Chapter 39: The Royal Stables

Mateo let out a cold laugh, draped an arm over Xu Zhou’s shoulder, and raised an eyebrow at Theodore with undisguised arrogance.

“I’ll protect him as long as I can. I only care about right now. At least today, anyone who touches the Reyes diplomatic immunity is openly violating the constitution.”

He didn’t give the others another chance to pressure them with words. He simply used his tall frame to block Xu Zhou completely, and even pulled his own oversized hoodie over Xu Zhou’s head, right in front of everyone.

Xu Zhou showed only a pair of peach-blossom eyes, lifting his chin at them lazily.

Gu Yanli’s gaze landed on Xu Zhou’s fingers, still tightly gripped in Mateo’s hand.

Mateo had already walked with him to the entrance. He kicked the heel of his foot, and the blast-proof brass door slammed shut in front of the four men.

The living room fell silent at once.

The fruitwood in the fireplace snapped with a faint crack, and the sparks dimmed.

Gu Yanli pulled off one silk glove, revealing pale, knuckly fingers. He bent down and picked up the heavy gold seal from the coffee table.

He turned it over and rubbed his thumb across the engraved ring at the bottom, the mark of the Gulf Reyes royal family. His voice was calm.

“Reyes pulled Gu’s co-investment from the Gulf Foundation last week. This seal is real. Mateo’s grandfather signed the authorization the day before yesterday.”

He tossed the seal back onto the table. Metal hit marble with a crisp clink.

“But diplomatic immunity needs to be filed with the board of trustees in Saint Lester. By noon tomorrow, I’ll send the student council the joint signature withdrawal form from the legal department.”

Theodore stood by the stained-glass window. From the floor below, the roar of a sports car engine drifted up, blatantly provocative, almost a taunt.

He took off his gold-rimmed glasses and slowly polished the lenses with a silk handkerchief from his pocket.

He looked at the black rose invitation that had been delivered earlier, now serving as a mat under a plate of truffle and wagyu, stained with grease.

The expensive silver powder calligraphy had been blurred by oil stains across most of its surface. It looked ridiculous.

Theodore paused for half a second in his polishing. The faint smile on his lips was still flawless, but the pale gray eyes behind his lenses had turned cold as ice.

“The Gulf royals still prefer to talk with whips and seals. Barbaric.”

He put his glasses back on, walked over, pinched the clean corner of the invitation with his long fingers, pulled it out from under the plate, and tossed it carelessly into a nearby trash can.

“But Mateo overestimates Xu Zhou’s patience. The more he uses the royal seal to protect him, the more eyes in Saint Lester will be watching Xu Zhou. Xu Zhou hates trouble. Within three days, he’ll find a way to slip out from under Mateo’s nose.”

Ethan didn’t glance at the discarded paper. He briskly buttoned the top button of his school uniform.

His voice was as cold as snow falling in winter.

“While the diplomatic immunity is in effect, all of Xu Zhou’s attendance records at the school will be marked as zero.

Before Friday, the student council will submit an arbitration request to the board and the Hawthorne Foundation regarding the special student’s credit anomaly.

Reyes can use the foundation to cover Xu Zhou’s tuition shortfall, but in Saint Lester’s files, Xu Zhou’s status will be downgraded to a royal attendant. He won’t like that label.”

Adrian leaned against the curio cabinet, his long legs crossed, turning the aluminum ointment tube in his fingers, the one he had squeezed hard enough to leave fingerprints.

He didn’t bother with the other three’s sparring. His mind still lingered on the faint pink trace around Xu Zhou’s wrist, worn there by the chain.

“You seniors seem to be having a nice chat.”

Adrian smiled lightly, but the dimples on his cheeks held no warmth. He turned his head toward Gu Yanli, his voice gentle yet sharp like a poisoned needle.

“But if that thin silver chain stays on for a few more months, the junior’s skin might get inflamed. Once it scars, he might not even want to look at you anymore, Senior Gu.”

