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Gabriel shook his hand with the bearing of a queen who was far above Shang Ke. "I've waited a long time for this day to arrive. I will return all of the anger you caused me today."

After slapping the other once, he felt that his entire person had been refreshed, as though he had completed a great project.

Shang Ke just coldly glared at him.

Gabriel calmly fiddled with his collar, his fingers quietly closing the interference device in his collar. Immediately after, he stooped down to pull up Shang Ke's blanket, and said with a gentle tone, "You look really tired, so make sure to rest well. I will come and visit you again. It's just that…the next time will be bidding you farewell, and you might already be in the cemetery." His last words were very soft, to the point that he was almost sticking to Shang Ke's ear as he said it.

With that said, he took a step back and revealed a cheerful smile with his back facing the monitor, before turning and leaving.

That lowly person's satisfied appearance really made one wish that they could kick him twice.

The original Cage was a bit arrogant and willful, and didn't treat Gabriel very well, but it was not necessary for Gabriel to stick a knife in him when he was about to die, right? How great must his hate have been? Furthermore, Cage's father was his benefactor and foster father. He shouldn't bite the hand that fed him so easily.

Shang Ke stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. He was thinking about how to give that Gabriel a lesson with his hands unable to move and his mouth unable to speak. As he kept thinking, his eyes became bleary. Oh, so sleepy, let's sleep first…

When Ravel entered the sickroom, the boy on the bed was fast asleep. His soft hair was stuck to his forehead with the ends slightly sticking up, causing him to appear somewhat languid. The sunset out the window pa.s.sed, leaving a faint blush on his thin face.

Ravel quietly walked to his side, reaching out to brush away the hair drooping over his eyes. Suddenly, his movement stopped as his line of sight fell to the corner of Cage's eyes. There was a shallow scratch. If one wasn't careful and mindful, it was very easy to overlook.

He accompanied Cage everyday, so he was completely clear on what injuries the other carried. This scratch did not exist a few hours ago.

The doctors and nurses that took care of Cage were carefully selected, and nothing sharp would be carried on them at all costs. Normally, the nurses also wore sterilized gloves, and worked very carefully. Let alone injuring him with a scratch, they wouldn't even knock or b.u.mp into him.

Ravel fell silent for a moment, before leaving the room and asking the guard, "Did someone visit Cage today?"

The guard replied, "Young Master Gabriel came before, but he left two hours ago."

"General, what happened?" Kahn saw that Ravel's expression was off and quickly walked up to ask.

Ravel's eyes were gloomy as he said, "I'm going to the monitor room."

The two went to the monitor room, with the doctor in charge of taking care of Cage also following them.

When the monitor room's security guard saw them, he immediately stood up to salute them.

Ravel waved his hand and ordered him, "Change the monitor to show two hours ago."

The security man immediately did as he was told.

The monitor's scene quickly reversed, stopping at the scene where Gabriel showed up.

Ravel watched as Gabriel walked into the sickroom, before standing at the other's bedside for a while. Following that, he bent down to help him fix his blanket, saying "I will come see you again" before leaving. There was nothing wrong with the entire event.

Ravel repeatedly watched it before ordering, "a.n.a.lyze the video from when Gabriel entered the sickroom."

Kahn asked him, "General, you're suspicious that Gabriel carried an interference device?"

Ravel's face was expressionless, his eyes cold. He wasn't suspicious, he was certain.

However, in just a few minutes, the a.n.a.lyzing was complete. The scene from when Gabriel had entered the sick room was made clear before them.

【How was the taste of torture?】 His very first words made everyone unhappy, and they heard him continue, 【Take a look at you now, struggling at death's door. Really pitiful.】

【Did you know that your days are limited?】

The people in the monitor room all sucked in a breath. They couldn't believe that Gabriel dared to say such harsh words to Cage.

When they heard him say "I will inherit the family and its honor," everyone involuntarily frowned.

It was true that, as long as Cage dies, Gabriel would be on the only successor as Utrecht's adopted son. The honor with which Utrecht and Cage exchanged their lives would end up in the hands of this kind of person?

