Chap 5: THE LETTER

“It is true that Maximilian Hambris is different, extremely observant. I hid it so well, but you still found out.”

Japhis whistled appreciatively as he threw an arm around Maxi's neck. Not stopping there, his other hand gently caressed Maxi's tightly furrowed brows.

"Relax, I don't want to see those ugly wrinkles on this pretty face."

Maxi emulates Japhis' overly intimate actions. He was too familiar with this joke, males can't be male, females can't be female. Maxi's full attention was focused on the letter in his hand. The smile at the bottom of his eyes gradually disappeared as he read its contents.

“Do you know how hard it must have been to exchange this letter for you…?”

Japhis deliberately let out his voice. Normally his voice was extremely pleasant to listen to, now Japhis deliberately added a little high and low. Causing his voice to hum, so crisp that it fell apart. While saying that, Japhis made a condescending expression.

Maxi raised her eyes, glancing over at Japhis' watery appearance. Then he lowered his head again and read the letter attentively. Only his brows were no longer tightly furrowed. Seeing how relaxed Maxi's face was, Japhis guessed that the contents of the letter weren't quite as bad as the sender's name.

Japhis knew whether he made himself look pitifully miserable or earnest, as graceful as a peach silk strip in the wind. Then Maxi absolutely did not even notice. For one simple thing, he has no interest in boys. But of course, Maxi does not condemn intimate actions, especially when it comes from Japhis.

Regardless, of whether Maxi cared or not, Japhis continued to babble:

“My day is crazy. I guess I don't have Bentalize's help or something, I can't do anything. I was supposed to go to Thamber Harbor last night. But when he was about fifteen miles past the capital Brussels, the city of Yealer - the territory of the Hambris family, was stopped by his 'family'. They seem to have discovered something. So they quickly blocked off the road to Thamber and ordered searches of those who wanted to leave Yealer.”

"That's why you're pretending to be a postman."

Maxi looked away from the letter, staring up and down Japhis, assessing once.

“Unfortunately, I had to pretend to be a postman. You look at how much my noble aura has been reduced when I have to put on these mediocre clothes. Not to mention it stinks, it's disgusting."

Though Maxi noticed Japhis. But he still couldn't accept that look. Japhis rested his hand on his chin, shaking his glass of wine. The yellow color of the liquid in the glass shimmered with his every movement. Through that liquid, Japhis saw that the color of Maxi's eyes and the wine seemed to merge. But his eyes were too deep, like a bottomless black hole.

“You should be grateful it saved your life.”

Maxi said as he carefully folded the letter and put it in his pocket.

“How grateful”

Japhis lamented, he took a small sip of wine. The slightly sour Tannis taste of green grapes makes Japhis' brain more alert. He lied down on the table, rubbed the rim of his glass, looked up at Maxi, and asked:

“Why are you still here today? According to the schedule, you have to be in the capital right now?”

"Something happened."

Maxi replied nonchalantly. The image of the strange foreign girl flashed through his mind. He looked down at Japhis, wondering if he should tell him or not?

The two have known each other since childhood. It can also be said that they are extremely understanding. On top of that, Japhis even saved his life a few times. Maxi is where he is today, in no small part thanks to Japhis.

“No need to tell me. You know your own weight.”

Japhis saw the hesitation in Maxi's eyes, so he didn't want him to be embarrassed. Although the two have always been implicitly defaulting to each other, they will not hide anything. Because the path Japhis and Maxi are walking on is an extremely dangerous one. It is imperative that they have absolute trust in each other. Japhis understood that Maxi's hesitation could be because he still wanted to investigate further, or this was not so important. He also knows that Maxi is a very responsible person and he never takes his revenge.

Japhis closed his eyes, enjoying the soft scent of oak and wine in the air. The past few days have been exhausting. Tonight, he must have had a good time playing. The guys serving at this pub are also great hunting targets. Then suddenly remembering something, Japhis jumped up, hastily said:

“Ah, there is a very strange thing. When I was in trouble at Yealer, there was a man who helped me disguise myself as a postman. At first, I suspected he had something to do with it. Because he was wearing a black robe and covered his head. He said he had Kennorer's disease - skin necrosis caused by a poisonous fungus, so he had to limit his exposure to the sun, or he would develop pus. But no, he just asked me to deliver a letter to Thamber Harbor for his daughter. Seeing that everything seemed normal, I agreed. But when he reached out of his cloak, to give the letter. Then I saw that his wrist had the royal 'slave' mark."

