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"What kind of guards are they? Are they the same with the palace guards?" Harper curiously asked. At that exact moment, the
crockery jar made a loud noise. The soup was already boiling. Harper picked up the seasoning bag beside it and sprinkled some
in the jar. In fact, the seasoning bag seemed a little familiar to Chodak, as if it was from his own room.
The corners of Matthew's mouth curved into a smile as he said, "The palace guards are not as good as the Cyan Garment
Guards. After all, the Cyan Garment Guards are on a par with my secret guards."
Harper then exclaimed, "Really? I didn't know that they are so competent! That's thirty thousand secret guards! Whoa! It must be
so expensive to sustain such a large group of people. As a monk, do you still have the money to support so many people,
Chodak?"
Chodak's eyes suddenly had a spark while he kindly smiled. "When I was still the crown prince, I own a lot of industries.
Although I am a monk now, the industries are still mine. The revenues from those industries are enough to maintain the army as
long as they don't eat that much."
Harper nodded her head as an acknowledgment while she washed the white porcelain bowl. She then stirred the soup in the pot
and looked at the grilled fish that Matthew had cooked. "My soup is almost ready. How about your fish?"
"Almost done," Matthew responded with a smile. He turned the fish over to keep on grilling them. Then he reached out his hand
to Harper, and she gave the seasoning bag to him. Although he almost burned the Phoenix House's kitchen when making the
chicken soup for her last time, he actually had strong survival skills in the wild. The only problem was that the kind of kitchen at
When the fish were almost done, Harper ladled out a bowl of soup and handed it to them. "Eat the fish and drink the soup at the
same time. With some wine, it will feel more relaxing than watching a grand show in the imperial capital." Chodak took out three
cups which Harper and Matthew didn't know where he got from. Beside Matthew, Chodak took the wine jar before saying, "You
stole my wine." Matthew gave Chodak a look of innocence. "I took it with integrity and honesty. It is inappropriate to use the word
'steal'. Besides, you're a monk but you're hiding some wine so discretely. Do you have any acceptable reasons for doing so?"
Without responding to Matthew's question, Chodak poured a cup of wine and handed it to Harper. "Try the wine. I made it. It's
better than the wine in your mansion. This peach blossom wine tastes mellow and sweet. You won't feel drunk if you drink a
little."
Harper took the cup, had a sip, and immediately nodded. "You're right; it's good. I didn't expect you to be someone who can
make wine." "I only have two hobbies in my life, playing Go and making wine. I seldom made this kind of wine ever since I came
here. This peach blossom wine is particularly special for me because I made this exactly the day before I became a monk. I
would have
never anticipated that he would take it." Then, Chodak opened the jar and closed his eyes while he took a whiff of the wine. It
seemed like the sweet smell of the wine made him recall something from far away.
Matthew handed the grilled fish to Harper and said, "Be careful! It's hot."
Harper nodded, took the fish and took a bite of it. Without hesitation, Chodak reached out for a fish and graciously ate it. There
were times when Harper would feel so envious of men like Chodak and that moment was one of them. Men like Chodak not only
were not eating grilled fish in the wilderness, but eating delicious delicacies in the imperial palace. It seemed natural for him, but
for Harper, it required so much of her conscious mind and effort. "What a masterpiece of God," Harper murmured. Her whisper
was so soft but Matthew was still able to hear it. He said with a smile, "Back then, Rolando had so many beautiful followers.
Everyone would say that his appearance and talent were second to none."
"It's also said that Prince Matthew is both handsome and talented. You made so many girls fall for you. Some of them even
chased you to the battlefield. How can I compete with you?" Chodak argued back, not willing to lose to Matthew at all. Both of
them were talented and had been born as enemies. Even though Chodak was reduced to become a monk at the Holy Chant
Temple, no one dared to look down upon him.
Harper didn't say anything. Listening to the two men waging a tit-for-tat verbal fight against each other, she just ate her fish,
drank her own soup, and sometimes took a sip of her wine. She used to think that a war of words could only happen among
women. However, now that she was witnessing Matthew and Chodak argue with each other, she had to admit that she was
wrong. Men were actually good at throwing words at each other. Moreover, listening to the two men's quarrel made her feel that
she didn't know how to argue at all.
"Harper, I've heard that Prince Matthew's younger cousin is coming back. You should be careful. After all, the hardest thing to
bear is the gift of beauty. Not to mention, they've known each other since they were children, so they have a really strong, I even
dare say, intimate bond," Chodak reminded. After he drank some wine, his handsome face flushed with a red glow which made
him look like a commoner.
"Be careful, Crown Prince Rolando. Lilian, as the princess of our Bright Dynasty, is a fiery rose with thorns. If you're not cautious,
you'll certainly be pricked," Matthew retorted immediately. After drinking the wine in his cup, he finished eating the fish in his
hand. Then he took the white porcelain bowl and quietly drank the warm mushroom soup.
"Are you leaving the Bright Dynasty?" It took a long time before Harper could ask. Matthew called Chodak as Rolando just now.
Did it mean that he was leaving his identity as monk Chodak, and would return as Crown Prince Rolando?
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