“The prince has not awakened yet, but the doctor says you can go see him.”
Osbourne’s heart throbbed violently, and the strong palpitations and dizziness made his knees go weak, making it difficult for him to even stand. However, he dared not ask further: what did this mean?
But he only delayed for a few seconds, quickly realizing what was happening. He removed all the instruments attached to him and briskly left the room.
Many people had already gathered in the ward, and Osbourne anxiously waited outside for a while before the doctor came out.
As soon as the doctor reached the door, Osbourne immediately stepped forward and asked, his voice hoarse from the prolonged silence and waiting, “Doctor, how is His Highness?”
The doctor’s expression became somewhat solemn, causing Osbourne’s heart to sink continuously and even his limbs to turn cold.
“There are signs of recovery in His Highness’s bodily functions. However, prolonged unconsciousness has led to disturbances in his mental strength, so even when he wakes up, there may be other symptoms appearing.”
Osbourne couldn’t say anything for a moment, and after a while, he asked, “Can I go see His Highness now?”
The doctor nodded, “General can talk to His Highness more; it might help him wake up faster.”
Osbourne entered the ward in silence. The short half-month felt like a century to him—a constant and painful torment. Seeing the still-sleeping figure, Osbourne’s heart felt somewhat relieved.
At least, His Highness was still close to him, and he could still see him.
But if His Highness woke up, should he tell him the whole truth? It was his suspicion and concealment that led to this consequence. If he had told everything to His Highness, maybe all this wouldn’t have happened.
Even if His Highness chose to forgive him, he felt that all of this was only because of the child. If he hadn’t used the child as leverage, His Highness might have chosen to never see him again.
Osbourne lowered his eyes, intense pain and guilt flooding him as he looked at him. “Your Highness…”
If you wake up, I will tell you everything; no matter how you treat me, I’ll accept it.
As long as you wake up; otherwise, he would never forgive himself.
The case of the attempted assassination of the Empire’s Second Prince continues to escalate, and the prolonged unconsciousness of the Second Prince has infuriated his supporters day by day. Citizens in the streets of M City continue to protest, demanding accountability from the king and the special court for the Second Prince’s uncertain fate.
While this case was already enough to make waves throughout the empire, another shocking revelation suddenly emerged.
It pertains to the cause of death of Lady Lihui, the mother of the Second Prince.
In the minds of the empire’s people, the Hobek family is considered a traitor, attempting to overthrow the current democratic regime and restore the once supreme feudal dynasty. Lady Lihui, they believe, was merely a sacrificial pawn in this political turmoil—a pitiful victim of fate, blamed on her ambitious brother.
Initially, rumors portrayed Lady Lihui as a jealous and domineering woman. Despite knowing about the king’s affection for another woman, she allegedly used the Hobek family’s supreme status to force the king to marry her, tearing apart a loving couple.
However, recent reports suggest that Lady Lihui’s death is closely tied to the current king and queen. Contrary to earlier rumors, Lady Lihui was unaware of the existence of the king’s eldest son and the current Queen from the beginning. Furthermore, the king did not marry Lady Lihui out of necessity; rather, it was a deliberate attempt to align with the Hobek family. It seems that the king’s unfaithfulness and the expiration of their marriage contract led to Lady Lihui’s suicide.
This revelation has completely overturned the empire’s public perception. The new queen, seen as gentle and elegant, participating in numerous charity events and always displaying royal grace when attending activities, turns out to be a home-wrecker and a third party in a relationship. Moreover, she has been largely unrecognized by the royal family for these years, never replacing the royal family in attending important diplomatic events. The ill-treatment suffered by the Second Prince in this seemingly harmonious royal family is now apparent.
The news has put the already embattled queen back in the spotlight in the case of the conspiracy against the empire’s prince. Of course, the king is not exempt from criticism. Having such a despicable character as their king is considered a disgrace to the empire.
—I’m about to vomit my overnight meal. What kind of scumbag dad is this? I can’t imagine how the Second Prince survived in such an environment. A stepmother who wanted him dead and a heartless scumbag dad—just die!
—I’m going to curse someone. This king is more disgusting than the queen. He’s the real father of the Second Prince. For so many years, he has been completely partial to First Prince than Second Prince, like the difference between heaven and earth. And that queen, interfering in other people’s marriages and wanting to kill someone else’s son. How did Prince Iger survive his childhood? I feel so sorry for him!
—I just want to ask one question: Does the Crown Prince know about this? It’s impossible that he doesn’t, even though he was young at the time and couldn’t decide anything. But these years, he’s been pretending to be innocent like his mother, acting completely self-righteous. Can he really face his conscience?
The king, reading the chaotic comments on the StarNet, immediately wanted to find out who leaked the information. Even though the incident happened a while ago, why is there a problem at this critical juncture?
As the king, he represents the entire royal family. With his private life now under such scrutiny, how can he face the empire’s people in the future?
