Eugene knew that Admiral Keo did not believe him, not even a little bit.
Yet he still intended to keep up the act, and he had to execute it flawlessly.
This was because Admiral Keo was indeed part of the pro-war faction.
The plot had clearly stated that Admiral Keo was a person with deep ambitions for power.
Among the male princes of his generation in the Hashu tribe, all were good-for-nothings except for Admiral Keo, who was a combat genius.
His status as a female limited his qualifications to climb to the pinnacle of power, but it failed entirely to check his determination to claim the throne.
Only amidst war could he acquire greater military command, and only through victory could he gain the bargaining chips and even the opportunity to ascend.
Although he still outwardly obeyed the Hashu headquarters for now, he would soon completely break away from them and begin acting entirely on his own will.
As the most thorny and greatest villain in the entire story, Admiral Keo was ambitious and cold-blooded, never hesitating to eliminate anyone who stood in the way of his seizure of the throne. Even Tian’s irresistible charisma aura was trampled under his feet.
By this time, the starship had clearly set sail once again, heading straight into Hashu territory. Escaping had already become extremely difficult. If Eugene wanted to survive, he could only lower their guard as much as possible while slowly waiting for an opportunity to flee.
If a foolish prince whose mere survival could spark a war between two nations could reduce, even by a fraction, Admiral Keo’s motivation to find an excuse to kill him, it would still be a worthwhile endeavor for the current Eugene.
Ideally, the best-case scenario would be for him to forge a closer relationship with Admiral Keo, but Eugene knew that was probably impossible.
Exhausted, Eugene rested continuously on the bed inside his room until evening, when Admiral Keo finally returned.
The lights in the living room automatically brightened a notch. Eugene opened his eyes to see Admiral Keo standing alone in the living room, casually taking off his outer jacket.
The overhead lights cast several blurred shadows of his slender figure against the floor.
Perhaps briefly forgetting that Eugene was locked up in this place, Admiral Keo retrieved a cup of water from the wall dispenser, silently cradling it with both hands as he stood there and drank it down to the last drop.
Eugene’s eyelashes fluttered. Although still dazed from sleep, he instinctively lifted his head, wanting to catch a clear look at Admiral Keo’s expression.
At this moment, the admiral looked almost a bit docile, quite unlike the decisive villain of the plot who would stop at nothing to claim the throne.
However, Admiral Keo had already put down the cup, left the living room, and walked into the other side of the suite out of sight.
The next day.
Even though he had already agreed to Admiral Keo, Ross still found himself instinctively glancing toward the direction where Eugene was confined the moment he stepped inside.
That silver-haired male was lying on the bed inside the room, his body curled up with both hands pressed against his stomach. His originally loose clothing clung tightly to his slender yet solid waistline, and even the bedsheets bore numerous wrinkles, revealing how much he had tossed and turned.
Ross froze for a moment. He had heard that many males possessed delicate constitutions. Could something be wrong with him?
Perhaps sensing someone enter, Eugene raised his head to look at him.
Catching a pair of golden eyes by accident, Ross hurriedly averted his gaze.
“Ross?”
Admiral Keo walked out from the inner room.
“Ah, yes, Admiral.”
Admiral Keo adjusted the cuffs of his military uniform and casually issued his instructions as usual. Ordinarily, Ross would have listened with total concentration, but today, after a short while, he still found his attention wandering as he glanced toward Eugene’s side.
When he turned back after looking, he discovered that the admiral was watching him.
Ross instantly felt a bit embarrassed.
“Admiral, because… that male, um, the prisoner seems a bit unwell…”
Facing Admiral Keo’s emotionless golden eyes, Ross unexpectedly broke into a slight, awkward sweat.
He cleared his throat. “I was only worried that if his condition is too poor, it might affect our negotiations with Buzz.”
At this moment, Eugene was curled up on the bed, simply pulling the blanket right over his head. The discomfort brought on by consuming nutritional fluid was actually bearable, but naturally, he was exaggerating his performance on purpose.
Yet all morning long, Admiral Keo had not glanced at him even once.
To be honest, Eugene had never been ignored like this before. Even a goldfish kept in a fishbowl would usually draw a glance from someone.
Thinking this, his stomach felt even more uncomfortable.
Sure enough, playing the pity card had no effect on Admiral Keo. He might have to try a different approach.
Just as Eugene was thinking this, he felt his arm suddenly being yanked, pulling him straight out from under the blanket before coming face-to-face with Admiral Keo.
