AGMATSWHLMAR Chapter 14

Auston had never imagined he would receive such a comment about himself from someone else, and he glanced at Ruan Tang in surprise.

There were plenty of people in the world who called him eccentric, tyrannical, bloody, and cruel… but no one had ever called him pitiful…

Ruan Tang saw the surprise in his eyes and assumed he was wondering why he would feel pity for Duke Auston. But he didn’t intend to explain, only softly instructing, “Since you’re afraid of the Duke, it’s best if you don’t spout nonsense in the future. Later… when the Duke comes, try to avoid him. Serving by my side will be enough.”

Auston was stunned.

“If the butler asks, just say it was my idea,” Ruan Tang continued.

This impudent, reckless fool, he was truly afraid he’d meet a terrible end at the hands of that Bluebeard Duke.

Auston finally understood. Ruan Tang was actually concerned about him, concerned about an insignificant little manservant in the Duke’s manor. He immediately lightly curved his lips, cooperating, “Okay, thank you, Madam…”

Ruan Tang said nothing more, quietly scrolling through his personal terminal.

Auston quietly watched the pot of black tea on the table that Ruan Tang had barely touched, quietly took the tea away, and replaced it with a pot of coffee for Ruan Tang.

He remembered Ruan Tang saying that he preferred coffee.

…

In the evening, Ruan Tang had just taken a bath and was preparing to rest when Duke Auston, who had already come once in the morning, arrived again…

He pushed his wheelchair over and, without a word, began to touch Ruan Tang’s body, sniffing the pheromone scent on Ruan Tang as if he were taking drugs. After realizing that this madman had no ulterior motives and was simply there to see his beloved collection, Ruan Tang relaxed a lot, silently letting him inhale…

Their current situation seemed intimate and ambiguous, much like a prelude to something, but in reality, Ruan Tang felt like a pitiful, helpless little cat being kneaded, flattened, and frantically sucked…

And the madly inhaling Duke Auston, feeling his cold mask pressed against the back of his neck, intoxicatedly sucking, his hands still aimlessly groping all over his body…

Ruan Tang thought he was a bit like a silly dog.

Once Duke Auston had finished inspecting his territory and viewing his collection, he immediately pushed his wheelchair and left without a second glance, not even deigning to say a word to Ruan Tang, the caretaker.

Ruan Tang felt that his relationship with this newlywed husband was very lukewarm and unfamiliar…

But the Empress and Ruan Ming clearly didn’t think so. After learning from some unknown source that Auston was very interested in Ruan Tang, the Empress and Ruan Ming called Ruan Tang one after another…

“I knew you were a smart child. Your pheromone compatibility is so high, Auston will definitely like you. Look, even though you haven’t lived together yet, he already goes to see you morning and night… He’s never been so close to any Omega before,” the Empress’s tone was incredibly gentle, “You must seize the opportunity and have a child quickly…”

Ruan Tang didn’t know how to tell the Empress that he and Duke Auston weren’t familiar at all, “But, I…”

“But what?” The Empress interrupted him, patiently and softly saying, “Child, I know you’re afraid of Auston and don’t want to spend your life with him. I’m not asking you to spend your life with him, just hoping you can have a child with him. As long as you have a child, and our goal is achieved, you can be free, do you understand?”

“But, I don’t think Duke Auston understands that sort of thing. He simply treats me as a collection, admiring my skin and the scent of my pheromones…”

The Empress immediately said gently, “Whether he understands or not doesn’t matter, as long as he’s willing to be close to you… you can guide him, let him understand. Just accomplishing this is enough, do you understand? Child.”

The Empress’s tone was very gentle, but Ruan Tang heard the order and decisiveness within it.

“…Yes, Your Majesty, I understand.” So, Ruan Tang could only obediently respond in a low voice.

He couldn’t refuse the Empress’s orders.

Ruan Tang was quite clear about his role. He was nominally Duke Auston’s wife, but in reality, he was just a birthing tool selected and sent to Duke Auston after the Ruan Family and the Empress’s family reached a consensus, a tool with a decent family background, pure bloodline, and high pheromone compatibility.

His husband was said to be immensely powerful, but in reality, he was just a difficult madman… who probably didn’t understand things like liking or disliking, or emotions at all…

To move him, to make him listen to him and love him to death with pheromones, as they say in dramas, was even harder than ascending to heaven.

This Duke was crazy.

If he really attracted his attention, he might be played to death.

That was also why his good father was so confident in marrying him, who had no good feelings for Auston, to Duke Auston. With this marriage and such a husband, even the most capable Omega would have no room to use their abilities. Even whether they had thoughts or not was unimportant, as long as they could give birth…

The real power was always in the hands of the Empress and Ruan Ming. This was their exchange of benefits.

As for Ruan Tang himself, although the Ruan Family and the Empress were still ostensibly protecting him, in reality, even if Duke Auston killed him, the Ruan Family and the Empress wouldn’t do much. They might even help Duke Auston destroy the evidence and find a reason to say he died of illness.

Even if he offended Duke Auston and was dismembered into eight pieces, only he would die. With the Empress around, it was impossible to implicate the Ruan Family.

And the idea that Duke Auston would fall in love with him, that he would gain favor with Auston, and then go back and use Duke Auston to attack his scumbag father was even more impossible…

With such a crazy person as Duke Auston, the possibility was zero.

He was still alive, and the Empress’s forces were still willing to protect him from danger, all because he was a member of the Ruan Family.

As for the Empress’s talk of sharing wealth and power with him and jointly owning the empire after he gave birth to a child, that was even more empty talk. Ruan Tang didn’t believe a word of it. If the Empress’s grandson really ascended to the throne in the future, the only ones who could get a share of the pie would be the Ruan Family, who held power and contributed to the Empress’s family, not him, the birthing tool who wasn’t even valued in life or death…

Ruan Tang was too clear about his role.

Who would care about the life, death, joy, or anger of a tool? No matter how nicely the Empress spoke, she was just dangling a carrot in front of him, making him, the tool, work harder for her and fully demonstrate his value.

Only a fool would believe her.

Ruan Tang wasn’t a fool, so from the beginning, he hadn’t planned to work hard in the direction hoped for by the Empress and the Ruan Family. But he couldn’t disobey the Empress’s orders.

Because he was just a tool. If he defied the Empress now, she wouldn’t do anything to him since he was newly married, but over time, the Empress would probably find a way to make him ‘die of illness’ and replace him with a more convenient tool…

And his husband, Duke Auston, not only wouldn’t do anything about it, but the madman might even be happy that he could finally peel off his skin and cut off his glands.

A wolf in front and a tiger behind, that was Ruan Tang’s current situation.

Thinking of everything the Empress had said, Ruan Tang felt a headache coming on. But he was always someone who didn’t like to force himself or put himself in a state of suppressed emotions.

So, he decided to go to sleep first.

The next morning, Ruan Tang was awakened by Duke Auston, who had come to suck his glands and touch his skin.

After being nervously sucked and touched, seeing that Auston still silently withdrew his hand as he had last night and was about to push his wheelchair away.

“…Wait a moment, Your Grace,” Ruan Tang immediately grabbed Auston’s hand.

Whether it was useful or not, he had to let the Empress see his efforts.

Auston seemed to have not expected Ruan Tang to be so bold as to grab him, and he immediately looked at Ruan Tang coldly.

Through the mask, the feeling of his gaze was like being stared at by a venomous snake spitting its tongue, making one’s hair stand on end and sending chills down one’s spine.

His voice was hoarse, “What is it?”