The snow fell for roughly two hours before slowly stopping.
Looking out, the whole world was pure white, as if it had been cleansed into a different kind of beauty. A white blanket covered the ground, clean and beautiful.
The courtyard was covered in snow as well.
Seeing this, Lux's clear eyes sparkled, and she suggested, "How about a snowball fight?"
"No."
Luke yawned as he walked past her and refused outright. "There's still a ton to do today. Get ready. We're heading out."
Today was New Year's Day, and there really were many things to do, such as paying New Year's visits.
Demacia did not have a tradition exactly like that, but since it was the beginning of a new year, they still had to greet the people they were close with.
Although Lux loved to play, she also knew she could not spend the whole day playing. She also remembered that her mother had told her to go home in the morning. As the younger daughter of House Crownguard, she had to greet many nobles.
She immediately lost all her energy and gave a listless "Oh," then obediently started getting ready to go home.
Similarly, Fiora, Sona, and Kahina all had people they needed to visit.
Naturally, this was not something they could all do together. So after they tidied up a little and cleared a path through the snow in the courtyard, the carriage soon set off.
Luke had quite a few places to go and people to visit. First were the nearby ones, House Crownguard and House Laurent next door, then the royal palace, followed by House Buvelle, House Menck...
As the snow stopped, the number of people on the streets increased again. The not particularly heavy snowfall had not washed away the festive New Year atmosphere. Everywhere was a lively and harmonious scene.
The carriage traveled along the road without stopping.
Luke spent the entire morning visiting relatives and friends, but once he walked out of the final house, that feeling of relief and lightness across his body made him feel as if a weight had been lifted.
Sitting in the carriage, Luke lifted the curtain and looked into the distance, thinking that his big brother should have received the letter by now.
Jarvan IV had not been able to hurry back before the New Year, mainly because there were too many things to handle outside the border. Just repairing the Gates of Mourning would take some time.
On top of that, the weather had been getting colder recently, and some rivers had frozen over, preventing boats from traveling in certain places. That was also one of the reasons.
So Jarvan IV had simply stayed outside the border to spend the New Year there, planning to return once the rivers thawed. He could also keep an eye on Noxus in case they had any bold ideas.
So Luke had calculated the time and written a New Year's greeting letter in advance before sending it over. It should have arrived right about now.
He had basically greeted everyone he needed to visit, but while sitting in the carriage, Luke still felt as if something was missing.
It was as if something had been overlooked. It was not especially important, but he kept feeling that he should not have forgotten it.
As the carriage suddenly jolted, Luke remembered all at once and instructed, "Yurna, make a turn. Let's go to the dungeon."
"Yes."
Yurna's soft reply came from outside. At the next corner, the carriage changed directions and headed toward the Royal Capital's prison.
Luke lowered the curtain, closed his eyes, and leaned back inside the carriage.
He had nearly forgotten about Sylas. It seemed that after returning from outside the border, he still had not gone to visit Sylas yet.
Some time later,
the carriage slowly stopped at the prison entrance.
Luke stepped down from the carriage, and the two soldiers immediately bowed.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
"We wish you every success in the New Year."
Looking at the two guards, Luke replied as well, "Happy New Year to you both. You still have to guard the dungeon even on New Year's Day. Thanks for your hard work."
These two were familiar faces. Every time Luke came, they were the ones guarding the entrance.
He smiled and gave Yurna a look. Understanding his meaning, Yurna took out two prepared holiday envelopes and handed them over.
The two soldiers received them and froze slightly at first. Then, without opening them, they bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness."
"Happy New Year."
Luke laughed and walked into the prison.
There were only two gold coins in each envelope. After all, he was not some generous patron handing out grand favors.
It was just New Year's, so it was for good luck. Anyone he was somewhat acquainted with would get a small holiday gift.
Of course, he did not give one to everyone. For example, earlier, he had tried to give one to his dear aunt, but he got kicked in the rear twice, and after that, he no longer dared to mess around.
That was only because Tiana had found him relatively pleasing recently.
If it had been Jarvan IV instead, he would have lost a layer of skin by now.
Naturally, juniors were not supposed to give holiday gifts to elders. Luke had simply come up with that bold idea on a whim and paid the price for it.
His rear still hurt a little even now.
He walked all the way toward the training yard, but did not see Sylas there. Instead, Dierde, the prison warden, hurried over after hearing the news.
On the way, because he was in such a rush, he stepped onto the snow and nearly slipped, but he forcibly steadied himself and squeezed out a smile as he stopped in front of Luke.
"Your Highness, Happy New Year. I wish you success in all matters and every good fortune in the New Year."
His speech sounded as if he had prepared it in advance.
Luke was in a good mood, so he casually tossed him a holiday envelope.
Dierde caught it and immediately felt the gold coins inside. His face bloomed like a flower. "Thank you, Your Highness."
"Where is Sylas?"
Luke glanced at him from the side and asked.
