Pa!
The crisp sound landed on that handsome face, immediately reddening a patch.
The embrace emptied, and Ryann suddenly looked up—glaring at the disabled human who had already swiftly dodged several meters away. His gaze held a hint of anger, a bit of disbelief, and a touch of grievance.
He gritted out with a chilling breath. “You… why are you running!”
Jiang Jianming didn’t continue to run.
If the lights had been on, Ryann would have definitely seen him trembling stiffly in the corner of the bed. He had never been so flustered in his life. Every cell in his body was screaming that it was over. His mind was buzzing chaotically, only wanting to flee in panic.
—Ever since he had developed chronic crystal disorder at thirteen, he knew he would never have relationships like partners in this life. As the years that followed grew more bitter, his self-awareness became clearer, and this idea became more firm.
Love, romance, spouse… such relationships were too intimate, too close. So when parting, they were destined to tear flesh and skin, bloody and miserable.
And he was a person cheap as grass, with a heart hard as iron, life fleeting as a candle, feelings thin as water.
Not suitable to love others, not deserving to be loved by others.
Even with Lin Ge, it was only walking a stretch of road together in the darkness, leaving no room for pampering or sweetness.
He raised the girl he had picked up, barely taught her to be human-like, tried his best to arrange her future life before dying, and then faced farewell. Just like that.
Just as in the last few months of that year, when Lin Ge was too busy with the territory’s affairs to get away, leaving him alone on the cold bed, barely clinging to life—when he said he wanted to make the young girl the lord, hadn’t he foreseen this outcome?
Of course he knew. But he didn’t fear loneliness. In the final moments, it was much better for Lin Ge to be preoccupied with other things than to stay by his side, desperately crying every day.
But now, Ryann actually said he liked being close to him, wanted to be lovers with him—how could this be allowed, how could this happen?
Jiang Jianming broke out in a cold sweat, his softened waist propped against the edge of the bed, looking at Ryann in dismay.
Ryann grew angrier. “I asked you why you’re running!”
Just now… when the youth bent down to kiss him, the scorching pressure and intense emotions had overwhelmed him. Not knowing what to do, his first reaction was to escape.
But now, reason pinned him in place.
“…Your Highness.”
Jiang Jianming spoke hoarsely.
Yes, he couldn’t run away.
Running would put him completely on the defensive. Kaios was a fierce lion, a fierce tiger. Catching him would be as simple as chasing a fawn, biting him as easy as grabbing a wild rabbit by the scruff of its neck.
Jiang Jianming hid his still trembling hands behind his back and said in a deep voice. “Do you know why you were slapped?”
Kaios was too young, acting on whims and fancies. If he panicked and retreated, His Highness would surely be even less willing to let go. Once obsession arose, it wouldn’t be something that could be talked down with a few words.
He had to steady himself, couldn’t let Ryann truly fall into this inexplicable ill-fated relationship.
“Forcing intimate acts on others without regard for their wishes is not acceptable.”
“Forgive my frankness… but you are too capricious now to speak of love before me.”
“…”
Ryann gritted his teeth, glaring over fiercely.
But the youth was truly intimidated. He hadn’t glimpsed the countless turbulent undercurrents in Jiang Jianming’s heart, only thinking that his beloved disliked his abruptness.
He felt he was in the wrong, and though unable to bring himself to apologize for the moment, he didn’t dare say much more.
Jiang Jianming propped himself up against the headboard and stood, turning on the room’s sensor lights. The light dispelled the darkness, and with it, the ambiguous atmosphere.
The black-haired young man stood straight-backed, his expression cold. “Alright, please attend to what needs to be done first, Your Highness.”
The standoff didn’t last long. Ryann’s expression changed several times before he finally silently withdrew.
The passionate sincerity from half a minute ago had turned into a mess in the blink of an eye.
Behind him, Jiang Jianming’s eyes were cold. Only after Ryann slammed the door shut did that frost melt into a faint sorrow.
