"This fellow is as flashy as ever." Looking at the magnificent decorations of the exhibition hall, Yang Hui shook his head with a bitter smile. It was far too gaudy and high-profile, lacking a certain elegance; it felt a bit... too impetuous.
"Yang Hui! You're finally here!" Wearing a purple formal suit with a white cravat at the neck and a white cloak fastened to his shoulders with golden epaulettes, his blonde hair was neatly groomed and flowed behind him.
Clovis la Britannia, the Third Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire. His political and military capabilities were not particularly outstanding, but he loved painting and was very talented at it.
The relationship between Clovis and Yang Hui was quite good. There was only a two-month age difference between them, making them essentially the same age. Moreover, Clovis greatly admired Marianne and often liked to run off to play chess with Lelouch, though he had never once won.
Back then, Yang Hui also frequently visited Lelouch and Nunnally, and over time, they became close.
Clovis was actually a very simple person; he was unreservedly kind to those he liked and barely paid attention to those he didn't. In the original plot, the reason he went to Area 11 to serve as Governor-General was actually to search for Lelouch and Nunnally.
But the greatest tragedy was that he found Lelouch, only to die at Lelouch's hands.
Clovis walked over and affectionately patted Yang Hui's shoulder, looking him up and down and patting him here and there.
Slap!
Yang Hui disdainfully batted Clovis's hand away and pushed him back. "What are you doing?"
"Checking to see if you're injured! You just came back from the African battlefield; I was worried you were hurt! If those damn commoners dared to injure you, I would definitely show them the meaning of cruelty!"
Clovis was considered a core member of the Pureblood Faction, but this wasn't because his personality was particularly malicious. It was simply because of the education he had received since childhood, especially from his mother, who was a staunch supporter of the Bloodline Theory.
However, with Yang Hui around, things weren't entirely unchanged.
"Clovis..."
"Uh, sorry, Yang Hui. I was just worried about you." Clovis apologized awkwardly. He knew Yang Hui was not part of the Pureblood Faction and was very resistant to the Bloodline Theory.
"Do you think I'm like you? So easily injured?" Yang Hui gave a teasing smile.
"What!? Are you looking down on me? I am your older brother, after all!" Clovis shouted.
"Only by two months."
Puh-ha!
An invisible heavy punch slammed into Clovis, making him stumble back two steps.
"Also... the theme of this art exhibition is 'Tranquility.' Is it appropriate for you to make the decorations this gaudy?"
Schwing, schwing!
A sharp sword pierced Clovis's little heart. He retreated a few more steps, clutching his painfully aching chest.
"And another thing, you should face reality. Don't think that wearing purple makes you look mature."
Puh-ha!
Clovis collapsed like a defeated dog.
"Mou~ Yang Hui, honestly, stop always bullying Brother Clovis!"
At that moment, a cute girl with pink hair walked over elegantly and helped Clovis up from the ground.
"As I thought, this fellow invited you too, Euphy." Looking at the newcomer, Yang Hui gave a gentle smile.
Euphemia li Britannia, the Third Imperial Princess. She was Cornelia's most beloved yet strictly disciplined younger sister. She also had a very good relationship with Yang Hui, and...
Lelouch, you bastard! You shouldn't have been sent to Japan; you should have been sent directly to Germany for orthopedics!
"That's only natural." Clovis wiped the sweat from his brow, feigning elegance. His stiff face still bore traces of pain, as if he had just endured unbearable torture. "Euphy's artistic attainments are second only to mine. I invited her here to learn..."
"Drop it." Yang Hui didn't give Clovis any face, continuing to deal critical damage. "Euphy's work is true art; yours is at most self-indulgent."
Puh-ha! Clovis almost collapsed again.
"Hehehe, alright now, Brother Yang Hui, Brother Clovis. There are other people here; we must mind the royal etiquette." Euphy covered her mouth and giggled. She had always enjoyed the scene of Clovis being proud and then being knocked down by Yang Hui until he couldn't stand up, turning into a defeated dog, because she knew it was proof of their good relationship.
Inside the imperial palace, all princes and princesses were required to learn and maintain the etiquette and elegance befitting the royal family. It was precisely this etiquette that made Euphy feel there was always a layer of estrangement even when meeting her closest relatives, which she found very unpleasant.
It was precisely the banter between Yang Hui and Clovis that made Euphy feel a sense of true familial bond.
However... as much as she liked it, they had to be mindful of the occasion. After all, this wasn't at home, and there were many nobles invited to view the exhibition nearby. If they weren't careful, gossip would inevitably reach the palace, and they would be lectured again.
"Is there something inappropriate?" Yang Hui's tone was very gentle, but as he glanced around at the onlookers, his eyes carried a terrifying killing intent.
"No... not at all..."
