Chapter 154: 154 – Fang Learns The Truth
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The Dragon Queen was very satisfied with Ren's attitude, as could be clearly seen from her smiling face.
Ren, too, was satisfied with their conversation, and he was happy that Fang had at least some reliable relatives left in this world. He hoped that this would help heal a part of Fang's still not completely healed psyche.
"We will see you next week in Cosmopolis, then," Ren said to the Dragon Queen, removing the privacy ward from the room.
"Yes, of course, Chairman Ren," the Dragon Queen replied with a smile, back to her usual persona now that the privacy ward was gone and anyone could hear them talking in the room if they strained their ears. "I look forward to meeting you and your Fang."
"Likewise," Ren replied politely, and stood up.
"Incidentally, Chairman Ren," the Dragon Queen said as she stood up as well. "What does your partner think of our Dragon Nation?" she asked curiously.
Ren smiled softly. "Fang adores the Dragon Nation," he said quietly. "The first time we came here, he fell in love with your country, Your Majesty. He often says that somehow, whenever he comes to the Dragon Nation, it feels to him as if he is coming home."
The Dragon Queen's smile froze on her face at Ren's words. Tears sprang into her eyes.
Ren hurriedly put up a privacy ward again.
"Sorry," the Dragon Queen mumbled, wiping her eyes. "I got a little emotional upon hearing that."
"Don't worry about it," Ren replied.
The Dragon Queen fixed her sharp eyes at Ren. "Does Fang really feel that way?" she asked softly.
Ren nodded. "He does," he replied quietly. "That's why I rushed to buy that villa the first time we were here."
The Dragon Queen smiled tearfully. "I'm glad," she said in a low voice. "I am so glad…"
Ren remained silent.
"If – if Fang wants the throne of the Dragon Kingdom, he can have it, too," the Dragon Queen said suddenly.
That startled Ren. "But what about his sister?" he asked. "It won't be very fair on her, right?"
The Dragon Queen shrugged. "My daughter also has a right to the throne of the Valley Kingdom. We can offer that one to her," she said lightly. "I don't think that she will begrudge her little brother this much."
Ren raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you just say that you had no plans of letting her know that she was your niece and not your daughter?" he asked.
The Dragon Queen sighed. "I want to do right by Fang," she said softly. "I don't know what we could do to make up for that child's suffering…"
"We should ask Fang what he wants to do first," Ren pointed out. "Besides, he is only eighteen now. And you are quite young yourself. There is no hurry for any of us to rush into anything."
The Dragon Queen smiled slightly. "Well, that's true," she murmured. "And the Valley Kingdom needs to be dealt with first."
Ren nodded seriously. "I should be able to drive the company owned by the family of the current empress of the Valley Kingdom into bankruptcy without any chance of recovery and take it over by the end of next month," he said.
The Dragon Queen shook her head. "Let me help you with that, and let's do it by the end of this month," she said. "I'll have my son use his influence in the Star Nation as well to get us some help from there, too. And my daughter can pull her weight in the Snow Country – not many people know about this, but she is dating the son of the president of the biggest company in Snow Country, and they often discuss business. I don't think she will mind lending a hand for her own family, especially when it will benefit a lot of people in the long run. No one is unaware of the unethical practices that are carried on in the name of business by those guys!"
Ren was stunned for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. It was good to have powerful relatives, he thought!
It was only in the flight back home that Ren remembered that he had completely forgotten to discuss the business deal that he was supposed to have finalised during his visit to the Dragon Nation.
But it didn't matter anyway, he thought to himself. He was going to tell Fang everything.
And Ren did exactly that. Fang was already home by the time Ren returned, and after a quick dinner with the babies, the two of them quickly tucked the babies in and retired to their bedroom.
"How was the deal?" Fang asked Ren once they were alone.
Ren shook his head. "We didn't discuss the deal at all," he said. "Actually, the Dragon Queen and I had to discuss some personal matters, and they relate to you."
Fang's gaze sharpened immediately – and it didn't take a genius to guess that he was remembering the first time they had met the Dragon Queen and how she had made a pass at Ren!
How could Ren not gauge what his beloved Fang was thinking?
So Ren immediately wrapped his arms around Fang and pulled him into a hug. "Don't make that face, my big darling," he whispered in Fang's ear. "It has to do with your background and what happened with the seventh prince of the Valley Kingdom recently."
Fang froze. "You went to speak to the Dragon Queen about my background?" he asked Ren, confusion written all over his face. "Why would you do that? What has she got to do with me?"
Ren caressed Fang's face with gentle fingers. "It has everything to do with you," he said softly. "You are a prince born to two royals – one from the Valley Kingdom and one from the Dragon Nation."
Fang scoffed. "Did you eat some weird stuff when you were in the Dragon Nation today?" he asked Ren, peering at his face.
