Chapter 33
Hughes's kiss landed on Xia Qian's lips, and his tongue pried open her teeth.
Xia Qian wanted to resist, but it was too late. The thing had already invaded her mouth, and before she could even dodge, she was entangled by it.
At this point, whether Xia Qian was trying to break free or not, they were still entwined.
At the same time, drowsiness kept creeping in from deep within, and Xia Qian was so confused that she could no longer distinguish whether what was in front of her was a dream or reality.
Her gaze was fixed on Hughes, who was kissing her.
Even though he was someone who had never been in a relationship, just like her, he was already very skilled at it.
He even started guiding her, completely without any formal instruction.
His kisses traveled from her lips down to her neck. Xia Qian blushed and tried to struggle, but the boy held her wrists firmly.
He kissed the mark on her neck, and Xia Qian couldn't help but turn her head away in shame, "Xiu, Xiu Si..."
She's too soft.
This was clearly just a dream.
Xia Qian thought to herself.
She needs to be more assertive.
This is just a dream; it's impossible for her to be this afraid of Hughes even in a dream.
She turned her head away and said clearly, "I'm going to sleep."
Her voice was soft, sweet, and gentle.
Hughes's eyes darkened. He lifted Xia Qian's chin with his long hand, giving her no chance to resist. The beast had already made his move, placing a kiss on the kitten's lips. "Then I won't kiss you."
"Hughes said."
He released his grip on her chin, put his other arm around her, and didn't do anything else.
But the places his lips touched still felt like they were burning hot.
Even with my eyes closed, those feelings are still there, lingering and impossible to shake off.
Something's not right.
Xia Qian felt that something was wrong with her.
What's wrong with her?
This was clearly just a dream.
Just then, Hughes' voice lingered in her ears, "Good night."
His voice quietly lingered throughout the room.
His fingers brushed over the mark on her neck, and a faint warmth emanated from the mark, spreading throughout her body.
But it also felt tingly and numb, with a slight electric current.
Hughes's fingers touched it so lightly, just brushed it over, yet the mark had already produced such a strong reaction.
He also said that marking was only half the battle.
Even so, her body reacted so strongly.
What does a complete marking look like?
Xia Qian dared not think any further.
She closed her eyes and didn't dare to move, lying there very obediently.
Sleepiness crept in without her realizing it, and Xia Qian finally couldn't stay awake any longer. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a ton, pressing down on her and forcing her to drift off to sleep.
Is this a dream?
Before drifting off to sleep, Xia Qian asked herself a question in her mind.
Now I'm beside her, holding her close, and there were those kisses just now. Is all of this a dream?
Xia Qian didn't know either.
She couldn't tell the difference at all.
She leaned against the boy's chest, feeling extremely sleepy. She could almost hear his heartbeat, steady and resonant, one beat after another.
Sleepiness had unknowingly completely taken over her mind.
Xia Qian knew nothing and could only lean against his chest.
The kitten slept very peacefully this time, and even its sleeping face looked particularly serene.
Night quietly descends into the deep of night, time ticks by, but at the same time, the source of life is not so quiet.
It was already late at night, but the palace was brightly lit.
Ever since the Crown Prince locked the Second Princess in the hospital, the Empress has argued with him countless times, but the Second Princess has still not been released.
No matter what the Empress said, even if she tried both soft and hard tactics, Crown Prince Xia Che refused to release the Second Princess. If the Empress continued to make trouble, the Crown Prince would remain rational and say calmly, "Mother is the Empress, and we should consider the bigger picture."
"The medical team is still examining Xia Wen and treating her. She's not ready to be discharged right now," Xia Che said calmly, probably aware of just how stubborn the woman in front of him was.
Xia Che sat there, then continued, "And she came out like this before Xia Wen's illness was fully cured. If she infects others, it could cause another disaster at the Source of Life."
Xia Che paused, then turned his gaze to the Empress. He spoke each word with a hidden sharpness, aimed directly at her: "Will you atone with your death?"
"you!"
"It's so late, Mother should get some rest." Xia Che didn't want to get entangled with the woman in front of him any longer. As soon as he finished speaking, he got up without saying goodbye or goodnight.
The atmosphere was filled with the heavy smell of gunpowder and silence.
This has been how this stepmother and son have interacted for over a decade.
The puppet, which she had always thought she could control at will, had grown up to the point where she could no longer control it at all.
Xia Che holds military power, controlling the army of the Source of Life, and even the public army regiment jointly established with the United Kingdom, in which Xia Che also serves as one of the leaders.
It's not that we can't rebel against Xia Che, but that would come at a great cost.
Xia Che has never made any mistakes, so what reason could she possibly use to remove him from his position as crown prince?
We shouldn't have thought he was easy to manipulate in the first place, which is why we gave him the position of crown prince.
