The corridor of the Cabinet building was very quiet. The alloy door slid shut behind them, sealing the old aristocrats inside the conference room.
Jiang Lijin led Rowan out. Just as she pushed open the second door of the corridor, she stopped in her tracks.
Someone stood by the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the corridor.
Baal, dressed in a dark gray high-ranking Federation military uniform, leaned quietly against the wall, his posture tall and straight. Hearing the door open, he turned his head, his golden eyes locking onto Jiang Lijin with precision.
He straightened up and strode over on his long legs. Stopping in front of her, he looked down at her.
“I heard you’ve been tearing things up in there?” Baal spoke, his voice a little hoarse. The days of travel had left a trace of fatigue in his brows and eyes.
It had been a while since she’d seen him, and it seemed the man’s temper had tempered a bit, but his inherent overbearing nature was as strong as ever.
“I’ve already smoothed things out on the Federation’s side,” Baal said, staring at her intensely. “Tomorrow morning, the official diplomatic letter from the Federation’s Foreign Ministry will be delivered to the Cabinet. It recognizes the legitimacy of Rowan Oduin’s throne and establishes bilateral cooperation.”
Jiang Lijin looked at him. “You work fast.”
The Federation and the Empire had never gotten along. To suppress the opposition voices within the Federation that quickly, Baal must have used iron-fisted tactics behind the scenes. The man always acted directly and ruthlessly, but he had paved her way forward without a hitch.
Baal stepped forward, reached out gently, and pinched her chin, his thumb brushing against her skin.
“You’ve lost weight,” he frowned, his tone laced with displeasure. “How have those useless idiots at Perseus Shield been taking care of you? They couldn’t even guard against some old fossil? When I get back, I’ll skin that kid Ryan alive.”
Jiang Lijin didn’t dodge, letting him hold her chin.
“I’m doing just fine, eating and sleeping well every day,” she said, looking at his uniform, which didn’t even have time to shake the dust off. “But you, the Commander-in-Chief of the Federation, instead of staying on your own turf, what are you doing in the Empire? Inspecting me?”
“To see you,” Baal answered without a shred of shame. “If I couldn’t see you, I was afraid I’d lose my temper and bring an army to level this lousy place.”
He wasn’t joking. When the orbital cannon incident was reported to the Federation a few days ago, he had almost flipped the table in headquarters.
As they were talking, Jiang Lijin felt a gentle tug on her hem.
Rowan, clutching his teddy bear, peered out from behind Jiang Lijin. The little emperor looked up, curiously and somewhat in awe sizing up the tall, formidable man before him.
Baal also noticed this red-haired child. He lowered his eyes, his golden pupils showing no emotion.
“So this is the new emperor?” Baal raised an eyebrow, releasing Jiang Lijin’s chin, his gaze sweeping over Rowan.
Although Rowan was a bit scared of Baal’s oppressive presence, he obediently stood up straight, nodding like a grown-up. “Hello, I’m Rowan.”
Baal let out a light scoff. He generally had no patience for such soft little children, but for Jiang Lijin’s sake, he uncharacteristically softened his tone. “You’ve got some nerve. From now on, stick close to your sister and don’t cause her any trouble.”
Rowan nodded obediently. “I’ll be good and won’t let my sister worry.”
A faint sound of rustling fabric came from nearby.
Chiron stepped forward, holding a thin jacket, and naturally draped it over Jiang Lijin’s shoulders. With this gesture, he subtly inserted himself between Baal and Jiang Lijin.
“Lijin has been dealing with government affairs these past few days, consuming a lot of mental energy. She needs more rest,” Chiron said, adjusting the lapels of the jacket. He turned to look at Baal, smiling warmly. “Commander Baal must be tired from the journey. But everything is fine at home. I’ve personally overseen her meals and daily routine, so you need not worry too much.”
Chiron’s tone was casual, but the words “at home” and “personally” were emphasized heavily. He was openly reminding Baal who had been by Jiang Lijin’s side during this time.
Baal’s face immediately darkened. As two 3S-level alphas and both mates of Jiang Lijin, they were naturally antagonistic. An oppressive undercurrent of psychic energy clashed subtly in the air.
He let out a cold laugh, not even acknowledging Chiron’s words, and stared directly at Jiang Lijin. “In last night’s communication, you didn’t mention there’d be such a big racket in the Cabinet today.”
“If I had, you would’ve brought the entire fleet to bulldoze the place,” Jiang Lijin said, pulling the jacket tighter around her shoulders, cutting off the suppressed conflict between the two men.
She glanced at Baal; there were red bloodshot streaks in the corners of his eyes, clearly from traveling day and night.
“Now that you’re here, let’s head back together,” Jiang Lijin said naturally. “I mentioned Xiao Yi to you in the call last night. That metal guy learned to cook today; it’s a good chance for you to try its cooking.”
Hearing the words “head back together,” the cold sharpness around Baal dissipated quite a bit. Without looking at Chiron again, he reached out and grabbed Jiang Lijin’s wrist.
“Let’s go.” Baal pulled her forward with large strides.
Chiron stood in place, his gray eyes deepening. He said nothing, but stepped forward to follow, moving to Jiang Lijin’s other side.
“Your Highness, slow down, mind the steps,” Chiron reminded, subtly supporting her arm as if to steady her.
The three walked forward side by side. Rowan, clutching his teddy bear, followed alongside on his short little legs, his big eyes darting back and forth between the three adults, sensing some kind of intriguing atmosphere.
As they walked out of the Cabinet building, the sunlight outside was a bit harsh.
Ryan was standing alert by the hovercar with his Perseus Shield team. Seeing Jiang Lijin come out, he was about to salute when he noticed Baal beside her.
Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately stood at attention and gave a crisp military salute. “Commander-in-Chief!”
Baal gave him a cold glance. “We’ll settle this when we get back. Can’t even keep one door guarded.”
Although Ryan was now directly assigned to Jiang Lijin, he had originally been trained by Baal himself. He knew better than to talk back. He hurried over and opened the door of the hovercar.
Jiang Lijin first lifted Rowan into the car, then sat down in the back seat. Baal immediately squeezed in beside her, his large frame taking up more than his share of space, pressing tightly against her.
Chiron looked at the back seat, his expression unchanged, and opened the passenger door to sit in the front.
The hovercar lifted off and glided smoothly towards the Emerald Lake Villa.
The car was very quiet. Baal leaned against the back of his seat, turning his head to stare at Jiang Lijin’s profile, still possessively holding her wrist.
Jiang Lijin didn’t bother struggling, letting him hold it, as she leaned against the car window with her eyes closed to rest.
Rowan sat on Jiang Lijin’s other side, quietly playing with the teddy bear’s ear, occasionally sneaking a peek at Baal.
In the front seat, Chiron glanced at the pair in the back through the rearview mirror, then looked away, silently watching the skyway ahead.
Tinia and the twins were back home waiting.
Tonight at the villa was probably going to be pretty lively.
Jiang Lijin closed her eyes, smiling to herself.
Everyone together. That was actually pretty good.