“Admiral, the previous orderly actually mentioned that he cannot consume nutrient fluid; he throws it all back up even if he drinks it. His digestive system is likely quite fragile.”
Ross stood behind them. “Otherwise…”
Before he could finish, Admiral Keo pressed his palm flat against Eugene’s stomach.
Eugene’s eyelashes fluttered once, and his entire body stiffened.
Admiral Keo’s fingers were slender and distinctly jointed, with visible veins tracing across the back of his hand. Because Eugene had broken out in a layer of cold sweat, it made the temperature of Admiral Keo’s palm feel remarkably warm.
What is the meaning of this?
Eugene lifted his gaze to lock eyes with him.
Admiral Keo paused for a moment, then immediately stood back up, took a step backward, and frowned.
Oh? Does he hate him that much?
Before Eugene could react, Admiral Keo had already pulled out a tissue to wipe his hand.
“He won’t die. You get used to throwing up after a while.”
Eugene thought to himself that he really must hate him.
Admiral Keo just like that delivered this diagnosis on his own and turned to walk back out.
Because artificial satellites lacked natural conditions suitable for agriculture, non-synthetic food nowadays was extremely expensive. As a member of the Hashu royal family, Admiral Keo frequently consumed nutritional fluid himself.
Yet this male had never touched it from childhood to adulthood, making him exceptionally difficult to care for. Admiral Keo certainly had no reason to pamper him.
By noon, Admiral Keo sat in the dining area eating his meal, where he could look up and see Eugene pressed against the door of the room, clutching his stomach and watching him the entire time.
The bandage was still wrapped around his head, making his complexion appear very pale. His eyes remained fixed straight on the fork in Admiral Keo’s hand.
Admiral Keo remained silent.
After a moment, Eugene even slid down to sit weakly against the wall, lowering his head to rub his eyes. The obvious bruises on his wrists were still clearly visible.
Ross, standing beside him, kept stealing glances in Eugene’s direction before clutching his chest and letting out a sigh.
Admiral Keo remained silent.
He put down his fork, pinched the bridge of his nose, and finally spoke to the already restless Ross standing beside him.
“Alright, go get a bowl of porridge.”
Ross froze for a second, then immediately snapped to attention and replied, “Understood, Admiral.”
He walked away quickly and returned even faster.
Eugene was almost startled when he opened the door, only to find a bowl of hot, thick, sweet porridge thrust into his hands shortly after.
Eugene froze for a moment, raising his head in an attempt to read Admiral Keo’s expression, but the other had already finished his meal, stood up, and left.
For the next few days, Eugene received a bowl of various freshly prepared food items at every meal, occasionally accompanied by milk and fruit. This helped his physical strength recover quite well.
However, his state of mind remained far from relaxed.
The only person who interacted with him daily was the assistant named Ross.
By this time, the starship was likely arriving at the Hashu colonial satellite cluster, yet Admiral Keo still completely ignored him, or rather, was actively avoiding him, let alone letting him out.
When negotiations eventually commenced under Tian’s sudden and deliberate provocations, he might still fail to escape the scripted fate of being killed by Admiral Keo.
What should he do?
That evening, when Ross brought him his food, Eugene tentatively asked, “Can I watch the projection for a bit?”
“Projection?” Ross blinked in surprise.
Eugene pointed toward the wall opposite the sofa outside.
“Sometimes the projection turns on.”
Even though Admiral Keo never looked at him during the daytime.
On very rare occasions in the evening, he would catch sight of Admiral Keo wearing casual clothes, sitting alone on the living room sofa to watch the projection for a little while.
Ross’s expression turned even more astonished.
The admiral?
Does that mean watching a movie together with the admiral? He had never even been granted such an honor.
Unaware of what was passing through the other’s mind, Eugene looked up at him earnestly. “Is it allowed?”
“Um, I need to ask about this.” Unintentionally locking eyes with those pure golden eyes, Ross immediately looked away.
Even after spending some time together, he ultimately remained unaccustomed to facing such pristine golden eyes.
At that exact moment, Admiral Keo returned, noticing Ross standing inside the transparent room and conversing with Eugene.
Ross might not have realized it himself, but his posture was slightly hunched, and even his fingertips betrayed tension and solemnity, resembling someone facing a superior officer.
Eugene’s gaze was likewise fixed attentively on Ross.
For a moment, neither of them noticed his return.
Admiral Keo’s expression cooled slightly.