The First Patriarch: Streaming My Cosmic Harem

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Street-Side Skewers

"Then let’s go explore it."

"And yeah, before we step out, do you have something to mask our appearances? We’re not going to enjoy a single second if everyone’s pointing their rune-pads and recording our every move."

Rosalind tilted her head, a thoughtful smile playing on her lips.

"Hmm... actually, I do."

With a subtle flick of her wrist, a pair of sleek, silver-alloy bracelets materialized in her palm, pulsing with a faint, iridescent glow.

"Illusion bands," she explained smoothly.

"Normally, you would trigger them with your own aether. But since your energy channels aren’t unlocked yet, I’ll activate yours for you."

She leaned over, gently clasping one of the bands around his wrist.

Channeling a soft thread of her golden aether into the runes, a brief, warm pulse swept over Azriel’s skin.

In a flash of shimmering light, his sharp black hair transformed into a rich, casual brown, and his piercing violet eyes softened into a cool, striking blue.

Rosalind then slipped the second bracelet onto her own wrist, tapping the central gem.

A wave of light washed down her body, her pristine silver-white hair instantly shifted to a sleek, glossy black, and her golden feline eyes bled into a deep, mesmerizing emerald green.

She turned to him, tilting her head as her black feline ears twitched playfully.

"Well? How do I look?"

Azriel smirked, eyeing her new look up and down.

"Much better. Now we can actually blend in."

Satisfied, Azriel popped open the gull-wing door, stepped out into the crisp afternoon air, and walked around to her side, holding his hand out to usher the undercover Duchess into the bustling crowds of the lower market.

Rosalind accepted his hand, stepping out into the vibrant chaos of the central market.

Without their recognizable features or aura, they were just another drop in the ocean of the lower district.

The bustling plaza was a sensory overload, sights, sounds, and smells colliding in a way neither of them had experienced in weeks.

Sizzling skewers of spiced beast-meat gave off mouth-watering aromas, merchant women shouted over one another to advertise enchanted trinkets, and upbeat, fast-paced street music echoed from surrounding arcades.

Rosalind’s black cat ears twitched erratically at the barrage of noise, but her green eyes were wide, filled with a genuine, childlike wonder as she looked around.

"It’s... so loud," she murmured, her hand tightening slightly in Azriel’s.

"Well, it is," Azriel chuckled, pulling her gently toward a crowded street-food stall where a vendor was flambeaux-grilling skewers over floating embers.

[LIVE CHAT]

[Sadistic69] (Red): BLACK HAIR AND GREEN EYES?! OH MY GOD, THE DUCHESS LOOKS LIKE A GOTH CAT-GIRL! I AM LOVING THIS!

[Nine_Tailed_Vixen] (Cyan): Look at how she’s clinging to his arm because the crowd is too dense! She’s totally out of her element without her guards clearing the path!

[Lusty_Sera] (Golden): He dragged her straight from boring opera pots to street food and crowded markets. This is literally the best date recovery.

[Boundless_Slacker] (Red): He is about to introduce the ruler of the realm to cheap, greasy skewer meat.

[Crimson_Fury] (Cyan): And she obviously won’t like it. How could a noble lady like her enjoy trash like that? This man is delusional. He should just be grateful she’s even allowing him to walk beside her instead of keeping him in chains where a slave belongs...

[Moon_Priestess_99] (Cyan): Fuck off, you miserable hater! I’ve been watching your comments since day one, and you’re just toxic! If you hate him so much, stop tuning in!

[Crimson_Fury] (Cyan): Oh, shut up, you shameless SIMP. I only watch to see this arrogant bastard get put in his place!

The two immediately launched into another endless, fiery back-and-forth, completely derailing their corner of the chat log.

The rest of the high-tier audience simply ignored them.

Over the past two weeks, this exact meltdown had become a daily routine.

Both entities had even started making reaction clips and commentary videos about the stream, turning their rivalry into a bizarre subplot.

Moon_Priestess_99 had gone as far as establishing an official fan club for Azriel, embracing her community-given title as his "Ultimate Simp", while Crimson_Fury ran a dedicated anti-fan channel dissecting his arrogance and predicting his eventual downfall.

Though Azriel wasn’t a top-tier megastar on ChronoTube just yet, this ongoing drama was steadily driving his metrics through the roof.

Glancing at the chat overlay out of the corner of his eye, Azriel simply smirked.

Good PR or bad PR, it didn’t matter, engagement was engagement, and his Karma Point balance was growing bigger by the second.

Ignoring the stream’s petty arguments, Azriel walked up to a nearby stall and bought two steaming skewers of glazed elemental poultry, handing one over to Rosalind.

She held the wooden stick with delicate caution, staring at the charred, glistening meat as if inspecting a complex military artifact.

She gave it a tentative, subtle sniff before taking a tiny, careful bite.

Her emerald-green eyes lit up instantly. Her feline ears perked straight up, and a soft, involuntary hum of pure delight escaped her lips.

"This is..." Rosalind chewed rapidly, swallowing before looking down at the humble skewer with newfound respect. "This is incredible. Why doesn’t the estate kitchen prepare food like this?"

"Because high-tier estate chefs cook for prestige, not flavor," Azriel smirked, taking a massive, satisfying bite out of his own skewer.

"Street food just hits different, Rose."

Rosalind took another, much larger bite of the skewer, completely abandoning her usual high-born etiquette as the rich, savory spices hit her palate.

Her black tail swayed happily behind her, brushing against Azriel’s leg in rhythm with her chewing.

"If my head chef saw me eating meat off a street side skewer in an open alley, she would probably drop dead of shame," Rosalind murmured, a mischievous, thoroughly un-Duchess-like grin lighting up her face.

"Good thing she’s stuck at the mansion," Azriel replied, lacing his free hand with hers as they continued strolling down the vibrant, lantern-lit avenue.

-x-

A/N:

CHEERS EVERYONE!

The novel is officially contracted!

I am so hyped! A huge, massive thank you to everyone who has been supporting the story and following the journey up to this point.

Happy Reading!!!