As soon as Veronica said these words, everyone fell quiet. You could hear a pin drop.
This name, Saen, would always be the hero in everyone’s hearts. Harvey, meanwhile, was a despicable traitor in their eyes.
Now, someone was saying that they were the same person.
If it were anyone else saying these words, they would only receive merciless ridicule, even angry counterblows, because everyone would take it as an insult to their hero. It would be unbearable, as if the idol they most adored and revered were being tarnished.
If it weren’t Veronica saying these words right now, these angry soldiers wouldn’t have hesitated to tear her to pieces and teach her the price of speaking nonsense.
But it was precisely Veronica who had said them.
Saen’s twin sister, his blood relative, his closest family…
Someone who absolutely would never lie or joke about this.
No one spoke for a long time.
They knew rationally that Veronica would never lie about this. If Harvey was an infected, that meant he was once human. And His Highness Saen’s body had never been recovered, so why wouldn’t it be possible that Harvey used to be Saen?
But…for them to acknowledge that this traitor they’d hated for three years was their revered prince…They didn’t want to acknowledge this fact.
Standing in the back the group of high-ranking officers, Brody, a colonel, was very unremarkable.
He was initially very worried, but his worry completely dissipated right after Veronica spoke.
He didn’t doubt Veronica at all. Her Highness Veronica would never recognize Harvey as her brother unless he really was His Highness Saen. And since Harvey was such a good and remarkable person, why wouldn’t it be possible for him to be His Highness Saen?
On the contrary, Brody had a sort of feeling of enlightenment.
Only someone like His Highness Saen could, after becoming an infected and losing all of his memories, still remember his mission to protect humanity, never lose his human heart, and stick to his beliefs all along…Only His Highness Saen could do something like that.
Because he was one of a kind.
Brody gazed intently at the young man standing next to Veronica from the back of the crowd. The young man stood there, ramrod straight, not the slightest bit scared or timid. He looked calm and confident.
He had one purple eye and one gold eye. He had an ordinary, pretty-ish face that perhaps wasn’t very eye-catching, but his dignified bearing and the dazzling glimmering of his eyes practically stole away all of his attention…
At that moment, Brody could plainly feel the gap between them. This gap kept on growing. From now on, he would probably only be able to gaze up at this person, but he was fine with that.
Brody suddenly said loudly, “I believe Her Highness Veronica! He’s His Highness Saen!”
This clear, distinct voice broke the frightening silence.
Brody strode out from the crowd and looked back at them resolutely. His voice loud and clear, he said, “Her Highness Veronica definitely would not lie to us. Are you guys doubting her words?”
Brody’s words snapped everyone in the crowd out of their shock. One after another, they looked at Ye Ming with alarm, suspicion, joy, and surprise, with all sorts of conflicting emotions in their hearts.
They suddenly remembered that Marshal Cossen had already said before that Harvey wasn’t the traitor. Plus, there was Roy’s testimony. If Roy was telling the truth…then perhaps it could make sense for him, the sole infected that didn’t betray humanity, to have originally been His Highness Saen …
Since even the marshall and Her Highness Veronica believed in him, then why couldn’t Harvey really be innocent?
Maybe they had all blamed him wrongly.
Veronica’s keen gaze fell onto General Monroe. She said slowly, “We would like to see Marshal Cossen right now. Please take us to him.”
General Monroe started in surprise. His expression kept changing rapidly. In the end, he didn’t obstruct them again. Instead, he said, his voice deep, “Please come with me.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
He brought Veronica and Ye Ming all the way to Cossen before leaving.
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One after another, they replied, “Of course we don’t doubt Her Highness Veronica. It’s just…”
General Monroe paused for a moment, then said, “We’ll regard him as His Highness Saen for now. Only…regardless of who he used to be, he’s still been transformed by Xicks, so we should still be cautious first and foremost. Send someone to protect the marshal and keep an eye on Harvey. Don’t let him wander around. As for the rest…wait for the marshal to wake up and allow him to make a decision.”
Everyone thought about it. Indeed, that was the best course of action to take at the moment.
And if Harvey really was Saen and remained himself, then…that was great.
………………
Ye Ming and Veronica entered the treatment room together. The marshal’s personal treatment cabin had been opened up, and Cossen was right inside. The doctors watching over him saw Veronica coming over and saluted respectfully, saying, “Your Highness.”
Ye Ming was worried about Cossen’s injuries. He took a step forward and asked hurriedly, “How is he?”
The doctor stared at him blankly for a moment, but then replied, “He’s heavily injured, but he was rescued just in time, and his life isn’t in danger. He’ll be fine after he wakes up.”
Now Ye Ming finally relaxed. He turned to look at the treatment cabin with concern in his eyes.
