Chapter 34

"...What's your name?"

Xia Che's voice echoed in the quiet corridor as he waited for the other person's reply.

But there was no sound in the earphones for a long time. The other person remained silent, seemingly holding their breath unconsciously, before cautiously speaking, "Your Highness..."

"Speak." Xia Che frowned. He didn't like this kind of dragging things out; he wanted to say what he had to say.

It's just a name, there's no need to make such a fuss.

So Xia Che asked again, this time in a tone that was not as gentle as before, "What's your name?"

What exactly is the Empress trying to do?

She has never had any connection with the Empire. Instead of suddenly sending someone to the Empire, it would be better to secretly send someone to the Church of Light to seek the Pope's support.

The Pope had a very close relationship with her.

Sending people to the Empire was completely pointless.

Unless there's more to the story, she might be trying to send someone to the Empire to do something he doesn't know about.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the wireless earpiece, the person licked their dry lips, their voice hoarse, and spoke with difficulty, "Then I'll tell you, but Your Highness..."

The person paused, then reluctantly and subtly reminded him, "After you've heard this, you must remain calm."

After saying this, the person didn't wait for Xia Che's response and spoke again. This time, his words were clear and concise, leaving Xia Che with only three words, but they were like bombs, filling the air.

"It's Xia Qian."

Xia Che's heart suddenly exploded.

My mind went blank as well.

It was only a few seconds, but Xia Che felt as if he had been in a daze for an eternity.

He stood there, his mind suddenly starting to go blank. "What did you say?"

His mouth was dry, and his originally powerful and magnetic voice suddenly became hoarse, and the sound he made was very soft, as if he was afraid that it was all just his own illusion.

"Say it again," Xia Che said, "What name?"

The answer that person gave was like a bomb that had been buried in Xia Che's heart for many years. In that instant, without any warning, it suddenly exploded, leaving Xia Che's heart unable to calm down for a long time.

For a long time...

That's his sister.

"Your Highness, I believe it's highly likely the eldest princess is not dead. She's currently in the Empire..."

On the other end of the earpiece, the person giving the report held their breath, speaking very softly, as if afraid of disturbing them.

Everyone knows very well that the eldest princess's name is the crown prince's Achilles' heel.

No one should mention it lightly.

Because he shows no mercy.

Moreover, Princess Xia Wen has been using the tragedy of the eldest princess's death to promote herself all these years, which is why she has gained fame in the star system and is respected and loved by both nobles and commoners.

Xia Che was well aware of this, and that's why he had been watching all these years as Xia Wen transformed from an unknown second princess into what she is today.

So once he had grown powerful and influential, he showed no mercy and locked Xia Wen up inside.

He felt that the punishment was not enough; it was only the first step and not the end.

Before he could figure out how to deal with Xia Wen in order to face his sister in heaven, someone suddenly told him that his sister might not be dead.

So what about that incident back then?

It was a complete and utter deception from beginning to end!

Xia Wen kept saying that she saved Xia Qian during the disaster, but it was too chaotic at the time. She couldn't even protect herself, so how could she have ensured Xia Qian's safety? Besides, they were both so young back then.

Xia Qian is seven years old, and Xia Wen is five years old.

They were all little girls, and their height only reached about knee-high.

In that natural disaster, it was difficult to even protect oneself, let alone in the chaotic situation at the time.

But he didn't believe it. He didn't think his sister was really dead. He was sure she was still alive; they just hadn't found her yet.

If you search harder, put in more effort, and pay closer attention, you'll definitely find it.

So young Xia Che ignored everyone's advice and led people out to search. However, after searching for three days and three nights, and almost turning the source of life upside down, they still couldn't find it.

Is he really dead?

Xia Che didn't believe it.

However, at this moment, the Empress found the body of a little girl, whose face was completely disfigured and unrecognizable. But the Empress said that this was Xia Qian, her sister.

She said his sister had died.

But how come that corpse is his sister?

Xia Che didn't believe it; he didn't believe it from the bottom of his heart.

His sister is someone who is protected by the Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life bestowed upon Xia Qian more spiritual power than anyone else at birth; she could not possibly die.

