Chapter 148

Chapter 148

...

As night fell, the imperial palace on the capital world lit up with clear, bright lights.

The grand hall of Saint Constans was ablaze with light, where high society nobles held wine glasses, chatting and laughing amidst the scent of perfumes and the constant buzz of conversation.

A long, glossy black limousine stopped at the front gate, and a brown-haired youth stepped out, helped by a servant. The intricately embroidered ruffles on his collar almost covered his chest.

"Yumian," the servant gestured, "please come this way."

He glanced around, "Has General Kaiser arrived?"

"He arrived five minutes ago," the servant replied respectfully.

"Understood."

Anticipating the imminent reunion with General Kaiser, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, Yumian's face lit up with anticipation, and his steps quickened.

Inside the main hall, the hall was already buzzing. Men and women in various evening gowns and suits filled every corner, making it hard for him to spot the General at first.

After a while, he finally caught sight of the red figure, but just as he was about to approach, something caught his foot. He nearly fell, desperately reaching for support and grabbing a handle in the chaos.

Looking down, he met a pair of striking golden eyes.

The other person was chewing something, cheeks bulging, and paused upon making eye contact, then swallowed the food quickly. Yumian looked puzzled, and then the young woman, as if realizing her actions were less than graceful, immediately raised a pure white fan to cover her mouth, fanning herself dramatically while softly saying, "I must have bumped into you; I'm so sorry~"

Yumian: "..."

Who is this?

A completely unfamiliar face, he had never seen her in public before.

Yumian pondered, his gaze sweeping over the young woman.

She had silver-gray wavy hair cascading down to her waist, wearing an extravagantly wide blue sun hat with lace flowers blooming around the wide brim.

Wearing a luxurious Rococo-style outfit, the misty blue layers of her wide skirt cascaded down to her feet, revealing white leather shoes peeking out, with pure white ruffles resembling waves, adorned with delicate long ribbon bows. Her waist wasn't the slender type typical of women, with a larger frame, but her body proportions seemed excellent, and even sitting, her legs appeared long.

The craftsmanship of the dress was extremely luxurious, and he, who often paid attention to such details, could immediately tell it was from that particular boutique, where custom fittings required a long wait.

This lady... could she be a very powerful noble?

But he hadn't seen her before.

Her face could only be described as pretty, but her demeanor carried a unique sense of nonchalance.

He had a good memory; if he had seen her, he wouldn't have no impression.

"Sir?" the young woman softly spoke up, "You've been staring at me without speaking, are you stunned by my beauty?"

"Ah?"

The young woman chuckled ambiguously, "What a bother, it seems I have another admirer."

What's with this person!?

Yumian looked shocked, but how could he allow himself to be rude in front of others, so he coughed and said seriously, "Madam, you've misunderstood, it was your wheelchair that tripped me, so by all rights, you should apologize to me."

"Oh..." she said nonchalantly, fanning herself, "Sorry, but my wheelchair doesn’t have eyes, and I’ve been sitting here for a while." She smiled with her eyes curved, "But I’m generous, so no need to apologize. You can leave."

Yumian: "...??"

What is this suffocating feeling in my chest!

"It was your wheelchair—" that hit me!

But before he could finish, the young woman snapped her fan shut and lightly tapped the back of his hand: "I already said no apology is needed. I’m still eating, and as a gentleman, you should stay quiet."

Their conversation had attracted a few onlookers.

Yumian, who valued his pride, flushed red and pale, and couldn’t bear being overshadowed by this inexplicable person. He lowered his voice in anger: "Who said I was going to apologize to you! If you hadn’t left your wheelchair here, I wouldn’t have almost tripped!"

"I was sitting here eating, and no one else ran into me but you. Is this my problem or yours?"

"You—who the hell are you!"

The woman raised an eyebrow: "As for me—"

"Alice!" A voice abruptly cut her off, and the expression on her delicate face visibly turned annoyed.

The Duchess of Wenz, wearing high heels, hurried through the crowd: "Why did you come here alone without letting me know!" She placed her hands on the young woman’s shoulders, her tone worried, "With so many people around, if something happened to you, how would I face your father?"

"...Your Grace?" Yumian was shocked, "You know her?"

Wentz then noticed Yumian, "Oh, it’s you, Yumian. Let me introduce you. This is Alice, the youngest daughter of my friend—beautiful and gentle. Alice, this is Yumian, the son of Earl Jones. Say hello."

The woman named "Alice" twitched her eye and forced a smile: "Pleasure to meet you."

"...Ha. Ha." Yumian also laughed stiffly, "Hello, Miss Alice."

This woman is actually the daughter of the Duchess of Wenz’s friend?!

"Yumian, you’re here for Kaiser, right? He’s over there, but he’s acting a bit off, so be careful."

"What’s wrong?" He snapped back to attention.

"He’s probably lost his mind." The young woman named "Alice" suddenly interjected, propping her chin with a blank expression, "In life, people always end up choosing between perversion, madness, or transformation."

