Late at night, the banquet hall's doors finally opened.
Rosse carried the seemingly unconscious Sora and walked out of the banquet hall unhurriedly.
Before he could take more than a few steps, Judge appeared before him, wearing a flattering expression, "Your Highness, I have already prepared a resting place for you. I will have someone take you there immediately."
Judge nodded and bowed as he spoke, giving a signal to the maid behind him.
Rosse only gave Judge a glance and continued walking forward. That maid naturally walked ahead to lead the way for Rosse.
From beginning to end, Judge didn't even look at Sora once.
After confirming Rosse had gone far, Judge flashed and rushed into the banquet hall, his face full of anticipation.
Judge lay on the ground, holding an instrument in his hand, and carefully scanned inch by inch forward.
But even after inspecting every area, including the armrests of the seats, he still didn't find what he wanted. There wasn't even a trace belonging to Sora.
"Damn it... how could it not be here... it shouldn't be like this...", Judge's expression turned grim, muttering curses under his breath.
Not getting what he wanted right away made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
But thinking that if it wasn't here, it must be inside Sora's body, Judge couldn't help but feel much better.
"No rush, no rush. Once His Highness leaves, I have plenty of ways to obtain that thing," As he spoke, he slowly got up from the ground, patted the dust off his body, tidied his clothes, and then turned around and left on his own.
However, from the moment he stepped into the banquet hall to when he quietly left, he never noticed that up on the beam, a figure had been hanging upside down the whole time, playing with a video transponder snail, like a ghost in the night.
"So ugly...", Gion softly sneered. Immediately, her figure began to change, transforming into a small blood-colored bat. The bat spread its wings, gently flapped, and blended into the night, swiftly flying in the direction of Rosse.
———
On the other side, led by the maid, Rosse arrived at another snail ship nearby.
On the back of this massive snail ship stood only a luxurious villa, brilliantly lit and magnificently decorated. The villa's exterior was resplendent with gold and jade, and every detail exuded luxury and nobility. One glance was enough to know it was a place meant for honored guests.
"Your Highness, this is the residence prepared by the master for you. You may freely use anything inside," the maid respectfully explained, her tone humble and polite.
"Got it, you may leave," Rosse waved the maid away and carried Sora into the villa.
Inside the entire villa, there was no electronic equipment, and definitely no surveillance devices. Judge was a smart man and wouldn't do something foolish under uncertain circumstances.
"Alright, stop pretending to be asleep," Once inside, Rosse pinched Sora's delicate nose.
"Mm…", Feeling unable to breathe, Sora uncomfortably squirmed and opened her eyes.
However, those once bright and shy beautiful eyes now showed a bit of emptiness.
Everything that happened today was simply too surreal for her.
True despair, nothing could be more than this.
Seeing Judge waiting at the door, with her intelligence, how could she not realize that Judge's targeting of her at the banquet was all to make her willingly serve Rosse?
A man, to curry favor with another man, actually offered his wife as a gift.
To outsiders, it might be a joke, but for Sora as the one involved, it made the whole world seem bleak.
"Why punish yourself for someone else's mistake?", Seeing Sora's broken expression, Rosse gave her a heavy smack.
The sudden force made the lower part of Sora's back ache, and her whole body jolted. She snapped out of her chaotic thoughts and turned her head to Rosse, asking, "Your Highness, you…"
Sora wanted to know Rosse's attitude. Since she could see through it, Rosse surely could as well.
Just as she wouldn't defy Judge before, now no matter what answer Rosse gave her, she wouldn't disobey Rosse.
She had just given herself to Rosse. That kind of joy was indescribable, but it was definitely the happiest experience of her life.
"You are charming, so I don't mind using some methods. But because you are charming, I want you to be willing," Rosse smiled faintly, giving Sora a vague answer.
Although the answer was vague, Sora still understood, and her eyes became more dreamy.
She didn't care whether Rosse knew Judge's plan. She only cared whether Rosse liked her and whether he also wanted to make her a slave.
Rosse's answer was already enough for her.
Perhaps it was the post-act euphoria, or maybe self-rescue after despair.
Sora didn't want to think deeper. She only wanted to quietly stay in Rosse's arms and enjoy this moment of peace.
———
[The Next Morning, at Dawn]
Rosse woke up from sleep, clearly feeling the soft body in his arms.
