hunting stars

The imperial family's other garden is in the southern hemisphere of the imperial capital, the planet Crimean, so when the military and political center of the empire is experiencing the autumn of all things withering, here is the spring full of flowers.

Dylan II accompanied Archduke Offi here after he recovered from his injury, and the accompanying team was also equipped with a large number of officials, guards, doctors, guards, and attendants.In the Bieyuan, the Grand Duke has undergone five DNA regeneration and plastic surgery operations, and now his appearance has basically recovered, with only some small scars on his face and hands waiting for further treatment.

Ever since the Grand Duke woke up, the relationship between him and the emperor has always been filled with a strange atmosphere.

Dylan II took good care of his lover, but refused to talk to him as if he was angry. Anyone could feel the repressed and irritable mood surrounding the emperor.Faced with such a situation, Grand Duke Ofe, who was undergoing difficult treatment, had been patient and did not express any negative emotions.After being able to communicate with others without the aid of instruments, he had a long talk with the emperor for nearly four hours. Afterwards, everyone was surprised to find that the sweetness between the two had returned to the past.

Since the two moved to the other garden, which is more suitable for recuperation, Crown Prince Roger Hill has come to visit every two weeks.Although the previous few meetings in the hospital were not pleasant, the prince has shown maturity beyond his age and a keen sense of politics at this point. Regardless of the feedback received, he has always maintained a good upbringing and etiquette as a junior , Unswervingly put into practice the entertainment that should be carried out.

With the increase in the number of visits, the rumors that "the crown prince is at odds with the emperor and the grand duke and will be far away from the center of power" that had been raging in the aristocratic circle also disappeared.But only the members of the royal family know that the relationship between the three has not actually improved substantially.

On this day, Roger Hill came to Bieyuan again, but this time he brought amazing news.

"You said you found the right candidate?! You want to get married?!" The shocked emperor almost jumped up from his chair, but one of his hands was held by the Grand Duke, so he could only turn his head and stare desperately. Looking at his son, the large movements almost sprained his neck.

"Yes. Father, His Royal Highness, if the preparations are made in time, I hope to hold a ceremony with him before the coming-of-age ceremony in March next year." Roger Hill replied very calmly, obviously coming prepared.

"..."

Dylan II and Grand Duke Ofe exchanged glances, and both of them saw obvious suspicion in each other's eyes.

Even if they did not directly participate in the communication frenzy set off by Roger Hill during this period, it did not prevent them from sending people to pay attention to this matter.According to various reports, although the crown prince's "blind date" activities seem vigorous on the surface, the two who are familiar with the prince's personality can easily see his absent-mindedness and real purpose.

Mix the water, and then cause a wave of chaos, and finally let the incident fall into confusion until it can't be resolved.

This should be the method used by Roger Hill and the ultimate goal he hopes to achieve.

Why did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself press the pause on the large-scale comic movement that was going well? The emperor and the Grand Duke couldn't figure out the reason for a while.

The meeting place of the three was chosen next to a fountain in the other garden, and Roger Hill was standing next to a bush of red rhododendrons.Although the tedious military and political affairs made him a little thinner, the prince's mental state is very good, and his gaze is firm and powerful.

The blooming delicate flowers set off his incomparable face, and for a moment it was impossible to imagine who could be qualified to stand by his side.

"You decided so soon?" The emperor was the first to show his impatience.

"Have you considered it?" the Grand Duke also said.

"Yeah." Roger Hill admitted in one simple syllable.

The emperor paused, and then asked in a solemn tone, "Who is this candidate?"

"Levi."

"Levi?" The emperor's rhetorical question was obviously confused by unfamiliarity with the name.

The Grand Duke calmly filtered through the list of famous Shuyuan and wealthy sons in his mind, and found that he never seemed to know this person.

The crown prince didn't confuse them for too long, and added an explanation as soon as he advanced, "Second Lieutenant Levi, he is my guard officer."

Hearing this answer, Grand Duke Offee's eyes sharpened suddenly, before the emperor could speak again, he asked first, "When did you meet?"

"This April."

"You've only known each other for less than half a year?"

"Yes."

"Second Lieutenant Levi is male?"

"Of course." The guards of the royal family have always been men. Faced with this pointed question, Roger Hill countered with an open and honest attitude, "I will bear the responsibility of procreating children when necessary, but I Will be faithful to his partner, maybe artificial insemination would be a good choice.”

