Exclusive Possession – CH 016

Chapter 16. Not Loving The Country

A deep twilight enveloped the silvery capital, and the highway stretched out in the air like a black ribbon. I sat in a military train, watching the scenery rush past on both sides.

The train occasionally slowed down, and I could see the streets below; there was not a single pedestrian. Only heavily armed soldiers stood guard, with sentries every few steps, creating a tight security perimeter.

Kenya was right; Mu Xian had already taken control of the capital. In places I could not see, perhaps much blood had already been shed.

During the day, he ravaged the capital, causing the entire Stan to change its landscape; just now, he uncontrollably released himself on me… And now, he was sitting beside me in his crisp military uniform, intently reviewing military intelligence and issuing orders, his profile under the lamplight handsome and serene.

The thought of spending my life with a man like this felt so unreal.

But after crying my heart out, I completely calmed down. Since the escape had failed, there was no point in being unwilling. Now all I could do was face reality and adapt to and accept this “husband.”

Until the next chance to escape comes—if there was one.

Half an hour later, the train stopped. Mu Xian stood up, and Morin immediately handed him white gloves and a military cap. He glanced at them indifferently, did not take them, but looked down at me.

Morin grinned and winked at me, so I had no choice but to stand up.

The hands in front of me were fair and slender, with distinct knuckles, and the palms were a pale pink, making them appear very well-proportioned and beautiful. But when I put white gloves on them, those hands immediately became cold and serious.

I put the hat on his head again, and then I realized that his head was actually quite big, at least much bigger than mine.

“Miss, over here.” Morinn pointed, noticing a few strands of black hair sticking up from under the brim of his hat. The hair was near the back of my head, so I had to stand on tiptoe to touch it. But as soon as I touched him, he wrapped his arms around my waist. He lowered his head and kissed me.

He ravaged my lips again and only released me a moment later. I was breathless from his kiss, but his breathing was steady, though a faint smile appeared in his dark eyes.

“Puff–“

I did not need to turn around to know it was Morinn laughing, or rather, deliberately letting out that laugh that seemed to be desperately trying to hold back but could not. I felt a little embarrassed—even though I knew this was something a married couple should do, nothing serious. But there was still a sense of anxiety that things were getting out of control.

Surrounded by soldiers, we exited the station, crossed a square, and arrived at the palace gates. I had imagined the palace to be magnificent, beautiful, and technologically advanced. But when I saw the building before me, I realized I was only half right.

Behind the towering metal gate lies a sprawling complex of buildings. They were constructed entirely of massive white stone blocks. There was no metal, no reinforced concrete, only clean, raw stone.

In the deep darkness of night, amidst the dazzling lights, the snow-white and beautiful palace, like a voluptuous and elegant beauty, lies before us, exuding charm. I imagine it must have been the work of countless skilled craftsmen to create such a fairytale-like building.

“This is an ancient building,” Morin explained, standing behind me.

I could not help but admire the Stan aliens. Their technology was so advanced, yet their emperor lives in a primitive building. This shows how much they respect spiritual civilization.

At this moment, a richly dressed middle-aged man walked over from the doorway, a smile plastered on his face: “Your Highness, His Majesty has been waiting for you and Miss Hua for a long time.”

Mu Xian nodded and strode inside. The man panicked upon seeing this: “Wait, Your Highness, it might not be convenient for your soldiers to enter the palace…”

Before he could finish speaking, Mu Xian signaled two soldiers to come forward and drag him aside.

My heart skipped a beat—that was really domineering. What was he planning to do?

As we walked along the quiet, tree-lined path, all the palace guards we encountered were subdued and thrown into corners. The area we passed through was swept clean as if by a whirlwind.

After a while, a soldier reported that the vanguard had taken control of the entire palace. Mu Xian’s expression remained calm, as if everything was going according to plan.

I was filled with suspicion and could not help but pull Morin aside, whispering, “What is he trying to do? Is he planning to force me to abdicate?”

Morin looked at me with a puzzled expression, then turned around and grabbed Mop, repeating exactly what he had said: “What does he want to do? Is he trying to force me to abdicate?” I was both amused and exasperated; it seemed he had not considered this question at all.

