My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar] - Chapter 12

Steering the aircraft on a wandering course, Gu Jin looked at He Yu beside her. Remembering how she had been trembling in her arms earlier, Gu Jin questioned her with a touch of awkwardness, “Why didn’t you call the police in a situation like that? Or at least call someone to help first? You just stood there like an idiot?”

He Yu turned her head away to avoid Gu Jin’s gaze, maintaining her silence. Her usually cold face was masked with a stubborn, feigned strength.

When she didn’t answer, Gu Jin was about to say more but suddenly remembered the reality of the Capital Star: He Yu’s parents were under detention, Elder He was buried under a mountain of state affairs, and He Yi was away from the capital. If He Yu wanted to call for backup, she likely had no one to turn to.

Sighing internally, Gu Jin tugged at the stray hairs on her forehead. “In the future, if something happens… if you really have no other choice, you can look for me. Anyway, I… I’m free all day. Finding someone to scrap with counts as a good workout for my bones.”

“I mean—” Gu Jin realized her wording was a bit off and quickly corrected herself. “What I meant was, as a Young Marshal, I have a responsibility for the order and management of the Capital Star. It’s only right for the public to seek me out when they’re in trouble.”

Pulled back from her wandering thoughts by Gu Jin’s incessant muttering, He Yu steadied her emotions and looked at Gu Jin with a cold gaze. “You should worry more about the punishment for unauthorized use of a mech in a crowded area of the Capital Star. I can handle my own affairs.”

Hmph! Gu Jin suddenly felt like her good intentions were being treated like trash again. She knew it! All that trembling, fear, and fragility, she must have imagined it all, right? He Yu was probably just shaking with rage at the time.

Gu Jin swallowed back a few unrefined words. Her last shred of sanity told her to change the subject.

“Fine, I won’t argue with you. I came to tell you that the investigation results are out. You and your parents are innocent; the real culprit is someone else. No need to thank me—just a couple of kowtows will do.”

Since the other party didn’t want her help, Gu Jin wasn’t about to waste her limited supply of kindness. In an instant, their relationship snapped back to its usual state of “needle versus wheat awn.”

When the two soldiers guarding her were withdrawn, He Yu knew Gu Jin’s investigation had yielded results. That was why she had been in the mood to go for a walk, only to run into that mess.

Hearing Gu Jin confirm it now gave He Yu some peace of mind. As for Gu Jin’s characteristic parting shot, He Yu simply ignored it. After all, this person hadn’t been a jerk for just a day or two.

Ignored once again, Gu Jin felt a surge of irritation. She took the restricted channel directly to the He residence. Once they arrived, Gu Jin maliciously locked down the aircraft completely. Seeing He Yu’s slight frown didn’t bring her the satisfaction she expected.

Tapping her fingers on the control console, Gu Jin suddenly remembered the welcome banquet in four days. She looked at He Yu. “I’ll ask you one last time. About what happened that night… are you sure you don’t want me to take responsibility?”

He Yu was stunned that Gu Jin would bring this up now. The temperature inside the aircraft seemed to plummet as she looked at Gu Jin coldly. “No. No matter how many times you ask, the answer is no.”

“And what if I want to?” Gritting her teeth, Gu Jin leaned against the back of He Yu’s seat, staring at her with a hint of anger.

“I don’t want to,” He Yu pushed Gu Jin away, rejecting her again. “I could never be with someone like you, and I don’t need your ‘shitty’ responsibility. Treat what happened before as me being bitten by a dog and getting a rabies shot—it’s over. Between you and me, past, present, and future, there can never be a relationship.”

He Yu opened the aircraft door herself and left with that final word. Gu Jin stared at the empty seat, her hand slowly clenching into a fist. “Someone like me? What kind of person do you think I am?”

Gu Jin realized that she and He Yu were simply not meant for peaceful coexistence. Every time she tried to make peace, the relationship would sprint toward the opposite extreme.

For the next few days, Gu Jin returned to her habit of loitering at Gu Ting’s place, freeloading and selecting her outfit for the banquet. Sitting in the massive, empty walk-in closet, she felt her head spin at the dizzying array of formal wear. Couldn’t she just wear her military uniform?

Xiao Ze used his computer to control the room, and smart hangers drifted past Gu Jin with various gowns. “These are the ones I think are decent. See if you like any of them.”

“Sister-in-law, none of these suit me. Please let me go. Even if I went in a tattered cotton coat, no one would dare say anything.” Gu Ting knew he couldn’t control Gu Jin, so he had dumped the task of dressing her onto the Empress.

As a perfectly trained Omega noble, Xiao Ze’s taste was beyond question. But Gu Jin looked at the long, restrictive dresses and found them impossible to accept.

Stopping his movements, Xiao Ze hesitated. “I don’t quite understand the female perspective, but these are custom-made based on the styles of past princesses. Is there really not one that catches your eye?”

Looking at the dresses with outrageously long trains or impossibly large skirts and complex designs, Gu Jin curled up in her chair. “Weren’t there any Alpha princesses in the past?”

“Didn’t you study Imperial history? You are the first Alpha princess in the history of the Vizer Empire, and the only female Alpha with a Super S-rank physique. Given how rare female Alphas are, you can’t expect to find a predecessor like yourself.”