If things continue like this, there will be no place for her and Wenwen in the future.
Then all her hard work over the past ten years has been for nothing.
The queen clenched her fists, her expression seemingly twisted along with her inner turmoil.
"Owner……"
"Go contact the Pope." The Queen's eyes were cold. "Tell him that I've made up my mind about that deal."
It's just Xia Che.
She watched Xia Che grow up. He was only a few years old. He was so young. In her eyes, he was just a little kid.
He could never beat her.
The connections she possessed were something he, as a prince, could never achieve.
So isn't he still the same puppet, in the palm of her hand?
The Empress gave a cold laugh to herself.
But just then, the servant stammered, "Master..."
"The Pope already sent a message." The servant's voice was soft, clearly knowing he was about to suffer. He lowered his head and whispered, "He said the deal should be canceled, he doesn't care anymore."
But he spoke each word clearly, and every word was like a knife piercing the Queen's heart.
"What did you say?!"
But this was clearly agreed upon by them, how can they just abandon their responsibilities like this!
Before the empress could recover, the servant continued, "The empire has intervened, and the Pope doesn't want to get involved."
So I said I wouldn't care anymore.
They weren't given any time, and all contact methods had been cut off.
They couldn't get in touch with the Pope at all.
The empress was deathly pale, her mind a complete mess. She wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.
Why is the empire suddenly getting involved in this matter?
Why interfere when everything is fine?
Once it gets involved, how could the Church of Light dare to interfere?
But if even the Church of Light, which stands above the United Kingdom, refuses to help her, then which kingdom within the galaxy would dare to speak up and say that all of this is Xia Che's recklessness?
Do they dare?
They wouldn't dare.
They dared not oppose the empire.
The Empress suddenly felt a deathly silence; this was all unexpected. She sat there, and in an instant, she seemed to have aged several years. "Then my Wenwen..."
What will happen to her Wenwen?
Empire, no, it's Hughes.
What exactly is Hughes trying to do?
An ominous premonition suddenly rose from the Empress's heart. Was it because of Xia Qian that he did that and suddenly intervened?
But Xia Qian...
The Queen suddenly realized that everything seemed different from what she had imagined.
She unconsciously turned the wedding ring on her hand, but her heart was far from calm.
Has Hughes already discovered her?
He's only intervening to support Xia Che now, so what's his next move?
The Empress suddenly became restless. She stood up abruptly, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
Is Hughes seeking revenge?
Was all of this directed at him?
But why would he do that?
The Queen stopped abruptly.
A name quietly surfaced in her mind.
Because of Xia Qian.
Because of Xia Qian, that's why they came for her.
As night deepened, the Queen stood there, feeling as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
Even though the young man hadn't officially made a move yet, her heart had already begun to tremble.
Within the galaxy, who doesn't know him?
Hughes is not someone to mess with.
The reason she was so formidable was that she pushed Xia Qian to him in the first place.
But the flames of death burned her own body instead.
"Empress..."
Meanwhile, outside in the corridor, everything was dark, with only occasional wall lights illuminating Xia Che's handsome face as he strode forward, never stopping for a second.
This has been the case for over a decade.
"Your Highness, are we not going to investigate matters concerning the Empire?"
"Investigate." Xia Che ordered his subordinates behind him without turning his head, "Go and investigate why the Empire suddenly voiced its support for us."
He and Hughes weren't really friends; they were just fellow crown princes who had met a few times at the galactic council.
They've always kept to themselves.
The Source of Life and the Empire had no particular dealings.
Xia Che didn't think that Hughes wanted to befriend him.
That boy.
Notoriously aloof and hard to please.
Thinking of this, Xia Che suddenly stopped in his tracks.
So why would he help himself?
Is it simply because they can't stand it?
Hughes isn't that kind of person.
Xia Che frowned, a strange feeling rising from the bottom of his heart. He felt as if something was pulling him along.
But upon closer inspection, there was nothing there.
Xia Che looked up at the sky, his gaze fixed on the two bright moons.
The moonlight shone on him, bathing him in its glow.
Just then, the invisible earphone I had been wearing suddenly beeped and turned on automatically.
At the same time, a respectful male voice came through the earpiece, "Your Highness Xia Che, the direction the Empress's people are heading has been determined."
"They're going to the Empire."
Xia Che frowned.
Just then, the voice in the earpiece spoke again, "I also heard a name from them, but I'm not sure."
Xia Che frowned, about to ask a question, when at that moment, that inexplicable feeling of being pulled back rose up again.
It was as if something important was constantly foreshadowing him.
Xia Che didn't know what it was either, and could only search for it instinctively. He suddenly opened his mouth slowly, speaking each word carefully, as if he was afraid that if he exerted any force, he would take away that important thing.
"...What's your name?"
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