Mop replied impatiently, “What are you guessing? Although the emperor has summoned us, the situation in the capital is unclear. To prevent His Highness Kenya’s forces from retaliating, it is only natural to control the palace.”

Morin nodded, but I frowned—was it really just to prevent problems from arising in the first place?

Finally, we stopped in front of a brightly lit building deep within the palace. It was surrounded by a deep blue lake, with swaying trees along the shore, and the building’s reflection was gently rippling in the water, creating a tranquil and secluded scene.

At least a hundred armed guards were on guard around the building.

This time, Mu Xian did not order them to be subdued. Instead, he left all the soldiers where they were, and even Mopumolin stood at the bottom of the steps, holding my hand as he walked towards the palace gate.

I was both nervous and excited—I was about to meet the emperor.

Two guards stood at the entrance, one of them holding a huge… hunting dog?

The man said solemnly, “I apologize, Your Highness, this is procedure.”

Mu Xian nodded, released my hand, unfastened his pistol and dagger from his waist, and walked to the doorframe. A pale blue light swept down from above his head, and then a soldier approached with a hunting dog.

But as soon as the hound’s nose touched his military boot, it whimpered and shrank into the corner in a panic.

A faint smile appeared on Mu Xian’s face. Another soldier seemed embarrassed: “It is afraid of Your Highness. I thought it would improve after so many times… Alright, Your Highness, you may go in now.”

My heart skipped a beat—just what kind of half-beast was Mu Xian? Even such a strong hunting dog was so afraid of him. But thinking back to that enormous beast from back then, it was indeed terrifying.

Mu Xian stood waiting for me inside the doorway. I walked to the doorframe to be scanned, just as a soldier approached with a dog. I noticed Mu Xian’s calm expression, which was odd—how could he tolerate another male approaching me? Suddenly, a thought struck me—this must be a female dog!

The dog sniffed my shoes, then moved up to my calves. I felt a little itchy, but I endured it. Suddenly, it let out a low bark, turned around, and ran to the corner, curling up into a ball as if it were just as scared as before.

I found it extremely strange, and the two soldiers stared wide-eyed, seemingly confused. Mu Xian, however, calmly reached out his hand to me, as if he had expected this.

I hurried over to him and could not help but ask, “Why is that dog afraid of me too?”

He glanced at me sideways and said, “You smell like me.” He paused, then added, “A very strong smell.”

“Oh.” I did not pay much attention and took a few more steps forward. Suddenly, I understood what he meant and felt extremely embarrassed—I had only changed into a dress before coming to the palace with him and had not even taken a bath. After he said that, I felt sticky and uncomfortable all over.

But… Why did he emphasize that the smell was “very strong”? Was he a germaphobe? Did he think I was dirty? That was too much. Why did he not think of himself?

I followed him through a door, feeling a little annoyed.

The view suddenly opened up to a quiet, beautifully decorated hall. Several servants stood silently with their hands at their sides in the hall, and at the front was a large golden bed, on which a person lay.

I followed him closer, my heart pounding—after all, this was the first time I’d ever seen a living, breathing “emperor.” But he was lying in bed; was it because he was not feeling well? No wonder his sons were fighting tooth and nail over him.

The servants by the bedside had all left. The light was dim, but I could still make out that it was a gaunt, middle-aged man dressed in an exquisite white robe. His short hair was dark brown, like Kenya’s. His eyes were black, but they looked extremely tired. His face was thin, but the handsome features of his youth were still faintly visible.

His gaze slowly swept over us, lingered on me for a moment, and then returned to Mu Xian.

“Nuo’er, spare your brother and those ministers.” In stark contrast to his sickly appearance, his voice was calm and powerful.

Mu Xian was silent for a moment before answering, “We can release others, but not Kenya.”

The father and son were so direct with each other that I became tense from their anxious atmosphere.

The emperor stared silently at Mu Xian: “Is it because he attacked you first? But he is already seriously injured. Is not that punishment enough?”

