The endless ceremony of the coronation finally came to an end.
The moment Victor declared the ceremony complete, Darin didn't bother with pleasantries—he swept out of the hall in a huff. Hall stumbled behind him, the black walnut cane tapping out an erratic rhythm against the red carpet.
Jiang Lijin led Rowan back to the side hall rest area. As soon as the door closed, the little one let out a long sigh, reaching up with both small hands to remove the thorny crown from his head.
“So heavy.” Rowan set the crown on the vanity, rubbing his forehead where the pressure had left a red mark. His spine, once rigid with formality, finally relaxed as he curled up into a chair.
Jiang Lijin pinched his cheek and handed him a warm glass of milk. “Well done—no slip-ups. Have something to drink and settle your stomach.”
Chiron took the crown, found a soft cushion, and placed it carefully. This thing brought trouble to anyone who touched it, but Darin wouldn't dare use it to stir up trouble again anytime soon.
Chiron’s slender fingers brushed over the pigeon-blood ruby in the crown, his gray eyes narrowing slightly. The Defense Force Commander’s defection, the theft of the crown—the Cabinet had taken a massive hit this time.
In her mind, Little One’s mechanical voice suddenly spiked, pounding against Jiang Lijin’s skull.
【Host! We’re rich! We’re rich!】 Little One was cheering mentally, showering digital confetti everywhere. 【A huge chunk of points just rolled into our account out of nowhere! It not only filled all our old debts but left us with 1,350 points!】
Jiang Lijin’s hand, holding her water glass, froze.
【Where did it come from?】
【No idea.】 Little One pulled up the transaction log, but all it showed was a string of garbled characters. 【No source info—just a direct deposit. Could the main system be sending us a welfare check because it felt bad for us?】
Jiang Lijin set the glass down. She never trusted freebies, and this sudden influx was suspicious. Still, points were points. With that thousand-plus buffer, she could at least eye some of the life-saving items in the shop.
【Keep trying to contact the main system.】 Jiang Lijin instructed. 【Send out a daily signal until it replies.】
【On it!】 Little One happily hugged the points and scurried off to work.
······
Late at night, the villa district was dead silent.
A tiny, unmarked, stealth-capable shuttle silently touched down on an empty lot not far from the villa.
The hatch slid open without a sound as Baal strode into the night with long steps. He didn’t alert anyone—he even deliberately suppressed the oppressive mental pressure of a 3S-grade male, slipping into the villa under the cover of darkness without a trace.
He had arrived very late and had snuck back without the Federation’s knowledge.
But he couldn’t fool the four other 3S-ranked males inside the house.
In the room on the east side of the second floor, Chiron sat at his desk, slender fingers turning the page of a medical report.
The moment Baal stepped into the living room, Chiron’s movement paused slightly. A faint, sharp glint passed through his gray eyes. But he said nothing, calmly flipping the page and letting that irritating presence draw near.
In the room closest to the yard on the second floor, Tianque had just finished bathing, a loosely tied bathrobe slung around his waist, revealing the distinct muscles of his six-pack.
Sensing the shift, Tianque’s red eyes flicked briefly to Tianyan, who lay beside him with his eyes shut. Tianyan didn’t even open his lids—just curved his lips in a smirk, as if awaiting a good show. The twins of the black market silently held their peace.
And in the room closest to Jiang Lijin’s on the second floor, Tinia stood behind his door.
The golden-haired youth’s hand was clenched tightly around the metal door handle, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. His blue eyes, usually brimming with sunlight, were now frighteningly dark. He wanted to charge out—to throw out the Federation Commander who had crept in under cover of night.
But Tinia stood there, gripping the handle for a long time. In the end, he let go in defeat.
He knew that forcing the Cabinet to back down and making the Defense Force Commander sign the oath of allegiance had largely depended on the Federation’s military pressure.
Baal, that mad snake, had truly thrown the full weight of the Federation’s forces behind his sister. His sister had to be tired by now. The last thing he wanted was to cause a scene and upset her.
The hallway was perfectly quiet.
Baal, in his military boots, made no sound at all. He turned the handle of Jiang Lijin’s door, which she had deliberately left unlocked.
Little One had already dutifully reported Baal’s landing the moment he touched down.
Jiang Lijin had just finished her bath, wearing a silk nightgown. She was leaning against the headboard, browsing the star web news on her terminal, when she lifted her head to find the tall man already blocking the edge of her bed.
