Otherworldly Companions: Every Handsome Man is Extraordinary

Chapter 280 No Chance

The Ocean Empire is warm and spring-like all year round, unlike the Forest Empire which has a long, hot and humid rainy season. Here, the breeze is gentle and the rain is light, making it mild and pleasant.

Chen Xin sat in a tall pavilion, gazing at the distant sea. The vast ocean was breathtaking.

The pavilion, built on a high reef, is part of the royal palace that extends into the sea. When Chen Xin first arrived, she was attracted by this secluded place far away from the important palaces.

Since arriving at the palace, she has been forced to separate from her husbands, and Gilbert and his family have been placed in a castle on the outskirts of the capital.

Although they were not restricted from entering the palace to visit her, and were allowed to take turns staying there for a short time, the approval process was very complicated and required a pass.

As for her, she was not even allowed to leave the palace. She was only allowed one chance a month to go shopping outside the palace, and she was not allowed to stay overnight outside.

That's incredibly domineering.

It was called a visit and a marriage alliance, but it was practically a disguised form of house arrest.

Chen Xin almost ground her teeth to powder; she had no way to reason with him. The old emperor was in poor health and had long since stopped seeing guests. Turner was busy with state affairs every day and used the excuse of gender differences as a shield, never coming to see her at all.

Since entering the palace, she has only met her future husband, Turner Julia, a handful of times.

All the mental preparation and prior planning seemed to be completely useless.

Chen Xin sat there dejectedly. The arrogance she had displayed when she first entered the palace had completely vanished. Even dressed in magnificent palace attire, she looked like a defeated peacock.

Chen Xin felt like she was trapped in a giant net, completely clueless and with no way out. She began to understand why Jiang Yu had reacted so strongly when she learned about this; she had oversimplified everything.

Thinking of Jiang Yu, she couldn't help but call out, "An, are you there?"

A dark figure appeared silently beside the pillar opposite Chen Xin. Chen Xin looked over and saw that the person had lowered his eyes and his ordinary face and somewhat slender figure for a man made him very inconspicuous. She did not know that after undergoing the devilish training of Keslan, An's skills and ability to hide were far beyond what they used to be.

This was originally a shield that Keslan had carefully crafted for Jiang Yu, but Jiang Yu handed it over to her.

No matter how many times Chen Xin has seen it, she is still amazed by this near-invisibility ability.

"An, I want to know what Prince Turner is doing." Chen Xin asked the question she was most interested in, out of boredom.

"His Highness is handling state affairs in his study. Yesterday he went on an inspection tour of the suburbs, and the day before he went to the garrison headquarters and also met with the Minister of Finance." The emotionless voice rang out flatly, reminding Chen Xin of AI from later generations.

"Hmm, you know quite a lot. It seems this palace holds no secrets for you." Chen Xin relaxed somewhat. "Rounding it off means it holds no secrets for me either. Your knowledge is the same as my knowledge, isn't it?"

"Xiao Yu really prepared a sharp blade for me!"

But before she could completely relax, An poured cold water on her.

"At the same time, you have no secrets from His Highness Turner."

"?" Chen Xin's mouth was still open when she was choked by these words. She raised her finger tremblingly and pointed at An: "What...what do you mean by this?"

An seemed to glance at her quickly, strangely making her aware of a certain helpless emotion. She only heard his calm, unwavering voice continue: "His Highness Turner is not on guard against me because it is unnecessary. As it stands, all our actions and intentions are under His Highness's control. He doesn't care at all about your interest in and spying on him. I was just fortunate enough to be trained by the Chief of Keslan for a short period of time. The Shadow Servant Chief by His Highness's side can be considered half of the Chief of Keslan's teacher."

"Ah..." Chen Xin pouted, but before she could say anything, she heard An continue, "Lord Jiang Yu gave me to you not as a weapon. At most, I can only be your shield to protect your life. With my strength, if Your Highness... that person really wants to harm you, I cannot protect you, even if it costs me my life."

An calmly said, "But you don't need to worry too much. As long as Lord Jiangyu wants to protect you, you will definitely be safe and sound."

"I didn't realize you were so talkative, and quite enthusiastic." Chen Xin pouted, feeling even more helpless about her situation.

To be honest, before coming here, she had imagined a thousand different scenarios for meeting Prince Turner. What young girl doesn't dream of love, especially when her future husband is a young emperor destined to be remembered for all time?

Even though he has an ordinary appearance, his heart is as deep as the sea.

Even though her close friend repeatedly warned her to be wary, saying that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.

She still couldn't suppress the budding thoughts that were welling up in her heart.

It wasn't that she wanted to do anything in particular. She clearly remembered why she entered the palace, and she understood that her actions and those of her friend were intertwined. She also didn't forget her original intention to protect Jiang Yu and become her friend's eyes and ears.

But she still harbored some wishful thinking: what if she was the heroine in a fairy tale? What if she was Turner's unique individual? What if she could use love to break through these cold conspiracies and schemes?

She was also thinking that the next emperor, who had no interest in love, was just a minor, and perhaps she could attract his attention without much effort?

Unfortunately, Turner didn't give her any chance at all. During their first meeting, he kept a great distance from her, saying it was for her reputation, but his eyes were filled with cold indifference.

Although he didn't look down on her, he didn't take her seriously either, as if she were just an ornament or a toy.

He commissioned countless gowns, jewelry, and gifts befitting her new status, which were then continuously delivered to her palace. No one could deny Turner's dedication, yet he was clearly using a high-sounding excuse to keep her at arm's length.

Chen Xin slumped down for a while, and when her gaze fell on the small blanket draped over her lap, she stared at the exquisite pattern of large fish and vines embroidered on it, lost in thought.

A giant fish, symbolizing the ocean empire, is surrounded by magical vines, symbolizing the forest empire.

We cannot accept our fate like this. We must never give in like this.

she thinks.

She was not present at the time, but the memory of the tragic end of the previous Mrs. Tiny still sends chills down her spine.

No matter how noble one's status, it can still be crushed into dust in the face of political conflict, let alone her family background which is completely insignificant.

I absolutely must not fall into such a situation.

Chen Xin told herself that if love couldn't be her weapon, then she should find another way as soon as possible.

Turner is not a god after all; he is certainly not without flaws or weaknesses.