CH 43

[No way? The Marquis is the Marquis, and Mianmian is Mianmian? Are these two different people? So… is Mianmian really paying by mistake?] (T/N: ‘paying by mistake’ means that during his relationship, he thought they were suitable, but it turned out it was not)

[Sudden choking. I am so sad, the sun today is not bright at all. I’m crying because of this.]

[Sivir, the scumbag is not a human being, playing with Mianmian’s feelings, and now marrying a nobleman as his partner. Sure enough, men are the most unreliable.]

[By the way, didn’t someone guess that Mianmian was in the hospital before. Would he really be in the hospital? And during the hospitalization, the scumbag Sivir found a new love again?]

[Speaking of which…Although Mianmian is called the Duchess, I remember that he and His Royal Highness did not have a wedding. This kind of marriage is not considered to have been truly married, and now Mianmian and His Royal Highness the Duke are at best broken up, right?]

[A bit in disbelief. That shouldn’t be the case, right? Maybe it’s just that there has been no wedding, and they went to the marriage office to register in a low-key manner. I’ll check it out. I should be able to find Mianmian’s personal information.]

There was a gloomy cloud on the star network.

Yet in the royal banquet hall, it was a harmonious atmosphere.

His Majesty the Emperor took his seat at the front of the banquet hall.

The rest of the big and small nobles were seated in their positions in turn.

Sivir had a detached position in the Chaoyang Empire, and so his position was the first to the left of His Majesty the Emperor.

The first on the right is the eldest prince of the empire.

Tu Mianmian raised his head and looked towards the opposite side.

There was a wide golden red carpet walkway in the middle.

The distance was quite far.

He could not see what the first prince looked like, and could only see a vague outline.

His Majesty the Emperor in his high position was already very old, looking older than the old professor, and it looked like his time left in this world was short.

Tu Mianmian blinked at Sivir, and Sivir turned his head to the side calmly.

Tu Mianmian brought his lips to the Duke’s ear and whispered disrespectful words: “Why is he the eldest prince and not the crown prince? His Majesty the Emperor is already so old, hasn’t he made the eldest prince the crown prince?”

Sivir froze slightly.

Immediately, he responded: “Well..”

It was true that the Chaoyang Empire had not established an heir yet, but the reason is not easy to explain in public.

Sivir whispered, “I’ll tell you why when we get home.”

Tu Mianmian nodded.

Oh! It seems to be an unknown secret of the royal family, which cannot be made public.

“Speaking of which, His Royal Highness is still the first-in-line heir.” Yuri heard Tu Mianmian’s question, and said with a smile, “–In the absence of a standing reserve.”

Him and Anna, as Sivir’s subordinate, sat behind Sivir and Tu Mianmian, so it was very convenient to chat.

“Yuri.” Sivir glanced at Yuri lightly.

His tone implied a warning.

Yuri closed his mouth on the spot, sat upright, and did not dare to speak again.

Tu Mianmian looked at Sivir and then at Yuri.

Finally, he put his eyes on Sivir, and the light of gossip flashed in his eyes.

Sivir: “…”

The Duke squeezed Tu Mianmian’s cheek: “It’s hard to say.”

“Hmmmm, I know, you’ll tell me when we go home.” Tu Mianmian nodded, smiled, and said very politely: “Let’s go home soon.”

Sivir couldn’t help laughing.

""

While speaking, the ceremony process for the awarding of honors had begun.

In this border battle, all officers and soldiers who’ve made outstanding contributions could be rewarded to varying degrees.

Under the roll call of the ceremonial robot, they went to the Emperor to be honored.

Anna was also honored. The military merit she had accumulated this time and the previous accumulations of merit were enough for her to be promoted to a major.

When she went to accept His Majesty’s honor, her expression was calm, and she seemed steadfast and self-sufficient.

But after returning to her position, she suddenly became excited.

Anna had made up her mind up, and looked at the back of Tu Mianmian’s head, and asked with a smile, “Can Madam congratulate me too?”