"Pa!" The crisp sound echoed from the screen. They watched the screen in disbelief that Gabriel actually dared to slap Cage!

The monitor room entered a state of deathly silence, with all its occupants  angered speechless. In the video, Cage lied on the hospital bed helplessly, his eyes full of anger as he glared at Gabriel. He seemed to have a thousand words to say, but was powerless to say them.

After Gabriel left, Cage stared silently at the ceiling. A layer of mist gradually formed on his dark green eyes, like he was about to shed tears. However, they never fell. It would have been better if he had cried, with the way he stifled himself making everyone feel even worse.

"How could Gabriel…" Kahn hadn't even finished his sentence when he felt a chill by his side. He saw Ravel's frigid expression, and a gaze that could drill into a person. His entire person was emitting a powerful murderous aura.

Kahn could imagine Ravel's current mood. He was such a rigid and monotonous man, and besides work there was just more work. His life was very dull, but ever since Cage's appearance, it was like a magnificent color was smeared on his world, and it was gradually being colored and brightened. It caused his entire person to become gentler.

Perhaps the man himself had not noticed how his attachment to Cage had already exceeded a normal margin. He would wholeheartedly nurse the boy everyday, and made sure that he did not get even the slightest injury. And now, the boy who he cherished like a treasure had been humiliated by another person before his eyes. How could he not be angry?

Cage could neither move nor speak. If Ravel wasn't so attentive, then the humiliation he received today may have never been discovered by anyone.

When he thought up to this point, Kahn's evaluation of Gabriel dropped to the freezing point. If they allowed this kind of person to inherit the family, it would be simply an insult toward General Utrecht and Cage.

"Kahn." Ravel suddenly spoke, "Keep an eye on Gabriel, and wait for me."

He left immediately after saying that, walking with large strides towards Cage's sickroom.

Shang Ke was already awake, enjoying the big sister nurse's gentle care.

At this moment, a large hand reached over to take away the towel from the nurse's hand, gently helping Shang Ke wipe his face.

When he smelled the familiar scent, Shang Ke opened his eyes. Seeing that it was Ravel, he revealed a smile. After all, after constantly receiving this man's care, it was impossible for him not to have a favorable impression of him.

Ravel's eyes darkened, and he continued to watch the other. He showed no intention of moving his gaze away.

Shang Ke was used to it. This man sometimes liked to stare at something for a long time, such as his eyes, his hands, his food, his clothes, his cup, his bed… In short, everything in this room had been stared at by him.

If any of these things were sentient, they probably would've been frightened stiff by his sharp gaze.

However, this man's gaze was a bit different from usual. In those ice-cold eyes was some tenderness, and within the tenderness was some anger, and within the anger was some depression… Don't ask him how he was able to glean so much information from just a pair of eyes, it was really because he was just too bored!

"Do you want to go out for a bit?" Ravel asked him.

Oh! You finally thought of letting me go out to get some fresh air? A bright and beautiful light transformed Shang Ke's expression, like two stars jumping in the sky.

Ravel's eyes turned softer and he moved aside the blanket, picking him up and gently placing him in a wheelchair, before starting to push him to the garden downstairs.

The wheelchair had innumerable functions, and could even float and fly. If Shang Ke's hands and feet weren't paralyzed, it was entirely possible for him to use the wheelchair and travel anywhere.

This hospital was the royal family's, and only received n.o.bility and officers with special achievements. It had a cozy environment and delightful scenery.

Enjoying the warm breeze and smelling the fragrant flowers, Shang Ke revealed a very comfortable appearance.

Truthfully speaking, if he wasn't paralyzed, then fighting to pa.s.s the three near-death missions and spending the remainder of his life in this world would be a pretty good choice. He now had ident.i.ty, status, and a backer. He did not need to worry about food or clothes, and could just follow after the main character and live out his youth. Life simply could not be more wonderful.

"Sire Ravel." At this moment, a handsome man wearing a military uniform walked over holding a large bouquet of flowers. He first saluted to Ravel, before looking over at Shang Ke and gently smiling. "Young Master Cage, h.e.l.lo."

