The emperor was younger than Su Yi had expected. He sat behind a wide desk. A magnificent and huge chandelier hung above his head, giving people a heavy feeling of oppression.
"You are the daughter of the Su family of Star No. 2." He said after seeing Su Yi. Although it should be a question, he used an affirmative tone.
Sue nodded, "Yes."
Planet No. 2 is the planet closest to the Capital Planet. The distance from the center of power also represents the level of status. Over the years, the Su family has always wanted to go a step further and move into the Capital Planet.
The emperor glanced at her and Huo Jun, and said in a nonchalant tone: "Since you are dating, get engaged."
Su Yi raised her eyelids. Huo Jun's reaction was much more intense than hers. Su Yi was a point that others could not touch. He said in a deep voice: "That is my business. It is not your turn to interfere."
The emperor was not angry. Perhaps in his eyes, Huo Jun's anger was no different from a joke. "You disagree with my arrangement and refuse to leave the academy to work in the military. Aren't you reluctant to leave her? In this case, I decide to let you get engaged. Isn't that just in line with your wishes? As for the Su family, I think they will be very happy."
"My not going to the military has nothing to do with others, and there is no need for me to listen to you. You'd better stop interfering in my affairs." Huo Jun said with a warning.
The emperor slowly changed his posture and said, "If your mother knew that you talked to me like this, she would definitely not be happy."
"You—" Huo Jun took a step forward, but Su Yi pulled him back and turned to the emperor and said, "Can I have a few words with him alone?"
The emperor looked at her with some surprise and gestured for her to do as she pleased.
Su Yi pulled Huo Jun outside and stopped at a deserted place.
After leaving that depressing place, Huo Jun slowly calmed down. He frowned in annoyance and said, "I shouldn't have asked you to come with me. I've caused you trouble."
"Did you cause me to lose arms and legs, or did you send me to jail? Why don't I see where the involvement is?" Su Yi asked back.
Huo Jun forced a half-smile and said in a distracted manner: "I'm still too weak."
Su Yi shook their joined hands and said, "It's not that you are too weak, it's that you have concerns in your heart, and he knows this, so he can restrain you."
Although his mother and grandfather may not treat him well, Huo Jun is surprisingly not a cold person. As long as the emperor holds his mother in his hands, he has to be restricted. If he is alone and has no weaknesses, what can the emperor use to threaten him
Huo Jun knew who she was talking about. He was stunned for a moment before saying, "She raised me after all."
"I know." Su Yi moved closer and looked up at him. "If you really don't recognize your relatives, I would think that's not you."
Huo Jun couldn't help but hold her hand in his palm and squeezed it gently, saying with a wry smile: "It's a pity that I can't give them what they want, and I don't want to give it to them."
His grandfather and mother were like hostages in the hands of the emperor, forcing him to do what he wanted. The funny thing was that those hostages were willing to do so because they wanted him to listen to the emperor obediently so that they could gain more benefits.
"Then give them what you want to give. You are you, not a puppet in someone else's hands, nor a tool for them to gain benefits. Even if you have to compromise now, it is for a better future."
Huo Jun still frowned, "But he wants us—"
"We want to get engaged?" Sue added, and then asked, "You don't want to get engaged to me?"
"Of course not, of course I want to!" Huo Jun said immediately, his eyes turned to her face, wandering for a moment, then turned away, staring at a corner of the wall, "But not under this situation, under his order. And... I haven't prepared anything, and I haven't proposed to you, with flowers, rings, fireworks, etc..."
Su Yi pursed her lips and held back her smile, lest anyone get angry.
He said a lot, but maybe the key point is just the last sentence
Su Yi didn't expect that he, who was always smiling in front of her and could fight with Zerg in close combat, was quite innocent and had a bit of romantic cells
She said, "Don't you think the most important point is that we haven't known each other for long, and we've only been dating for a few days?"
Huo Jun immediately turned back to look at her, his tone tentative and cautious, "So you don't want to get engaged?"
