CH 26

Ozer couldn’t understand the pounding of his heart.

He wasn’t sure whether it was desire, possessiveness, or something else but he still couldn’t believe that he could feel such emotions towards another person. 

He was naturally indifferent about most things, and hardly ever felt positive emotions towards anyone. Even with his adopted father, he had always respected him but didn’t love him. Their relationship was clearly defined, whilst everything about Ji Ning was complicated.

And ‘taboo’.

Ozer realised he had touched upon the edge of a taboo.

The first person who made him feel this way was his former rival and current younger brother. Even if they had no blood relationship, it didn’t erase the fact that they were both male. 

If he took these feelings a step further, he would get the death penalty.

So they couldn’t be allowed to develop.

Ozer berated himself, he was acting ridiculous.

He never thought he was so eager for love. After finding someone who could accept everything about him, he immediately became dependent on him. It was really…ridiculous.

This had to stop.

Before he couldn’t go back.

But Ozer soon discovered this wasn’t an easy task.

He stopped calling Ji Ning over to meet him privately. Even when Ji Ning himself contacted him and asked to meet, he would coldly refuse. Yet, against his own wishes, he found his eyes chasing Ji Ning’s figure and he clung to any news regarding Ji Ning. 

Now, for example, he knew that Ji Ning had a course in the commander’s department later, so when he went to his next class he subconsciously intercepted Ji Ning’s only route and, as expected, met him in the courtyard.

They were each surrounded by a group of people, walking towards each other.

Inside the academy, Ozer and Ji Ning would not take the initiative to greet each other because everyone knew their relationship was bad. Once Ozer regained his status as a prince, Ji Ning no longer bothered to provoke him and the two became like strangers.

Due to the ticking time bomb of the bloodline test, concubine Chong was worried Ji Ning’s identity as a fake prince would be discovered, so she did not disclose to the academy that Ji Ning was also a prince. Therefore, others believed that Ji Ning the nobleman had offended the prince, but Ozer had graciously forgiven him. They praised Ozer’s tolerance, but Ozer just smiled, because they didn’t understand the truth at all. 

As Ozer pushed his wheelchair forward, he spotted the teenager in the crowd. The elegant smile on his face didn’t change, but it became more genuine, warmth filling his lake green eyes.

The next moment the smile froze on his lips as Ji Ning walked past without giving him a second glance.

Ozer’s good mood vanished in an instant, not because Ji Ning had ignored him, they had deliberately created such a relationship in the academy, but because of the strange girl that walked next to Ji Ning.

She was extremely pretty and wore a beautiful dress that emphasised her slender figure. She smiled at Ji Ning, her eyes shy and gentle. The affection she held for Ji Ning was obvious. 

Ji Ning smiled back at her as they walked side by side, chatting and laughing. The two of them looked like a perfect match.

Ozer’s hands tightened on his wheelchair, as a layer of frost appeared in his eyes.

“Your Royal Highness, what are you looking at?”

The noble children who accompanied Ozer saw him watching Ji Ning leave. Puzzled, they asked what he was doing. 

“…I’m worried about classmate Ji Ning.”

After a short while, Ozer let go of the armrest, hiding the deep dents that remained in the leather with his hand. He said gently, “He seems to have forgotten that strangers are prohibited from entering the academy.”

No one had ever seen that beautiful girl before and she was not wearing a school uniform. If Ji Ning had snuck her in, he was breaking the academy’s rules.

The others were moved, unaware that it was just an excuse Ozer used to cover up his abnormal behaviour. Instead, they wondered if the prince wanted them to use this as a reason to get revenge on Ji Ning and began planning all kinds of conspiracies, when one of the girls spoke up. 

“I know that girl. She’s the daughter of Archduke Feo and is supposed to be entering the academy soon.”

“Archduke Feo and Ji Ning’s family have a good relationship, he’s probably there to walk her through the administration procedures.”

“So she is the only daughter of the Feo family?”

The others looked thoughtfully in the direction where Ji Ning and the girl disappeared. “But wasn’t it rumoured that she was going to become the fifth prince’s wife? To marry such a beautiful woman is simply a prince’s good fortune…” 

Bang.

A loud sound echoed through the courtyard as a nearby streetlamp snapped in half, smashing to the ground.

Everyone was both startled and angry, saying furiously that they would complain to the administrator of the courtyard. How could such a dangerous accident have occurred?

“…” 

Ozer clenched his whitened knuckles against the leather armrests, his eyes dark and wild, trying his best to suppress his spiritual power that was on the verge of rioting as he said in a hoarse voice, “Get out of here.”

Ji Ning was the fifth prince.

