SGT CH28: The Truth

◎His heart stopped beating along with it.◎

In the garden next to the banquet hall.

Aix pondered the words the Prince had just said.

“Just don’t drink anything you shouldn’t again and make me come rescue you.”

What did that mean?

Wasn’t the Prince the one who had arranged for the aphrodisiac that induced his heat?

He had accidentally been drugged at the Second Prince’s banquet and, upon waking, was already in the Prince’s starship, possessed by the Prince.

With the Second Prince’s upright and candid nature, he was unlikely to resort to using illegal drugs.

When he saw the Second Prince today, the other party was somewhat awkward and at a loss when facing him, but there was no sign of guilt, which also proved that this matter had nothing to do with the Second Prince.

As for the Prince…

Before the events of that night, Aix’s impression of the Prince was the same as most Imperial Zerg citizens.

He only knew that he was an extremely outstanding male prince, excelling in all his studies, and highly valued by the Zerg Emperor.

When the Imperial government was at its wits’ end over how to govern the Dark Star Field after its recapture, it was the Prince who stood up and voluntarily chose the Dark Star Field as his fiefdom.

He spent nearly ten years eradicating the festering sores, changing the atmosphere, and promoting it to the outside world, reversing the image of the Dark Star Field. Only then did the present-day White Night Star come to be.

Because of this, Aix had always held the Prince in quite high regard.

That day, when he sobered up from the drug’s influence and fought back, Aix hadn’t actually recognized that it was the Prince.

A female Zerg’s body always reacted much faster than their brain.

And… although the Prince’s identity was special, and much information about him was an Imperial secret, even the images circulating on the StarNet were few.

But Aix was very certain that the Prince was an underage, adolescent male Zerg.

Not an adult male Zerg capable of opening his birthing chamber.

Naturally, he would not have made the connection to the Prince.

When he saw the face of the male Zerg whose chest he had pierced, Aix was dazed for a moment.

The high-level female Zerg guards who then suddenly surrounded them also allowed Aix to confirm the identity of the male Zerg before him.

Perhaps this was also a reason why he couldn’t bring himself to kill the male Zerg.

This was the lord of White Night Star, the Imperial Crown Prince, the male Zerg to whom he should have been loyal.

A more important reason was actually the look in the male Zerg’s eyes at that time.

Full of disbelief, pain as if betrayed, and… sadness.

Being looked at by the male Zerg with such eyes, Aix almost thought that he was the one who had done wrong.

Perhaps in the eyes of these high-born, noble male Zerg, even if drugged and forcibly taken, one should obediently accept one’s fate, and even be grateful.

But he came from the Dark Star Field; he had an untamable gene in his bones.

But in the end, he was just a female Zerg…

The male Zerg’s overly sweet pheromones still lingered in the starship, like some exquisite, delicious, and expensive dessert, the kind he would never have been able to touch in his entire life.

When the tears fell from the corner of the male Zerg’s eyes and landed on his wrist, he retreated.

Even when the female Zerg guards outside tried to forcibly tear down the starship walls to break in, he subconsciously released his wings, wanting to protect the male Zerg in his arms.

But to the male Zerg, he was the real danger.

His wings were severed by the male Zerg’s explosive mental power, he was fitted with an inhibitor, and he was locked in the punishment chamber.

Aix calmly awaited the arrival of death.

It just probably wouldn’t be an easy death.

If the Prince he had severely injured survived, he would surely suffer the Prince’s retaliation a thousand times over.

If the Prince perished… he would also go to the tribunal and be sentenced to death on multiple charges, including treason and the murder of the crown prince.

During the three months of silent waiting in the punishment chamber, Aix didn’t know which outcome he anticipated more.

Even later, after learning of the Zerg egg’s existence, being released from the punishment chamber, and under the irresistible attraction of the pheromones, his body submitted to the Prince, and even his heart was uncontrollably falling…

Aix had never regretted his resistance back then.

Only occasionally, looking at the Prince clutching his chest with a pale face, he would can’t help but think that if he could have chosen a less drastic form of resistance back then, it would have been better.

But now, the Prince said to him, “I came to rescue you.”

The Prince described everything that happened that night as rescuing him.

Aix stood in the shadows of the garden corridor, his lips tightly pressed, his face a ghastly color he himself didn’t notice, his eyes filled with fear, terror, and confusion.

The Prince was not the type to do something and not admit to it.

On the contrary, he would admit it with righteous confidence and triumphant pride.

If the aphrodisiac was not administered by the Prince, but instead, the Prince had saved him, then he…

“The Prince’s coming-of-age ceremony, and Lieutenant General Aix, as the female consort, isn’t by His Highness’s side. It seems… Lieutenant General Aix isn’t as favored by His Highness as the rumors say.”

An arrogant and contemptuous voice came from the corridor to the right.