Ian has been confined to his palace for three consecutive days, unable to go out. The overwhelming insults and criticism are something he, who has always been proud, cannot endure. Furthermore, he is deeply concerned about his mother. Even though he knows that, at this point, it’s highly unlikely for things to take a turn, he still can’t bear to watch his mother suffer because of him. “Father, even if Mother is at fault, can you consider the years of relationship between you two? Could you intervene and ask the court for leniency? The prison is not a place for a person to live; Mother definitely won’t be able to endure it.”
The king is feeling restless, but he also knows that Ian is not directly involved in this matter. Hence, his tone is not too harsh: “Since you know what your mother has done, if you’re smart, it’s best not to get involved anymore. Otherwise, it won’t be of any use, and you might end up ruining yourself.”
Ian understands the stakes and complexities involved, but does that mean he should just stand by and watch, doing nothing?
Seeing him silent, the king adds, “What you should truly do now is to take good care of Iger.”
A momentary resentment flashes across Ian’s face. Take care of him?
Isn’t he in this mess because of Iger’s mistakes? Despite his earnest efforts and diligence from a young age, always striving for the best, he couldn’t surpass the willful and foolish Iger. Is it all just because of Iger’s privileged background?
Finally, with the downfall of the Hobek family, Iger, the once brilliant star, has fallen into the mud. For Ian, there’s a sense of satisfaction that this was bound to happen.
Over the past decade, he has indeed excelled in every aspect compared to Iger. All eyes are on him, and he works even harder because he never wants to go back to those dull, ignoble days.
However, despite Iger’s despicable behavior and unbearable actions, he effortlessly gets something that Ian can never obtain, even if he pleads for it.
Osbourne loves him, regardless of how absurd or unreasonable Iger’s actions are.
Having to care about him like this, Ian just wishes that Iger never wakes up and that he sleeps forever, because that would be the best.
[Host, I thought you didn’t want to wake up.]
Chu Yan blinked his eyes, saying nonchalantly: [This is called winning by lying down.]
As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the bright white ceiling.
His vision was blurry, and he could only see overlapping figures, but he heard a trembling voice saying, “Your Highness.”
In those azure eyes was a deep concern, and underneath were shades of exhaustion. Iger stared at him for a while, then shifted his gaze to the doctor standing beside him, seemingly puzzled. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again after a while.
“Your Highness.”
Osbourne, seeing that Iger didn’t respond to him, turned his gaze anxiously to the doctor beside him and asked, “Doctor?”
The doctor walked over, examined Iger, and then asked, “Your Highness, how do you feel now?”
Iger still didn’t speak; he just met Osbourne’s eyes with a slightly puzzled blink.
Those light brown eyes were clear, but the exploration and vigilance inside gave Osbourne an instant sense of unease.
The doctor also noticed that something was off, so he walked over soothingly, asked a few questions, and only then did Iger slowly open his mouth. However, his voice, due to not speaking for a long time, sounded very hoarse, like the texture of fine gravel grinding on sandpaper.
After saying just two sentences, he couldn’t help but cough softly. Osbourne quickly poured him a glass of water. After drinking, Iger continued to look at him with a pair of clear and vigilant eyes.
Seeing this, the doctor sighed slightly and inwardly twisted, “General, come out with me for a moment.”
Osbourne couldn’t help but turn his head to look at the person on the hospital bed, finding that his gaze was on him again. However, there was no longer the previous calm and restraint, only clarity to the point of… lacking any other emotions.
“General may also know that His Highness’s memory seems to have some problems. This is probably what I mentioned before. His Highness’s mental state has become disordered. Fortunately, His Highness has already passed the critical period, so General can rest assured.”
Osbourne’s heart, originally held high, finally let go a bit. “Will the memory impairment affect His Highness’s body?”
The doctor shook his head. “At the moment, it doesn’t seem so.”
“Mental disorder is only temporary, and this situation won’t last too long. General doesn’t need to worry too much.”
Osbourne returned to the ward, and Iger was already awake, his gaze following Osbourne from start to finish.
Osbourne sat down in front of him, attempting to ask, “Your Highness, do you remember who I am?”
Iger nodded. “Former husband? I just checked the Star Network myself. We were once married, and later, I did something wrong, so you divorced me.”
Osbourne, hearing this, couldn’t help but deny it, but he didn’t know how to explain these things to him. “No, Your Highness… you’re fine. It’s my fault. There were many misunderstandings between us. It’s not something that can be explained in a few words. Your Highness just needs to remember that you haven’t done anything wrong. Don’t think like that.”
Iger looked at him silently for a while. “If I haven’t done anything wrong, why did you divorce me? Don’t you like me anymore?”
Osbourne was stunned by his question, but he saw his light brown eyes staring at him without blinking, seemingly waiting for his answer.
Under the gaze of those eyes, Osbourne, who was usually calm, felt unusually nervous. He answered hesitantly, “No, I like Your Highness very much.”
