"Did he really just go back like that?" Han Yanyan found it hard to believe. "Isn’t he in a hurry to bring his noble lord back to life?"
"What’s the use of being anxious? Besides, his master has been dead for two years, so waiting an extra day or two isn’t going to make a difference," Leo replied.
Han Yanyan was somewhat surprised. "Two years? I thought he had just died."
Leo snorted lightly. "For a noble like him, he wouldn’t bother with someone like me at first. After struggling for two years with no other way out, only then did he think of finding me."
Han Yanyan gazed out at the fleet and asked, "Is this the duke’s private fleet?"
Leo shook his head. "You underestimate him. There’s no way his fleet would be this small; this number should only be his elite guards. The news about Duke Klin’s assassination has been tightly controlled, so they can't make too much noise."
"He’s the head of a political force, right? If he's in this state, who is wielding power for him?" Han Yanyan inquired.
Leo looked at her sideways. "You still care about that?"
"So you know nothing, just sitting there waiting for others to hold you hostage?" Han Yanyan mocked him.
"How can I not know!" Leo snapped angrily. "The nobility of Aminjin has a complete system of attendants. In their culture, there’s zero tolerance for betrayal. The first attendant and loyal followers are supposedly more reliable than blood brothers. Right now, Duke Klin can barely breathe, so of course, it’s his first attendant who’s holding the power!"
"Is it that person I've met before?" Han Yanyan asked. "When will he return?"
Leo immediately became alert. "What are you planning?"
"I just want to know how much time he’ll give me to rest," Han Yanyan said without changing her expression.
"Do you think I’m an idiot? My IQ is a hundred times yours!" Leo said mercilessly. "You want to bypass me and bargain directly with him? Don’t dream!"
Seeing through her, Han Yanyan replied, "You’re overthinking it."
Leo huffed, showing his disbelief.
"Speaking of which," Han Yanyan switched the topic, "With such advanced technology and a high-level civilization here, why is there still an empire? It’s unbelievable."
Leo replied, "What’s so unbelievable about it? Advanced civilizations inevitably value martial prowess. Those that don’t are wiped out by those that do during their developmental phase and cannot evolve into advanced civilizations. And those who value martial prowess…"
"Must have ambitions," Han Yanyan interjected. As the former matriarch of the Han family, trained by Han Jun and Tang Ke, she understood "ambition" all too well.
"Exactly. What man doesn’t have ambitions?" Leo continued. "Thousands of years ago, the Aminjin Republic operated under a system of shared governance among noble families, essentially a state of the Star Federation. At that time, the galactic war with the insect race had just ended, resulting in chaos across the human settlements. All political forces were reshuffled. If I were Emperor Aries I, I certainly wouldn’t let this opportunity to rise to power go to waste."
"And those who stand at the pinnacle of power, how could they be willing to let go of it? They only think of passing that power down, from their hands to their sons, and from sons to grandsons, a lineage of power that continues for generations. And the only way to achieve such a hereditary system of power…" Han Yanyan sighed, "is through an empire."
"That Emperor Aries, he was quite a remarkable man, wasn’t he?" she asked.
"Of course he was remarkable! Who would dare say he wasn't? However, his successors were only impressive for a few generations. Now, the Aminjin nobility, especially the royal family, have become utterly decadent. There have been numerous uprisings and revolutions in their country," Leo said. "But right now, I think the most impressive one is Duke Klin. How could someone from a royal family want to overthrow the empire? What kind of crazy idea is that?"
Han Yanyan glanced at him.
"What does that look mean?" Leo asked.
Han Yanyan turned her head away, "Nothing."
"Han Yanyan!" Leo called her full name, "Don’t think I can’t see what you’re thinking."
"I’ll tell you, Duke Klin is the seventh in line for the Aminjin Empire throne. His rank means he’s basically never going to get the emperor’s seat in his lifetime. Let me tell you, all this fighting to overthrow his own family must be an internal power struggle! It’s for a chance at the position!"
"Do you think he’s some kind of small-time democratic fighter? Don’t be naive! This kind of person, born with a golden spoon in their mouth, could never genuinely care about ordinary folks!"
"If you think of him as some sort of righteous savior waiting to help you, I advise you to bury that thought!"
"He's difficult to deal with. Don’t even mention whether he can come back to life—it's not a guaranteed outcome. Many fail at it." Leo continued, "And even if he does come back, do you think he’ll remember you?"
Han Yanyan's eyes suddenly locked onto Leo's. "What do you mean?"
Leo, feeling quite pleased, taunted, "No matter how close you were to him in this world, it all stays in that world. What you interact with is just a remnant of his consciousness. This part isn’t even his subconscious; we call it the ‘residual consciousness’. If he comes back, the one running his life—eating, sleeping, living—it’s his surface consciousness. Simply put, if he wakes up, he won’t remember you at all."
