CH 1

There was a lot of noise outside the room, and through the noise reduction wall, you could feel the liveliness outside.

Tu Mianmian was pressed on the chair by the makeup artist. He tilted his head up and sat obediently as the make-up artist applied his makeup and styled his hair.

The eyeballs under his closed eyelids rolled slightly in curiosity of the outside world.

Tu Mianmian pricked up his ears wanting to hear what was being said outside, but he was too far away from the door and it was too noisy to hear detailed words. But he could probably guess a little…

Taking advantage of the time when the makeup artist turned around to get something, Tu Mianmian looked down at the decent suit he was wearing, and couldn’t help but puff out his cheeks.

Maybe they’re talking about his new ‘Duchess‘ title.

As the make-up artist turned around and saw Tu Mianmian’s face bulging like an angry puffer-fish, her eyes began to glow, “The Duchess is so cute!”

Tu Mianmian was so frightened that he quickly let out the breath he was holding, and his cheeks recovered their exquisite and beautiful arc.

He secretly looked at the makeup artist’s reaction, and found that the makeup artist seemed to be happier, and even the act of arranging his hair was much gentler.

At this time, the home service robot came to Tu Mianmian with a cup of warm water, the star eyes on the display screen flickered, and the electronic voice could be heard with a bit of a flattering tone, “Duchess, please drink some water!”

“Thank you.”

Tu Mianmian took the water cup and moved his hips slightly away from the robot.

Not only was he unfamiliar and vigilant of high-tech things, but the title of ‘Duchess‘ also made him feel at a loss.

God knows, Tu Mianmian just accidentally crossed into this strange interstellar era.

He settled on the Central Star of the Chaoyang Empire, and received humanitarian aid due to his unknown personal information.

After the Genetic Information Bureau established citizen information for him, they found a 100% genetic match between him and Duke Sivir in the gene bank.

So, a staff member anxiously came to ask him if he would like to marry the Duke.

At that time, he wasn’t aware of the sinister side of society. Plus, with a gene match of 100%, shouldn’t it be his father or brother? Marriage should be a slip of the tongue from the staff.

So he nodded. Then he was sent to the Duke’s Mansion by the staff of the Genetic Bureau at the speed of light.

The housekeeper of the Duke’s house was also very hasty. He immediately summoned the Duke who was away from home, and called people from the Central Star Civil Affairs Office to come to the door to register the marriage and take photos for the marriage certificate.

The Duke’s Mansion was suddenly full of joy, and there was a sense of happiness and relief that the duke was finally released from the bachelors list.

The housekeeper took care of Tu Mianmian nervously throughout the whole process.

Although the housekeeper was meticulous, he seemed to be very afraid that he’d run away halfway through the process.

Tu Mianmian couldn’t help feeling very conflicted. But things have already reached this point, and there was no time for him to take it back.

Just as the makeup artist finished her work, the lively noise outside suddenly quieted down, almost becoming silent.

After a while, the unique sound of leather boots stepping on the ground could be heard from afar. After a short pause, the door of the lounge was opened.

“Tu Mianmian?”

The unknown person pronounced his name clearly and carefully, as if calling for a very important person. But this could not hide the fact that he was unfamiliar with Tu Mianmian.

“Yes.” Tu Mianmian answered, looking up at the person who came.

Coincidentally, Tu Mianmian was also unfamiliar with the noble Duke Sivir of the Chaoyang Empire.

The husband and ‘wife’ who were about to take photos for their marriage registration certificate were still very awkward with each other.

Sivir walked in and stood straight with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, blocking his sight of the view outside the door.

Sivir’s gaze fell on Tu Mianmian who had just been dressed up. His eyes were round, big and agile, and his flaxen hair curled slightly after it was styled, making him look like an unworldly little prince.

Facing Sivir’s gaze, Tu Mianmian smiled at him with two small dimples on his cheeks.

Sivir: “…”

Sivir’s emerald-green eyes suddenly became a deeper shade, resembling two secluded pools of water.

As he slowly moved his eyes away from Tu Mianmian and looked at the makeup artist, his throat rolled.

With a calm and indifferent tone, he asked the makeup artists a question.

“Is it done?”

A trembling answer returned.

“Your Royal Highness, it’s already-y… I mean, yes… it’s done.”

After summoning up the courage to say the first sentence, the following words came much smoother, “Madam’s appearance conforms to the standard for ID photos. Your Highness can now bring madam with you to take photos.”

Sivir: “Ah.”

Then Sivir stood there and waited for a while, but found that Tu Mianmian didn’t respond.