The main light in the room was off; only a dim bedside lamp glowed. Baal looked down, his gaze locked onto Jiang Lijin’s face as if glued there.
It had been half a month since she’d seen him last. There were dark circles under his eyes, and a stubble had grown over his jaw. He looked travel-worn.
“You’re back?” Jiang Lijin looked up at him.
Baal didn’t speak. He stepped closer, closing the distance. He was too tall—his broad shoulders blocked the night light, casting Jiang Lijin entirely in his shadow.
Inside, a nameless rage burned, along with a resentment he didn’t even want to admit.
His firepower was the strongest support at her back.
But … he had contributed the most—and yet he hadn’t been able to stand beside her in that moment.
He’d watched the human-wide broadcast from his shuttle. She had been so radiant, placing the crown on the young Emperor’s head, and Chiron standing legitimately at her side …
It hurt him badly.
That feeling of being left out had already shattered what little rationality Baal had left. He was a soldier, used to going straight for the objective and seizing the high ground. Now that he was back, he had to make up for it in the most direct way.
“They were all with you,” Baal said, his voice hoarse, carrying a biting edge. “I wasn’t there.”
“Is the Federation military so idle these days that the Commander can just skip work whenever he wants?” Jiang Lijin’s tone was casual, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.
“It’s not idle.” Baal raised his hand, brushing his thumb across her cheek, then gripping her chin gently. “But if I stayed away any longer, my wife would be someone else’s.”
Jiang Lijin slapped his hand away. “Talk properly. Who’s your wife?”
Baal instead grabbed her wrist—tight, but not painful. He lowered his head, his golden eyes blazing brightly in the dim light, boring straight into her.
“You,” he said, cutting straight to the chase.
Before Jiang Lijin could react, Baal leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
His kiss was aggressively possessive, forcing her mouth open, lingering with wild intimacy.
Jiang Lijin was pushed backward so hard that the back of her head nearly hit the wall.
Baal paused. His large palm immediately slid to cushion the back of her head, his other arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her hard against his chest.
And he was relentless, relentless. Oxygen deprivation made Jiang Lijin’s head swim. Annoyed, she opened her mouth and bit him.
The taste of blood instantly spread between their teeth.
Finally, Baal pulled back—just a little. He wiped the corner of his own mouth, smearing the blood with his thumb, and stared at her. His golden eyes flickered with flames that had yet to bank. There was no anger at being bitten—only an ever-growing excitement.
“A dog?” Baal panted, his voice low and hoarse beyond recognition.
“Like hell I will.” Jiang Lijin glared at him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “You come back and go crazy right away? Rabies acting up again?”
Baal didn’t argue. His gaze lingered on her swollen, kissed-red lips, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
A small black snake slithered out from his sleeve, crawled along his arm onto Jiang Lijin’s shoulder, and rubbed affectionately against her neck, its forked tongue flicking.
The spirit creature was far more honest than its master. The little black snake curled its tail around a strand of Jiang Lijin’s hair, dripping with sycophantic intent, as if pleading its master’s case for every moment of absence.
Jiang Lijin stroked the snake’s cool scales, and the last of her irritation melted away. She took in the dark circles under Baal’s eyes—she knew he’d spent days and nights at the border and then raced back in secret, just for a glimpse of her.
“Go take a shower.” She pointed to the bathroom. “You reek of sweat. Disgusting.”
Baal didn’t move.
“Got a problem with me?” He raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with menace.
“Yeah, I do.” Jiang Lijin shoved him aside and headed for the bed. “In or out? If you’re not washing, get the hell back to your room.”
Baal watched her retreating back, the corner of his mouth tightening. He strode over, swept her off her feet with an arm around her waist.
Her feet dangled in the air. Startled, she yelped, “What are you doing?!”
“Shower.” He carried her toward the bathroom, utterly unashamed. “Together.”
“Bullshit! Who wants to shower with you?!” Jiang Lijin thrashed, pounding her fists against his solid shoulders—it was like tickling him.
“You said I reek.” He kicked the bathroom door open, slammed it shut behind them, and pinned her against the sink, his golden eyes blazing into hers. “Scrub me clean. Then I won’t stink.”
The man was utterly impossible, unreasonable to the core.
The bathroom door clicked locked behind them. Water began to roar, drowning out whatever happened inside.
The little black snake, locked out, curled up in a miserable coil by the gap under the door.