“Ah?” Tu Mianmian was listening intently to the roll call, and when he heard her question, he quickly turned around, “Congratulations!”

“Thank you.” The smile on Anna’s face widened a bit.

But out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Sivir and clenched her fists, “…It would be even better if Madam moved his ears as a congratulations to me.”

“?” Tu Mianmian was at a loss, unable to figure out the logical relationship between his ears and congratulations, and he was a little confused.

But he still did it, shaking his rabbit ears twice.

Anna was instantly overjoyed, and she thanked Tu Mianmian continuously.

Then she raised her hand to cover her face halfway, blocking her hideous smile, contentedly.

Madam is so lovely.

It was exciting to tease Madam under the nose of His Royal Highness the Duke.

Yuri: “…”

Anna, you seem to be drifting a bit onto a crooked path.

The guts are too much.

Sivir: “…”

The Duke stared at his adjutant for a moment.

He watched as Anna’s expression changed from a face full of spring breeze to a solemn expression, as her attitude changed to the opposite of fearless due to a chill felt down her back.

He then withdrew his gaze.

“Why haven’t you gone up?” Tu Mianmian asked, tugging at Sivir’s hand, looking puzzled.

The roll call was over, and the last two officers with great military exploits were even given the title of viscount.

But Sivir, the commander who made the greatest contribution, did not receive any reward or praise.

“I can’t be awarded anymore.” Sivir held Tu Mianmian’s hand in his hand.

His warm fingertips gently caressed Tu Mianmian’s palm, and Mianmian couldn’t help but curl up his fingers, trying to escape from the Duke’s palm.

The Chris family was the founding family of the Chaoyang Empire, and it has always been full of glory.

The position of the Duke was unique in the Empire.

Sivir had enough honors and status granted to him, and if he were to go further…probably he would become the Emperor.

Sivir gave Tu Mianmian a little explanation.

The old Duke in the past had also reached a level of unspeakable military exploits.

Once you reach such heights, you’re basically tying the honor of the Empire to yourself.

Once prosperous, there’s not much else left.

Fighting for the Empire has become an instinctive duty, and rewards are things that can no longer be pursued.

At that time, His Majesty the Emperor felt sorry for the old Duke who worked for the Empire, and so he always compensated the Duke’s Mansion with stars and rare resources, or a few energy stars in private.

Later, the old Duchess became pregnant with Sivir, and His Majesty the Emperor found a reason to give more.

He placed all the honors and rewards that the old Duke and his wife could no longer obtain under Sivir’s name.

Therefore, the Duke came to be extremely rich.

“Oh.” Tu Mianmian shook his head after listening, and his rabbit ears swayed.

He didn’t know what to think, and suddenly sneered a bit.

Tu Mianmian squinted at Sivir and snorted twice, “Then it’s all my fault this time, I can’t give birth to a precious son to your Chris family.”

He missed the point by hundreds of millions of miles.

Sivir: “…”

Sivir: “…”

Yuri and Anna almost laughed out loud—the Duchess is too good!

How can he be so cute!

——

The award ceremony finished, and after His Majesty the Emperor delivered a speech in person, the ceremony came to an end.

It was already dark outside, and about time for dinner.

Once the award ceremony was over, a dinner party was held.

The waiter robots walked through the banquet hall with dinner plates, and orderly delivered all kinds of delicacies, placing them on the table in front of the guests.

The two waiter robots overseeing the Viscount also left to help.

The Viscount was finally free.

Taking advantage of this moment, he secretly turned on his light brain and boarded the StarNet.

But when the Viscount saw the wind direction in the post, his eyes darkened and he almost fainted.

[Latest news! Latest news! I heard that the Marquis of Raphael is a newcomer who has undergone atavism and then inherited the honor of an ancient noble family!]

[Oh, I heard that too. I also found out that the plush animal that His Royal Highness the Duke brought with him during the military meeting in the morning seems to be the complete form resulting from atavism. Is this a throwback to the Marquis Raphael?]

