His Majesty had invited no small number of honored guests to the eldest prince’s engagement banquet. Xi Wei resisted with difficulty the urge to escape, keeping up the act with Klaire. They toasted the guests together, and Xi Wei drank a lot. Though this much wine was nothing to him, he quick-wittedly pretended to be drunk in order to avoid people forcing him to drink more. He pretended to be unsteady on his feet, and walked with one hand holding on to Klaire.
Klaire knew all about him feigning drunkenness. Without batting an eyelid, he held Xi Wei up and took him to a corner of the banquet hall, letting him sit down on the sofa to rest a bit. He got him a plate of his favorite snacks.
It was much more quiet in the corner. Xi Wei loosened his tie and took the snacks from Klaire. He said while eating, “This is really the most tiring show I’ve ever acted out.”
Klaire moved closer to him and said, “It’s a shame you can’t get an award for it.”
Xi Wei looked back at him. “Don’t gloat, aren’t you just as tired?”
Klaire smiled slightly and didn’t answer. To tell the truth, he wasn’t a bit tired. He’d be willing to do anything if it meant he could be together with Xi Wei.
Just as they were talking, they suddenly saw two tall young men walking over to them. One of them had short blond hair, fair skin, and dashing looks, with a shallow smile hanging on the corner of his mouth. The other had short black hair like Xi Wei and strong, handsome features. It was just that his expression was really bad, looking as if someone owed him money.
The number of times Klaire had come back to the capital planet over the last few years could be counted on his fingers. Added onto that, children changed a lot after growing up. He only felt that the two young men before him looked very familiar, and couldn’t recognize exactly who they were.
It wasn’t until the dark-haired boy opened his mouth and called Xi Wei “Brother” that Klaire reacted. The boy in front of him should be the youngest imperial prince Caesar, the alpha little brother that Xi Wei was fond of.
Then Caesar’s little buddy was evidently Uncle Berg’s alpha son Brian, who according to the family line, was also Xi Wei’s cousin.
“Congratulations on your wedding, cousin!” Holding a glass of red wine, Brian said, “It’s fine to fool others with a cheap trick like pretending to be drunk, but don’t lie to us. Who doesn’t know you’re someone who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk?”
“What’s a kid doing drinking red wine? Go change it for a cup of cider.” Xi Wei glared at him impolitely, frowned and said, “Also, I’m not married, this is an engagement, an engagement, understand?”
Brian smiled. “It’s practically the same. You’re getting engaged now, and next year you’ll be married. The year after that, you’ll be cradling a son, and I’ll get promoted to an uncle.”
Xi Wei flicked him hard on the forehead. “You spend all your time not studying, what crazy thoughts do you have in your head?”
Brian looked very innocent. “Aren’t I being happy for you? You’re this violent, it wasn’t easy to find someone who’d have you, you know?”
“You looking for a beating?!” Xi Wei clenched his fist and struck a posture like he was going to hit him.
Brian immediately covered his head reflexively. “Don’t hit the face!”
“...” His thrown-out fist stopped in midair. Seeing him covering his head, Xi Wei couldn’t help but laugh. He decided to let him off for his uncle’s sake.
Brian’s character wasn’t like Berg’s, and neither was it like his father Drew’s. He’d been naughty since he was small, always dismantling the mechas at home and turning them into piles of scrap metal. Since he and Caesar were the same age, his uncle often brought him to the palace to play with Caesar. Xi Wei was on really good terms with these two little brothers of his.
Today, Xi Wei was getting engaged. Brian and Caesar had taken leave from St. Paul Academy to come attend the ceremony.
Brian was obviously very happy that there was finally someone who’d have the violent eldest prince, but his little brother had been scowling the entire way there, and even when he reached his big brother’s side, he didn’t say a word.
Klaire saw that his mood wasn’t good, and he couldn’t help but smile, move close to his ear and ask, “Caesar, it seems like you don’t like me much?”
Caesar snorted coldly and replied very directly: “That’s right.”
Klaire smiled. “Do you feel like I’ve stolen away your big brother?”
Caesar didn’t speak.
Klaire said seriously, “Don’t worry, I’ll treat him well. I couldn’t bear to bully him.”
Caesar stared back at him coldly. After a long time, he finally moved next to Klaire’s ear and said in a low voice, “Klaire, listen well, if you dare to bully my brother, I’ll definitely chop you into minced meat and feed you to the fish.”
Klaire: “...”
This little boy’s threatening words were in deadly earnest. Klaire felt it was funny inside. He couldn’t help but rub his nose, cough and say, “I know.”
Caesar would inherit the imperial throne in the future. From his words, it could be seen that his relationship with his brother was very good, so he was reluctant to let him go. With such a thoughtful younger brother, Klaire felt happy for Xi Wei.
“I heard that you plan to take the exam for St. Romia Military Academy? Back then, I took a lot of notes for the exam. If you want them, I’ll get them for you later?” Klaire wanted to get closer to Xi Wei’s little brother.