Dierde bowed and replied carefully, "The weather has been cold recently, and it just snowed earlier, so this subordinate took the liberty of not making Sylas do his punishment runs. Your Highness won't blame me, will you?"
"Of course not." Luke turned his eyes toward him and showed a gentle smile. "After all, you are the warden here. You still have the right to make decisions."
Hearing that, Dierde had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Luke say faintly,
"As for what I said, just treat it like wind passing by your ears."
Dierde froze, then sharply sucked in a breath of cold air.
No, that tone did not sound like forgiveness!
He hurriedly lowered his head. "This subordinate acted on his own. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Luke reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "The prison must offer quite a few chances to skim some benefits, right?"
Dierde's entire body tightened, and he played dumb. "This subordinate has always performed his duties faithfully."
Luke glanced at him, but Dierde felt a chill down his back. He had the feeling that he had been seen through completely, and even his heart began to tremble.
"I remember saying that no matter the situation, it could not be interrupted. Also, when I came last time, you didn't seem to be here either."
Luke smiled at him, but his calm gaze made Dierde not even dare raise his head.
"This subordinate, this subordinate..."
He did not even know what to say.
The last time Luke had come, he had already caught Dierde being absent.
This time, the situation was probably even more serious.
Although he was the warden here, in front of a prince, what was he worth?
With a single word from him, this official post of his would be gone.
In truth, he had indeed used this position to skim quite a few benefits.
Looking at Dierde, who was covered in sweat and stammering, Luke patted his shoulder again. "It's New Year's Day, and I don't want to ruin the mood. I'll let it go this time."
Hearing this, Dierde quickly looked up and promised, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. There absolutely won't be a next time! This subordinate will go drag Sylas out right now."
"No need."
Without any change in expression, Luke walked toward the dungeon and instructed, "Go prepare some better food and send it to the dungeon."
Dierde froze for a moment, then immediately nodded and went to carry out the order. "Yes."
When he turned back, his expression still looked like someone who had barely survived a disaster. Secretly, he felt lingering fear.
This prince's temper really was unpredictable.
Damn it, government life wasn't easy either.
Luke headed toward the dungeon on the right. Even though it was New Year's, this place was the same as always, with no real changes.
After entering the dungeon's interior, he found that there were fewer imprisoned mages than before. Perhaps this had been influenced by Jarvan III's previous idea of lifting the anti-magic ban.
After returning from the victorious battle at the border, Jarvan III seemed to have already begun exerting influence in secret recently.
The Mageseekers' actions were not as frequent as before, and they had become much more low-key in how they handled things.
However, to truly lift the anti-magic ban would probably still require some time and preparation.
Luke's gaze swept over the ashen faces of the mages imprisoned in the dungeon, taking in all of those sad, lonely, despairing, and pained expressions.
Soon, Luke arrived at the next level.
After greeting the guards here one by one, the dungeon door holding Sylas slowly opened as well.
Torchlight shone inside, and a figure in the shadows of one corner gradually appeared.
The temperature in the dungeon was actually somewhat cold, and as a prisoner, Sylas, whose upper body was usually bare, now wore a thick outer garment.
Even so, he was probably still a little cold, though not to the point of freezing to death.
Sylas seemed to have already grown used to this chill. After seeing Luke enter, he lifted his eyes and looked over.
"Happy New Year, Sylas."
Luke greeted him with a smile, then asked, "Do you know today is New Year's Day?"
Sylas looked at him. "Do I look like someone who has anything to do with a day like that?"
"It's been a while, and you've gotten more talkative."
Luke stepped a little closer and smiled. "Now you do have something to do with it, don't you? Sylas, it's New Year's. Do you have anything you want to say to me?"
Looking at his smiling face, the corner of Sylas's mouth twitched. He snorted coldly in his heart, but this time, he did not answer.
Things he wanted to say? There were far too many.
The most important one was, it's a new year, can you stop coming here to bother me?
Then he thought again. So today was New Year's Day.
If not for this guy, he really would not have known.
If he counted it that way, how many years had he been locked up here now?
Fourteen? Fifteen?
In any case, it had been very, very long. So long that at first, he had deliberately kept track of the days, counted every day he was locked up here, and used the iron chains to scratch marks onto the wall, calculating the passing days day after day.
So long that he felt increasingly numb, increasingly hopeless. The scratches on the wall grew more and more numerous, and his heart grew more and more dead.
Later on, he had simply learned the year from the guards' mouths.
"If not, then forget it. I finally felt like chatting with you too."
Seeing Sylas remain silent, Luke did not feel awkward. He simply moved over a chair and sat down casually.
At this moment, Dierde also jogged over with a serving of food. "Your Highness, the food you ordered."
There were two fragrant loaves of bread with crisp golden exteriors, their surfaces covered in a layer of yellow egg sauce. There were also two buns stuffed with red sausage, vegetables, and sauce.
There was also a bowl of thick, meaty porridge. Just looking at it made one's appetite rise.
This was indeed decent food.
"Want to eat?"