Shang Ke looked toward Ravel, who introduced him, "This is your father's old friend's son, Senior Colonel Roy."

Shang Ke nodded to him as a greeting.

"Cage, this bouquet of flowers is for you." Roy gently placed the bouquet of flowers in Shang Ke's arms, blinking nervously. "The flowers were personally chosen by me. I hope you like them."

The bouquet was very large, almost covering half of Shang Ke's face. Only two dark green eyes were exposed within the bouquet, like a little kitten that was hiding in a cl.u.s.ter of flowers. It was cute beyond words, causing Roy to hold his chest.

While he was being tortured, he had been like a fierce cheetah, and even when he lost his sharp claws, it did not diminish his strong spirit. However, the current him was as gentle and harmless as a small animal. Who would have thought that such a tenacious heart lay within such a fragile body. It was such a sharp contrast that it caused people to be deeply moved by him.

"I really wanted to come visit you, but I kept worrying that I would disturb your rest. Now that I am able to see you so full of vigor, I can finally feel relieved." Roy's eyes carried a genuine joy as he continued, "After you recover, please allow me to take you around King City and entertain you."

Although he said that, they all knew that it was unlikely to happen.

"Roy, since you've seen him, then you can leave now." Ravel suddenly spoke and interrupted Roy, preventing him from occupying Shang Ke's attention.

Roy could only regretfully shrug his shoulders, before saluting and turning around to leave.

Ravel crouched down by Shang Ke's side and asked, "How is Roy in your eyes?"

How was he? Pretty good. Shang Ke looked at Ravel with a puzzled expression.

"Then," Ravel continued, "If we allow Roy to take Gabriel's place and inherit your father's legacy, would you agree?"

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"If we allow Roy to take Gabriel's place and inherit your father's legacy, would you agree?"

Agree, I totally agree! Perhaps Ravel had also seen through Gabriel's narrow-minded self and untenable nature?

When Ravel saw him nod, he didn't say anything and merely rubbed his head.

It was only then that Shang Ke noticed a mole on the palm of Ravel's right hand. It was said that people with a mole on their palms were not only rich, buy they were also talented leaders. There were also people who said it was because their previous incarnation's predestined love was unfulfilled, and so a mole was left behind to allow them to meet their lover in their current life. However, Buddhism generally believed that the mole in their hand's hollow was the bane of others' existence.

There was no way to investigate the last two, but the Ravel in front of him was unconditionally rich and a talented leader, a winner in life that had both qualities.

Shang Ke did not know that Ravel actually fulfilled all three.

"It's late, so let's return. I will eat with you." Ravel then pushed Shang Ke back to the sickroom and told the nurse to bring them some food.

Ravel ate whatever Shang Ke ate. Even if it was just a bowl of plain rice congee, he would eat it without a single change in his facial expression. This caused Shang Ke to rather admire him.

Although these days his food had somewhat improved, in actuality his body was weak to the extreme. He was simply unable to take in too much nutrition. Therefore, no matter how spirited he may have appeared, his body was getting thinner day by day.

Doctor Banny had said previously that every day he lived was miraculous. If it were other people, they would have long since lost their will to continue living on. He knew that the reason why Cage continued to persevere was that he wanted to witness the establishment of the new empire with his own eyes.

For the first time, Ravel wavered. He didn't want to announce the news, since he was afraid that once Cage's dream was fulfilled, then he would die without hesitation.

Ravel couldn't bear to part with him, and also couldn't let him go…

That night, Ravel returned to his mansion.

Kahn stepped forward to report, "This subordinate has placed Gabriel under house arrest in the guest room. How do you plan to deal with him, General?"

Ravel's face quickly chilled and he walked to the guest room.

"Let me out! I am General Utrecht's son, you can't do this to me!" Gabriel's noisy voice could be heard from the guest room.

The guard was indifferent to his shouts. When he saw Ravel and Kahn arriving, he immediately bowed and saluted, before opening the door.

When Gabriel saw Ravel walk in, his temper was pacified and he asked, "Sire, you're finally back. May I ask why you placed me under house arrest?"