As a result, Caesar very confidently refused him. “No need, I can get a full score just relying on myself.”
Klaire smiled and said, “Alright, then good luck.”
After the two boys left, Klaire sighed with feeling, “Time really passes fast. Your little brother’s already about to go to college. I still remember back when he’d just been born, you told me that if he needed my help after growing up, I absolutely had to help him for your sake.”
Xi Wei also recalled how he had nagged Klaire back then. “At that time, I worried that he would grow up crooked. Now it looks like my worrying was really unnecessary. Caesar’s pretty sensible.”
Klaire was silent for a moment, then asked, “But...do you feel like he’s too dependent on you?”
Xi Wei laughed and said, “He’s still young, and he grew up together with me since he was small. Depending on me is pretty normal. After he grows up and has an omega he likes, he won’t depend on me anymore.”
Klaire nodded thoughtfully. “That’s true.”
Just at that moment, a discordant voice suddenly spoke from behind them. “You two, your relationship is this close just after getting engaged. Did you hide away to whisper sweet nothings in secret?”
Klaire looked back and suddenly met a pair of deep eyes. Although those eyes carried a smile, they were cold as ice in their depths.
It was Joen.
He had risen to major general along with Klaire, and he was also wearing a major general’s uniform today. It was just that the Thunderclap Corps’s style of uniform was quite different from the Morningstar Corps uniform that Klaire wore. Klaire looked austerely handsome in his uniform, while Joen looked dangerous.
It seemed like this was an effect of an alpha’s instinctive sensitivity of smell to others of his kind; at almost the first moment Joen appeared, Klaire could sense the strong hostility he had towards him.
From what he’d heard from Carlo, Joen had been constantly pursuing Xi Wei for the past few years. However, Xi Wei had rejected him seriously many times, and today, Klaire had succeeded in getting engaged to Xi Wei. It was a matter of course that he’d be in a bad mood.
But Klaire trusted that with Joen’s ability, since things had already reached this stage today, he wouldn’t be able to stir up any waves.
Xi Wei disliked Joen, and didn’t want to pay him any attention when he saw he’d shown up. He took the initiative to stand up and say, “I’m going to the restroom.”
Klaire purposefully kissed him lightly on the forehead in front of Joen, and said softly, “I’ll wait for you here.”
Xi Wei knew that Klaire was acting and didn’t mind. He nodded, turned and left.
Joen watched him leave with narrowed eyes, and it wasn’t until he turned a corner and disappeared that he took back his gaze, smiled and said, “He has a lot of charm and he’s difficult to tame, just like something that looks beautiful but has thorns all over, don’t you think?”
Klaire asked directly, “What do you want to say?”
Joen said, “Have you heard the story of Princess Lisa?”
Klaire felt disturbed at heart, but he pretended to be calm on the surface, smiled and said, “Of course I have.”
He had heard of Princess Lisa. She was the only member of the royal family in imperial history to have remarried. She had gotten engaged to an alpha who was her childhood sweetheart, and the two of them had a great relationship. They had gotten ready to marry in a year, but unfortunately, that alpha unexpectedly died in battle. Under the Omega Association’s pressure, Princess Lisa could only marry another alpha in the end.
Although cases where omegas remarried weren’t few in the populace, in several hundred years, there really had only been this one case in the royal family.
Today, Joen had suddenly mentioned this princess. He clearly had bad intentions.
Klaire looked back at him and said, “Xi Wei and I will marry next year. Don’t think too much.”
The corner of Joen’s mouth turned up. He moved closer, lowered his voice and said, “Klaire, I’m just giving you a kind reminder. You’ve only gotten engaged, this doesn’t mean you’ve gotten him.”
Klaire looked at Joen as he abruptly turned and left, and couldn’t help but frown slightly.
Xi Wei soon returned. Klaire felt a little uneasy. He went up to Xi Wei and took his hand, and said softly, “You have to be careful around that Joen. I feel like he’s plotting something.”
Xi Wei gave him a blank stare and said, “Is that necessary? He did chase me before, but he hasn’t taken any action recently after I rejected him. We’re already engaged, could he still not have given up?”
It was the fact that he hadn’t taken action that made Klaire suspicious. According to Joen’s personality, he should have opposed his engagement to Xi Wei at all costs, whether it was by himself or through his family’s obstruction...but against reason, he hadn’t done a thing. He’d just stood on the side and looked on coolly as Klaire and Xi Wei got engaged. This made it so Klaire couldn’t help but feel suspicious. Could it be that he had some larger conspiracy?
“No matter what, don’t meet him alone,” Klaire urged.
Xi Wei said bluntly, “Don’t worry, I couldn’t bother to pay attention to him.”
***
After the banquet, Klaire had originally planned to lead the Morningstar Corps back to their encampment. Unexpectedly, however, General Auguste of the Thunderclap Corps called the heads of several legions for a meeting. As an officer of the rank of major general, Klaire naturally had the qualifications to attend this emergency meeting.
