Chapter 8

Auston's gaze was fixed on Ruan Tang's face with undisguised intensity.

Ruan Tang did not dodge or evade, letting himself be examined. Since childhood, he had known he was good-looking, so whether it was the stare of a madman or a gaze of stunned admiration falling upon him…

He had long grown accustomed to it.

“…You are truly beautiful.” Auston spoke as if to himself, staring fixedly at him.

Ruan Tang remained completely unruffled.

The butler and Anna, however, brightened immediately.

They were delighted that Ruan Tang had already captured Auston's interest without them having to do a thing.

Indeed, Ruan Tang's beauty and the 95% Pheromone Matching Rate between them were no lie… Even though Duke Auston was a madman, he was still an Alpha.

The butler opened his mouth to say something that would bring Ruan Tang and Auston together: “My lord…”

But before their joy could settle, Auston's next sentence made all of them draw in a sharp breath.

“Your skin is so delicate, like the finest silk. If it were peeled off and made into a beauty lamp, it would surely be beautiful and worth collecting…” His tone was airy, his eyes fixed on Ruan Tang as if envisioning how he might flay him.

Auston seemed to catch a scent; he closed his eyes in deep rapture, inhaling the cold, sharp fragrance in the air that was neither orchid nor plum. Enraptured, he said, “You smell wonderful too. Is that your Pheromone? I think if your gland were cut out and made into a perfume, it would be a most precious fragrance…”

He felt he had said nothing shocking—just perfectly normal things.

Yet the butler, Anna, and Aaron at the scene were horrified, gasping, barely daring to breathe: “My lord…”

Indeed, a madman was a madman; he could not be judged by normal logic.

The Empress is truly…

How could they send an Omega for such a man to ruin?

And as the one being imagined flayed and gland-cut, hearing Auston's eerie, spine-chilling words, Ruan Tang himself appeared far more composed…

“Thank you for the compliment.” Ruan Tang's expression did not change, his voice calm. “But I'm afraid you cannot do this…”

He had long known that the one he married was not normal, so he had no expectations for this spouse, and even had anticipated something like this.

Having spent much time with his mother and elder sister, Ruan Tang knew that a madman's words should not be taken seriously; after all, the royal family and the people of the ducal palace would never actually let him kill him, flay him, or cut out his gland.

Thus, no matter how terrifying Auston's words, Ruan Tang felt he could take them as a madman's unique form of praise.

“Why?” Auston looked at him curiously through his mask with azure eyes.

From childhood to now, everyone had obeyed him, feared him, dreaded him. Ruan Tang was the first person who not only showed no fear but also directly refused him.

This made him even more excited.

“You think my skin is beautiful because it grows on me, covering my flesh and blood. If you peel it off, it will no longer look as it does now. The same goes for my gland: it emits its fragrance because I am alive, because it is attached to me…” Ruan Tang looked steadily at the eyes behind the mask, speaking as if stating facts. “If you cut it out, perhaps it will no longer smell the way it does now.”

Facing a madman like Auston, he was almost disturbingly calm, discussing his own skin and gland as if they were nothing extraordinary.

It was more like an adult telling a child which toys could not be dismantled.

The butler and the other two listened to their conversation, which seemed to be on the same wavelength, and grew increasingly horrified.

Looking at this very beautiful duchess, they suddenly felt that he too might not be quite normal…

How could a normal person act like this?

Auston seemed momentarily stumped by Ruan Tang, falling into a kind of confusion.

After a long pause, he muttered to himself, “How could that be? I would preserve them very carefully, using the most expensive and advanced techniques. I would never let your skin change, nor your gland lose its scent…”

Such beautiful things, he wanted to possess.

Once obtained, he would treasure them, keep them safe, and never let them be damaged in the slightest.

After all, such fine skin was beyond anything he had ever seen, and the fragrance on Ruan Tang was one he had never smelled before—a special scent that inexplicably drew him in…

So special, so alluring…

“Let me ask you another question. Why do you want to peel off my skin and cut out my gland?” Ruan Tang listened to him describe how he would preserve his skin and gland, speaking as if he had already flayed him and removed his gland. His tone remained as calm as ever.

Auston answered without hesitation, “For collecting, of course.”

His skin was so beautiful, his scent so special…

He wanted to possess it.

