"He Cherishes Me With His Life."

Annie was at a loss for words—he actually bought it!

It had to be said, virility enhancement was one of the most attention-grabbing topics to exist since the dawn of human civilization. Any Alpha would be led around by the nose with those two words. Even terrorists were no exception!

She widened her eyes and put on a flustered expression, looking from Charles Lang to Madam Hado.

The latter, with her back to the Red Badge officer, silently nodded.

That meant she could use this opportunity to approve Boss He bringing people in—whoever they were—through customs.

So Madam Hado really was on the Resistance's side.

But why?

Did she know Boss He's true identity? The two of them seemed to have a good relationship, otherwise why would she agree without even asking what was being smuggled?

Annie's mind raced, then she withdrew her gaze. She couldn't trust the Resistance.

No matter how decent Madam Hado and Boss He might be, the rank-and-file members Annie had seen with her own eyes were, at best, street thug material.

And what was Charles Lang doing at Madam Hado's villa? What was their relationship?

Annie thought she couldn't leave like this—otherwise she'd have risked herself in front of a Twilight officer for nothing.

And clearly, Charles Lang had no intention of letting Annie off the hook either.

He clasped his hands behind his back, bent over, and leaned in to scrutinize Annie, as if he could see through her cloak. "My little brother isn't actually impotent, is he? Such a delicate, well-behaved little bride, and he can still hold back without marking you—or is it—"

Annie looked up.

Their eyes met, and the grinning officer suddenly froze.

A clear tear slid down Annie's cheek, vanishing into her scarf.

The room fell instantly silent.

Even Charles Lang, with his unreadable nature, showed obvious surprise at the sight of Annie's tears.

Crying on cue, tears poured freely from Annie's eyes.

"You," she clutched her cloak, her voice trembling, "you, why do you always speak about my husband that way?"

Charles: "..."

He never would have anticipated Annie reacting like this.

"H-he hasn't marked me because we've only registered, we haven't held the wedding yet," Annie sobbed. "According to tradition, the marking should happen on the wedding night... Isn't following tradition the right thing to do?"

Charles: "......"

"H-he's always been good to me, his health is fine," Annie cried harder, her sobs nearly drowning out her words. "He treats me well too—when the road was hard, he carried me on his back; when conditions were tough, he gave me food first. Arthur cherishes me with his life, yet you speak of him like that!"

By the end, Annie was weeping uncontrollably.

The key was, Charles Lang couldn't even find fault with her words.

This little bride, he thought—at the checkpoint, she'd rushed straight to her husband under a hail of guns and even slapped him in the face, all because Arthur Kane had pretended not to know her. That alone showed how hopelessly lovesick she was.

Now she was sobbing into her hands, whimpering endlessly, crying until Charles Lang's head buzzed.

"Enough, enough."

He could at least point a gun at the Resistance, but he couldn't just shoot this little Omega. The Red Badge officer softened his voice. "I was just joking, little bride. Don't take it to heart."

"You—" Annie pointed at him in righteous indignation.

Charles Lang never expected that his words would light the fuse on a powder keg.

"Is this something to joke about?"

Annie raised her voice, shocked. "One sentence from you, officer, and my husband's reputation is ruined! You even tried to persuade me to remarry—are you trying to destroy us?!"

Charles Lang: "Calm down—"

"I will NOT calm down!"

As the saying went, the unreasonable fear the reckless, and every word Annie said struck Charles Lang at his weak spot.

Because he was a Twilight officer, after all.

Terrorist organizations had earned the support of New Thebes's right-wing factions by championing "tradition" and "restoring ancient customs." A "proper" Omega must defend her husband's reputation, or she was unfaithful. And remarry? On New Thebes, that would get you stoned to death. Twilight had always preached that a chaste Omega should be buried alive with her Alpha.

Charles Lang might not be a standard terrorist, but Annie could play the part of a convincing Omega.

All she had to do was act the devoted wife!

A scream seemed to drain her of all strength—she staggered a few steps, and her delicate frame collapsed onto the cushion. Annie wailed, "You—apologize right now! Or else... or else I'll smash my head against the wall and die right here!"

She wept with tragic despair, her shrill voice nearly piercing through the villa, as if she wanted the entire Governor's Mansion to hear.

Anyone listening would think Madam Hado was mistreating her guests!

The wailing was nails on a chalkboard—no reasoning could get through it.

Charles Lang pressed his hand to his forehead.

"I apologize, little bride. Please don't go looking for death in the Governor's Mansion." He begged for mercy. "Just calm down."

"Swear you'll never speak of Arthur that way again," Annie sniffled. "And no more trying to convince me to remarry."

He immediately raised both hands above his head in surrender: "I swear! Done."

Charles Lang crouched down, sighing heavily.

"I'll send someone to the Dreamlight Hotel to fetch my little brother Arthur," he said. "I'll treat you both to a meal and apologize to him in person. How about that?"

