Chapter 35 Chapter 6 The Burlesque Begins

Ge Wen didn't know what to do or where to go, so she took Qiao Lang to the floor of the Way of Fire.An alcove here was made darker and gloomy by the surrounding phantoms of fire shadows. The two hid in it, and the slightest noise would startle them both, making them afraid to breathe. "We have to get out of here before Duke Xisi starts searching us, if they haven't started searching yet." Ge Wen said softly. "How long will my father be trapped by that magic?" Qiao Lang regained his self-control, but he still clings to Gwen like a dying person clinging to life.He took her in his arms, holding her in his arms, his black hair resting against her blonde hair, tears drying on her soft strands.

"I don't know." Joram admitted bitterly, glancing at the Dark Sword in his left hand. "I don't think it will be long. I don't really know what this sword does." Looking at the ugly and deformed sword, Ge Wen shuddered.Joram held her tighter, wanting to protect her, despite the fact that he was trying to protect her from himself. She didn't understand what he said either, but she nodded anyway.She was very scared, her mind was in a mess, and she already regretted her decision.Thinking of the great impact this would have on her family, her heart was almost broken with grief, but the painful joy of being held tightly in Joran's arms made her even more puzzled.She longed to stay here, next to his beating heart.She actually wanted to get closer, to feel the pleasure and pain creeping through her.But this kind of thought made her tremble with fear, and a cloud of chills nestled in her heart. Surrounding all this was the more real and urgent fear of being arrested.

"If only we could leave the palace," she asked. "where are we going?" "Go to the Merlin Sacred Forest." Joran replied immediately, suddenly seeing the way ahead. "Mosiah is waiting for us there. We can slip through the gates..." He paused, frowning. "Sin'jin. We need Sim'jin! He can take us out of town. Then, as soon as we leave this detestable city, we'll go to Saraken." "Saraken!" Ge Wen gasped, her eyes widened in surprise. Joram smiled at her, reassuring her. "I know the prince there," he said. "He is my friend." He fell silent and looked into the distance.Maybe Jarod wasn't his friend, not anymore, he was nobody now.No, he shook his head.Anyway, he still has the Dark Sword.He knows the Dark Stone, and knows how to temper it, which allows him to make a difference.His expression became dark and sharp. "I will forge the Stone of Darkness," he murmured. "We will raise an army. I will return to Merilon," he said softly, gripping his sword. "I will get everything I want! That way, it will also make me important!"

Joram felt Gwendolyn trembling in his arms, and looked down at the blue eyes. "Don't be afraid." He comforted her softly. "Everything will be fine. You will see. I love you. I will never do anything to hurt you." He bowed his head and kissed her forehead softly. "We'll be married in Saraken," he said, feeling her trembling lessen. "Maybe the prince will come to our wedding too..." "Oops!" came a voice from beyond the fiery phantom around them. "The dark god of death searched the corner up and down, looking for you two everywhere, but I found you in the corner playing tricks of clapping and tickling!"

Joram turned and raised his sword. "Sinkin!" He gasped, and said after recovering his normal breathing again, "Stop sneaking near like this again!" Joram hung down his sword, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand holding the sword.Ge Wen leaned out from behind him, she was almost out of breath when he pushed against the wall just now. "Dear two little turtledoves," said Simkin nonchalantly. "I bet there could be something more disgusting and uglier than me crawling towards you at any moment. The alarm has been sounded." Joram listened to what was going on around him. "I heard nothing."

"Of course you can't, man." Simkin twirled his mustache. "This is the palace, remember? It's not to disturb His Majesty the Emperor, or frighten the Empress, who is in such a fragile state of health. But everyone else knows that there are eyes searching, ears listening, and noses twitching for something. All The corridors are alive." "There is no hope." Ge Wen fell on Qiao Lang, tears rolling down her face. "No, no. Just the opposite," Simkin said. "Your stupidity saved you from what you did. Pretty good sentence. I'll have to get it down." Simkin tilted his head pretendingly, squinting at Gwen. "You will become a very charming Mosiah, my dear. I will become the best one." Xin Jin waved the silk scarf that suddenly appeared in his hand and covered Gwen's head. Before she could protest, he Just read something, then waved the silk scarf, and shouted loudly: "Abu La Ka Da Bu La!"

