The Whole Empire Thinks The Admiral Wants To Steal The Bride - Extra 1.7

　
Extra 1.7 – The First Moment When
He Fell In Love

☆☆、Chapter 32 – The Secret Love Story of the Fran Empire (End)☆☆、

　　After rushing out of Glenn’s dormitory, Joshua’s brain almost went into a state of mental breakdown. He walked aimlessly in the base for a long time – today was a day off from training, and no one would bother him.

　　By the time he reacted, there was a dilapidated metal fence door in front of him.

　　This is the southwest corner of the base, adjacent to a wide coniferous forest. Joshua raised his eyes and observed for a while, then reached out and touched the red rust on the surface of the metal fence, and then involuntarily retracted his fingers.

　　……difficult to handle.

　　This remote little gate had been abandoned for who knows how many years. Its structure is primitive, its appearance is rough, and it is too simple to be a product of this era. Then again, there are not many facilities on the entire Shizukumi planet that look like something built after the Third Galactic Era.

　　Dilapidated and backward are synonymous with this place.

　　The metal fence in front of him had been oxidized for too long and the material was brittle. Joshua kicked it casually and actually kicked off a bar.

　　The young crown prince was in a bad mood and kicked him a few more times as if looking for trouble.

　　——This time, the fence gate didn’t move at all. It seemed that it was just an accident.

　　Joshua paused for a moment, then somehow managed to get out of the hole. He brushed off the rust on his combat uniform and curled his lips anxiously.

　　In fact, he regretted it for a second when he slipped through the gap in the fence. After all, according to military regulations, he would be put in solitary confinement for three to fourteen days after returning.

　　But so what? Just shut it down.

　　Joshua made a self-deprecating “tsk” sound and walked into the abandoned path, heading deep into the forest.

　　His reason told him that Glenn had done nothing wrong, and the other party even treated him normally after learning his identity.

　　But now, he couldn’t convince himself that this normalcy came from the other party’s true heart.

　　‘Yeah, how is this possible?’

　　How can anyone treat everyone equally, no matter if they are nobles or commoners, no matter their status or background? It doesn’t make sense.

　　But his sensibility reminded him at the same time: Hey, that man is Glenn Sasir.

　　The other party had risked his life and suffered injuries to save him before knowing his identity, just like he had treated those people he had helped before. Perhaps that person was such an exception.

　　What did the other party say just now? ‘I thought you didn’t want me to know’. Even the words were so perfect.

　　But everyone who heard it may feel that this statement is damn sincere.

　　Joshua sighed with mixed feelings. He bent down and rubbed his sore knees, then sat down under a tree with his eyes squinted.

　　Shizukumi has only a narrow mid-latitude land suitable for the planet’s people to station, so it has become a military planet. The industrial pollution here is very low, the air in the forest is very good, the oxygen content is appropriate, and occasionally there are clear calls of birds from afar, which are even more pleasant in the silence.

　　He had already walked quite a distance at this point, and his legs, which had not yet recovered from the aftereffects of training, were screaming with fatigue – his excessive concern for Glenn had consumed a lot of his free time, and he was quite lacking in rest.

　　Joshua recalled the moment after the mecha exploded, the moment when the opponent disappeared from his sight and he was at a loss, and his five fingers unconsciously clenched into fists.

　　After just a short while, he regretted his action.

　　He was acting like a brat.

　　‘If I could do it again… If I could do it again…’

　　Joshua thought about this in annoyance and yawned involuntarily.

　　——He leaned against a tree and fell into a deep sleep.

　　•=|=•

　　When Joshua opened his eyes again, it was dark.

　　The night in the dense forest is very dark. Through the branches, you can see the sky full of stars, big and small, twinkling far and near. It is hundreds of times more beautiful than the night sky of the capital.

　　In addition, there was a burning bonfire in front of him.

　　…Oh, and not just bonfires.

　　There was a tall, half-naked young man sitting in front of the bonfire.

　　Joshua’s eyes swept from the well-shaped collarbone to the well-proportioned abdominal muscles – ‘I don’t know when I can have such a good figure’ – His Royal Highness the Crown Prince thought unsatisfyingly.

　　He supported himself on the ground with one hand and crushed a few dry and hard fallen leaves. A crisp “crackling” sound was heard in the air.

　　Glenn, who was fiddling with something in his hands, heard the noise and turned around in the light of the fire: “Awake?”

　　The tone of this question is quite serious.

　　Joshua woke up instantly, sat up straight, and found that he was wearing a thick combat jacket.

　　Thinking of the young man’s naked upper body, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pursed his lips a little embarrassedly and said softly, “Thank you.”

　　”Yeah.” Glenn took the combat uniform and put it on. “You should thank me.”

　　Joshua raised his eyes.

　　”Lance came to see me today,” Lance is the officer responsible for Joshua’s personal safety, “He said you were missing.”

　　Glenn sighed briefly, skipping over the difficult, anxious, and exhausting search process, and said in a deep voice, “This forest is not as safe as you think. Don’t run out alone next time.”

　　Joshua nodded awkwardly, suddenly not knowing what to say.

　　The other party must have been looking for him for a long time – and not just the other party. What he did today was too impulsive, and even unworthy of the education he had received.

　　He had long been aware that the heir to a country could not do whatever he wanted.

　　Today, he forgot.

　　”I’m sorry,” Joshua said sincerely, “for everything that happened today.”