[Wow, atavism into a plush animal? I’ve become curious about Marquis Raphael.]

[Ahh! Hateful! Marquis Raphael must be at the top with a fluffy appearance, and he has hypnotized us!]

[Sivir scumbag! Pedaling two boats! Shameless! Maybe the rumor that Mianmian was hospitalized was true. Was he hospitalized by Sivir scumbag?!]

[My family’s Mianmian was originally soft and weak, and now he’s bullied like a soft persimmon. Now that the relationship is broken and he’s hurt, he must be more vulnerable. Don’t act strong! It’s okay to be vulnerable.]

[Wuwuwu, my lovely Mianmian refused to show his face recently. Is he just licking his wounds alone? He also has to force a smile and pretend that he is okay, to comfort us!]

[I’m having a hard time. I’ll attack that scum Sivir!]

“My God…” The Viscount let out a painful moan.

In the post, there were all kinds of people who scolded His Royal Highness the Duke as a scumbag, and those who felt distressed about Mianmian’s situation.

There were also all kinds of dramatic people that kept spreading their thoughts and brain supplements about a deep sadomasochistic romance, and there were even some people who were just plain furious commenting.

During the period when the Viscount was unable to view the news on his StarNet posts, the trend and popularity of the  posts’ after effects and fermentation was out of control.

Most of the users on the star network came online to look at the recent news and participated in the discussion fervently.

The Viscount felt dizzy looking at it.

It was almost foreseeable that he would become labeled guilty as a “suspected source of rumors”.

He decided to quickly clarify and leave an explanation in the post, but the new content sent out was stopped: [The content you posted has been blocked, and special reviewers are currently reviewing, please be patient.]

——His post had been reported by too many people, and so his StarNet account had entered a review period.

All posts made during this time would be blocked.

“Pfft!” The Viscount almost vomited blood!

The star network will kill him!

——

In the banquet hall—

Tu Mianmian was eating deliciously!

The meals served at the royal banquet were all rare and exquisite, and some were also quite nourishing.

Sivir didn’t eat much, so most of his meal was fed into Tu Mianmian’s stomach.

The waiter robot also brought a bowl of fresh soup.

When Tu Mianmian lowered his head to drink the soup, those nearby caught a glimpse of his long ears hanging down along with him.

“Hey.” Tu Mianmian hurriedly raised his neck and saved his fluffy bunny ears.

He shouldn’t get the fur on his ears dirty!

There were home service robots in the Duke’s Mansion to help with his long ears, but not at the royal banquet.

When Anna saw this, she volunteered: “Madam, I’ll help you…”

“No.” Sivir interrupted Anna’s self-recommendation.

He then picked up the soup bowl and the handle of the spoon and called, “Mianmian.”

Tu Mianmian understood.

He lifted his long ears with both hands, and bowed his head to accept the feeding of the Duke one by one.

Behind the warm scene of the Duchess and Duke, Yuri quietly dragged Anna away.

He lowered his voice and persuaded: “Anna, don’t act rudely and leave a way for your own life.”

Yuri couldn’t help but want to sigh: “You are so bold now since you’ve become a major?”

“Captain Yuri, please pay attention to your words and deeds.” Anna glanced at Yuri and said lightly, “Is this how you talk to your superiors?”

Yuri who was now one level lower. “…”

Anna looked on regretfully.

She looked at the front where His Royal Highness the Duke was feeding the cute Mianmian, and sighed slightly.

Forget it, it’s okay to just watch the candy.

——

When the banquet was midway through, a waiter robot came with the request for Sivir to come talk with His Majesty the Emperor.

His Majesty the Emperor had left the stage first, and the Duke left halfway, in order for the two to talk privately.

In the quiet and empty palace, the Emperor and Sivir were discussing matters.

Sivir’s tall, straight and solemn, and youthful appearance was reflected in the Emperor’s old and cloudy eyes.

