Chapter 118

Chapter 118

What kind of nonsense question is this? How did it suddenly come back to me?

Yi Ye didn’t even think about it: "I wish I had one."

But the circumstances don’t allow it. First, Bai Chuan is always on my case, so I don’t even get a chance to check out girls. Second, I’ll eventually have to complete the mission and leave. Getting attached here would just complicate things.

"So, you’re single?"

Kaiser looked both relieved and a little disappointed.

"You haven’t answered me yet, so don’t turn it around on me."

Kaiser opened his mouth but hesitated, still reeling from the realization that he likes Yi Ye. But his gut told him that speaking up now would be like admitting his feelings. If he got rejected, how humiliating would that be? So he kept his mouth tightly shut, refusing to utter a word. Yi Ye just kept staring at him, making Kaiser’s face burn with embarrassment. Unable to take it, Kaiser awkwardly changed the subject: "Are you wearing perfume today?"

"Me?"

Kaiser sniffed, taking the chance to inhale a few more times, like he was scenting a cat, "It... smells really good..."

"Probably just the shower gel? Why does everyone like this smell so much?"

"...Everyone?" Kaiser narrowed his eyes, "Who else likes it?"

"Oh, last time Lin—" He cut himself off. If he said it, wouldn’t Kaiser find out about what went down between him and Ling Pei in the meeting room?

He quickly shook his head: "No one, just something I’ve heard a lot. If you like it, I can give you a bottle of shower gel. I just bought a bunch at home and haven’t opened them yet."

"..."

There’s no way this is just shower gel.

But before Kaiser could figure out where the scent was coming from, Yi Ye’s terminal rang. It was Bai Chuan. He motioned for Kaiser to stay quiet and picked up.

"Xiao Bai? I’m in the bathroom. No, no, I’m fine, just maybe ate something off this morning... Don’t come over! I’m good now, I’ll be right there. Seriously, don’t come over."

Kaiser leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching him scramble to explain to Bai Chuan, and let out a frustrated grunt.

"Noise around me? Haha, you must be imagining things!"

Yi Ye shot Kaiser a glare and stomped on his foot. Kaiser muffled a yelp, grabbing his foot and hopping on one leg.

Yi Ye turned back, his tone completely innocent: "What? There really is noise? Maybe it’s the guy in the next stall still trying. If you’re curious, I can bring the terminal closer so you can listen carefully?"

"Alright, alright, I need to put on my pants now. I’ll be right back."

He ended the call briskly.

He threw another glare at Kaiser, who was still hopping around, and then walked out without looking back.

As the other tried to follow, Yi Ye pushed him back onto the toilet seat: "Come out later, don’t follow me right away."

Kaiser pouted: "...Okay."

Walking out of the restroom, Yi Ye noticed that "Young Master Yumian" and his attendant were still in the hallway, looking for someone.

Yumian, the Omega son of Mrs. Jones, although he hadn’t met him directly, he had seen photos posted by others on the forum. Paired with Kaiser, they indeed looked very pleasing to the eye. The two were talking by the corridor, Yumian pointing at the attendant’s nose and scolding him fiercely, his demeanor much stronger than his gentle appearance suggested.

Yi Ye silently turned his face away, walking past them while staring at the wall, and as soon as he reached the corner, he immediately ran away.

But he didn’t notice he was drenched in Kaiser's pheromones.

That’s the downside of being a Beta—anyone can leave their scent on him, but he’s oblivious to it.

Yiye bolted so fast he vanished in a flash.

Yumian stopped scolding, sniffed the air, and frowned as he glanced toward the corner. "...Who’s that?"

The attendant glanced sideways, "Young master, that’s Yiye Langley, the honor student from the Imperial Honor Military Academy, awarded by His Majesty today."

"Yiye Langley..." Yumian mused, frowning. "Isn’t he Kaiser’s roommate? So that’s him?"

...

Yiye rushed back to Saint Constans Hall, where Bai Chuan, having finished his talk with Bush Meihua, stood by a long table, waiting.

