Chapter 216

Chapter 216

The day Asuer woke up was exceptionally bright. The hospital room door was open, and a faint scent of roses drifted in with the gentle breeze, with the occasional rustle of pages turning.

Asuer turned his head. Xue Ji sat by the bed, his shirt as crisp as ever, the rose brooch on his chest catching the slanting sunlight and refracting a few golden hues. His hands, wrapped in a thin layer of gauze from wrist to fingertips, flipped through documents clumsily.

Asuer suddenly recalled that night under the rose trellis, when Xue Ji had sat like this waiting for him to wake up.

Back then, he never would have guessed he'd end up with this Beta in front of him.

Before he knew it, so much time had passed.

Maybe he'd been staring too long, for the young Chief finally sensed it and looked up.

Their eyes met. The young Chief was clearly startled for a moment, then a flicker of joy darted behind his glasses.

"Finally decided to grace us with your presence, Your Majesty?"

Asuer tried to lift the corners of his mouth in a smile. "I kept dreaming someone was calling me—had no choice but to wake up."

Xue Ji closed the file on the reconstruction plan for Chinusta, placed it by the bedside. Asuer's gaze fixed on his hands, following his movements. "What happened to your hands?"

Xue Ji paused. "A minor injury." He leaned in, staring at Asuer with a smile full of meaning. "Why's Your Majesty not worrying about yourself first? Buried under there for so long—aren't you afraid something’s broken?"

"You wouldn't let that happen." Asuer breathed heavily. "My body belongs to you."

"And yet you still recklessly blocked in front of me." Xue Ji flicked his forehead lightly—not hard, but the gauze made it slightly ticklish.

Asuer said nothing. If it happened again, he would still do the same.

Xue Ji read his mind. He sighed to himself, resigned, and straightened up, saying no more, pressing the call button by the bed. Soon a bunch of doctors swarmed in. Xue Ji stepped back, making room for the examination.

Asuer kept his eyes glued to him through the gaps between doctors, and only then noticed that he was sitting in a wheelchair, his left foot in a cast of healing ointment. Honestly, his own condition was pretty much the same—both his feet were bandaged, and he'd need at least ten more days before they could be removed.

The doctors surrounded the bed, conducting various checks and making notes, occasionally murmuring in low discussion. Xue Ji listened intently, his eyes tracking their every move on Asuer. Several times, Asuer caught him lifting his hand just a little, his brow furrowing so slightly it was almost invisible, as if he wanted to rush over and take over himself. That made Asuer laugh quietly to himself.

After a while, Asuer caught the other man staring at him the whole time. He turned and looked back, then mouthed helplessly to Xue Ji: "Focus on the checkup."

The results were perfect—all indicators normal. But when it came time for the gland exam, Asuer quietly told them to stop.

At the Monarch's word, the doctors quickly filed out. Xue Ji pushed his wheelchair back to the bedside. "Your report says your bone density's higher than normal because of your high pheromone levels, which is why you survived this time. Guess this sickness isn't all bad after all."

"Maybe," the Monarch said with a smile.

He had a bit of stubble, and the left side of his hair had been partially crushed in the collapse, falling unevenly around his ear. But none of that took away from how good he looked. Xue Ji looked down, his eyes softening like ice melting. After a long moment, he too smiled.

"It's over, Your Majesty."

*

After a few days in bed, the Monarch couldn't take it anymore. He rolled his wheelchair from the hospital room to the study, beginning to deal with the pile of work that had built up. Xue Ji couldn't just sit around either, so he claimed a corner in the Monarch's study, had a desk brought in, dropped his optical computer on it, and got to work.

His hands were mostly healed, but the surface skin hadn't grown back fully, so he couldn't make big movements. After trying to type for a while, the wounds started to split open. Asuer, watching him closely, tried to talk him out of it, and when that didn't work, simply confiscated his optical computer.

"Give it back. I told you, it's just a scratch. I'm not that fragile."

"Nope. No rule says you get to boss me around but I can't boss you."

"What's there to boss? You gonna give it back or not?"

"You don't get to decide what's worth bossing. I'm not giving it back."