Except for the crown prince, the faces of the two members of the royal family became dignified at the same time.As the conversation progressed, they could already fully appreciate that Roger Hill made this decision to them after full consideration and preparation.

But what they are concerned about is not the gender of the other half of the heir to the empire, or in other words, this issue was not included in the category that would form an obstacle from the beginning.What makes them worry, upset, and anxious is another, more personal issue.

The two elders looked at each other for a moment, and this time Dylan II spoke, "Roger, since you haven't known each other for a long time, why did you choose him?"

After thinking for a while, the crown prince replied: "I think he is very suitable in all aspects."

"I'm not talking about appropriateness or inappropriateness," the emperor scratched his blond hair in frustration, "I mean...do you love him?"

"..."

Although I expected to encounter such a question, the feeling of being asked by my father himself is really indescribable.

Roger Hill gritted his teeth, after all, he couldn't say anything against his former lover.

He couldn't deceive himself, at least, until now, he still couldn't tell what kind of feelings he had for the guard officer who loved him so much.

There is no doubt about it.Otherwise, I wouldn't be moved by his deep emotion, and I wouldn't do so many embarrassing things because of the guilt of not being able to repay.

But whether it has accumulated to the point of love, the prince is still not sure.

Is this long, tender feeling full of anxiety and anticipation real love?

In the dead of night, the crown prince asked himself more than once.

This is completely different from the desperate, broken relationship that has haunted me for many years.If you want to compare it, the former is like a blade that is sharp enough to kill, while the latter is tender and soft like the tentacles that are carefully protruding out of a snail.

Compared with the unrequited love that can never be responded to, this kind of relationship makes people feel warm and safe.But it was this security that made Roger Hill doubt his own motives.

If you just use Levi to avoid pain, then everything you do now can only be described as despicable.

"You don't love him," the Grand Duke concluded.

Such an answer made Roger Hill instinctively want to deny, "No, I'm not..."

"If you really love deeply, you won't hesitate." The emperor also disagreed.

Roger Hill said his truest thoughts, "But I can really accept being with him, other people... never let me have such thoughts."

Dylan II shook his head, "Maybe you are just confused for a while. Roger, you are still young, and you still have too many opportunities to choose. Last time I just said that I hope you find someone you like, and I don't want you to make hasty choices. .”

"I've thought about it carefully."

"But so far, I can't see your prudence, nor can I see that you will not regret it in the future."

The crown prince still insisted, "Father, none of us can guarantee the future, not even the almighty God of the universe."

"Then have you considered the reaction of other nobles?" The Grand Duke interrupted the conversation between the father and son, "Your actions a few days ago have already shown that you plan to choose your spouse among the nobles. If it is suddenly announced The candidate for the princess is your guard officer, what do you think they will think? If it were me, I would definitely think that what the crown prince did a few days ago was just to pave the way for the person he secretly determined... For your This kind of teasing behavior, even if the nobles who have always felt that they will not express strong objections to you, they will definitely point all their fingers at the person who will become your princess. They don’t even need to do anything deliberately, as long as they treat him Ignoring, ignoring, and isolating him from the social circle is enough for your guard officer. What's more, when they unite to resist you, the crown prince, even if you don't care, So what will your Lieutenant Lieutenant think? If he loves you, he will definitely think that he caused all this, he will blame himself, feel sad, sad, and he has no way to help as a civilian without any real power You, he will fall into an endless cycle of frustration and powerlessness... Under such circumstances, will you not regret it?"

"Opheus..." As if remembering something, the emperor hugged the Grand Duke's shoulder.

Roger Hill was silent, he did not expect that his previous behavior would bring such a profound obstacle to him and Levi.

"Have you ever imagined the second plan?" The Grand Duke patted the emperor's hugging arm and suggested, "If you just want to be together, you don't have to get married, just dating is fine, I mean like The relationship between your father and me. As long as there is no formal ceremony, the impact on people will not be so strong."

"I have thought about it, but..." The crown prince's tone softened, and the difficulties faced gave the members of the royal family the idea of ​​overcoming the difficulties together. Roger Hill confessed his concerns, "Second Lieutenant Levi... He loves me very much, I can't use such a feeling despicably, just ask but don't give, I can't do it."

Hearing this, the emperor sighed, "Roger, I think Lieutenant Reeves wants you to love him, not the gift of marriage."

After a few seconds of silence, the crown prince suddenly said, "I liked someone before, not Lieutenant Levy, but someone who couldn't get close to him at all. Because of this love, for a while, I was in close proximity every day. In suffocating despair..."