That girl was supposed to become his wife in the future.

In the middle of the night, Ji Ning was summoned to a private meeting place by Ozer, after a long time apart. 

Seeing Ozer, Ji Ning showed a pleased expression, calling out with a smile, “Brother.”

“Tbe rffw ab yf vblcu kfii gfmfcais?”

Jbcagjgs ab tlw, Yhfg jqqfjgfv lcvloofgfca. Llr ojmf gfnfjifv cb fzqgfrrlbc jcv tf vlvc’a fnfc ybatfg ab mjra Al Rlcu j uijcmf.

Vfcrlcu tlr jaalaevf kjr wemt mbivfg atjc ereji, Al Rlcu kjr ajxfc jyjmx. Rba xcbklcu ktja kjr ublcu bc, tf tfrlajafv lc kjixlcu abkjgvr tlw, rjslcu mjealberis, “P’w jigluta ygbatfg, tbk jgf sbe?” 

“I’m alright too…very good.”

Ozer raised the corners of his lips but he didn’t seem to be smiling, instead he radiated a wave of oppressive anger.

“But of course, I’m not like you.” He continued, “I don’t have a noble Archduke by my side. I’m always alone.”

“…” 

Ji Ning opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but finally held himself back.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Ozer smiled sarcastically, “What do you want to say? Do you want to wish me luck in finding a beautiful wife, or do you want to say that I should die alone with no one to accompany me?”

“…No!”

The teenager clasped his hands and responded loudly to Ozer. He then lowered his head as a blush spread across his face and murmured in a low voice. 

“I meant to say…if brother doesn’t mind, I would accompany you.”

Ozer’s eyes hardened.

“Accompany me?” he said softly, “You say you want to accompany me?”

He laughed as if he had heard something hysterical, chest vibrating and shoulders trembling until there were tears in his eyes. 

He said he wanted to accompany him, how should he do so? No matter what kind of promise he made, how could it compare to a sacred engagement?

What’s more, how credible is his promise? He says the person he liked was Ozer, but he could still laugh so happily around other people. Maybe one day he would grow tired of him and mercilessly take back all his love.

He wouldn’t be surprised if something like that happened in the future, but if Ji Ning couldn’t love him forever, why bother starting a relationship?

What the hell does he think of him? 

A murderous spiritual energy emerged from Ozer’s body, restraining Ji Ning inside its dark shadow. Ji Ning’s face paled as he sweated, saying intermittently, “Brother, brother…”

Ozer suddenly came to his senses.

He restricted his spiritual power and dropped his head, his hair covering his expression. In the silence, he could only hear Ji Ning’s weak and uneven breathing.

He had always been reluctant to admit that he held any ridiculous feelings for Ji Ning. 

But just now, he knew he had been jealous. Jealous that Ji Ning and that girl were so close, and jealous that they might sign a marriage certificate in the future.

He was almost overwhelmed by the jealousy in his heart, but Ji Ning’s, ‘Brother’ calmed him down again.

In any case, he couldn’t forget they were both royals, men, and brothers in name. The minute any inappropriate feelings were discovered, they would both be executed.

They had no future together. 

Marrying wives and having children, killing for the throne. One winner. One loser. That was the ending they deserved.

“Go.”

The blond prince raised his hand to cover his prickling eyes, forcing himself to stop looking at the boy.

“I’ll keep your secrets for you and won’t tell a soul. You’re free to go.” 

“We don’t have to meet again in future.”

A whole year passed and Ozer and Ji Ning never met again in private.

They were in different departments, located in the east and west ends of the large college. If they didn’t deliberately look for one another, it was easy for the two to never meet. What’s more, Ozer had applied to live in the college dormitory and no longer entered the palace. By deliberately avoiding Ji Ning’s typical routine, the two had only met three times in the academy over the course of a year.

Each encounter was deeply engraved in Ozer’s heart. 

The first time, Ji Ning’s eyes reddened immediately. He ignored their current relationship and stepped forward to question him, but was paralysed by Ozer’s spiritual power and could only watch Ozer’s back as he walked away.

The second time, Ji Ning hadn’t seen Ozer, but walked with the girl from before, who had now entered the school. Ozer hadn’t said a word but after returning to his room, his spiritual power rioted.

The strength of the attack caused a phantom of Ji Ning to appear for the first time. Ozer wanted to grab the phantom’s throat like the others but couldn’t bear to. In the end he stayed up all night, watching the illusory shadow. He didn’t fall asleep until the spiritual attack subsided.

The third time, Ji Ning was once again with the girl. When he saw Ozer, his eyes lit up but his expression quickly dimmed again. Pretending that he hadn’t seen Ozer, he fled in shame, completely forgetting about the girl next to him. 