"The relationship between the three Highnesses is truly excellent."
"It is truly the Empire's fortune that the three Highnesses are so close."
Sure enough, under the intimidation of Yang Hui's killing intent, the nobles who had originally looked down on or despised this way of interacting immediately changed their tune and began to flatter them, while secretly being terrified of Yang Hui's fearsome presence.
"See? Nothing inappropriate." Yang Hui shrugged and patted Euphy's head.
"Mm... mm." Euphy lowered her head shyly.
"Yang Hui, you..." Clovis also put away his playful demeanor and looked at Yang Hui with a serious and earnest expression. Euphemia was still young and hadn't noticed, but Clovis had sensed the change in Yang Hui. It was a stark contrast to his current gentleness.
"After being on the battlefield, some changes are inevitable," Yang Hui said to Clovis while maintaining his smile.
"Is that so... let's not talk about that. Come, let me show you my new works. You'll definitely like them." Clovis didn't press further. He was simple, not stupid; he knew such topics weren't meant for this setting, nor was it something he had to get to the bottom of.
It had to be said that Charles zi Britannia's genes were very excellent. Among so many princes and princesses, there were only one or two mediocre ones. Even the Crown Prince, who currently seemed mediocre and incompetent... was he truly that useless?
"Let's go then, and see what kind of 'stuff' you've painted this time." Yang Hui smiled, holding Euphemia's hand as they followed behind Clovis.
"What do you mean 'stuff'!? Those are my masterpieces!" Clovis flew into a rage.
"Yes, yes, masterpieces. So impressive!"
"Ugh! Yang Hui! One day, my work will leave you speechless!"
"Alright, I'll be waiting. Haha."
Clovis took Yang Hui and Euphemia on a tour of the exhibition. Although Yang Hui said the paintings were worthless, it was just banter; while perhaps not masterpieces, they were still commendable works.
After their tour, the three of them briefly dealt with the guests before leaving the exhibition hall for a prepared lounge. Given Clovis's status, even if he held an art exhibition, he didn't need to personally receive the attending nobles. The reason he was at the exhibition was merely to pick up Yang Hui and Euphemia; those nobles were not qualified to be personally received by Clovis.
"Euphy, I recently received a wonderful violin. I'll have someone take you to see it, alright?" Upon arriving at the lounge, Clovis spoke to Euphemia.
"Alright, Brother Clovis." Although Euphemia was young, she was clever and saw that Clovis wanted to talk to Yang Hui alone, so she readily agreed.
Once Euphemia left with the butler, Clovis looked at Yang Hui. "You really caused quite a stir this time."
"Since I went out, I naturally had to have some fun," Yang Hui shrugged.
"Hehe, news that triggered a major earthquake in the noble circles is just 'playing' to you. Only you, Yang Hui."
"You understand, don't you?"
"Of course. But... Sister Cornelia must have quite a headache, right? Brother Schneizel's expression at the time was also quite something."
"You know Sister's personality; no matter how much of a headache it is, she will act according to the rules. As for Brother... hehe."
"Did something happen?" Hearing Yang Hui's cold laugh, Clovis's face darkened.
"He didn't do anything personally, but his subordinates aren't very obedient." Yang Hui poured himself a cup of black tea and took a sip. "A bomb was found on the return flight. Among the people greeting me, several felt like they were emitting killing intent. If Bismarck hadn't been in the same car as me, there probably would have been one in the car too. Oh, and then there was that driver..."
"Unacceptable! This is far too presumptuous!" Clovis was furious. If Schneizel had arranged it personally, he would have had to swallow his anger, but if Schneizel's subordinates were acting on their own, he couldn't tolerate it. Not only because of his good relationship with Yang Hui, but also because the dignity of the royal family had been violated!
Clovis stood up, intending to leave with Scorn, but was stopped by Yang Hui's shout.
"Sit down!" Clovis, who had just stood up, sat back down. Yang Hui continued, "What do you plan to do? Go arrest people? Or go directly to Schneizel? Will it be useful? If they dared to move against me without Schneizel's permission, would they leave any clues?"
"But..."
"Enough, Clovis. Although you've made some progress, you still need to learn to control your temper."
"But Yang Hui, you're a... if an accident happened, you would die!"
"That 'if' won't happen."
"But those people... they violated the dignity of the royal family. It is absolutely unforgivable!"
"Relax, Clovis. Since we were children, have you ever seen me suffer a loss?"
"...What are your arrangements?"
"What arrangements could I possibly have?"
"...Heh." Clovis was silent for two seconds, then smiled bitterly, understanding Yang Hui's underlying meaning. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Focus on your painting. Use your masterpiece to conquer me as soon as possible."
"Don't joke around, I'm being serious with you!"
"Is that not serious enough?"
"That's enough from you!"
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