Veronica was also very worried about Cossen, actually. If Cossen really died, it would be a huge blow to the Human Federation. Xicks would be even more unstoppable. Fortunately, Cossen was okay.
Ye Ming thought for a moment and told Veronica, “I’ll stay here and watch over him. If you have matters to attend to, you can leave first. I won’t be in any danger, and Brody’s here to help too.”
But Veronica wasn’t reassured. “I’ll stay with you.”
Ye Ming looked at her resolutely and said seriously, “Right now, Cossen’s injured, and the people are uneasy. They need moral support…There are still a lot of things you need to do. You must help keep the situation under control while Cossen’s not there, so go and do what you need to.”
Veronica pursed her lips, her eyes displaying her grievance. But she said obediently, “Okay.” Her brother’s words made a lot of sense. She shouldn’t act on impulse all the time…
Ye Ming gave her a small smile. His eyes were warm. “You’ve been doing very well, even when I wasn’t here…I feel very proud for you.”
They were clearly very ordinary words of encouragement, but Veronica’s eyes suddenly went red. She nearly started crying again.
These past years, she’d carried on her brother’s mission to fight, wanting to be just like him…It was just too bad she would never be able to hear her brother’s encouragement or see his smile again. No matter how much she accomplished, her brother wouldn’t be able to see it anymore…That had always been her greatest sorrow.
But now, she no longer had that sorrow…
Because just like she’d imagined, if her brother was still alive, he would be proud of her.
Veronica watched Ye Ming intensely, gave him a hug, then turned around and strode out.
Only when Veronica completely disappeared from sight did Ye Ming finally look away from her and back at Cossen.
[888: Your words just now were pretty touching, but I still want to know why you sent Veronica away?]
[Ye Ming: (⊙v⊙) What did I do? How did I send her away? She obviously left on her own!]
[888: Hehehe.]
………………
Cossen slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes to see someone lying next to him.
The one he loved dearly.
The young man was lying quietly on his side next to him with his eyes closed. His eyelashes cast shadows below his eyes. His pale pink lips were like flower petals at dawn. His fair skin looked soft under the light of the setting sun.
The sight was tranquil and beautiful. It made Cossen feel like he was in a dream all of a sudden.
He’d dreamed before of a time when the alien beasts were no longer a threat, and the human world was at peace. When he no longer had to be strung up all the time because of the war, when he no longer had to put his life on the line, he would take Harvey back to his vacation planet in the distant Lanluo star fields. It had plentiful sunlight, which would shine on him and his beloved as they woke up in the same bed…
This was the future he had dreamed of.
Later, a lot happened, and he nearly forgot about this future he’d imagined for them.
His heart used to be flooded with grief and helplessness. He was overcome by the hatred and anger of betrayal. Xicks closed in on them little by little, and the humans were losing their territory steadily…
He lost his lover. He lost many, many people he cared about. He lost too much.
He’d already stopped dreaming of a day like this.
But he never thought he would still be able to see this sight. It was like waking up on an easy, carefree morning with his lover right next to him. There was nothing more mundane but beautiful in the whole world.
Gently, Cossen shifted to face Ye Ming. He couldn’t bear to wake him. He just wanted to watch him sleep…Just by watching, the contentment in his heart was indescribable.
At least he didn’t really lose him.
He was still fighting, but there was no longer only pain and helplessness in his heart. It had become full and rich, because he had someone he wanted to protect.
Ye Ming had stayed by Cossen’s side for all of the past two days, until Cossen finally came out of the emergency treatment cabin. Then Ye Ming was so exhausted he couldn’t keep himself awake anymore and fell asleep next to him.
When he blearily opened his eyes, he saw Cossen, already awake. He could see his reflection in those dark red eyes on that solemn face, within arm’s reach. He didn’t know how long he’d been watching him like this…
Ye Ming stared blankly for a moment, then broke into a pleasantly surprised smile. His voice was languid from just waking up. “You’re awake.”
Cossen gazed profoundly at Ye Ming. In a deep, low voice, he said, “Sorry for making you worry.”
Ye Ming shook his head. Quietly, he said, “Don’t apologize. I know you’ve worked really hard. It’s good that you could come back.”
Cossen gazed passionately at the person in front of him. Suddenly, he really wanted to kiss him and hug him. And so he did.
The kiss was tender and affectionate, and their hearts were in harmony. They lost themselves in each other…Cossen reluctantly let go of Ye Ming and sat up. He said, “I was probably unconscious for several days. How’s the situation outside?”
Although he really wanted to have this person right now, it wasn’t the time to indulge. Xicks had its eye on them, and the infected were rising up everywhere. He still had a lot to do.
