Chapter 56

The fighting subsided faster than expected.

Upon learning that the Pope was in their hands, the members of the Church of Light looked extremely embarrassed, but there was nothing they could do.

In order to protect the Pope, they could only angrily raise the white flag, a symbol of squandering wealth.

The Church of Light surrendered.

None of the Pope's confidants could understand why it had ended this way...

Their plan was perfect. Even though there were many unfavorable factors this time, they didn't take them seriously. So what if not a single kingdom in the United Kingdom contributed to the war?

So what if they all keep quiet?

The Church of Light is fearless.

Their plan was flawless. They never cared whether Elder Gao truly sided with them or not, because they had already planned it all out.

The Pope possessed Elder Gao's body, and before that, he used his physical body to become cannon fire, charging towards the Empire's starship. No one could have imagined that the cannon fire was actually the Pope's physical body!

Who could have imagined that?

Taking advantage of the chaos, the Pope hid his physical body on the starship and possessed Elder Gao's body with his soul, holding Xia Qian hostage. With Hughes's intolerant nature, could he tolerate being betrayed?

Even if he knew that Elder Gao's inner core was the Pope, so what? At this crucial moment, he wouldn't show any mercy. Coupled with the Pope's deliberate provocation, Hughes would definitely kill Elder Gao's physical body with his own hands!

The news that he had personally killed the teacher who had raised him was sure to cause a stir within the Empire. I wonder what the Imperial Council of Elders will think.

They will panic, they will fight amongst themselves!

The simplest way to destroy a powerful empire is to incite internal strife, the more chaotic the better. Even if something unexpected happens and he fails to possess Elder Gao's body, he can still possess any of the elders present, and the plan will still work.

But to their surprise, their plan completely failed!

When the results of the Empire's victory were announced, most people were not surprised, and some even expected it.

The Empire's military strength is far beyond what the Church of Light can match.

The Church of Light, which had enjoyed a glorious era, ultimately met its demise.

However, before that, the hypocritical face of the Church of Light must be torn off by the public and severely condemned.

But for tens of millions of members of the Church of Light, this was a fact they did not want to believe. First, their proud Church of Light was defeated, and then a series of papal scandals were exposed!

Each and every one of these things infuriated the believers, who had been so devout to the pope for so long, to be such a person.

The group of holy maidens in the cult of obscenity have a number of bed partners, and they also have a scandalous affair with Xia Wen, the second princess of the Source of Life. It is said that her belly is already huge!

It's one thing for the Pope to be corrupt, but even the Church of Light itself is corrupt.

As one incident after another came to light, the already weakened Church of Light accelerated its disintegration. At this moment, all the condemnation was directed at the Church of Light.

Countless people are demanding that the United Kingdom immediately sever its alliance with the Church of Light!

The Church of Light should never exist!

At the same time, the imperial family...

The bright moonlight poured down, filling the entire room. The soft light shone on the boy's bare back, and Xia Qian blushed slightly, unable to look directly at the scene.

Three days have passed since then.

Everything has calmed down, but Hughes's injuries are still serious, and he has only just begun to recover.

At first, she thought it was just an arm injury, which is why she asked to come and bandage it, but who knew...

"Aren't you coming over?" A deep male voice came from beside her ear. Xia Qian lowered her head and could feel his burning gaze. Xia Qian slowly took a step forward, unconsciously tightening her grip on what she was holding.

Every time she changed her dressing, she felt very embarrassed.

The room was completely silent, as if testing one's willpower.

Before it even started, Xia Qian's ears were already blushing with embarrassment.

There were only the two of them in the room, and the atmosphere was even filled with a hint of ambiguity.

Even though Xia Qian tried to avoid his gaze and not meet his eyes.

But that doesn't mean she can escape this hurdle.

Footsteps approached, accompanied by a familiar, intense sense of aggression.

“Xiaxia,”

His voice came from above her head; if she looked up, she would meet those deep, dark eyes.

Then, there was his bare upper body.

How is she supposed to remain calm while changing the dressing?

Even if she doesn't look to the side, she can still see some things.

Even when changing his dressing, she inevitably had to touch his muscles.

Xia Qian didn't want to recall those scenes!

The mere thought of it made her feel incredibly ashamed.

