Title this time was longer than ever 😅

Thank you so much Anon and Maddy for all the coffee! 🌸💕I'm gonna need it 😂☕️

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When Carlo returned home that night, he still felt as if he were walking on clouds, light as a feather. He could still feel the warmth of Aiden’s body in his arms, and the sweet smell of Aiden’s shampoo lingered in his nose. Standing in his bathroom, Carlo suddenly felt uncontrollably excited, and laughing foolishly, he fantasized about the beautiful scenes that would take place when he married Aiden. He definitely had to throw a big wedding. When the time came, he’d take Aiden up in his mecha and fly a loop around the entire capital planet. He’d let the whole empire know that he had married a good wife.

As for after the wedding...how many children should they have? Of course, the more the better.

Carlo was just washing himself while fantasizing about his happy life in the future, in a joyful mood, when a knock sounded at the bedroom door. Only his father and him were living here right now, so the person knocking had to be him. Carlo dried himself off and carelessly wrapped a bathrobe around himself, and went to open the door. To his surprise, standing at the door was not only his father, but also his uncle—the current commander of the Cobra Corps, General Drew Bech.

“Uncle? How come you’re here.” Carlo looked at the tall man wearing a neat uniform in front of him, a little confused.

Drew said seriously, “Go put on some clothes, and meet us in the living room.”

“...Oh.” Carlo obediently turned and went to change clothes. He couldn’t help but wonder what this was about. His uncle was usually busy with military affairs, and rarely came here. Today he came together with his father. You could tell at a glance that they had something important to announce. Exactly what could it be? Why would they need to come over in the middle of the night to tell him?

When came to the living room with his clothes changed, the two brothers were talking about something. When they saw Carlo come over, they stopped talking at once. Carlo took the initiative to pour three cups of warm water. He handed one each to his father and uncle, and left one for himself, drinking it slowly. Drew looked at his neatly dressed nephew and said, “Today, your father and I went to the Imperial Palace. Do you know what His Majesty summoned us for?”

“I don’t know.” Carlo paused and then guessed, “Could it be something to do with the Cobra Corps?”

Carlo’s father Derek frowned slightly and said, “Don’t just guess. His Majesty summoned us to discuss your marriage.”

“Marriage?” Carlo looked at his father, wide-eyed with surprise. “His Majesty actually cares about my marriage?”

Derek said in a low voice, “Years ago, your uncle married Prince Berg. His Majesty intends to cement old ties by having you marry Prince Xi Wei.”

The water in Carlo’s mouth sprayed out, almost splashing onto his father’s face.

Derek’s face sank slightly. “Do you need to get so worked up? Do you still have any manners?!”

Drew smiled and smoothed things over from the side. “Brother, don’t be too strict with Carlo. When young people hear that they can marry a good wife, it’s natural for them to get excited. Back when I learned that His Majesty had agreed to my marriage with Berg, I was so excited I ran a good few laps around the house.”

Carlo: “...”

Please, he wasn’t excited, he was scared stiff, okay?!

Have him marry Xi Wei? Are you playing a cosmic joke on him? It’d be better to kill him!

Carlo had a face like he wanted to spit blood. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down for a long while, then asked with a bitter expression, “Father, you won’t agree, right…”

Derek said, his face serious, “Of course I will. His Majesty took the initiative to propose this, and your uncle and I also feel this marriage is very suitable. After Berg married into our Bech family, he’s always had a very good relationship with your uncle, and the child he gave birth to, Brian, is also very intelligent. The royal family definitely has the omegas with the purest bloodline in the empire, and the most excellent genes. Besides, Xi Wei’s grown up to be quite good-looking, and you two were classmates for so many years. Standing together, you two look so well-suited for each other.”

Exactly where are we well-suited? My dear father, can’t you see that in front of Xi Wei, your son is destined to only be bullied?

As soon as Carlo thought of that scene where Xi Wei, driving his mecha, beat him up until he was lying flat on the ground, he felt the hairs on his back stand up. He couldn’t deal with that kind of omega! Carlo liked gentle, lovely omegas, like Aiden, who’d quietly stay in his arms and smile tenderly, making it so that people couldn’t help but want to dote on him and pamper him...not like Xi Wei, that violent beast, who’d hit people for no reason, and could hold his liquor better than alphas. Don’t mention doting on him or pampering him, it’d be good enough if you weren’t beaten into a cripple by him.

“There’s still room for discussion, right?” Carlo looked at his father and uncle with a serious face. He couldn’t help but say, “I don’t like Xi Wei, I already have someone I like.”

The two brothers exchanged a look, and Derek said, a little surprised, “You have someone you like? Which family is the omega from?”