　　”No.” Glenn finally smiled.

　　He was still too thin at the time, and his facial features were too hard. When he smiled, his lines softened, revealing half of his future handsomeness. “It’s me who should apologize. I’m sorry, Joshua.”

　　He called him Joshua.

　　Joshua then blushed and shook his head, stumbling: “You didn’t do anything wrong… It was me, I did something inappropriate, I’m sorry.”

　　This time Glenn laughed out loud.

　　”Let’s stop here. Are we going to apologize all night long?”

　　”……”

　　Joshua: No, not at all.

　　Glenn sat down across from Joshua with a relaxed demeanor and asked, “Is your birthmark real?”

　　”No, it’s fake.”

　　”You are very handsome. Oh, I mean, you are handsome even with a birthmark.”

　　”…Thank you, you too.”

　　Glenn paused for a moment and said, “I’m sorry, Bernard said I don’t understand the ways of the world, which may have caused you trouble.” He thought for a moment and then said, “But I always thought that most people in the world find it difficult to trust others.”

　　Joshua nodded, not wanting to explain his inexplicable blind faith. He coughed twice and asked curiously, “Do you also have a hard time trusting others?”

　　Glenn blinked. “Maybe, but I always tell the truth.”

　　Joshua shook his head and almost blurted out: “This is impossible. To this day, no one knows where you are from, where your home is, who your parents are, what you have experienced…”

　　”How could that be?” Glenn put his right hand on his chin, looking even more incredulous than Joshua. “You try asking.”

　　”Really? You’re going to tell the truth?”

　　”Certainly.”

　　Joshua leaned forward, eager to find a start: “Where are you from?”

　　”A remote galaxy.”

　　”Be more specific.”

　　”Ah, the Heli Galaxy.”

　　Joshua: “…” I haven’t heard of it.

　　”What is your family situation?”

　　”No.”

　　”No?”

　　Glenn smiled and said, “I am an orphan, and was thrown on a recycling planet in the Heli system.”

　　The recycling planet is the place where each galaxy recycles interstellar garbage and disposes of it in a unified manner.

　　”Sorry,” Joshua said, suppressing the surprise on his face.

　　”It’s nothing. Please don’t apologize anymore, please.” Glenn waved his hand nonchalantly. “I have a teacher – he is also my adoptive father, he treats me well.”

　　”Did he also give you your name?” Joshua asked carefully.

　　”Yeah, the last name too. Looks like it was copied from a book.”

　　”……” Joshua praised, “It sounds very nice.” It also sounded a little familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

　　”Thank you.” Glenn blinked again.

　　His dark eyes were beautiful and bright in the firelight.

　　The fourteen-year-old Joshua was struck by a knowing blow. He inexplicably felt that the young man in front of him, who was much older than him, looked very cute.

　　”Why did you choose to join the army?” he asked again.

　　”Hmm…” Glenn thought for a while and said in distress, “I don’t know.”

　　”You have no idea?”

　　”Yes,” the young lieutenant smiled, “Initially, it should have been for survival.”

　　Initially? Joshua searched carefully in his mind – in the year 2991 of the third universe era, Glenn signed up for the army.

　　2991…Heli Galaxy, it turns out to be the Heli Galaxy.

　　That year, a great war took place between the Fran Empire and the House Empire. Because of that, the Heri Galaxy no longer exists in the universe anymore.

　　——All the life forms there had either been relocated or gone extinct, and they had become the ruins of one planet after another at the border of Fran and House.

　　Joshua was silent for a while before he said, “You must have been very sad when your hometown was destroyed.”

　　”Not really.” Glenn shook his head. “My teacher had passed away a few years before that. I always go from one place to another, and I’m used to it.”

　　What did he get used to? Joshua did not ask further.

　　Glenn went on to say: “I don’t really like the Heli system, even though I grew up there. But I really like the military camp. How should I put it… Everyone is very friendly and life is easy.”

　　The pampered Omega Crown Prince opposite him did not think that life in the military camp was easy, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince still agreed.

　　”Fran’s army is the most cohesive.”

　　”Yes, I believe it.” Glenn poked the fire with his eyes squinting, making it burn more vigorously. “I am willing to do something for it. My teacher taught me to repay kindness with an eye for an eye. I must also be grateful for kindness.”

　　—Well, even if the purpose of this is to get the younger children to do the work for him.

　　Not knowing where he got the courage or inspiration, Joshua asked in a low voice:

　　”Who are you fighting for now, Lieutenant?”

　　The air returned to silence, with only the crackling sound of the campfire.

　　After a long while, the 19-year-old black-haired young man frowned and hesitated: “I don’t know, I’m just doing what I want to do.”

　　He is one of the bravest and kindest warriors in the Fran Empire, but country, people, companions, justice, ideals, power… so many profound words, none of them could be his answer.

　　Joshua held his breath gently as he grasped Glenn’s right hand, which was exposed from his sleeve.

　　He spoke seriously, “Second Lieutenant, I swear – I will do my best to make Fran the most prosperous country in the universe. If so, are you willing to follow me and fight for the glory of Fran and its people?”

　　Glenn’s lips parted slightly, and they stared at each other quietly under the stars.

　　•=|=•

　　Many years later, Joshua was dizzy thinking in the wedding hall – that might be the first moment he fell in love with the man in front of him.

　　He was attracted by his brightness and warmth, but was frustrated by that tiny, fragile confusion.