On the day of the ball, young men and women gathered in droves, and the place was bursting with life.
A beautiful woman with curly red hair stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the lively crowd of youths on the other side of the palace from afar. That side was brightly lit, which only made her own side feel even more deserted.
By all rights, consorts were allowed to join in on these banquets, even take charge of things if they wished. But ever since a certain day many years ago, such events had nothing to do with them anymore. Just like the Prince’s birthday—his own birth mother couldn’t even attend the family banquet. It was practically saying outright that they were nothing more than outsiders.
All of this was simply ridiculous.
Looking at the distant bustle, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Mother Consort, the night is cold. You should put on another layer.”
A handsome alpha walked over from afar and draped a tasseled, color-blocked shawl over the red-haired beauty.
She glanced at him and let out a soft chuckle. “What does it matter whether I wear it or not? Even if I really fall sick, I can just lie in a treatment pod for a while and be fine.”
The alpha looked at her with slight disapproval. Though the woman verbally dismissed his effort, she still pulled the loose shawl tighter around herself, accepting his kindness.
Silence fell between them. The red-haired beauty continued looking toward the distant lights. There was so much wine over there that it almost felt like she could catch its faint, unique aroma even from here.
Seeing that she kept staring in that direction, the alpha changed the topic. “I went to Grandfather’s today. He specifically asked me to bring you a lot of things you like, including several types of wine you enjoy.”
The red-haired beauty didn’t respond right away. When no reply came, the alpha also fell silent, turning to look at his mother. She looked far too young—standing beside him, they seemed less like mother and son and more like siblings with only a small age gap.
“At today’s banquet, quite a few noble omegas came. Actually, from the very beginning, the one I liked most was that young lady from the Lu family. She’s about your age, capable and sharp, with both looks and background that stand out. And she’s even managed to secretly control the forces of the Twelve Fairy Stars. As an omega, she’s more than outstanding. Unfortunately, the olive branch I extended six years ago was ignored, the alliance invitation I secretly sent her three years ago was rejected, and even two years ago when I personally went to His Majesty to request a marriage between the two of you, it was still refused.”
When the red-haired beauty smiled, she didn’t have the usual soft charm of an omega. Instead, there was a sharp edge to it, like a blooming rose covered in thorns. “She already has the authority to refuse this kind of banquet, and she could’ve chosen not to come. But she came anyway. Why do you think that is?”
“Maybe Miss Lu wants to use this chance to meet more powerful figures. Compared to the Imperial Star, the Twelfth Fairy Stars is still too small.”
“Anze, fooling yourself isn’t a good habit.”
The slightly stern words made Ji Anze lower his head a little, listening quietly. But the red-haired beauty only shook her head in greater disappointment. “Even after I forcibly turned you into an alpha, your aptitude can only be called mediocre.”
Ji Anze’s expression didn’t change. He had clearly heard things like this many times before and had grown immune. He didn’t feel much resentment toward his mother anymore either—at least she wasn’t as unhinged as she had been in earlier years.
Tapping lightly on the glass with her fingers, the red-haired beauty rarely showed the desire to bring up old matters. “Do you know why your father was so resolute?”
The alpha didn’t answer her question. Instead, he looked at her with concern. “Mother?”
“I’m fine. You know that. My emotions have been very stable lately, and I’ve become much clearer-headed. I can see many things I couldn’t before. He hates me. He thinks I forced that woman to death. What a joke. To keep balance between me and that barbaric woman from the military corps, he never made either of us empress. That kind of balance was tolerable—I didn’t like that barbaric woman, but she wouldn’t provoke me either. But then that woman appeared. He used every dirty trick in the book to win her over, and all I did was let that clueless woman know the truth. Why should all the blame be pushed onto me? Why am I the one being placed under house arrest? Hah!”
“Mother.” Ji Anze called out again, his worry undiminished. “That was so many years ago. You don’t need to dwell on it. You’ll regain your freedom soon.”
In the past, the red-haired beauty would have hysterically demanded that he fight for the throne at all costs. But over the past year or two, she had grown calmer and calmer, which instead made Ji Anze more anxious. It even pushed him to act recklessly when Ji Chenxi had once left the Imperial Star.
“Freedom? I don’t care about that anymore. I just want to tell you that that woman’s death had nothing to do with me. Back then, I didn’t bother to explain, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t know who was behind it. Her existence threatened not only me, but also that barbaric woman. She had seen plenty in the military—her methods were far dirtier than mine. All I did was find a bit of evidence and pass it along through someone else to that man. Otherwise, I might have been the only one punished.”
“Her?” This was something Ji Anze had never heard before. In his memory, Ji Zhiqing’s mother seemed like a straightforward and generous omega, treating all the younger generation equally. Even Ji Anze himself didn’t have a bad impression of her.