Ravel did not reply, and he merely gestured for Kahn to play the recording from the hospital.

When Gabriel saw the recording, his expression changed and he gritted his teeth. "My actions were a little improper, but you would understand if you knew what Cage had done to me."

"I don't need to know what he had done to you previously," Ravel coldly and detachedly spoke, "I only know that you insulted and injured Cage while he is immobilized with serious injuries. Just who gave you the courage to treat a hero who has just experienced torture like that?"

"Hero?" Gabriel said disdainfully. "If he had obediently stayed on Taima Planet, then none of this would have happened. Without him, you still would have been able to succeed. It's his own fault that he's now in such a condition. Why is he being treated as a hero by others?"

"Why?" Ravel gestured to Kahn and said, "You tell him."

Kahn coldly looked at Gabriel and started to explain, "Perhaps Young Master Cage's initial appearance and arrest were both blunders, but his performance afterwards was enough to be called as a hero. He paid the price for his own mistake, while he also strengthened our faith in the cause. Like you said, we most likely could have succeeded, even without him. However, his appearance s.h.i.+fted the enemy's attention and gave us more time to strike back, decreasing our casualties.

He paused before continuing, "Young Master Gabriel, if it were you, could you perform even better than him?"

"Why couldn't I?" Gabriel stuck out his chest, boasting, "I was always more outstanding than him, more hardworking than him, and more suitable for father's inheritance than him."

A thin layer of frost emerged in Ravel's eyes. When he thought back to how Cage had been insulted by such a superficial man, he found it difficult to endure.

Ravel coldly spoke, "Kahn, I'll leave it to you. Have him taste torture and see if he can truly perform as well as he said, even better than Cage."

After speaking, he directly turned and left the room.

"Sire Ravel, wait, I am General Utrecht's heir. For you to treat the son of a hero like this, are you not afraid of the public's anger?"

Kahn revealed an expression of pity for him. This guy didn't even know that, very soon, his position as heir wouldn't be a.s.sured. In fact, ever since General Utrecht sacrificed his life, his family's name remained, but in reality, it was as good as dead. What Ravel had retained was their family's official rank and achievements. If Cage were to pa.s.s away, then who would inherit the family name would depend entirely on who Ravel wants.

Gabriel was originally the best choice, but it was a pity that, by not being able to bear his anger for even a bit longer, he had courted disaster for himself.

Kahn got a needle from a royal guard and told Gabriel, "Cage had been injected with a tenfold sensitizer, but I will give you mercy and only give you half of that, so I will only use a dosage of fivefold."

Gabriel looked at the needle in Kahn's hand, and a trace of fear flashed through his eyes.

That night, a string of mournful screams sounded from within Ravel's guest room, and continued for a long time.

The next morning, Kahn arrived to report the situation.

"He only persevered for two hours." He started up the video, showcasing how Gabriel had started to beg for forgiveness at the torture's six-minute mark, tears and mucus streaming down his face. He cut a very sorry figure, but this kind of reaction wasn't strange. After all, five-times the pain wasn't something the average person could bear. Kahn had not even done it seriously, otherwise, Gabriel wouldn't have even lasted an hour.

"Just how did Cage do it?" With Gabriel as a foil, Kahn expressed his extreme shock at Cage's ability to survive ten-times the torture. That was not just physical torment, but it was a test of his will.

Ravel was entirely uninterested towards the torment Gabriel underwent. He turned his head to Kahn and told him, "I will stay overnight at the hospital today."

Kahn stared blankly for a moment, before quickly replying, "Tomorrow is the ceremony for founding the country."

"I know," Ravel said dispiritedly, "Bring the ceremonial robe to the hospital early, and I will leave the hospital in time to go directly to the ceremony plaza."

"But your safety…"

"I believe in your ability to handle things." Ravel patted Kahn's shoulder as encouragement, before leaving the study and going straight to the hospital.

Kahn looked speechlessly at his departing figure. As a leader, is it okay to be so willful?!

