The imperial palace is located at the northernmost end of the imperial capital, separated from the civilian area by a moat. Ke Jin had seen it from afar while strolling around before, and had secretly admired the magnificence of the palace. Unexpectedly, a few days later, he would actually step into that majestic and solemn palace gate.

When Ke Jin walked into the restaurant with Eggers, there were already quite a few people sitting inside.

The two seats at the top were empty. Ke Jin guessed that they should be the seats for His Majesty the King and the Queen. On the right side of the long dining table sat a woman and two men, all with golden hair. They looked somewhat similar to Oloy, so they should be Oloy's brother and sister.

Seeing Ke Jin appear, the gentle blonde's eyes lit up instantly. She looked at Ouloi who was sitting opposite her with a smile and whispered.

“Good vision.”

Oloy was a little happy in his heart, but was too embarrassed to show it, so he said nothing and just calmly pulled open the chair next to him.

Oloy sat in the first seat on the left side of the dining table, with two empty chairs next to him. After Eggers saluted and several princes and princesses, he pulled out a seat without hesitation and sat on the last empty chair on the left side. Ke Jin followed Eggers' example and saluted everyone, then sat next to Oloy.

Civilians must wear formal dresses to enter the palace. Ke Jin didn't have any suitable clothes, but luckily Oloy sent someone to deliver a set to him in advance. The slim black dress made Ke Jin look slender and well-proportioned, and the cuffs embroidered with light gold trims revealed his fair wrists. Because he was a little nervous, Ke Jin subconsciously loosened his collar after sitting down. From Oloy's angle, he could just see the delicate collarbone looming under his collar.

"...This suits you very well." Oloy looked at it without blinking for a while, and suddenly said in a low voice.

"Thank you." Ke Jin also whispered. Maybe because he was next to Ouluo, he felt much better now and was no longer as nervous as when he first entered the door.

Oloy smiled at him, but before he could say anything, a few low laughs came from across the table.

Ke Jin was at a loss and immediately sat up awkwardly. Oloy looked up and glared at them warningly, but his royal brother and sister were completely unmoved and all stared at Ke Jin with smiles on their faces.

"Oloy," the elegant and gentle eldest prince said with a smile, "would you like to introduce your friend to us?"

"Didn't Eggers introduce me just now?" Oloy responded stiffly, looking like he didn't want to say anything more.

"We want to hear a more detailed introduction." The second prince, whose face was slightly pale, also spoke with a smile.

You all have already found out everything about other people's situation, why are you still pretending to be innocent?

Before Oloy could protest, the Third Princess nodded to Ke Jin cordially.

"Hello, Ke Jinka. I am Oloy's sister, Catherine." She glanced at Oloy, and her smile became more meaningful. "I heard that you took in little Yi Yi when he was in trouble?"

Little Yi Yi?

Ke Jin glanced at Ouluo blankly, and the latter said angrily with a thin blush on his face.

"Third sister!"

Catherine was unmoved, just looking at Ke Jin with a smile. The other party's gaze was kind and warm, but Ke Jin felt a very strange and subtle feeling, and nodded slightly.

"Well, I guess so."

"Our willful brother has caused you a lot of trouble." The eldest prince said with a smile, "Well, although this child has a bad temper, he is still a good person by nature. He is just not good at expressing himself."

"I know." Ke Jin also smiled, "Oloyi is actually a very nice person, and he took good care of me."

The three people on the opposite side were stunned for a moment, and then their eyes were fixed on Oloy.

"A lot of care..." Catherine smiled more meaningfully.

"What's wrong?" Oloy was a little embarrassed and annoyed, "Can't I take care of others?"

"That depends on who this 'someone else' is..." said the Second Prince.

"Well, at least we didn't know that before." The eldest prince also teased.

Everyone laughed.

Ke Jin could tell that their laughter was well-intentioned, but the looks they gave him revealed a mysterious kindness, which made him inexplicably embarrassed, as if he was not coming to a friend's house for a quick meal, but was being brought by his lover to meet his parents.

Fortunately, His Majesty the King and the Queen finally showed up at this time, and everyone stopped chatting. Ke Jin followed their example, stood up and saluted, and then sat down in his seat properly.

His Majesty the King looked dignified and steady, while the Queen was kind and amiable. After they sat down, they looked at the new guest, Ke Jin, in unison.

Before coming here, Ke Jin had also brushed up on some royal etiquette, and when he saw this, he hurriedly tried to stand up and salute, but was held down by Ouloy under the table.

"There are no outsiders here, Mr. Ke, you don't have to be restrained, just relax." The queen also spoke with a smile.

Ke Jin was flattered. On the one hand, he was deeply moved by the Queen's approachability, and on the other hand, a question slowly emerged in his heart: "?"

Who said there are no outsiders? Am I not an “outsider” here?

"Can I just call you Xiao Ke?" the queen asked with a smile.

Ke Jin immediately touched his chest and saluted, almost a little terrified: "Of course, Your Majesty."

