It's the last week of the quarter and I'm dyyyiing... I'm literally translating to procrastinate on my English paper. 😭

***

Klaire returning so suddenly to the capital planet really was out of Xi Wei’s expectations. According to reason, after going to the Glory Corps to study under Marshal Rosen, he shouldn’t have been able to come back before three to five years were up. That way, Xi Wei could rest at ease with the excuse of “I have to wait for Klaire to come back” to avoid the marriage his father wanted for him.

As it turned out, Klaire returned after just a year of staying at the Glory Corps. Although he was pretty happy to see his old friend, when he thought about how he’d have to face the marriage his parents were forcing on him again, he got a splitting headache. He hated that he couldn’t just pass out until all of this was over.

The expression on Xi Wei’s face went from surprise, to joy, to dismay. Klaire saw it all, and he couldn’t help but find it funny at heart. He reached out involuntarily and rubbed his hair softly, asking, “What’s wrong? I’ve come back and you’re not happy?”

Xi Wei hadn’t managed to reply yet when Carlo spoke over him. “Of course he’s happy. Klaire, you don’t know that Xi Wei spent all day telling his father his heart held only you, and he had to wait for you to come back. Now that you’ve finally come back, Xi Wei’s clearly too excited, so excited he can’t even speak. Right?”

Xi Wei gave him a ferocious glare. “Shut up!”

At the side, Carlo felt some schadenfreude. Now that he had a beauty in his arms himself, he was happy to watch the entertaining show Xi Wei and Klaire were putting on, just like how Xi Wei had often watched the show he was making before.

Aiden, on the other hand, smiled and minded his own business sipping tea, holding the attitude that this had nothing to do with him.

“You don’t give me a word in advance before coming back?” Xi Wei finally came back to himself and sat down, asking with some bewilderment.

Klaire sat down next to him self-assuredly and said, “I wanted to give you a pleasant surprise.”

Xi Wei looked back at him and asked, “How long are you going to stay on the capital planet to visit your family? You’re going back to the Glory Corps with the marshal in a few days, right?”

“No.” Klaire heartlessly denied Xi Wei’s beautiful fantasy, saying, “I’m not leaving this time. The marshal thinks I’m pretty much done learning, and he intends for me to go to the Morningstar Corps and stay on the capital planet.”

Xi Wei: “...”

So to say, he wasn’t leaving? Xi Wei’s face immediately turned bitter.

At the side, Carlo held back his laughter until his lungs were about to explode. He knew very clearly that the words the prince had said to His Majesty were only excuses, and Xi Wei regarded Klaire as only a good brother. If Xi Wei found out that Klaire liked him, when the time came, there’d definitely be a fun show to watch.

The meal ended under a strange atmosphere. The number of meals the four of them had eaten together from childhood until now were too many to count, but during this meal, Xi Wei couldn’t taste what he was eating. Klaire had come back, and his once surefire excuse wouldn’t work anymore. He started to worry about how he was going to explain this to his father when he returned to the palace.

After they came out of the restaurant, Carlo took the initiative to carry Aiden on his back, waved at the two of them and said, “We’re going out for a date, you two do as you like.”

This guy really couldn’t live for a moment without showing off PDA. He was eager to let the whole empire know that Aiden had agreed to marry him. That smug air of his really made Klaire itch to kick him.

Of course, Klaire was someone with a very refined demeanor, especially in front of Xi Wei. He quickly pressed down the impulse to kick Carlo into the air.

He waited until Carlo and Aiden left, then turned to Xi Wei and said, “What’s wrong? You look really worried, are you thinking about what you’re going to say to His Majesty after you get back?”

Xi Wei sighed lightly and patted Klaire’s shoulder: “It’s still you who understands me. Quick, give me an idea.”

“Let me think about it.” Klaire paused and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “It would be best if you just said...we’ve been separated for so many years, we need some time to deepen our relationship. What’s more, Klaire’s still young, and he hasn’t gained a firm foothold in the Morningstar Corps yet. It’s still too early to marry right now.”

Xi Wei felt that was very reasonable, and nodded without the slightest hesitation. “Great!”

He didn’t realize in the least that he was walking step by step into the trap Klaire had laid out for him.

That night, when Klaire came home, he told Madame Grace what was weighing on his mind. Of course, he put it to his mother another way: “Mom, you should know that I’ve really liked Xi Wei since I was small, and Xi Wei likes me too. However, right now I’m just a student who’s barely graduated from military school. His Majesty definitely won’t agree to let me marry Xi Wei.”