He pocketed the ointment and walked toward the door first.

The blast door slid open again. The two pockets of low pressure dispersed in separate directions, leaving the living room in messy ruins.

At that moment, in the dim light of the underground garage, the taillights of a red sports car blazed harshly.

Mateo dropped into the driver’s seat, and the cabin filled with his heavy breathing.

He took a deep breath, rolled down the passenger window all the way, and cold air rushed in, but it couldn’t blow away the burning red flush on his neck and ears.

“Was I cool just now?”

He floored the accelerator. The tires screeched against the concrete floor, and the car lunged forward.

Mateo gripped the steering wheel hard, his eyes sneaking glances at the passenger seat from the corner of his vision. He spoke gruffly.

“Why did you pull my sleeve earlier? Were you scared by those lunatics? Let me tell you, in Saint Lester, nobody is taking you by force except me.”

The space inside the car was cramped. The smell of leather and expensive cologne mixed with the damp post-rain air from the open window, making Xu Zhou drowsy.

He hadn’t had time to change out of his loose cream-colored chunky knit sweater, and on top of it he wore the dark blue hoodie Mateo had shoved at him.

The hoodie was absurdly oversized. Its hem reached his upper thighs, making him look like a pretty trinket stuffed into a huge packaging bag.

“Senior, your diplomatic immunity sounds cool, but kidnapping is still a very cost-effective way to go to prison in a modern society governed by law.”

Xu Zhou leaned back against the leather seat, still holding the half-eaten strawberry lollipop sideways in his mouth. His peach-blossom eyes were misty with a sleepy sheen, and he spoke slowly.

“Also, the noise from your engine really sounds like the old broken diesel harvester at the entrance of my village. My blood sugar was already low and I was dizzy. Now your vibrations are making my brain slosh around at a steady pace.”

Mateo choked on his words and nearly swerved.

He shot Xu Zhou a sharp glare. Seeing the boy’s pale, delicate face swimming in the oversized hoodie, he ground his molars but couldn’t bring himself to call him ungrateful.

“What do you know! This is the roar of a V12 naturally aspirated engine! How many people beg for a ride, and I don’t even spare them a glance!”

Mateo wore a black baseball cap, its brim pulled low, hiding most of his wild red hair and sharp brow bones.

He stomped on the accelerator again, and the sports car tore a violent black streak along the secluded mountain road behind Saint Lester, while he grumbled stiffly.

“The whole campus is full of spies with bad intentions. I’m taking you somewhere no one will find you. Don’t be ungrateful.”

Xu Zhou rolled his eyes inwardly.

Hiding out?

This was clearly the upper-class boys failing at a game of capture, and Mateo, the one who snatched him and ran off in the chaos, playing a childish trick.

But for a wage s*ave just wanting to coast through practice week, as long as he didn’t have to clock in at those three departments, it didn’t matter where he went as a decorative accessory.

The sports car passed the checkpoint and sped straight onto the coastal road on the west side.

The sea breeze, salty and damp, slapped against the windshield. The dense privilege rules of Saint Lester and the suffocating stares were finally left behind in the roar of the engine.

The car raced on until it stopped at a hidden alloy sensor gate.

The gate slid open slowly to both sides, revealing an endless open pasture beyond.

It was the Royal Private Equestrian Estate on the west side of Saint Lester, looking like an expensive Baroque painting in the morning mist. In the distance stood a high-ceilinged stable built of white marble, its dome even adorned with a brass winged horse sculpture symbolizing royal glory.

The car door whooshed upward.

Just as Xu Zhou stepped out in his slippers, a subtle odor hit him in the breeze.

He wrinkled his nose, turned, and looked very bluntly at the red-haired crown prince walking around from the back of the car.

“Senior, the horse manure smell at your royal stables is even richer than the pig farm at my hometown brigade. Is this the air of old money? So down to earth, I guess.”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

A Tangy New Life After Breaking Up with My Girlfriend

HaremRomanceSlice of Life

Read Now →
Not interested