Chapter 24: Sekaninaite
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: CaiCai
Lyss heard Lu Xingye’s words, and his brain went blank. The room sank into an unprecedented silence. But this time, Lu Xingye didn’t choose to escape; instead, he looked straight at Lyss, waiting for a response.
“…Sorry,” Lyss finally spoke after a pause, “I don’t understand what âliking someone’ means.”
Lu Xingye was astonished for a moment, “…You don’t understand?”
Lu Xingye had used an exaggerated expression earlier, never expecting such a response from Lyss.
“Yes,” Lyss sincerely said, “I don’t know if all artificial beings are like this, but at least I am. I don’t know if you have such feelings towards me. In my view, sexual acts between humans don’t necessarily involve emotions. But apparently, your perspective differs from mine. I apologize for not expressing this view to you earlier.”
Lu Xingye fell silent. He should have felt upset, but the unexpected response left him unsure of what to say.
“Do you understand happiness and sadness?” the persistent Lu Xingye asked.
Lyss pondered, “Do you mean emotions? I’ve experienced happiness, but not sadness.”
Carefully, Lu Xingye asked, “Are you… happy being with me?”
This time, Lyss didn’t hesitate and simply nodded.
Lu Xingye’s eyes brightened. After a while, he suppressed his words, “I see.”
Lyss didn’t understand it himself, so naturally, he didn’t know what Lu Xingye had figured out.
“Just forget what I said,” Lu Xingye quickly changed his tone.
Though Lyss might be slow at times, he couldn’t just brush it off. But since Lu Xingye said that, he hesitated to ask further.
Of course, the deepest reason was that Lyss didn’t know how to respond. Countless people had confessed to him, both men and women, alphas, betas, and even omegas. He never cared, couldn’t even remember their faces.
Lu Xingye was different. Even though Lyss didn’t understand why he had these thoughts, he was clear that he needed to handle this intense feeling cautiously.
A single sentence from Lu Xingye left Lyss in an unprecedented dilemma, yet he quickly recovered from the shadow of the failed confession.
“Only three days left of the holiday,” Lu Xingye half-jokingly changed the subject, “How was my performance as your secretary this month? Chief, are you considering making my position permanent?”
Surprisingly, Lyss nodded, “I plan to send you to the military headquarters.”
Lu Xingye paused, “Don’t you trust Hilton?”
Lyss admitted bluntly, “No.”
Lu Xingye chuckled, “Chief, you’re really openly plotting and using me.”
This time, Lyss, who used to be straightforward, fell silent. Interests and emotions were the two most exploitable handles. Formerly, Lu Xingye was willing to be used because of the former, but now, emotions were involved in their relationship. Lyss suddenly didn’t know what to do.
Seeing this, Lu Xingye laughed, “The military is fine, but I can’t promise not to cause trouble for you.”
Lu Xingye’s frankness almost wrote “I willingly let you use me” on his face.
Lyss, feeling uncertain about how to respond to such a fervent attitude, could only follow along, saying, “It’s alright, I’ll cover for you.”
“Chief’s words truly surprised me,” Lu Xingye’s smile became even brighter, “But I heard that Triss’s military is quite treacherous. Shouldn’t my brother give me some compensation beforehand?”
At the mention of that term, Lyss immediately understood Lu Xingye’s implication. The Lyss before today wouldn’t have refused such a thing, thinking it was a straightforward transaction between him and Lu Xingye.
Until today, Lyss suddenly realized that all of Lu Xingye’s previous statements seemed like distractions. The so-called “compensation” and “transaction” appeared to be called some sort of… âplayfulnessâ by humans. Once emotions became entangled in a transaction, it ceased to be pure. Based on Lyss’s usual conduct, he should have refused. But faced with the young alpha’s pitiful tone and expression, he compromised for reasons unknown.
His golden eyes quietly lowered, and his slender, fair fingers slowly undid the buttons in front of Lu Xingye’s increasingly dark gaze, altering everything about the pure transaction.
Despite nothing visibly changing, Lyss felt an unprecedented agony. He turned his face away, biting the back of his hand, and his golden eyes, akin to agate, gradually melted into tears.
How could this be… Lyss, resisting the tears, felt lost, thinking, âThe code must be disrupted…’
The existence of boundaries means that once crossed, eternity ceases to exist.
Three days later, when the holiday ended, Lu Xingye appeared bright and cheerful, looking nothing like someone about to become a low-ranking soldier in the military.
Lyss bore a subtle difference in demeanor. If the former him was a cold jewel, the current version seemed like a polished and moisturized jade, carrying an indescribable charm.
On the first day after the break, Lu Xingye didn’t go to headquarters but was personally escorted by Lyss to the military. Hilton was there to receive them. As a vice-marshal, he wouldn’t be alone. Some young individuals accompanying him seemed like military personnel. They looked straight ahead as Lyss approached and greeted, “Chief!”
“Hello,” Lyss nodded gently, “You’ve all worked hard.”