Mosiah was wiping the tears from his face, leaning against Joram.He glanced down at himself, gave a cry of surprise, and glared at Simkin angrily. "Charming." Xin Jin looked at him complacently, with an evil light flashing in his eyes. "Furious." Blushing, Joram took his hand away from the manly, handsome young man he had been holding.But this manly, handsome young man was a frightened young lady.It was Gwen who firmly guided the desperate Joram away from her father: the room where the flesh and blood stood helpless.She had found this hiding place, she had pressed Joram's head to her breast, comforted him, held him till he could beat back the darkness that always waited for a chance to engulf him.

But now her courage was gone.Thinking of Dukexis, those nightmarish phantoms laying cold, invisible hands on their victims, dragging them into unknown places, terrified her.Now she found that her body had changed again.The male-looking young man began to cry uncontrollably. He shook his shoulders and buried his face in his hands. "Damn it, Simkin!" muttered Joram, embracing Mosiah's broad shoulders awkwardly, with a strange feeling that he was comforting his friend. "I said, it's all right." Xin Jin said firmly, staring at Mosiah. "Return to calm, man!" He patted the young man on the back firmly a few times.

"Sinkin!" Joram was about to get angry, but stopped. "He's right," Mosiah said in a choked voice, breaking away from Joram's hand, and there was even a hint of a smile in those blue eyes that were still shining with tears. "I'm fine, really fine." "That's a good boy!" Simkin said approvingly. "Now, my gloomy and gloomy friend, we must do the same to you—Whoa! No." In that brief moment of hesitation, the silk scarf danced excitedly through the air. "That damn sword, you know, put it away." Joram frowned, and reluctantly did as Simkin said, sheathing the sword and covering it with his robes. "What are you going to do?" he asked Simkin gravely. "You can't turn me into Mosiah, not if I still have the sword, and I won't let it go." Seeing Simkin's eyes light up, he added hastily.

"Oh, well." Simkin looked down for a moment, then shrugged. "Then I think we must do our best, dear boy. A change of clothes is necessary. No, don't argue with me." With a wave of the silk scarf, Joram changed into the same pallbearer attire as Simkin - white robe and white hat. "Let the hat cover your face," Simkin said, pulling down the brim of his own hat. "Relax, you two. You are attending a banquet at Merilon Palace. You have to look bored, not scared out of your wits. Yes, it's better that way." He looked critically at Mosiah, using The silk scarf patted his face to wipe away all the tears, and Joram also loosened his clenched fist.

"If all goes well," Simkin continued calmly. "There's only one real nuisance--that's when going out the front door--" "Front door!" shouted Joram. "But there must be a back door..." "Poor innocent boy," sighed Simkin. "What would you do without your jester? Everyone expects you to sneak out the back door, don't you understand? Duke Sis will pop up around the back door like mushrooms after the rain. In other words, Probably only a dozen or so people at the front door. We can't sneak! No, we're going to hang out in style! Three drunks, headlong into the night in the city." Seeing Mosiah's pale face, Simkin added with a smile: "Don't worry. We can do it! They won't suspect anything. After all, they are looking for a lovely young lady and a sullen youth, and Not two pallbearers and a redneck." Mosiah smiled miserably.Joram shook his head. He didn't like the idea, not at all, but there was nothing he could do if he didn't.He couldn't come up with a better idea, and his brain was spinning so slowly that he had to push it to move forward.The reality change slipped past him quickly, and he was suddenly happy to just let it go. "I said." Simkin looked at Joram after a while. "I suppose that means the baronetship is out of the question?" "Yes." Joram replied.The sharp pain at the moment when he discovered the truth has settled into throbbing pain that will be buried in his heart forever. "Anja's child died as soon as it was born." There was no emotion in his voice. "She stole a poor unwanted baby from the nursery..." "Ah." Xin Jin took the words briskly. "Call me Nemo, what? That's it, are you ready?" He checked the line. "Ready? Ah, almost forgot! Champagne!" he shouted. There was a pleasant glass crackling in response, and a bunch of wine glasses filled with bubbling wine floated in the air scatteredly. "One drink per person." Simkin pushed a full glass of wine into Mosiah's limp hand, and pushed the other glass to Joram. "Remember, be happy, be happy, think about happy things from the past!" He drank it in one gulp. "Cheers, cheers!" he ordered. "Okay! Go! Go!" He tossed the silk scarf forward, and it flew proudly in front of them like a banner.Then he took Mosiah's hand and motioned Joram to take the other. "The burlesque is on!" Simkin announced loudly, and together the three of them staggered across the fiery vision, the champagne glasses following them, clinking merrily.