With a wave of his hand, the clothes returned to their places. Xiao Ze looked at Gu Jin with a bit of worry. There had never been an Alpha princess, and only two Beta princesses—who were no different from Omegas anyway.

“Then can I just not wear a skirt?” Fine, Gu Jin admitted she knew every battle in history by heart but knew nothing of the social records.

“No. According to Royal Etiquette, all princesses must wear formal dress to official occasions, and there isn’t a single formal dress that isn’t a skirt.” Xiao Ze finally understood why Gu Ting sent him—he wanted to force Gu Jin into a dress!

Gu Jin slumped back in despair. A dress? She hadn’t worn a dress since she was five!

Seeing her lack of cooperation, Xiao Ze thought for a moment. “Perhaps I can design a new type of formal wear for you. It will follow etiquette without being something you’d hate.”

Four days later, the welcome banquet arrived.

Because of Gu Jin’s status and the private plans of Marshal Gu and the Old Emperor, the scale was unprecedented. Not only were all the nobles and ministers of the Vizer Empire present, but there were even royal representatives from two neighboring countries.

In the massive floating hall of the Royal Palace, the glitter of custom gowns was almost blinding. Gu Jin stood in the higher lounge, looking down at the crowd, her brow furrowed with impatience.

Gu Ting, of course, had to make a grand entrance last, so he was currently pestering the moody Gu Jin.

“So, see anyone you like? I prepared this matchmaking event specifically for you. The most outstanding Omegas in the Empire are basically all here. I don’t believe you won’t find one you like.” Standing beside her, Gu Ting pressed a button, and the screen in front of them cleared up, showing a line of text over everyone’s head.

“See? No need to worry about not finding the right person; all their data is right here. If you see someone, don’t be shy about telling me.” Gu Ting was quite proud of himself; this was the first time he had so enthusiastically completed a task for the two old men.

Unable to take it anymore, Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed. With a swift roundhouse kick, she sent Gu Ting flying into the opposite wall.

Gu Ting slid down the wall, dazed. Three seconds later, unharmed, he pointed at her in a rage. “That’s attempted murder! You’d really strike your own brother?!”

Knowing that for an S-rank physique, such an attack was just a tickle, Gu Jin ignored his dramatics and walked away from the window. “I’d strike you a few more times if I had to. Brother? What’s that, can you eat it?”

The irreverent Gu Jin smoothed her clothes and headed down the stairs. As the guest of honor, it was time for her entrance.

Under the gaze of the multitude, Gu Jin appeared in a stiff, tight-fitting, military-green long dress. The heavy military-inspired design perfectly matched her temperament. Since it was a long dress, it satisfied royal etiquette; Gu Jin didn’t feel too awkward.

Over it, she wore a specially designed matching ankle-length coat. The large lapels reaching the waist distinguished it from a standard soldier’s coat, giving it a much stronger sense of design.

Her silver-white hair was meticulously styled, topped with a shimmering silver crown. As she walked down the stairs, the overwhelming pressure she radiated made the audience nearly forget to breathe.

As she drew closer, the crowd snapped out of it, whispering among themselves. Before she could even reach the bottom of the stairs, representatives from various families swarmed toward her.

Those who couldn’t get close gathered in small groups, their conversations centered on her.

“Tsk, the leader of the new generation is finally back. I’d heard of Young Marshal Gu’s achievements, but seeing her today, the stories didn’t do her justice.”

“Indeed. Among the younger generation, the only one who could possibly compare to her is the Prime Minister’s granddaughter, right? I heard those two never get along. This should be interesting.”

“Interesting? You’re behind on the news. Didn’t you see the StarNet lately?”

“What news?” another person asked.

“Someone leaked the inside story of the Rota battle and started rumors about the He family, even attacking the Prime Minister’s granddaughter. Do you know who stepped in?”

“The Prime Minister? No, don’t tell me it was Young Marshal Gu?”

“Exactly! Who else? There’s even footage. Young Marshal Gu dropped from the sky and rescued the Prime Minister’s granddaughter from a mob. I heard everyone involved was detained for several days. No one else in the Empire has that kind of style.”

“Yes, and,” another person chimed in, “everyone on StarNet involved in the rumors was tracked down detained, fined, and given a criminal record. As for the leakers, I heard they’re already on their way to reclaim a barren planet.”

“More than that, even those who just shared the rumors were punished. Some were banned from the network for 24 to 72 hours. Haven’t you noticed how quiet StarNet has been these past few days?”

“So that’s why. These days, you can’t do anything without an optical computer. Those banned people must be going crazy.”

“Serves them right. They broke the law. Before, no one cared or could handle it, but they had to go and provoke Young Marshal Gu? They were asking for death.”

“True. Come to think of it, it seems the relationship between Young Marshal Gu and the Prime Minister’s granddaughter isn’t as hostile as the legends say?”

“Who would do all that for an arch-enemy? I’d say not only are they not enemies, their relationship is unusual!”

In the corner, He Yu, having heard everything from start to finish: “…”

Support My Omega Rival in Love [Interstellar]