Chapter 153: Bath
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Despite the interstellar space pirates’ formidable strength, the empire had strengthened its customs supervision and increased security measures at various interstellar space ports. As a result, the number of successful poachers who could steal and smuggle mermaid cubs out of the empire had significantly declined.
Just as the interstellar space pirates were giving up on their attempts to auction the stolen mermaid cubs, a peculiar establishment emerged—the bathhouse.
Initially, the bathhouse catered to nobles with peculiar preferences on the empire’s main planet. It discreetly provided opportunities for these nobles to indulge in the company of mermaids, defying the explicit prohibition set by the empire. Its clandestine operations circulated within the circle of mermaid -loving nobles and eventually gained such renown that nobles from other planets began flocking to experience its offerings. The bathhouse capitalized on this demand and gradually expanded its branches to other planets within the empire.
The reasons behind the bathhouse’s continued operation and its audacious public presence were far more complex than could be succinctly explained.
Henry immersed himself in the bathhouse’s pleasures throughout the night, only to be abruptly awakened by the scorching rays of sunlight streaming through the window the next day.
“Who are you? How did you get in?!” Henry exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. The beautiful mermaid who had been beside him just moments ago had vanished, replaced by four masked men dressed in black.
The men in black remained silent, their gaze unyielding. One of them reached out, forcefully pulling Henry up from the bed, which exposed his naked body beneath the sheets. An array of mottled greenish-red marks covered his entire physique.
“Are you out of your mind? I am a noble, the son of a marquis!”
Henry struggled to conceal the marks on his body with the blanket, his face reddening with profound embarrassment under the scrutinizing gaze of the men in black.
Unperturbed by Henry’s futile resistance, the man in black proceeded to drag him out of the room. Along the way, they passed other chambers where startled guests had been awakened by the commotion. Opening their doors, they witnessed Henry being forcefully pulled out of the bathhouse, his hair gripped tightly by the man in black, resembling a helpless animal being led to its slaughter.
Henry’s piercing cries reverberated through the halls of the bathhouse. It wasn’t until he was unceremoniously thrown into the flying car by the man in black that he realized something was amiss—the bathhouse’s security officers were conspicuously absent.
Henry understood that under normal circumstances, the security officers would staunchly defend the bathhouse against any potential intrusion by the imperial police. They would repel the authorities without hesitation until the order came from the bathhouse’s master. However, on this particular day, the expected security officer was inexplicably absent. It was clear that the individual pulling the strings behind the men in black held significant influence, perhaps even a figure the bathhouse’s master did not dare to provoke.
This realization sent a chill down Henry’s spine. He knew he was in grave trouble. Among all the people he had crossed paths with, the only person capable of instilling fear in the bathhouse’s master was likely Xiao Han’s father.
Having grown up with Xiao Han, Henry knew her well. She harbored affection for him and would never divulge his secrets to her father. He had always maintained an image of gentility and refinement in the presence of outsiders like the Duke. They would never suspect him of visiting a place like the bathhouse.
Unless…
“It’s Xiao Chen,” Henry whispered, his thoughts racing. “You were sent by Xiao Chen, weren’t you?”
Regrettably, his question was met with silence. The men in black took their positions within the car, surrounding Henry from both sides. The remaining two men settled into the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Not a single glance was spared in Henry’s direction until the flying car ascended into the sky.
To Henry, the silence of the men in black felt like an affirmation of his suspicions. Trembling with fear, his body shook uncontrollably.
Xiao Chen, the Duke’s son, was notorious for his ruthlessness among the nobles of his generation. In their youth, Xiao Chen’s excessive indulgence in pineapple pie led to weight gain. The son of the marquis, along with other nobles from the planet, frequently tormented him, mocking him as a feeble, overweight pig. However, due to Xiao Han’s intervention, the marquis’s son and the other nobles gradually curbed their taunting, ceasing their derision and distancing themselves from Xiao Chen.
As they all matured, the incident faded into the recesses of their memories. However, on the eve of Xiao Chen’s coming-of-age ceremony, news spread that the son of the marquis, who had previously spearheaded the mockery against Xiao Chen, was discovered lifeless in the pool of his own manor.
To the public, the marquis proclaimed his son’s death as a tragic accident by drowning. Yet, individuals like Henry and the other nobles, who were privy to the truth, knew that the marquis’s son had not met his demise through accidental means but had fallen victim to Xiao Chen’s hands..