Exclusive Possession – CH 022

Chapter 22. My Princess

With Mu Xian not on the spaceship, the omnipresent sense of oppression disappeared.

The journey was long, and I had nothing to do. I took out some DVDs, but I could not get into them. My mind was filled with yesterday’s events.

I overheard my dorm mates joking about it in college, and I roughly knew what happened to me yesterday. That overwhelming, almost unbearable pleasure still lingers, and just thinking about it made me feel ashamed.

I also remember the shocked look on his face when I called him a “beast” and a “human beast.” I did not pay much attention then, but now I realize he had half-beast genes, and his brother even mocked him for it…

Forget it; I did not want to think about it anymore. I lay down on the sofa and focused on watching the DVD. I forced myself to watch for half an hour, but then I felt dizzy and lightheaded. I flipped back to the table of contents and saw it was “On the Conflict and Opportunity of Intelligent Society and Multiracial Reproduction.” No wonder I could not understand it.

The day passed peacefully. In the evening, I wanted to talk to my grandmother, but as soon as I turned on the device, I turned it off again—I had to be on my best behavior in front of her and pretend nothing was wrong, but for some reason, I just did not feel like it today.

My stomach hurt a little, and when I went to the toilet, I realized I had started my period. I went to bed early and drifted off to sleep until midnight, when I suddenly heard some noises. I woke up with a start and opened my eyes to see the cabin door being slowly pushed open.

I was so nervous that my back was sweating. I was still shaken by the last time I was kidnapped by Kenya. Could someone have infiltrated the spaceship and been planning to harm me?

There were no lights, and a tall figure walked in. The familiar figure startled me.

Why did Mu Xian suddenly return in the middle of the night?

I instinctively closed my eyes, not wanting him to realize I was awake.

The sound of barely audible footsteps approached. He seemed to stand by the bed for a moment before a rustling sound came. I opened my eyes a crack and saw two bare, long legs standing in the shadows—undoubtedly, he was completely naked. The bed beside me dipped slightly, and he lay down.

Perhaps it was because the night was too dark and quiet, but his appearance did not make me nervous. I could clearly hear his breathing and the slightly rapid pulse behind my ear.

Then he moved, and I thought he was going to hug me like usual, but instead he threw back the covers and sat up. I squinted at him, and his profile was blurry in the darkness, seemingly looking in the direction of my legs.

Suddenly, he gently lifted the blanket covering my stomach and lowered his head. I froze—was he going to kiss me there again?

To my surprise, he pressed his nose against my underwear and sniffed it hard.

I suddenly realized what was happening, and my face flushed—his nose was so sensitive, he must have smelled the blood.

He would not even lick blood, would he?! My scalp tingled.

Fortunately, he had already covered me with the blanket and lay down again.

I closed my eyes tightly, and after a while, I suddenly felt a warmth on my lips. His soft, full lips touched me almost instantly. My whole body tensed up, and after a few seconds, he kissed me again, then once more.

This was repeated about ten times before he finally stopped moving. His breathing became steady and long, as if he had fallen asleep.

My heart suddenly softened; I felt a pang of sadness and a sense of helplessness. What was he thinking? Why did he sneak back to sleep beside me, kissing me with such restraint and repression, only to leave it at that and do nothing more?

I slept exceptionally soundly that night and woke up feeling refreshed. Reaching for the bedside lamp, I suddenly realized that the other side of the bed was empty; he had left sometime earlier.

I went to the restaurant and smelled the aroma of sweet and sour fish and mushroom soup right at the entrance. Morin was serving the dishes. I quickly glanced around; there was no one else there.

“I really enjoyed these two dishes,” I said with a smile as I sat down. Morin laid out a napkin for me, let out a long sigh, and said, “Are you finally in a better mood today?”

I asked, puzzled, “Am I in a bad mood?”

He scoffed, “You had an ice-cold face the whole time yesterday!” Then, looking dejected, he added, “You were having a great time with us, but poor Commander, he had to spend every day with a bunch of stinky men…”

I was taken aback; it seemed he did not know Mu Xian had come back.

**

The day passed quickly, and as evening fell, my mood, which had calmed down throughout the day, began to wane, making me somewhat anxious. My menstrual flow had also increased, and my stomach ached a little. I went to bed early and slept soundly.

I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night and could not fall back asleep no matter what I did.

Would he come today? Would he negotiate with me?

Sure enough, after waiting expectantly for half an hour, the door opened. I listened with my eyes closed as he undressed, got into bed, and lay down. Suddenly, I felt a warmth on my stomach—his hand covered it.

I froze. What was going to happen?

He remained in that position for a long time, until his breathing became steady and he had clearly fallen asleep.

My aching stomach felt much better.

