Chapter 3
The thought of mental power awakening flashed through Nyx’s mind but was quickly forgotten.
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“Ms. Voss, your personal information has been uploaded to the system. From today, you’re officially a citizen of this empire. Whenever you need to verify your identity, just scan your iris,” the clerk explained.
Nyx accepted the bracelet–like device, called Intelligent Brain, and tapped it to check her profile. Her name, gender, age, height, weight, health score, and other information were all neatly displayed.
But then she noticed the section for her spouse’s information. It said “None“, and right next to it was a spouse applications counter, which was ticking up fast.
Nyx furrowed her brows and thought, ‘Is this thing broken? How could there be so many people applying to be my spouse?‘
“What’s with this number?” she asked, pointing at the screen.
The clerk said with a calm, almost rehearsed tone, “Since you don’t have a spouse, your profile is automatically set to accept applications from eligible unmarried males.
“You can choose one main consort and any secondary consorts you like. You’ll be their matron, and they’ll serve as your protectors, providing for your every need–housing, food, safety–everything. Their lives will be devoted to you.”
Nyx’s face instantly turned awkward, and she asked, “Is this… mandatory?”
The clerk sensed her displeasure and bowed in apology while explaining, “Not at all. The empire would never force a female to marry, I assure you. But for your safety, unmarried females are required to have at least three guardians.”
Apparently, most females ended up marrying their guardians anyway, but as long as it wasn’t a forced arrangement, Nyx could accept it.
She wasn’t in any hurry to think about marriage now. Her recent experiences had left her with a pretty big mental block on the subject.
Nyx glanced at Theon and Zayne, the two who had been by her side through everything so far. She bit her lip, hesitating. She barely knew anyone in this world, and she couldn’t help but feel attached to them.
Zayne, understanding her unspoken thoughts, stepped forward and said, “Ms. Voss, if you allow it, I’d be honored to be one of your guardians.”
Theon followed immediately and said in a sincere tone, “I’d like to be your guardian as well.”
Nyx nodded again and again but said no words.
Seeing the scene, Zayne showed a gentle smile. It was a rare sight that softened his usually sharp and serious features. His calm, almost frosty demeanor melted away, and his smile was like the first warm breeze after winter
He took Nyx’s hand and bowed slightly to press a light kiss to Nyx’s fingertips.
Theon did the same, gently kissing her other hand with a reverence that made her blush.
“Does this mean we’re… family now?” Nyx asked with a shy expression and mustered her courage. “Can you both stop being so formal with me? Just relax a bit.”
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Chapter 3
All the words like “Ms. Voss” and “honored” they said to her made her feel embarrassed.
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Overhearing those words, other males nearby exchanged envious glances and thought, ‘How sweet this female is. These two guys really hit the jackpot.”
Once the registration was finalized, the clerk reminded Nyx, “You have one month to find a third guardian. If you don’t register someone by then, the system will automatically assign one for you.”
Nyx figured she had plenty of time, so she didn’t stress about it.
After that, the three of them left for Jade Garden, one of the most renowned fine–dining restaurants on Central Planet, to have lunch.
In this age, culinary art had taken a backseat. Most people preferred nutrient drinks over actual food. Nyx had already experienced one forgettable meal on the spaceship–a dinner so awful that she barely managed to choke it down.
Thus, she chose to have a nutrient drink for breakfast today, a peach–flavored one. It tasted sweet, though there was a weird aftertaste that reminded her it wasn’t real fruit. Still, it was better than last night’s disaster.
She originally thought the food in the military cafeteria was terrible and had hoped for something better in the restaurant. However, when she arrived at Jade Garden, reality hit her hard that this planet had no good food at all.
She swallowed a bite of a dry, flavorless steak and blinked back tears of disappointment. Compared to the military food, the only difference was the price. The food in the restaurant was ridiculously expensive and still just as bad.
She’d been shocked at the menu prices when they ordered, but now that the food was in front of her, she felt outright scammed.