"Roger!" exclaimed the Emperor in shock. "When did this happen, and why did you never tell us?! Who was that person? A married woman? Someone from the Alliance you met by chance?"

"Dylan, listen to him." The Grand Duke held down the emperor, and looked at Roger Hill, who was confessing himself, with complicated eyes.

The prince smiled slightly, "When I was most uncomfortable, it was Second Lieutenant Levi who pulled me out of that abyss... I think I will really fall in love with him in the future, but now, I can only send him my The best that can be given. I want him to stop standing behind me and staring at my back, I want him to stand by my side.”

"..." The turbulent mood made the emperor and the grand duke speechless for a moment.

After a while, Grandpa Offi said, "If you insist, neither Dylan nor I will object. Then the question now is how to get Levi to take the position you want him to stand in a reasonable way."

"Opheus..." The emperor didn't seem to expect that his lover would accept the crown prince's proposal so easily, but the prince stopped him with his eyes when he was about to speak out.

"But I have to warn you, Roger. If what you really want is for two people to be together instead of loving each other, maybe it will be more difficult than being married because of deep love." The Grand Duke called the crown prince for the first time. Nickname, "If you love him, you will tolerate his shortcomings, understand his difficulties, and feel his joys and sorrows. This is the cornerstone of two people living together. But if there is no love, all the time together will become boring, always One day you will be very tired of such a family. Then at this time, your "together" needs some other things to support, such as he has skills that are not inferior to yours, or he has the ability to become an integral part of you. However... this is a problem that you may face in the future, the first thing we have to solve now is how to deal with the possible dissatisfaction of those guys who only know how to eat, drink, entertain and play politics."

"..." Roger Hill waited silently for the Grand Duke's next words.

The Grand Duke smiled slightly, "In this world, all people's dissatisfaction can be attributed to unfair treatment. Therefore, as long as there is a fair opportunity, even if there is a voice of opposition, it can be ignored."

"What do you want to do?"

"Before the new year, the crown prince's public concubine selection ceremony will be held in the territory of the empire, but this time we will not limit the scope to nobles, but will allow everyone to participate. Let us continue what you did before... The level of chaos has been raised even higher."

"You're kidding..."

The expression on the prince's face became less natural.

A public election campaign... For Roger Hill, it would have meant never-ending chaos, gossip and privacy mined to the bottom.

"A little sacrifice is necessary, and we all trust you can handle it."

"But if it becomes a national entertainment activity, I'm not sure whether Levi will be willing to join." The prince's worry is not groundless, he already has some understanding of the second lieutenant's personality.

Grand Duke Offee's face darkened, "If this Levi can be your other half in the official sense, then at least he should first get used to appearing in public often, and how to win a victory."

So far, Commander Offee, who has always held absolute hegemony in the military, did not leave any room for maneuver this time.

Dylan II wanted to interrupt several times, but finally endured it.

This year's biggest rave party is nailed down in such a reckless fashion.

On the way back, Roger Hill silently clenched his fists all the way. This was the first time that he felt the constraints of the nobility and his own powerlessness so clearly.

The power that belongs to him, the power to protect the person he wants to protect, began to sprout in the crown prince's heart at this moment, a seedling called desire.

The year [-] of the imperial calendar was destined to be a year that would leave a stigma in the history of the empire. This well-known clue began to appear in the founding ceremony in autumn.

Osmanthus was selected as the national flower of the Galactic Empire for its long-lasting fragrance and subtle appearance.In the golden autumn of October, all the sweet-scented osmanthus flowers planted on both sides of the streets of the imperial capital are in full bloom. Amidst the rich and indelible aroma, all the large display screens, traffic entertainment TVs and text scrolling screens in the central urban area are repeatedly playing the "Emperor Emperor" King Dylan II's National Day Speech.

The content of his speech was accompanied by the striking scent of sweet-scented osmanthus, which infused everyone with an unreal feeling of drunkenness.