Xue Ji couldn't argue with him, so he just reached for it. Asuer held it high over his head—even in the wheelchair, he was taller than Xue Ji. Xue Ji couldn't reach, tried to stand on one foot, but had barely lifted his butt off the seat before the Monarch pressed a hand on his thigh and shoved him back down.

"Asuer!"

"Right here." The Monarch raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eyes.

For the first time in his life, Xue Ji was disadvantaged by height. His determination to work momentarily faded, replaced by a competitive streak. He stubbornly stayed in the wheelchair, trying to grab the optical computer from Asuer. He lunged; Asuer dodged. The two of them deftly maneuvered their wheelchairs, fooling around in the study like kids.

"Ahem."

An awkward cough came from the doorway. They both stopped. Xue Ji leaned forward, his left hand still resting on Asuer's raised right forearm. At the sound, he and Asuer turned simultaneously.

All six eyes met. Xue Ji and Asuer pulled their hands back silently. Devalen averted his gaze, stepping aside to reveal the Imperial Marshal behind him.

Kexinia's eyes flicked between them. "In good spirits, Your Majesty?"

Asuer dodged the comment, feeling a bit embarrassed. He pulled himself together and spoke as naturally as possible. "The Marshal rarely visits the palace. Is there an urgent matter?"

Kexinia didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stared at Asuer's hair, lost in thought. His hair hadn't fully grown back yet. The Monarch didn't mind, but Xue Ji found it bothersome. These past few mornings, he had personally braided it into a single side braid.

Very much like the hairstyle Asuer's mother used to wear.

Xue Ji spoke up at the right moment. "I'll step out for some air."

Devalen immediately came forward to push him.

In an instant, only two people remained in the study.

"Come in and sit." Asuer wheeled himself behind the desk, moved the files aside, took out a teacup, and looked for rose tea leaves in the drawer. Only after finding the drawer empty did he remember that because Xue Ji didn't want him drinking it, the staff had long stopped making new rose tea. So he had no choice but to pour a glass of warm water, muttering an apology.

Kexinia took a sip and got straight to the point. "I want to go to Selenia."

Asuer was momentarily speechless.

"I know it's your territory now. If you don't agree, my people can't enter." Kexinia continued. "I only need a few of my trusted men to live there with me. The rest of the legion can garrison along the border at other planets. As for the reason, I don't think I need to explain."

He and Flora met on that planet. At the time, he was an ordinary officer. His legion was temporarily stationed at Selenia on its way to fight the Federation. During a walk, he saw a beautiful golden-haired girl fetching water by the crescent moon beach, fell head over heels in love.

Perhaps because of the name's origin, Flora held a deep love for that planet. Selenia nurtured the girl the officer loved, sealed their fate of meeting and falling in love, and carried all their beautiful memories. The officer devoted his life to protecting that planet from the ravages of war.

Even after the girl returned to the home planet with him and was forcibly taken by the Emperor, his will never wavered.

Of course, Asuer knew about the Imperial Marshal's special attachment to that planet. When he was young, he accompanied the Monarch and the Queen back to their homeland, and saw the Legion's chief commander and the Queen embracing in the blue flower sea—and understood everything.

Which was exactly why he'd picked Selenia.

No planet was safer than there.

It was underhanded, so Asuer said nothing—just nodded silently.

Kexinia looked at him. "I won't forget my duty as Marshal. Every soldier in the legion is loyal to the Empire. As long as Your Majesty and the Empire need it, I will lead them to guard the border planets, fight the Federation, and annihilate the space pirates. The prerequisite is that the Empire must be our solid backbone, providing funds, military supplies, and necessary armaments and technology."

This was the real reason Kexinia had forced himself to enter the palace. Everyone had seen the military might the Monarch displayed at the coronation ceremony. With that, why would they still fear the Federation?

But the Empire's internal factions had long been divided. The discord between the Monarch and the Marshal was an open secret. To obtain the latest technology from the Monarch to reduce legion casualties, Kexinia had to prove he had no intention of rebelling and would never turn against him.

Asuer was silent for a moment, then asked a completely unrelated question.

"Why did you help me?" He paused, emphasizing, "Twice."

Kexinia did not answer.

"Because of my mother?"

Kexinia's knuckles bent slightly, and this time he stared at the Monarch for a long while, as if looking through him at someone else. Only then did he say, "Because of your mother's last words."

