“It’s just for fun. Besides, big brother has no right to restrict my freedom,” Lumière blinked innocently.
“Don’t try any tricks. You’ve crossed my bottom line—even if you’re my brother…” Arthur narrowed his eyes, threatening.
“Hehe, even if we’re bound by blood, in the end, it’s a fight to the death,” Lumière’s gaze gradually grew cold.
Veins bulged on Arthur’s forehead. Lumière’s strange laughter felt like a mockery of his own hypocrisy—though, in truth, that was exactly the case.
The two princes had long been at each other’s throats, and the slave girls under their command were no better. Rinne Tenki lowered her eyelashes, constantly watching Arthur’s every move. If he acted against Lumière, by the king’s order, she was authorized to strike against Arthur.
Indeed, King Amidale wanted his three sons to compete for the throne, knowing only one would ultimately ascend it alive. However, there was one strict rule in this deadly game: no brother was allowed to physically harm another. They could only use, manipulate, and exploit everyone around them to kill their rivals and achieve their goals.
If Arthur wanted to kill Lumière, he first had to get rid of Rinne Tenki, who was his greatest obstacle.
Arthur had always felt the king favored Lumière, which fueled his deep hatred toward both of them. Rinne Tenki’s racial talent was death itself, wielding the ability known as the “Scales of Burial and Resurrection”! How could he possibly win?
Because of this, Arthur remained vigilant against Lumière, terrified that his younger brother might command Rinne Tenki to assassinate him. The slave girls he commanded—numbered No.4—were useless trash compared to Rinne Tenki! He was sure he would be killed.
Driven nearly mad by fear and desperate not to be murdered first, Arthur sought to strike preemptively. He was hypersensitive to Lumière’s slightest action, trembling at every whisper of wind or rustle of grass.
This time, the king had arranged for Arthur and Lumière to board the same slave transport ship—officially for experience, but in truth, it was a setup for Lumière to use Rinne Tenki to kill Arthur! No matter how large the ship was, it had spatial limits; once Rinne Tenki sealed off an area, Arthur would be trapped and helpless.
On the surface, Arthur appeared cheerful during the three-month voyage, but not a moment passed without him watching his surroundings intently. He deployed numerous men to monitor Lumière’s every move, demanding constant reports, threatening any delays by tossing offenders into the man-eater pit for devouring.
During the earlier days, Lumière had stayed inside the fortress without venturing out, only sending Rinne Tenki into the forest late at night to gather corpses of slaves from the carriage near the man-eater cave for his morbid pleasure. Lumière’s strong necrophilic tendencies were well-known to Arthur. When Lumière was inactive, Arthur felt some relief and could sleep more peacefully.
But still! He was going to kill me in the end!
Lumière finally left the fortress, heading to the arena with Rinne Tenki. Upon receiving the report, Arthur’s first thought was that Lumière was finally making a move. There were still a few days before the ship docked at Amidale’s royal harbor—was he waiting until the very end to strike?! Offering hope only to crush it again, such wickedness!
Arthur began panting heavily, his eyes red as he searched Lumière’s face for even a trace of murderous intent. Yet from start to finish, Lumière’s expression never matched Arthur’s expectations—no mockery, no resentment, no anger or hatred. Only an eerily calm stillness.
“What exactly do you want? Speak!” Arthur shook Lumière violently, shouting out of control.
Rinne Tenki glanced at Shadow Spider and the Curse Doll; both girls stared back warily, but even they felt hopeless. Facing a slave girl like Rinne Tenki, evolved four times and known as the “Ruler of Life and Death,” they didn’t stand a chance. At that moment, they understood why their master was acting so irrationally.
“Since we’re here, and it’s so lively, why not make a bet, big brother?” Lumière suggested.
Arthur was taken aback, stopping his shaking. Lumière took the chance to free himself, landing lightly and quickly straightening his disheveled collar. After calming his breath, he stepped back several paces, putting distance between them.
Arthur’s mental state was unstable; if Lumière lost control and killed him now, it would be terribly disadvantageous. Lumière touched the redness on his neck, pondering.
“My wager is Rinne Tenki. The bet concerns guessing the outcome of the arena’s match,” Lumière said calmly, pointing to the silent Rinne Tenki beside him. She showed no reaction—after all, she was Lumière’s possession, body and soul, life or death. Ownership of a slave girl was a common wager among them.
But the content of the bet piqued Arthur’s interest. Wasn’t the result obvious? The gladiators would inevitably be killed by the man-eaters.
Hearing Lumière’s words, Arthur was momentarily stunned, unable to understand what madness had possessed his brother. But this was a rare opportunity.
“Is that true?” Arthur muttered. It was hard to believe Lumière would be so reckless.
“If you, big brother, think I’m bound to lose, then yes, it’s true,” Lumière said indifferently.
“What do you want?”
Arthur regained some composure and, after a moment of silence, asked hoarsely.
The prize was too rich—winning Rinne Tenki, the very factor that haunted him, and a chance to kill Lumière himself. He couldn’t let this slip away.
The only doubt was that Lumière’s wager was too significant. He was risking his own life. If Arthur couldn’t raise an equal stake, the bet couldn’t stand—that was clear.
“I’m betting my slave girl. Of course, you must stake your slave girl as well,” Lumière said bluntly.
“Except for the ‘Angel of Light,’ you can have whoever you want,” Arthur replied without hesitation.
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