Chapter 7

Duke Auston’s mansion was built on a site he himself had chosen, located in the most desolate part of the entire bustling Imperial Star, covering a vast area of over two thousand mu.

But it didn’t give one the impression of a luxurious noble estate; instead, it was gloomy and exuded a putrid aura, sending chills down the spine.

On this pitch-black night, not a single streetlamp was lit within the grounds.

As the hovercar sped along, faster and farther, shadows of trees flashing before Ruan Tang’s eyes, he felt as if he were riding a train heading straight for hell.

The Empress’s personal maid knocked on the tightly shut black gate.

The moment the door opened, a wave of cold, damp air rushed out, making it seem more like a tomb for ghosts and vampires than a residence for the living.

“Good evening, Miss Anna.” The steward, with his head full of white hair, was said to be the only fully able-bodied person in the mansion. Seeing the Empress’s trusted subordinate, he immediately bowed respectfully to them.

“Hello, Butler Andre.” Anna smiled at the butler and introduced: “This is the duke’s newlywed duchess. I am delivering the lady on behalf of Her Majesty the Empress.”

The butler immediately bowed again to Ruan Tang with great respect: “Greetings, my esteemed Duchess. From now on, I will be at your service. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

With those words, a robot servant with a missing right hand came forward to carry Ruan Tang’s luggage…

Duke Auston, being disabled himself, could not stand seeing whole and hale people in his mansion. Apart from the elderly butler, even the robots he used were damaged.

This personal preference was both strange and unsettling.

Ruan Tang discreetly observed this bizarre mansion and replied softly, “Yes.”

…

At that moment, the master of the mansion, Auston—known as the Bluebeard Duke—was listlessly sitting in his wheelchair, watching a three-dimensional projection that made him feel as if he were personally witnessing various brutal ancient torture methods reenacted with bloody violence…

“My lord, tonight is your wedding night. The Duchess has arrived. You should go down soon…” By his side, his one-handed personal valet Aaron, seeing his master in a tolerable mood, tentatively urged Auston to go.

Auston was completely languid, as if nothing in the world could spark even a trace of interest in him. He asked, “Go down for what?”

His only hobbies were bloodshed and violence.

Only when reveling in blood and violence did he feel alive.

As for the creature known as an Omega, he had no interest whatsoever, and even wanted to keep his distance.

This time, though he was reluctantly forced into marriage by the Empress, in truth he didn’t even want to lay eyes on his so-called nominal partner…

After being repeatedly warned by the Empress that he must not treat the Omega as a toy to torment or frighten, Auston lost even more interest in the Omega.

He had even been too lazy to attend his own wedding banquet.

In his current view, allowing the Omega to live in his mansion and share the same residence was already the greatest concession he could make.

To expect him to go down to meet him, to mark him… that was pure wishful thinking.

“…Well, the Duchess is the greatest beauty in the Imperial Star! Don’t you want to go down and see for yourself?” Aaron was somewhat at a loss for words, but tried his best to pique Auston’s interest in Ruan Tang.

Auston, however, was unenthusiastic: “What’s there to see?”

In his eyes, all Omegas in the world were the same—didn’t they all have two eyes and one nose?

“Well… if you don’t go down, what will the Duchess do? Where will he sleep?” Aaron couldn’t find any more words, feeling he couldn’t steer the madman’s thinking.

Without a second thought, Auston said, “What’s there to ask? Go down now and just tell Andre to find some place for him to sleep. That settles it.”

His attitude toward his spouse was no better than toward a dog.

Aaron was speechless. “…”

Seeing that he wasn’t obeying, Auston frowned deeply, gave him a cold glare, and commanded, “Well? Hurry up!”

Aaron was startled, terrified of provoking this demon’s anger, and immediately rushed downstairs to carry out the difficult task. “…Yes, yes.”

After Aaron left, the vast study was left with only Auston. He was growing bored with the video and was about to lift his hand to switch to another.

So dull: he had watched this video so many times it had lost all appeal.

He didn’t like it anymore.

Just as he was about to change the video, his hand slipped for some reason, and he switched to the mansion’s surveillance feed.

The surveillance automatically focused on the areas where living people were present. At that moment, Butler Andre and Anna were leading Ruan Tang upstairs.

Auston was about to turn off the surveillance feed, but the moment he casually looked up at the projection to operate the light brain, he was completely stunned.

His gaze inadvertently fell upon the unfamiliar Omega’s face.

Just one look made his body tremble slightly, and his pupils instantly contracted.

The Omega’s skin was still clearly visible in the projection, smooth and delicate as fine silk; his short black hair was as dark and glossy as ink.

His whole person was as exquisite as if he had stepped out of a painting, yet he radiated a bone-piercing chill.

Cold and aloof as if carved from ice, which should have made one feel cold, but Auston suddenly felt his scalp tingle, and his whole body became aroused.

He hadn’t been this excited in a long time; even the most bloody and violent videos had failed to bring him pleasure for ages.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, just one look at the Omega made him feel as if an electric current had run through his body, intensely aroused…

…

At that moment, Ruan Tang was under Butler Andre’s guidance, briefly familiarizing himself with the mansion. Butler Andre and Anna were speaking in his ear, taking turns introducing Auston’s preferences and instructing Ruan Tang on how to attract Auston’s attention and win his favor…

Although the Empress’s purpose in having Ruan Tang marry Auston was to let him bear a child, without Auston’s cooperation, that matter could never come to pass.