He looked at Tu Mianmian, and Mianmian also looked back at him blankly.

Sivir paused, then walked to Tu Mianmian’s side.

Turning a blind eye to the makeup artists who hastily backed away, he bent down slightly and stretched out his arm to Mianmian who was sitting obediently on the makeup chair.

“When you’re done, let’s go out and take pictures.”

Tu Mianmian looked at the arm in front of him.

His eyes were drawn to the soft, expensive fabric of the suit worn on Sivir’s body in the same style as his own.

With hindsight, he realized that Sivir was waiting for him to go out together. With a small sigh, he stretched out his hand and took Sivir’s arm.

—

Outside, the staff of the Civil Affairs Office, the staff of the Genetics Bureau, and the staff and servants of the Duke’s mansion who were waiting were fortunate enough to see the scene of the Duke and Duchess standing together for the first time.

Lord Sivir’s eyes were sharp and indifferent as always.

However, unknowingly, his temperament had undergone a slight change.

Whether it was because he changed out of his military uniform or because he had the Duchess beside him—at this moment, the cold aura of the past had subsided, and the entire person looked much more at peace.

Although the Duchess standing beside him was a head shorter, he didn’t look thin or petite. His skin, white as milk, seemed to glow and his eyes were also very clear.

At first glance, Tu Mianmian was a very beautiful and cute boy.

He obviously had an exquisite appearance, but looking at him longer inexplicably makes people feel that he looks like some kind of small, fluffy animal.

What!

Such a cute appearance! Cuteness is righteousness!

Wailing sounded in everyone’s hearts~

The butler of the Duke’s Mansion, Anderson, pushed aside the crowd and greeted them with a kind smile,

“Your Royal Highness.”

As he turned to look at Tu Mianmian standing next to the Duke, the gray-haired old man’s smile became even more kind,

“Madam.”

“…” Sivir nodded.

Butler Anderson received Sivir’s response, then looked at Tu Mianmian.

Mianmian hesitated for a little bit, but learning from Sivir’s response, he nodded to Anderson as well.

The old housekeeper wearing gold-rimmed spectacles received their affirmation, and immediately widened his smile.

Every wrinkle on his face seemed to contain joy.

“His Royal Highness and Madam are ready. Let’s finish the procedure.” Butler Anderson said, with a smile still on his face.

After Anderson, the Duke’s housekeeper spoke, the staff of the Civil Affairs Bureau stepped forward immediately, opened a specific work page on their light brains, and asked Sivir and Tu Mianmian to sign the marriage agreement to complete the preliminary steps for marriage registration.

Others also began to act one after another. The staff who were ‘silenced’ by Sivir’s aura came ‘alive’ and started to work.

After signing their respective signatures, both Tu Mianmian and Sivir were invited into a small studio set-up.

Surrounded by background boards placed by the staff of the Duke’s Mansion, the deep color of the red roses scattered around stood out, outlining a beautiful scenery of flowers.

The lighting devices above their heads controlled by an intelligent AI, automatically captures and analyzes the surrounding environment, and is able to switch between warm and cold lighting with different intensities freely.

There are countless small cameras flying around, constantly looking for the best angle to capture.

In fact, with the advanced technology of the interstellar era, marriage registration is not so tedious and complicated.

Many couples simply take a picture and register in no time at all.

But the steps they’re taking now are customs handed down from ancient times.

The Duke’s House has always been a family that advocates ancient rituals and tradition, so every detail is carried out carefully.

Sivir guided Tu Mianmian to stand amongst the cluster of flowers.

He took a glance at the fragile flowers around him.

Inexplicably, Sivir felt that the ‘madam’ he was currently holding was as delicate and weak as such flowers, needing attentive care.

“…” Sivir, who was thinking wildly, suddenly stiffened, and the discomfort in his body suddenly became stronger.

Sivir did not show any significant changes on his face. He secretly suppressed the discomfort that he felt, and his eyebrows creased slightly together making him look a bit colder as a result.

The light above his head changed from a cool tone to a warm yellow light.

Tu Mianmian blinked his eyes at the change and quietly turned his head a bit, glancing at Sivir beside him.

From this angle, he could only see Sivir’s tightly pursed lips. He raised his gaze slightly, and a cold and stern profile entered his eyes.

Tu Mianmian finally felt reality hit him, and the corner of his lips curled up in a silly smile.

This is his legal partner.

Although he’s never had an object, the country packaged and gave him a partner. And he seems like a pretty good partner too.