"Can we call you this from now on?" the Third Princess interrupted with a smile.

Ke Jin nodded: "Of course, Your Highness."

"That's great." Catherine blinked at Ouluoyi who was sitting next to Ke Jin, "Xiao Yiyi, do you have any objections?"

Ke Jin: “?”

Why do we need to ask Oloy's opinion on this matter?

Oloy ignored her.

...It’s really annoying to have a sister who loves gossip!

Everyone was present, and the meals were served one after another. Oloy had said before that this lunch invitation was just an ordinary family dinner, and Ke Jin found that it was indeed the case - although the people sitting here were members of the most powerful family in the Imperial Galaxy, the topics they talked about during the meal were quite ordinary.

From everyone's chat, Ke Jin roughly learned some information, some of which shocked him: for example, the Third Princess had already married, and her partner was the daughter of the lord of the second largest planet in the imperial galaxy. After getting married, she and this female partner went to settle on an alien planet, and she recently came back to visit her relatives and appeared here; the Second Prince's love life has always been very bumpy, and he always encountered various incredible accidents, but recently there was a sudden turn for the better, and he finally had a stable engagement partner, and the two will go on vacation to the famous honeymoon planet tomorrow, and so on.

But the person they talked about the most was Oloy.

Ke Jin could see that everyone doted on Oloy. Her Royal Highness the Queen's expression became more gentle whenever she mentioned Oloy. She talked about Oloy's childhood with relish, and other people agreed from time to time. Their words seemed to be teasing, but they were actually saying good things about Oloy. Ke Jin was indeed interested in this topic and couldn't help laughing. Later, even the taciturn King joined the conversation. Oloy tried to change the subject several times but failed. Finally, he simply gave up resistance and let them go.

The lunch ended in a pleasant atmosphere. After His Majesty the King and the Queen left, Oloy immediately stood up and gave Ke Jin a look, asking him to go with him.

"Xiao Ke, don't rush home. Let Xiao Yi Yi take you around to familiarize yourself with the place." The third princess Catherine said with a smile.

Ke Jin was stunned for a moment, and felt that the other party's statement was a bit subtle - it was normal to bring friends to visit the palace, but saying "familiar"... did this mean that he should come here more often in the future?

"You don't need to remind me, I know what to do." Orloy muttered and looked at Eggers again.

"I'm not going." Eggers sat firmly on his butt and waved at them repeatedly, "You two go first. Have fun. Goodbye!"

Catherine and the others immediately cast approving glances at Eggers, who also smiled knowingly - I understand, I won't be a light bulb! However, Ke Jin didn't see this because he had been dragged out of the restaurant by O'Loy.

***

As soon as he left the restaurant, Oloy let out a long sigh.

Because Eggers let it slip, his family already knew that Ke Jin was the one he was interested in. Although he said that there was no progress between them, they were very excited and asked to meet Ke Jin. Oloy couldn't stand the constant chatter of these people, so he invited Ke Jin. Unexpectedly, this meal turned into a gathering of his childhood memories...

I am so depressed! What a bad idea!

After hearing so many embarrassing stories about his childhood, Ke Jin wouldn't have any bad opinions about himself...

Ouloi glanced at Ke Jin secretly, but he didn't expect that the other party was also staring at him. When their eyes met, the other party raised the corners of his mouth and revealed a happy smile.

"You were quite cute when you were a child," said Ke Jin.

Oloy: “!”

Perhaps he did not expect the other party to say such a thing, or perhaps he was dazzled by the other party's beautiful smile. Oloy's mind went blank for a moment, and he spoke reflexively.

"Am I not cute now?"

Ke Jin was stunned for a moment and almost burst out laughing, but luckily he held it back in time.

"Cute, of course she's cute." Ke Jin nodded vigorously, deliberately looked at Ouloi carefully, and suddenly blinked playfully.

"Our little Yi Yi is the cutest."

“…”

It's all Third Sister's fault! Why call her Xiao Yi Yi? She has led Ke Jin astray!

"Not only is he cute, he's also very handsome." Ke Jin continued with a smile, brushing away the dust on Ouloi's collar, then straightening his collar, looking at him quietly for a few seconds, with a smile on his lips all the time.

"Your Highness Orloy, you are the most handsome."

The young man's pure black eyes were like crystal clear glass beads in the bright sunlight outside, reflecting tiny and dazzling lights. Oloy could see clearly that the person reflected in those eyes and concentrated in the depths of his eyes was himself.

How wonderful it would be if I could always be stared at like this, and always be the focus of his attention...

But the other party had already turned his eyes away, looking curiously at the exotic flowers and plants in the palace garden. Oloy walked silently behind, covering his chest with his hands, and felt his heart beating faster and more violently than ever before.

——It was the throbbing and desire that was becoming increasingly difficult for him to contain.

