I Married A Proud, Beautiful Omega First, Then Fell In Love - Chapter 13

But Douglas quickly tossed that bit of worthless sympathy and pity to the back of his mind; he didn’t think Elan needed it.

He leaned outside the hospital ward, waiting for Elan to finish packing and come out, acting out of a sense of duty as a partner.

He didn’t know what there was to pack. This hospital was the largest in the entire galaxy, and Elan was staying in the highest-grade noble ward. The living facilities and supplies were all provided by the hospital, and they were all high-end goods.

Perhaps he was changing clothes.

That guess seemed to trigger something. Waiting out of boredom, Douglas stared at the ceiling until his eyes gradually lost focus.

A slender needle piercing smooth skin… as the liquid medicine was slowly pushed in, a warm body carrying the cozy scent of mulled wine trembled in his arms… Douglas stopped the memory just in time. He slammed the heel of his leather shoe hard against the ward wall, black lines appearing on his face.

It seemed his illness had worsened; otherwise, why would such a terrifying image come to mind?

He needed to find Qin for a follow-up consultation.

Elan pushed the door open and stepped out. Seeing that his expression looked unnatural, Elan took an extra glance, then turned away without saying a word, seemingly intending to leave on his own.

The moment Elan turned, Douglas’s gaze lingered for a second on Elan’s forehead. Elan seemed to notice this; his footsteps faltered, assuming Douglas was bothered by the small scar left on his forehead.

In truth, that scar was as tiny as a mosquito’s leg—a pinkish-brown scab hidden among the strands of hair on his forehead. If one didn’t look closely, it was absolutely impossible to see.

Intent on retaliation, Elan turned back almost instinctively. He returned the gesture by casting a contemptuous glance at the control ring encircling Douglas’s bicep, then let out a mocking scoff.

Douglas: ?

No, is this guy sick?

Douglas felt he hadn’t offended him. He was even dutifully fulfilling his responsibilities as a partner by waiting here for him, and this was the attitude he got?

Feeling annoyed, Douglas used his mental power to destroy the control ring. The hard ring, made of special materials, instantly turned into powder and fell down his black shirt. Fortunately, the black shirt was dark enough that the dust wasn’t noticeable.

Elan had already walked far ahead. Douglas hurried to catch up and grabbed the other man’s arm with a tug.

Elan stumbled from the pull and was forced into eye contact. Though the place where he was being held didn’t hurt, he couldn’t break free no matter how he struggled. Ever since his hospitalization, his face had been very pale; at this moment, his emotional unrest could only be seen in his eyes.

Douglas furrowed his brows. Seeing the agitation in Elan’s eyes, the suppression and compromises he had endured over the past few days were slightly relieved. His brow relaxed a bit as he stared into Elan’s eyes and warned him with serious gravity:

“You can make whatever scene you want these few days, but in a moment, in front of your mother, don’t pull any of that nonsense with me.”

Elan knew Douglas wanted to strike a deal with his mother regarding the school, and he wanted to say he hadn’t planned on opposing Douglas on this matter. However, looking at Douglas’s overly determined expression, he remained silent for a while. He didn’t defend himself; he simply gave a soft nod.

Only then did Douglas let go of him.

Reimann Manor

When Douglas and Elan were led inside by the butler, the Reimann family was having afternoon tea.

Seeing Douglas, Alexia stood up and nodded a friendly greeting. Beside her, Catherine and Ivan also performed noble greetings toward Douglas.

Catherine’s gaze lingered on Douglas’s face for only a fleeting second before she quickly lowered her head. In contrast, Ivan, whom she was holding, was extremely curious about Douglas; his overly clever and cunning eyes drifted incessantly between Douglas and Elan.

Alexia first pulled Elan over. After inspecting him for a moment, she frowned and said in an unkind tone, “How could a scar be left behind? Has the medical technology of the Capital Star hospitals degraded to such an extent? I’ll take you to see other doctors in a few days; it will definitely be cured.”

Elan gave a hum of affirmation, his heart sinking. But he had long since grown accustomed to this feeling—the feeling of his mother treating him like an exquisite piece of merchandise.

If the merchandise was disfigured, it wouldn’t sell for a good price.

Naturally, Alexia was very anxious.

Douglas sat on a nearby sofa, cold-sneering in his heart. He only now realized that the atmosphere of the Reimann family was quite off. Elan lived in this house like an outsider living under someone else’s roof.

Having stayed in the hospital for so many days, no one had come to visit him. Now, they were putting on a show of concern, yet the focus was still misplaced.

They couldn’t see that Elan had grown so thin; they only saw the scar on his face.

Alexia patted Elan’s hand and said, “Your younger brother missed you very much and likely has a lot to say to you. You two can go upstairs and sit for a while first.”

Seeing the look his mother sent him, a brilliant smile appeared on Ivan’s lips. “That’s right, I missed brother very much.”

His tone was overly enthusiastic. Elan looked at him with a cold face, but he still stood up to go upstairs with them.

In the upstairs corridor, Ivan sized Elan up from head to toe with a look of novelty. Then, the corners of his mouth curled into a malicious smile. “You’re really ugly right now.”

Elan gave him a cold sidelong glance, turned around, and returned to his own room.

The downstairs living room was empty, leaving only Douglas and Alexia. The atmosphere of a warm family gathering vanished, replaced by the cold, surging undercurrents of a battlefield of interests.

Douglas spoke first. “How much is that funding exactly?”