He noticed every time she blushed.

But Hughes didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

"Why are you still so timid?" His gaze fell on her.

The girl lowered her head, not daring to look at him, and nervously tightened the things she was holding in her hands.

The boy called out softly, "Xiaxia,"

"I'm not cowardly, I'm—" The girl's soft voice echoed in the room. She forced herself to look up, but when she saw the naked boy, she didn't know where to look.

Hughes was probably the type who looked slim in clothes; when he was dressed, Xia Qian didn't really feel the strength in the boy's body.

But when he stood in front of her with his upper body bare, she really didn't know where to look.

The boy stood against the light, tall and powerful, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The bright moonlight shone down his body, from his broad shoulders, down his muscles, and Xia Qian dared not look down any further.

His chest and arms were wrapped in gauze, with faint traces of bright red blood showing through. Xia Qian steeled herself and stepped forward, "Let me bandage you up."

He's injured; we can't let him get cold for too long.

She was only shirtless, she told herself.

Just pretend you didn't see it!

"Xiaxia is afraid of me."

In the silence, Hughes' deep voice lingered clearly.

"Why?"

His voice was so close it sounded like he was speaking right next to her earlobe.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the boy's strong arm wrapped around him from behind.

His burning gaze remained fixed on her, awaiting her answer.

Like an elegant cheetah gazing intently at its prey.

“I’m not afraid of you,” the little prey said.

"But Xiaxia doesn't dare to look at me."

"It's not necessarily because they're afraid that they don't dare to look..."

The boy wrapped his arm around her waist, his large hand slowly moving downwards, as if pulling at her breath. Xia Qian's body stiffened involuntarily. "Hughes—"

His tall figure completely enveloped her, making her appear extremely small. She was completely surrounded by his slender frame, making it impossible for her to escape.

His hand moved down little by little, and the next second he gently grasped her hand. "Xiaxia, look at me."

His voice was deep and magnetic, as if it possessed a seductive magic. Before Xia Qian could react, she looked up and her eyes met those long, narrow eyes unexpectedly.

"Let's change, change the medicine."

This really can't go on!

Xia Qian was holding the medicine in her hand, but the next second, before she could open it, her hand was grabbed by Hughes with one hand. He gently took the medicine away with his other hand and casually threw it on the sofa.

His eyes were fixed on her gaze. "Do you really want to change your medication, or are you trying to avoid me?"

"Xiaxia, you can't hide from me."

"Where did I hide? This doesn't count as hiding."

"Yes." His voice was low, and his deep blue eyes became even darker. "Xiaxia doesn't even dare to look at me anymore."

“Hughes…”

Does it have to be so shameful?

Isn't it obvious why she doesn't dare to look at him?

But the other person didn't seem to think that way. He held her waist tightly, as if she would run away at any moment. "Xiaxia, you're not allowed to hide from me."

He sat on the single sofa, his large hand tightly gripping Xia Qian's waist. Xia Qian wanted to struggle but couldn't, and could only sit obediently on his lap in embarrassment. "I wasn't trying to avoid you."

She said in a slightly embarrassed voice.

However, Hughes seemed dissatisfied with this answer.

Xia Qian felt even more wronged. "Why do you keep saying I'm avoiding you? I just don't dare to look. If I were avoiding you, I wouldn't have come to your room to change your dressing."

Isn't the reason why I don't dare to look at you obvious?

Which girl would dare to look at him?

Hughes: "But we'll have to be honest with each other sooner or later."

Xia Qian stiffened, and now it wasn't just her cheeks that flushed red; her whole body felt uncomfortable. "I'm leaving!"

However, Hughes had no intention of releasing them.

He held the girl's slender waist, his long, narrow eyes fixed on her blushing profile. "I like Xiaxia, so I like looking at you all the time. I hope Xiaxia will look at me more often too."

His cheek gradually drew closer to hers, seemingly docile and harmless, as he gazed at her. "Isn't this better?"

He lifted the girl's chin, his dark eyes fixed on her pink lips, his gaze intense.

Her heart skipped a beat.

As if anticipating what the man was about to do, Xia Qian's heart tightened.

But just then, a cold touch landed on her lips.

Those are Hughes's fingers.