He looked at the child in front of him who had grown up, sighed, and said lovingly, “Sivir.”

“Uncle Deren.” Sivir called.

Seeing that Sivir was not seen by anyone else, the Emperor did not talk about the etiquette of the nobility, but continued the conversation using the relationship between the two sides as uncle and nephew—and His Majesty the Emperor was happy with such an atmosphere.

But his eyes slowly dimmed again, and his tone was somewhat low: “The traitor captured in the border battle, the messenger behind him…”

“…I’m sorry for this… This is his fault, and my care is not strict…”

“…It didn’t belong to him…my plan…Sivir…you think about it…”

The Emperor’s voice was slowly lowered, and then it was difficult to hear even a few words.

——

In the banquet hall—

In fact, there are no restrictions on the movements of the nobles during the banquet, and everyone is free to leave the table for toasting and entertainment.

But when His Majesty the Emperor was present, everyone was inevitably tied up, and no one ended up moving.

After His Majesty the Emperor left, everyone in the banquet hall breathed a sigh of relief and became more relaxed.

The originally serious and cautious atmosphere became lively and cheerful in an instant.

At this award banquet, the Chaoyang Empire gave birth to two new noble lords.

Everyone came forward to congratulate them, or they were complimented by the upstarts, and it was a happy atmosphere.

Tu Mianmian was also approached to toast with.

Anna and Yuri blocked the approach of the small nobles for him, and there were some big nobles who were not at the level of Yuri and Anna who could only try, but ended giving up.

The waiter robots also brought Tu Mianmian a circle of wine, Tu Mianmian picked a glass, and after toasting to a person, he took a tentative sip.

He didn’t really know what kind of wine he was drinking.

Nonetheless, his mouth was sweet and the taste was wonderful, and he didn’t smell the alcohol or feel drunk.

Even the slightest bit of alcohol was dissolved by the demon power running in his body, so it was like drinking juice or carbonated water.

After Tu Mianmian took a sip, he fell in love with the feeling, and when someone came to toast him, he clinked glasses one by one, drank one sip after another, and changed cup after cup.

Hey-hey.

Tasty!

The people who came to toast Tu Mianmian felt extremely moved.

They liked the cute Tu Mianmian, and Tu Mianmian also responded to their liking.

Look how enthusiastic Mianmian is when he toasts with them!

""

——

On the other side, the Duke, who had finished talking with His Majesty the Emperor, walked back to his seat.

Sivir saw Tu Mianmian’s heroic spirit of toasting with a group of people from a distance, and his heart suddenly tightened.

“Mianmian.” Sivir pushed aside the crowd and walked in, taking the glass from Tu Mianmian’s hand.

He touched Tu Mianmian’s cheek, “Are you drunk?”

Tu Mianmian’s face was as usual, his eyes were clear, and he didn’t show the slightest bit of drunkenness: “No.”

Mianmian looked at Sivir.

His pupils only reflected the figure of Sivir alone.

When he smiled at Sivir, his eyes were filled with a gentle smile that was even more intoxicating than wine.

The Duke had to admit that he was indulging in his little husband’s gaze for a moment.

He didn’t know if Tu Mianmian was really drunk, so he compromised and returned the wine glass to Tu Mianmian’s hand, lowered his head and kissed Tu Mianmian’s forehead, “Drink less.”

“Okay.” Tu Mianmian agreed readily.

At this time, the star network was already in full swing.

Many heartbroken Duke and Duchess CP fans began to leave messages under the Duke’s StarNet account, crying and berating him as a scumbag.

Under Tu Mianmian’s StarNet account, there were warm-hearted posts such as “Mom will always love you”, “Mianmian, be strong”, “My good cub don’t cry ”.

[I’m shedding the worst tears of my life today, and I’m drained from crying (wiping my nose). When will the award banquet end? I’m waiting for His Royal Highness the Duke to shark him at the gate of the palace, why hasn’t anyone come out yet?]

