Arc 2 Chapter 2.6 ( Intersellar Beast World )

" They sent me away~ To find them a fortune . A chest filled with diamonds and gold . "

" The home was awake~ with shadows and monsters , the hallways , they echoed and groaned . "

" I sat alone! In bed till the morning . I'm crying they're coming for me~ "

"And I tried to hold! these secrets inside me

My mind's like a deadly disease... "

Dancing a solemn and dark dance , Zone sang in the silent corridor as his footsteps echoed . He even deliberately made his voice scary thinking mischievously about scaring someone who might be peeking .

" I'm bigger than my body~ "

" I'm colder than this home~~~ "

" I'm meaner than my demons! "

" I'm bigger than this boo~nes! "

Zone was about to sing the chorus when his phone suddenly rings . He paused and his eyes turned cold . " How dare someone interrupt me when I'm busy singing . "

He pulled out the thin phone out of his pocket and answered the video call

" Hello "

Jiro sitting on a red couch stared stared at the screen showing a dark background with Zone's face . Zone looked like he's inside a horror movie .

After all , Zone looked like a ghost in the dark . Coupled with his silver hair and red eyes , he's Iike a sinister ghost peeping at you in the dark .

" Hello Duan Li "

A deep magnetic voice resounded on the phone that Zone is holding . Zone's eyes widened a little and squinted his red eyes on the screen . He didn't hallucinate , the emperor really called him .

" Your majesty has called ."

Jiro nodded . " Yes , i just... Want to be friends with you ."

Zone tilted his head.  " Your majesty wants to become my friend? How dare i , a baseborn refuse your majesty? Of course your majesty can become my friend . "

Jiro inwardly thought , I don't want you to become my friend . I want you to become my wife.  But of course , there's no way he could say that to Duan Li .

" Then , you are my friend from now on . " Jiro smiled .

Seeing this feme fatale suddenly giving a gentle smile . Zone curled the corner of his lips and thought that this emperor is really attractive . He even activated the desire within his heart to own this emperor. 

' we could even be more than that ' Zone thought but didn't voice it out .

" As a friend , don't you think meeting frequently would make us closer . Let's try build our intimacy and become good brothers . " Jiro

" ... " Somehow , it sounded cringey .

Zone didn't think so and nodded in agreement , then let's meet frequently from now on . Just don't make your imperial guards stop me at your gate .

Jiro shook his head . " It won't happen . "

" Then that's good " Zone smiled , flashing rows of white teeth .

" I'll visit your palace tomorrow to eat breakfast . Don't refuse me . "

Jiro's eyes flashed and chuckled . " Yeah , I'll wait for you . "

Zone hang up the phone at stared at the darkness . He chuckled and touched his lips . " He really feels familiar , but I cant think the reason why . "

-

By 6:30 at the morning , Jiro nervously stand on the mirror checking his looks whether he would look handsome or ugly in Zone's eyes if he saw him in this hairstyle or what .

He's wearing his usual casual white shirt and black pants today , but he took his hair meticulously today and especially styled it handsomely . But he still thought that overly concern towards his face might give a bad impression to Duan Li .

What if Zone would think that his hairstyle is too much for a mere breakfast in the palace?

Standing behind the emperor . The personal assistant that always stayed by his side quietly watched the unusual emperor who suddenly dressed up differently as if he's about to meet his girlfriend .

Duan Li drove his car to the north and hummed a song along the way . When Duan Li arrived at the entrance he have to pass through several check-ups and scans before being allowed to enter . Zone rolled his eyes and walked to the palace .

There he saw a handsome man standing at the door waiting for him . Zone's mood turned light as he immediately greeted .

" What a pleasant morning for us , your majesty . "

Zone's way of speaking may be rude to the emperor if seen by others , but Jiro clearly doesn't mind Duan Li's casual greeting . He showed back a handsome smile and opened his arms .

Zone didn't notice Jiro's hidden intention and sent himself to the pit . He received the hug oblivious to Jiro's fast beating heart .

The pair of handsome men entered the palace and headed to the dining hall . The imperial servants immediately served the dishes for the breakfast and lined up behavedly at the side .

Zone's appetite immediately soared seeing the beautifully plated dishes and nodded in satisfaction .

" Good " Zone said .

Jiro's nervousness lessened when he heard Duan Li's comment . " Then let's dig in.  "

Zone nodded and started eating .

" I heard his majesty was about to choose an empress? "

Jiro paused , he put down his fork and stared at Zone carefully . " I don't have any plans on choosing an empress for now . "

" Why? " Zone sliced a steak and brought it to his mouth . Steak had always been Zone's favorite so everytime he sees steak , he would eat it first before anything else .

" I don't think there's anyone out there that deserves the position to sit by my side . "

Zone chuckled " that sounded rather arrogant , as expected of your majesty's ego . "

Seeing as Zone was smiling . Jiro also smiled and probed . " After all ... I only want pure ladies.  "

Zone paused then lifted his head to look at the emperor . " Pure ladies ... Is it? "

Jiro nodded " I don't want my partner to have once been intimate with someone else before i came to their life ."

