The soft bed curtains fell lightly, sunlight weaving delicately upon them, forming a shimmering tapestry.
Perhaps because it was his first kiss, Chu Shiye seemed a little clumsy, yet also somewhat eager. Amidst this, Ji Mian could even sense a trace of unease.
What had happened during the time he was unconscious?
Ji Mian’s hand reached out to Chu Shiye’s back, gently stroking it, as if soothing him.
Chu Shiye’s body froze for a moment. Perhaps Ji Mian’s comforting touch gave him a sense of stability. Slowly, Chu Shiye began to relax.
Then, he released the hold he had on Ji Mian, propped himself up, and looked down at him from above.
Those dazzling golden eyes gazed deeply at Ji Mian—too deeply, as if wanting to devour Ji Mian entirely, to merge them together so there would no longer be any separation.
Ji Mian’s breathing was a little uneven. Before he could say anything, Chu Shiye leaned in slowly and silently hugged him.
Once again, Chu Shiye began to nuzzle against him, clinging in an almost childlike way, as if seeking comfort.
Ji Mian poked at this sticky Alpha. “You kissed me while I was asleep.”
Chu Shiye: “…Mm.”
His breath brushed against Ji Mian’s neck, his voice low. “Will you be mad at me, Gege?”
Ji Mian: Ah, whenever he feels guilty, he starts calling me ‘Gege.’
Still, Ji Mian’s tone softened. “Why would I be mad at you?”
Chu Shiye: “Just now… I lost control a bit.”
He truly couldn’t control himself.
Ji Mian’s scent, his warmth—it was like opium, intoxicating Chu Shiye and pulling him in deeper, unable to escape.
During the kiss, when he realized Ji Mian didn’t reject him, besides overwhelming joy, darker thoughts surged in his mind.
He wanted more.
More…
He wanted this person, entirely and completely, to become his.
But… if this continued, would he end up doing something even more excessive to Ji Mian?
In truth, Chu Shiye already knew where this was heading.
Yet, he also understood one thing: no matter what, he wouldn’t let go.
He would never let go of his Ji Mian.
Ji Mian’s long fingers threaded through Chu Shiye’s hair. He knew exactly what this Alpha was thinking.
At this moment, Ji Mian ruffled Chu Shiye’s hair and chuckled softly, “It’s okay.”
A faint light flashed through Chu Shiye’s eyes.
Ji Mian said it was okay.
Ji Mian liked him.
Then…
Chu Shiye’s gaze fell to Ji Mian’s lips.
Ji Mian covered his mouth.
Chu Shiye: “…”
His lips still stung a little—this Alpha had bit him several times just now without much skill.
Sensing Chu Shiye’s slightly aggrieved expression, Ji Mian turned his gaze away, suppressing a laugh and changing the subject. “What happened while I was unconscious?”
At the mention of this, Chu Shiye’s mood darkened. After a moment of silence, he recounted everything that had transpired.
Helena, Jagger, the Empire… Ji Mian listened quietly and then said, “So, they all want you to make a decision.”
Chu Shiye nodded. “I’ll listen to you, Ji Mian.”
Ji Mian met his gaze, understanding the Alpha’s concerns and his fear that Ji Mian might leave him because of the decision he made.
“If North has passed and there’s no new emperor immediately, the Empire’s future will likely fall into turmoil,” Ji Mian said thoughtfully. “That’s why they’re so eager to push you onto the throne.”
“But at the same time, they’re afraid of you because you killed Dorn and became the strongest in the Empire…”
Chu Shiye interrupted, “You and I defeated him together. Without you, I couldn’t have done it.”
Ji Mian smiled slightly. “Alright, so they’re afraid of the two of us. They know that if we wanted to leave, they probably couldn’t stop us.”
He patted Chu Shiye, signaling him to stop pressing down on him, and then sat up, meeting Chu Shiye’s eyes.
“To you, this is your mother’s home, isn’t it?” Ji Mian said gently. “Here, you still have your uncle, your grandfather, and other family connected to your mother’s bloodline—you want to protect them, don’t you?”
Chu Shiye looked at him silently.
Ji Mian continued, “You are strong enough to decide everything.”
“Do what you want to do. No matter what, I’ll stay by your side.”
A ripple appeared in Chu Shiye’s eyes. “If you’re not by my side, then nothing else matters.”
Ji Mian: “Mm, I know.”
He understood this Alpha’s dependency, possessiveness, and… yearning for him.
He knew their hearts had long been entwined, inseparable.
Ji Mian’s response acted like a tonic, calming all of Chu Shiye’s doubts and anxieties, allowing him to face everything without hesitation.
Before Helena, Dirk, and Jagger, Chu Shiye finally made his decision. “I will take that position.”
Helena, holding a delicate fan, smiled slightly. Dirk and Jagger nodded silently.