Ozer watched the direction he had left in and didn’t move for a long time.

That night, he suffered another spiritual attack but this time the loss of control was relatively calm. His spiritual power just transformed into a sad boy, with tears in his eyes, standing in front of him and quietly watching.

Looking at the illusion, Ozer unconsciously stretched out his hand and gently wiped away the tears from the boy’s eyes.

His spiritual power was not developed enough to be able to stimulate the touch of real skin, or the hot wetness of tears. He was fully aware it was all just a fantasy. 

But he couldn’t help holding the boy’s hand, pulling his head towards him and lightly kissing his cold lips.

His heart was falling.

And he was letting it, indulging in his own downfall.

As Archduke Feo’s daughter and Ji Ning became closer, rumours began to spread in the academy. Many people believed that Ji Ning had hidden his identity as the fifth prince, otherwise the Archduke would not have let his daughter get so close to him. 

One day the rumour was finally confirmed as a royal news special broadcast nationwide and the fifth prince was shown on screen for the first time, appearing with the daughter of the Archduke to announce the news of their upcoming engagement.

The academy had broadcast the news across one of its giant light screens. The students were surprised and excited, gossiping about Ji Ning really being the fifth prince.

The entire hall was very lively, only Ozer was out of place, his heart turning cold.

Even though he had expected it, when he saw the news displayed across the screen, he was still unable to accept it. His aggravated spiritual power spread out unrestrained, causing a large crack to spread across the light screen, the picture blurring. 

He was finally going to be completely abandoned.

The last love he possessed was going to die, like the final flare of a shooting star.

The last light flickered out and only endless darkness remained, rushing towards him like a surging ocean current, drawing him in its icy embrace.

When he next returned to his senses, he found he had somehow returned to the palace, sitting inside Ji Ning’s room. After a while, the boy returned and asked with a faint smile what was going on there. 

“…Are you here to give me your blessings?”

He asked Ozer softly, staring at him longingly. He quickly seemed to realise that he was acting inappropriately and lowered his head, avoiding Ozer’s gaze and saying, “Thank you.”

In a single second, all of Ozer’s resolve from the past year was shattered by the look on Ji Ning’s face.

A shaft of spiritual power suddenly slammed against Ji Ning and pinned him to the wall. 

Unable to control his body, he could only raise his wide eyes and watch in astonishment as Ozer slowly stood up from his wheelchair. Using his spiritual power to support him with each step, he moved in front of Ji Ning, pressing his hands ruthlessly into Ji Ning’s shoulders.

“Break off the engagement.”

Ozer spoke each word carefully, “Break up with that woman immediately or I will reveal your identity.”

“…” the boy’s mouth gaped, looking very flustered as he said incoherently, “No, brother…you promised me that time, you wouldn’t…” 

“I’ve changed my mind.” Ozer gripped his shoulders, suppressing the dark feelings in his heart and asked quietly, “Or would you rather die than break up with that woman?”

The boy shook his head frantically with red eyes, “She was introduced to me by father, if I tried to break off the marriage he would be angry. Please brother, I can’t…”

“Fine, it doesn’t matter.” said Ozer, “If I kill that woman, you don’t have to ask to break off the engagement.”

“No!” The boy’s eyes opened wide as he said in a hurry, “You can’t kill her. I’ll tell father to annul the engagement. I’ll go and say…” 

He lowered his head, hiding the fragile expression on his face, his voice choked. Seeing him in pain, Ozer’s heart also began to ache. He hadn’t expected the boy would rather dissolve the engagement than hurt that woman.

Why?

“Is the person you like really me?”

He couldn’t help but ask the boy. 

Ji Ning’s face paled.

His darkest secret had been uncovered.

He liked Ozer.

Ji Ning was unable to say a word. Ozer spoke into his ear with a low voice, his breath hot, “Since you like me, why do you still protect her? Why didn’t you think of a way to refuse this engagement in the first place?” 

“She’s a good person. Even if I don’t love her, I respect and appreciate her. She is someone I value very much, and…”

Ozer couldn’t see the boy’s face but he could hear the way his voice trembled.

“Liking you…it’s really painful.”

Crack. 

An invisible force struck through the room in an instant, splitting deep cracks across the walls. Heavy crashes echoed through the rooms as the furnishings crumbled to dust.

“You think you’re the only one who suffered?”

Ozer laughed, but the lake green of his eyes had darkened, a cold undercurrent surging forth.

From his wild spiritual power, a new phantom emerged. 