Alexia stirred her black tea with a spoon and chuckled upon hearing this. “General Douglas is a bit impatient. I recall that I never promised I would definitely provide funding for General Douglas’s school?”

Douglas’s eyes turned cold, and his voice was like frost. “What? Are you planning to take the benefits from King Tansan without doing the work?”

“That was King Tansan’s sincerity, not General Douglas’s.” The smile left Alexia’s lips as she looked directly at him. “On the contrary, not only have you failed to show the proper sincerity, but you have also disappointed me greatly. Elan’s hospitalization is inextricably linked to you. That you can actually sit here so composed and propose conditions to me is truly beyond my expectations.”

Douglas smelled the familiar scent of blackmail. He had used this move to deal with Susanna before; now, the tables had turned, and it was his turn to be coerced.

Douglas asked, “Then what do you want? I will not agree to increase the noble enrollment quota to 80%.”

“That is easy to settle, as long as you agree to one condition.” Alexia smiled again. “Any child of the Reimann family who applies for any major at the Imperial Special Academy shall have a 100% acceptance rate.”

“If you accept, I will have seen your sincerity. How about it? It is actually quite a bargain, isn’t it?”

Douglas stared at this smiling tiger for a moment, feeling a slight urge to throw the teacup in his hand at her. But then he thought, rather than letting the three great families all get benefits, it was better to give this advantage only to the Reimann family.

How many people were in the Reimann family? Even if all the eligible children of the Reimann family enrolled, they wouldn’t be able to take over the school.

Douglas felt he truly had a good temper. He hadn’t even been back at the Capital Star for a month, yet he had been taught how to write the words “compromise” and “reality” by these calculating people.

He deliberately put on a display of being troubled or even angry. Just as Alexia began to suspect he was about to storm out, Douglas said slowly, “Fine, then. I accept your condition.”

Alexia was quite straightforward. “That funding will arrive in your personal account tomorrow, General.”

Douglas nodded.

Once the deal was struck, Alexia’s attitude improved significantly. She even became warm toward Elan, inviting Douglas to stay for dinner.

Douglas was just about to refuse, but Elan pressed down on his wrist. When those azure eyes looked over, Douglas suddenly swallowed his words.

Halfway through dinner, Douglas’s optical brain hummed, and a call notification appeared before his eyes.

At Alexia’s gesture, Elan led Douglas to the balcony and then turned to go back. After he left, Douglas connected the call.

Petrovna’s figure, emitting a faint blue light, appeared on the balcony. She was currently in quite a good mood. Looking at Douglas’s background, she asked with some confusion, “Where are you right now?”

“Elan’s home,” Douglas answered quickly, then shifted the topic. “Is something the matter?”

“I am at the Poz Transit Station! I’ll be back at the Capital Star very soon. How is the recruitment work going?”

Douglas: “…”

He felt a bit guilty, so he said, “You don’t need to rush back. You can take those children to see the scenery along the way or something.”

After saying that, he felt his words were a bit too defensive, so he added, “Recruitment is already underway; you don’t need to worry.”

Petrovna thought for a moment. “What you said makes sense. Then I’ll take them to have some fun. But will that delay the school’s work?”

Douglas said decisively, “It won’t.”

Hanging up the call with Petrovna, he quickly dialed Porschell to inform him that Petrovna was about to return and that he had secured the funding, telling him to start the recruitment work as soon as possible.

The pirate collar on Porschell’s shirt was somewhat disarrayed, slightly open to reveal his chest, and his lips were a bit red. “…Understood.”

Douglas’s brain stalled slightly. “What are you doing?”

Porschell didn’t answer him and quickly hung up the call.

Douglas stood in the balcony breeze, feeling bewildered. He calmed himself for a moment and didn’t rush back. Suddenly remembering something, he sent a message to Qin.

Douglas: Is there any medicine that can remove scars? Get me some.

After sending it, he pondered for a bit and sent another.

Douglas: Forget it, don’t give it to me. Give it directly to Elan. Don’t say I asked you to give it.

Over there, Qin replied very quickly.

Qin: Received.

…A machine.

Douglas grumbled in his heart. Returning to the dining room, the people at the table—except for Elan—were chatting. Upon seeing his figure, they immediately went silent. Douglas ignored their strangeness and said bluntly that he was leaving, showing no intention of considering Elan in his words.

After hearing this, Ivan blinked and said innocently, “Isn’t General Douglas taking Brother back with him? Are you two having a conflict recently, so you aren’t sleeping together?”

Catherine’s hand under the table bumped Ivan’s wrist. Ivan pretended not to notice and continued to stare at Douglas with bright, innocent eyes.

Douglas frowned and looked at him for a while, thinking this kid was being sarcastic. He said briefly, “I am.”

Elan stood up along with him, seemingly not wanting to stay there either. He silently followed Douglas out.

Inside the starship, Douglas was unnerved by the quiet atmosphere and couldn’t help but speak up. “Why do I feel like you don’t look like Catherine and Ivan?”

Breathing the air outside his home, Elan’s mood seemed a bit better now. Hearing this, he looked as surprised as if he had heard someone make a basic factual error. He scanned Douglas up and down twice, making Douglas’s scalp tingle.

“With your current power, investigating someone is easy. If you really don’t understand me, you can investigate. Next time, don’t ask such stupid questions.”

Douglas flared up at his words. “Not investigating you is respecting your privacy, you know?”

Even as he said that, the moment Elan turned his head to look at the scenery outside, Douglas immediately sent a message to Porschell.

Douglas: Send me a copy of Elan’s dossier.