Su Yi was a little speechless. Who was it just now who said that he didn't want to get engaged under such circumstances? Why did he suddenly become nervous after she said a few words, as if he was worried that she would not agree
"Are you sure? Do you think we can get engaged in the end?"
Huo Jun asked without thinking: "Why not?"
Su Yi said, "That's it. Since it's only a matter of time, if someone wants to meddle in other people's business, then let them do it. And since he wants to arrange our engagement, he should at least make your identity public. Then you will be the only recognized prince, and I will be the prince's consort. How impressive is that?"
Huo Jun raised his eyebrows when he heard this, "That's it?"
"What else?"
"Don't you feel wronged or unhappy?"
Su Yi also raised an eyebrow with him, "Why are you feeling wronged and unhappy? The princess is a privileged class, I can't wait to be happy, it would be better if I could be given some more privileges, such as not having to go to class and just being a royal vase."
Huo Jun was silent for a long time after hearing this. All his entanglements were nothing to her. He didn't know whether to say that she was too optimistic or was just missing something.
The two went back to see the emperor and learned that Huo Jun had agreed. The emperor looked at Su Yi again, and unlike his previous casual look, this time there was a hint of inquiry.
He originally thought that Huo Jun was attracted to an ignorant girl, but now it seems that this girl has some outstanding qualities. However, his evaluation of Su Yi stopped there. Instead, he frowned slightly at Huo Jun for being so easily influenced by women.
However, considering his age, his abilities and character are already outstanding enough, far better than those of his brothers. The emperor believes that he can be more tolerant in some aspects. What's more, the more sentimental he is, the more weaknesses he has and the easier it is to control him.
After Su Yi and Huo Jun left the palace, the emperor sent people to notify the Huo and Su families separately, asking them to make preparations.
The two families reacted differently. The Huo family was ecstatic when they learned that the emperor was willing to acknowledge Huo Jun, but they had some complaints about the emperor's easy engagement with him. After all, marriage was a great help, and although the Su family was among the top families on Star No. 2, it was still a bit out of the question in the eyes of the big families on Star Capital.
The Su family was pleasantly surprised, but also a little apprehensive. Although they had decided to stand with Huo Jun and knew that Su Yi was dating him, they had never expected that Huo Jun, who was just a student a few days ago, would be recognized by the emperor so soon, and that Su Yi was about to get engaged to him. Such great news made the Su family a little dizzy.
All major media outlets in the empire reported the incident at the first opportunity.
The emperor has been on the throne for many years, and although he has countless illegitimate children, there is not a single legitimate one. Although many people take this as entertainment, more people actually have a hidden worry in their hearts, worrying that if the emperor encounters an accident, those illegitimate children will kill each other and repeat his mistake.
Even though the royal fighting is far away from the common people, who will be the ruler is a matter of concern to everyone. Everyone hopes to have a strong and courageous emperor to guard the empire and deter the Zerg.
Huo Jun's life experience was soon made public, including his performance and achievements in the Royal Academy. When people learned that he had defeated an S-class Zerg alone, they were full of expectations for this prince who had not yet appeared in public. Even if there were some discordant voices, they were quickly drowned out.
With Huo Jun as the new prince taking the lead, Su Yi, the lucky girl who was about to be engaged to the prince, received much less attention. But when they returned to the academy, they were still surrounded by many people.
They didn't really block the road directly, but the two people who had always attracted a lot of attention would attract a large crowd of onlookers wherever they went.
Su Yi went to class. The girls who had been chasing her and asking her all kinds of questions when they learned that Huo Jun was pursuing her, now didn't dare to come over.
But not getting closer doesn't mean not gossiping. With Su Yi's excellent hearing, she can hear that they are talking even more enthusiastically now.
"I've long said that Senior Huo is so mysterious, he must be from a very important background. I didn't expect that he is really a prince. It's like a fairy tale."
"You said if I ask him for his autograph, will he give it to me?"
"I think so. After all, we are Suyi's classmates."
"She is so lucky. After just a few days of dating, Senior Huo has become a prince and is even going to get engaged to her. He will be the prince's consort."
"I can't believe that I'm actually a classmate of the prince's wife, and we sit so close to each other!"