Many figures of young girls appeared in the air around them, each with a miserable expression. Like clay sculptures baked in flames, their beautiful faces melted. Their flesh and blood dripped into a crimson pile on the ground. Soon after the remaining skeletons collapsed to the floor with a dull thud, mixing with the chunks of flesh.

“Do you think she’s in pain?”

Ozer squeezed the boy’s jaw, forcing him to look at the wretched sight.

“This is the pain I feel every time I lose control.” 

“I want you to understand that the pain you cause me is far worse than this. I know you love me, and I-”

Am also in love with you.

With anger and love, his lips collided with the boy’s, biting into the delicate skin until the metallic taste of blood filled their mouths. He chased the sweetness, licking into the wound until Ji Ning whined, the small injury contrasting with the bitter, bloodied mess on the floor.

How similar it was to their own ending. 

They had no light, no future but, finally, they could fall into the abyss together.

The blond monarch embraced the phantom, tears staining his face.

Ji Ning stood stiff as Ozer hugged him. He didn’t know how long Ozer’s spiritual attack would last or how soon his mental state would return to normal once it was over. How would he react knowing it was really him?

When would this space distortion end… 

He kept praying in his heart. After all this time, he deserved some luck now and again. Future connected to his consciousness and said,【The distortion has been corrected. If you move through any doorway, you can return to Gu Chen’s world.】

For a moment, the cold voice of Future sounded angelic, but he was still trapped by Ozer’s spiritual energy.

Shortly after, Ji Ning felt his body relax as he was released from the power that controlled his body. This indicated that Ozer had regained control from the spiritual attack and would wake up any minute.

Ji Ning could now move but he was still within the large field of Ozer’s spiritual power. Unless he could return to another world, he wouldn’t be able to escape from Ozer’s control. 

He was still several metres away from the door…with difficulty, Ji Ning turned his head to check the distance and couldn’t help feeling that it was hopeless.

Was suicide really his only way out of this?

Ji Ning still felt frightened facing death. He only wanted to use that method as a last resort. First, he had to move away from Ozer…

Ji Ning gently pushed Ozer’s hands away. When he raised his head, he gave him a light smile, pretending to be a phantom. Slowly, he turned around to leave. 

Although Ozer summoned the phantoms, they were not completely under his control, therefore such a move shouldn’t be suspicious.

Ozer supported his forehead, staring at Ji Ning’s retreating back in a daze. The oppressive atmosphere that blanketed the bedroom gradually retreated as Ozer’s reason returned.

His pupils shrank suddenly as he saw the phantom that caught his eye hadn’t vanished with the others.

But that seemed to be…the real Ji Ning. 

It unexpectedly occurred to him that the Ji Ning just then had looked older than the boy he remembered. But his out of control spiritual energy couldn’t simulate a phantom he hadn’t seen before. Although he had repeatedly imagined what the boy would have looked like when he grew up, the apparitions could never reflect that.

“You…”

Before he had even spoken, his spiritual power had reached out towards the figure, his every instinct begging him not to let him go.

Yet just as his spiritual power was about to touch him, a dark figure emerged from Ji Ning’s shadow, swallowing Ozer’s power. 

Ji Ning, who didn’t dare turn to check behind him, hadn’t noticed, preoccupied with ripping open the door and slipping through it.

He was met once again with the starry sky restaurant, and Gu Chen sat at their table. Seeing Ji Ning return, he smiled, “You’re back Senior, are your clothes clean?

Ozer moved his wheelchair to chase after him. When he reached the door, he pushed it open with trembling fingers, but there was only darkness in front of him.

He blanketed his spiritual power across the palace, searching for the person who had been here just now. But no, no, nowhere, as if that person had evaporated. 

Ozer stopped his movements and sat in the palace for a long time, silent and dangerous.

He recalled the moment the door opened and the glimpse he had seen of the unfamiliar restaurant and strange man sitting at a table in front of him.

It was impossible for his spiritual power to create an original face. So, it seemed that for a moment, for some reason, this door was connected to an unknown space. It must have been real.

As the Emperor of a cosmic Empire, Ozer was no stranger to space jumps. He had even been involved in the creation of several interstellar pathways, in order to shorten distances between various star systems. 

If there was such a possibility…Ozer used his spiritual power to trace the faces of Ji Ning and the strange man onto a piece of paper and summoned a maid. He handed her the piece of paper.

“Use all available means to search for these two people.”

Ozer is unexpectedly popular, how interesting~

I admit, this background chapter softens me a bit…ah, we will see Ozer, convince me! 

And thank you to my precious readers for the lovely things you say, I’ll keep my thoughts in the chapters (^○^)