90.00% of the content of this speech is similar to all the previous speeches of the emperor's founding ceremony, but at the end, the emperor said: "The Galactic Empire has been established for 130 years. In the infinite time, this may be It is an ordinary year, but it is of great significance to me personally. My son, Roger Hill, will celebrate his birthday next year, and this year he can be called a child, It’s the last time to be able to stay with the elders and act like a baby. As a father, I may be a little sad; but as the emperor of the empire, I am even more looking forward to such a future ruler. In order to share this happiness with everyone, I also In order to respect the choice of a quasi-adult, the royal family decided to hold a concubine selection ceremony for the crown prince that everyone can participate in, hoping to help him find someone who can encourage him, love him, and be with him for life. People. Please believe that this decision was made after careful consideration and consideration by the royal family, and its execution will be unquestionable. All subjects who support the royal family and the crown prince, please let us see your enthusiasm again !...Thank you all, may the Almighty God of the Universe bless the Galactic Empire forever!"

During the first three days when this speech was broadcast, crowds of people could be seen everywhere.In order to watch the huge visual screen next to the elevated track, the drivers gathered together and were unwilling to start their cars, which even caused the elevated rail traffic to be paralyzed for a time.

All print media, from newspapers to magazines, from official mouthpieces to gossip tabloids, collectively canceled the originally scheduled printing content, and changed all the pages to interpretation, speculation and analysis of the emperor's explosive declaration.

The TV program seems to have entered a crazy time period, and all the video materials of Crown Prince Roger Hill from birth to the present have been broadcast repeatedly.All kinds of military, political, and historical experts were invited to the talk show to express their opinions on the prince's public selection of concubines.The news is a 24-hour spot broadcast reporting new trends in the selection of concubines by the royal family.Channels that usually only broadcast movies and TV dramas have also replaced all their program lists with content about a poor girl suddenly being favored by a certain emperor, prince or nobleman one day.

Compared with the relatively reserved TV and peace media, the universe network that can carry out multi-directional interaction has been completely blown up, and the federal news control is useless, as if the human beings in the entire universe have started a big discussion on this incident.

Some people launched a conspiracy theory, thinking that this was a trick of Grand Duke Ofe of the Empire. His real purpose was to prevent the crown prince from forming a powerful ally among the nobles through marriage; "I have watched too many soap operas, so I want to practice it myself; someone said indignantly that the royal family has huge power and wealth, so they should do their best to develop the empire better. Why spend huge manpower and money just to satisfy The fantasies of older men and women; some people wailed depressingly, His Royal Highness Roger Hill is really shameless, you can choose from among the nobles, why do you want to stretch your hands on all civilians, I don’t know the marriage resources, especially beautiful men and beautiful women Are they all in short supply?

People's discussion was in full swing, and the royal family spokesperson immediately announced the time, place, registration qualifications and competition method of the crown prince's concubine selection event.

Aged from fifteen to forty-five years old, unmarried or divorced, and a citizen of the Galactic Empire, anyone who meets the above three conditions can register at the designated place on each planet within three days.

The unofficial audition will screen the contestants from various aspects such as height, weight, appearance, conversation, education, hobbies, specialties, experience, etc., and the number of candidates who are scheduled to enter the official competition is [-].The final official competition lasts for one month, and there are three events in total. The content of each competition will be announced on the eve of the round. The number of people left after the elimination is scheduled to be one hundred, ten, or one.

After the announcement of this news, everyone's already excited emotions were pushed to a new height.

First of all, eligibility for registration has been controversial.

The number of comments on the royal family website soared to more than 80 billion, and the most objectionable clause was about the age, which cannot be amended.

A netizen left a message: "I am an 89-year-old woman. I am deeply disgusted by the royal family's behavior of restricting the age of contestants. Compared with those flirtatious women who have divorced many times at a young age or who can't even read a word Reckless, I am obviously more qualified as a single person with three Ph.Ds.”

Another netizen wrote: "The final deadline for Nima's registration is just the day before my 15th birthday! It's so sad and depressing to the extreme! Everyone grew up watching the hologram of the crown prince when they were young. Yes! When I grow up, I always want to marry a prince or marry a prince. Is there any reason! I can still get divorced after I get married, and I can change my nationality if I am in the Federation, but Nima was born a day late! Even if I cut it off and practiced again, it is too late It's a scam!!!!"

In order to meet the other two conditions, divorce requests from the empire and immigration applications from the alliance skyrocketed at the same time.In response to such speculative behavior, the spokesperson of the Imperial Royal Family announced that divorced persons who have announced the selection of concubines are not eligible for the competition; and the alliance released news in due course that due to the recent rapid increase in immigration requests, the deadline for handling immigration matters will be changed from the original one Monthly extension to half a year, please give your understanding and cooperation.

