Exclusive Possession – CH 009

Chapter 9. His Name

The tarmac was dark; not a single light was on. Heavily armed soldiers loomed in the shadows, surrounding Mop and the other soldiers in the center. Seeing they were still alive, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Behind me, Morin struggled desperately and cried for help, but was pinned to the ground by armed soldiers. Mop and the others, hearing the commotion, also began shouting, “Miss, Miss!” My eyes instantly welled up with tears, and my legs seemed unable to move. Seeing this, the soldiers shoved me into a car next to them.

The car hovered and sped along the highway, the endless rows of buildings flashing by like fleeting shadows. The spaceport soon disappeared from sight. I suppressed my tears and asked the silent officer beside me, “Will they be alright?”

The officer glanced at me and replied curtly, “I don’t know.”

I paused for a moment and said, “If anything happens to them, I won’t live either.” Of course, this was an exaggeration, but I said it very coldly.

The officer looked at me with surprise, remained silent for a moment, and then replied in a low voice, “I only received orders to capture them.”

I was taken aback, then I understood and breathed a sigh of relief.

About two hours later, we arrived at the capital, a beautiful city made of silver metal.

It was late at night, yet the city remained brightly lit, the roads stretching like dark gray ribbons, crisscrossing the sky and the ground. Buildings of various shapes reflected a silvery sheen in the starlight, the entire city enveloped in a hazy glow, blurring the lines between sky and ground, reality and illusion—a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

I felt a little sad, thinking that I never expected my first trip to the capital would be in the middle of the night, as a hostage.

It was all his fault; he was the one who put me in this absurd situation.

To the east of the city lies a verdant forest, with quaint white mansions peeking out from the mountainside and heavily armed soldiers stationed along the mountainside. Seeing this, I became even more certain of my guess—the owner of this place must be incredibly wealthy and powerful, undoubtedly Prince Nor.

After getting off the bus, I was led to a spacious and luxurious room on the second floor. I waited for a long time, but no one came. After being up for most of the night (a night on Stanstar is 16 hours) and having not slept for almost a day and a night, I was extremely tired. I slumped on the sofa in a daze and dozed off without realizing it.

At one point, I suddenly woke up.

The first thing you see is the light overhead, as white as a thin mist, followed by smooth, dark brown short hair.

A strange yet handsome face was right in front of me, his eyes, as blue as lake water, staring at me thoughtfully.

I was stunned.

It was a man; he was kneeling on one knee next to the sofa.

He was looking at me; I don’t know how long he looked.

I immediately sat up, leaning back to create some distance between us. He smiled slightly, his handsome features appearing bright and vivid under the light.

“Don’t be nervous.” His deep voice flowed like a gentle stream. “I just want to see what his woman looks like.”

He stood up and sat down on the sofa opposite me. He was wearing a white military uniform, his left breast covered with gleaming silver medals, making him appear tall and slender.

Being spied on so closely by a strange man left me a little shaken. Remembering the violent armed attacks he’d been involved in on the plane, I felt even more apprehensive about this man’s smile, which seemed to conceal a dagger.

He leaned back on the sofa, arms draped over the backrest, long legs crossed, looking extremely relaxed. He spoke almost slowly and deliberately. “Interesting, to be able to sleep in this situation. Aren’t you afraid of being killed?” His voice was lazy, with a hint of flirtation.

“You didn’t capture me to kill me, did you?” I replied. If I really wanted to kill him, I would have done it head and shoulders long ago.

I answered calmly, but my heart was pounding. I thought, “It’s all over. He’s obviously Prince Nuo’er. Mu Xian’s conspiracy had been exposed, and I’m being implicated.”

He was taken aback, then suddenly laughed, his handsome brows instantly relaxing, his thin lips curving deeply to reveal his snow-white teeth.

“Maybe.”

Seeing him laugh surprised me a little, but I felt a slight sense of relief. I thought, “It’s best to keep this atmosphere going. If he’s happy, maybe my situation will improve.”

With this thought in mind, I felt a glimmer of hope and wanted to try my best to go along with him, even if it meant trying to please him.

After all, Mu Xian was no longer reliable, so I had to protect myself.

“What’s your name?” he asked, staring at me.

I answered honestly, “Hua Yao.”

“Twenty-five years without a woman—you’re the only one.” His eyes were clear and sharp. “You must value it very much. I wonder what price he’ll pay for you?”

Here we go, to the main point. He kidnapped me to blackmail Mu Xian; was he now testing my worth?

But I was destined to disappoint him; Mu Xian only saw me as a breeding tool. His cold words from that day involuntarily surfaced in my mind: “As long as the object was loyal and healthy, it doesn’t matter who it is…”

He meticulously plotted to launch a mutiny; would he really surrender for my sake? Absolutely not.

To try and prove my worth to His Highness now would be utterly foolish. I did not want to be sent before Mu Xian, only to be cruelly abandoned. He’d surely be enraged and kill me. It was better to let him know now that he had arrested the wrong person. I was completely insignificant; he’d better release me.

“Chastity.” Meeting his bright gaze, I answered hesitantly.

His eyebrows were raised high, and his tone was one of utter surprise: “What did you say?”

I repeated, “You can obtain his chastity. Based on the loyalty of the orcs, he might remain faithful to me. But that was all.”

This was truly the highest price I could think of that he might pay for me.

The man in front of me remained silent for a full minute before suddenly bursting into loud laughter. His chest rose and fell noticeably beneath his white military uniform, and his eyes and brows radiated a bright smile.

Seeing him laugh again made me feel a little more relaxed.

After laughing, he stared at me with amusement, tapping his fingers on the sofa armrest. “And what about you? If he were dead, would you not be heartbroken? If I let you go, would you seek revenge on me?”