Thinking of last night's delicacy, the corners of Rosse's mouth couldn't help but curl up into a smile.
'Already has a child, yet still like a young girl, plus her gentle and weak temperament and perfect figure, last night was truly a feast.'
"Your Highness, you're awake?", A soft voice came from his embrace. Rosse looked down and met Sora's beautiful blue eyes.
Compared to yesterday's slightly tipsy Sora, today's Sora seemed even more shy and reserved.
"I'm awake. You look like you're in good spirits," Rosse's right hand gently slid down, caressing the two lazy white rabbits in his arms. [T/N: 😏]
Sleep wasn't a necessity for him now, but being full, drinking well, and sleeping while holding a beauty, without a doubt, it was a wonderful spiritual enjoyment.
"I slept well yesterday," Sora blushed slightly as she spoke, looking a bit shy.
Yesterday was liquid courage, but today she was fully sober. Even though she had already accepted Rosse in her heart, saying such things still made her uncomfortable.
After all, she had slept in Rosse's arms all night. Saying she slept well was like admitting she liked sleeping in his arms.
"If you like it, then do it," Rosse laughed heartily, not minding Sora's shyness at all.
Every time he saw this kind of contrast, it actually made him more interested.
After spending another two hours in the bedroom with Sora, Rosse finally held her and walked out of the room.
In the living room, Gion had already been waiting for a long time.
"Did Judge extract Vegapunk's brain yesterday?", Rosse asked.
"He didn't do the brain knowledge extraction experiment yesterday. He said he needed to ensure the brain's knowledge wouldn't be damaged," Gion explained.
When she wasn't with Rosse, Zephyr and Stella were watching over the lab. There was no chance of a problem.
Judge was ambitious, but Zephyr was a seasoned veteran. Whether in strength or experience, handling Judge was an easy task.
"Good day, madam," Sora beside them looked a bit uneasy upon seeing Gion, but still slightly bowed and saluted, her face carrying a hint of apology.
Yesterday during the introduction in the reception room, she had already learned that Gion was Rosse's first wife.
As for this kind of thing, Sora didn't really mind. The noble education she received from a young age told her that it was actually abnormal for royalty or nobles to only marry one wife.
And with her status, even if she was untouched, she wouldn't be worthy of Rosse, not to mention that she was now wearing the title of Princess Consort of the Germa Kingdom.
"Just call me Gion," Gion only gave Sora a slight nod, which counted as an acknowledgment.
Having known Rosse for so long, she was very familiar with his personality.
If someone could still be standing alive in front of her the next day, then that person was probably a companion brought by Rosse.
When it came to judging people, Gion quite admired Rosse. She had no worries that he would go after some gaudy and cheap women.
The only problematic one was Olvia, and even then, Rosse maintained a certain distance with her, never truly treating her as a confidant.
As for Sora, Gion mostly just felt pity.
Gion wasn't present for everything yesterday, but using her Observation Haki, she had basically seen the full picture.
It was a tragedy that Sora had been with that beast Judge.
Being able to stay by Rosse's side was already considered a stroke of good luck.
Sometimes, Gion even felt it was a bit absurd.
With her past understanding as a Marine soldier, the Celestial Dragons might have been called the creators of the world, but they were basically beasts wearing human skin. This was also a consensus shared secretly by most people in the world.
But Rosse, who was supposedly one of them, based on her recent experiences, unexpectedly still seemed like a human being.
These days, Gion had started to doubt whether there was something wrong with the world.
First, it was Olvia, who killed her companions and even her daughter just to study history. Then came the Pirate King Roger, who abandoned his wife and children just to start the Great Pirate Era. Lastly, Vegapunk, who would rather let the world suffer than stop the spread of technology.
And now they encountered Judge, who gave his wife to other men as a plaything just to obtain lineage factors.
These freakish individuals made Gion view some of Rosse's actions more favorably in comparison.
"Did you find anything yesterday?", Rosse couldn't really read Gion's expression. It didn't seem like a good one, so he quickly interrupted her train of thought.
Gion was the person he currently trusted the most, more than even Zephyr and Zanny.
This was a woman whose soul he had once touched. After so many days of communication, just from a single glance from Gion, he could tell if she was thinking something good or bad.
But precisely because they knew each other so well, Gion was also the most daring when it came to acting casually in front of him.