“A true hunter never makes a sound. She really is skilled.”
As she spoke, the red-haired beauty smiled, but before long, she began coughing violently again. The cough had plagued her for the past two or three years and never improved. Ji Anze quickly stepped forward to help her catch her breath.
This time was different from before. Ji Anze’s sharp eyes caught a flash of crimson.
After coughing, the red-haired beauty casually withdrew her hand and set it aside, as if nothing had happened. If not for the faint smell of blood, Ji Anze might have thought he imagined it.
“Mother, what are you hiding from me?” It was rare for Ji Anze to speak so harshly to her.
The red-haired beauty looked at him with a hint of approval. “Being too obedient to a woman isn’t a good thing. In the past, your docility made me both pleased and annoyed. But now, you finally look a bit like an alpha. Ji Zhiqing is no simple opponent. An alpha raised by her can’t possibly be kind. Either you fight alone, or you cooperate with Ji Chenxi. It seems like Ji Zhiqing and her group are planning something big this time. I just don’t know what they’re after.”
Ji Anze hadn’t intended to tell her about this, but that flash of red had been too alarming. In the end, he spoke. “Not long ago, I reached an agreement with Ji Zhiqing.”
The red-haired beauty lifted her tired eyes, her tone dropping sharply. “What kind of agreement?”
“To work with her and take advantage of the chaos to…” At this point, to avoid being recorded by any devices, Ji Anze subtly made a few hand gestures.
There were established codes between mother and son. With just a glance, she understood.
Her expression changed drastically, and she frowned. “She’s using you as a pawn. You can play along on the surface, but don’t actually do anything. Otherwise, the charge of patricide will fall on you.”
She said the words “patricide” very softly. Afterward, she patted Ji Anze’s shoulder and looked at him carefully for a long time, then smiled. “I’ve never really looked at you before. After all, you resemble him too much.”
The unease in Ji Anze’s heart grew stronger.
The red-haired beauty continued speaking to herself. “As for that girl from the Ruan family, if she doesn’t like you, just find a time to break off the engagement. If you’re not interested in the throne, then don’t fight for it. Your grandfather can still protect his own grandson. I also have private assets on several planets—you’ll still live well.”
Ji Anze found it unbelievable. He even wondered if she had truly gone mad. “Weren’t you always the one who wanted me to fight and seize everything? To push me onto that throne?”
“Can’t I regret it now?”
Ji Anze stayed silent for a long time—so long that the noise from the other side faded away, and the woman closed her eyes in exhaustion. Only then did he speak softly, as if afraid to disturb something. “Isn’t it because you’re dying?”
His voice was very soft, but she still heard it. She opened her eyes, smiled, and raised her hand to touch the head of the much taller alpha. Ji Anze bent slightly to make it easier for her, and then he heard her admit it.
“Yes, I’m dying. When I realized that, I kept thinking and felt that my life has been quite a failure. I could have chosen someone who loved and respected me when I was younger, instead of blindly chasing status. I could have enjoyed my life after gaining what I wanted, instead of trying to seize things that didn’t belong to me. Sometimes forcing things can make beautiful flowers bloom, but sometimes it only brings bitter fruit. So, I want your future to be a little easier.”
“But I’m already in the game. How can I stay out of it now? No matter who ends up on that throne, I won’t be allowed to live.”
“Ji Zhiqing wouldn’t spare you, but Ji Chenxi might. After all, you saved him back then.”
“You once taught me not to expect mercy from enemies.”
“But there are no absolute enemies in this world. You can try trusting me one last time. But if you still want to fight, we’ll be your greatest support.”
The cheerful chatter and music from outside felt overly noisy. Ji Anze glanced outside, then at the woman whose face had grown paler, and comforted her, “You’ll be fine.”
The red-haired beauty smiled. Her fingers brushed over the ruby necklace at her neck, and a trace of nostalgia flickered in her eyes. “Actually, this necklace isn’t mine. It’s someone’s family heirloom. Back then, he pursued me madly and even gave this to me. But at the time, all I wanted was to become the most noble woman in the empire, so after getting it, I just tossed it aside. I didn’t expect your grandfather to have you bring it back to me. And thanks to this, I was finally able to clear my mind.”
Ji Anze’s expression shifted several times. He didn’t ask who that person was, but instead said, “If you want me not to fight for that position, I’ll do as you wish.”
“It’s not about what I want. It’s about you. Many things should be decided by yourself now, Anze.”
On the other side, Ji Chenxi had just slipped out of the palace with Chi Zhuo when his communicator received a message notification.
Ji Chenxi only glanced at it casually, but his expression quickly turned strange.
Ji Anze had actually contacted him.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