He turned off the lights again, sat back on the bed, and sighed in the darkness, holding his head.
Really, how did it come to this?
His Highness was the spark he had found in this heavy, long night, the one to whom he had entrusted his lifelong ideals and ambitions.
He was a disabled human with chronic crystal disorder who had crawled out of the trash heap in the wild zone, not knowing if he’d live to see next month.
So, this was all there could be between them.
…
On the surface, the “things that needed to be done” were progressing orderly.
The incident with Commander Kexi became the catalyst. Centered on the official residence, the old powers of Blue Mother Star indeed underwent a major reshuffling in just a month or two.
Ryann personally selected an officer surnamed Chen to take over as the City Guard Commander, and other promotions and demotions were carried out swiftly. For a time, everyone feared for themselves, saying Crown Prince Kaios had a fiery temper.
…And according to Jiang Jianming’s initial judgment, the little highness probably wasn’t acting—he was truly furious.
But that anger couldn’t be vented on the actual target. After all, the culprit was a disabled human who couldn’t be hit or scolded, who couldn’t even be kissed without causing trouble.
After that night’s incident, Jiang Jianming’s health showed signs of deterioration. He was in a daze for three or four days before recovering, fortunately not developing into a serious illness. Ryann truly didn’t dare to provoke him anymore and never mentioned the matter of the prince’s consort again.
But to say that His Highness had truly restrained himself? It didn’t seem so.
He still took meticulous care of Jiang Jianming, often hanging words like “lifetime” and “forever” on his lips, half-seriously and half-coquettishly probing, hoping to get an agreement from the disabled human.
But every time he said it, Jiang Jianming would avoid it with a gentle yet firm tone.
Not refusing, just telling His Highness not to rush, to think it through in a few years.
Jiang Jianming pinned his hopes on time. He hoped that after being left alone for a year or so, Ryann would lose interest in him in this regard.
In the blink of an eye, winter frost arrived. The wall that was once full of trumpet creeper flowers was now covered in a blanket of snow.
“The universal adoption of tranquilizers is inevitable. Your Highness has also told me before that the crystal disorder tide is a problem the empire has always feared,” Jiang Jianming said, still sitting in his old position, lowering his eyes to stare at the syringe in his hand.
Before going out today, he had been wrapped in a thick coat by Ryann, the furry collar covering even his chin. His pale lips were barely visible as he spoke.
“Now that the drug is available, it should be put into use as soon as possible. But a year has passed, and there’s still no news… What does Your Highness think the emperor is waiting for?”
They had been arranging the production of crystal particle tranquilizers in secret, planning to distribute them in large quantities after the empire officially popularized them among the people.
But the empire’s silence was unexpected and gradually became unsettling.
Ryann frowned and shook his head, equally clueless. They casually discussed the subsequent plans and gazed at the snowy scene outside, lost in thought.
They were still too powerless. Blue Mother Star’s current strength was no match for the empire, forcing them to temporarily endure on many issues.
After a while, Ryann suddenly said, “Oh right, there’s another unusual matter.”
He pulled up a set of data on his light brain to show Jiang Jianming.
“Personnel transfers have become frequent lately. Many individuals with ties to the great nobles of Yongle Garden have been reassigned, and those sent to replace them are officials with no power or influence, of low status.”
Jiang Jianming understood immediately and said in a low voice. “This proves the empire is sifting people. The ‘trash’ that falls through that sieve all ends up in Star City on Blue Mother Star.”
It seemed the empire was truly prepared to abandon this human mother planet, and the process was much faster than they had anticipated.
When the snow outside the window bent the tree branches, Ryann’s wrist device rang.
Someone was coming to report. Jiang Jianming immediately stood up to step aside, moving to the opposite side.
Ryann had always wanted to give him status and position, but he always said it was too inconvenient to act as a disabled human and would affect His Highness’s establishment of authority.