Ren shook his head. "It's the truth," he said. "Wolf found out a lot through his investigations, and I went to confirm what I could with the Dragon Queen. She is your paternal aunt, by the way – and remember how she flirted with me the first time we met her? Turns out that she recognised you because you look like your parents, and she was testing my devotion to you by making that offer. Since then, hasn't she been one of our biggest supporters? It didn't make much sense to me until now."
Fang frowned. "What are you saying?" he murmured, disbelief written all over his face.
Ren sighed and started narrating everything from the beginning – he took Fang through everything – Wolf's investigations, what they had found out and what they had speculated, and his discussions with the Dragon Queen and the gaps in knowledge that they were able to fill up with her help – and the few questions that still remained unanswered. The only part that Ren edited out was the part about the seventh prince of the Valley Kingdom and the current empress of the Valley Kingdom having visited the Orchid Orphanage a few years ago and met Fang.
Fang didn't say anything for a long time. Then, he asked in a shaking voice the very same question that Ren had wanted to avoid. "The two people who we were not able to catch last year," Fang murmured in a very soft voice, almost a whisper that Ren had to strain his ears to listen to. "Were they the seventh prince of the Valley Kingdom and the current empress of the Valley Kingdom?"
Ren could only pull Fang into a hug again and reply in the affirmative.
Fang trembled violently in Ren's arms, and Ren could only soothe him down by rubbing his back with gentle motions.
It took a long time for Fang to calm down, and Ren's heart ached for his beloved.
In the end, Fang gathered himself remarkably well.
"What would you like to do now, my big darling?" Ren asked quietly. "I will support you and help you achieve whatever you want, no matter what it is," he promised in a solemn voice.
Fang looked at Ren for some time and then said quietly, "I don't want to be the monarch of any place."
Ren had kind of expected this. But still, he wanted to check if Fang was really not interested in the throne of either the Valley Kingdom or the Dragon Nation, or if he was simply denying it because he thought he would inconvenience Ren if he chose to take over a country.
"Are you sure about this, Fang?" Ren asked quietly. "Why don't you think about it for a while and then tell me? There is no hurry to decide anything immediately. The Dragon Queen – your aunt – still quite young and in the pink of health – so there's no worry on that front.. And as for the Valley Kingdom, you have a free rein."
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The Dragon Queen was very satisfied with Ren's attitude, as could be clearly seen from her smiling face.
Ren, too, was satisfied with their conversation, and he was happy that Fang had at least some reliable relatives left in this world. He hoped that this would help heal a part of Fang's still not completely healed psyche.
"We will see you next week in Cosmopolis, then," Ren said to the Dragon Queen, removing the privacy ward from the room.
"Yes, of course, Chairman Ren," the Dragon Queen replied with a smile, back to her usual persona now that the privacy ward was gone and anyone could hear them talking in the room if they strained their ears. "I look forward to meeting you and your Fang."
"Likewise," Ren replied politely, and stood up.
"Incidentally, Chairman Ren," the Dragon Queen said as she stood up as well. "What does your partner think of our Dragon Nation?" she asked curiously.
Ren smiled softly. "Fang adores the Dragon Nation," he said quietly. "The first time we came here, he fell in love with your country, Your Majesty. He often says that somehow, whenever he comes to the Dragon Nation, it feels to him as if he is coming home."
The Dragon Queen's smile froze on her face at Ren's words. Tears sprang into her eyes.
Ren hurriedly put up a privacy ward again.
"Sorry," the Dragon Queen mumbled, wiping her eyes. "I got a little emotional upon hearing that."
"Don't worry about it," Ren replied.
The Dragon Queen fixed her sharp eyes at Ren. "Does Fang really feel that way?" she asked softly.
Ren nodded. "He does," he replied quietly. "That's why I rushed to buy that villa the first time we were here."
The Dragon Queen smiled tearfully. "I'm glad," she said in a low voice. "I am so glad…"
Ren remained silent.
"If – if Fang wants the throne of the Dragon Kingdom, he can have it, too," the Dragon Queen said suddenly.
That startled Ren. "But what about his sister?" he asked. "It won't be very fair on her, right?"
The Dragon Queen shrugged. "My daughter also has a right to the throne of the Valley Kingdom. We can offer that one to her," she said lightly. "I don't think that she will begrudge her little brother this much."
Ren raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you just say that you had no plans of letting her know that she was your niece and not your daughter?" he asked.
The Dragon Queen sighed. "I want to do right by Fang," she said softly. "I don't know what we could do to make up for that child's suffering…"
"We should ask Fang what he wants to do first," Ren pointed out. "Besides, he is only eighteen now. And you are quite young yourself. There is no hurry for any of us to rush into anything."
The Dragon Queen smiled slightly. "Well, that's true," she murmured. "And the Valley Kingdom needs to be dealt with first."
