CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 42: PLEASURE SPHERE AND "BOY TOY

"We are friends, right?" Ron softly asked, "At least, that’s what I believe."

Andre lifted his head, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes: "Of course, I think so too."

"Then, if there’s anything bothering you, feel free to talk about it." Ron’s tone was calm and sincere:

"I can’t say for sure that I can help, but at least I can listen. Sometimes, saying out loud some terrible things can make you feel much better."

Andre sighed again, put down the teacup, clasped his hands together, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.

"I don’t know where to start..." he finally spoke, with a rare trace of vulnerability in his voice: "This matter... it’s too complicated."

Ron patiently waited, not rushing him. He knew that in moments like this, the best comfort was to give the other person enough time.

"Do you remember last month when we were chatting idly, you mentioned Trish, and my reaction was a bit unusual?" Andre finally spoke again.

Ron nodded: "I did notice, but it wasn’t convenient to ask at the time."

This wasn’t the first or second time. Whenever that girl who transformed from the daughter of the hunter to an Intermediate Apprentice was mentioned, Andre’s emotions would fluctuate.

"I saw Trish once at the herb store more than half a month ago." He continued calmly, maintaining a sense of appropriate distance: "She seemed very busy."

"Yes, as the disciple of Lady Corina, she now holds a significant position."

Andre’s tone carried an inexplicable emotion, pursing his lips into a straight line:

"Do you remember when we had just gathered at the Black Mist Jungle? Back then, she was still very..."

His voice grew lower, a flash of nostalgia and bitterness in his eyes.

Ron didn’t respond, just listened silently.

He had a premonition that the other might be about to reveal some long-hidden secrets.

"I once..." Andre hesitated, fingers subconsciously fiddling with the button on his lapel:

"I once wanted to approach her, to pursue her. It was when I first arrived in the Black Mist Jungle, still harboring some foolish ideas from the Kingdom."

Ron raised his eyebrows: "You pursued Trish? Seriously?"

"Don’t look at me like that." Andre rolled his eyes: "After all, I’m also the Thirteenth Prince, and back in the Royal Capital, you know how many noble young ladies sent me secret glances."

"And then? Rejected?" Ron asked straightforwardly.

"Of course I was rejected." Andre laughed self-deprecatingly:

"Her wording was quite direct — ’I came here to change my destiny, not to relive the miserable life of the past. You pampered royal person, better not bother me.’

"Tsk tsk, that’s quite a blow." Ron couldn’t help but laugh: "So you were heartbroken and saw reality for what it is?"

Andre punched Ron hard on the chest, knowing his attack was completely harmless to him:

"Have you laughed enough? Yes, it was then that I truly recognized the rules of this world — no matter where you are, the weak are only fit to look up to the strong. Here, no one cares which prince you are; they only care about how strong you are."

"But that’s just a small part of the problem..." he continued, his voice getting lower:

"In fact, those people who sent me to the Black Mist Jungle never hoped I’d become a qualified Wizard Apprentice."

Ron raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"The royal family long lost hope in my Spiritual Talent."

Andre offered a bitter smile: "Their real purpose in sending me here was to cultivate my Knight Qualification using the abundant Extraordinary Resources here."

"Knight Qualification?" Ron was a bit surprised.

"Yes, my talent in Knight Cultivation is far better than my Spiritual Power."

Andre explained: "The royal family’s plan is to make me a Guard Knight for someone they heavily invest in and hopefully become an Official Knight here."

His voice suddenly turned painfully: "And that so-called ’heavily invested’ person was initially who I wanted to get close to, Trish."

Ron finally understood a part of this complicated relationship, but he felt that Andre’s pain seemed to have deeper reasons.

"Trish rejected you, which made you feel embarrassed, I understand." Ron said softly: "But this doesn’t seem enough to explain your current state."

"Because it got worse!" Andre almost shouted this sentence:

"Now that my plan to please Trish failed, they are starting to demand that I follow another female apprentice–Cynthia."

The name made Ron slightly frown: "Sorry, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention this person."

"She came to the Black Mist Jungle ten years ago." The blonde boy’s expression turned into a drought field with no rain for months:

"She’s now an Advanced Apprentice, although she just got promoted not long ago."

His fingers clenched tightly, almost digging into his flesh: "Cynthia... her reputation is terrible; she always toys with her servants in her spare time from cultivation, especially the handsome young men."

The blonde boy’s face looked extremely pained, his fingers joined to make a rotating drill gesture:

"This crazy woman likes some very... particular games, like using Thorny Ball Grass to drill into sensitive parts of those men... it’s said she ’consumes’ one servant a year on average."

Ron was a bit taken aback at this, faintly feeling phantom pain below, he began to understand the source of Andre’s suffering.

The royal family actually demanded that he serve such a person, which was almost equivalent to being sent as a male concubine, and the lowest kind at that.

"Does the royal family know about this?" Ron cautiously asked.

"Of course they do." A flash of anger and despair appeared in Andre’s eyes:

"But they don’t care; in their eyes, gaining the support of an Advanced Apprentice is worth much more than a mere unloved Thirteenth Prince."

His voice almost choked: "Ron, I don’t know what to do, I’ve always hoped to escape this fate through my own efforts, but..."

"But your progress isn’t fast enough." Ron took over the conversation: "And my breakthrough gave you a glimmer of hope."

Andre nodded, complicated light flashing in his eyes:

"I originally hoped to form a stronger alliance with you, but even if you became an Elementary Apprentice, the influence and strength are far from enough to oppose an Advanced Apprentice."

"So you’ve been hesitating whether or not to tell me all these."

Ron finally understood: "Because you’re unsure if I could help, or if I’m willing to risk offending an Advanced Apprentice.

Andre nodded weakly: "I know it’s selfish, but I really don’t know what to do."