Madame Grace was very quick-witted, and she soon understood what her son was thinking. She smiled and said, “You were thinking of having me start from Queen Anna’s side?”

This really deserved to be called the connection between mother and son. Having a wise and perceptive mom really made him worry-free!

Klaire smiled, sat next to her and gently wrapped his arms around his mother’s shoulders. “You and the queen are old friends. If she agrees to this, and then whispers in His Majesty’s ear, I think Xi Wei and I getting together won’t be too big of a problem.”

Grace said in agreement, “Don’t worry, hand this over to me. I’ll talk with Queen Anna later. But the most important problem you need to consider right now isn’t whether His Majesty will agree, but how your father feels about it. He’s never supported nor opposed you being with Xi Wei. Do you want to go ask him about it?”

Just as she was talking, a deep voice suddenly came from outside the door. “There’s no need to ask. It’s your own matter, so figure it out yourself. Don’t forget Xi Wei’s status. He’s His Majesty’s eldest son. Do you understand what it means to be together with him?”

When Klaire saw his father enter the room, he stood up and said deferentially, “Yes, Father.

I know very well that this means I’ll have to cooperate with the royal family’s interests. If something happens in the future, it might even affect our entire family.”

Byron nodded. “It’s good that you understand. As the successor to the Morningstar Corps, you have to consider the stakes before you do anything, and you can’t act impulsively.”

When Grace heard this, she couldn’t help but look up in surprise. “General, you’ve already decided the matter of succession?”

“Yes.” Byron walked over to the sofa and sat down. He said indifferently, “The family elders gathered and discussed this carefully. In this generation of alphas, Klaire’s talent is the greatest. He’s the only qualified candidate to take the post of commander of the Morningstar Corps.”

Grace couldn’t help but smile. “That’s great, I just knew that...our Klaire was this bright. Choosing him as successor will definitely win over the public.”

Byron looked at his son and continued, “Klaire stayed with the marshal for a year after graduating, and the marshal gave him a very high evaluation. He said that Klaire's performance while training at the Glory Corps was outstanding, and that he faced danger fearlessly and averted disaster many times. Now that he’s returned to the capital planet, he can come with me to the Morningstar Corps and slowly learn how to take over the corps’s management.”

After Klaire finished listening to what his father said, he finally understood—it turned out that going to the Glory Corps to study under the marshal was something his father had arranged.

General Byron was usually reticent, and he rarely said caring words to his wife and son. But the amount of thought his father put into things made Klaire very moved. Ever since his sixteenth birthday, when his father gave him the S-class mecha Bluestar as a present, he’d been quietly cultivating his son into an excellent successor.

Having such a low-key, attentive father was really Klaire’s good luck.

“Father, when do I report to the Morningstar Corps?” Klaire walked up to him and asked seriously.

Byron thought for a moment and said, “Let’s make it next week. I’m not an unreasonable person. Since you’ve just come back, you should spend some time with Xi Wei. Since you two like each other, you should first go to the palace to pay a formal visit to His Majesty and the Queen.”

Klaire smiled and said, “That’s what I was thinking!”

As soon as Xi Wei got back that night, he met with his father’s interrogation.

His Majesty Trand called him into the palace and asked him very seriously, “I heard Marshal Rosen say that Klaire’s come back. What do you plan to do? Do you really want to marry him?”

Xi Wei repeated the words Klaire had taught him, and then said seriously, “Father, an important event like marriage shouldn’t be rushed. In any case, he and I like each other, and our hearts won’t change. Waiting a few more years isn’t a big deal.”

Trand really didn’t feel at ease about giving Xi Wei to Klaire, so he could only nod and say, “Alright, then bring him over to see me sometime.”

Xi Wei smiled and said, “No problem!”

So the next day, Klaire naturally came over to meet his parents.

This was his first time paying an official visit to his future father and mother-in-law. Klaire naturally had to prepare meticulously . He put on a well-tailored suit and tie. He looked very handsome, and his every movement was full of the bearing of a gentleman.

He also prepared a big present for His Majesty and the Queen. He heard from his mother that the Queen had a special interest in growing moonlight grass, so he found Aiden and Randy and had them help him get a cart full of valuable moonlight grass. He set up a garden of moonlight grass for the Queen. Queen Anna was so happy, she was beaming from ear to ear.

