Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 69: The Requisitioned Bride (5)

Dragon Raja 4

The old nun thought she was missing her fiancé in Rome and was about to offer words of comfort when she saw Miss Chen flip off the distant Pantheon.

“May I ask an impertinent question? Are you satisfied with your engagement?” Sister Clara gazed into her eyes.

Nono was momentarily stunned, then said, “Why wouldn’t I be? I chose him, I agreed to it, and no one forced me.”

“When a person does something they don’t truly want, it’s like their body runs ahead while their soul lags behind, always chasing but never catching up to the body,” the old nun said meaningfully.

“Tonight, you’re acting like a wise elder sister, so let’s cut to the chase. Why did you come to see me?” Nono couldn’t be bothered with small talk.

“This morning, someone sent a message via the captain. The person said he’s from Cassell College’s Execution Bureau.”

“The College sent someone to find me?” Nono’s eyes lit up, intrigued.

“The message was about a friend of yours, a man named Lu Mingfei. He’s in some trouble, and people are looking for him everywhere. The person said if you knew anything, they hoped you’d inform the College.”

Nono was silent for a long moment. “Come on! I haven’t seen him in over two years! How would I know where he is? Am I his babysitter?”

Sister Clara nodded. “He also said that if Lu Mingfei contacts you, you should try to keep him calm and then inform the College.”

Nono shrugged. “Are you kidding me? Novices aren’t allowed to communicate with the outside world, and there’s no phone signal on this island. How’s he supposed to contact me?”

Sister Clara studied her. “You seem very indifferent to him, yet from what I heard, your relationship with Mr. Lu isn’t so ordinary.”

“So, your reasoning is this: I’ve got a secret lover, but I’m engaged to a wealthy and powerful man. So, unlike the other girls who find peace after two months in the convent, I’m only getting more restless. My former classmates know all about my past escapades, so when this guy goes missing, they come looking for me to get information.”

Sister Clara was taken aback by Miss Chen’s bluntness—so much so that she was momentarily speechless, as if facing a female rogue.

Nono fetched her laptop. “Let me show you the difference between my fiancé and that fool named Lu Mingfei.”

“Oh! It’s like you’re choosing between Charlemagne and…a simple but upright young man?” Sister Clara carefully chose her words.

“There’s no choice! Thank you! That fool is my junior and my errand boy. How do I translate that from Chinese for you?”

“A stable boy, one who holds the reins and helps you mount the horse,” Sister Clara surprisingly knew some Chinese.

“Perfect!” Nono switched to Chinese with her. “That guy who holds the reins has disappeared, so of course people would ask me where he is. But what does that have to do with my engagement to Charlemagne? Sure, I’m a bit frustrated, but it’s mainly because there’s no internet, no phone, and no beer here. I know you’ll tell me that the convent’s wine cellar has vintages worth millions of euros, but you only drink a tiny sip during communion. That’s not drinking, dear Sister; that’s a mere taste. I know you’re very devout, but you must also realize that many of the girls who come here are just gilding themselves and preparing to secure a wealthy husband. I can’t stand looking at them, but I can’t exactly punch them either.”

“Wonderful, wonderful!” Sister Clara pressed her hands to her chest. “Sister Chen Motong, you’re truly a delightful girl!”

“Are you endorsing my desire to punch them?” Nono smiled. “I’m not the type to just talk, Sister.”

Night had fallen, and candles were lit in the distant chapel as the bells rang, signaling the beginning of evening prayers for the novice nuns. Nono, however, remained seated on the terrace. She never participated in the evening prayers; her stay here was only to formally satisfy the Gattuso family elders, not to establish a personal faith in God. In God’s eyes, witches and Him were at odds—witches belonged to Satan’s side.

As the bells tolled, she slowly closed her eyes. Life on the island was incredibly dull, and she often felt drowsy, easily falling asleep.

Evening prayers ended, and like little birds returning to their nests, the nuns went back to their rooms, and the lights in the bell tower went out. At that moment, the little owl on the windowsill jumped and hooted, “Gumi! Gumi!”

Nono immediately opened her eyes, her pupils gleaming. She gave the little owl a light smack on its head, signaling it to be quiet.

This little owl-shaped alarm clock was a birthday gift from Lu Mingfei, which also served as a small speaker. Its special feature was that when playing music, it would randomly quote online comments like:

“Awesome~!”