Wait a little longer, no rush, wait a little longer.
With such delays, they were still in a state of hiding and sneaking around.
The hologram that appeared was a young military officer.
Jiang Jianming recognized him as Chen Hanke, the newly promoted City Guard Commander. He was quite bold and scheming in his actions, reportedly having once led troops against space pirates, winning a surprisingly clever battle.
Ryann had privately said that despite this guy’s loyal appearance, he was actually quite shrewd. Once, under the pretense of drunken ramblings, he had asked if His Highness had another strategist hidden behind him, given his sometimes drastically different style of action.
Jiang Jianming had shaken his head and smiled it off, but inwardly felt this person was interesting and might be a great talent in the future.
Today, there was no trace of humor on Chen’s face. He saluted and immediately said in a low voice. “Reporting to Your Highness, news from Yongle Garden: the head of the Gray Owl Laboratory has died.”
Ryann’s eye twitched, and he exchanged a lightning-quick glance with Jiang Jianming across from him.
Vladimir…
Dead?
Chen Hanke continued. “It was treason. He was shot on the spot.”
Ryann sneered. “Impossible. That old man was as loyal to Odin I as a dog. He would commit treason?”
Chen: “No, the traitors were the head’s son and daughter-in-law. They were disloyal to the empire, secretly joining the reactionary cult White Dove Red Leaf Society. When discovered, His Majesty the Emperor was furious and implicated nine generations of the family.”
White Dove Red Leaf Society…!
Jiang Jianming’s eyes flickered slightly, distant memories awakening. So the White Dove Red Leaf Society was still active now…
But Ryann thought of Vladimir’s parting with his granddaughter that day, the little girl called Sylph. Interesting, no wonder her parents wanted to take her away; they were preparing to defect.
Vladimir was truly pitiful. After guarding the empire’s research base for a lifetime, he ended up implicated and dying tragically. If Odin I was a tyrant, then the second emperor deserved the additional title of an incompetent ruler.
Chen’s hologram hesitated slightly before speaking. “Your Highness, I have another piece of intelligence here. I’m not sure of its veracity; please treat it as a rumor.”
“Speak.”
“Yes. It’s claimed that the head, Vladimir, initially didn’t submissively accept death, but shouted that he had something to say. His Majesty the Emperor ignored him, and then… Vladimir suddenly lashed out, attacking the imperial soldiers, attempting to escape.”
“Escape?” Ryann scoffed, “What, he tried to escape in front of the imperial soldiers who came to arrest him?”
“Yes, he ran towards the depths of the laboratory. Of course, the result was as expected; he was quickly shot dead by the imperial soldiers using new crystal weapons.”
“The issue is…”
Chen’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he said. “When the imperial troops approached to check the body, they found that on Vladimir’s wrist device… the communication interface for Your Highness was open, not yet dialed.”
Ryann remained silent, his heart sinking heavily into a cloud of mystery.
Vladimir… He had no connection with that old man, just the cold relationship between researcher and test subject.
Could it be that the old man had something he wanted to tell him before he died?
Chen hesitated. “This matter is very strange. Forgive my boldness, but Your Highness… did you have some grudge with that head researcher, causing him to want to harm you in his final moments?”
Ryann shook his head, he didn’t know.
In fact, at this moment, no one could answer this question. The secret of the crystal particles was buried with Vladimir’s sudden death, silently waiting for the opportunity to see the light of day again.
And the wheels of history continued to roll forward.
54th year of the Old Imperial Calendar.
It was the fateful 54th year of the Old Imperial Year.
Just two years after the young prince Kaios took over Blue Mother Star, an imperial edict from Yongle Garden Star City arrived at this star city.
Historians of the future would unanimously agree that the arrival of this imperial edict marked the beginning of the Great Human Migration.
And the Great Human Migration, like a tragic and stirring bugle call, sounded the smoke of war for the founding of a nation, reaching straight to that vast and tumultuous sea of stars.
