["Wow, he is handsome. Don't you think, host? He seems really worried about you."
"Yes, he is. And that's exactly what I planned. Just wait and see, dear bunny."]
Suddenly, Yue hugged Hao. His small hands clutched tightly at Hao's chest, and his body trembled.
Seeing this, Hao quickly grabbed Yue's hands to comfort him.
Looking at the deep lash marks, he knew the pain must be excruciating.
To Hao, Yue looked so small, so delicate—innocent, beautiful, and utterly vulnerable.
The sight of such a fragile omega hurt like this in his palace made his blood boil. He instantly knew something serious had happened.
"Little one, don't cry. Tell me—who did this to you? Who dared to harm someone under my protection in my own palace?"
Hao gently wiped Yue's tears, but Yue continued to hiccup, his body trembling.
It was real pain, but he exaggerated it slightly to make his fear seem more convincing.
"Your Majesty, it hurts so much… hic… and it's my fault. I deserved the punishment…"
"Little one, who punished you?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Concubine Xia just taught me a lesson because I didn't greet her properly, the way she wanted. I can endure this… after all, I'm just an animal with dog ears and a tail…"
Hao cupped Yue's face gently. "Did that whore say those things to you?"
"Your Majesty… she only spoke the truth. I am just an animal. So how can humans welcome someone like me into their world with open arms?"
Just then, a knock came at the chamber door—the royal physician had arrived.
"Come in," Hao said coldly.
The physician entered and saw Yue lying on his stomach, his bloodied back exposed.
Hao didn't move from his place on the bed; he sat with legs crossed, watching closely.
The physician examined the wounds, then applied ointment and carefully wrapped bandages around Yue's back.
"Your Majesty, the bandages need to be changed twice a day, and the ointment will ensure the wounds heal within two days without leaving any scars."
"Do something for the pain, too. I don't want him to suffer."
The physician thought for a moment, then handed over some painkillers to Hao.
"These should be taken after meals."
After bowing, he was about to leave when Yue stopped him.
"Please… Song is also injured. Can you treat his wounds too?"
The physician looked at Hao, awaiting permission.
"Your Majesty, please," Yue added softly, "Song is the only servant I brought with me. I can't bear to see him in pain."
"Mhm."
At Hao's hum of approval, Yue called Song inside. As Song entered, Hao stood up and exited the chamber, leaving the physician to treat Song's injuries.
---
Outside, Hao saw Chan waiting and headed straight to the harem's main hall, where Xia still sat with her entourage.
The moment she saw Hao, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
She had always believed that one day Hao would come to her, and she'd become empress and rule the kingdom beside him.
Now, seeing him approach, she stood up and rushed toward him, happily hugging his arm.
"Your Majesty, you shouldn't have troubled yourself to come here. If you'd just summoned me, I would've come running!"
She was satisfied, believing she'd successfully taught Yue a lesson and removed him as competition.
But suddenly, Hao yanked her by the hair and threw her to the floor.
Then, stepping on her hand, he walked past her and sat down on the main chair.
Xia froze in shock.
She lay on her stomach, stunned, and looked up to see Hao sitting on the throne—expression cold, eyes full of rage.
Still, Xia didn't understand why Hao had suddenly thrown her aside.
She got on her knees, her voice trembling. "Your Majesty… did I do something wrong? Why did you push me all of a sudden?"
Hao didn't respond. Instead, he glanced at Chan coldly.
"Summon everyone here—right now. I have something very important to announce."
With the Emperor's command, the entire harem was notified that they must gather immediately in the main hall.
The air grew tense; after all, Hao rarely made public declarations within the harem.
One by one, everyone arrived—concubines, consorts, and attendants—all gathering in silence.
And as they entered, their eyes fell on Xia, still on her knees in front of the throne.
Hao hadn't told her to rise, so she remained there, humiliated, with her head bowed.
She bit her lip but said nothing, trying to hold on to her pride.
---
Meanwhile, back in Yue's chamber, the physician had finished treating Song's wounds and was quietly excited.
["Host, your hubby is going wild. He just summoned everyone in the harem to the main hall. Says he's going to make some huge announcement."
"What about that bitch?"
"Oh, she's still kneeling on the floor. Hubby threw her off him like trash and even stepped on her hand. Not gonna lie—iconic."]
Yue smirked faintly, though pain still lingered in his eyes.
Yue quickly got off the bed, wincing slightly as he moved. Despite the pain, he was determined to leave the chamber.
"Master, please wait!" Song rushed to stop him, gently grabbing his arm. "Your wounds—"
But Yue shook his head. "I need to be there."
Without another word, he stepped out, and Song had no choice but to follow him.
As they arrived at the entrance of the main hall, the atmosphere inside was tense.
At that exact moment, Hao was just about to make his announcement.
His eyes swept over the gathered crowd—then froze the moment he saw Yue standing at the entrance.
His expression changed instantly.
Everyone followed his gaze, turning to look at the blood-stained consort now standing at the doors, fragile but defiant.
"Little one, come here," Hao said gently.
Yue recognized that tone—it was the one Hao used only for him. Without hesitation, he stepped forward.
As he reached the emperor, Hao pulled him onto his lap.
Yue couldn't help but let out a soft hiss as his wounded back made contact with Hao's chest, sending a sharp jolt of pain through him.
Hao's brows furrowed immediately. "Why didn't you stay in bed and rest?"
"I heard you summoned everyone here," Yue replied softly, his voice calm but firm. "So I came too."
Then, lifting his gaze, Yue looked ahead—and spotted Xia.
His eyes narrowed, filled with icy contempt, as if she were nothing more than filth beneath his feet.
The intensity of his glare made Xia's expression twist with anger, her pride stung by the silent insult.