Exclusive Possession – CH 017

Chapter 17. The Truth Of That Year

“Are you doing all this to help your elder brother clear obstacles and ascend the throne?”

I turned to look at Mu Xian in surprise. A slight smile curved his lips, and his handsome and vivid features were as clean and refreshing as the bright moon and gentle breeze.

“If there is nothing else, we will be going now,” he replied, seemingly ignoring my question, and took my hand. My brain was still in a daze, but his cold, strong hand snapped me back to reality.

The emperor stared at him, then suddenly smiled. His dark eyes lit up with a joyful light, and his withered yet sharp features seemed to become fuller because of the smile.

“Alright. But I have something to say to Hua Yao; you can go out now.”

I was taken aback, feeling Mu Xian’s hand suddenly tighten. He frowned and asked, “What did you say?”

The emperor’s expression was indifferent: “Since she is a daughter-in-law of the royal family, there are some things that should be told to her by her elders. This is out of respect for her. Your mother… has passed away, so of course only your father can do it.”

I was a little nervous, but Mu Xian was persuaded. He turned his head to look at me and whispered, “I am outside.” He then let go of my hand.

Mu Xian walked out, and the emperor stared at me silently for a moment before suddenly smiling.

“He is a man who seems cold on the outside but is warm on the inside, is he not?”

I could not bear to treat a seriously ill elder, regardless of their status, with indifference. Besides, seeing their weary yet wise eyes reminded me of my grandmother, whom I had not seen in a long time. She was just as aged and intelligent.

“I do not know him very well; maybe I do,” I replied. “I did not expect him to want the throne. I am not disappointed; I am just surprised.”

He looked at me with a smile: “It seems Mu Xian has found a very kind girl. I see gentle compassion in your eyes.”

The word “pity” was too inappropriate for an emperor. I was a little embarrassed and was about to explain when he changed the subject, saying, “He forced you, and yet you look at his father like that. He is incredibly lucky.”

Since arriving on this strange planet, no one had ever comforted me. Yet his tone was so gentle, as if he could understand all my grievances. I felt a pang of sadness and gratitude.

“Thank you for saying that,” I said. “I will not change my attitude and principles based on what others do to me.”

He stared at me for a moment, a mocking smile in his eyes: “Looks like you are still angry with him.”

I was silent for a moment, then looked directly at him: “After all, I never imagined I would be raped.”

The emperor’s smile faded, and he gently beckoned, “Come, sit by the bed. I have something to tell you.” I knew the main point was coming, so I sat down on the wide edge of the bed as instructed. Looking closer, his face appeared even more haggard, and my heart softened. I realized I had been too direct. I should have gone along with him for a while. I should not have confided my troubles to a patient.

“I only learned of his existence when Nuo’er was ten years old,” the Emperor said. “His mother was a strict and strong-willed soldier who believed that men should be toughened up from a young age, so she threw him into the army. She was very busy with her military duties, and he was often left unattended, no different from a wild child. You know, in an army that respects the strong, a child like him will suffer a lot.”

I was a little surprised—although I knew he was an illegitimate child, I did not expect him to be in such a terrible situation.

The emperor continued, “When we found him, his personality was just like his mother’s—cold, serious, and stubborn. He was even more gloomy than his mother. However, his bitter and tearful upbringing is not the focus of my story today.”

I smiled slightly at his words and replied, “Okay, I am willing to listen to whatever you say.”

He smiled and said slowly, “Do you know why he treated you that way four years ago?”

I shook my head, feeling a little nervous.

“Nuo’er’s mother was an orc, with 90% orc genes. That means Nuo’er inherited 45% orc genes from her,” the emperor said in a deep voice.

My mind raced, but something else came to mind—this emperor must have been handsome and dashing in his youth, so how did he end up having an affair with a female orc? You know, orcs were known for their rugged and imposing appearance; he really had a heavy taste.

“What are you thinking about, little girl?” he asked with a smile.

I froze: “I was not thinking about anything.”

He looked at me sharply: “You are not good at hiding your emotions. What you are thinking is written all over your eyes.” I was speechless for a moment, but he said meaningfully, “However, Mu Xian is a sensitive and profound person. It seems that from now on, you will be completely under his control.”