After the marriage certificate photo was taken, the staff of the Civil Affairs Office entered the photo into the marriage system of the Chaoyang Empire.

At this point, the final step for marriage registration was completed, and the relationship between Sivir and Tu Mianmian was finalized.

There were two marriage certificates issued by the Civil Affairs Bureau. An electronic file was respectively sent to Sivir and Tu Mianmian’s optical brain terminals, and a precious paper document was issued and handed over to Butler Anderson for careful storage.

—

Tu Mianmian was sitting by the window fiddling with his optical brain.

It was the first time he came into contact with such an advanced technological product. So, he was adapting to the brain’s functions by following the beginner’s tutorial provided by the optical brain manager.

Outside a nearby large window, a few distant figures could be seen.

They were the last of the staff to leave the Duke’s Mansion. They also seemed to be whispering something to each other excitedly.

Tu Mianmian had been cultivating for many years, such that his ears and eyes were incredibly sharp. So, he could hear a few words even from a distance.

“Is that the newly-baked Duchess?”

“What does he look like? Tell me now! Did you take pictures secretly? I’ve been doing logistics outside, and I couldn’t see anything!”

“He’s so cute! Ah! We rarely see this type of beautiful boy in the Central Star!”

“It seems to be the combination of a domineering duke and a cute little boy. I now have some material to fan over, hehe.”

“The Duchess’s eyes are so clean. It’s like they can talk to me.”

“The Duchess is beautiful and cute, and he looks good…I, I think…”

Tu Mianmian: “…” No, you have nothing to think about.

Tu Mianmian turned his head towards Sivir sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed.

The light of the evening sun slanted onto his face and Tu Mianmian saw the prominent frown on his face.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Tu Mianmian approached to ask, but he was grabbed by the wrist subconsciously. This was due to Sivir’s reflex and habit, trained by his years in the military.

When he opened his eyes, Sivir’s vision was out of focus for a few moments, then quickly gained clarity.

The hand holding him was extremely hot, but Tu Mianmian didn’t struggle and sat down beside him calmly, “Your skin is really hot.”

He asked with concern, “Are you sick?”

After all, he should still be considerate and concerned about the object the Empire had just assigned to him.

Sivir looked at him, but did not speak. The emerald green irises gradually darkened in color, “…”

Tu Mianmian also looked back at him: “…”

Sivir: “…”

Tu Mianmian: “?”

The exchange was declared a failure. Seeing Tu Mianmian’s eyes gradually becoming confused, Sivir pursed his lips.

His fingers rubbed Tu Mianmian’s wrist, and the small piece of white, tender skin quickly stained with his temperature.

Butler Anderson, who came out of the kitchen, was about to report on the dinner preparation progress, but was stunned when he witnessed this scene.

After receiving a questioning glance from Tu Mianmian, Butler Anderson smiled slightly: “It’s alright Madam, you can help His Royal Highness.”

Tu Mianmian said with his eyes: I don’t understand what you are talking about.

But soon, Mianmian understood the kind of “help” it was.

Due to the Duke’s situation getting more and more out of control, the carefully prepared dinner was forced to be hastily resolved, and the battle between Sivir and Tu Mianmian was quickly moved to the bedroom.

In the Duke’s bedroom, the bathroom was steaming. Tu Mianmian’s hair was still slightly moist as he sat on the edge of the wide and soft bed.

He absentmindedly pinched the corner of his pajamas with a blank expression on his face.

The words “Lord Duke’s needs. Passion. Rut.” tumbled over in his head, and then tumbled over some more.

It’s normal to read each word separately, but reading them together was so frightening that his rabbit tail was about to pop out.

“Mianmian.” The low hoarse voice close to his ear startled Tu Mianmian.

Mianmian came back to his senses, looked up, and found that it was Sivir who had just come out of the bathroom.

The light in the bedroom was directly controlled by the light brain. The brightness was turned down under Sivir’s adjustment, and the atmosphere turned ambiguous.

Tu Mianmian was a little uneasy in his heart, and stammered: “I’m here, why, what’s wrong..”

The awkward Mianmian tucked his head down.

Sivir hugged him, and with a hoarse sexy voice influenced by his physical reactions, he let out a soft sigh: “Help me…”

In the middle of the night, the bedroom finally found peace and the silence returned.

A white arm stuck out from the quilt, and pitifully grabbed the corner of the pillow with the word ‘grievance’ written on the tips of his pale pink fingers.

Mianmian buried half of his face into the pillow and sighed silently in his man’s arms.

Ugh.

Once married to a wealthy man…

You have to taste bitterness.