“He’s also a classmate from when I was little. His name is Aiden, he’s a very good person.” After talking to this point, Carlo couldn’t help but adopt a firm tone. “I’ve liked him for many years. Father, if I’m to marry in this life, my partner has to be him. If not, I’d rather not marry all my life. I hope you can help me accomplish my goal.”

Derek frowned and said, “Talking big at such a young age! What’s wrong with Xi Wei? You’re actually being picky about this?”

Carlo looked at his uncle and said seriously, “Uncle, when you married His Highness Berg back then, was it because he was His Majesty’s cousin, an Imperial prince, and an omega with a pure bloodline and exceptional genes? So if he didn’t have that status, then you wouldn’t love him, and you wouldn’t marry him?”

Drew said without the slightest hesitation, “Of course not! I fell in love with Berg at first sight. Whether or not he was a prince, I was set on him…” After speaking to this point, Drew seemed to realize that it wasn’t quite proper to say this in front of the younger generation. He coughed awkwardly and said, “Don’t compare this to Berg and me, this isn’t the same.”

“How is it not the same?” Carlo said word by word, “My frame of mind in liking Aiden is the same as yours in liking Uncle Berg. No matter Aiden’s status or background, I’m only set on him.”

Drew: “...”

The great commander of the Cobra Corps was actually struck speechless by his hothead nephew.

Carlo continued, “In any case, you and Uncle Berg have such a good relationship, the royal family and our Bech family are already close enough. There’s no need to superfluously cement our ties by marriage, is there? I absolutely won’t agree to marry Xi Wei. Even if you put a knife to my neck and drag me to the wedding, I still won’t agree!”

“You!” Derek was almost angered to death by this stubborn son of his, and glared at him.

Drew thought about it, and could only go and smooth things over. He coughed and said, “His Majesty just put this idea forward today, that’s all, he didn’t settle on it. As for Berg...I’ll go home tonight and ask him about it, see what Xi Wei’s opinion is. If Xi Wei isn’t willing either, then it wouldn’t be too good for us to force the two of them together. What do you think, brother?”

Derek was silent for a moment, then said, “Alright.”

Carlo finally breathed a sigh of relief at this. He was one hundred percent sure that Xi Wei absolutely wouldn’t be willing to marry him. As long as both sides didn’t agree, His Majesty wouldn’t be able to force them. Although he thought about it like that, he still couldn’t help but worry, so he sent a message to Xi Wei. “Your father wants to play the matchmaker and pair us up. You absolutely have to oppose it strongly, you hear?”

Xi Wei replied, “You can rest assured, I definitely won’t marry you.”

Carlo: “...”

The answer was what he had hoped for, but why did this sentence make him feel so oppressed? Sure enough, it was because their auras didn’t match. They were completely unable to connect!

***

The next day, Berg personally made the trip back to the Imperial Palace, and went to Xi Wei’s room with His Majesty and the Queen.

His Majesty Trand said seriously, “Xi Wei, you’re not a child anymore. Your little sister, the Second Princess Sia, is getting married in a while. As the eldest brother, it’s time for you to choose a suitable marriage partner. If you keep staying in the palace like this, there’s going to be more and more criticism coming from others.”

Xi Wei waved his hand and said, “Let them talk. Anyway, I don’t eat that much. Father, you have such a big palace, so feeding one more mouth shouldn’t be difficult.”

“...” Trand gave Queen Anna a worried glance, then looked back at this eldest son of his who refused to marry. “Most omegas in the empire marry as soon as they turn eighteen. You’re already twenty years old, but you still want to delay for a few years?”

Berg saw Xi Wei’s resolute attitude and his face saying “I’d rather die than marry,” and he couldn’t help but smile and say, “After he came back last night, Drew told me that Carlo wouldn’t agree to this marriage for the life of him. He already has someone he likes, called Aiden, who’s also a classmate of yours. Xi Wei, exactly what are you thinking? Can you tell Uncle about it?”

Xi Wei’s eyes flickered under his uncle’s gentle gaze. With no way out, he could only think of one method.

After deciding on his plan, he pretended to be suffering. He hung his head, walked to his uncle’s side, and said, “Uncle, I’ll tell you honestly, I actually also have someone I like.”

Trand: “...”

Berg: “...”

Xi Wei saw their stupefied expressions, and couldn’t help but find it funny inside. He continued, “He’s Klaire, General Byron’s son who was born on the same day as me. When I was little, Madam Grace would often come to the palace carrying him to keep my mother company. You could say we grew up together. Every time I was together with him, I’d always feel so warm.”