“But I won’t remain in this position for life,” Chu Shiye said, his voice as calm as ever. “Once the situation stabilizes and the Empire returns to the right track, I will choose a successor from the royal family. When they are ready to bear this responsibility, the position will be theirs.”
In the interstellar era, normal lifespans far exceeded those of old Earth. Not to mention powerful S-level ability users—they didn’t age physically and lived for centuries.
If Chu Shiye wished, he could rule the Empire for hundreds of years.
But he chose not to.
North had many siblings, and their descendants were still part of the royal bloodline.
Helena lightly tapped her fan against her hand. “You’re truly…”
Should she call him special? Even with the Empire’s overwhelming power at his fingertips, his resolve remained unshaken.
Helena couldn’t see through this young man. It was the second time she’d felt this way, as if facing a boundless, tranquil sea.
Lifting her gown, she gave an elegant bow. “As you command, Your Majesty.”
Dirk and Jagger: “As you command, Your Majesty.”
Your Majesty.
Two simple words, yet they carried the immense weight of the Empire.
Chu Shiye, however, felt no fear. He and Ji Mian exchanged a glance, their eyes reflecting only each other.
Helena thought to herself: Their new emperor will soon have an empress.
According to the Empire’s protocol, the coronation ceremony would take place in three months.
However, from this day onward, the name Chu Shiye would echo across the interstellar world. Both the Empire and the distant Federation would come to know him as the sacred proof of the royal dragon bloodline and as the Empire’s new ruler.
“Once, I believed that the dragon blood of the royal family was nothing more than an illusory legend. But now…”
Helena paused, lifting her chin slightly.
“The mental projection of the founding emperor was a black dragon so powerful it seemed capable of destroying everything,” she said. “I believe your future will not be any less than his.”
Whether it was a blessing or a prophecy, Chu Shiye replied, “Thank you.”
Helena continued, “I wish to ask His Majesty for a favor.”
Chu Shiye: “Speak.”
Helena: “Allow me to leave the palace and for my family to withdraw entirely from the Empire’s politics.”
Chu Shiye: “Alright.”
“But before that, you must tell me what you know.”
He was referring to the sea of flowers beneath the palace and the secrets tied to it.
Helena’s fan snapped open lightly. “My father kept everything from me, never telling me anything. What I know is only slightly more than you.”
“Give me a few days. Perhaps I can find some clues in my father’s study.”
Chu Shiye: “Fine, but make it quick.”
Helena bowed once more and exited the palace.
Chu Shiye turned to Dirk. “Grandfather, I need your help investigating something.”
Dirk bowed. “As you command, Your Majesty.”
Chu Shiye: “…”
Dirk smiled. “It’s customary etiquette, Your Majesty.”
Chu Shiye said nothing further, but tasked Dirk with investigating three matters:
The sea of flowers beneath the palace.
The relief organization that attacked Planet E-13.
The forces that attacked Ji Mian when he first left the Federation.
Dirk could begin investigating the first matter immediately. However, the latter two involved the Federation, so Jagger would handle them, as he had certain “friends” there.
Finally, Chu Shiye said, “I want to move my mother’s grave here and bury her in the Berlon family’s cemetery.”
The Berlon family—his mother’s home.
In her final moments, perhaps Catherine had still longed for the family she had left behind in her homeland, just as Dirk and Jagger still longed for her.
Dirk and Jagger were stunned, their eyes filled with gratitude. “As you command.”
When North was in power, even after they learned of Catherine’s death, they could only secretly create a small cenotaph for her near the distant planet where she passed.
But now, they could finally bring Catherine home with proper honor.
Dirk and Jagger left respectfully. Meanwhile, prompted by Ji Mian, Chu Shiye reached out to Linda and the others, who were still waiting outside the Imperial capital star. He wanted to provide aid to Planet E-13 in a private capacity.
Linda and her group were utterly shocked, unable to comprehend what had happened.
It seemed that, overnight, their leader had become the Empire’s new emperor.
No matter what Chu Shiye said, Linda and her group responded with nervous deference, even bowing somewhat awkwardly as they said their goodbyes to him and Ji Mian.
When the communication ended, Chu Shiye fell silent.
Being above all others seemed like an incredibly cold and lonely position.
Ji Mian pinched his face.
Still unhappy? He pinched it again.
Chu Shiye lowered his gaze.
From Planet E-13 to the Empire, from being a discarded E-level psychic to who he was now, no matter what his status was, Ji Mian’s attitude toward him had never changed.
No, that wasn’t entirely true.
It had changed.
Ji Mian liked him now.
“In ten or twenty years at most, we’ll have groomed the Empire’s next successor,” Chu Shiye said, wrapping his arms around Ji Mian’s waist and rubbing his cheek lightly against him. “Then we can go to so many places—wherever you want to go.”
Ji Mian: “Alright.”
“So…” Chu Shiye asked cautiously, “Before that, will you become my empress?”
Ji Mian looked him in the eye.
Lightly, he pinched Chu Shiye’s chin.
“Kiss me first.”
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