At the same time, in the Imperial Palace.
The royal palace complex contains many Gothic-style palaces with towering spires that seem to reach for the sky. The orderly palace complex is magnificent. Gemini Palace is the most distinctive building in the entire complex. It is located on the west side of the royal palace and consists of two identical white palaces connected to each other.
Yu Hanjiang is the captain of the Royal Guard. He has all the information about the imperial family that the Guardian has instilled in him, and he is also very familiar with the map layout of the entire palace.
Following his memory, he quickly found the Gemini Palace.
Several guards were on duty at the palace gate. Upon seeing Yu Hanjiang, they saluted in unison: "Major General."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Is Your Highness here?"
One of the guards said, "His Highness has just finished eating and is taking a nap."
Yu Hanjiang nodded and went straight in.
The guards seemed to have gotten used to his barging into the prince's palace, keeping their eyes down and pretending they knew nothing.
After entering Gemini Palace, Yu Hanjiang first passed through a long corridor.
The corridor floor was paved with light gray marble, spotlessly clean, like a reflective mirror that clearly reflected Yu Hanjiang's slender figure.
The corridor is flanked by large windows that cover almost fifty meters of the wall. The windows are inlaid with stained glass with various delicate patterns that shimmer and dazzle in the sunlight.
Yu Hanjiang's leather boots made a regular "tap-tap" sound as they stepped on the marble floor.
The only sound in the entire palace was Yu Hanjiang's footsteps, as if he had entered a vast, empty maze. If a stranger were to come here for the first time, they would surely be disoriented by the complex paths.
Fortunately, Yu Hanjiang was very familiar with the place. Following the path he remembered, he walked through several corners and finally arrived at the Crown Prince's palace. He knocked on the door, and after a moment, the door opened from the inside, and Yu Hanjiang met a pair of familiar eyes.
Xiao Lou paused for a moment, then couldn't help but smile: "I knew you would come looking for me."
Yu Hanjiang placed his right hand on his left side, near his heart, and bowed respectfully: "Your Highness."
This was almost an unconscious action.
He was the captain of the guard, and he was required to bow before the esteemed Crown Prince of the Empire. It was currently unknown whether there were any outsiders in Xiao Lou's palace, so the necessary courtesies had to be observed.
Xiao Lou said, "I'm all alone, so there's no need to stand on ceremony. Come in."
Yu Hanjiang walked into the house and carefully examined Xiao Lou.
Xiao Lou changed into a white royal ceremonial suit. The well-tailored suit was adorned with silver floral patterns on the cuffs and collar, not overly extravagant, but rather quite exquisite. He wore white leather boots, cinched at the waist with a leather belt, making his legs appear straight and long. His already handsome features were accentuated by the suit, making him look like a prince straight out of a comic book.
Yu Hanjiang stared at him, his eyes gradually deepening.
Such a handsome prince, one wonders how many women would be willing to submit to him, and the socialites who want to marry him might even have to line up to circle the palace.
Seeing Yu Hanjiang staring at him, Xiao Lou said embarrassedly, "This suit seems to be for a birthday party. I just tried it on. Uh, does it look strange?"
Yu Hanjiang blurted out, "It looks great."
Xiao Lou said, "You'll have to do this to become my guard. You'll have to bow to me in front of others."
A hint of tenderness appeared in Yu Hanjiang's eyes as he said softly, "I'm not aggrieved. I'm very satisfied with Guardian's arrangement."
Xiao Lou: "Hmm?"
Yu Hanjiang didn't explain, thinking to himself, "I'd gladly be your bodyguard, what's there to feel wronged about?"
Meeting Xiao Lou's questioning gaze, Yu Hanjiang coughed lightly and changed the subject, asking, "In my memory, there are only Ninth Brother, Mr. Tang, Long Sen, and Qu Wanyue. I haven't entered the information of the other teammates. What about you?"
Xiao Lou: "...You're the only one in my memory."
Yu Hanjiang paused for a moment, and Xiao Lou turned around and invited him to sit down in the living room to talk.
The prince's palace was naturally luxuriously decorated. Yu Hanjiang glanced over Xiao Lou's residence, casually took off his military cap, and followed him to sit down on the sofa.
Xiao Lou asked the intelligent robot to pour them water. The robot was a cute little boy who came over with two cups of water and politely greeted Yu Hanjiang: "Master, Major General, please have some water."
Yu Hanjiang: "...Thank you."
He examined the robot closely; from the outside, it didn't look much different from a human. In fact, this was His Highness the Prince's intelligent mecha, the " Spirit Fox."
Not only can it help Xiao Lou with housework, it can also transform into a combat mech to protect its owner's safety.