As for His Majesty, he was usually busy with government affairs, and after asking around, Klaire couldn’t find if he had anything he particularly liked. After thinking it over carefully, he finally decided to give him a box of priceless five-star fruit wine that had been aged for several hundred years, as well as a set of precious luminous stone wine cups. When His Majesty and the Queen weren’t busy, they could sit in the moonlight garden and sip wine slowly.

His Majesty Trand took the gifts with a serious expression, and didn’t say much. However, from Queen Anna’s expression, she completely regarded him as her son-in-law. Her gaze was so fond, it was almost as if she was his real mother. It looked like the conversation Grace had with Queen Anna last night had had a clear effect.

Xi Wei saw how well Klaire was performing in front of his parents, and he couldn’t help but scoot over sneakily and grouse in his ear, “I say, isn’t your acting too realistic? Buying such precious gifts for your first meeting, didn’t you spend a lot of money?”

Klaire smiled and said, “You used to be the king of the silver screen. You should know that when acting, of course you have to throw yourself into the emotions, and immerse yourself in the role. Only then can the audience feel that what you’re acting is real. I don’t want His Majesty and the Queen to doubt our relationship.”

After he finished talking, he naturally took Xi Wei’s hand, and casually interlocked all ten fingers.

It was his first time holding hands with a man, and it was even with all ten fingers!

Xi Wei felt really awkward at heart, but what Klaire had said was true. When acting, they had to be realistic. Otherwise, with his father’s penetrating gaze, if he saw that they were pretending, they’d be done for.

So Xi Wei could only force himself to let Klaire hold his hand.

The two of them sat there holding hands, and they really did look like they were in a relationship. Queen Anna looked at them, all smiles, and said, “Actually, as long as you've got a good relationship, it’s fine if you get married a few years later. But I’m a little curious, you two were born on the same day and grew up together, so when did you start liking each other?”

When meeting the parents for the first time, it was common for them to ask about the background of the relationship. Klaire seemed to have long since prepared for this. He said composedly, “My Queen, you probably still remember, right? When I was little, I loved to cling to Xi Wei, and was always following him around. If Xi Wei played something, I wanted to play it too. If he wanted to read a book, I’d go home and buy it so I could read it as well… After I grew up and became more sensible, I realized that feeling was love. I wanted to be with Xi Wei, and protect him for all my life. Xi Wei is the partner I’ve set my mind on.”

Xi Wei: “...”

Buddy, can you not be so sappy! Actors also get NGs, can you consider the feelings of your partner?

Xi Wei wanted to throw him off, but Klaire gently tightened his grip on his hand without batting an eyelid. Klaire looked back at him, smiled and said, “Xi Wei, it should have been the same for you, right?”

“Uh…” Klaire put him on the spot, and Xi Wei suddenly felt awkward beyond measure. Although his acting was top-notch, he’d only collaborated with beautiful women before. If he held a beautiful woman and said “I love you, I want to spend my whole life with you,” he wouldn’t find it too uncomfortable. But his partner right now was a man. If you asked him to say those kinds of sappy words...he really couldn’t get them out of his mouth!

But no matter how you said it, he still had a background as the king of film. He soon overcame this awkward mentality, smiled and said, “Yes, Klaire said it right. I also want to be with him for the rest of my life.”

The hand holding his suddenly tightened its grip, until his fingers hurt. Xi Wei looked back at Klaire. In that pair of bottomless, beautiful blue eyes, a hint of a complex emotion seemed to arise. It made Xi Wei confused.

But Klaire quickly smiled, and with a gentle gaze, he said word by word, “I’ve set my mind on Xi Wei since long ago. So Your Majesty, my Queen, please rest assured, I’ll protect him to the best of my abilities.”

He spoke these words with an uncommon resolution. Trand and Anna looked at each other, and evidently believed in his promise. Even Xi Wei felt that Klaire’s acting skills had already reached the point of perfection, so that it was hard to distinguish truth from fiction.

Looks like this time, they successfully bluffed their way through. Xi Wei let out an internal sigh of relief.

However, Xi Wei didn’t realize that today, Klaire hadn’t been acting at all. Every word he had said had come from the feelings deep in his heart. Only for that reason had he been able to throw everything he had into a moving performance, so that people couldn’t tell truth apart from lies.

***

5 hours and 3 minutes for 2,736 words, or about 11.1 minutes for every 100 words. A decrease in rate by 1.3 minutes.

Things are picking up, y'all...

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