"What nonsense are you talking about." Yumian frowned, "Major Kaiser would never be a pervert."

Alice chuckled and gestured as if to say, "Go on."

Yumian had no desire to continue talking to this bizarre woman who’d appeared out of nowhere, so he turned and walked towards the inner part of the hall.

He quickly spotted Kaiser, dressed in a red suit and white shirt, holding a champagne glass by the table. But with his back turned, Yumian could only see his shoulders trembling slightly.

He had heard that Kaiser had captured a large group of space pirates before returning to the main planet. Was he hurt?!

He immediately quickened his pace: "Young Master Kaiser, are you okay—"

The words stopped abruptly.

Kaiser turned around, a faint red slap mark on his right cheek, his neck veins bulging as he stifled laughter, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

This wasn’t pain—he was laughing so hard he couldn’t stop!

Yumian’s mind suddenly flashed back to what Alice had said: "In life, people always end up choosing between perversion, madness, or transformation."

Could it be... has Kaiser really turned into a pervert?!

"What are you doing here?"

Upon realizing it was someone he didn't want to see, Kaiser quickly suppressed his smile and frowned in annoyance.

Seeing Yumian's ghostly pale face, he didn't bother to respond, his gaze skipping over his shoulder to look into the distance.

The lovely Miss Alice was also gazing at him at that moment, appearing to others like a painting full of affection.

Kaiser couldn't help but smile again, but the next second—

The "lovely Miss Alice" raised her hand and flipped him the bird.

...

"Why are you suddenly flipping the bird!" Duchess of Wenz quickly pressed down his hand, looking around, "What kind of noble lady curses someone from a distance?"

"I swear I'll never slap again; next time, I'll just break his nose and cheekbone."

"Shh— what are you talking about hitting or not, your persona is a gentle and aloof lady, maintain it!"

"Maintain this crap!"

Yi Ye was driven mad by the ordeal of wearing this elaborate puffy dress. It took three hours just to get into it, plus the wig and the skin mask. Once dressed, he had to put up with Kaiser and Bush Meihua's stifled laughter. What sin did he commit in his past life to suffer like this in this one!

Enough... the corset's too tight; he feels like he's choking.

Yi Ye was gasping for air, uncomfortably scratching at his chest. The silicone pads on his chest were stifling and hot, and the corset—what kind of contraption could be so tight?—felt like it was squeezing his soul and ribs right out of his throat.

The Duchess of Wenz wouldn't let him eat, leaving him starving and dizzy. He finally managed to sneak out for a snack, but soon ran into Yumian, which ruined his appetite.

"Stop that scratching!" Duchess of Wenz frantically held his two hands, shouting in a volume only the two could hear, "Everyone's watching! Scratch later when no one's around. Quick, smile normally for now!"

Half-dead, Yi Ye was forced to sit up straight, wave, and flash a fake smile.

Once the prying eyes were gone, he suddenly doubled over and retched: "Ugh—"

"Why are you throwing up?" Wenz asked, surprised. "I didn't know you were pregnant."

Yi Ye's eyes widened in shock: "I just feel gross!"

"Don't be like this." Wenz sincerely patted his shoulder, "Be confident, darling, you're beautiful just the way you are."

Yi Ye: "............"

Wishing he were dead again, he regretted coming back to life.

...

As the Duchess of Wenz offered Yi Ye some entirely unnecessary comfort, the banquet slowly got underway.

She led Yi Ye to a quieter spot to sit, keeping an eye on him to stop him from lifting his skirt, adjusting his chest pads, or flipping Kaiser the bird—among other out-of-character antics—while also waiting for news from Bush Meihua.

Being a royal, the Duchess of Wenz could roam the palace freely and easily obtain a usage permit thanks to her status. The challenge was getting Yi Ye inside. Kaiser had arranged to temporarily disable the surveillance, but the real hurdle was the medical pod's location—right in the heart of the palace, in Emperor Constans's bedroom.

If it were just Emperor Constans, there might still be a chance, given his old age and frailty—he's asleep ninety percent of the time.

Unfortunately, Peide has been closely attending to him in Emperor Constans's room during this time.

If Prince Peide isn’t distracted, they can’t use the medical cabin to treat Yi Ye.

So Bush Meihua took on the task of distracting Prince Peide by inviting him to a private meeting tonight, using the recent rumors of the "death of the new Twelve Seats" in the empire as the reason. This has been a hot topic lately, and Peide quickly agreed.

Now, they’re just waiting for Bush Meihua’s signal.

…

After another five minutes, Wentz’s device finally buzzed.

"BSMH": OK

"Let’s move."

Wentz took a deep breath, stood up, and pushed the wheelchair. Amid the bustling crowd, the two quietly slipped away from the banquet.

At the same time, at the private banquet.

After releasing his finger from the terminal, Bush Meihua looked anything but calm. The participants of today’s so-called "private meeting" weren’t entirely within his expectations. Besides Prince Peide, there were three others.

Himself, Duke Jedd, and—

Bai Chuan, representing the Pope.