Luke looked into the cell.
Sylas had already smelled the aroma drifting over from the tray. To be honest, it had been a very long time since a scent like this had appeared in his memories. At this moment, he was doing his utmost to keep his stomach from making any sound.
Even so, his expression still changed subtly.
"I thought you probably hadn't eaten any proper food in a long time, so I specially had some prepared. After all, it's New Year's Day."
Luke spoke with a faint smile on his face.
Hearing this from the side, Dierde was also inwardly moved. His Highness had really changed his ways today. He thought this should not be Luke's usual style.
Usually, wasn't he always thinking up ways to torment Sylas?
Yet today, he had actually specially told him to prepare this food.
Then, he heard Luke continue.
"So I've decided to taste them for you."
Luke, who had been running around all morning and happened to be a little hungry, casually picked up a piece of yellow bread and started eating.
After one bite, he found that it was actually filled inside. The egg sauce paired with the sweet filling directly elevated the taste of this yellow bread.
The bread was warm, giving off a sweet fragrance that filled the whole cell.
"Whew." Dierde suddenly let out a breath of relief.
Luke glanced at him. "What are you relieved about?"
"Nothing." Dierde hurriedly gave an awkward laugh, wanting to say that this was His Highness's style.
For a prisoner like Sylas, who had not eaten proper food in more than ten years, watching someone in front of him eat fragrant food was indeed a kind of torture.
As expected of His Highness. He could even use methods like this.
He had practically taken the ugliness of human nature and performed it to the extreme.
Sylas remained unmoved at this moment. Even though that smell was indeed very fragrant, after seeing Luke's actions, he still gave a cold laugh.
Good thing he had not held any expectations for this man from the start.
From the moment Dierde brought the food over, he had never thought it was prepared for him.
After that, Luke stopped talking too. He leisurely finished the serving of food.
During this process, Sylas did not know how many times he secretly swallowed. He did not find it humiliating.
In front of good food, especially good food one had not tasted in a very long time, being unable to control the body's instincts was normal.
"I tasted it for you. It really does taste pretty good."
Luke wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, then thought for a moment and said, "Where were we just now? Oh, right, New Year's. Although the context seems a little inappropriate, I'll still wish you a happy New Year, Sylas."
At this moment, Sylas did not look like someone who could be happy.
He remained silent the whole time, unwilling to respond to Luke.
"Then I'll see you next time."
Luke did not want to stay here for long either, so he walked out of the cell.
Soon, the cell door was closed, and the light grew dim again. Sylas sat in the darkness, motionless.
After a long while, the corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile full of disdain and self-mockery.
New Year's, huh... what an unfamiliar term.
A rat like him, hiding in a dark corner, where would he ever deserve a New Year?
Until a short while later, when the cell door opened again. Dierde walked in expressionlessly, holding the same food as before. Then he opened the cell door, stepped inside, and placed it beside Sylas.
"His Highness said that since it's New Year's, you should at least eat something decent. You're lucky, you know. Other prisoners don't get this kind of blessing."
Dierde looked down at Sylas from above and continued flatly, "Also, His Highness said that in the new year, he hopes you'll talk more, so the next time he comes, you won't make him too bored."
He had not expected that in the end, the prince had still arranged a serving of food for Sylas.
Perhaps that had been his original plan from the start, and he had only changed his approach after seeing Sylas's cold attitude.
New Year's really was a good day. Even that demon-like prince had become a little gentler.
Thinking of what had happened earlier, Dierde still shivered inexplicably.
He needed to calm down right now, so he did not pay any more attention to Sylas and walked outside, leaving the light for him.
As for Sylas, his gaze at this moment also shifted to the tray placed beside him.
Charity?
Given that guy's personality, if this were charity, he would probably be standing at the cell door, looking down on him as he tearfully and gratefully finished the food.
Sylas truly had not expected anyone to specially come over and tell him Happy New Year on New Year's Day.
This could not improve Luke's image in his heart by much. He was still that prince whose personality and smile both made people want to punch him.
He even wondered whether the prince was hiding at the entrance, waiting for the instant he picked up the food so he could jump out and laugh at him wildly.
That was very much like that guy's style.
Or perhaps this sweet-smelling bread had a lethal dose of chili hidden inside.
Whatever it was, Sylas felt he had no reason not to eat it.
He had already suffered enough humiliation. Did he still care about this much?
Sylas reached out, picked up the bread, then bit into it.
A cloyingly sweet flavor spread through his mouth, causing his movements to pause involuntarily. Delicious. It really was delicious.
That guy did not appear at the entrance, and there were no especially spicy chili peppers inside.
It was just a piece of egg bread, baked from an oven in the depths of his blurred memory.
It was as if he had really only come to say Happy New Year.
Sitting in the shadows, Sylas ate the bread one bite at a time, silently memorizing the taste.
To him, this was more like the taste of freedom.
If one day he could leave this damned dungeon, he would eat this bread until he got sick of it.
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