"I did. I recorded footage yesterday, but it involves Sora…", As Gion spoke, she glanced at Sora beside her.
"I'm fine, Gion, please play it directly," Sora shook her head calmly. She was a woman who stuck firmly to her beliefs.
She once recognized Judge that strongly, and now she recognized Rosse just as strongly.
Since Judge had already handed her over to Rosse, he shouldn't expect her to stand on his side again.
From today on, she belonged to Rosse.
"Alright," Gion was just going through the motions. She directly began playing yesterday's video. Judge's sorry state as he knelt on the ground searching for lineage factors was instantly shown to the group.
"That's kind of funny. What's he looking for? The trash we left from yesterday's meal?", Rosse chuckled. Of course he knew what Judge was doing, but that didn't stop him from mocking him.
"Your Highness, he should be searching for lineage factors," Sora pressed her lips together, watching Judge in the video. Her eyes showed realization, hatred, and relief, "Your Highness, there are roughly three mediums through which lineage factors can be extracted: blood, genetic cells, and flesh cells."
"In blood, the lineage factors have a shorter preservation time. Although they are more complete, their concentration is extremely low. Based on my observation, they're also more easily affected by environmental factors and thus become inactive."
"In flesh cells, the lineage factors are preserved for a longer time, and the concentration is higher, but the integrity is relatively lower."
"In genetic cells, the lineage factors are the best. They have the most complete and highest concentration, but they also deactivate the fastest. They can only be preserved for a longer time inside the human body."
'The only thing that can make Judge this attentive can only be Rosse's genetic cells.'
Sora spoke softly, and involuntarily lowered her head, gently rubbing her lower abdomen. Her soft and beautiful face revealed a trace of relief.
If she hadn't gotten pregnant yesterday, she might have fallen victim to Judge's scheme.
But even after she finished speaking, no one responded for a while.
This made her a little confused. When she looked up, she found both Rosse and Gion staring at her.
"Your Highness, Gion, what is it… is there something on my face?", Sora instinctively shrank back a little.
"No, I'm just curious. How do you know so much about lineage factors?", Rosse originally just liked Sora as a person. Now he felt he might have found a treasure.
In this world, scientific research talents were as rare as management talents. Having even one walk through the door was incredibly precious.
"I've read Judge's research notes and combined them with my own understanding. I'm not sure if what I'm saying is even correct," Sora shook her head anxiously. She didn't have much confidence in this area, but seeing that Rosse was still interested, she went on to explain, "Judge often mentioned this matter beside me because he wanted to erase Reiju and future children's emotions. I didn't want the children to lose their feelings, so I thought I should learn more."
"If Judge ever really found a way to erase emotions in the future, maybe I could secretly find a way to restore them. But now, that probably won't be needed."
Sora instinctively looked at Rosse, her sapphire eyes filled with endless tenderness.
With Rosse providing her protection, neither she nor Reiju had to live in fear anymore.
And even if she had more children in the future, they would be Jaygarcia Rosse's children. There was no way they'd be stripped of their emotions.
"It's great that you had this thought. I'd say you're quite gifted in this area," Whether or not Sora could actually do it, Rosse felt he should praise her more.
'What is that saying again? Interest is the best teacher.'
If Sora herself didn't believe she could do it, the road to studying science in the future would be filled with obstacles.
"Have you found a way to restore emotions?"
If Sora really had scientific talent, Rosse wouldn't mind nurturing a great female scientist.
And compared to Judge, Sora was clearly a much better investment.
"At the moment, it's only a hypothesis," When talking about things she wasn't very confident in, Sora looked a bit shy.
"I've seen Judge's research data, but I think his approach has problems. In his research, he refers to lineage factors as the treasure vault of the human body, the most precious source within. So in his thinking, once lineage factors are fully understood, the entire human body can be mastered."
"What's wrong with that?", Gion asked.
From the way Judge and Sora described lineage factors, Gion felt that fully understanding them might lead to the realm of creation itself.
"It's both right and wrong," Sora spoke softly. Rosse noticed that as she gradually opened up and talked about these subjects, there was a certain light in her eyes.
Rosse had seen and recognized that light before. People at the top of their fields in his past life, when they talked about their own expertise, their expressions would carry that same light.
Even if Sora was just a novice now, the way she looked when talking about science made Rosse firmly believe that as long as she kept going, her future would be bright.