“Now that I am married to you, I am your legal partner, already yours.” Ruan Tang remained calm and composed. “Even if you peel off my skin and cut out my gland, you would still need to preserve them properly, and it would be far less effective than leaving them on me…”

Ruan Tang felt as if he had become the vizier's daughter from One Thousand and One Nights, who told tales to the tyrant every night to soothe him. “My entire being is already yours. Whenever you wish to see my skin or smell my Pheromone, you can come and look, come and smell. There is no need to go to such trouble to separate them from me.”

“Your whole being is mine?” Auston murmured, seeming to be swayed by his logic.

Ruan Tang answered without hesitation, “Yes, my entire being belongs to you. Therefore, I will take good care of my skin and gland on your behalf. I believe no one in the entire Empire could be more attentive and proper in preserving them than I… Please rest assured.”

He had always known that a madman's logic could not be judged by normal standards, and also knew that the royal family and the people of the Auston Ducal Palace would never allow this madman to harm him.

But living day and night under the same roof with someone who wanted to flay him and cut out his gland was still unsettling.

Therefore, Ruan Tang chose to bamboozle Auston.

Ruan Tang felt he had some experience dealing with psychotics.

Auston sat listlessly in his wheelchair, silent for a long time, as if he had been convinced.

“It's getting late. I'd like to rest.” Seeing this, Ruan Tang took the initiative and looked at the butler. “Mr. Butler, could you please take me to my quarters?”

He had become Duke Auston's legal partner, the other master of this ducal palace.

Now that one of the masters of this palace was a madman, Ruan Tang felt he could try to assert some authority.

The butler cautiously glanced at Auston and, seeing no objection, stepped forward, bowed, and led the way: “Yes, Your Grace. Please follow me.”

Ruan Tang's room had been prepared by the butler according to Auston's instructions long before Ruan Tang arrived.

It was the guest room farthest from Auston's master bedroom in the palace.

“Good night, sir.” Ruan Tang, seeing the butler's agreement, offered a polite bow to his nominal husband and then followed the butler up the spiral staircase toward his room.

After a long day, and with little interest in his nominal husband, Ruan Tang just wanted to rest.

At this point, after Auston's spine-chilling remarks, even Anna, as the Empress's personal lady-in-waiting, could not very well urge them to consummate the marriage.

Given the mad dog duke's craziness, Anna was truly afraid that if they slept in the same bed, he might actually flay his partner…

If that happened, it would be a huge scandal and stain for the royal family and the Empress Family.

“He is not afraid. Has he not heard of my reputation on the Imperial Star? Why is he not afraid at all?” After a long while, Auston watched Ruan Tang's retreating back and finally came to his senses, muttering, “Aren't Omegas supposed to be the most timid creatures in the world?”

Hearing his question, even though she knew he was talking to himself and not actually asking anyone…

Anna still braced herself and answered, “Your Highness, Her Grace is your partner. You are his Alpha, and he is your Omega. He adores you; why would he fear you?”

“Does he belong to me?” Auston asked.

Anna answered without hesitation, “Yes, he belongs to you.”

…

“Your Grace, please come in.” The butler led Ruan Tang to his room and said respectfully, “This will be your room from now on. Please let me know if there is anything you are not satisfied with.”

As they entered, a disabled robot carrying Ruan Tang's luggage came in.

Ruan Tang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately surveyed this room where he would live for who knows how long.

The room was very clean, without any odor, though its layout still gave the gloomy, dark feeling consistent with the rest of the palace. The lighting was dim, which made Ruan Tang a bit uncomfortable.

But he felt there was nothing he particularly disliked. After directing the robot to rearrange and tidy the room a bit…

“No, it's fine. Let's leave it like this.” Ruan Tang looked at the room again; though still not entirely comfortable, he said so.

He was already too tired; now he just wanted to get a good sleep and didn't want to bother with anything else.

“In that case, I will take my leave now, Your Grace. Please rest well.” The butler said immediately.

Seeing how Ruan Tang and Auston were, he knew it was impossible to expect this newlywed couple to consummate their marriage on this wedding night.

Ruan Tang gave a noncommittal nod. “Alright.”

The butler promptly withdrew with the robot manservant, leaving Ruan Tang alone in the spacious room.