Moreover, Xia Wen, whose spiritual talent was much lower than Xia Qian's, did not die and survived the disaster tenaciously.

How could his sister possibly be...?

Xia Che absolutely did not believe it.

And Xia Qian is so young. How scared would she be if such a small girl were out alone in a place they can't even find now...?

So, when Xia Che was only ten years old, he had a big argument with the Empress. Xia Che refused to believe that Xia Qian was dead.

He wanted to refute the Empress more vehemently and send more people to search, but before he could get the chance to resolve everything, he fell ill.

He had a fever and was very ill.

When he woke up, he was told that his sister's funeral had been held by the Empress while he was unconscious, and the little girl's body was thus identified as Xia Qian's body.

The news of the death of the First Princess, the Source of Life, spread throughout the entire galaxy in an instant.

However, Xia Che simply didn't believe it.

No matter how many people tried to persuade him, even his father tried to persuade him, Xia Che still didn't believe it. He firmly believed only one thing: his sister was not dead.

So he has been sending people to search for them, and the search has never stopped.

As time passed, none of the people he sent out to search for her brought back any news. It was as if she had vanished into thin air; they searched the entire galaxy but could not find any trace of her.

And so it went, day after day, year after year.

Twelve years have passed.

Not a single message.

But then, news of her suddenly arrived, like a ray of light shining down on him.

Xia Che clenched his fists, and his usually handsome and aloof expression now revealed a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Stay close! Keep sending me messages." Xia Che added as soon as he finished speaking, "Don't alert them. Make your move after they find the person."

We must not allow anyone else to hurt her.

"Yes, Your Highness Xia Che."

A respectful voice came through the earphones, but Xia Che ignored it and automatically turned off the earphones.

He closed his eyes, and the moonlight shone on him, bathing him in a layer of moonlight, making Xia Che appear even more aloof.

Xia Wen knew that Xia Qian was not dead.

She knew this clearly, but she was also certain that Xia Qian would never come back, so she kept exaggerating her own abilities without fear. She always said that she sacrificed her superpowers to save her sister, but did she not know in her heart whether she had saved her or not?

She was indeed lying blatantly.

Brave and sincere.

These words are a joke when applied to Xia Wen!

He kept his eyes closed, and his subordinates behind him dared not approach or disturb him.

Just then, Xia Che opened his eyes, his eyes filled with icy coldness.

He clenched his fist, his long, slender fingers turning white from the force.

Then, in the next second, he started walking forward, heading straight ahead.

"Your Highness."

The people behind him hurriedly followed, not realizing what Xia Che was about to do.

In fact, not many people in the Source of Life understood what Xia Che wanted to do.

This prince lost almost everything when he was ten years old.

My mother and sister are gone.

The king was still alive, but he remained in a coma.

He was all alone, always alone.

Hughes's sudden act of helping him, sending an Imperial spokesperson to voice his support on the StarNet, could not possibly be due to a sudden whim of his.

There are reasons behind all of these.

Is she related to my younger sister?

If so, what is his relationship with Xia Qian?

Regardless of what it is, Xia Che is certain that Hughes definitely knows about Xia Qian.

Is he waiting for his negotiation?

Whatever Hughes is planning to do, as long as he doesn't harm his sister, everything is fine.

And those who hurt her—

Xia Che's eyes were icy cold.

At the same time, he stopped in his tracks.

A hovercar silently stopped in front of him, and his subordinates quickly opened the car door for the prince, waiting for him to slowly sit down.

However, Xia Che's voice had already reached the workshop as soon as he sat down in the hovercar.

His tone was as cold as a thousand-year-old iceberg, seemingly carrying a sharp killing intent: "Go to the hospital."

He wasn't ruthless enough towards Xia Wen.

Compared to his sister who was wandering and suffering, she was doing far too well.

She should have kept a low profile, but time and time again, she had no bottom line.

He was still too good to Xia Wen.

"Tell the hospital staff to increase the electric shocks."

"yes!"

Since she had the nerve to say she saved Xia Qian back then.

He is saving her now.

She should also be grateful to herself.

Everything you do comes at a price.

A rat crossing the street should act like a rat crossing the street.