The unofficial auditions after the start were dubbed "beauty pageants". People ridiculed the incompetent contestants with poor conditions, and sympathized with their sadness and pain when they lost the election.Especially after a judge mocked a plump female contestant, "I can't imagine the picture of a prince sleeping with his arms around a fat pig." After the video was uploaded on the Internet, the public was furious for a while, and all kinds of rules against the royal family Questions, insults to the reviewers, and speculation about possible hidden rules flooded the entire network.

Senior federal officials who watched the fire from the other side joked that maybe we can appreciate how the empire has brought itself down this time.

In the midst of this chaotic and irritable mood, the largest private television station in the empire suddenly reported that the crown prince himself had agreed to accept an interview with the station, and the time was scheduled for three days later at prime time in the evening, and it would be broadcast live across the Milky Way.

That night, the ratings of the talk show soared to 90.00%. Countless people from the empire and the alliance watched it on time through TV and the Internet.

Roger Hill has never lacked the ability to amaze people. The biggest function of his changing clothes is to make people admire: it turns out that His Royal Highness can always be more charming than the last time he appeared.

In order to show his affinity, today the crown prince is not wearing the military uniform of a major general, nor the royal formal suit with complicated lace, but a simple shirt and jeans.In this way, the clothes that everyone can match further highlighted his superiority. The hostess, who originally had exquisite makeup and a bumpy figure, immediately looked gaudy and old as soon as she stood beside him.

Fortunately, the host is not an ordinary host. As the head host of the TV station, he showed excellent professionalism at important moments. After a few simple opening words and greetings, he immediately cut into sharp topics.

"Your Highness, the crown prince, almost everyone was greatly shocked by this event of widely selecting concubines, because this is the first time that the imperial family has found a spouse for a member of the royal family with such great fanfare. People have various opinions about the motives behind this incident. There are all kinds of speculations, so as the person involved, can you tell us the truth of the matter?"

Roger Hill relaxed with one hand on his knee and smiled slightly at the camera, "Of course the reason is that I haven't found my sweetheart yet."

"You didn't answer my question directly." The host did not relax.

As if knowing that she would chase after her fiercely, the crown prince was not panicked, "You want to ask me, why did you not limit the range of choices to the original circle?"

The host nodded immediately, "We all know that in the more than 100 years of the empire's history, all concubines were born in noble families, without exception."

"In my opinion, the Galactic Empire is a place where anyone's dream can be realized." Roger Hill said in a dignified tone, "The alliance that is hostile to us often advertises democracy and equality, but from all indications, these beautiful Longing is just a means for their politicians to fool the people. In any era, the inequality between people is eternal, which not only comes from differences in identity and status, but also in intelligence and physical strength. The denial of all this will only lead to the blindness and impracticality of the rulers, which is also the difference between the ideological foundation of the empire and the coalition regime. In my opinion, the essence of fairness comes from the opportunity that everything is possible, from the opportunity for anyone The rules are the same. And in this incident of concubine selection, the royal family did just that."

Speaking of this, he changed the subject, "Of course, maybe what we are doing now is still not enough. Here, on behalf of the royal family, I would like to apologize to a young lady. In fact, personally, I don't like women's thin bodies. .”

Everyone understood what Luje Hill was referring to, and there was laughter in the studio.

The hostess interrupted in time, "His Royal Highness, we can understand the requirements for marital status and nationality in the eligibility requirements for registration this time, but the age requirement has been criticized a lot. What do you think about this matter?"

"The age requirement this time is actually set by myself."

The host immediately expressed great interest in Prince's revelation, "You decided it yourself? This is tomorrow's headline! But why did you limit the contestants to 15 to 45 years old?"

"In my opinion, children before the age of 15 belong to the category of children. As for the age of 45...My father is only 39 years old this year, so I have to worry about his feelings." When the crown prince said this with a helpless tone and an apologetic smile During the conversation, the messagers on the instant communication webpage expressed their understanding in good faith.

"Your Highness, in the questionnaire we conducted before, there is still a question that everyone is very concerned about: Is there any default candidate in the result of this competition?"

The crown prince seemed to be stunned for a second, but soon his smile became perfect again, "Everyone has their own preferences, for example, I like the type with short hair, tall, and not too fair skin. If the final candidate It happens to be like this, does that count as an appointment?”

The hostess, who had been trying her best not to be confused all the way, was finally overwhelmed by the prince's dazzling beauty at this time, and was unable to respond for a full ten seconds. In the end, the director had to temporarily insert commercials and ended the live broadcast early.

--End of the last episode--