The distraught Aix turned his head and saw a well-dressed, middle-aged male Zerg leaning on a cane.

The Zerg who could attend the Prince’s coming-of-age ball were either important figures in the military and government, or nobles with distinguished family backgrounds.

Aix didn’t know much about the nobles of the Capital Star. It took him a while to match the male Zerg in front of him with the information his adjutant had shown him.

The current head of the Russell family, Keli Russell.

Aix didn’t know much about the male Zerg before him, but he had seen his male cub twice, both unpleasant experiences.

The first time was when Aix came to the Capital Star to report on his duties and received a matching message from him.

A compatibility of 41.3%, not low but not high. In the Zerg race, it was already a level where marriage could be considered.

Aix had no intention of marrying a male Zerg.

But his adjutant was very happy for him upon seeing the matching information and took the initiative to help him gather information on that male Zerg.

Then he discovered that he was a terrible fellow, with a stained record, who had even caused a Zerg’s death, but had settled the matter privately and erased it with his family’s influence.

Because rejecting a male Zerg without meeting was very rude and could even lead to a complaint from the male Zerg, Aix had no choice but to meet him once.

As soon as they met, the male Zerg condescendingly offered to let him become a female attendant.

Aix couldn’t stand the male Zerg’s cloying gaze and arrogant, brainless words. He refused him to his face and turned to leave.

Naturally, he received a complaint full of anger from the male Zerg.

Aix didn’t care and even somewhat regretted going to see that male Zerg.

Since he was going to be complained about anyway, there was no need to disgust himself.

The second meeting was at the Second Prince’s banquet.

The male Zerg still held a grudge for the previous rejection and deliberately made things difficult.

He used his adjutant as a threat, forcing him to drink three bottles of high-concentration liquor.

This male Zerg had a compatibility of over 50% with his adjutant. The adjutant already had a fiancé, a B-class male Zerg from an ordinary family. If this male Zerg entangled himself, the adjutant’s relationship with his fiancé and even their safety would be threatened.

Aix drank the three bottles of wine.

Because it was unopened wine and all high-proof liquor, it looked like a common hazing over drinking capacity.

He didn’t think much of it at the time.

But remembering the Prince’s earlier words, “don’t drink anything you shouldn’t again,” Aix’s face darkened.

He might have underestimated that male Zerg’s malice.

The Russell family head was not pleased with Aix’s disregard for him and said angrily:

“What is this attitude? If not for the Russell family’s help, do you think you could have latched onto His Highness the Prince?”

“What do you mean?”

Aix’s gaze sharpened, and he suddenly closed in.

The Russell family head was crushed by the S-class military female’s aura, unable to breathe. He retreated repeatedly, bumping into a stone pillar of the corridor.

“How insolent! If my male cub hadn’t drugged you and helped induce your heat…”

The Russell family head’s body trembled uncontrollably, but he still gritted his teeth, staring at Aix with both shock and anger, and said righteously:

“Could you have gone into heat just at the right time and met His Highness the Prince, luckily becoming the guide for His Highness’s physiological awakening? You owe the Russell family a great debt of gratitude!”

The last sentence, the male Zerg said with great conviction.

As if Aix truly owed them and should repay their kindness.

Such righteousness could make even the usually willful Prince feel ashamed of himself.

The Prince could at least understand the pain of the victim.

Or rather, precisely because he could empathize with the victim’s pain, he could savor the pleasure from it.

He was addicted to that twisted pleasure.

But this male Zerg, he truly believed he had done a great deed, and that Aix should be grateful to them.

Aix’s eyes turned red, and fresh blood flowed from between the knuckles of his tightly clenched fists.

To think he had fallen into the hands of such a creature, had hated the wrong Zerg all this time, and had even hurt the Zerg who truly saved him.

The murderous pressure from an S-class female Zerg was too terrifying, and the Russell family head belatedly began to feel afraid.

“What are you doing… I am the head of a top-tier family, an A-class male Zerg…”

Aix raised his right hand, his fingers spread.

“You know, killing a male Zerg is actually very easy…”

Looking at the rapidly healing wound on his palm, and the blood left on his palm after the skin healed over.

Aix seemed to feel the blood of another Zerg flowing through his hand, burning him.

He seemed to feel the Prince’s beating heart gradually weakening in his hand.

His heart stopped beating along with it.

Aix said hoarsely: “I almost killed him…”

A wave of metallic sweetness rose from his throat.

Aix raised his hand, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his gaze refocused on the pale, frightened face of the male Zerg before him.

Before the male Zerg could scream, he squeezed the male Zerg’s neck.

Killing a male Zerg was really easy. It didn’t even require much strength, just a gentle squeeze…

“Aix!!!”