His long, slender, and fair fingers touched her lips, caressing them with obvious affection, but the next second, his hand slowly moved upwards.

Without giving the girl any time to react, the man's large hand landed on her eyes.

It completely covered her eyes.

Xia Qian's vision went completely black.

"I hope that Xiaxia will only look at me."

“You look at Elder Gao, you look at Xia Che,” Hughes said, “you even look at my parents, but you don’t dare look at me.”

His palm felt a little itchy; it was the movement of the girl's eyelashes, opening and closing, as if her long eyelashes had fallen onto his palm.

"I hope Xiaxia doesn't look at so many people, but only sees me."

In the pitch black, all Xia Qian could hear was Hughes's voice.

His icy palm covered her eyes, and he spoke in a low voice.

Even in complete darkness, Xia Qian could sense his gaze.

“Hughes…”

"Hmm, I'm jealous again." He spoke in a low voice, as if he were leaning on her shoulder.

The words lingered in her ears for a long time.

She sighed softly, "Hughes, you're so stupid."

The boy was taken aback, seemingly not expecting this answer.

While he was momentarily stunned, the girl had already nestled on his shoulder. "Why are you jealous?"

"I never thought about this before. Hughes, you're really dense when it comes to matters of the heart."

"Not daring to look doesn't necessarily mean being afraid, nor does it mean not caring."

The girl's voice came from his shoulder, "It's because I like you that I don't dare to look."

Why couldn't he think of that?

"It's embarrassing to always blush..."

But she's the type of person who blushes easily, so she can't hide even the smallest thoughts.

When I blush, my heart races.

How could I let him see such an embarrassing scene?

It's something I can't let him see.

Otherwise, what will happen to her image?

But it seems her image has long since vanished...

Xia Qian inexplicably recalled her behavior during every time they were alone together...

She wasn't actually that timid.

She wasn't afraid of Hughes, but rather nervous.

She has never been in a relationship, not because no one pursued her, but because quite a few boys have confessed their feelings to her since she was a child.

However, she had no intention of dating. Her parents and brother died in a car accident, and she was adopted by relatives and grew up in their home. Although her aunt and uncle liked her very much, she tried her best not to cause trouble for her aunt.

So no matter what her peers were doing or playing, Xia Qian was always a good student and always the "other people's child" that parents admired.

She is sensible, well-behaved, and easy to manage.

It wasn't that she wasn't liked by others, but she had never been loved so passionately. What was even harder to control was that her heart would race every time she was in front of the boy, as if it were about to jump out of her chest at any moment.

She had never encountered this situation before, so she didn't know what to do. She was afraid of panicking and looking bad, so she always avoided eye contact.

But as time went on, Xia Qian unknowingly realized that the person in front of her had a huge misunderstanding about her.

She was even jealous and envious every time.

It really is...

Xia Qian nestled on his shoulder, burying her face in the boy's shoulder.

As if trying to gather her courage, she gripped Hughes's clothes tighter and tighter, "...I like you."

The boy was taken aback.

He stared at her, as if he thought he was hallucinating.

But the next second, the girl on his shoulder took a deep breath.

I like you.

Her voice was even louder than before, each word clear and distinct.

“Xiaxia,” he said softly.

The girl was extremely well-behaved.

She looked in the direction of the sound and looked up at Hughes, but the first thing she saw was not his long, narrow, and alluring eyes.

Her gaze fell on his Adam's apple.

His pale, slender neck, with his prominent Adam's apple, exuded a uniquely masculine charm.

A sense of danger suddenly rose from the bottom of my heart, filling me with a feeling of danger from head to toe.

His Adam's apple seemed to be defiantly bobbing up and down in Xia Qian's direction.

It was as if they wanted to devour her whole.

"I...I have to go back." She struggled to get off Hughes. "It's...it's getting late..."

But the large hand on her waist wouldn't let go; instead, it gripped her tighter and tighter, refusing to release her no matter how much Xia Qian twisted and struggled.

“But I haven’t changed my medicine yet,” he whispered in her ear.

"Wasn't Xiaxia going to help me change my dressing?"

Xia Qian lowered her head in shame, her cheeks burning and her ears turning red.

She needs to have her dressing changed!

From the moment she walked in, she wanted to change it for him, but, but...

