244: The burning fire in my heart

Shou stood straight and tall.

When it came time to report, it was mostly the other team members who spoke; expressing himself had never been his strong suit.

He remained silent, calmly watching Tu Nan from behind the concealment of his armor.

She began a conversation with The Emperor.

He could not hear the content of their conversation. After becoming a "Silver Armored Knight," he learned that it was one of Your Majesty's special abilities.

During this time, he found that the presence of the armor actually made him feel at ease.

Tu Nan would not know it was him; he would not have to face any look of disgust from Tu Nan, and simply being by Tu Nan's side was already enough to make him feel satisfied.

...No, that was not the case.

As the conversation between Tu Nan and The Emperor grew deeper, his ears beneath the helmet twitched nervously.

His fingers curled repeatedly as he tried to understand every word Tu Nan said.

He had learned many survival skills, and of all those skills, the most obscure one was finally coming in handy now.

That was lip-reading.

Children, his and Tu Nan's Children, were they also to go to that treacherous place? Although it was a gift, was it truly trustworthy?

With so many Star Worms on the way, what about that kind of risk?

Two of the starships guarding their team had not returned; this was clearly not a truly smooth path.

Yet Tu Nan, relying on The Emperor's ability, was speaking without any restraint.

"Your Majesty, do you want Children?"

When these words were spoken, Shou realized completely that he had not misread her.

From the very first sentence, the meaning behind Tu Nan's words was indeed exactly that.

She, she was right before his eyes, soliciting intimacy from The Emperor?

"No!"

He squeezed this word out from the depths of his throat.

Shou had thought he could remain silent forever, guarding, just like the name Your Majesty had bestowed upon him.

But that word seemed to have a will of its own, bursting forth from his mouth.

"No!"

His voice was louder this time.

His teammates looked at him strangely; no one understood what kind of madness had possessed him.

That was not even the most shocking part; Shou suddenly crouched, hand on his sword hilt, and with a burst of strength, he tried to charge toward The Emperor.

The Emperor tilted his head slightly and silenced him.

And his outburst had no effect whatsoever.

Kong Jiamu grabbed his shoulder armor tightly from behind, and with a shoulder throw, Shou was choked and pinned firmly to the ground.

Kong Jiamu knelt halfway, his front foot able to step exactly on the hand he was using to hold his sword.

The other teammates hurried forward to help, and Shou was completely suppressed.

"What's going on? Is there mental pollution in that place? Why did the knight attack you?" Kong Jiamu felt deeply puzzled.

He did not feel much tension.

Such a minor scene could not break The Emperor's defenses at all.

He just felt it was absurd.

"Your Majesty, this... what should be done about this?"

The Silver Armored Knight was not under his command; only Your Majesty had the authority to deal with him.

The Emperor looked down at the man who could not make a sound but still refused to give up, making futile struggles.

Had he heard the previous conversation?

But so what? The Emperor was expressionless.

He had promised himself to only watch, to say no unnecessary words, and to do nothing extra.

"Lock him in the confinement room," The Emperor ordered coldly. "I will deal with him later."

This incident happened in an instant and ended just as quickly.

Tu Nan had not even reacted before Shou was suppressed and now controlled and escorted out by several people.

Watching the person being dragged away by Kong Jiamu, she felt an inexplicable palpitation.

The Emperor turned her head back and asked, "What are you looking at, hmm?"

His tone was displeased.

"You still have the mind to look around? Do you know what you just said?"

Tu Nan withdrew her focus and concentrated on the person in front of her.

Calming herself, she said, "Perfectly clear, Your Majesty. I said this is important for the stability of the Empire."

"Is that all you thought of?" The Emperor asked.

The way Your Majesty asked... Tu Nan stared into his eyes, trying to read the answer to the question from his expression.

But The Emperor was not the kind of person whose thoughts could be easily read.

He did not let her go, and Tu Nan did not try to escape from his grasp. The clock ticked slowly, and The Emperor did not rush her.

He just kept waiting.

"No, I thought of many things. But I feel this reason is the most legitimate," Tu Nan said softly.

"What are the other reasons?" The Emperor asked.

"I cannot say, Your Majesty," Tu Nan smiled mysteriously. "Please forgive me."

"Do you want it?"

Tu Nan asked again, her tone laced with a hint of aggression.

"Want what? Children, or you?"

"There is no difference, Your Majesty. In essence, they seem to be the same," Tu Nan replied.

Only then did The Emperor release his hold on Tu Nan and walk toward the Empire's Star Domain map.

He quietly watched the planets, large and small, shining on the screen.

Those densely populated planets appeared increasingly bright on the star map.

The Capital Star among them was stunningly bright.

Tu Nan's gaze swept over his broad shoulders and back, and his long legs; for the first time, she admired him with the eyes of a Female Beast assessing a Male Beast.

The Emperor seemed to feel the weight of her gaze and turned back.

"Look," The Emperor pointed to the Capital Star and said to her, "This is the Empire, not just territory; on this, there are countless citizens."

Tu Nan walked slowly to his side, following him to look at the screen projecting the vast starry sky.

"Yes, your citizens," she replied.

The Emperor twitched the corner of his mouth slightly; it seemed he was not very satisfied with this answer.

"If I have Children, then this future will also be his Empire, his citizens."

"...to be the mother of my future Children."

He looked at the Female Beast beside him who did not flinch in the slightest, and found that she even displayed a sense of keen interest.

That was something he had always seen in her eyes, a thing called ambition.

It was adorning her green eyes and making them even brighter.

The Emperor, for some reason, suddenly stopped speaking and swallowed the rest of his words.

He smiled self-deprecatingly.

Was this not something he had indulged?

It was he who had always told her that she should pursue higher things, seize greater power, and be honest with her inner heart.

She had done it.

And she had done it well, even better than he had expected.

The Emperor dialed James's communication.

"Go to my room now and take the Children away. You take care of them for now."

It was unknown what was said on the other end.

But this was clearly an order, not a discussion; it seemed James only had the option to accept.

Tu Nan was not worried about the Children. The distance was not too far; if they wanted, they could call out to her.

She just watched as The Emperor arranged everything, witnessing once again the decisiveness of The Emperor.

The two stood before the Star Domain map, and the silent air gradually became thick.

Tu Nan lowered her head, staring at that face carved by power and weariness, and some untimely emotions welled up in her heart.

Finally, she spoke again.

"Your Majesty, it is late. Do you want to unwrap a gift?"

The Emperor had smiled many times today.

This time, his smile truly showed a kind of helplessness and a bit of interest.

At Tu Nan's boldness.