Where can she have the right to speak?

The hovercar slowly started moving and sped off in a certain direction.

At the same time, light enveloped the earth, the night slowly faded, and rays of sunlight shone on the earth, bringing warmth.

The empire has dawned.

Sunlight streamed into Xia Qian's room, bathing her in a warm glow that enveloped her in every ray.

Rays of sunlight dazzled Xia Qian, making her open her eyes in a daze.

She glanced dazedly at the digital clock on the wall.

It was already past eight in the morning.

But she was still lying in bed.

Xia Qian turned over. She was the only one in the room, and of course, she was the only one on the bed.

But she always felt as if someone was holding her while she slept.

Some blurry images flashed through her mind.

She didn't know if it was a dream or reality.

It must be a dream.

Xia Qian felt ashamed and didn't want to face it.

She pulled the blanket up, and then little by little, buried her face completely in it.

Why did I dream about him?

I dreamt that he was holding her while she slept.

That's fine.

But then, I dreamt of something even more shameful.

I kissed him in my dream.

Recalling those scenes, Xia Qian's cheeks seemed to be burning.

She dared not look directly at them, but those images seemed to be frozen in her mind, one after another, lingering there.

It felt so real, as if the lips could still feel the touch of his lips.

Even the mark on her neck seemed to retain the warmth of his kiss.

That's so embarrassing.

Xia Qian buried herself even deeper, curling up completely under the covers, refusing to come out.

Her whole body was burning up. Without looking in the mirror, Xia Qian could tell that her cheeks were as red as ripe berries.

Even the tips of her ears seemed to be burning hot.

Their kiss was anything but a fleeting peck.

It is very...

Xia Qian didn't want to say it, much less describe it.

It felt like it had actually happened; even though she was looking directly at the scene, when she thought about it, she didn't know where to look.

But it was clearly just a kiss.

But who else would kiss so passionately as they did...

Hughes is still so domineering.

Do you like it?

I guess I dream about him because I like him.

She knew so many male classmates from kindergarten to university, but she didn't feel anything for any of them.

She hadn't dreamed about them either.

Hughes was the first.

He was also the only man she ever dreamed of.

This time, Xia Qian's face wasn't buried in the blanket, but rather in the pillow.

He looked like a curled-up little animal.

It was small and curled up in a ball.

As if she had been bullied, she curled up in her little territory and refused to come out.

The little deer in her chest seemed to sense something, pounding wildly in her heart, but Xia Qian still refused to give in.

It seemed as if she was trying to struggle, but the fawn kept bobbing up and down, and the image of the boy flashed in her mind. Just that one moment, but it made her feel strange.

Young girls experiencing first love often feel particularly conflicted.

The girl's excitement was also particularly evident.

Xia Qian buried herself in the blanket, recalling that person's figure. She wanted to struggle, but it seemed she couldn't, and could only curl up in his palm.

Has she fallen for Hughes?

That dream was like evidence that she couldn't escape deceiving herself.

If she didn't like it, why didn't she struggle in her dream?

Xia Qian's fingers touched her lips.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Mu Xiang's voice came from outside, "Master, it's time to get up. Breakfast is ready."

"I understand, I'll get up right away," Xia Qian replied to Mu Xiang.

The little head, which had been curled up under the covers, slowly began to emerge from the blankets.

As Xia Qian was about to get out of bed, rays of sunlight shone on her, making the room warm and cozy. Xia Qian subconsciously turned her head and looked around. All she could see were tightly closed windows, French windows, and a balcony.

A strange feeling suddenly rose from the bottom of her heart.

She remembered leaving the window open yesterday.

Why is it locked up now?

When Muxiang left, she didn't ask her to close it; it was left open like that.

While she was asleep, she vaguely felt very cold.

So the window was open.

Did she get up in the middle of the night and close the window?

Xia Qian shook her head inwardly; she had no recollection of that.

Is that costus root?

But Mu Xiang is already gone.

But if it wasn't her, if it wasn't Mu Xiang, then who was it?

A black figure suddenly flashed into Xia Qian's mind.

A wave of shame washed over me, stronger than ever before.

So, was that dream, that kiss, all real?