I was startled; something was amiss.

Why did he ask that? What was the point of this question?

I was a complete loser with almost zero combat power. He was not afraid of me coming for revenge, was he?

“If you let me go, what I was more worried about is… the cost of getting back to Earth.” This was the truth. I’ve subtly inquired with Mop and the others, and the cost of a spaceship passing through Earth was very high.

He froze again, then his slightly pursed lips suddenly curved into a smile, and he laughed out loud once more.

“Are you this fun when you were with him?” His voice seemed to soften and brighten. “Did he fall for your wit and charm?”

I shook my head: “I do not had any feelings for him, let alone love.” Why did he seem so interested in our relationship?

He glanced at me, a mocking smile on his face. “Oh? You do not love him? He is the youngest commander in the empire, even… His Majesty the Emperor praises him as an unparalleled man.”

His tone… seemed cold, tinged with jealousy and indignation.

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

Was he jealous of Mu Xian?

Yes, that explained it. Mu Xian was exceptionally talented, or perhaps his reputation surpassed that of his superior, so their relationship had always been strained. Mu Xian could not bear the oppression, which led to the mutiny.

He seemed arrogant and conceited. He must be very proud of having captured Mu Xian’s woman, and he would also be curious about what kind of woman Mu Xian, such a formidable rival, would marry. That was why he asked me those strange questions, like whether I love him or not or whether he was witty and cute.

When he heard that I had no feelings for Mu Xian and that he thought Mu Xian was a failure in love, he felt pleased, which is why he laughed repeatedly. If I had acted like I loved Mu Xian, I might be beheaded by now.

He must have harbored deep jealousy and hatred towards Mu Xian, right?

Jealousy drove people mad. My life or death might be in his hands. I should continue to distance myself from Mu Xian…

“Your Highness, I do not love Mu… Surman…” Yes, outsiders call him Surman.

His eyes suddenly widened in surprise, and he interrupted me, asking, “What did you call me?”

“Nuo’er… Your Highness?” I hesitated.

His expression grew even stranger, a mixture of amusement and disbelief: “You called me Nuo’er? Then who did you think we’ve been talking about?”

“Surman,” I replied.

His azure eyes were fixed on me, as if he did not want to miss any of my expressions or reactions. I looked at him blankly, wondering if something was wrong.

We stared at each other for a full minute, and then he suddenly laughed again—a truly delightful laugh, making him radiant. Although I wanted to please him, I was still bewildered by his reaction and felt a little uneasy.

Finally, he looked at me again and said with a sigh.

“I was actually a little jealous of him. He has such an adorably silly woman.”

He stood up and slowly walked towards me. His tall figure stopped in front of me, and he even gave a slight bow, a playful smile on his face: “We’ve been chatting for so long, and you have not even introduced yourself. Miss Hua, I am Kenya. It has been a very pleasant conversation with you.”

I was completely stunned.

Kenya?

How could it be him? Was he not one of our own?

I quickly realized it.

“You had a falling out with Surman?” So you kidnapped me as a hostage?

He laughed again: “Yes, I had a falling out with him. Do you know why?”

I shook my head.

He suppressed a smile and said calmly, “A few days ago, Xiangli Sheng spoke to him on the phone…”

I suddenly recalled the conversation I overheard in the study that day. Nothing seemed amiss!

A cold anger flashed in his eyes: “After Xiangli Sheng finished currying favor with him, he suggested that I award Surman a medal at the Command Department’s anniversary celebration.”

“But a month ago, our college advisor, Colonel Depp, passed away. I told Surman that we would not be holding an anniversary celebration this year to remember him. However, the celebration information in the school annals has not been updated yet.”

In other words, if it were really Surman, why would he agree to such a disrespectful suggestion to his mentor?

My heart skipped a beat.

What he meant was, was Mu Xian not the real Surman?

Looking back, I naturally assumed that Surman was part of Mu Xian’s name when I heard that phone call. Mu Xian never said his name was Surman. Even Morin only called him Commander, never Surman.

I felt a cold sweat running down my back. Damn it, I just wanted to be indifferent to the marriage, so I did not even know his name.

But if the Seventh Fleet commander, Surman, was someone else, then who exactly was Mu Xian? Why would he impersonate Surman to target Kenya?

Kenya sneered, “If something was amiss, can we not find out who it was by following the clues?”

It felt like all the blood in my body rushed to my head. That person was… Could it be…?

He slowly uttered the name: “My younger brother, Nuo’er. Of course, he also had a lowly beastman name, Mu Xian. Was that not right, my lovely sister-in-law?”

I felt a burning sensation in my head.

His words were so absurd, yet so unequivocally stated.

“Oh, I see. I was completely wrong.”

Seeing that I was completely stunned, Kenya sneered, “Surman and I had agreed not to meet before the coup to avoid leaking information. Without this phone call, I would have had no way of discovering his plan. Now it seems that the real Surman had probably already been killed.”

“As for you, you were a pleasant surprise—his entire fleet jumped away, only three rescue ships entered the port, and there were women on board…”

I understood completely. He already knew Mu Xian’s identity, but Mu Xian was still kept in the dark and kept me hidden on the rescue ship under Suman’s name, thinking it was the safest place, but it turned out to be the most dangerous place.

But what should I do now?

My heart pounded as I looked up and met Kenya’s cold, intimidating gaze.

He seemed to saw through my fear; his blue eyes were dark and unfathomable, yet his tone was unusually soft, so soft that it terrified me.

“Do not worry, you were so adorable, I cannot bear to kill you right now. Since Nuo’er has played along, I would play along too. The day after tomorrow is the day of the mutiny; it would be very interesting to let his beloved woman see him die in battle, would it not?”