When Ravel arrived at the hospital, Shang Ke was diligently working to raise his arm, in order to grab a fruit from the dining table.

Ravel immediately levelled a sharp gaze at the nurse on the side and asked, "Why are you not helping?"

The nurse hurriedly answered, "Young Master Cage wanted to try by himself."

Shang Ke nodded toward him, expressing that it was his idea. Although his fingers still could not move, his arm could already move about somewhat.

Successfully grasping the fruit, he gave Ravel a cheerful smile before raising it in front of him.

"For me?" Ravel asked.

Shang Ke nodded his head.

Ravel took the fruit and showed no displeasure as he readily ate it bite-by-bite, very seriously.

Noticing how Shang Ke was staring at him, he took a piece of pre-cut fruit from the fruit plate and held it near Shang Ke's mouth.

Shang Ke opened his mouth and bit down.

With the two people together, one person eating and one person feeding, the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.

After Shang Ke finished his breakfast, he noticed that Ravel was showing no indication of leaving, and felt that it was a bit strange.

"I will be staying today to accompany you." While he turned on the broadcast, he continued speaking, "After breakfast, we'll watch two hours of programs, and then rest for an hour before eating lunch. After lunch, I'll take you out for a walk around the garden, to view the flowers and b.u.t.terflies and listen to music. Two hours later, we'll stop for some tea and pastries, and then come back to the room to rest. After dinner, we'll change your medicine, nurse your body, and undergo inspection."

Like he was handling official business, Ravel had arranged the day's entire schedule. Shang Ke became increasingly dumbfounded as he listened.

"If you have any objections, you can use your body language to get my attention at any time." Ravel looked seriously towards Shang Ke, waiting for his response.

Shang Ke couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, this man was pretty cute.

Ravel steadily stared at him, and within his icy blue eyes was only the other's smile.

Shang Ke nodded towards him, expressing his agreement to his plans.

It was only then that Ravel moved his line of sight away, in order to a.s.sist Shang Ke in changing the channel. After he chose an entertainment program under Shang Ke's direction, they began to watch it together.

The program was very funny, causing Shang Ke to laugh several times. However, Ravel's expression was the same from beginning to end, and his lips didn't even move a little.

Shang Ke was truly suspicious that his facial nerves had problems.

"What's wrong?" Ravel sensed Shang Ke's line of sight on him, and turned to ask him.

Shang Ke shook his head, expressing that nothing was wrong.

Ravel took a look at the time and told him, "You should rest now."

Right after speaking, he got up to help Shang Ke lie down. Seeing the other's bright and spirited eyes, he covered them with his hand and ordered, "Sleep. I will wake you up in an hour."

Shang Ke thought, but he has zero interest in sleeping!

While lying on the bed, he exercised his mind for an hour, before getting up and eating lunch with Ravel. After lunch, it was time for fresh air. There was music playing, and Ravel personally…picked flowers for him. He didn't know whether it was because Roy had given him a bouquet of flowers yesterday, and so Ravel thought that he really liked flowers…

Anyway, throughout the day, Ravel actually completed the daily schedule just as he had told him. That night, he even planned to spend the night at the hospital.

As the new empire's leader, wasn't he a bit too free?!

However, someone "accompanying him to sleep" still felt pretty nice. The time for his departure was coming soon. A day in this world was one day less, and although the time was quite short, he hadn't come in vain for him to be able to know a friend like Ravel.

Shang Ke looked at the other bed where Ravel was laying, and silently said to him, Good night, my friend.

The next morning, Shang Ke opened his eyes to the sight of a beautifully dressed and crowned Ravel. The scene gave him the feeling of attending an extravagant party.

Ravel told him, "Today is the day that we will hold the ceremony for the founding of the new empire. We worked hard for over ten years, and have finally entered a new era. Cage, this is an honor for all of us. I ask for you to wait and see."

Ravel's expression was grave, with an a.s.sertive aura, as if he had been born to be King.

Shang Ke's heart sped up a bit at the sight, and a radiance like the rising sun unknowingly appeared in his eyes, causing Ravel's blood to boil.

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