Han Yanyan felt as if she had been struck hard. Her lips trembled, as if she was holding back tears. She turned her head away, and after a moment, looked back with a much calmer expression, though her eyes betrayed a hint of sadness.
"So, is this my life from now on?" she asked, "No one will remember me?"
Leo choked on his words for a moment. He paused and said, "They’re just dead people to you. To them, it’s like a fleeting dream. Why do you care about them? Besides, don’t think they look so perfect in that world; that’s all from your perspective. In reality, they don't look like that at all. Duke Klin…"
Leo, feeling no guilt, began to describe Duke Klin in blunt terms. "Let me tell you, Duke Klin is a hefty middle-aged man—his waist is this thick," he gestured, "and his belly is this round." He spread his arms wide as if cradling a large bowl, or like a pregnant woman proudly holding her belly.
"True, even I look different from reality. I suppose they all do," Han Yanyan spoke almost to herself. She finished speaking but then glanced at Leo and said, "But you, were surprisingly different from what I expected."
"Cough..." Leo rested his elbows on the window sill, leaning against the wall. "Surprised?"
"I thought you were a little old man with glasses, all skinny and hunched over," Han Yanyan stepped closer to Leo.
"Glasses? I’ve only seen those in a history museum; they’ve long been out of fashion," Leo's heart began to race.
"And besides, if you listen to my voice, how could I be an old man? I’m not yet a hundred; still young!" He combed back his hair, which was a little long, slightly blocking his view.
He thought that it was time for a haircut—this length didn’t seem too fresh.
"I didn’t expect you to be so tall," Han Yanyan tilted her head slightly to observe him.
They were seemingly too close now.
"Haha," Leo laughed awkwardly, "Our genes are generally quite good around here. In your homeland, the genes are so primitive; everyone is short."
Han Yanyan stepped forward another half-step and said, "And you’re so good-looking; it really surprises me, nothing like I imagined."
This was really too close! Leo could even smell the enticing scent of her shower gel! No, no, that shower gel was exactly the same as the one he used. Why did it smell entirely different on her? This was too strange!
"Because, well, good genes," Leo stammered in response. He wouldn’t tell Han Yanyan that he’d undergone two genetic treatments to achieve his current height and looks.
Han Yanyan leaned closer, whispering softly, "With such good genes, why can’t you be a little better to me?"
No! What did good genes have to do with how he treated her? With Leo’s high intelligence, he couldn’t find the logic in this exchange.
Maybe it was because he was gasping for air. When a person is starved of oxygen, their brain slows down! But, but Han Yanyan was too close! Their bodies were almost touching! He could barely breathe!
His frightened expression was rather amusing.
Han Yanyan stood on her toes and softly whispered in his ear, "Just be a little bit nicer to me... is that too much to ask?"
Her voice was light and soft, carrying a hint of a woman’s yearning that would make any man’s heart soften. After finishing, Han Yanyan even breathed softly into his ear.
Leo felt a surge of warmth engulf him! His heart raced like it wanted to leap straight out of his chest!
Ah! I can’t handle this anymore!
Leo resolutely steeled himself! Clenching his teeth, he shut his eyes and shouted, "Han Yanyan! Don’t try to seduce me!"
After shouting, he opened his eyes wide, glaring at her fiercely!
The sadness mixed with subtle longing, which had been in Han Yanyan's expression, vanished like salt dissolving in water.
She rubbed her ears, which had been shocked, slowly straightening up and creating distance from Leo.
"Alright then, I won’t make it hard for myself," she said slowly, "It does seem a bit disgusting."
Leo: "..."
Who was it earlier that praised him for being tall and handsome!!! Darn woman!
"Is there a swimming pool?" Han Yanyan asked bluntly. "My body has been lying around for half a month; I need to move."
Leo snorted and commanded the system.
"Inject water now?" Han Yanyan asked, speechless.
"Of course, I haven’t used it for years," Leo shot her a glare. "Just follow the green light."
"Thanks." Han Yanyan turned to leave.
"Han Yanyan, please leave any lethal weapons hidden in your clothing behind." The electronic voice of the system suddenly rang above her.
The most dreaded silence blanketed the air.
Leo stared in disbelief as Han Yanyan slowly reached into her collar and pulled out a knife—a steak knife used for cutting meat at the dinner table. He turned to look at the dining table; her napkin had been carelessly placed, perfectly covering the plate and utensils. When they left, the robot would clean everything up and wouldn’t report simply because a knife disappeared.
In this way, she secretly gained a knife! A knife in her hand that could kill!
If it weren't for the prior command he gave for the system to monitor them and not allow her to have any weapons, she wouldn’t have this deadly tool!
This darn woman!!!
Can’t she ease his mind just a little bit!!!