After everyone was present, he finally announced the purpose of the meeting. It turned out that their enemy the Federation had recently been interfering frequently with the movement of the empire’s spacecraft on their usual routes. Some imperial citizens had even been abducted. The Glory Corps was struggling to deal with them, and the Empire needed to send reinforcements to assist them.
General Auguste said, “What the marshal means is that he can handle the front lines; the reinforcements this time are mainly to increase the rear liaison support troops. The reinforcements will be stationed at the planet Rennes in the Cigar Galaxy. There’s a secret military space station there that can transmit urgent military reports to the capital planet at any time.”
Everyone understood the purpose of the meeting. General Drew took the initiative to say, “I’ll dispatch a division of the Cobra Corps there.”
He and Marshal Rosen were good friends, so he was happy to help him.
However, General Auguste shook his head and said, “Didn’t the Cobra Corps also get a mission recently? What’s more, General Drew, an opportunity for training like this should be left to someone new.”
The aim of this sentence was obvious. Of the people who had recently risen to major general in the military, there were only Joen and Klaire.
Joen smiled and said, “Send me then, I believe I can complete the task.”
Drew frowned and said, “The rear support troops are very important, they’re the Glory Corps’s strongest backing. You’re so young and you lack combat experience, there’s no way the marshal can rest assured leaving such a formidable task to you!”
Drew’s alpha temper was as straightforward as ever. In front of General Auguste, he didn’t leave his eldest grandson Joen a bit of face.
However, General Auguste seemed not to be angry at all. He nodded and said, “Joen, you really aren’t qualified. The way I see it, it’d be less of a worry if we gave this mission to Major General Klaire. At least he’s had a year of actual combat experience under the marshal.”
Klaire sneered internally. Of course this task would be pushed over to him.
If it was before, he’d definitely gladly accept. He’d always liked fighting alongside the marshal, and he was happy to be his comrade-in-arms supporting him from the rear this time as well. But not long ago, Joen had suddenly mentioned the story of Princess Lisa. Princess Lisa’s alpha had been sent to the front lines and died in battle, making it so that the princess had no choice but to remarry.
Klaire couldn’t help but wonder if General Auguste and Joen weren’t plotting something behind his back. But the rear support troops were stationed at planet Rennes and wouldn’t come in direct contact with the enemy troops. There wouldn’t be much of a risk, and no matter how you said it, he was also a major general and had Bluestar at his side. It was basically impossible for them to poison his food. Exactly what did they mean to accomplish by doing this?
“Klaire.” Seeing his son lost in thought with his head bent, General Byron couldn’t help but speak out to make him pay attention.
“Yes.” Klaire returned to himself, smiled slightly and said, “I guarantee I’ll finish the mission.”
No matter what Joen was plotting, he had no choice but to take this mission. As a soldier, Klaire would never compromise. —Joen, if you want to do something, go ahead and give me all you’ve got!
The next day, Klaire led the Morningstar Corps to depart. With an air of dedication to his role, Xi Wei took the initiative to see him off. Although it was only because he was acting, when Klaire saw him wearing the ring he had given him in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel in a better mood. He smiled and hugged him, saying, “Remember to keep in frequent contact, and charge Egret’s power source at the proper times. Keep him on at all times so he can protect you.”
Xi Wei rolled his eyes. “I know. Why are you so long-winded!”
“...” Klaire looked very innocent. “This is me caring about you.”
Xi Wei smiled and said, “Shut up! Are you having too much fun acting?”
Klaire smiled slightly and gently helped Xi Wei straighten his collar, then turned and left.
Xi Wei watched the Morningstar Corps battleship soar into the air, break through the clouds and quickly disappear into the horizon. He was preparing to return to the palace when unexpectedly, he suddenly received a message on his communicator—
“My dear prince, Xi Wei Your Highness, I have some news to tell you concerning the Underground Alliance. Please go immediately to VIP suite #8 at the Royal Hotel and wait for me there. Oh, that’s right, please don’t divulge this message to anybody, including your leader, or the list of the Underground Alliance’s members will be publicly released on the imperial network.”
Xi Wei felt a shock at the bottom of his heart. He immediately had Egret trace the source of the message, but he found that the sender’s anti-tracking firewall was very complicated. After a short while, Egret had no way to track down the message’s source.
—Who was the sender? How did he learn of the Underground Alliance’s existence?
Xi Wei hesitated for a while, and finally decided to go there and see exactly which scoundrel was playing tricks. He didn’t believe that on the heavily-guarded capital planet, with the S-class mecha Egret at his side, anyone would dare to still be openly disrespectful to this prince!
***
6 hours and 39 minutes for 2,917 words, or 13.7 minutes for every 100 words. A decrease in rate by 8.7 minutes. I’m not doing a whole page of character practice every day anymore...
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