“Afterwards, we went to St. Paul Academy together to study. He always took care of me, and often tutored me on assignments.” Actually, it was him who had always tutored that slacker student Klaire on assignments. Outside of copying notes for academic classes for him, he’d even taught him fighting step by step. It was him who should be called Klaire’s teacher…

“Once, a senior from a higher grade wanted to bully me in the forest, and it was Klaire who stood up to protect me.” Actually, it was him who hadn’t felt like making a move, so he’d sent his disciple Klaire out to practice his skills. Klaire had set about it fiercely enough, and straight out dislocated Joen’s knee...

“I’ve known Klaire for more than ten years, and our hearts have long since been in sync. We like each other. Back when he went to military school, I said I’d wait for him to come back. After graduating, he went to the Glory Corps, and it's even more out of the question for me now to get together with someone else just because he’s not on the capital planet. I have to wait for him to return.” Xi Wei raised his head and said this very resolutely.

Xi Wei was completely in his element acting off-script. His confession touched Trand and Berg, and listening at the side, Anna was so moved her eyes were brimming with tears. She couldn’t help but walk up and gently put her arms around her son’s shoulders. She said, “It turns out it was like that. No wonder you’d keep finding excuses during summer vacation to go out to find Klaire, you must have been going on dates, right?”

Xi Wei held back the impulse to spit blood and feigned calmness. “That’s right, Mother.”

Anna had a face full of distress, seeming to express, “My son’s so lovesick.” She turned to Trand and said, “Since our son is deeply in love with Klaire, Your Majesty, don’t force him anymore. I’m best friends with Madam Grace, and I feel Klaire’s qualifications aren’t any worse than Carlo’s. When it comes to family background, Klaire can match Xi Wei completely. What’s more, he’s grown up to be so handsome. When they’re standing together, I feel like he and Xi Wei look so well-suited.”

Queen Anna had obviously taken her son’s side immediately. Klaire was her best friend’s son, and she had watched him grow up. Compared to that stranger Carlo, she was clearly leaning towards Klaire. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Klaire and Xi Wei were simply a match made in heaven.

Berg and Trand, however, looked at each other in dismay. In front of the Queen and Xi Wei, His Majesty Trand could only relent and say, “Then we’ll wait until Klaire returns to discuss this again.”

Xi Wei’s face immediately showed a brilliant smile. “Thank you, Father!”

Trand thought that Xi Wei was happy because he could wait for Klaire to come back. He had no idea that Xi Wei was only happy because he didn’t have to worry about marriage for the time being.

After returning to his wing of the palace, Trand said to Berg, “It’s completely out of my expectations that Xi Wei would start liking Klaire. What do you think?”

“What the Queen said was reasonable. Whether it’s Klaire’s family, background, talent or character, everything’s worthy of our Xi Wei. It’s just that…” Berg frowned slightly and continued, “General Byron’s stance has always been unclear. I’m afraid that if Xi Wei gets together with Klaire, then in the event that the Warwick family and the royal family can’t avoid being on opposing sides, the two of them will suffer a great deal.”

When a member of the royal family married, they had to consider a great many things, the most crucial of which was the question of political position. The Bech family had a good relationship with the royal family, which was why Berg had been willing to marry Drew back then. The Morningstar Corps had always been a mysterious power. General Byron kept a low profile, and didn’t interact much with the officers of other corps. He wasn’t close to the royal family, and his attitude was inscrutable. Trand didn’t dare to rashly let Xi Wei marry a member of the Warwick family.

“Let’s put this matter aside for now… In any case, let’s wait for Klaire to return before continuing this discussion.” Trand finally made a decision. When he thought of his eldest son who had turned everything upside down in confusion, he couldn’t help but put his hand to his forehead with a headache. “Xi Wei’s marriage is really so hard to handle! How was he born as an omega?”

Berg said with a smile, “Yes, with that kind of personality, he should really be the one bringing back a princess as his wife.”

While the two of them had headaches over the problem of whether or not Xi Wei could be married off, Xi Wei was lying in his bathtub in a joyful mood, sending Klaire a message as he soaked. “Your method was really useful. I rolled you out today as an excuse, and successfully pushed off the marriage my father arranged for me. Stay outside and get some more experience. It’d be best if you come back a few years later, so I can use you as an excuse to stay free and unfettered for a few more years. Thanks!”

When he saw this message, Klaire couldn’t help but raise the corner of his lips slightly. The tenderness in his blue eyes subsided, and was gradually replaced with an unfathomable look. Xi Wei, I might have to disappoint you. I’ll come back as soon as possible, so we can turn this fake play into reality, alright?

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5 hours and 30 minutes for 2,857 words, or 11.6 minutes for every 100 words. No change at all...that's the first time that's happened. This chapter was mostly dialogue, but it wasn't simple dialogue.

This chapter marks the beginning of something... 👀

If you like this translation, please consider encouraging me on Ko-fi. Extra chapter for every two ko-fis~ 🌸

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