Xiao Lou continued, "Just now, I carefully sorted through my memories. We are currently in an interstellar world, and I am the sole heir to the imperial family. My father, King Xiao Qin, is 55 years old this year and his health is not good. The Queen passed away a few years ago. I also have an older sister named Xiao Rou, who married into the distant Aquarius star system and is now in a political alliance with the prince of the Azure Empire. She gave birth to a son last year. I haven't seen my sister for three years."
This matched the information Yu Hanjiang remembered. Yu Hanjiang nodded to him, signaling him to continue.
Xiao Lou said, "When I was a child, I had a serious illness and almost died, so my father wouldn't let me leave the palace. Over the years, teachers have been coming to Gemini Palace to teach me. I have never been to school, and I have no classmates or friends."
"Seven years ago, you joined the Royal Guard. One night, while patrolling the palace, you happened to find me sneaking out. Instead of catching me, you stayed by my side to protect me. We gradually became friends. In name, you are my guard, but in reality, you are my only friend in the palace. In addition, my father arranged a fiancée for me, I think she is General Lin's daughter, named Lin Yan."
These are all memories that the Guardian instilled in Xiao Lou.
Upon hearing this, Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat displeased: "Fiancée?"
Xiao Lou awkwardly touched his nose: "That's how it's supposed to be."
Yu Hanjiang suddenly leaned over, gently lifted Xiao Lou's chin, and said in a low voice, "Don't forget, our real relationship is not that of friends."
The next moment, his lips were captured by the man's domineering kiss.
Xiao Lou's eyes widened slightly, and her ears turned red instantly.
...Isn't this a bit inappropriate?
A guard forcibly kisses the prince in his bedchamber? This strange scene of "forbidden love" made Xiao Lou's heart pound.
Wearing a military uniform, Yu Hanjiang exuded an air of asceticism, yet he was exceptionally passionate when kissing people, even forcibly prying open Xiao Lou's teeth.
Xiao Lou's eyelashes fluttered slightly, she closed her eyes, and gently hugged Yu Hanjiang back.
Yu Hanjiang pressed him down on the sofa, kissing Xiao Lou until his ears burned and he unconsciously made soft sounds: "Mmm...uh..." like a seductive cat.
Yu Hanjiang's eyes deepened, and he simply reached out and grabbed Xiao Lou's head, closing the distance between them.
...
I don't know how much time passed.
Xiao Lou was having trouble breathing and couldn't help but push him away forcefully: "That's enough... that's enough... let's get down to business..."
Yu Hanjiang considers himself a very calm person.
However, Xiao Lou, being a prince, possessed a unique charm that made him momentarily unable to control himself, and he especially wanted to pin the prince, who was dressed in an exquisite formal suit, down on the sofa...
The word "fiancée" did indeed bother Yu Hanjiang.
Now that he had kissed Xiao Lou and noticed his awkward response, knowing that he liked him, a look of satisfaction flashed in Yu Hanjiang's eyes. He then released Xiao Lou, reached out his thumb, and gently wiped away the clear water from Xiao Lou's lips. His deep voice was a little hoarse: "Sorry, I lost control just now."
Xiao Lou sat up, her ears turning red.
Both of their clothes were a bit disheveled, their military uniforms and dress uniforms tangled together, creating a strange sense of disorientation mixed with a restrained air. Xiao Lou bent over, straightening his disheveled shirt, while Yu Hanjiang solemnly straightened his military uniform.
Once their breathing calmed down, the two acted as if nothing had happened and continued discussing the topic they had just been talking about.
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "Don't worry about the teammates for now. Ninth Brother and Mr. Tang are on their way back. Long Sen is protecting His Majesty in the palace. Qu Wanyue is Long Sen's wife and should be at home right now. The others haven't shown up yet. They might be following another storyline, or they might appear on your birthday."
Xiao Lou said, "My birthday banquet will be held in three days. My father wants to make it a grand affair. After this birthday, I can assist him in managing the affairs of the empire. Do you think there won't be any problems with the birthday banquet?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded and said, "Your Highness's birthday banquet should be a key plot point. There are still three days left, so you should prepare in advance. Also, the Imperial Palace is a card- restricted area, so we can't use cards, and we can't connect to the Telepathic Connection. Therefore, I will stay by your side at all times for the next three days."
Xiao Lou was taken aback: "Are you going to live in the prince's palace? Wouldn't that be a bad idea if word got out?"
Yu Hanjiang looked at him with a serious expression and said calmly, "As the captain of the Royal Guard, it is my duty to protect His Highness's safety."
Xiao Lou: "..."