Spotting Yiye, Bai Chuan cut through the crowd to reach him. As soon as he got close, he caught a faint whiff of pheromones on Yiye.

He’d caught this scent in the simulated battlefield—it was Kaiser’s.

"Did you hit the restroom?" Bai Chuan asked coolly, his face unreadable.

"Yeah."

"Alone?"

Yiye felt guilty but forced himself to remain calm, "Of course. What, you think your brother’s still a kid who needs a buddy to hit the restroom?"

"..."

Bai Chuan glanced up, spotting a red figure entering the hall, and said cryptically, "Who knows."

But he didn’t continue the topic.

The award ceremony was about to start, and a few attendants ushered them to prepare below the stage. Bai Chuan helped Yiye fix his loosened tie, his gaze occasionally flicking to Kaiser’s face behind them. Kaiser kept sneaking glances at Yiye, his gaze—direct yet restrained, passionate yet pure—something Bai Chuan knew all too well.

Bai Chuan coolly dropped his gaze, locking onto Yiye’s face.

Before, he’d have probed Yiye subtly, maybe even gotten jealous, scrambling for reassurance in every way possible, doing whatever it took to keep Kaiser at bay. But after his talk with Bush Meihua, he’d changed his tune.

"His Majesty’s here!" "It’s Emperor Constans!"

A wave of chatter erupted but died down fast under the officers’ sharp warnings. An elderly man with white hair, decked out in extravagant robes and a golden crown, came into view. Duke Jed escorted him to the throne, where he took his seat. Everyone below the stage, in unison, placed their hands on their chests and bowed deeply to the empire’s sole ruler—Emperor Constans Peide.

Yiye joined in the gesture, cautiously lifting his gaze to study Emperor Constans, a figure he’d only seen in political news and hearsay.

The emperor looked far older than Yiye had imagined, his eyes unnaturally bright, but devoid of any soulful warmth. It was more like a body propped up by stimulants. But Yiye had heard from Bai Chuan that Emperor Constans’ health had been failing year after year, so since last year, political affairs had slowly shifted to Prince Peide and the Senate elders. In less than two or three years, he’d likely hand over all power to Peide.

Emperor Constans raised his hand, signaling everyone to rise. He did not speak; Duke Jed mainly handled all the procedures of the award ceremony.

After the host’s speech, the Imperial Honor Military Academy students filed onto the stage one by one for the award ceremony. Yiye walked last, choosing a corner position to stand, receiving the attention of the audience below.

Most of the attendees were from the empire’s main planet, hailing from century-old noble families. They looked up, their scrutinizing gazes sweeping over these young military academy students. Some students could be seen through at a glance, while others deserved prolonged attention. But no matter what, no one would overlook Yiye, even if he stood at the very edge; he was undoubtedly the most intriguing target for everyone.

Too young.

At just twenty-two years old, he had already become one of the Twelve Seats of the Senate, frequently appearing in news and newspapers. Even a small part of society had begun to proclaim that this youth would surely be the future star of the empire, comparable to General Lin Pei. His good looks seemed to be the least noteworthy aspect of his resume—an A-level honor student of the Imperial Honor Military Academy, champion of the military academy league, one of the Twelve Seats... Given time, it was hard to imagine how high his status and power could reach.

As long as he could keep living well.

Amid the crowd, thoughts churned like treacherous waves, and sharp gazes invisibly pierced the black-haired youth, piercing him through. In the dense, fervent stares, a single thought emerged:

If such a person cannot be fully controlled,

—then he must be destroyed.

"Yiye Langley," Emperor Constans, with his heavy, withered frame, approached Yiye.

He picked up the badge reserved for A-level honor students of the Imperial Honor Military Academy and pinned it on Yiye.

Yiye nodded, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I've heard of you; your name keeps coming up lately."

Emperor Constans looked at him with those turbid eyes. His hair was naturally silver-white, making it hard to tell which strands were aged. But up close, he looked much older than his age.

Yiye smiled, "I'm truly honored that someone like me could catch Your Majesty's attention."

"But you don't belong in this position."

Emperor Constans suddenly interrupted him.

