***

Many alphas at the scene couldn’t help but admire how strong Xi Wei looked. There were even some already-married alphas who thought, if one day something happened to them, would their wife be able to withstand it as staunchly as Xi Wei?

Joen stood in the crowd, looking at Xi Wei’s calm profile, and a thread of regret suddenly rose up in his heart.

He didn’t know why, but ever since he’d woken up in the hospital, he always had a feeling like he’d forgotten something important. There was always a clear voice in his head asking, “Do you know what love is?”

That voice was just like Xi Wei’s.

Joen’s head often hurt lately, and he often saw Xi Wei in his dreams. He slowly found that the intense desire he had to dominate and possess Xi Wei might be explained as...love?

Xi Wei was really too unusual, he was completely different from the other omegas. Many alphas didn’t like an omega this violent, but Joen had lived like a prince since he was a child, and whatever he wanted, he got. Xi Wei’s refusal made him feel more motivated instead, and he had to obtain him or else.

Klaire was gone, and this was the perfect opportunity…

Joen looked at Xi Wei in front of the gravestone, and he clenched his fist tight.

After the funeral ended, Joen stopped Xi Wei on the path and said in a rare gentle tone, “Don’t be too sad, you still have me. I’ve always liked you, and as long as you’re willing, I can marry you at any time.”

Xi Wei looked at him indifferently and said steadily, “Thanks for your trouble. Klaire’s dead, and I won’t marry again in this lifetime.”

He finally had ample reason to escape marriage, but Xi Wei didn’t feel happy at all.

Disregarding Joen’s astonished look, Xi Wei simply turned and left.

Watching the eldest prince, dressed all in black, gradually disappear into the distance, Joen couldn’t resist cursing him in annoyance. “Xi Wei, have you gone stupid?! Exactly what’s good about Klaire? Is he worth going as far as not marrying?”

That was also the question many others couldn’t figure out. Because Xi Wei gave it out that day that he wouldn’t marry for the rest of his life, the imperial citizens felt that the eldest prince was making a mountain out of a molehill. Omegas were so scarce; even if their husbands died in battle, they were still allowed to remarry afterwards. Besides, he and Klaire hadn’t even gotten married yet. Did he have to have such an inflexible conscience?

Faced with all these questioning voices, Xi Wei didn’t make any response. He continued in his own way as before, insisting that he wouldn’t marry.

—Nobody knew his relationship with Klaire.

—They had two worlds tying them together, and they had so many precious memories in common. Now that Klaire, who understood him the most, had left, Xi Wei felt that in this world, he’d suddenly become very lonely.

***

Xi Wei didn’t believe that Klaire was already dead at all. After the funeral ended, he flew Egret around everywhere looking for Klaire. He went to many places, such as the distant Cigar galaxy, and the Lyra galaxy…

Although he said he was traveling to relax, he was actually only holding on to a thread of hope, searching the vast universe for traces of Klaire. Even if he found Bluestar’s wreck, it was fine…

However, he traveled through every region of the empire without any results.

After he returned to the palace, he passed his days very peacefully. When he felt bored, he went on the virtual network and played mecha battle games online. Since he had the experience of piloting the S-class mecha Egret, he was completely in his element battling mechas. His username, “eldestprince,” soon occupied first place on the mecha battling platform’s leaderboard.

After Caesar got to military school, he often went online to play against his big brother. It was a shame that he lost often and won little. His present level was still far away from matching up to his older brother. Fortunately, Caesar had a lot of talent, and his father gave him an S-class mecha, Whitefeather. Caesar’s mecha piloting level rose at lightning speed.

In this way, Xi Wei quietly taught his younger brother all of the mecha piloting skills he had learned.

To Xi Wei’s surprise, not long after, Caesar brought a little partner with him to the mecha battling platform.

His username was “Baller,” and his avatar on the online platform was a cute little ball. He looked like he had a sunny and carefree personality, and he spoke very frankly as well. He was quite lively, and when he saw Xi Wei, he wasn’t shy at all.