Ye Ming understood Cossen’s concerns. If this were before, he definitely would encourage Cossen to leave, but today, he wrapped his arms around Cossen’s waist from behind and implored, “They have Veronica, you don’t need to worry. Stay with me a little longer, okay? I…almost thought I’d never see you again…”
As he spoke, his voice carried stifled tremors…
Cossen could hear it. Immediately, his heart began to ache terribly. Although Ye Ming always prioritized the big picture, never minded what difficulties he had to endure, and never made excessive demands, he was still worried and scared…
He cared about Cossen.
Cossen could feel Ye Ming’s hands holding onto him. This person’s tender actions were harder to shake off than the sturdiest cage in the world. They bound him firmly under his control and made him most willing to walk through fire or water for him.
Cossen turned around and embraced Ye Ming. He said, “We will never be apart again.”
Ye Ming looked down, yet avoided Cossen’s eyes. He said quietly, “Let’s do it.”
Cossen stared blankly. He hadn’t expected Ye Ming to ask for something like that. He was happily surprised. They hadn’t been so intimate for a long time now…
Before they parted previously, they had only just established their relationship and made their feelings known. They maintained propriety and did not become more deeply intimate.
Three years later, they were reunited. Because of misunderstandings and the desire for revenge, Cossen had hurt this person in such a way. Even their first time, which should have been lovely, was steeped in the flavor of humiliation. Cossen had always felt guilty because of it, and it became a knot in his heart that he couldn’t undo.
So he never made such a request or acted inappropriately again.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be intimate with this person. It was that he didn’t want to hurt him, didn’t want him to be reminded of those unpleasant memories.
What should’ve been the most beautiful experience shared between lovers became clouded by misunderstanding, becoming a permanent scar in his heart. And for Ye Ming, that scar would only be deeper and heavier…and more painful.
But now Cossen lowered his gaze and only saw Ye Ming’s gently quivering eyelashes and faintly flushed face. Below his straight nose, his light pink lips parted and closed. “Do you not want me? Or do you feel awkward about my current identity?”
Cossen’s gaze immediately darkened, an intensity flaring up in his eyes. He embraced Ye Ming tightly. His voice was low and husky. “No, I just…”
Ye Ming pressed his face to the side of Cossen’s neck. He said softly, “Call me Harvey.”
The one who knows and loves you, and is known and loved by you, the one who underwent all those wonderful experiences with you, the one who shares those memories that can be called our own—his name isn’t Saen or Kevin. It’s Harvey.
I have no regrets about any of the decisions I made for myself or anyone else, but I was too cruel to you alone.
If I have no other choice, I hope that the last memory I can leave to you is that I love you.
Cossen’s chest heaved. He listened to Ye Ming’s quiet voice. His breath swept past his neck like feathers, reaching his heart and making all of the blood in his body seem to boil.
Yeah…to me, you’re just Harvey. No one else.
Just the one I love.
There was a passionate excitement in Cossen’s eyes. He pressed Ye Ming onto the bed and kissed his lips hard.
………………
It was a tender yet intense coupling between lovers in harmony with one another.
They put aside misunderstandings and discarded barriers. The two of them tightly embraced each other.
The beautiful affair seemed to finally wash away the last wisps of haze between them. They were the most intimate lovers, the most trustworthy comrades. Nothing and no one could ever come between them again.
Cossen kissed Ye Ming’s lips and reluctantly got up off the bed. He gazed deeply at Ye Ming for a long while before finally turning and leaving.
Ye Ming slept all the way until midnight. By the time he woke up, Cossen was no longer by his side. He lifted his blanket and slowly put on his clothes.
[Ye Ming: The allotted ten days are almost over. It’s about time to leave.]
[888: You should’ve left a long time ago. So you specifically sent Veronica away and delayed for so long just for this breakup lay?]
[Ye Ming: How could you say that about me? I’m not that kind of person (*/ω╲*)]
[888: …]
[Ye Ming: But I really am quite satisfied with Cossen. Yep…an SSS-grade human…You won’t be able to experience that in other worlds…]
[888: Hehe!]
konswa: Cossen’s Harvey goggles were toooo much this chapter
beansprout: and ye ming’s scumminess in juxtaposition…lmao smh. but good for cossen! he can be a poet when he retires :> (also, sorry to split the final chapter of this arc in half! it was super long TT but the second part of this chapter will be up the day after tomorrow!)
Emotions
Ew, what are those? _sobs and munches on popcorn*
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^)/
Thanks for the chapter
Oh dear its so close to the end ತ_ತ
Aaaa camping with mouthful of popcorn
BEANSPROUT YOU ROGUE A POET REALLY LOLOLOL 🤓
Please YM bitch just want a proper papapa before he leaves🤣
I….kinda believe YM wanting papapa is not the only reason he did that. I think he wanted to give Cossen a beautiful memory before leaving. Maybe I’m wrong, but I want to believe in it.