Chapter 558: The sickening desires
"Your Highness, would you like to share your hobbies first?" Ignis asked Maximilian, as it was only proper etiquette to do so.
"I shall pass," Maximilian replied, finally removing his elbows from the shoulders of Julient and Vincent. The duo rolled their shoulders now that the weight was gone.
Ignis didn’t press him any further. He knew better than to push his buttons. Turning to Arthur, he said, "Lord Arthur, shall we begin with you?"
"My hobbies..." Arthur murmured, giving it some thought. "I like to read epic tales."
"Oh, come on, Lord Arthur. You don’t need to lie just to sound noble," Marcus said, a hint of mockery lacing his voice. "Everyone in this room knows you enjoy courting girls... slaves, to be more precise."
The room filled with low chuckles as everyone looked at Arthur with grins and smirks, causing him to lower his head in shame.
"Haha, Lord Marcus. You shouldn’t tease him," Ignis said, shaking his head.
"Why not? We’re all trying to become closer to one another. Teasing is the best way to do that," Marcus said, brushing the strands of his auburn hair away from his face. "Besides, I know Lord Arthur won’t take offense at such a harmless joke. Right, Lord Arthur?"
"Y-yes," Arthur nodded, forcing a smile onto his face to keep Maximilian calm. He didn’t want him to cause an incident that would ruin his reputation even further. His gaze shifted to Maximilian, who sat in unusual silence with an unreadable expression. ’I need to act like I’m enjoying their jokes. I can’t let the Lord do something irreversible again.’
"Haha, in that case, I’ll share my hobbies next. You’re all free to tease me as well," Marcus said, rising to his feet. "I like hunting."
"Oh, hunting... I enjoy it as well. Once, I hunted corrupted bears that were wreaking havoc in a forest," Arthur said casually. "What kind of beasts have you hunted so far, Lord Marcus?"
Marcus let out a scoff at Arthur’s question, as though he had been offended.
"Who said anything about hunting animals?" A wide smile spread across his face as he revealed, "I’m talking about cultivators from the lower realm. During one of my previous visits, I came across a sect on my way back. After killing their leader, I erected walls around the entire area and declared that whoever could reach the wall within a minute would be allowed to live and accompany me to the upper realm as my slave."
"Oh... that’s interesting," Felix said, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "How many survived?"
"There were around seven hundred of them," Marcus continued. "Only two managed to reach the outer wall within the time limit."
"Don’t tell me you actually brought them here as your slaves?"
"What!? Of course not!" Marcus burst into laughter. "The wall was coated with a deadly poison. The moment they touched it, both of them died while begging for mercy. Oh... what a sight it was."
A ripple of laughter swept through the room.
"Haha, Lord Marcus, you truly are ruthless," Julian chuckled from beside Maximilian. "Please take me with you the next time you go hunting."
"Me as well," the others added, joining in.
The laughter subsided, and all eyes turned to Julian who was holding a goblet of wine. His blur hair caught the warm light of the soul stone, giving him an ethereal appearance.
"And you, Lord Julian?" Ignis prompted, gesturing with an open palm. "What pastime brings you joy?"
Julian set down his goblet, a contemplative smile playing at the corners of his lips. "I find myself drawn to matters of... tradition. Customs, you might say."
"Customs?" Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Do elaborate."
"Well," Julian leaned back, "in one particular kingdom I visited in the lower realm, I released a new custom as the Water Dragon. The bride would present herself on her wedding night to me to verify her... suitability for marriage."
"Verification?" Vincent asked, leaning forward with interest.
"Indeed." Julian’s smile widened ever so slightly. "Purity must be maintained, after all. For the duration of my stay, every bride came to me first. It was only proper to ensure the husband received what he was promised."
A knowing silence settled over the room. Arthur’s face had gone pale, his knuckles white where he gripped the armrest of sofa.
"And what of those who failed this verification?" Marcus asked, his voice thick with amusement.
Julian sighed dramatically. "Such disappointments. I did what any reasonable man would do. I disposed of them. A bride who cannot maintain her virtue has no place in a respectable household." He paused, a proud grin spreading on his face. "Of course, for those who passed, I made certain they were properly... prepared for their husbands."
The room erupted in laughter once more, though Arthur noticed Maximilian’s expression remained utterly unchanged, the bang of his hair covering his eyes.
"Lord Julian, you are a man of culture," Felix declared, raising his goblet in a toast.
"I try," Julian replied modestly.
"I suppose it’s my turn then," Vincent rumbled, grabbing everyone’s attention. "Though I fear my tastes are rather particular."
"Particular how?" Ignis inquired.
Vincent stroked his white beard thoughtfully. "I already have my fare share of young beauties. To the point that they don’t attract me anymore" He revealed. " I prefer experience. Maturity. I visit households where the wife has been married for decades. I sit with the husband, share his wine, and tell him what an honor it is to receive the seed of a noble dragon. The look on their faces is the true delicacy that satisfies me."
"Truly, they must feel blessed," Julian said in a proud tone as if mentioning the obvious.
"Most do," Vincent agreed, his eyes glinting. "Those who resist learn quickly enough. But I have never had a complaint that lasted longer than a few hours."
After another wave of small chuckles, Felix decided to be the next to reveal his desires.
"I am more focused to cultivation," Felix began, swaying his crimson hair, "As you all know, I am the Dragon of Spring. I don’t wish to look ugly even in my later years. So I focus on collecting energy and it has also become my hobby as well."
"Energy?" Ignis repeated.
"Specifically, yin energy," Felix clarified, pacing slowly around the table. "The vitality of women not only possesses intoxicating sweetness but also helps in improving vitality."
He rubbed the back of his head with a slight awkwardness. "As you all already know, I have over a hundred concubines. Each one gives me everything she has, her essence, her spirit and her very being. In return, I give them the privilege of sustaining a being far greater than themselves."
"But I heard most of your concubines die few years after the marriage," Vincent asked. "So this was the reason behind it."
"It is," Felix agreed. "There is a limit to the energy they could offer. Only if I could took wives from the upper realm."
A brief silence followed which was filled by the cracking of the wooden arm rest of sofa that Arthur held tightly.
"Lord Arthur, you seem troubled," Felix observed, his red eyes fixing on the young noble. "Have I said something to offend?"
"N-no," Arthur stammered, forcing another smile. "Not at all. I was thinking about something else."