Lowell’s joyful expression froze for a moment, but he still straightened his neck and whispered, “No, I regret it now. I was lying to you just now.”
Osbourne didn’t seem surprised by his attitude. Although he only glanced at Lowell and didn’t say anything, the aura around him instantly became noticeably colder.
This time, Lowell, unprecedentedly, wasn’t scared away by Osbourne. Instead, he appeared extremely resolute and said, “Brother Iger and you have already divorced, so you have no right to meddle in my affairs.”
Osbourne found his words amusing and chuckled, “Lord Lowell, I hope you understand the laws of the Empire. The marriage during the lawsuit is still protected by the law. Do you not understand what your current behavior is called? Or perhaps you understand but simply don’t care.”
Osbourne paused, his expression remaining calm to the point of indifference. He snorted coldly, “You don’t mind interfering and destroying other people’s marriages?”
In terms of verbal sparring, Lowell was definitely no match for Osbourne, who had lived through two lifetimes. Moreover, Osbourne was using his imposing aura to suppress Lowell completely.
However, Lowell, unusually, refused to admit defeat today. “So what? Anyway, it’s just a matter of time.”
“Moreover, Brother Iger has already told me. He has never liked you. If it weren’t for your persistent pursuit…”
Lowell hesitated at this point, and Osbourne’s expression, already icy, became even colder. Lowell seemed to sense a warning in his gaze and instinctively fell silent.
Iger observed their intense exchange without showing any intention to intervene. Until they both finally quieted down, they inexplicably turned their gaze towards him. However, Iger remained silent, closing his eyes again, seemingly uninterested in dealing with them.
Lowell looked at him, feeling his heartbeat go unbalanced at such a short distance. The indifferent and restrained profile of his face, even with closed eyes, looked attractive to him, making him want to get closer.
He also recalled when Brother Iger made a temporary mark on him earlier. Brother Iger had lowered his head to kiss his neck, a kiss that was both rough and gentle. There was still a faint, fresh forest scent on him… Ah…
As this thought crossed his mind, Lowell felt a slight ache and warmth in the glands on his neck, followed by a warm sensation just above his lips.
At the same time, Iger suddenly felt the air around him become extremely tense. His heartbeat accelerated, and with a dry mouth and parched tongue, he opened his eyes to see Lowell hastily covering his nose and running out.
Once Lowell left the room, the sweet and cloying pheromones gradually dissipated. However, upon entering the room, Osbourne’s expression became colder. Not for any other reason, but because Lowell’s disrupted pheromones had also affected Iger. The back and forth between the two almost seemed like they were adjusting their emotions right in front of Osbourne.
Osbourne walked over to the chair opposite Iger and sat down. He flipped through the documents in his hand while explaining some complicated divorce procedures. After finishing, he handed all the documents to Iger, saying, “These are the procedures that must be followed later. Your Highness, please take a look during your recovery.”
Iger didn’t take them, only saying casually, “General Osbourne, you’ve taken some trouble.”
Osbourne withdrew his hand and smiled faintly, “Your Highness, there’s something I hope you understand. We won’t have many chances to meet in the future, so there’s no need for such formality. If we cooperate smoothly through the process, both of us will find it much easier.”
His tone was calm and remarkably magnanimous, exuding a sense of understanding that made it nearly impossible to find fault. He swiftly and smoothly reestablished his position without any apparent psychological barriers.
Yet precisely because of this, Iger’s deliberate coldness seemed so unnecessary.
With such a measured and courteous distance, Iger didn’t know what expression to make. After a while, he squeezed out a few words from his throat, “I’ve always been like this, naturally so, and it’s not directed at you.”
Osbourne looked at him blankly for a moment, but he noticed that the sharp coldness on his face had indeed faded a lot. However, for some reason, he felt that this expression made it even more unbearable.
“I heard what you said just now, and I have no objections. I’ll cooperate properly.”
Osbourne stood up, leaned over, and looked at Iger, whose body stiffened for a moment. However, there was no other expression on his cold and handsome face, and his tone didn’t reveal any emotion. “Take care of yourself, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave.”
*
Iger only stayed in the hospital for a day and went straight home. Anyway, it was just for show. They didn’t give him anything to eat or drink in the hospital, so he might as well go home.
Since the last incident with the lawsuit on StarNet, rumors about his divorce from Osbourne have never stopped circulating. Finally, on the morning of the second day, the royal family and the Bo’an family successively expressed their understanding of the dissolution of the marriage between the two.
At the same time, it seemed that the direction of public opinion on StarNet was intentionally manipulated and suddenly reversed. Initially, the most concerning issue for the public was the reason for the divorce. However, some unscrupulous media outlets seemed more inclined to steer the narrative in a negative direction, speculating that the two had not mutually agreed on the divorce but rather that the second prince had committed some fault or infidelity.
The public is easily swayed, so with intentional control and promotion, the direction of public opinion quickly changed. People were no longer focusing on the reasons for the divorce but were instead diverting the discussion to a perennial hot topic in the Empire—six-gender relationships.
After all, gender inequality in ABO dynamics has always been a significant issue in the Empire.
The shift in focus proved to be highly effective. Whenever someone from the B or O category came forward to criticize in a snide manner, for example:
—Ah, in marriage, it’s always our Omegas and Betas who suffer. Look at the Second Prince, an Alpha like him can flirt outside, and it’s considered charming. But when he comes to us, he wants to humiliate Omegas and Betas. It’s truly a double standard.
Responses like these would provoke countless individuals to engage in arguments, successfully steering the conversation off course.
Iger wasn’t too concerned about all this because he received another invitation from the Imperial Research Institute, this time from the institute’s director, Noah. The invitation expressed sincere acknowledgment of Iger’s talent and capability in mecha design. The main reason, however, was the imminent launch of a technological initiative covering various aspects of the Empire, such as commerce, shopping, healthcare, and urban infrastructure. If successful, this initiative could propel the Empire’s civilization forward by a significant leap.
Even though Director Noah was over fifty, just from his voice, expressions, and descriptions, one could feel his enthusiasm, which was highly contagious. In the end, he expressed earnestly that he hoped Iger would join this initiative, as he was unwilling to see such a rare talent go to waste.
After reviewing the message from Director Noah, Iger shifted his gaze to the little robot, Xiaozhi, who was still cleaning in the corner. These days, it seemed to be quite lethargic, pausing its cleaning every now and then with its square little head motionless.
This was the consequence of giving too much anthropomorphic thought to a machine.
Iger looked at Xiaozhi, pondered for a moment, and replied to Director Noah, thanking him for his favor and acknowledgment and stating that he would consider the offer seriously.
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