Xi Wei asked his little brother, “Who’s this ‘Baller?’”

Caesar smiled and replied, “He’s our class monitor, a violent beta, and he’s really interested in mecha piloting. Brother, if you have time, teach him a little.”

Xi Wei immediately saw that something wasn’t right. Caesar had grown up with him ever since he was little, and he only had his cousin Brian for a close friend. He’d never seen Caesar giving so much thought to someone else before, let alone bringing them to the mecha battling platform to have his big brother give them personal guidance.

Their relationship definitely wasn’t an ordinary one.

Xi Wei had thought that his little brother Caesar would be the leader of the command department. He didn’t expect that the military instructor would actually place the burden of being class monitor on a beta. Military schools with beta class monitors were rare historically. You could see that this beta named “Baller” was really very excellent to make the usually strict military instructor sit up and take notice.

And it was no wonder that Caesar would take such good care of him…

Xi Wei couldn’t help but smile and send Caesar a private message asking: “You wouldn’t happen to like this Baller, would you?”

“No, no! Definitely not! Brother, don’t joke around, how could I like a beta?” Caesar was reluctant to admit it, and Xi Wei didn’t expose his little brother’s obvious lie.

Maybe the way outsiders would see it, it was simply disgraceful for the grand imperial prince to like a beta. But the way Xi Wei saw it, these pure feelings were extremely precious. They could be chanced upon but couldn’t be asked for. If you met someone you liked, regardless of whether their family circumstances were good or bad or what lot they had in life, you should treasure them properly.

Otherwise, if you lost them someday, it’d be too late to regret it.

Xi Wei really supported his little brother’s relationship, so he was very good to the Baller his little brother brought along. Not only did he give his utmost to teach the young beta mecha piloting skills, he also gave him the credits he’d earned online to purchase a high-level mecha, thrilling Baller.

***

Time flew by. The empire happened to be celebrating its 600th anniversary this year. The military decided to hold a large military parade in the central square of the Cepheus capital planet. At the same time, the major military schools of the empire honored the occasion by holding a mecha competition, to choose the most talented mecha pilots in the empire.

Caesar and Lin Yuan both signed up for the contest. Xi Wei had them undergo a period of concentrated training. The two young men successfully battled their way into the national finals.

Unexpectedly, on the eve of the mecha competition, they suddenly got into an accident!

Xi Wei had planned to invite his little brother and that young beta for dinner, but as it turned out, not only did Caesar not keep the appointment, but he even sent him a message: “Brother, I’m sorry, but I can’t make it to the dinner party tonight. Something’s happened here!”

Xi Wei asked, “Did something happen to Baller?”

“Yes, I’ll tell you after you get back. I want to ask you for a favor!”

“Alright.” Xi Wei didn’t ask anything else, and returned straight to the palace.

As it turned out, Caesar had gotten the palace into a tremendous mess. As soon as he came back, Xi Wei heard that the little prince Caesar had actually dared to charge into the palace in his mecha Whitefeather, refusing the Royal Guard’s routine inspection.

Breaking into the palace? This guy had too much guts!

Xi Wei hurried to his little brother’s room, and as soon as he opened the door, he asked, “Exactly what happened to you two?”

He’d spent a whole month mecha battling with them on the holographic network. Xi Wei liked the earnest, hardworking Baller, and he was the boy his little brother fell for as well, so Xi Wei naturally felt a few degrees closer to him at heart.

Faced with his older brother’s worried gaze, Caesar hurried to explain. He coughed and said, “He’s actually an omega, and today his pheromone concentration suddenly rose. I had to bring him back to the palace to find suppressants.”

Xi Wei said, shocked, “He’s an omega? You’ve liked him for such a long time, you didn’t just find out, did you?”

Caesar: “...”

