Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 149

This was a luxurious manor and castle. A sleek black car, out of place in this futuristic interstellar age and leaning towards a more retro design, slowly made its way through a garden. The white roses planted there had not yet bloomed; their shy buds were tender and snow-like, with thin stems, waiting to blossom.

Through the rear car window, one could faintly see the reflection of a quiet boy sitting with his head bowed.

The driver stopped the car and glanced at the rearview mirror at the boy, who looked quite young but was unnaturally quiet. Since picking him up from the private starship of the master, the boy hadn’t said a word beyond basic social phrases like “thank you” and “sorry.”

The starship had crossed several star systems from the Empire. Even with the fastest photonic starship of the time, the journey took three full days.

For an omega who was a victim of war and politics, forced into a marriage alliance, it was perfectly normal to feel uneasy in this moment of being far from home, in an unfamiliar enemy nation.

Especially since omegas were naturally soft and inclined toward passivity.

The driver, out of politeness, reminded him, “Young sir, we’ve arrived.” He asked, “Would you like me to help with your luggage?”

The boy immediately curled his thin fingers, quietly shook his head, and refused with some apprehension and a trace of guarded unease. “I don’t need it.”

“I don’t have much luggage, no need to trouble you, thank you.” After a brief pause, he opened the car door himself but stood there uncertainly, clearly unfamiliar with his surroundings and unsure of what to do next.

“Young sir?” The butler approached him hastily, “You’ve arrived quite late. The master insists that we finish our cleaning duties and leave daily. I apologize for not being able to offer you much assistance.”

He led the boy inside, his manner hurried and his demeanor suggesting he dared not stay a moment longer.

The rules here seemed particularly strict.

“You can rest here for a while.” The butler gave a small smile, motioning toward the soft and beautifully styled couch in the living room.

“The room at the far end on the third floor has already been prepared for you. If you wish to have a meal, you can call for it using your wrist terminal, and a delivery robot will bring it over.”

The boy nodded slightly. “Thank you.”

He remained very quiet.

The butler then asked, “Your wrist terminal?”

The boy paused, hesitantly removing the terminal from his wrist and handing it over.

The butler handed him a new one. “Young sir, please register your new identity so you can access the permissions within the manor. I’ll place your old terminal on the master’s desk.”

His old wrist terminal was also confiscated.

The boy lowered his head and murmured a response.

The butler bowed again. “The master will return this evening. I wish you a pleasant day.” Then he hurriedly left.

A month ago, the Empire lost a war to the Federation. In a desperate bid to salvage some dignity, the royal family quickly agreed to peace negotiations and reparations.

The Federation’s Council of Elders made a long list of demands, forcing the Empire to cede several star systems and hand over large quantities of advanced mechanical energy resources.

To curry favor with the Federation, the royal family even proposed a marriage alliance. As a declining noble family, once honored for their ancestral achievements but now distant from political power and focused on business, it just so happened that they had an omega at home.

It didn’t take long for him to be pushed forward as the sacrificial lamb.

Though his family tried hard to fight this fate, they couldn’t change the outcome.

And so, he was sent away, becoming the spouse of the Federation’s council leader, a man who, despite holding the title of elder, was essentially the most powerful figure in the Federation.

It sounded absurd, but for some reason, the council leader had accepted the marriage proposal. It was a mystery to many, as their status was so vastly different. Most people had expected the Federation to reject the offer outright, humiliating the Empire in the process.

But now, here he was, sitting quietly and trying to figure out the latest model of wrist terminal in his hand, proving that the marriage alliance was real.

“Am I some kind of caveman?” he muttered, bewildered by the technology. “When did things outside get so advanced? I can’t even understand this.”

The boy, Wu Jing, fiddled with the wrist terminal for a long time, finally managing to input his identity information.

“Can I play games on this?” he wondered aloud. “Can I still log into my social accounts?”

Alone in the manor, Wu Jing quickly relaxed, though as time passed and the afternoon stretched into evening, he began to feel hungry.

After much struggling with the terminal, he still couldn’t figure out how to order food.

