interfere with the other’s freedom, have you forgotten?”

Edmond frowned, took a few steps back, and coldly sneered. “What did you say a few days ago? ‘You have seen countless jewels, and I was the brightest one among them.’ And now we’re not suitable?”

Vincent pursed his lips. “I said it before and I still think so now…”

But no matter how dazzling a jewel was, it would pale in comparison to the genuine star, becoming nothing more than an unremarkable trinket.

Edmond looked at his expression and suddenly realized something. “It couldn’t be that you got your eyes on a new ‘prey’?”

Silence enveloped the atmosphere for moment—

He pointed at the other’s nose and scolded, “Vincent, you’re such a crappy person.”

Vincent lightly chuckled. “I’ve never thought of myself as a good person. If saying that can relieve your anger, feel free to…”

“Of course, you shouldn’t fall in love with someone ‘crappy’ like me again.”

……

The musicians walked onto the dance floor one after another.

Mu Chen was surrounded by a crowd at the entrance, while Light had a calm face as he stood outside the dance floor.

The situation was astonishingly similar to four years ago, including Vincent’s abrupt entrance.

Mu Chen looked at him. “Did I not express myself clearly before?”

“Duke Vincent, your style of doing things is not suitable for a merman.”

Vincent, “That was…before I met you.”

“I’m willing to change for you.”

Mu Chen looked at Light’s increasingly upset expression from the corner of his eye, curling the corners of his lips. “The sun will rise from the west. These words and the words from earlier, one of them is true. Which one do you think it is?”

Vincent helplessly smiled, but his heartbeat was like a deafening drumbeat because of Mu Chen’s words. “You should know, I never invite those who rejected me before. ‘Don’t fall in the same place twice’ is my life philosophy. And the only time I made an exception is because of you, Your Highness…”

“And it’s not only this time; I will also make an exception for you for the second, third, and fourth time. Until you find a partner, I won’t give up.”

Mu Chen turned his head slightly, his eyes landing on Light’s feet that seemed to be rooted to the ground.

One second, two seconds, and three seconds passed by…

Vincent was a bit on edge inside. Mu Chen reached out toward him, and the moment he turned around and went onto the dance floor, he smiled at Light.

The moment their eyes met, Light’s expression suddenly froze. The other person’s dazzling smile hit his pupils, and he tugged his collar in annoyance. He was unable to take his eyes off the person on the dance floor…

There was a hint of irritation in his gloominess.

Light had heard the conversation between the two. He sometimes couldn’t understand…

Does Mu Chen even know what he was doing?

Due to the constraints of their mating period and lifelong imprinting, merfolk are naturally at a disadvantage in relationships with humans. The genes that originally evolved to ensure the stable development of their species have not adapted to intermarriage with other races. A merfolk was destined to stay with their partner for life, whereas humans were not bound by such constraints. For a merfolk, an unfaithful partner was undoubtedly devastating. As for Vincent, he could be considered the worst possible choice, yet Mu Chen chose him anyway.

At this moment, Light looked at the two people standing close to each other on the dance floor. His heart was filled with choking smoke as if a time bomb buried in it was ready to be ignited at any moment.

Mu Chen was still young and had never dated, so he doesn’t know how fickle people were. When he thought of this, Light unconsciously clenched his hands hanging at his sides into fists…

“Ehem…ehem…Light.”

At this moment, Jorah, who was sitting on the throne, tapped his sceptre on the ground, his voice calling him solemnly.

He frowned, then turned his head to look at a lady who was alone on the dance floor because she had no partner. He then signalled with his eyes to Light, who was still in a daze in front of the dance floor, to do something.

It had nothing to do with anything else. It was just a matter of etiquette that the host of the ball shouldn’t let the guests be ignored at a banquet they’re hosting.

Light finally snapped out of his daze, slowly walked over, and reached his hand out toward the other party.

The lady became increasingly nervous as she looked at the striking appearance of the person in front of her.

Help… She would rather not dance than dance with the crown prince.

The two walked on the dance floor. One’s back was straight, the other one was so nervous that she almost stepped on her right foot with her left foot. The distance between them was enough to accommodate two big orange cats, making them stand out awkwardly amidst the pairs around them, who were hugging each other passionately.

The band was playing a lively waltz. What made this ballroom dance unique was that everyone could change partners as the rhythm changed.

So for an unfamiliar dance partner, the good news was that the awkward atmosphere doesn’t have to last that long, while the bad news was that they might just end up being awkward with someone else.

Almost the moment Light stepped on the dance floor, a dazzling silver directly intruded his line of sight—Mu Chen and Vincent just so happen to twirl next to Light.

Vincent looked at Mu Chen, the corners of his lips were turned up high. “Your Highness, they say you are the pearl of the Oz Empire, but I think the term pearl isn’t enough to describe your temperament.”

Mu Chen snorted. “And what do you think?”

“I think you are more like a sapphire…” Vincent’s eyes fell on his blue eyes. “Beautiful, but at the same time, very sharp.”

Mu Chen smiled, declining to comment.

Light who saw the scene, “…”

He furrowed his brows—whether it was pearl or sapphire, Vincent wasn’t worthy of Mu Chen.

Exactly at this moment, Mu Chen’s gaze turned back and intertwined with Light’s. His eyes, which hid a smile, held some other meaning.

Now, the invisible gaze seemed to have turned into some kind of substantial electric current, causing Light’s expression to stagnate slightly. His movements also slowed down a beat. His dance partner wasn’t paying attention and stepped on Light’s instep. The lady turned stiff and promptly apologized, “Ah, sorry, Your Highness.”

Light withdrew his gaze from Mu Chen. “It’s fine, it was I who didn’t pay attention.”

……

After five minutes, the tune changed and everyone jumped to the next dance partner with nimble steps.

Watching as the lady left, a shadow fell over Light’s eyes. In the next second, the other party’s palms rested on his waist.

He stared at Mu Chen, who didn’t seem to notice anything, and was stunned. “Did you dance the wrong step?”

Mu Chen blinked. “Ah, I forgot…but I danced the man’s part just now. Does Gege want to dance with someone else?”

Light’s expression turned stagnant. He was silent for a moment, then he said, “No need.”

Mu Chen curled the corner of his lips, his arms very naturally wrapped around his waist.

The two of them stepped closer in accordance with the tune. Light looked at Mu Chen’s raised eyes and couldn’t help but remind him, “You must be more careful when choosing a partner.”

Mu Chen smiled at him. “Isn’t Gege a bit too concerned?”

Light frowned, and when he was about to say something, he saw the other party leaning close to him. Mu Chen pressed his forehead against his, then spoke softly in his ears—

“Gege and I are different; I won’t think so much. As long as it is something I like, I will definitely think of a way to obtain it.