Mousse hadn’t expected that, hearing the notification of the scum gong value decreasing, he would come out to catch the female Zerg who had vanished while getting some air, only to run into such a thrilling scene. His heart almost stopped.

“Stop! What do you think this place is?!”

Mousse’s eyes were wide with fury. He rushed forward and pried Aix’s hand away.

The female Zerg’s hand looked like it was gripping tightly, but as soon as he touched it, it lost all its strength, allowing him to pull it away.

Mousse was surprised at how easily he pulled it away and was puzzled for a moment.

But he soon had no time to think about it, because after losing the grip of Aix’s hand, the middle-aged male Zerg’s body fell limply to the ground.

“Crap! Is he dead?”

Mousse quickly knelt down to check, slapping the male Zerg’s face a couple of times. He only relaxed when he heard the male Zerg’s unconscious groan.

“Phew…” He let out a long sigh and patted his wildly beating heart.

That scared him to death.

For a moment there, he had even figured out where to bury the Zerg.

Aix, who had been standing stiffly to the side, panicked when he saw the Prince’s hand on his chest.

He immediately knelt down, reaching out to check.

Mousse slapped his hand away. “Don’t interfere.”

Aix’s hand froze in mid-air. After a long moment, he silently withdrew it.

Mousse had no energy to pay attention to his reaction. Since the male Zerg wasn’t dead, he had to deal with the aftermath.

He first had to delete his memory of Aix.

An unconscious male Zerg’s mental domain had few defenses. And it was an S-class against an A-class. Mousse easily invaded the other’s mental domain.

He precisely found the recent memory.

And also read that memory.

It was indeed about the drugging.

Mousse was not surprised by this.

What puzzled him was Aix’s reaction in the memory.

He could understand the anger and hatred, but why was the female Zerg’s gaze so full of guilt and sorrow?

But now was not the time to focus on that.

Mousse deleted that memory, cleaned the blood belonging to Aix from the male Zerg’s neck, applied some repair fluid, and concealed the掐痕 (qiā hén) “strangulation marks.”

Then he opened his terminal and notified the palace attendants to come get the Zerg.

“The Russell family head drank too much and fell asleep in the corridor. Take him to a room to rest.”

Mousse stood to the side, holding Aix’s hand. He waited for the attendants to take the Zerg away before pulling Aix’s hand up to inspect it.

The wound had long since healed, only the sticky bloodstains remained.

Mousse frowned. He didn’t like blood, especially his own and Aix’s. It reminded him of their bloody reunion, a very unpleasant memory.

Aix looked down and saw that the Prince’s hand was dirtied by his blood. His expression changed slightly.

As a military female, he did not have the habit of carrying a handkerchief. He could only pull over his relatively clean shirt to wipe it for the Prince.

The bloody handprint on the white shirt looked like a crime scene.

“Stop, stop.” Mousse quickly stopped the female Zerg’s action.

“I didn’t give you this deep-V formal suit to be used for this.”

He hadn’t even touched it, hadn’t taken it off, hadn’t torn it… how could it be made into such a mess?

Aix also remembered what the Prince had once said.

He looked at the blood on the hem of his shirt, filled with regret.

Even if the Prince wanted to tear his clothes, wanted to whip him until his skin was broken and his flesh was exposed… he shouldn’t have gotten blood on it from the start. It would spoil the Prince’s mood.

“There are spare formal suits…” Aix said softly, his fingers nervously gripping the hem of his shirt, his heart filled with apprehension.

He was no longer worried about the Prince’s anger, but rather hoped that the Prince could get the experience he wanted and be a little happier.

Mousse gave him a strange look.

The female Zerg was so weird today. Although Aix hadn’t dared to speak loudly to him before, the softness in his tone was completely different.

Did he take the wrong medicine? Or was he flustered from being caught at a murder scene? Was he starting to ask him for something again?

Mousse pondered this while taking out a handkerchief and cleaning solution from his storage device, cleaning the bloodstains from his hands, and having Aix clean himself up as well, until he could no longer smell any trace of blood.

Feeling that this place was somewhat unlucky, Mousse pulled Aix away from the corridor and into the garden.

He found a long bench and sat down, letting Aix stand.

“Talk. What happened?” Mousse was not happy.

Even if he wanted to kill the Russell family head, did he have to do it in the palace? And without any cover.

When they investigate later, wouldn’t it be a sure find?

He didn’t know where Aix’s skills as a former hunter had gone.

Just as he was thinking, he saw Aix kneel heavily at his feet.

The sound of his knees hitting the stone slabs gave Mousse a headache.

“Can’t you be a little gentler? If you break my family’s stone slabs, are you going to pay for them?”

A military female could not be broken.

When an S-class female Zerg collided with thick red sandstone slabs, the only thing that would break would be the slabs.

Mousse’s face was displeased, as if the red sandstone slabs, which could be seen everywhere in this palace, were really that important.

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