Chapter 209

Chapter 209

Asuer removed the Inhibition Ring from his foot and tossed it casually onto the bedside table. Suddenly recalling something, he raised a hand to touch the area between his collarbones.

Xue Ji had already put on a spare pair of glasses and was reviewing the data from several energy purification and weapon tests Freya had sent. Catching his movement out of the corner of his eye, he asked offhandedly, "What’s up?"

"The other inhibition ring you gave me, along with those medications, were left behind on that starship," Asuer said. "I’m afraid they’re lost for good."

"I’ll just make another one," Xue Ji replied with little concern. "Some of those ingredients are toxic. Nothing good."

Asuer, oddly, didn’t focus on the mention of toxicity, instead focusing on something else: "You seemed to put a lot of effort into those."

Xue Ji gave a faint smile. "That thing does take some effort."

What did he mean?

"Is it difficult to make?"

"It’s a delicate craft," Xue Ji said, pulling up all the data and projecting it onto the overhead screen alongside the weapon models. "But not hard."

Then why?

Asuer felt there was something more behind that smile, but seeing Xue Ji busy and still having some arrangements of his own to handle, he said, "I’ll step out for a bit."

Xue Ji hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes still fixed on the screen. Asuer, with a hint of exasperation, leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the cheek, then got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. After changing clothes, he walked back to the bed and put the Inhibition Ring back on.

Xue Ji was typing away furiously, his fingers moving so fast they were a blur. Seeing that Xue Ji hadn’t spared him even a glance, Asuer couldn’t help bending down to kiss him again. "I’m leaving."

"Mm."

Asuer kept kissing him.

Xue Ji’s fingers paused. Finally realizing something, he looked up and returned the kiss. "Come back soon."

Only then did Asuer leave.

The starship had a war command center. When Asuer arrived, Devalen and several knight squad leaders were there, along with Serrick. The atmosphere was oddly tense. Asuer walked in, waved off their formalities, and cut straight to the point: "Where are Kexinia’s people?"

"The three legions withdrew and returned to the home star after receiving the message from Devalen," Serrick said. "They brought news of your return to the home star, but the Senate remains skeptical and still advocates for installing a new Monarch. They’ve already put forward a crown prince in recent days."

Asuer was unsurprised. "Any leads on the pirates who attacked us?"

Devalen said, a little ashamed, "We haven’t had the bandwidth to track them yet."

Those pirates dared to act so brazenly because they had their own tricks—they could disappear without a trace after a heist. Asuer knew how much effort Devalen and the others had expended searching for him, so he just shook his head, signaling it was fine. "I suspect those who dared attack a warship aren’t mere pirates."

Serrick: "Your Majesty suspects…?"

Asuer nodded. After a moment of contemplation, he connected to Kexinia’s communication channel.

Soon, Kexinia’s stern face appeared on the public screen. He was in full military uniform, the background clearly a military office, writing quickly with his head down. When the call connected, he said with slight impatience, "What false news is being passed along this time?"

"It’s not false news, Marshal," Asuer said.

Kexinia stopped writing immediately and lifted his head sharply to look at the screen, staring at Asuer expressionlessly for a few moments before speaking. "Good to see you’re alive, Your Majesty. You disappear on a whim and leave us a huge mess to clean up."

Asuer looked at the white hair at his temples. "Why did you help me?"

"Help you?" Kexinia let out a scoff. "Don’t flatter yourself, Your Majesty. If it weren’t to repay that lover of yours, I wouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess."

Asuer’s brow moved slightly. "What debt?"

"He’s your lover—ask him yourself." Kexinia recalled that hurried conversation and his face turned icy. "The Chief you promoted is quite overbearing. He’s always going on about fairness and transparency in the Academy, fooling everyone into treating his procedures like gospel. Behind the scenes, he’s been threatening to murder this old man and the uncrowned crown prince, even wanting to drag the whole planet to the grave with you."

Hearing this, a faint hint of amusement flickered in Asuer’s eyes.

So Xue Ji really did care about him deeply.

Kexinia was even more exasperated at the sight. "Since you’re alive, Xue Ji’s deal with me ends here. If the Senate wants to push the crown prince onto the throne again, I won’t vote against it anymore. You’re on your own."

"From now on, Marshal, you don’t need to do anything," Asuer said. "Also, please keep the news of my return concealed for me."

Kexinia paused coldly. "Suit yourself." With that, he ended the communication.

The room fell silent for a few seconds. Asuer curled his fingers and tapped the desk unconsciously—a small habit Xue Ji had when thinking. Devalen noticed it and instinctively glanced at Serrick, but seeing no reaction, he realized Serrick might not know Xue Ji’s habit.

He withdrew his gaze and met the eyes of Gene, who was smirking on the other side. Their eyes met, both clearly thinking the same thing. Gene winked exaggeratedly, and Devalen glared at him, making Gene rein it in a little.

"Send the order: have Doniel and the others prepare all the materials collected over the years. Transfer five thousand elite troops from Selenaea to stand by on the secondary star, then separately dispatch ten thousand troops each to Tawu and Lutan, ready for orders." These three planets were closest to the home star, forming a triangular encirclement around it. Asuer finished his rapid arrangements and asked, "Have you found their troop-gathering bases?"