Xia Qian looked away in embarrassment; she had no idea what they had been doing all this time…

The medicine hasn't been changed, but now she's sitting on his lap.

The atmosphere grew increasingly ambiguous, even carrying a hint of danger.

Hughes gripped her waist, holding her to prevent her from moving.

Xia Qian didn't dare to think too much, but she wondered if it was just her imagination, but when she struggled and twisted her body, she felt like she touched something.

It's rock hard.

Hughes' Adam's apple became even more prominent, as if he were suppressing something.

He gazed at her, his eyes burning with a intensity as if he wanted to meld her into his very being.

Xia Qian was too timid to look up.

She buried herself in Hughes's body, too ashamed to look at him.

She roughly knew what she had encountered...

"Be good," the man said in a low voice, his well-defined knuckles encircling the girl's slender waist. "I won't touch you."

His hand landed on her head, gently stroking her long hair, his fingertips entwining around the strands.

"But Xiaxia,"

Hughes's eyes were extremely dark, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, as if he were very thirsty.

"I want to touch it."

Xia Qian's body stiffened, completely caught off guard.

Hughes said hoarsely, "I am about to ascend the throne."

“…I, I know,” Xia Qian replied.

Throughout the entire galaxy, there should be no one who doesn't know about this.

No one has ever doubted that Hughes is the future ruler of the empire.

As the crown prince, he is simply too outstanding!

Everyone was extremely satisfied, but the future crown prince's eyes showed dissatisfaction, "But Xiaxia still hasn't married me."

He held her waist with one hand, and with his other slender hand, he slowly clasped her small hand through her hair.

Until their fingers were intertwined.

Hughes lowered his eyelids and stared at her intently. "How do I propose to Xiaxia so that she will agree to marry me?"

The moonlight poured down on them, with most of it shining on Xia Qian.

In the quiet atmosphere, my already restless chest began to stir again.

Just then, Hughes suddenly groaned, and the originally white gauze on his chest gradually turned red, staining his chest red in an instant.

"Hughes!"

Xia Qian's expression changed drastically. She quickly got off him and picked up something from the side. "We should have changed the dressing a long time ago!"

It's all their fault for being so slow!

Xia Qian carefully removed the blood-stained gauze from his body, feeling both heartache and anger. "Why didn't you urge me?"

She looked at him with concern, "Does it hurt? Does it hurt a lot?"

But Hughes shook his head and said nothing.

Xia Qian felt even more heartbroken.

The gruesome wound looked painful even to her.

How could it not hurt?

She carefully applied medicine and new gauze to Hughes, trying to be as gentle as possible throughout the process so as not to aggravate his wound.

When everything was finally done, Xia Qian's forehead was covered in sweat.

Like fluff, it shimmered under the crystal chandelier.

However, Xia Qian's gaze remained fixed on Hughes.

"Hughes, does it really not hurt?"

Before Hughes could answer, Xia Qian spoke again, holding out her small hand, "I'll give you a piece of candy, and it won't hurt anymore after you eat it."

Hughes stared at her.

The next second, those dark eyes were covered by the girl's two small hands.

It was pitch black.

However, Hughes's consciousness remained clear; even with his eyes closed, he could see everything.

But the girl didn't know that.

She gazed at him, her cheeks flushed, as if she had mustered all her courage.

The next second, she leaned closer, her warm lips pressed against Hughes's cool lips, and a clear sound rang out.

*Smack*

Hearing the sound, Xia Qian's heart skipped a beat; she hadn't expected the sound to be so clear.

Her face was flushed, and she covered his eyes with her two small hands.

When her gaze fell on the boy's wounds, Xia Qian felt another pang of heartache. "Hughes...you have to get better soon!"

Perhaps feeling that she was blocking his view and could do whatever she wanted for the time being, Xia Qian suddenly leaned forward again.

She touched his face with her lips, as if to comfort him, and said, "It won't hurt anymore soon."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xia Qian tried to get up.

Just then, a sense of danger rose from the bottom of my heart, and the man's large hand attacked from behind.

The moment she tried to get up, he grabbed her back.

Hughes opened his eyes.

He gazed at the girl in his arms, his voice low, even lower than before, "Xiaxia—"

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and the already thirsty man became even more thirsty in that instant.