***

The palace was so big that it would take a whole day to walk around it. The two of them just walked around the back garden for the time being. Even so, it was an eye-opener for Ke Jin. Not to mention the beautiful gardening, the rare flowers transplanted from different galaxies were all so beautiful that he was dazzled.

At the exit of the garden, there is an artificial lake with clear water, like blue crystal from afar. A large area of ​​fluorescent grass half a person's height is planted by the lake. When the breeze blows, the grass leaves flutter like dandelion stamens, covering most of the lake surface with stars. From afar, it looks like a galaxy on the lake.

"It's so beautiful." Ke Jin sighed. Through the "starry sky", he saw a row of palaces across the lake, and many servants and guards were walking around those buildings.

"Where is it?" Ke Jin asked.

Oloy took a look and said, "The royal bedroom." He pointed to the golden building closest to the lake. "I live here."

Ke Jin immediately looked around carefully again. The most luxurious place he had ever lived in was the current Kachi Villa. He really couldn't imagine what it felt like to live in such a big palace.

"You have lived in such a luxurious place since you were a child, but on the Blue Star you have to live in a shabby house with me. Were you devastated at that time?" Ke Jin asked.

"At first, it was a bit." Oloy showed an expression of "the past is unbearable to look back on", "but later... I think it's not so bad."

"Not bad?" Ke Jin asked, half doubtful and half admiringly, "How did you adapt to it?"

Oloy's expression became a little subtle, and he glanced at Ke Jin: "This scorer."

"You mean, you're the adaptable type?"

"No." Oroi shook his head, was silent for a moment, and smiled briefly.

"I mean...it's because of you that I can adapt."

Ke Jin was stunned and was about to ask again when Ouloi's communicator rang. He looked down and frowned.

"I have something to do. I need to leave for a while." He clicked a few times on the communicator and said to Ke Jin apologetically, "Sorry, I'll ask someone to take you to continue shopping."

"No, no, I'll wait for you." Ke Jin pointed to the small pavilion by the lake, "Don't worry, I'll rest here for a while."

Of course, Ouloi would rather be the one to accompany Ke Jin, so he agreed immediately.

"Okay." He nodded to Ke Jin, "I'll be back as soon as possible."

***

Oloy left.

Ke Jin wandered around the garden for a while, then sat down in the pavilion by the lake to rest. When he looked at the palace across the lake, he couldn't help but think of what Oloy had just said.

——Because of you, I can adapt.

Does Oloy mean that when he was a child, you took good care of him?

But if that was the case, then when Eggers went to find Orloy, he could have left, so why did he stay on the Blue Star?

Although Oloy said that he didn't want to go home, which made me think that his relationship with his family was strained, but during today's meal, I could see that he and his family actually had a very good relationship, and there was no reason why he couldn't come back...

The more Ke Jin thought about it, the stranger it seemed, and his curiosity grew.

If it were me, what reason would I have for giving up my original comfortable life and voluntarily living in a small and shabby courtyard with others?

Immersed in divergent thoughts, Ke Jin suddenly came back to his senses when he heard someone calling his name.

He quickly turned his head and was slightly stunned when he saw the person standing in front of him, but his body reacted even faster and he stood up directly.

"Hello, Your Highness the Second Prince." Ke Jin bowed respectfully. He was not surprised to meet the other party here - this was the only way to return to the royal bedroom. It was completely normal for the other party to happen to see him and come over to chat for a few minutes.

"Xiao Ke, you are not a stranger, you don't have to be so polite." The second prince smiled, his delicate eyebrows and eyes looked particularly gentle. Compared with Ouluo, the second prince lacked a bit of sharpness, his pale face and thin cheeks made him look a little weak, but Ke Jin still had a good impression of him. It was completely unimaginable that this gentle second prince had suffered repeated failures in his love history and had been dumped in various ways...

"We are all very happy that you are willing to accept Oloy's invitation and come to our family dinner."

"It's my honor." Ke Jin quickly returned the greeting, and at the same time he was a little confused. He was indeed very impressed that the other party didn't act like a royal family, but he was just a commoner. He accepted the invitation of the royal family and came to the banquet. No matter how you look at it, he should be the one who should be grateful and thanked. Why did the other party put on such a humble attitude? It was as if he was afraid that he would refuse...

"No, I'm not exaggerating. I mean it sincerely." As if seeing through Ke Jin's thoughts, the second prince's smile deepened a little. "We originally thought that Oului would end up living alone, and we were all very worried. Unexpectedly, he finally came to his senses, found someone he liked, and brought that person back home..."

Ke Jin almost suspected that there was something wrong with his ears and had to interrupt the other person immediately.

"Your Highness, you misunderstood." Ke Jin didn't care about being surprised and hurriedly explained, "Ouluoyi and I are just friends, it's not what you think."

Now it was the second prince's turn to be surprised.

"Really?" He opened his mouth slightly, looking totally surprised. "But Eggs clearly said that Oloy was pursuing you, and Oloy didn't deny it at the time, so we thought..."

Ke Jin: “…”

Ke Jin: “???”