Asuer came to a sudden halt.

"She told me not to take my anger out on you."

Asuer closed his eyes.

That was enough.

That was all he needed.

He opened his eyes, suppressing the surging emotions as best he could. "I thought you wouldn't tell me so bluntly."

Kexinia said, somewhat coldly, "So that you won't misunderstand your mother in any way."

Asuer's fingertips trembled. He curled his fingers and hid his hands beneath the desk.

"Rest assured, the Empire will always stand with all its soldiers."

"Then I hope Your Majesty will always keep those words etched in your heart." Kexinia stood up. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll not disturb Your Majesty's… merriment."

"Wait." Asuer called after him. "Please stay a moment longer."

Kexinia paused for a beat, then sat back down.

Asuer wheeled his chair around the desk to the doorway. Xue Ji had not gone far; he was sitting on a small path just outside the study, chin in hand, listlessly admiring the flowers.

"Xue Ji." At Asuer's call, Xue Ji turned in mild surprise, then said something to Devalen and was wheeled over.

"Finished?" Xue Ji glanced inside. The Imperial Marshal was sitting with his side to the door, his expression unreadable.

He had assumed the Monarch would talk to Kexinia for a long time.

Asuer pressed his lips together and murmured, "Go and…"

Xue Ji gave him an astonished look, then nodded after a moment, telling Devalen to wheel him away.

Asuer waited at the door. Ten minutes later, Xue Ji returned, holding a solid wood photo frame. He handed it to Asuer, a touch puzzled. "Why did you suddenly want this?"

The three people in the photograph looked ill at ease with each other. Asuer stared at it for a while, then suddenly opened the frame, took out the photo, and tore the woman from it.

Xue Ji was taken aback, completely unable to stop him.

The tearing sound made Kexinia turn around. Asuer placed the frame and the mutilated photo on his lap, wheeled back with the torn piece in hand, and held it out to him. "Take her with you."

The woman in the photo's corner was as beautiful as Kexinia remembered, but her expression was one of numbness that Kexinia had never seen her wear toward him. Kexinia stood rooted to the spot, his throat so tight he could barely speak. His gaze lingered on the woman's face, and he seemed uncharacteristically dazed for a moment. Then his breathing quickened, and his eyes unconsciously reddened.

Asuer held out his hand with unfailing patience, as if oblivious to the momentarily unguarded demeanor of this ordinarily stern man.

Xue Ji watched from the doorway, considerately keeping silent.

Time passed, minute by minute. Finally, Kexinia reached out and took the photograph into his own hands. His fingertips brushed lightly across the woman's face, then withdrew as if afraid of disturbing her.

"Why are you giving this to me?" His gaze shifted to the Monarch's face, then, after a long look, fell to the photo in the Monarch's lap.

The photo with the torn corner was face down, but the arm around the woman's shoulder told Kexinia it was a group photo, and from the proportions, it was highly unlikely to be just a duo.

Asuer lowered his eyes. "She belongs to you."

Silence washed over them like a tide. A tacit understanding settled on the study. After a long moment, Kexinia raised his hand and, with utmost care, placed the torn piece of photo into his breast pocket, whispering a word of thanks.

He left.

The Monarch remained in his seat, turning the photo over. Dust motes floated slowly in the shafts of light. The Monarch's profile was bathed in a hazy glow, as if veiled, indistinct.

Xue Ji watched for a moment, then said softly to the knight, "You may go first." He wheeled himself in and came to the Monarch's side. The Monarch sat motionless in the large wheelchair, loosely holding the mutilated photo, his vacant gaze seeming to look through it into some distant time.

The torn edges of the photo were jagged. The woman's part had been completely and cleanly removed, leaving no trace—even the boy's shoulder had been partially torn away, creating a stark outline.

Xue Ji reached over and took it.

As the photo slipped from his fingertips, Asuer seemed to realize someone was beside him. He turned his head in a daze, his gaze falling on Xue Ji's face with a blank look.

Xue Ji gave a faint smile, then lowered his head and, with precision and care, tore the boy from the photo.

"Then I'll keep this one." He held the torn piece between his fingers and shook it at the Monarch, meeting his bewildered gaze.