Xi Wei rolled his eyes at his little brother. “You’re sure stupid, you can’t even tell that the person you like is an omega?”

Caesar: “...”

Getting lectured by his older brother, Caesar could only awkwardly rub his nose.

Xi Wei walked around him and straight into the bedroom. That boy was sleeping in Caesar’s wide bed, covered in a pure white blanket, with only his hair showing.

His username was Baller, and his face had a bit of ball-like roundness as well. The bit of baby fat he had really made people want to pinch his face.

The more Xi Wei looked at him, the cuter he felt he was. He couldn’t resist asking, “That’s Baller? Your eye isn't bad.”

Caesar smiled and said, “His name’s Lin Yuan.”

Xi Wei looked back at him and said, “Does Father know that you brought him back to the palace?”

“Father just came by. He already knows the truth, and he promised to help us cover it up.” Caesar paused, then said, “Right, I have something I need to ask for your help with. I have to bring some suppressants back to school.”

Xi Wei nodded straightforwardly. “That’s no problem, I’ll bring you some later.”

Caesar paused and said, “Also...I was forced to temporarily mark him just now, so he’ll carry the scent of my pheromones. Do you think it’ll make people suspicious?”

Xi Wei patted his little brother’s shoulder, smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I also have drugs to cover up his scent.”

Caesar’s expression seemed to be saying, “Brother, you’re so amazing, how do you have any and all kinds of drugs?”

Actually, after Xi Wei had gotten temporarily marked by Klaire back then, lots of people had discovered that he carried the scent of alpha pheromones. Xi Wei was inspired by this, and had his uncle draw up a plan for developing a new kind of drug.

This drug could obscure your odor, making it so that omegas who’d been marked would produce a scent like that of a beta, and the people around them wouldn’t be able to notice.

Xi Wei looked back and got the medicine out for Caesar, and had Egret connect to the Underground Alliance’s database.

He’d disguised himself as a beta and entered military school to study; this omega called Lin Yuan definitely didn’t have a simple background, and he absolutely had something to do with the Alliance.

Xi Wei was now the deputy chief of the Underground Alliance, and he could easily access information on all of the Alliance’s members.

After looking through it carefully, he found to his surprise that there was no information on Lin Yuan. So where did the suppressants he used in the past come from?

Confused, Xi Wei immediately reported the situation to his uncle Berg. After Berg heard the news, his face didn’t show surprise, but a gratified smile instead. “The one His Majesty and I have been waiting for has finally arrived.”

Xi Wei asked, bewildered, “Uncle, you’ve been waiting for him? Is there some secret behind Lin Yuan’s identity?”

“He’s Marshal Rosen’s son.” Berg gave out a shocking answer. “Since he’s appeared, and he and Caesar seem to have a very good relationship, if they pilot the SS-class mecha together, the success rate is bound to be quite high.”

Xi Wei had heard the marshal’s story before. It was said that Marshal Rosen once had someone he deeply loved, and they later died. The marshal set up a gravestone for his beloved at his home, and insisted on never marrying for the many years that came afterward. But he’d never heard of him having a son.

“Does the marshal know?” Xi Wei asked, “How did his son end up stranded on planet Rennes?”

“This matter is a little complicated to explain, so I’ll tell it to you slowly.”

Berg gave Xi Wei a thorough retelling of everything that happened back then. It turned out the military had once had another omega disguise himself as a beta, who became a major general. His name was Ling Yu. He was the first omega to use suppressants, and he was also the first member of the Underground Alliance. Even Uncle Berg had joined the Alliance through his introduction.

Under the identity of a beta, Major General Ling Yu led the Night Corps to achieve many things on the battlefield. Afterwards, in the middle of a military campaign, his suppressants lost their effectiveness. He went into an unanticipated heat, and was marked by Marshal Rosen. When the military found out about this, they gave him a sentence. Marshal Rosen put in all of his effort to help him, but Ling Yu ended up escaping from the capital planet in a mecha. He got caught in a space sandstorm by accident, and lost his life in space…

Of course, those were just the “facts” that most military officers knew at the time. In reality, he hadn’t died, but was rescued by His Majesty and sent to run secret missions. He’d been hidden away for eighteen years.