“Wow~ Not bad at all!”

“A round of applause! Clap, clap, clap~!”

Although it often interrupted her music, it reminded Nono of the carefree times when everyone was wild and unruly—much like a nun, sitting before a lantern and Buddha, reminiscing about the days she used to feast on meat.

In recent years, her contact with Lu Mingfei had dwindled. Before coming to the island, they would exchange holiday greetings, sharing a few perfunctory words. Last year, he didn’t even send her a birthday message, but she hadn’t cared much. The next morning, she saw a belated birthday message from him, explaining that he had been on a mission and had encountered some complications. Nono felt this was the normal state of their relationship now.

Lu Mingfei’s emotions were not hard to guess, and there had been times when this caused Nono some concern. But she believed that, with time, he would mature and the problem would resolve itself. She felt clear-headed and had never viewed Lu Mingfei as a backup plan—why would a Ferrari owner need a spare tricycle tire? However, Susie had criticized her several times, warning that her behavior might lead to misunderstandings. Nono argued that if she hadn’t helped him, he probably wouldn’t have survived his first year at Cassell College. Susie replied that it was fine to help, but giving him false hope only to crush it later would be even crueler.

That was one reason why Nono left Cassell College.

By now, Lu Mingfei had transformed—no longer the awkward boy who froze in the presence of beautiful girls. He was now the president of the Student Union, surrounded by the dance team and with that Russian junior by his side.

Nono liked Zero but could never quite see through her. Zero always seemed to glimmer with a diamond-like hardness, like a jewel on the Tsar’s crown.

Tonight, after hearing news of Lu Mingfei from Sister Clara, Nono couldn’t shake a sense of unease. Earlier, while dozing off, she had even dreamed of him—he was repairing a broken bicycle on the side of a highway. She had tried to cross the highway to greet him, but the dense traffic prevented her. She shouted at him, but he seemed not to hear.

Had he gotten himself into some kind of trouble? It couldn’t be—he wasn’t the type to be reckless. If someone told her he was being chased for unpaid credit card debt, she’d believe it. Besides, he was now the Student Union president, and with the council’s influence within the College and the hybrid world, even if he made a mistake, the council wouldn’t leave him stranded.

But the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She needed to ask someone who knew what was going on. Although she appeared to be napping after Sister Clara left, she was actually conserving her energy.

She went back to her room, grabbed something, and flipped over the terrace railing, leaping into the darkness outside.

The Golden Iris Convent was surrounded by high walls, but no walls could contain a free spirit like Nono. She had always come and gone as she pleased, though it was best to wait until everyone was asleep before acting.

After trekking for half an hour, she reached the other side of the Golden Iris Island. Here, towering cliffs stood dozens of meters high, their jagged rocks as sharp as fangs. It was a desolate place, with wild beasts roaming, and the waves crashing violently against the rocks below, creating a deafening roar. Standing on a protruding rock, Nono unzipped her back, letting her beach dress fall like a white cicada shell to the ground. Underneath, she wasn’t wearing undergarments but a skin-tight swimsuit. She climbed down the cliff barehanded, biting a waterproof flashlight between her teeth, and with a deep breath, dove into the sea.

The sky and sea were pitch black. She swam swiftly beneath the waves, navigating toward the open ocean using the compass on her wrist.

After swimming for an unknown distance, lights appeared on the horizon—a dazzling display from the island of Malta, which from afar looked like a mirage.

Nono took out a waterproof phone from her bag. Upon turning it on, she saw two bars of signal and began dialing a number.

The rules at the Golden Iris Convent were very strict. Novice nuns were not allowed to carry mobile phones, and even if they did, it would be useless since the island had no cell or internet signal, with signal-blocking devices in place. A wealthy heiress once sneaked a satellite phone onto the island, but it didn’t work. The only way to communicate with the outside world was via the boat that delivered messages. Sister Clara believed that only by distancing oneself from worldly distractions could one find peace of mind. But Nono was the kind of person who would swim a few kilometers in the ocean just to make a phone call to chat with a friend. Sometimes, when in the mood, she’d even head to Malta for a beer and a midnight movie.

“Girl, your call came at a bad time. I’m kind of busy here,” Susie answered the phone, sounding like she was about to hang up immediately.