The manor was empty, save for himself. Bright white lights illuminated the luxurious decor, and the boy sat quietly on the couch all afternoon, waiting patiently, as if he had nested there. He made no move to explore the unfamiliar surroundings, his youthful, delicate features showing signs of unease, vigilance, and growing hunger.

His stomach rumbled painfully, but all he could do was clutch it.

Finally, as night began to fall, he stood up, cautiously taking his first step.

Wu Jing wasn’t sure if he was breaking any house rules by wandering, but he was simply too hungry…

The wrist terminal was far too complex for him to use, and the fear of pressing the wrong buttons had heightened his anxiety. Alone in a foreign land, the gnawing hunger was beginning to wear down his nerves.

No one here had disrespected him.

It was just that he was clumsy and unfamiliar with everything.

Feeling dejected, Wu Jing stood alone in the grand hall. Driven by hunger, he sniffed the air instinctively, searching for food. After wandering for what felt like an eternity, he finally stumbled upon the kitchen.

Starving, he stretched up on his toes, opening the overhead cabinets. They were empty. He turned to the fridge, only to find raw meat, vegetables, and milk.

He didn’t know how to cook.

Grabbing a bottle of milk, Wu Jing hesitated. Was it wrong to take someone else’s food without permission?

After a moment of internal debate, his stomach growled again, and he opened the bottle, gulping down several mouthfuls.

It was sweet, delicious milk.

His eyes lit up, and he guiltily grabbed another bottle. Then he rummaged through the cupboards and found some cookies, munching them alongside the milk.

After tearing through five or six packages of cookies, he finally grew tired of them and went back to searching the fridge.

Soon, he spotted a bag of bright orange carrots on the bottom shelf of the vegetable drawer. They had been washed and neatly trimmed.

Cautiously, Wu Jing pricked up his ears and blinked in suspicion. “Were these meant for me?”

His stomach rumbled again, and despite his reservations, he gave in to his hunger, nibbling on one of the carrots.

They were surprisingly sweet and juicy. He devoured two before feeling satisfied. After finishing, he didn’t leave the mess behind but instead cleaned up, throwing away the empty cookie wrappers and milk bottles.

He even tidied up the carrots he had disturbed, carefully tucking them back into the fridge as if nothing had happened, then quietly slipped away.

Perhaps because he was now full, Wu Jing grew a little bolder, wandering around the manor’s grand hall and curiously inspecting his surroundings.

Soon, the figure in the surveillance footage could be seen moving from the first floor to the third floor, carefully inching toward the room at the far end of the hall.

Wu Jing pushed open the door to the room. Inside, the lights were soft, and the room’s decor reflected an omega’s aesthetic, cozy and welcoming. He peeked his head in, cautiously inspecting the space.

The room was spacious, with a large bed that looked incredibly soft. Next to the pillows sat a plush, furry bunny toy.

After observing for a while and seeing nothing unusual, Wu Jing finally dared to enter, closing the door behind him. The wardrobe was filled with seasonal clothes, and aside from the wrist terminal, they had also provided him with a new brain interface.

But Wu Jing still felt like a guest. He didn’t dare touch anything. After checking the time, he took out his rabbit-print pajamas and toiletries from his spatial module.

After using the shower and drying off, he hesitated for a while before locking the door and climbing into the soft bed. He pulled the covers over himself, leaving the lights on, and instead of hugging the new bunny toy, he clutched the old stuffed animal he had brought from home.

He curled up uneasily and slowly fell asleep.

The master of the manor returned home very late. As soon as the main door opened, the omega’s scent, detectable only by an alpha, immediately filled the air.

The strongest concentration of the scent came from the living room sofa.

It was as if someone had nested there. The rich, sweet aroma of berry jam permeated the space, soft as if it had been mashed into pulp and mixed with a generous amount of fruit honey.

The jam was a delicate rose-pink, translucent and sparkling, making one imagine how delicious the fruit must have been.

The man paused, then slowly made his way toward the room at the far end of the third floor. 

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