I could not help but retort, “That is not necessarily true.” I did not love him, so how could I let him have his way with me?

The emperor looked at me with a smile: “Little girl, do not be stubborn. Alright, let’s get down to business. Although he has most of my human genes, he also inherited a small portion of my mechanical genes.”

I was shocked—Mu Xian also had mechanical genes? No wonder his bones were so hard! I felt a chill run down my spine; what exactly was that man?!

The emperor continued, “Although the fusion of mechanical and beastman genes will mutually enhance his combat power, these two types of genes are inherently contradictory, increasing his genetic instability. Do you understand what I am saying?”

I nodded and replied, “If you put metal components inside my body, I will also feel unstable.”

He could not help but chuckle: “Not a metal component… but close enough. For years, Nuo’er has been the Empire’s finest soldier, the pride of me and his mother. He never showed any beastly or animalistic behavior until four years ago, when his mother passed away. At the time, he did not show anything unusual, only taking a long leave of absence from the military to begin space travel. I thought he just needed to clear his head.”

My heart skipped a beat—that was when I met him.

“About a few days before we met, he attacked a space patrol consisting of ten warships all by himself and killed them all,” he said calmly. “At that time, he was in a beast-like state—he had lost control.”

His tone was very calm, as if he were simply stating a fact objectively. But I was horrified beyond words.

Although I was deeply impressed by his beastly nature back then, Mu Xian had always been human in my eyes. Over time, I found it hard to associate him with the beast. I even thought that he would only lose control and become a beast during more intense sex. This was one of the reasons why I was hesitant to get close to him.

I never imagined he would lose control to this extent back then; he actually bit a living person to death!

The image of that beast from that night involuntarily surfaced in my mind, imagining it blindly charging onto the spaceship filled with people, tearing and biting wildly, letting out painful cries. This image made me very uncomfortable; I felt scared, disgusted, and… somewhat pitiful.

“I am glad to see more pity than disgust in your eyes. He did not choose the wrong woman,” the emperor’s voice rang out slowly.

I was taken aback, and then he continued, “I only learned about these things afterward from his guard officer, Mop’s, report.”

After the incident, his spaceship reached near-Earth orbit. His condition was extremely unstable; he might die or become a mindless beast forever. Given his formidable fighting prowess, if that day ever came, the Empire would have no choice but to annihilate him. As his father, I would feel like I was living a life worse than death.

Mop’s decision to bring you to him was both correct and born of necessity. For beastmen, appetite and sexual desire were the most primal and effective means of soothing. This should be especially effective for a grown virgin like him.

“The night you spent together was his most painful moment; he was fighting against his beastman genes with sheer willpower, on the verge of collapse. But you successfully comforted him. Hua Yao, you saved his life and indirectly saved many others. On behalf of the Empire, I thank you for your sacrifice. I knew it was incredibly difficult for a woman. You are very calm,” and he also said, “I am sorry.”

When I was in pain, he slowly withdrew and patiently stroked me. I remember his sweat dripping onto my face at that moment. It turned out that his suffering was even greater than mine.

When he transformed into a beast, his howls were so painful and desperate; his whole body was burning hot like a fireball, yet strangely quieted down as I nestled against him. At the end, he insisted on kissing me, then whispered, “I am sorry for what I did to you; I will make it up to you.”

It was all like a nightmare. For four years, I refused to dwell on any of the details. Now, however, it surfaced vividly and clearly in my mind, revealing the whole truth. Looking back on everything, it all became proof of his kindness and perseverance. It turns out he really did not want to hurt me.

I felt like crying but also like laughing—I lost my virginity, yet I saved him and maybe even more people? And I was just unlucky enough to be captured by Mop and taken back to the spaceship?

“Thank you for telling me all this,” I said. “It makes me feel much better. Chastity is important, but it is not more important than a human life.”

The emperor looked at me quietly: “So… you will not blame him for that incident anymore?”

My breath hitched, and I nodded: “I will not blame him anymore.” As soon as I finished speaking, my eyes welled up with tears.