I opened my eyes and could vaguely make out his handsome features in the dim light. His eyes were slightly closed, and the corners of his mouth were gently pursed; he was fast asleep. He looked so handsome and peaceful.

He actually knew how to relieve my pain this way. He did not do this yesterday; did he specifically look it up?

I never imagined that a man would warm my stomach with his hands. I never imagined it would be him. Why was he being so considerate? After I had scolded him so harshly?

It could not possibly be that he felt guilty… I felt a little uneasy. But this feeling was really comforting. I suddenly remembered his promise.

He said he would protect me.

Is this a form of protection?

***

Three days later, the fleet arrived at the desolate land.

According to Mop’s explanation, a faster-than-light jump would have enabled them to arrive instantly, but since there was no urgent matter, the fleet traveled at sub-light speed for five days, taking the opportunity to rest.

Morin’s complaint was more direct: this was supposed to be a sweet world for the four of them.

As he spoke, I was standing in the circular corridor of the “Angel,” gazing at the starry sky. His words reminded me of last night, when Mu Xian still came in the middle of the night. Thinking of this, I felt an itch in my stomach, a very uncomfortable feeling. But it was also warm, as if the lingering warmth of his large hand was still there.

“Attention all ships, we will be landing at the Kunno planetary spaceport in five minutes. Please enter the port in the order of your ship numbers.” A deep baritone voice rang out over the loudspeaker; it was the order from the main ship’s command center.

I gazed into the distance, and at the edge of this galaxy, a red giant star shone brilliantly. Several planets of varying sizes floated silently, bathed in the red giant’s radiance.

This was a desolate land.

Among those planets, there was the largest blue planet—Kunno. It was the most prosperous region in the desolate land and also our ground base.

As the spaceship entered the asteroid belt, I realized that some of the objects were not planets at all but rather enormous spaceships. The desolate lands were important military strongholds of the Empire, and these ships must have been the local garrison.

Finally, the spaceship entered the atmosphere, and the outline of the continent gradually emerged. The azure sea, like a spread-out silk ribbon, enveloped the lush land in the middle—Kunno had only one continent.

As the spaceship descended lower and lower, I looked through my binoculars and saw black buildings, a white helipad, and then a bustling, chaotic market, with hordes of orcs carrying guns and smoking cigarettes walking through the streets. This was a completely different world from the austere and beautiful capital.

Upon arriving at the spaceport, the pink Angel, escorted by ten ships, separated from the massive fleet and sailed deeper into the land. Morin said she would take me directly home.

I was a little surprised to hear the word “home.”

I was even more surprised when I saw with my own eyes the silver-gray building suspended in mid-air on the green hillside.

The sky was a deep blue, the clouds pure white. The sunlight was a tender yellow, and the hillsides were emerald green. The house seemed to float amidst this picturesque landscape. Its shape was quite unique. The white roof was polygonal, layered, and dynamic; the brown floor-to-ceiling windows and snow-white walls were interspersed, yet the arrangement did not appear cluttered but rather created a harmonious aesthetic. The entire house exuded avant-garde artistic flair, yet it also possessed a refined and serene elegance.

“It is beautiful,” I exclaimed. “How can the house float in mid-air?”

“Magnetic field,” Mop replied. Morin smacked his lips and said, “This was specially designed for you by an architect from the capital, commissioned by the Commander!”

My room was on the second floor. Compared to the simple and austere atmosphere of the ship, it felt quite warm and comfortable. However, the large white bed in the center of the room, which appeared to be over four meters long and four meters wide, was really an eyesore.

On Kunno, a day and night last 8 hours, meaning 4 hours of daylight and 4 hours of night. The locals had a 2-day work-2-day rest schedule. So, after watching three sunsets before going to bed, my sense of time was completely distorted.

Through the glass ceiling, the night sky was a clear, dark blue, with a dozen or so enormous planets hanging above, looking as if they had several holes in them, revealing their rugged and menacing interiors.

I was lying in the super king-size bed, which was very comfortable, but I just could not fall asleep.

Will Mu Xian come? I’ve made up my mind. Since he had not spoken, I was going to take the initiative to talk to him today. We were both angry that day. Since we were going to spend our lives together, it was better for both of us to get along happily.

This wait actually lasted a full day and night.

I did not see a soul until Morin knocked on the door to remind me to eat breakfast. I wearily opened the door, and Morin was startled to see me: “Miss, what did you do last night? Those dark circles under your eyes are incredible!”

I could not worry about anything else and went straight to the point: “Mu Xian did not come back last night?”

Morin was taken aback, then broke into a delighted smile: “He… he lives at the military headquarters. Should we call him back?”

I was taken aback, then shook my head. Morin looked disappointed, pressed his entire body against the wall, and banged his head against it violently. I was both amused and exasperated, so I pulled him downstairs.

When we got to the restaurant entrance, we both froze.