"Do you think Sue will invite us to the palace in the future? I dream of visiting it."
"I want to go ..."
"I also want to..."
The situation on Huo Jun's side was not much better than Su Yi's. He went to the training ground as usual. When the people who were originally concentrating on training saw him, they all stopped what they were doing, as if someone suddenly pressed the pause button, and they just stood there strangely.
Huo Jun raised his hand, randomly pointed at a few people, and began to move his hands and feet, "You and you, get ready to warm up with me."
The person whose name was called said cautiously: "Jun-Well, how about not doing it and we practice shooting with you?"
Huo Jun frowned, "Do you need someone to accompany you when shooting? Stop talking nonsense, hurry up, don't try to be lazy."
The man had a sad face and winked at the people around him.
Seeing Huo Jun's brows about to raise again, Huang Cangcang scratched his head and walked over, saying, "Boss, is it okay for us to still call you Boss?"
Huo Jun gave him a look that asked him what's wrong with him.
Huang Cangcang rubbed his hands and continued, "Well, Jun brother, it's not that we want to be lazy, we just don't dare to fight with you. You said you are so noble now, what if we accidentally hurt you?"
Huo Jun was almost laughing at his anger, "You hurt me? Just you guys? Did I give you some illusions, or have you become arrogant after not seeing each other for two days?"
Huang Cangcang smiled awkwardly and said, "Isn't this just to prevent the worst? What if someone gets hurt?"
"If you can hurt me, you're awesome. I'll treat you to a meal. But if you can't last ten minutes under my hands, haha."
That last smile had a bit of devilish meaning, and everyone present shuddered.
They had no choice but to fight with Huo Jun. Before going on stage, everyone reminded themselves in their hearts not to hurt Jun. But after going on stage, they found that they had thought too much. In front of Jun, they could only get beaten. The only thing they could do was to protect their faces so as not to be unable to see anyone the next day.
Huo Jun went to pick up Su Yi after class as usual. He accepted the emperor's request to enter the military early, but he set the time to after they got engaged, which meant that he would have to leave the academy soon.
When he thought about leaving Su Yi here alone, with so many people around her coveting her beauty, Huo Jun couldn't help but want to agree with her previous suggestion that she should happily be a royal vase, and it would be best if she didn't even have to attend classes.
After class, Su Yi and his friend walked down the street together, both ignoring the onlookers' gazes.
"What are you thinking about?" Su Yi asked, noticing that he spoke less than usual today.
Huo Jun glanced at the people around him and felt that everyone was a potential rival in love, and each one was coveting his fiancée.
Well, fiancée, he liked the term.
He said to Su Yi, "Why don't you leave the academy with me?"
Su Yi looked at him and said, "I don't mind, but are you sure you want people to add the word "dropout" after my academic qualifications when they introduce me in the future?"
Huo Jun stopped talking. It didn't matter if he dropped out of school, but he didn't like people pointing fingers at Su Yi.
Seeing this, Su Yi comforted him, "You are just going to the military, you are not going far. When you are settled, I will apply to the college. Some courses can be self-taught, so I can study at home."
Home.
When he heard her mention this word, Huo Jun couldn't help but feel a little moved.
He immediately began to reflect, thinking that he was wrong. How could he ask Sue to leave with him when he had nothing, no preparations, and even no place to call home? It was really irresponsible.
In his opinion, the Huo family is not his home, and the palace is even less so. He wants to build a home for both of them, Su Yi.
Ahead was the Command Department. Liang Sen and Xie Mingzhao walked out of it. Liang Sen said with some regret, "Yesterday I saw Xiao Qin getting close to a boy from the Combat Department. They were talking and laughing. Did you just go there like that? Zhao, I really don't understand what you were thinking. The momentum was so good originally. Xiao Qin obviously had a crush on you. When you should have worked harder, you suddenly gave up. Which girl can stand such hot-and-cold behavior? It's not like she hasn't had anyone chasing her."