The emperor remained silent, waiting patiently. I felt my emotions calm down slightly, wiped away my tears, and looked at him somewhat embarrassed. He then said softly, “You are kinder and more decisive than I imagined. Do not worry; after the last transformation, he can control his beastman genes very well and will never harm you. Nuo’er is actually a kind person just like you, and you will definitely be happy in the future.”

Hearing him say that Mu Xian would no longer transform into a beast, I felt a sense of relief, but I still shook my head: “My forgiveness of him does not mean I am willing to accept him; those are two different things. He is too domineering and never asks for my will.”

The emperor paused, then chuckled. “Back when he first returned from Earth, he went to the Gene Research Department to establish a marriage record. I knew then that he would marry a woman named Hua Yao. He wanted to marry you partly out of loyalty, but I believe there were other reasons as well. Perhaps he wanted to make amends to you—after all, he had never been with a woman before, let alone hurt one—or perhaps, that night, he had already fallen in love with you?”

I shook my head almost immediately: “Impossible!”

He countered, “Why is it impossible?”

I could not answer again. Then he smiled with relief and said in a tired but warm tone, “Go, child. I’ve said everything I needed to say. Go back to him.”

**

I followed the path I had come by, passing through a narrow, dark corridor, and in the distance I could see two semicircular white doors. A tall, dark gray figure stood silently outside the doors.

He probably heard my footsteps and turned around.

It was late at night, and he stood there quietly, as if trying to blend into the calm and tranquil night scene of the lake. His face, beneath the brim of his hat, was a clean, pale white, and his dark eyes were fixed on me.

I was stunned.

Because I suddenly realized that for more than four years, every time I thought of him or saw him, the humiliation, dejection, and fear that felt like a heavy gloom had all disappeared. Even he seemed much more pleasing to the eye.

I had been in a good mood since speaking with the emperor. And for the first time, his appearance did not affect my good mood.

“What did you say?” he asked casually.

I did not expect him to ask so directly; it was not like his usual chauvinistic style, and it seems overly fussy. But it was understandable, though. He was so possessive; he definitely did not like anyone interfering in our affairs, including his father.

However, I did not want him to know that I’ve already learned the truth about what happened back then. That made me feel inexplicably passive.

“I am sorry; that is my privacy.”

He suddenly grabbed my hand and said in an icy tone, “You belong to me completely, including your privacy.”

“Since it belongs to you, you can go and find out for yourself.”

He paused, staring intently at me as if re-evaluating me. I met his gaze directly, and after a few seconds, he released my hand and hissed, “Mop, bring the head of the palace guards here.”

Mop, who was originally standing at the bottom of the steps with Morin, immediately ran into the emperor’s residence upon hearing this. Seeing Mu Xian waiting expressionlessly, I walked down the steps myself and went to Morin.

Morin cupped her hands in a heart shape and said to me with a smug look, “Miss, did you enjoy the plane sex?”

I did not react immediately: “What plane sex?”

He winked at me and said, “Airplane sex, the popular term among Earthlings, you do not even know? It is like mating on a plane!”

I was extremely embarrassed and retorted, “Nonsense! We did not do that!”

He did not believe it at all and just kept grinning foolishly.

“Do not laugh!” I could not help but laugh at his adorable appearance.

“Huh?” He blinked. “You seem to be in a good mood. Is it because you are going home with the Commander?”

“Home?”

“The desolate lands—do you not know that the Commander was born there?”

I was taken aback. So that was how it is. The beastmen’s settlement, Mu Xian’s home.

I could not help but turn back to look up the steps, only to see Mu Xian standing calmly at the magnificent palace gate, while another man dressed as a palace guard leaned close to his ear and whispered something.

The guard looked familiar. I quickly remembered that he had been in the emperor’s bedchamber earlier. Without a doubt, he was reporting our conversation to Mu Xian.

The guard finished speaking and stepped aside. Mu Xian looked up in my direction. Even from this distance, I could feel his sharp gaze fixed on me.

I suddenly felt inexplicably awkward, so I turned to look at the other side. Beside me, Morin exclaimed, “Hey, Miss Hua, why is your face red? Did the Commander’s single glance make you swoon? Hahaha…”