After listening, Iger chuckled, lifting the chin of the Beta beside him, whose head couldn’t be lowered any further. Iger forced him to look up and said, “General Osbourne is quite interesting. I’ve never seen someone like him before. What do you think?”
In front of him was the distinguished Second Prince of the Empire, and at this moment, the faint pupils reflected him. The emotions inside were subtle yet inexplicably captivating, drawing people into a deep fascination.
The Beta couldn’t help nodding, and his heartbeat involuntarily accelerated. “Your Highness…”
Seeing this, Iger smiled slightly, then leaned down to kiss the corner of the Beta’s lips. The young Beta immediately stiffened, and when Iger pulled away, his entire face was extremely flushed. His eyes followed Iger closely.
Iger turned his head, raising an eyebrow at Osbourne. “General Osbourne, don’t you understand how troublesome you are right now?”
“Or do you want to stay and play together?”
Osbourne still stood in place under the dim lights of the bar, his expression extremely dark. The deep anger seemed to be suppressed in his ocean-blue eyes. Finally, he pulled Iger up from the sofa and coldly ordered the Beta, “Get lost.”
Iger stared back at him coldly. The atmosphere between the two became extremely tense.
“Why are you so angry, General Osbourne?”
On the side, Clyde was afraid that the two of them would start a fight here, and it would make headlines on the Star Network again tomorrow morning. He approached the Beta who was still sitting there, gesturing for him to leave.
“General Osbourne, don’t be angry. Let go of His Highness, and let’s talk calmly.” Clyde saw the veins popping on Osbourne’s hand and the deep anger in his eyes. He thought that if a fight really broke out, their Highness would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage. Although he was, in fact, a Beta, there were hardly any Alphas in the Empire who could surpass him in combat.
Speaking of it, since they got married, the general’s temper has mellowed a lot. He hasn’t lost his temper in front of their Highness, causing him to almost forget the terrifying aspects of this general.
Osbourne just stared at Iger, his ocean-blue eyes slightly tinged with red. After what felt like a long time, he finally slowly released his grip. His tone also calmed down, but the lingering sound still carried a hint of hoarseness, “Your Highness, I apologize.”
Iger remained noncommittal, turning his gaze to the young Beta, who was still sitting there. He smirked provocatively, “If General Osbourne doesn’t mind, it could be an interesting play for three.”
Osbourne frowned tightly, his face darkening almost to the point of dripping water. He gritted his teeth, “Your Highness, please watch your words.”
Iger’s expression turned unpleasant, seemingly a bit irritated. He coldly retorted to Osbourne, “Watch my words? If I’m not mistaken, we have no relationship now. General Osbourne, you seem to be overstepping your bounds.”
Osbourne stopped, silently observing him. “Your Highness should understand that if rumors were to circulate again at this time, it would be a significant detriment to both Your Highness and the royal family’s reputation.”
“What does it matter? It’s my own business. General Osbourne can keep his nose clean; there’s no need to concern yourself with my affairs.”
Osbourne’s voice was low, but his expression turned colder, “If it truly were just Your Highness’s personal matter… then indeed, I wouldn’t need to intervene. However, as the second prince of the royal family, I do not wish the royal reputation to be tarnished because of Your Highness alone.”
“In these special times, every move of Your Highness should be cautious. The importance of keeping oneself clean is paramount. I hope the Second Prince understands.”
Iger listened coldly, “Is that so? It seems General Osbourne is truly loyal to the royal family.”
Clyde has never seen them argue before. He always thought that their Highness held an absolute position in their relationship with General Osbourne. After all, it has always been like this. However, as he watched now, he felt a bit uneasy.
He could tell that their Highness’s actions tonight were unusually deliberate, as if intentional.
Fortunately, the loud and jarring music in the bar drowned out their conversation, and no one seemed to have noticed what was happening. Clyde just started to ease his worry when Osbourne continued, “So, Your Highness, I hope that the next time I see you, you won’t do something that makes things difficult for everyone.”
Clye was stunned. It was hard to imagine these words coming from General Osbourne. He turned to look at Iger, who had an expression so cold that it was difficult to discern his emotions.
*
After leaving the bar the other day, Iger spent a few days at home doing nothing before finally replying to Director Noah.
[Host, these days there has been no progress in the mission, and I feel like you’re not very interested in doing missions.]
[Not in a hurry, not in a hurry. Being in love every day is boring. We should have higher aspirations. Our brief lives should be dedicated to technology, purifying, and elevating the soul. We should move from the lowly self to the selfless greater self.]