But after answering this question, his heart ached slightly. What right did he have to say this when Iger had changed like this? The thing he couldn’t forgive the most was himself.
Iger seemed to not understand Osbourne’s internal struggle. He nodded thoughtfully and then asked again, “Did I like you before?”
Osbourne’s gaze shifted slightly. Of course, His Highness liked him; there was no need to doubt that. However, what had he done? His Highness had given him so much, yet all he seemed to bring to His Highness was endless pain and disaster.
Osbourne spoke in a low voice, “Your Highness is wonderful; no one wouldn’t like you. I am no exception.”
Iger asked him many questions, and Osbourne answered each one. It wasn’t until half an hour later, seeing that His Highness was almost unable to keep his eyes open while still holding onto his arm, that Osbourne stood up and touched his forehead.
“Your Highness, rest for now. We can discuss these questions tomorrow; I’ll slowly explain everything to Your Highness then.”
Unexpectedly, Iger, who had been squinting, suddenly widened his eyes. Osbourne asked in confusion, “Your Highness?”
It was only then that Osbourne realized this and followed his gaze down to his own abdomen.
His military uniform was tightened around the abdomen with a belt. When he stood up, it wasn’t very noticeable, but when he bent down, his lower abdomen showed a slight bulge, as if it were constrained by the belt.
He had been focused on His Highness and the case these days, not noticing that his clothes were no longer fitting. Now, realizing it all at once, he understood that the child had grown unconsciously.
Osbourne felt a bit uncomfortable under his bright gaze and stood straight, asking, “Your Highness, aren’t you sleepy?”
“Are you tired? Come and sleep with me,” Iger looked at his exhausted face, shifted a bit to the side, and gestured for him to come up and sleep together.
His movements startled Osbourne, but fortunately, there was no uncomfortable expression on Iger’s face, indicating that the wound should be fine.
Osbourne looked at his clear eyes, a few strands of light brown hair sticking to the side of his face, making him look very gentle. Osboure sighed softly, “Your Highness, go to sleep. I won’t leave; I’ll stay here with you.”
Finally, Iger slowly drifted into sleep.
Osbourne found the memory-less Iger so innocent and endearing. At first, he felt a sense of loss, but gradually, he thought that forgetting the pain and living happily might be better for His Highness.
Since the danger had passed, more people came to visit Iger. However, now that His Highness hardly remembered anyone, meeting them was not of much use, so they were mostly sent away.
Osbourne brought lunch to the ward and found Lowell sitting by the bedside, chin propped up, with a reddened nose and puffy eyes—a clear sign of recent crying.
“Iger, he deceived you. He hurt you badly before, making you very upset. And this time, you suffered such serious injuries because of him. You mustn’t forgive him. You once said you liked Lowell the most. Have you forgotten?”
Iger listened attentively and asked, “If I like you, why don’t you have my pheromone scent? But Osbourne has it, so I trust him more than you.”
Orwell, standing by the side, remained silent throughout. His gaze, however, stayed fixed on Iger, and he felt a subtle ache in his heart.
Regardless of his memory loss, it seemed that in Iger’s heart, there was only the General. It was a stubbornness that persisted, almost despair-inducing.
Lowell’s ears reddened, his face shifting between shades of blue and white, showing visible discomfort. Before he could say anything, Osbourne walked over and reminded him, “Your Highness, it’s time for lunch, and Lord Lowell, you should go back.”
Lowell and Orwell both turned their attention to Osbourne at the same time, their expressions almost identical.
Osbourne noticed that Orwell was the first to tactfully leave the room. Orwell had come to check on His Highness, knowing that as long as he was okay, it was enough. The connection between him and His Highness was only due to this person, and at this point, His Highness probably forgot even who he was.
A month later, the special court finally announced the fate of Queen and General Beckner. The charges for conspiring against the royal family were severe. Even as the mother of the Imperial Crown Prince, despite Prince Ian’s plea, there was no exception.
Moreover, public reaction to this matter was significant. The case was entirely exposed to the public, and there was no room for bias.
In the end, Queen and General Becker were both sentenced to exile on a remote star system, forbidden from returning to the Imperial Capital for the rest of their lives.
Osbourne left the hospital room and saw Orwell still standing by the door, as if he had never left.
“General, I have something to discuss with you.”
Osbourne looked at him, furrowing his brow, “What do you want to say?”
Orwell sighed, aware of the hostility from Osbourne, but he, too, had his reasons.
“Regarding my relationship with Prince Iger, I believe there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Osbourne stared at him, his gaze heavy. “I trust His Highness.”
“Is that so?” Orwell seemed to mock with a smile. “Then why, with just a few baseless rumors, did the General easily give up on your marriage with His Highness?”
He said this with a slight smile, though there was a hint of bitterness in that smile. “General, marriage is not child’s play. If you truly love His Highness as you claim, please don’t hurt his heart like this in the future.”
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