Suddenly finding out so many things, the shock Xi Wei felt at heart was indescribable.

“His Majesty plans far ahead. He absolutely won’t use this chess piece unless the time comes to use it as a last resort.” Berg looked at the eldest prince, and said with a warm gaze, “Xi Wei, you’re the Underground Alliance’s deputy chief, and the whole Alliance will be passed down to you in the future. You should know about all these secrets.”

“The Imperial royal family has gone through hundreds of years of trials and hardships, and now it has no real power. The generals of the military have long since seized the lifeline of the empire. If some of the military’s generals rise up one day in rebellion, the Imperial royal family will definitely undergo a purge, and we all won’t be able to keep our lives.”

Berg’s voice was very soft, but every word struck Xi Wei’s heart like a heavy hammer.

“Your father made these preparations in advance just to give the royal family a slim chance to live when the time comes. As a descendant of the royal family, you have to know that even if you die, you absolutely can’t become someone’s puppet. I gave Egret to you so that if a rebellion happens, you’ll at least be able to protect yourself. If that time comes, run as far as you can.”

Hearing his uncle’s warning, Xi Wei calmly met his gaze, and his tone turned incomparably firm. “The royal family has never had anything to apologize to the people over. I’m not going to run. I’ll stand with my father, mother and uncle, and face everything together!”

“It’s enough for you to have the heart to do that.” Berg said, gratified, “Xi Wei, you’re still young. When it’s absolutely necessary, leave Cepheus and go to another galaxy to disguise yourself. Live on and preserve the royal family’s bloodline.”

“Uncle…” Xi Wei still wanted to speak, but Berg straight out interrupted him. “Alright, as for the problem of Lin Yuan’s identity, let’s keep it a secret for now. I’ll find a suitable opportunity and bring him to see the SS-class mecha.”

Seeing that his uncle didn’t want to talk anymore, Xi Wei could only nod and say, “Alright, Uncle. Goodnight.”

His uncle’s words showed a hint of determination. It seemed that he had long since prepared for indiscriminate destruction, and so he passed the Underground Alliance down to Xi Wei so early.

After hanging up, Xi Wei lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He felt as if his uncle’s words seemed to foretell a coming storm.

However, for the time that came after, everything remained as peaceful as before.

Caesar and Lin Yuan returned to their studies at military school after attending the mecha competition. The two boys still went online every night to battle with the eldest prince on the mecha battling platform as they used to, as if nothing had happened.

The peaceful days continued up to the end of the year.

St. Romia Military Academy was about to hold their final exams. In order to prepare for the tests, Caesar and Lin Yuan hadn’t logged into the battle platform for several days. Xi Wei knew they were busy reviewing coursework, and hadn’t disturbed them.

The hard-working boys successfully passed their final exams. Caesar decided to accompany Little Yuan back to planet Rennes during break, and didn’t return to the palace.

Xi Wei was originally thinking of having him bring Little Yuan to the capital planet, and he could take them to play for a few days. But his little brother made this decision, and Xi Wei didn’t object.

—Planet Rennes was Little Yuan’s home planet. The snowy landscapes there were very beautiful, and were really worth seeing.

However, when he thought of that icy planet, someone’s face instantly flashed into Xi Wei’s mind. Wearing a military uniform, he slowly walked in from the blizzard, his shoulders covered with snow. His whole body was chilly, but when he looked at him, his gaze was as warm as summer.

Klaire…

Xi Wei suddenly felt a stab of pain to his heart. He immediately chased the memories of him away from his mind.

At that moment, His Majesty Trand suddenly sent him a message. “Meet me right away, I need you for an urgent matter.”