[You still call him His Royal Highness the Duke? He doesn’t deserve it! Sivir scumbag, he doesn’t deserve his title!]

[Hey, sister, going to shark too, is it you who is holding the small flower shovel under the big tree? I tell you that such a weapon is a shark immortal!]

[I really don’t understand! Mianmian is so good, why doesn’t Sivir want Mianmian? What is he looking for? Marquis Raphael is a nobleman, that’s what he wants right?!]

[What happened to Marquis Raphael? He is good, he is also an innocent person, okay? Everyone, don’t step on it!]

[That’s right, don’t step on it, we must have quality! His Royal Highness the Marquis is not a junior in this relationship, and it is estimated that he is the main palace that was taken to the royal banquet. I’m just sorry that Mianmian was only taken out by the scumbag to stroll around the Zoological Garden, I’m so sour!]

[Did Mianmian break up with the scumbag? If he ended up breaking up, just treat Mianmian as being bitten by a dog. Oh, bye bye, bye bye, the next one will be better!]

[Didn’t someone check Mianmian’s information before? How is the situation? Did Mianmian’s marriage column reveal any information? He didn’t marry His Royal Highness right!? Is the marriage registered? Or did His Royal Highness register with the Marquis?]

[It was me who said that I went to check Mianmian’s information… It’s strange, the confidentiality of Mianmian’s personal information has suddenly increased by many levels. I was blocked by the firewall, I couldn’t get in and couldn’t see…Forget it, I’ll escape first, it’s illegal after all.]

After a while, the user just now spoke urgently: [Orz… I seem to have been discovered by the central brain! What to do?!! Ahh! My signal was caught and intercepted! Oh my God! Will I be visited to be checked, and caught?!]

[What?!]

[Then you were too careless!]

[What should we do now?!]

The star network was buzzing.

This was a major crime, and everyone hurriedly gave advice to this user.

However, the user disappeared for a long time, and they didn’t know if he had been helped or not.

Everyone began to mourn for him, and there was an atmosphere of sadness everywhere.

Today’s star network users were just too miserable!

The real portrayal of Les Miserables! It was a real hammer!

Amidst the gloom, a big ✓ user suddenly appeared: [What are you all doing?!]

The ✓ user browsed the popular information, and was a little speechless: […………? You guys are really… forget it, thank you. I’m in the palace, just after the banquet. The Duchess is Mianmian, the Marquis of Raphael is him, and so is the fluffy animal at the military meeting.]

Everyone on StarNet: [?]

The ✓ suddenly reacted: [Hahaha, yes, Mianmian’s matter has not been announced to the outside world, it is normal for you all not to know. I didn’t know it before, and I also played stand-in memes. Today, my husband and I attended the meeting and banquet and solved the puzzle.]

The ✓ sighed: [Maybe this is the hidden benefit of marrying a noble? Anything can be revealed sooner rather than later! Hey-hey.]

Everyone on StarNet: [? ?]

[Correcting the name of His Royal Highness: He is not a scumbag. Today, Mianmian had rabbit ears while he attended the award banquet, which is even more beautiful than the fluffy appearance at the military meeting. I also secretly photographed Mianmian. I won’t show you all, I’ll look at the photo and suck Mianmian by myself.]

After the ✓ finished speaking, he patted his butt and left.

Leaving everyone on StarNet: [? ? ?]

Time seems to stop at that moment.

The entire star network was quiet.

For half an hour.

Only after someone digested this huge amount of information, did they come back to their senses and said tremblingly: […Marquis Raphael = Duchess = revived noble = Fluffy in the live broadcast of the military meeting = Mianmian = …Rabbit ears Mianmian?]

M..mm..Mianmian is that cute furry?! That little velvet animal?! That small plush?!

Am I dreaming? —Gahh—!

The star network was immediately set off like a stormy sea.

At the same time, Sivir’s light brain terminal also received a notification that Tu Mianmian’s personal information in the database had been invaded.