Mu Xian remained silent, his eyes fixed on the ground. After a while, he looked up at the front, his expression extremely cold.

“That is not the reason.”

The emperor was taken aback, then looked at me and asked, “Did he touch your woman?”

Mu Xian remained silent with a very gloomy expression.

I was stunned.

The emperor was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked at me and said, “Miss Hua, can you forgive Nuo’er’s brother?”

I thought to myself, “This emperor is indeed shrewd; he knew to target me.”

I carefully considered my words and replied, “He did not cause me irreparable harm, and I am willing to forgive him.”

The emperor smiled, and Mu Xian glanced at me.

“However…” I looked at the emperor and continued, “I hope to have a guarantee that he will stop causing trouble for Mu Xian and me.”

If I just let it go like this, what if he kidnaps me again next time?

They both looked at me with some surprise. The emperor had a thoughtful expression, but a hint of a smile flashed in Mu Xian’s eyes.

My heart skipped a beat. I thought, “Oh no, he must think I am defending him again!” But I could not very well tell the Emperor to stop Kenya from bothering me alone, could I? That was why I included him in my message!

But we could not explain it, and the three of us fell silent.

Finally, the emperor sighed and said, “Nuo’er, I will imprison Kenya on an asteroid three thousand light-years from Stan, forbidding him from ever returning to the capital. Do you agree to this?”

He, as emperor, spoke to his son in such a tone. I thought it was probably because his son controlled the entire capital and palace!

Mu Xian finally nodded: “Okay.”

The emperor gave a wry smile: “Speak, what do you want? You have already won the battle against Kenya, and my body is no longer fit to govern this country. Just name your name, and I can give you anything.”

My heart skipped a beat—did he mean to pass the throne to Mu Xian?

If Mu Xian becomes emperor, would not I become empress? This… was too bizarre. I did not feel joy at all; I just find it unbelievable. I’ve never even considered such a thing.

But Mu Xian did all this for the throne, did he not? Now he was finally gotten his wish.

A sense of relief and acceptance washed over me.

However, to my surprise, Mu Xian remained silent for a long time this time.

His face showed neither joy nor excitement; his eyes were fixed ahead, yet seemed to be gazing into the distance. He appeared somewhat lost in thought, almost indifferent. I had never seen such a dazed expression on his face before.

Finally, he spoke.

“I want barren land.”

The emperor and I were both stunned.

The desolate land was etched in my memory. It was an asteroid belt fifty light-years from Stan. It was home to one of Stan’s most important space fortresses, a very barren area, mainly inhabited by orcs. Mu Xian did not want the throne, but that place?

“Why?” the emperor stared at him. “You can stay in the capital.”

Mu Xian glanced at him, her expression somewhat sarcastic: “Like my mother, I do not like the capital.”

The emperor was silent for a moment, then slowly said, “In the capital, you can do more for the country.”

Mu Xian replied coldly, “You have other sons; you do not need me to inherit your estate.”

I was taken aback—right, Kenya was the second prince, Mu Xian was the third, and they also had an older brother.

According to Morin, he was a very kind and benevolent person, a top student at the Imperial University, and currently assists the emperor in handling state affairs. However, compared to his two younger brothers who hold military power, this eldest brother was much more low-key.

A thought flashed through my mind—Mu Xian gave up the throne, Kenya was imprisoned; would not the only remaining heir be that eldest brother?

But the emperor’s expression suddenly became very strange, as if he was very surprised but also somewhat understanding.

He stared at Mu Xian and asked, “Are you doing all this to help your elder brother clear obstacles and ascend the throne?”

Mu Xian remained silent and did not answer.

I was shocked—no way?

So that was how it is? He never wanted the throne from the beginning?

He was such a selfless person.

[Mu Xian’s Psychological Mini-Drama]
Mu Xian (serious face): “You smell like me. A very strong smell.”
Hua Yao thought dejectedly, “He is a germaphobe. Does he think I am dirty? That is too much. Why does he not think of himself?”
Mu XIan thought, “This is wonderful. She smells like me all over, a very strong scent. She is all mine, mine alone…”