Because of Auston’s uncooperativeness, the Empress had worn herself out worrying about not having a grandchild.

Previously, the Empress had certainly considered directly injecting an Omega with a release agent, sending them straight into Heat Period and shutting them in a room with Auston to consummate the matter, without caring at all what Auston thought.

But this method, long before Ruan Tang, the Empress had already experimented with several Omegas—

Making them enter Auston’s room during heat, locking Auston together with them, trying to force Auston into heat and mark them.

But the result was—

Although Auston was a madman, his spirit power was overwhelmingly strong. What he didn’t want, no one could force on him.

Locked in with Omegas in heat, not only did he not mark them under the control of physiological desire, but he showed no mercy and unleashed his spirit pressure on those Omegas in heat.

He directly drove several Omegas insane.

Thus he earned the reputation of the Bluebeard Duke.

The Empress had no choice; she finally realized she could not force this son of hers, and without his willing cooperation, nothing could be accomplished.

Therefore, she had to take a roundabout approach, planning to let Auston marry and find him an Omega whose family background, appearance, and compatibility rate all matched his, hoping that through time together, Auston might develop some feelings and then naturally mark him and produce a grandchild.

And Ruan Tang was the one the Empress had meticulously selected—

The most suitable candidate to be the Duchess of Auston.

“His Grace has quite special tastes; he enjoys things that are bloody, violent, and extremely cruel. I know this is difficult for you, but in order to resonate with him and make him take a liking to you… I think you could pretend to like these things, act very interested, and cultivate common hobbies with him…” Anna chattered in his ear. “I’ve sent some beginner-level videos to your mailbox; you can watch them first to get used to it…”

Ruan Tang responded with seeming receptiveness: “Alright, alright.”

But in truth, he let her words go in one ear and out the other, not taking in a single word.

He was far from the ambitious person others imagined him to be. As long as his own life was not in danger, and he could ensure the safety of his mother, elder sister, and brother, he had no desire to actively attack others if they didn’t provoke him.

The Empress and his wonderful father were bound to be disappointed. In fact, the moment he married into the Auston Ducal Palace, Ruan Tang had already decided that unless Duke Auston came to him on his own initiative, or his suppressant failed during heat…

Otherwise, not only did he not want to approach the duke, he even wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.

Just as the butler and Anna were earnestly advising and teaching Ruan Tang how to attract Auston,

“Duchess, Butler, Miss Anna…” Aaron came downstairs looking troubled, frowning as he bowed to them.

The butler looked at him in surprise: “Aaron, aren’t you attending to the duke? Why are you down here?”

“His Grace instructed me to inform you that it’s late, and you should arrange accommodations for the Duchess soon.” Aaron cast a sympathetic look at Ruan Tang, distressed over how to convey Auston’s meaning tactfully without hurting Ruan Tang’s feelings.

How pitiful.

Such a beautiful Omega, yet their duke had no idea how to cherish him, and was going to leave him alone in an empty room.

“And the duke?” Anna immediately frowned and questioned Aaron.

Aaron sighed inwardly, not knowing how to say that the duke wasn’t coming down and the duchess should sleep alone without upsetting Ruan Tang. “The duke is…”

Just then, the door of the private elevator on that floor—specially installed for Auston’s convenience—suddenly opened.

A tall man in black clothes and a mask was sitting in a wheelchair being pushed out of the elevator by a robot behind him. His voice was low and slightly hoarse as he spoke: “Long time no see, Lady Anna.”

“Your Highness…”

“My lord…” The butler, Anna, and Aaron bowed to him simultaneously.

Auston was the eldest son of the Emperor and Empress. Even though he had lost his position as crown prince, he was still the empire’s first prince. But after becoming a duke, he no longer allowed others to address him as the first prince; only his ducal title was permitted.

Only those close to the Emperor and Empress still called him Your Highness.

Through his mask, he gave Anna and the others only a brief glance before turning his arrogant, icy gaze directly and unabashedly onto Ruan Tang.

Although he wore a mask that hid his face, his whole demeanor gave off a feeling of decadence and gloom.

Being stared at so unabashedly made Ruan Tang feel as if he were being watched by a venomous snake.

“Your Highness, allow me to introduce you. This is…” Anna, sensing the strange atmosphere, was about to introduce Ruan Tang to Auston.

But Auston gave her no chance to speak, directly interrupting her, still staring fixedly at Ruan Tang: “You’re Ruan Tang?”

Before coming downstairs, he had checked the name of his current spouse on his marriage record.

“Yes, my lord.” Ruan Tang immediately guessed that the man in the wheelchair was his never-before-met nominal husband, Duke Auston.

Faced with Auston’s probing stare, Ruan Tang remained completely composed.

He knew that the way madmen looked at people was different from normal people, and having spent so much time with his mother and elder sister…

Ruan Tang didn’t find this gaze, which would terrify any normal person, the least bit sinister or frightening.