Because Mu Xian was sitting at the sun-drenched table, eating breakfast. He was still the same as always, his military uniform crisp, his face handsome, and his features clean-cut. Like a dashing young man who had just stepped out of a landscape painting. As if he had never left.

When he looked up and saw us, his expression did not change much; he simply said, “Good morning.”

“Good morning…” I replied somewhat absentmindedly. Morin, on the other hand, shouted, “Good morning, good morning, good morning!” repeatedly, and anyone could hear the joy in his voice. He pushed me to the table, pulled out a chair, and then went to get breakfast while humming a tune.

I looked down at the table. His hand was placed in front of him, a light gray shirt under a dark gray military uniform. His hand was long and fair, holding a small silver knife. His white gloves were neatly folded and placed to the side.

“Did you not sleep well?” The soft, gentle voice instantly brought me back to my senses.

“Not bad,” I replied immediately.

Just then, Morin brought in breakfast. When I looked up, I caught a glimpse of a faint smile on Mu Xian’s lips.

“Pfft…” Morin overheard our conversation and leaned in, in what he thought was a “whisper,” to say, “Those dark circles under your eyes are so big…”

My face flushed. If he were laughing, he must have seen my dark circles too. I simply shut up and focused on eating.

He had already finished eating and pushed the plate away. I hesitated for a moment, wondering how to express my desire for peace.

Unexpectedly, he spoke first.

“Hua Yao, there is something I’d like to ask you for help with.”

I looked at him in surprise. Did he need my help? But his expression was calm and his gaze gentle; he was clearly serious.

“What is up?”

He took a chip out of his pocket and placed it on the table: “Previously, all my funds were deposited in the Third Bank of the Capital. Ten days ago, I received news that the bank had gone bankrupt. I lost forty percent of my funds…”

“Forty?” I was taken aback. His total funds were roughly equivalent to tens of billions of US dollars on Earth, so forty percent would be forty billion? I vaguely guessed what he wanted me to do. I opened the chip’s image, and sure enough, it was full of numerical reports.

“I do not have anyone in my fleet who is good at financial investments,” he said. “Could you manage this money for me?”

I quickly glanced through the reports; the losses were truly staggering. It seemed he was really in trouble. I hesitated, then said, “Why do you not go to the capital and find a professional to manage it?”

He smiled faintly and said, “Kenya has a great influence in the financial world of the capital.”

I immediately understood but still said, “I am sorry; I only worked at the financial company for a few months, doing mostly support work. This amount is too large…”

“I really cannot find anyone else.” He frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat troubled.

I was skeptical: “But what if I make a bad investment and lose money…”

“It is okay if we lose it all,” he said softly. “It was yours to begin with anyway.”

I was speechless. He remained silent as well, appearing very patient.

I thought to myself, if we really got married, it would be a real shame to keep losing this money. What if some high-risk event happened that could bankrupt Mu Xian, and I’d be in trouble too? Even though I was a novice, I understood the basics. Investing in low-risk, low-return assets should not be a bad idea, right?

Besides, I got really bored staying indoors all day. It was good to have something to do. And he was the one who was contacting me now. I did not want things to get worse again, and I did not want to add unnecessary stress.

“Then I will give it a try,” I replied softly.

“Thank you.” He stood up. “I will come back tomorrow. Tell me exactly what you want to do then.”

“……good.”

He went to the sink to wash and disinfect his hands, then returned to the table and put on his gloves. I kept my head down and ate, but every sound he made clearly reached my ears.

I thought he was about to leave, but he stood still in front of the table.

“Hua Yao.” He looked at me with deep eyes, and my heart started racing.

“There is something you are wrong about. I need to clarify that.”

I stared at him blankly.

He stood tall and slender, his handsome and clean features striking. His bright gaze rested on my face, his expression calm and serious.

My heart jumped. Was he finally going to make a final decision about what happened that day?

“Not just a wife,” his voice was slow and clear. “Now, you are my princess.”

I was stunned. Princess? What did that mean?

As I watched in surprise, he slowly looked away, a slight blush appearing on his fair cheeks, and his tone became indifferent: “Go back and get some more sleep.”

I nodded subconsciously, and he had already taken long strides and walked out the door.

Morin, who had been pretending to be invisible, rushed out from the side, excited and surprised, and asked, “Miss, are you a princess? What race are you? Are you from the Aisin Gioro clan?”

I shook my head, equally confused. He said there was one thing I was wrong about, implying that everything else was correct. He also admitted that he had been unfair to me before.

I suddenly felt a mix of joy and bittersweetness. I really did not expect him to say that.

But what exactly did “princess” mean?

As I went upstairs, the words I had said to him that day suddenly popped into my mind: “…Just because you are a prince and I am just a commoner? If we were of equal status, would you still treat me like this…?”

And he just said I was his princess?