Both Theon and Zayne, watching her closely, instantly picked up on her dissatisfaction.
Theon leaned in and said in a low voice, “If you don’t like it, pass it to me. Want to try something else? Or maybe we can find another place.”
Zayne poured her a glass of grape juice and slid it over with quiet patience, waiting for her to give the word.
Nyx took the drink and flashed a sweet smile as she glanced at Zayne. Then, after a moment’s thought, she leaned closer to Theon, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I don’t want meat anymore. I’d like some vegetables.”
She had no idea how utterly adorable she was to those males when she whispered like this.
Many prying eyes were fixed on her from every corner of the restaurant.
Ever since she entered the restaurant, countless males had been attracted by Nyx’s pretty face and had gotten excited.
Theon felt her warm breath brush against his ear, and his sharp senses nearly short–circuited. The battle–hardened young general suddenly found his ears burning red, and heat spread all the way to his face.
He stood stiffly, ordered several vegetable dishes, and returned to his seat. His movement earned himself a light “thanks” from Nyx.
Nyx discreetly slid the rest of her dry, tasteless steak onto Theon and Zayne’s plates. In exchange, she made them an earnest promise. “I’ll cook for you guys someday.”
Every male in the restaurant who’d been sneaking glances at her looked ready to explode with jealousy.
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Chapter 3
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A nearby live–streamer, known for reviewing high–end restaurants, happened to capture the moment on camera. Suddenly, their small audience began skyrocketing in numbers–not for the food, but for the stunning female on–screen.
[Hey, man! Zoom in, will ya?!]
[Who is she? Geeze, she’s adorable. And she said thanks! To a male!]
[Wait, wait, wait… She promised to cook for them? I’m dying. How can they be so lucky?]
[She’s so sweet. Honestly, the kitchen’s too dangerous for a female like her. Let the males handle it. We all learned cooking as a mandatory course!]
[Yeah, she even smiles at them. My matron hasn’t smiled at me in ages, let alone cooked or mentally soothed me.]
[At least your matron doesn’t whip you with a belt whenever she’s annoyed.]
[You guys shut up. I don’t even have a matron.]
[No female has ever talked to me, aside from my mom.]
[Oh, poor me…]
What started as admiration for Nyx quickly spiraled into a pity party in the chat.
[“You’re all missing the point! Look at the males she’s with. That’s Theon Lane! He’s a general at such a young age. And another guy is the talented physician, Zayne Larsen. He was already very popular when he was at Imperial Military Academy.]
[Theon always keeps a low key, but I heard his uncle’s none other than Felix Lane. Their beast forms are both the lion.]
[No freaking way. Felix Lane, the War God Marshal? I’m a big fan of him!]
[Well, he indeed has an amazing background…]
[Theon’s not the only big deal. Zayne’s an absolute genius. He owned several patents at the Imperial Military Academy. He’s the guy who helped design the most widely–used medical pods today.]
Zayne didn’t have a good background like Theon, yet he still won a large group of fans due to his own ability.
[Don’t forget Zayne was already famous as a self–taught apothecary before he even got into the academy. A female once tried to pursue him, right? Could it be this female?]
[No, that was Astraea Lynn.]
Many females, enjoying living in the spotlight, would post something on social media to attract males’s attention. Astraea was one of those females, and she had gained a pretty big fan base.
[Astraea? Oh my! I think she’s at Jade Garden right now too!]
Nyx was quietly sipping her grape juice when she noticed a female, dressed far too extravagantly for the setting, stomping toward their table. Her face was twisted in fury.
“ZAYNE! Good for you! Hiding out as a military physician in the middle of nowhere to avoid me, huh? And now you became someone else’s spouse! Is this your way of humiliating me?” the female snapped.
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Chapter 3
Without waiting for a response, she raised her hand, clearly ready to slap Zayne.
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Nyx immediately stepped in front of Zayne and caught Astraca’s wrist. With a quick twist, Nyx pinned Astraea’s arm behind her back, holding her firmly in place.
The livestream erupted with more discussions!
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