Xie Mingzhao lowered his eyes and said nothing. He was indeed a little uneasy recently because of his engagement. He always felt that there was still time and opportunity, but he didn't expect Qin Shu to be so sensitive and proud. When she found out that something was wrong with him, she was keenly aware of something and turned around quickly.
This was another thing that caught him off guard. The other thing was that he had cancelled his engagement too easily. It was not until he saw the news that he realized why the Su family was so eager to cancel the engagement. It turned out that they had found a better partner.
In front of the royal family, the Xie family is indeed not worth mentioning, he thought with some self-mockery.
"Look at that." Liang Sen suddenly poked him.
Xie Mingzhao raised his eyes and happened to see Su Yi and Huo Jun walking past him. The two of them were the center of attention, but they were used to it and just focused on their intimate conversation, not being disturbed by the outside world at all.
Liang Sen sighed: "This is a perfect example of a campus romance that has been carried to the extreme. Look at the practical students. They pursue and date as they please. They are getting engaged soon and even revealed that he is a prince. Comparing yourself to others makes you angry. They are born at the finish line, which is fine. But people at the finish line work harder than you, leaving you no excuse to say anything."
The engagement day soon arrived. Su Yi's parents came to the capital star and respectfully accepted the emperor's summons. At the same time, Su Yi also met Huo Jun's mother.
That was also a beautiful woman, who looked pretty and full of charm, and she didn't look like Huo Jun, her older son. When she appeared, she held the emperor's hand, like the mistress of the entire palace. Throughout the whole process, her eyes never left the emperor, and she only glanced at Huo Jun at the beginning, and also at Su Yi.
Su Yi couldn't help but feel full of sympathy for Huo Jun. His mother, who could get to where she is today with the identity of an illegitimate daughter, and who could still act so infatuated after being abandoned by the emperor for so many years, either really loved the emperor, or was really scheming. But whichever it was, it was obvious that she didn't have much room for her son in her heart.
After the engagement party, the media of course reported it extensively and also included a photo of the party.
In the photo, Su Yi and Huo Jun stood side by side. This was the first time she was officially known to the people of the empire.
As soon as the photo came out, many people left comments.
"Who is the beauty standing next to your Majesty? Is she a new lover? Why haven't I seen her before?"
"The people above are either blind or didn't read carefully. It's clearly written in the article that she is Prince Jun's mother."
"Don't blame him. I was also confused when I first saw her. Ms. Huo has taken such good care of herself that she doesn't look like someone of her age at all."
"People are in high spirits when they are happy. After all, her son is the first prince to be recognized, and maybe even the only one. How can she not be happy?"
"The prince is very handsome. I heard that he is the top ace of the practical department of the Royal Academy? He is really outstanding."
"Finally someone noticed the protagonist. I don't understand why some people talk about His Majesty's lovers all day long and never get tired of them after so many years. It's amazing."
"If you ask those bored people not to do this, what else can they do?"
"Stop trying to provoke a fight. Don't you find the princess's wife particularly adorable?"
"It's just an engagement. She can't be considered a prince's consort yet."
"What the above person said, do you think that royal engagement is as casual as buying eggs, you can buy them when you want and return them when you want? It's already a done deal when it's made public like this!"
"Honestly, she is really cute and pretty. Suddenly I remembered something. Is she an adult?"
"… "
"… "
"You hit the nail on the head. My mom's colleague's daughter is in the same college as her. I heard that when school started, she registered at the college two weeks later than others because her family held a coming-of-age ceremony for her."
"So, you've only been an adult for two months."
"No wonder she still looks like a little girl."
"Even if it's a family marriage, she's still a little young."
"What family marriage? They are in free love."
"How could anyone believe what the officials said? How could it be such a coincidence that two people met randomly, one was a noble girl, the other was a prince, and they fell in love with each other? It was just a show for people to see."
"Have you noticed that in the photo, almost all of the people are ladies holding men's hands, only the prince is half-hugging the princess, and his hand is on her waist. It feels like the princess is completely huddled in his arms. How adorable!"
"Really? Those who mentioned family marriages upstairs, please open your eyes and take a look. This is such a loving marriage. Please give me a dozen."
