CH 61

Return (3)

After leaving the command room alone, Jiang Jianming went straight to Garcia.

Those words of the chief were still buzzing in his ears, but thanks to the blessing of Ryann’s last words, he had learned to force himself to temporarily ignore certain nonsense.

……….Maybe there are some words that the other party didn’t intend for you to understand immediately when they say it.

Jiang Jianming thought to himself as he walked and comforted himself: It’s useless to speculate blindly, that’s why he has to make a detour first.

The room was dark when the door was pushed open. There should be lights inside the starship, apparently the occupant turned it off.

“Your Highness?” Jiang Jianming frowned.

Sweeping his eyes in the darkness, Garcia was actually on the bed.

The man was lying on his side, away from the door, with his eyes closed. A large piece of curly hair was spread out in a mess, and only the tall and straight bridge of the nose and the tightly closed eyelashes could be vaguely seen.

Very decadent, half dead, as if pretending to be a lying corpse.

Jiang Jianming: “??”

He almost suspected that this person was drinking fake wine and got dizzy. (TL: When a person shows a completely different behavior than usual, he is dubbed “drinking fake wine” by others.)

But the prince raised his eyes the moment he heard the door open, and the light outside turned into a comet, which flickered in his emerald eyes.

Jiang Jianming got a little scared, and immediately stuck to the corner of the wall, while looking down at the wrist device. “Half an hour, I should not have been late this time, no.” 

Garcia: “……..”

After confirming that he was not to blame, Jiang Jianming was relieved. He punched the lump on the bed and stretched out his hands, “Come here, I’ll give you a big hug.”

Garcia didn’t move, but only raised his head, his eyes glinting faintly in the darkness, “…Are you training a dog?”

The satin-like curly hair was a little bristled due to him rolling on the bed, and a few unruly strands of white gold jumped out.

Jiang Jianming went around and calmly pulled Garcia up from the bed.

While stroking His Highness, he sighed, “Is the relationship with the Black Shark Base so bad? Can you tell me about what happened before?”

“No.” Garcia didn’t move.

The meaning of not moving was that although he wouldn’t take the initiative to get close to Jiang Jianming’s arms, he did not avoid either.

Jiang Jianming: “……..You are really childish. Recently, your nature has become increasingly exposed. Was the previous appearance all just a pretense?”

He took out the hair tie that Garcia smoothly stuffed in yesterday from his coat pocket, and fastened the man’s hair.

“I have finished talking with the chief, it’s your turn next. Haven’t you always wanted to know my identity?”

Garcia said wearily, “Don’t want to.”

Jiang Jianming: “?”

Garcia was visibly irritable, tossed his hair, and repeated, “I don’t want to know now.”

Suddenly, Jiang Jianming felt the hull vibrate slightly under his feet.

An electronic announcement sounded throughout the ship: [This ship is about to pass through the high-dimensional blockade and sail into the territory of the empire. Please get ready and don’t activate the transition function.]

The two people whose conversation was interrupted turned their heads at the same time and looked out the window.

The first thing that came into view was the artificial space station of the empire. It was shaped like a huge white steel top, slowly rotating in the sea of universe, while emitting beams of varying frequencies from the top.

And behind the space station, far away, there was a layer of colorful translucent film at the end of the universe, resembling an aurora, or like the bubbles blown by a child.

[Repeat, this ship is about to pass through the high-dimensional blockade and enter the territory of the empire. Please get ready and don’t activate the transition function.]

“….beautiful.” Jiang Jianming stared at the color and said softly.

Garcia didn’t speak, and his somewhat somber eyes fell on the disabled human officer standing beside him, as the colorful light slowly expanded on the other’s collar.

This “film” with magnificent visual effects was the high-dimensional blockade of the empire, which belonged to the cutting-edge space technology and implemented a one-way blockade. The starships outside the barrier couldn’t jump into the blockade, and could only enter normally. The Golden Sun Wheel Imperial Escort Army in the space station assumed the duty of the outpost, and strictly examined every starship that entered.

This also prevented the evil space pirates from appearing outside the White Jade Palace to open fire at any time, or urinating on the beams of the houses of any empire people.

Garcia suddenly spoke again, “Answer my question, but don’t speak, just nod or shake your head.”

“Have you ever been ordered to approach me?”

Of course Jiang Jianming shook his head.

“Is it a premeditated plan for you and me to meet?”

He still shook his head.

The starship passed by the space station, and the logo of the Black Shark Base simply passed by the military emblem of Golden Sun Wheel like this.

The dreamlike colored lights penetrated the glass of the room, embellishing the eyebrows, hair and collars of the two young people.

Garcia looked out the window, moved his Adam’s apple, and asked the third question, “Will you restrain me?”

Jiang Jianming calmly replied, “Nothing can bind a free soul.”

“It’s like when you ordered me not to speak, but as long as I want to speak, I can speak. Unless you use violence to silence my mouth.”

“But obviously, in terms of violence, you can completely overwhelm me, and I can’t do anything about you. Therefore I don’t think I have the ability to restrain you.”

The starship passed through the high-dimensional blockade, and then there was a second of magnificent abundance of colors.

The light spots were like neon lights, illuminating the entire room wantonly, obscuring the outlines of the two people’s shoulders and backs.

Jiang Jianming closed his eyes for a moment due to dizziness, and when he opened them again, Garcia had already turned around and approached, “That’s enough. I don’t want to hear about the rest.”