"Are you sure it's the royal 'slave' mark?"

Maxi said thoughtfully. The mighty Vasking Empire was founded by the emperor Bourbon-Chammis. Under his reign, the Empire grew immensely. The throne is rotated according to the order of the Crown Prince.

Rumor has it that King Chammis was a believer in idealism. But this doctrine has long since been lost. It's like believing in gods, God and humans are connected through the signals sent by the Supreme. If you obey these laws, the empire will last forever and become more and more powerful. But in the reign of King Chammis III, without knowing what happened in the royal court, this new emperor was not the chosen one of the deceased Emperor.

He abolished faith in gods, gods, and supreme gods. He believes that destiny should be controlled by humans, not by some invisible entity. And of course, this Vasking empire is in his hands, it must operate according to his laws. However, the rejection of the faith caused controversy in the country. But basically, the nobles and the common people were not against it. Common sense: "destiny is always held by people".

Under the reign of Chammis III, the empire quickly became rich, famous for its enormous gold and silver wealth. The power of the royal army was also formidable. All classes of nobility even commoners lived in luxury and luxury.

So rich and magnificent, but sparkling diamonds must be washed with blood.

Chammis III began to enforce slavery. He captured a large number of people in the defeated countries of the East, bringing them back as slaves. Abundant labor resources without spending a single penny brought great benefits to the Empire. This caused the territory of the Vasking region to rapidly expand. Of course, there are also mixed opinions about this creepy regime, but it doesn't go anywhere: "There are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies. Only the national interest is permanent.”

This regime only really collapsed when Queen Chalacric ascended the throne. She tried to abolish this cruel regime. But more than half a century later, the remaining ideas of this regime were completely erased. Therefore, it was unusual for Japhis to see the mark.

“I am sure, there is no mistake”

Japhis looked straight into Maxi's eyes and said seriously. Although the leaders are dead, that does not mean that the idea is also dead. Many people embrace ambition, bringing Vasking back to its heyday.

There was determination in Japhis' eyes. This, made Maxi feel a little insecure.

“‘Someone’ has taken action. But he was so careless, when he helped a stranger, that now that letter fell into my hands. So Bentalize hasn't forgotten me yet.”

Japhis said happily. He leisurely leaned back against the arm of the chair. I thought it was bad luck because if the Hambris caught it, everything would be ruined. However, not only escaped. Japhis also had invaluable information.

“There are never chance encounters.”

Maxi said coldly. The temperature of that statement instantly chilled Japhis. He pondered thoughtfully. A sharp glint flickered across Japhis' sunset-colored eyes.

"Right. Come to think of it, he didn't meet me by accident. Looks like there's been some sort of arrangement. He seemed very relieved when he handed the letter to me. His eyes looked at me like he completely trusted me to send this letter to the person who needed it. Even though the recipient's name is, I don't even remember."

Japhis spoke with a long sigh. He blamed himself for taking things too lightly. I fell into their trap and still thought I got a good deal. Japhis stuck his hand through his auburn hair and swore softly:

"Damn it. Bastards"

"So what's the recipient's name? Give me the letter?"

Maxi said faintly. He has no interest in reprimanding Japhis. Hearing that, he bent down to rummage through the pile of letters in his pocket. While searching, Japhis muttered:

“Looks like the name is the Anthenian… where is it? I already put it in my pocket. The envelope is blue, with the red stork that stands out.”

Japhis rummaged through the mailbag but still couldn't find the strange letter.

 "Frankie Anthea?"

“That's right, that's right, Frankie Anthea. The name sounds weird.”

Hearing that, Japhis raised his head and whistled approvingly. But when I saw Maxi's unsightly face. He did not dare to make a sound, standing still like a statue. God only knows how terrifying his face was.