"Don't you know there's an idiom called 'playing at every turn'?"
"I think I found something good, from the Royal Academy forum. Click in and you'll find a surprise. 'The ace of the practical department is passionately pursuing a freshman from the music department. Pictures speak louder than words!'"
"I've finished watching it. It's really very sweet. For those who say it's just a casual affair, could you please move your fingers and go watch it?"
"Don't argue with them. When the time comes, they will accuse the post of being fake, the poster of being a troll, and the prince of being a showman. Look, I've even thought of a reason for them."
"That's right. But speaking of it, the prince is much more devoted than Your Majesty. I heard that he had never been in a relationship in the academy for several years, and then he fell in love with the princess at first sight and started pursuing her. After he got her, he immediately got engaged and established his relationship with her. Thinking about his mother and Your Majesty's lovers, they didn't even have a public identity for so many years, let alone a name. It's so sad."
"Wake up, upstairs! Those people who make you sad all live in big mansions and estates. You are just a bricklayer. If you want to spread excessive sympathy, it depends on whether others give you the opportunity."
"Haha, it's fine to just read this kind of news, but some people actually got into it. It made me laugh to death."
After the engagement party, Huo Jun prepared to leave the academy. The night before, he and Su Yi sneaked out again and went to a cabin in the dense forest to watch the stars.
This forest may seem eerie and scary to others, but it means a lot to Huo Jun. When he was a child, he feared it, hated it, conquered it, and eventually turned it into his only safe place. Later, he met Su Yi here, fell in love with her, and now they are parting here again.
Sue sat on the platform outside the cabin, gazing up at the starry night, her legs dangling in the air and her slender white calves swaying gently.
Huo Jun was rustling around in the wooden house, and no one knew what he was doing. He didn't come out for a long time. Su Yi didn't turn her head, but she felt him holding her hand in his palm, squeezing it gently as usual. Then, as he was squeezing it, she found something was wrapped around her fingers.
When I looked down, I saw a pitch-black ring, which could barely be called a ring.
She tilted her head to look at Huo Jun, but Huo Jun was looking at the starry sky. If his palms had not been sweaty as he held her hand, she would have really thought that he was as calm as he looked.
"What's this?"
“…” Huo Jun muttered.
Sue leaned her ear over: "What?"
He still didn't look at her, but said in one go: "It was the breastplate of the first S-rank Zerg I encountered. At that time, I thought I was dead, but I woke up again, and the Zerg's body was still beside me. There was this breastplate stuck in my chest. If it was a little deeper, I wouldn't be here now."
Sue nodded as she listened, "So you kept the breastplate and ground it into this ring?"
That being said, it does make a lot of sense, but does he need to be so hesitant in saying it
Huo Jun then continued, "It used to be the thing closest to my heart, but now it is not. You are closer than it, you are in my heart."
He said the last sentence while staring at the stars in his head, and after saying it he still stubbornly refused to look back at her.
Su Yi felt that the love words were a bit tacky, but seeing his embarrassed look, she found it a bit cute and a bit touching.
She moved closer to someone who refused to look at her and rested her head on his shoulder.
Huo Jun was tense all over, and after a while he raised his hands and hugged her. Perhaps the embarrassment had worn off, and he hesitated, "Isn't it not romantic at all?"
"What does it matter if it's romantic or not? I just like it." Su Yi said. She opened her ring-wearing hand towards the night sky. The black ring on her white finger was particularly eye-catching.
She reached out her other hand and touched the ring, saying, "It was once so close to your heart. Every time I touch it from now on, it will be like touching your heart."
Huo Jun was unsure whether her words were just superficial meanings or whether they sounded more profound because she had other intentions.
After Su Yi finished speaking, she tilted her head back, and her breath almost sprayed on his chin, "Don't you think you should kiss me now after saying so many mushy words?"
"… oh."
The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who cast the [mine]: leaves, a string of candied haws 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
Mustard Deep 23 bottles; July Flowing Fire 20 bottles; Qingwansi 10 bottles; Light Ink 6 bottles; Yay's Little Building 3 bottles; A Salted Fish 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!