"Why do you say that, Your Majesty?" Yiye was slightly stunned.

Emperor Constans did not answer him, leaving behind the words, "I hope Anderson has chosen someone who will last," before turning around. His attendants followed, holding the train of his robe as he returned to the throne.

...

After the ceremony, Emperor Constans returned to the palace to rest, while the others remained.

Several students of the Imperial Honor Military Academy were surrounded like stars around the North Star. Many were from wealthy families, used to socializing and eager to show off their new honors. Yiye was surrounded by the most people, the noisy chatter giving him a headache.

He wanted to leave, but the cunning upper-class crowd gave him no chance, showering him with compliments. Yiye stood on his toes, trying to spot Bai Chuan, only to discover that Bai Chuan was mingling effortlessly, handling it well. It was a great chance for Bai Chuan to network, and Yiye didn't want to disturb him. So, he sipped water, forcing a smile and nodding along.

Until several young men in holy priest attire approached, pushing through the nobles to stand before him, giving him a slight salute.

"Lord of the Twelve Seats, please come with us. Someone wishes to see you."

The nobles exchanged glances, and those who were initially annoyed by the intrusion quieted down upon seeing the holy attire.

The Holy Church wants to see the Lord of the Twelve Seats? Only one person could have that right. How dare they challenge him.

Yiye could probably guess who wanted to see him—either Eugene or the Pope. But Eugene wouldn't need to use such a method.

So... the Pope? But why would he suddenly want to see him?

Yiye glanced at Bai Chuan again, who was surrounded by the crowd and almost led to the other side of the Saint Constans Hall, too far away and facing sideways, unable to see or hear what was happening here.

"Just me?" Yiye turned back and asked.

"Yes. As for others..." the holy priest hinted, "the Pope will see them when he wishes."

Yiye pondered for a moment, but there was nothing to hesitate about. He agreed readily and followed the holy priests.

*

An hour later, at the Sacred Heart Church.

Since the Melville Cathedral was destroyed by Bai Chuan, the main planet urgently summoned tens of thousands of engineers for reconstruction. However, due to the massive scale of the project, only half has been completed so far. Consequently, some of the Holy Church's activities were moved to this smaller, more remote Sacred Heart Church. Yet, even so, the moment Yiye entered the church doors, he felt an overwhelming sense of solemn grandeur.

Under the grand stained glass, Eugene stood quietly, holding a silver-copper candlestick, his figure stark against the colorful light.

He raised his head, his eyes icy cold, and tilted his head slightly toward the disciple beside Yi Ye, saying, "I'll handle him, you can go."

"Yes, Bishop."

Four or five disciples withdrew in unison.

Yi Ye looked at Eugene: "Does the Pope want to see me?"

Eugene gave a lazy hum of agreement, leading him toward the back of the church. The long, dim corridor had no wall lights, relying solely on the daylight through the windows and the burning candlestick in Eugene's hand. The flickering light cast shadows on his sharply defined face, though it was a flame, it carried no warmth.

Halfway down the corridor, as if recalling something, he lifted his cold, pale eyelids and looked at Yi Ye's face: "The swelling’s gone down, huh?"

"You saw it once and still remember, don’t you?"

Eugene let out a dark chuckle: "After all, it was the first time I saw such a swollen face."

Yi Ye was speechless.

What a twisted sense of humor.

"By the way, you know I asked Bai Chuan something that day, right?"

"What?"

Eugene let out a sound, tilting his head back to meet his gaze, the outline of his Adam's apple prominent: "I was curious—that night you were drugged with an aphrodisiac, you didn’t go to the hospital nor did you have an antidote. How did you resolve it? Do you know what Bai Chuan told me?"

"..."

Yi Ye stopped in his tracks, silent.

Eugene also stopped to look at him: "What? It seems you really—"

"Have you said enough?"

Yi Ye's eyes were dark and deep, dressed in a black shirt and black suit, his figure sharp and thin like a blade. Standing there quietly, yet exuding an aura that seemed to dominate everything, "Who gave you the right to ask me something like that?"