[Host, are you joking?]
[…After all, I am such a talented person. It’s a pity to be buried like this.]
[…]
Around the Imperial Research Institute, there was a cluster of silver-gray buildings, and the overhead orbital network crisscrossed with towering skyscrapers. The streets, just washed by a heavy rain, were damp, and the greenery on both sides was cleansed of dust, looking fresh and clean.
Professor Noah, with whitening hair, cheerfully introduced Iger to the composition and distribution of their research institute. To his surprise, the Second Prince, rumored to be very arrogant, was surprisingly humble. He spoke very little on the way, quite different from the impression Iger had of him.
Being personally accompanied by the director naturally attracted the attention of others in the research institute. After all, their director held a superior position in the Empire, dedicated to research to the point of often disregarding invitations from the king.
Walking up to a tall circular building, Director Noah finally stopped. This building served as the connecting core between the two adjacent structures, with a massive glass façade giving it a modern feel.
The director stood in front of the glass door.
—Beep. Face recognition successful…
At the same time, the glass door in front of the two instantly disappeared like mist.
Iger followed Director Noah’s steps into the hall. There was not a single ordinary person who could enter the Empire Research Institute, especially considering that this group of people was personally selected by Director Noah, each of whom was among the best in their respective fields.
This is also why the citizens of the Empire referred to the Research Institute as “the future of the Empire.”
In the laboratory, silver circular experiment tables spread outward from the central round layer. Two blond young men were arguing in front of the holographic projection, while the others were sitting at the table, earnestly examining data.
Director Noah stood at the doorway and knocked. The people in the laboratory all stopped what they were doing and turned their heads towards them.
In addition to their dean, of course, everyone noticed the brown-haired and brown-eyed young man standing next to Director Noah. Everyone in the Empire should know this prince, but while they recognized him, no one knew why he was here.
“Your Highness, please come with me,” Director Noah smiled at Iger and walked to the front of the experiment table.
Iger glanced at the data on the holographic projection and then realized that the entire laboratory was staring at him. Many were whispering, and those two blond young men were particularly overt in their unfriendly and questioning looks.
One of them, with sea-blue eyes and blond hair, expressed his dissatisfaction and contempt, saying, “Director, you don’t really intend to let the Second Prince join us, do you? Each one of us went through rigorous selection from the major institutions in the Empire and worked hard for several years to stand out in the Research Institute. Why should this guy be given such an opportunity?”
Director Noah didn’t answer his question, nor did he show any intention of introducing Iger to them. Instead, he smiled and said to Iger, “Your Highness, I hope you get along well with everyone here.”
After saying that, without paying attention to the inexplicable expressions of the people, he directly left the laboratory.
“What’s going on? What is he here for?”
In fact, the main task of these people was to establish a hybrid intelligence network library by researching a new algorithm combining human intelligence with artificial intelligence. This project had been in preparation for a year, and it was just about to start. Due to the vast and precise nature of this project, even the Empire’s most advanced and largest intelligent algorithm library couldn’t handle it.
That’s why the director hadn’t officially launched the project yet. However, they were curious about why the director brought in the Second Prince, who knew nothing but drinking and enjoying life, and what purpose he had in this project.
Although there were rumors that the Second Prince had extraordinary talent in mech design, it was just hearsay, and no one knew the real situation.
After discussing in hushed tones for a while, they saw that the prince seemed completely at ease, and he casually found a comfortable-looking chair to sit in.
After all, he was a royal prince, and every simple movement he made seemed to exude an innate elegance. It didn’t seem forced at all, making it appear perfectly natural.
Moreover, his appearance was exceptionally outstanding. There weren’t many handsome and beautiful individuals in their research institute, as good-looking people usually weren’t willing to stay in a laboratory.
As for what the prince was here to do, they couldn’t guess, and they wouldn’t dare to ask. After all, everyone knew what kind of person the Second Prince of the Empire was, and very few people dared to casually provoke him.
However, the two blond youths were different. One of them, slightly taller, was named Orwell. His father was a subordinate of the Empire’s highest commander, General Osbourne, and he held great respect for General Osbourne. In his eyes, General Osbourne, despite being a Beta, possessed a lot of qualities such as passion, bravery, and loyalty that many Empire Alphas lacked.
So he couldn’t understand why someone like Iger, an arrogant and ill-reputed noble, could attract General Osbourne
Author’s note:
The onlookers now: Second Prince, just trash, not worthy of our Supreme General!
Later on: Ahhh, Second Prince, an ideal in human form, intelligence unparalleled, let me protect you!\
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