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Scarlet Rose [ABO] - What Happens When the Villain Dies at the Beginning? (29)
Prime Minister Lu didn’t even have time to change his clothes before he hurried out to greet him.
Payne was dressed in normal clothes and only brought Maupay as an attendant.
“Is Major Lu home?” Payne was welcomed into the living room and directly asked as soon as he sat down.
Prime Minister Lu blinked and was secretly joyful. It seemed that although his son rejected Payne, he hadn’t given up.
He said, “Yes, he’s been resting at home these past few days without going out. I’ll call him out right now.”
“No hurry.” Payne smilingly waved, “I didn’t come just to see him this time, I have something else to do.”
Prime Minister Lu was a bit confused. “May I ask what it is?”
There was a French window in the living room that directly looked out to the garden.
Payne looked at the garden outside, his eyes dimming as he asked, “The garden here is pretty interesting, may I ask who normally takes care of it?”
Prime Minister Lu felt that the young Emperor’s mind was hard to fathom, how could he suddenly be interested in his garden?
But he only dared to think that in his mind as he turned to his butler, who was standing behind him. “Answer his majesty.”
“Answering his majesty, a servant is in charge of the garden.”
“Name?” Payne calmly asked.
The butler thought about it before saying, “Huo Lian.”
Payne warmed smiled and said to Prime Minister Lu, “I’ve often thought that the gardeners at the palace aren’t good enough, wasting all the precious plants transferred from other planets. I think your gardener is quite skilled, could Prime Minister Lu allow this servant to go to the palace to teach those gardeners how to properly take care of plants?”
Prime Minister Lu was very confused as to why Payne wanted his gardener to enter the palace, but he didn’t dare ask further, and could only straightforwardly agree.
“As for Major Lu . . . You don’t need to call him here, I’ll go find him myself.” Payne stood up, patting Prime Minister Lu’s arm. “I hope you don’t mind?”
Prime Minister Lu’s head shook like a rattle drum. “No no, it’s an honour for your Majesty to grace my humble house. Coincidentally, he happens to be taking a walk in the garden right now. Your Majesty can find him there.”
Garden? Seems like he really likes the garden.
Payne glanced at the window, his eyes dimming.
Lu Shijin had been forced to stay inside by Prime Minister Lu for the past few days, not allowed to go outside. Mushrooms were about to sprout from how bored he was.
At most, he could take walks in the garden.
Thankfully, there were many plants he had never seen before there, making it novel and interesting.
For example, there was a plant that would smell very clear and refreshing from far away, but when someone approached, it would seem to sense danger and release a stench.
Lu Shijin didn’t realize this at first and almost fainted from the stink when he tried to pick a flower.
It was like leftover river snail rice noodles. He had to take a long bath to get rid of the smell completely, it was really scary.
But there were also a lot of nice plants.
Lu Shijin found a plant that could glow in the dark. He was planning to move two stalks to his bedroom, so it would seem as though there was moonlight in his room after he turned the lights off.
When Payne found Lu Shijin in the garden, he was currently using a small spade to dig up the plant.
Transplanting plants was a delicate affair. It required one to carefully dig up the plant while keeping the roots intact to ensure higher rates of survival after properly planting it in a flower pot.
Lu Shijin was squatting on the ground, working diligently. He didn’t even notice the dirt on his clothes, much less the fact that there was someone standing behind him.
“It seems like Major Lu really likes that gardener.” A clear voice sounded coldly, with strong sarcasm and jealousy. “So much so that you’re willing to lower yourself and do servants’ work.”
Lu Shijin’s actions paused and he looked up.
Payne saw surprise in Lu Shijin’s eyes, which made him frown. “Are you that surprised to see me?”
“How are you here?” Lu Shijin put down the spade and patted off the dirt on his hands.
Payne casually pulled a leaf off the plant Lu Shijin was digging up and used his nails to rip it apart. The sticky green juice stained his fingers, a sensation he had never liked.
“I came to see you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have known you’re so proficient in gardening.”
“I’m not proficient, just playing around.” He paused, then remembered that he seemed to have heard something else. “Wait, what did you mean just now?”
Payne approached him, suddenly raising a hand. Lu Shijin took a step back but Payne didn’t stop and followed him with a step of his own.
The Alpha’s expression was dark, his eyes as cold as ice and his mouth pursed. It was clear that he wasn’t taking any refusals.
This froze Lu Shijin in place. He desperately tried to look up, seeing Payne put his hand on his head, then take a leaf from it.
So it turns out that there was a leaf on his head. Lu Shijin breathed a sigh of relief.
“Huo Lian, I saw him.” Payne said.
Having just relaxed a bit, Lu Shijin tensed up again, his black eyes widening and full of disbelief. “Who?!”
Lu Shijin’s shock made Payne even more convinced that the name “Huo Lian” was very important to him.
Payne pinched the leaf between his fingers, slowly turning it with his fingertips. A sneer graced his lips, as though the thing in his hands wasn’t a leaf, but rather the life of that gardener.
“Have you been acting as an Alpha for so long that you’ve forgotten you’re an Omega?” Payne calmly said, “I won’t blame you for having someone you like, but he’s an Omega, there’s no way you two can be together.”
Lu Shijin was very confused.
Payne continued talking, “Besides, Huo Lian is only a gardener, your servant. Your identities are completely different and don’t match at all.”
Lu Shijin was even more confused, dumbly staring at Payne.
“The law states that Omegas cannot wed people of the same secondary sex. You have to think about your future.” Payne held Lu Shijin’s shoulders, pain hidden in his eyes, “If you really like him, then I can allow you to keep him secretly.”
Lu Shijin asked confusedly, “Why do I need your permission?”
“Because you can only belong to me.” Payne’s blue eyes seemed to contain a thunderstorm over the ocean.
Lu Shijin’s heart pounded, wondering if there was something wrong with him.
How come he couldn’t understand a single thing Payne just said?