The brilliance faded from the window, and the announcement sounded again to remind them that they were already within the territory of the empire.

Garcia took Jiang Jianming’s arm, beckoned him to sit down by the bed, lowered his voice and said, “Let’s stop at this point. Continue telling me about the empire, or other things………just like last night.”

“But Your Highness…”

“I know you have a secret,” Garcia said, “you’re hiding it and don’t let me know.”

“It’s not something you yourself can decide. You don’t need to know me, but I need to understand you.”

Jiang Jianming raised his eyebrows, “Your Highness Garcia, may I ask what are you running away from? Black Shark Base, the Empire, or……” His eyes were deep, and he paused deliberately, “your Imperial Brother Ryann.”

Garcia stood up abruptly, with dark clouds rolling in his eyes.

He laughed back angrily, “Are you provoking me on purpose?”

The light of the high-dimensional blockade was now completely far away, as the two figures faced each other in silence.

They were already huddled in the bed, and when Garcia stood up, Jiang Jianming was almost pushed against the wall by the window.

The remnant crystal human’s eyes were icy black, and one of his arms was still being firmly held by the prince. At this time, the huge difference in strength between the races was fully revealed. The prince did not even need to really show his killing intent, as long as he unconsciously released the crystal bone in his palm under the rage, the disabled human’s arm would be cut in two.

Jiang Jianming simply stared at him.

Two seconds of silence.

The remnant crystal human smiled silently, narrowed his eyes provocatively, and said in a gentle tone, “I’m really curious, why are you so unwilling to accept it, that perhaps you are Ryann Kaios yourself.”

The next moment, the world spun, until there was a muffled sound in his ears. His back hit the hard windowsill first, and then hit the floor of the starship. It was only then that Jiang Jianming realized what had happened.

Almost like a stress reaction, Garcia suddenly pushed him away.

It’s like the harmless body of a disabled human being suddenly turned into a sharp knife pointing at his heart, or like a burning and smoking soldering iron.

Pain slowly climbed up the nerve. Jiang Jianming lowered his eyelids, pressed his palm on his side of the abdomen unobtrusively.

The wound………he still felt the pain.

He thought he was completely healed.

Garcia became startled suddenly, as if being pulled back from an out-of-control emotion, and gasped for breath.

In the darkness, he raised the fingers of his right hand, which was a gesture of wanting to touch the person in front of him.

However, in the next second, the prince slowly lowered his hand, and even put it behind his back trying to hide it.

Garcia raised his head slightly, the line of his jaw was tense, his gaze was sullen and withdrawn, “Do you want to continue talking?”

Jiang Jianming sat up straight.

He thought blankly: But I can’t really tell you when we’re already in front of His Majesty the Emperor that I am your wife in name, but is now actually a widow.

He opened his lips….

After hesitating for a few breaths, he closed it again.

In the room without the lights on, Garcia stood in front, looking down from a height while squinting his eyes at him.

“…….”

“Sorry.” Jiang Jianming said softly.

“I can’t say it…for now.”

Later, until many years later, Jiang Jianming would still think of this night in the starship.

Why didn’t he press on, why did he back down, this was not in line with his character.

However, at this moment, the figure standing in front of him with a cold face in the darkness vaguely overlapped with Ryann in the communication projection back then.

——”I ruined your life.”

——”Please hate me.”

Back then, when those words pierced his heart, he could have fought back. The young crown prince had confessed all his crimes, even his fingers were trembling. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was like he was being trampled on.

But he still categorically denied it at the last moment.

——”I will not hate you, but the relationship and friendship between us ends here.”

——”You can’t be too arrogant…..there’s no one or thing in the world that can ruin me.”

He had no idea what happened.

But he still softened his heart, just like this time.

So what if you confess it in front of Her Majesty the Emperor, the chief also said that some things need to be done step by step. Therefore….

“Sorry.” 

Sitting on the cold ground, Jiang Jianming slowly lowered his eyelashes, and said softly, “I won’t say anything…for now.”

I’ll let you off this time, he thought.

After saying that, as if some spell had been broken, Garcia staggered two steps out of composure, and knelt down in front of Jiang Jianming.

“Where were you hit just now, I didn’t…”

He said something hoarsely, and suddenly sobered up halfway.

Garcia awkwardly restrained his expression, and turned his head, “I just want to teach you a lesson, don’t say things you shouldn’t say in the future.”

Jiang Jianming: “…….”

Garcia: “Did the wound open, follow me……”

Then he gritted his teeth and changed his words, “Go find the treatment cabin, go by yourself.”

Jiang Jianming patted Garcia’s back, “No need, the wound doesn’t hurt.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in his heart and thought to himself: So this is what the chief meant about forgiving future harm?

Garcia stopped talking, perhaps he also realized that he was really sick after all the tossing.

“…After arriving in the first galaxy, take the Silver Big Dipper starship and leave first.”

After a long time, the prince stood up with a complicated expression, “Go to the empire, meet the acquaintances you want to meet, recuperate, and save money.”

His gaze slowly moved away from Jiang Jianming’s face, and his tone of voice did not reveal any hint of anger or joy, “Don’t follow me anymore. When I’m with such a group of people, I tend to lose control of my emotions, and something just now might happen again.”

Jiang Jianming frowned, “Your Highness?”

Garcia: “I’ll go find you after I finish dealing with them.”

_______

Translator’s Note: I might have missed this in the previous chapters, but His Majesty is actually Her Majesty. “She” is the current emperor.