The young soldiers hadnât seen Lyss frequently, and upon seeing him, they didn’t act as he expected. They were simply quite excited, expressing, “Thank you, Chief, it wasnât hard at all!”
Only Hilton keenly sensed that something was amiss. Lyss had never spoken these words before; there seemed to be something different about him today.
“He is Lu Xingye, a new recruit,” Lyss said, stepping aside. “Mr. Marshal, please guide him. You don’t need to inform me about trivial matters; just educate him.”
Upon hearing this, Hilton’s smile became genuinely warmer. “Chief, please rest assured.”
He then looked at Lu Xingye with a somewhat eerie smile, raising his hand. “Welcome, Mr. Lu, and thank you for joining the Triss Federation Military and Security Department.”
Lu Xingye shook hands and smiled innocently. “Please guide me in the future.”
Although the two seemed extremely friendly, the strength of their grips increased one after another. Lu Xingye still maintained a harmless look, while Hilton’s smile gradually disappeared.
Lyss noticed the undercurrents between the two. He looked at the time and said, “It’s getting late; I’ll take my leave.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xingye released Hilton’s hand first. Turning to Lyss, he looked somewhat pitiful, saying, “The next time we meet, Chief, will be a month later. After you go back, remember to check the terminal for messages.”
He was like a puppy bidding farewell to its owner, and Lyss’s expression visibly softened. In front of everyone, he approached and lightly embraced his “puppy,” then patted his shoulder after letting go. “Don’t be so clingy. Work hard, and I’ll await good news from you.”
If Lu Xingye had his tail out, it might have been wagging itself to the sky right now.
“Chief, please rest assured,” Lu Xingye whispered in Lyss’s ear, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear. “I’ll make sure to complete the mission.”
After a pause, Lyss gently pushed him away. “Alright, see you next week.”
The onlookers didn’t know what they had talked about. After hearing Lyss’s response, they thought the two were still affectionately saying goodbye.
The young soldiers were astonished. They had thought that the rumor of “Chief raising a young and handsome purebred alpha” was just a rumor, but it turned out to be true.
Lu Xingye lowered his head to fix his clothes, and under the shocked gazes of everyone, Lyss bade farewell to the crowd and walked back to the starship.
Back at headquarters, Lillia, who hadn’t seen Lyss for fifteen days, quickly approached. “Chief, a lot has happened while you were away.”
Lyss nodded as he walked towards his office. “Tell me.”
Lillia briefly mentioned a few unimportant things first. After the two entered the office, she paused before mentioning the most crucial matter. “An Imperial diplomat… sent you a private star letter.”
Lyss paused in his steps, and after sitting down, he turned to the terminal while asking, “Which diplomat?”
“They seem to be called…” Lillia tried to recall as a star letter popped up on the terminal screen.
Lyss raised his hand to open it, and at the same time, Lillia’s voice and the sender’s name appeared. “Sekaninaite.”
Lyss paused for a moment, maintaining a calm expression. “I see. I’ll reply after reading it. Anything else?”
“There’s also various collaboration invitations from Sheng Dan,” Lillia said. “Among them are military collaborations, and the Council is arguing over whether to accept.”
“Let them argue for now,” Lyss didn’t care. “When asked about Sheng Dan, just say the Council is still deliberating.”
“I understand,” Lillia nodded. “You’re busy; I’ll leave.”
Lillia walked out and closed the door. Lyss, with a solemn expression, turned his attention to the star letter on the terminal.
The sender was indeed Sekaninaite, and the content was quite straightforward. “Your nation has been in close communication with Sheng Dan recently. Please provide an explanation to our Empire as soon as possible.”
Lyss stared at it for a while, then raised his hand to reply, “You don’t have the right to say such things to me.”
After replying, he was about to close the star letter. Sekaninaite quickly responded, “Sheng Dan is nothing more than a group of thieves. What they have, the Empire naturally also possesses. Chief, there’s no need to sacrifice the substantial for the ephemeral and ruin the friendship between us.”
The words sounded strange. Lyss squinted his eyes. “Triss and Mannstadt share the same origin. According to your words, what your country possesses, Triss naturally also has. There’s no need for your concern about the elusive friendship between us.”
“We do have it, but it’s not complete,” Sekaninaite replied. “Chief, no need to beat around the bush. I know what you want. The backup codes for the Chudai System total four. The one Sheng Dan has is just a stolen remnant from the Empire.”
Lyss took a deep breath, replying, “This is probably not the Empire’s intention but your own.”
The Sekaninaite bluntly stated, “Chief, you have a keen insight.”
Suddenly, Lyss had a sense of foreboding. “If you are betraying the Empire, what you want probably isn’t just the cessation of relations between Triss and Sheng Dan. What are your conditions?”
“The first condition is naturally for your nation to sever ties with Sheng Dan,” he quickly confirmed Lyss’s premonition. “The second condition is to hand over the little dog that fled to you.”
No, don’t you dare!
Perhaps this is when Lyss sends him away and severs ties, with no explanation; for his own protection đ
Thank you both for the chapter.