"After we startled them last time, they immediately relocated," Devalen said. "Based on reconnaissance, they seem to have split into three bases, all currently guarded."

"Good. Serrick, you handle Doniel and the troop deployments. Devalen, stay a moment."

Serrick glanced at the king, then murmured an affirmation and left the war command center.

Once everyone had gone, Asuer spoke. "How did the thing I asked you to handle go?"

"I gave them all hypnotics," Devalen said quietly. "Now, apart from Chief Xue and me, no one knows the coordinates of that planet. I also altered their memories of finding you." He hesitated for a moment. "I also requisitioned some suppressants and tranquilizers. You…"

Asuer shook his head, signaling he didn’t need them.

Seeing that the king had no further orders, Devalen took his leave. But at the door, he saw an unexpected person.

"Serrick?" Devalen looked down the hallway. "You finished arranging things that quickly?"

Serrick only said, "There are matters I need to report to His Majesty." He then entered the war command center and closed the door behind him in Devalen’s face.

"Your Majesty."

Asuer was staring thoughtfully at the imperial galaxy sand table. He looked up. "What is it?"

Serrick was silent for a moment. "Are you and Chief Xue together?"

"Isn’t it obvious?"

It was obvious—too obvious. Anyone with eyes could see it.

Serrick remained silent. Asuer sensed something and straightened up. "Speak your mind."

"…Then please forgive my presumption first."

"Go ahead."

"Chief Xue is indeed a talent one in a million. His presence has brought us many opportunities—that’s beyond doubt. How he treats you is clear to everyone. Even when he spent time with those Senate members, no one ever doubted his loyalty to you. More importantly, as Merlian said, his gender, his background, and his temperament make him someone with almost no weaknesses."

Serrick spoke these words without much hesitation, as if he had rehearsed them for a long time. Asuer frowned almost imperceptibly. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"He has no weaknesses, no vulnerabilities. As long as he doesn’t want to, no one can manipulate him," Serrick repeated, fixing his gaze on the king. "Not the Senate, not the nobles, not even us. He is perfectly capable of moving freely between several parties and making each one believe in him completely. You’ve seen that for yourself, haven’t you, Your Majesty?"

Asuer now guessed what he wanted to say, and his face darkened. "Enough. If what you want to say is doubt about Xue Ji's position, then that's enough. I'll let it slide since I know you're just looking out for me."

"No, Your Majesty, you simply don't understand what I'm worried about," Serrick raised his voice slightly. "If it were merely a ruler-subject relationship, I wouldn't doubt Xue Ji's stance. The fame, wealth, and power he wants—you can give him all of that. But now? You've developed a relationship far beyond that of monarch and subject. Whenever love is involved, quarrels and conflicts are bound to follow. And you've entrusted him with so many important matters. Have you ever thought that if you two break up one day, you might not even be able to remain as ruler and subject? At that time, can Your Majesty still guarantee his loyalty and ensure there will be no rift between you?"

"That day will never come." Asuer took a deep breath. "This is between me and Xue Ji, Serrick. You are overstepping."

"People who have just fallen in love are all so naive," Serrick said coldly. "A Beta is not like an Omega—no glands, no pheromones, can't even leave a temporary mark, and can walk away at any time. Your Majesty, with your current relationship, you cannot guarantee he will stay by your side forever. And even if we take a step back, Your Majesty, can you bear the pain of not being able to mark your lover?"

Asuer had to admit that each time at the final step, the emptiness and irritability caused by not being able to mark, along with the unease and anguish as his pheromones slowly dissipated on the Beta without a trace, were real. But so what? Hadn't he suffered enough from pheromones since childhood?

"Besides, can Xue Ji tolerate having another Omega by your side in the future?" Serrick continued. In his view, a monarch must find an Omega to relieve physical urges and produce heirs.

"I don't need to explain myself to you. I'll say this only once, so listen carefully," Asuer said. "I don't need pheromones and marking to maintain a relationship, nor do I need an Omega as a tool. If you continue to meddle in my private life under the guise of Knight Captain, don't blame me for disregarding our past friendship."

Serrick pressed his lips together and said after a long while, "Then what about Your Majesty's illness?"

"He has always been able to smell it." Asuer's face was cold as ice. "Get out."

Serrick was thrown out from the combat readiness center by the monarch, stunned.

Devalen had sensed something was wrong and hadn't left. Seeing Serrick come out with a pale face, and then looking inside to see the monarch also with mild annoyance, he quickly closed the door and pulled the man aside. "What did you say to His Majesty?"

Serrick still hadn't recovered from the truth Asuer had inadvertently revealed. Hearing this, he grabbed Devalen and asked sharply, "Xue Ji can smell pheromones?"

"Impossible, he's a Beta," Devalen blurted out.

"Yeah, how is that possible," Serrick murmured.

Inside the door, Asuer rubbed his throbbing temples. After a few seconds, he forced himself to calm down and look at the sand table. After roughly completing the deployment, his temples throbbed even more, and his gland started acting up. He turned off the sand table, propped his hands on the counter, bowed his head, and let out a deep breath.