It was his first time getting an urgent summon from his father in the middle of the night. A little confused, Xi Wei came to his father’s room and asked, “Father, what’s so urgent that you’re looking for me this late at night?”

Trand’s expression was heavy. “You have to take a trip to the Lyra galaxy. Princess Sia’s sick, and it’s not convenient for your mother and I to leave the palace. Go see her in our place.”

“My little sister’s sick?” Xi Wei said, shocked, “What illness is this serious?”

“The doctor said it’s a psychological problem. She’d had mild postpartum depression until now, and recently it’s grown more serious. A few days ago, she almost killed herself… You’ve been close to her since you were small. Go keep her company, and straighten her out a bit.” Trand said in a low voice.

After Princess Sia was married off to the faraway Lyra galaxy when she was eighteen years old, Xi Wei had barely ever met her again. He’d only known how she was doing through the occasional video call. This little sister of his had been frail and sickly ever since she was small, and postpartum depression was a common illness among omegas. Xi Wei nodded immediately and said, “Then I’ll set off tomorrow to go see her-”

“Don’t wait for tomorrow, just leave now.” His Majesty Trand interrupted him and said, “You’re an omega, so it’s not good for you to travel alone. You have to be careful and vigilant after you leave the capital planet. I’ll send people to escort you.”

Xi Wei looked startled. Seeing from his father’s expression that he wouldn’t allow him to refuse, he could only nod and say, “I know, Father. I’ll go back and get ready.”

Late that night, Xi Wei left Cepheus under the escort of the Royal Guard.

To surprise, at Cepheus’s periphery, there were actually people waiting to receive him.

The familiar midnight blue battleships carried a golden star icon. That was the symbol of the Morningstar Corps.

Xi Wei looked at the Morningstar Corps battleships orderly arranged outside the window, and the huge mothership in the middle. His heart suddenly began to beat fiercely!

That strange feeling of familiarity made it so that he couldn’t help thinking of a certain person…

“General Craig, where are you going to send me? Wasn’t it to the Lyra galaxy?” Xi Wei looked back and asked restlessly.

Craig didn’t answer. At that moment, the Morningstar Corps mothership suddenly opened its hatch, and Craig flew the hovercar straight into the mothership.

The hovercar landed evenly inside the mothership, and the car door opened. Xi Wei’s feet had just touched ground when the long hatchway automatically lowered.

“Prince, please.” General Craig led Xi Wei across the long hatchway. The airlock across from them slowly opened. A well-dressed young officer was standing there waiting for them.

He had a head of beautiful blond hair, and eyes whose azure depths were as clear as the sky after a rain. His handsome features seemed to have been finely carved, and his tall, straight physique, wrapped in a neat blue military uniform, brought out a kind of valiant charm unique to military men.

His gaze was as warm as he remembered, and there was a smile on his lips. He walked quickly towards Xi Wei.

Xi Wei watched him walking towards him in a daze, and vaguely thought he was dreaming.

It wasn’t until he fell into a warm embrace and felt its gentle pressure around him, and took in the scent of familiar alpha pheromones, that Xi Wei’s throat suddenly ached, and his vision blurred.

—Klaire, you’ve finally returned.

Xi Wei didn’t speak, and only reached out and tightly hugged him back.

***

6 hours and 45 minutes for 3,776 words, or 10.7 minutes for every 100 words. A decrease in rate by 1.4 minutes.

I know the ABO Cadets translators translated Lin Yuan's username as "Ball," but I couldn't do it, man, I just couldn't do it.

In Chinese his username is 圆圆, or Yuányuan, which is a pretty cutesy name and literally means “round round,” or “Round-y,” “Circle-y,” something like that. Repetition is a ton more common in Chinese than it is in English, as it is in many other languages, actually… It’s also a homonym with his name, 林远 or Lín Yuǎn, which is probably why he chose it.

And anyway, Lin Yuan's a baller, amirite? Right, guys?

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

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