Zone who was currently drinking juice coughed and covered his mouth . Jiro panicked and immediately took out his handerchief to wipe Zone's wet mouth while rubbing his back gently .

" Why did you suddenly choked , you should drink carefully in the future . "

Zone coughed and was out of air . Juice flowed out of his mouth while coughing . Jiro gulped and wiped him carefully .

" What's wrong? "

After Zone recovered , he turned silent then shook his head . " Nothing ... "

" It's just that i suddenly remembered something from the past .... So i choked , i got caught off guard  . "

" Then be careful in the future . "

Zone nodded and smiled . " Yes , i will . "

The two quickly finished their breakfast and strolled at the garden to digest the food in their stomach . There Zone saw rows of variety of flowers . But what caught his eye more was the red flower called rose . Zone thought that rose's color were just like his eyes .

He paused and crouched down to pick up and rose. Jiro paused and watched Duan Li picking up a small rose .

" That's a thorny flower , be careful . " Jiro warned .

Zone looked at the emperor as if he was a fool . " I'm not a delicate girl who would easily get wounded by just these weak thorns . Don't worry your majesty , my skin's thicker than you would imagine . "

Jiro inwardly thought . You're indeed thick skinned , you're bold and courageous . How did you manage to withstand the pressure of becoming my friend? As expected of Zone's reincarnation .

Zone looked at the man in front of him . And his suspicions had grown more the more he observed this man .

Lai Longwei , the emperor of Beastmen Empire . A powerful majestic dragon that was feared by many . However , Zone couldn't understand the reason why this emperor felt so familiar to him .

And his instincts told him to stop this man .

That this emperor will only hinder his plans . Zone could feel that this man would get on his way and he has to eleminate him . But somehow , he doesn't want to ... He's unwilling to hurt this man .

It's ironic , as an unemphathethic sociopath ... There's no way he could care about someone , and it makes him irritated whenever he feels this strange emotion .

It seems like ... His moral integrity recovered due to the body he possessed . Duan Li's body is completely healthy and doesn't have any record of mental disorders .

Psychopaths were unable to feel empathy due to the inability of the organ within their brain that process emotions and feel empathy .

As a sociopath , he would only feel little emphathy towards things and just like psychopaths ... Unable to love .

These feelings that he felt towards this man is strange , and Zone felt uncomfortable about this .

His brain is telling him to eliminate the man.  But his body is unwilling .

Doze flashed and whispered to Jiro's ears . [ Be careful , Zone's emotional fluctuations is intense . It's dark and dangerous , you should be vigilant or he might kill you at the back . ]

" Ok " Jiro answered inwardly and stared at the gorgeous man staring intently at the crushed rose within his hands . Red juice flowed through his fingers and drop on the ground quietly .

Jiro wished he could save Zone from his disorder and fall inlove genuinely from then on . Jiro missed the cheerful Zone who once feared him from the molestation he had done to him . The Zone who showed peace sign and awkward smile when he discovered that Zone slept beside him throughout the night .

And the Zone who was bold enough to defile his body while he's asleep .

Jiro clenched his fist .

He wished he could hug this man openly and be cuddly with him like a normal couple .

" What were you thinking just now? " Jiro asked .

Zone woke up from a trance and looked at the golden eyes of the emperor . " Thinking about you . "

Jiro's brows lifted and teased . " What are you thinking? "

Killing you " Marrying you..." Zone paused frowned . He recalled what he said just now .

A weird smile surfaced on Jiro's lips . " Marry me? "

Zone frowned , his heart wasn't beating fast but ... Why did he felt like his fingers were cold? He's definitely not panicking ...

But ... Why do i feel like there's something wrong with my words?

Right ... Why did he say marry?

" Duan Li ... Do you like me? "

Zone looked up . He knew he doesn't dislike this man , but he doesn't like him either .

" Why would you ask me that? "

Doze knelt on the ground and face palmed . Master failed again! Failure!!

" Don't tell me , your majesty likes me? " Zone counter-attacked .

Doze [ boom!!! ]

[ Zone's so cool!!! ]

" What if i said yes , will you become my empress . "

Before Zone was about to counterattack . Jiro step forward and leaned over , he stared directly at the pair of red eyes in front of him .

" My body in this lifetime is pure and hadn't been touched by anyone yet . "

" Do you want to take my first time? "

Silence invaded the whole garden . Zone stared unblinkingly at the man in front of him . The moment he heard the man's statement . Something inside him stirred and for the first time ever since he escaped the hell school .

The man in front of him is pure .

No one has touched him yet .

And he's loyal to his future wife .

Zone touched his lips as he contemplated . His mind roared in excitement and deep satisfaction . The gaze Zone used to look at Jiro suddenly changed .

Although there's no hint of love within it . There's a deep desire to possess that could be read within it .