Pirate Kingship-Chapter 565 - 414: Joyful Banquet, Turning the Tables
The Fourth Prince Atahualpa clearly hadn’t realized the peculiarity behind his "sister’s" actions. He merely cast an envious and suggestive glance at Byron, while heaping praises:
"TSK, you’re quite something, Your Majesty, Lord of the Celestial Kingdom. I never realized you were so deep.
My sister Perta is just a bit lazy by nature, lacking ambition in the realms of forbidden knowledge and power, relying solely on the passage of time to slowly augment her strength. That’s why she has never advanced to become a Fourth Order Mythical Creature.
But the purity of her bloodline stands out among all two hundred or so siblings, second only to those of us who are legitimate children of the Principal Queen Mother.
In just another year or two, she might naturally ascend to the Fourth Order one day, perhaps just by waking up from a nap.
And if we talk about beauty, she’s at the top among all the sisters.
You’ve just arrived, and in one day, you’ve won her favor and an invitation to a trial marriage; you’re really in luck!"
As for Byron’s recent comment about "an issue with Princess Perta Kapak," Atahualpa automatically filled in the blanks, imagining a... love at first sight scenario from a chance meeting last night.
In the Sun Empire, customs were so liberal that even close relatives might intermarry. As long as the union was for procreation and not for love, trial marriages between men and women were common practice.
If a man and a woman took a liking to each other, they’d just try it out. What was the harm in trying?
The Fourth Prince Atahualpa had never imagined any man could refuse such good fortune, especially since for the next year, as long as no life was lost, no responsibility needed to be taken.
The woman wasn’t after your money. Getting to sleep with her for a year, free of charge? No matter how you looked at it, that was a huge win.
Even he himself had considered trying his luck with the alluring "Sister Perta."
Although, like any man, he was somewhat obsessed with that soul-stirring beauty, the legend of her insatiable appetite—rumored to be so voracious she could devour the very earth she sat on—kept even him, a Mythical Creature, from daring to take a bite.
She wasn’t so much a beauty as a veritable pink grinding mill. It wasn’t a matter of an iron pestle being ground into a needle; she’d grind your very life away, bit by bit.
Beauty was good, but one’s own life was better.
Besides, he wasn’t like his second brother, the playboy Vascar Kapak, a lecherous fiend who’d stoop to bedding even a ’fly-woman’.
His other sister, Queen Consort Aya, was nearly Perta’s equal in beauty. It wasn’t worth risking his young life.
This prince might not want to get involved himself, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the spectacle when others did.
With a bit of schadenfreude, he continued speaking to Byron, "Oh, right, Your Majesty.
During the sacred trial marriage ceremony, if an unmarried lady takes a fancy to two gentlemen and offers both a shoe, or if two gentlemen take a fancy to the same lady, it’s common for one family to ’persuade’ the other family to withdraw. This ’persuasion’ usually involves... force!"
In the Sun Empire, where martial valor bordered on barbarism, it wasn’t unusual for capable men to come to blows over a desirable mate.
It was exactly like male beasts in the wild fighting over mating rights with a female.
A duel between males was seen as an opportunity to prove their valor. Afterward, in social interactions, much like animals, the weaker submitted to the stronger unless they could fight and win back their standing.
Coincidentally, Atahualpa was tasked with leading the two men involved in this trial marriage dispute, forming a three-person team for the Hell-difficulty "Holy Lake Coronation Ceremony" in half a month.
It was best to settle the hierarchy now to avoid disputes later.
He knew full well that Xinji Roca was stronger than him. If Byron ultimately won, he wouldn’t even mind following the commands of Byron, their outside support, when the time came.
Of course, no matter who won or lost, he was determined to have the victor go through the trial marriage only after the ceremony had concluded.
After all, the blood and tears of countless men were a testament: once in his sister’s bed and thoroughly ’ground down,’ by the time the coronation ceremony began, they would likely share the fate of her former husband.
Atahualpa was quite enjoying this juicy gossip, but Byron stiffened. He hadn’t expected that merely joining in the fun would put him in the line of fire. But while he could handle some crude humor, even some really out-there stuff, he absolutely couldn’t accept this kind of "public bus" scenario; not even a "slight blemish" would do.
The Divine Descendants of the Sun Empire might accept such things—that was their business. Byron respected their traditions, but he himself politely declined.
Moreover, he had known all along that the so-called local princess was actually a "Succubus" who "ate people without spitting out the bones"!
This Succubus was clearly lusting after his body. At times, he was even unsure which of her two mouths was the hungrier.
However, Byron did not immediately refuse outright.
As the [Night Demon Prince], a being closer to the Old God Lilith on the same path, she won’t see through me even if my Class isn’t as high as hers. It’s like how even the bravest general must humble himself before a newborn prince, unable to look the latter directly in the eye. Unlike the saying ’Please give me (Dad) some face,’ this isn’t just about showing deference to Lilith due to Rank suppression; there’s a tangible barrier created by the power of Mysticism. I can see through this [Night Demon]’s true nature, but she can’t perceive the essence of my [Night Demon Prince] Class. Her current eagerness is purely an instinctive craving for me—a potent tonic for her—now that she has converted to an Old God and Fallen to become their Kin.