Something was off.

Annie, fallen on the ground with her face hidden, paused slightly. She lifted her head: "Really?"

Charles Lang nodded frantically: "As real as pearls."

"N-no need to go to the hotel," Annie said, sniffling. "My husband has been waiting outside the Governor's Mansion the whole time, but... could we meet somewhere else? It seems... not quite appropriate."

Her gaze shifted to Madam Hado, who sat upright.

Annie's voice was timid, her eyes darting away, the implication crystal clear: ordinary Omegas weren't allowed to see outsiders, and she didn't want her husband meeting unfamiliar Omegas either.

"Aren't you from the Empire, little bride?" Charles Lang smiled. "Madam Hado studied at the Galactic Empire before—she's not like a regular Omega. Seeing her is fine."

Studied at the Empire?

So Madam Hado was a noble. Annie understood.

Hearing Charles Lang's words, she reluctantly lowered her eyes. "Then I'll follow the officer's arrangement."

She'd acted enough—just enough to seem like an Omega with a touch of jealousy, and enough to buy Arthur time.

The earpiece hidden in her cloak immediately picked up the faint sound of crisp footsteps.

She didn't know where Arthur had been hiding, but he'd heard her cue loud and clear.

Charles Lang's gaze swept past Annie, and he whistled toward the villa's entrance.

A few soldiers acknowledged and left.

Before long, Arthur, who had been "waiting" outside, entered.

As he crossed the threshold of the villa, Arthur Kane instantly frowned.

The moment his feet touched the soft carpet, the slender figure sprawled on the cushion shot up.

"Arthur!"

Her voice thick with tears, the white-clad little figure charged at him like a bird flying back to its master.

The urgency, the anxiety—she was the very picture of an Omega unsettled by her Alpha's absence. It was as if the calm and coldness she'd shown in private were nothing but a figment of Arthur's imagination.

The towering Alpha's blue eyes locked onto the figure rushing toward him.

Quite the act.

He'd monitored the whole scene from afar and had nearly burst in multiple times to settle things, only to watch Annie burst into tears and resolve every crisis with a single bout of wailing.

He had to admit—this little Omega was quick on her feet.

And "cherishes me with his life"? She actually dared to say that.

Arthur would never admit that, upon hearing those words, his poker face had cracked into a rare smile. The Alpha simply swept out his arm, hauling Annie behind him.

His nearly two-meter frame completely concealed the petite Annie, the protective and possessive intent unmistakable.

He stared coldly at Charles Lang, his tone dripping with disgust. "You again."

"Don't be so cold, brother."

Charles Lang sauntered forward with a grin. "You should talk some sense into your little bride—tell her to stop threatening to die over every little thing. I stirred her up, so I've invited you here to offer you a sincere apology.

"Here's my proposal: let me treat you and your bride to a meal. And staying in a couples hotel isn't a long-term solution. I'll find you a clean apartment and cover the rent myself—consider it a token of friendship. What do you say?"

He suspected them.

Of course he did. Arthur Kane was tall, handsome, and solidly built. Anyone who'd seen combat could tell he could handle himself.

The takedown at the checkpoint hadn't revealed the depths of Arthur's skills to Charles.

The apology and offer of friendship were just a pretext—the real goal was to pull them in and keep an eye on them.

Hidden behind Arthur, Annie gave his lower back a discreet pinch.

Charles Lang's gaze snapped over immediately.

His smiling eyes locked squarely onto Annie, startling her.

"What's this," he said, seeing right through her little move, teasing. "Don't want your husband to accept my offer? But I promised an apology."

With that, he raised his arm toward the soldiers at the door.

"Go, fetch these two's luggage from the hotel."

"No need." Arthur's voice was cold.

He of course understood Annie's meaning.

Arthur Kane wasn't stupid either—having strength didn't mean he didn't use his head.

To investigate deeply, they needed to connect with New Thebes's upper crust—the nobles, the Governor, even Twilight operatives.

Now Charles Lang was practically delivering himself to them, time and again.

He might have ulterior motives, but they could play him right back.

The only issue was that changing their stance too abruptly would raise suspicion.

"I can't accept a favor without earning it," Arthur said bluntly. "Stop bothering us."

He couldn't relent—he'd find another way... or let someone else be the one to accept.

Arthur's blue eyes swept toward Madam Hado, who had remained silent.

His motive was beyond reproach: since entering, the Twilight officer had been speaking as if he were the host. So Arthur looking at the villa's true owner was only natural.

Madam Hado caught on at once.

She knew why they were here. She simply cleared her throat and finally rose from her cushion.

"Let me arrange the lodging and the meal," the Governor's wife said softly. "Regardless of what happened, Annie is my guest, and ending things this way would be my failing as a host. I'll approve Boss He's request. If you two stay, it'll be doing me a favor. What do you say?"