Ren nodded seriously. "I should be able to drive the company owned by the family of the current empress of the Valley Kingdom into bankruptcy without any chance of recovery and take it over by the end of next month," he said.
The Dragon Queen shook her head. "Let me help you with that, and let's do it by the end of this month," she said. "I'll have my son use his influence in the Star Nation as well to get us some help from there, too. And my daughter can pull her weight in the Snow Country – not many people know about this, but she is dating the son of the president of the biggest company in Snow Country, and they often discuss business. I don't think she will mind lending a hand for her own family, especially when it will benefit a lot of people in the long run. No one is unaware of the unethical practices that are carried on in the name of business by those guys!"
Ren was stunned for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. It was good to have powerful relatives, he thought!
It was only in the flight back home that Ren remembered that he had completely forgotten to discuss the business deal that he was supposed to have finalised during his visit to the Dragon Nation.
But it didn't matter anyway, he thought to himself. He was going to tell Fang everything.
And Ren did exactly that. Fang was already home by the time Ren returned, and after a quick dinner with the babies, the two of them quickly tucked the babies in and retired to their bedroom.
"How was the deal?" Fang asked Ren once they were alone.
Ren shook his head. "We didn't discuss the deal at all," he said. "Actually, the Dragon Queen and I had to discuss some personal matters, and they relate to you."
Fang's gaze sharpened immediately – and it didn't take a genius to guess that he was remembering the first time they had met the Dragon Queen and how she had made a pass at Ren!
How could Ren not gauge what his beloved Fang was thinking?
So Ren immediately wrapped his arms around Fang and pulled him into a hug. "Don't make that face, my big darling," he whispered in Fang's ear. "It has to do with your background and what happened with the seventh prince of the Valley Kingdom recently."
Fang froze. "You went to speak to the Dragon Queen about my background?" he asked Ren, confusion written all over his face. "Why would you do that? What has she got to do with me?"
Ren caressed Fang's face with gentle fingers. "It has everything to do with you," he said softly. "You are a prince born to two royals – one from the Valley Kingdom and one from the Dragon Nation."
Fang scoffed. "Did you eat some weird stuff when you were in the Dragon Nation today?" he asked Ren, peering at his face.
Ren shook his head. "It's the truth," he said. "Wolf found out a lot through his investigations, and I went to confirm what I could with the Dragon Queen. She is your paternal aunt, by the way – and remember how she flirted with me the first time we met her? Turns out that she recognised you because you look like your parents, and she was testing my devotion to you by making that offer. Since then, hasn't she been one of our biggest supporters? It didn't make much sense to me until now."
Fang frowned. "What are you saying?" he murmured, disbelief written all over his face.
Ren sighed and started narrating everything from the beginning – he took Fang through everything – Wolf's investigations, what they had found out and what they had speculated, and his discussions with the Dragon Queen and the gaps in knowledge that they were able to fill up with her help – and the few questions that still remained unanswered. The only part that Ren edited out was the part about the seventh prince of the Valley Kingdom and the current empress of the Valley Kingdom having visited the Orchid Orphanage a few years ago and met Fang.
Fang didn't say anything for a long time. Then, he asked in a shaking voice the very same question that Ren had wanted to avoid. "The two people who we were not able to catch last year," Fang murmured in a very soft voice, almost a whisper that Ren had to strain his ears to listen to. "Were they the seventh prince of the Valley Kingdom and the current empress of the Valley Kingdom?"
Ren could only pull Fang into a hug again and reply in the affirmative.
Fang trembled violently in Ren's arms, and Ren could only soothe him down by rubbing his back with gentle motions.
It took a long time for Fang to calm down, and Ren's heart ached for his beloved.
In the end, Fang gathered himself remarkably well.
"What would you like to do now, my big darling?" Ren asked quietly. "I will support you and help you achieve whatever you want, no matter what it is," he promised in a solemn voice.
Fang looked at Ren for some time and then said quietly, "I don't want to be the monarch of any place."
Ren had kind of expected this. But still, he wanted to check if Fang was really not interested in the throne of either the Valley Kingdom or the Dragon Nation, or if he was simply denying it because he thought he would inconvenience Ren if he chose to take over a country.
"Are you sure about this, Fang?" Ren asked quietly. "Why don't you think about it for a while and then tell me? There is no hurry to decide anything immediately. The Dragon Queen – your aunt – still quite young and in the pink of health – so there's no worry on that front.. And as for the Valley Kingdom, you have a free rein."
The Dragon Queen was very satisfied with Ren's attitude, as could be clearly seen from her smiling face.Ren, too, was satisfied with their conversation, and he was happy that Fang had at least some reliable relatives left in this world. He hoped that this would help heal a part of Fang's still not completely healed psyche."We will see you next week in Cosmopolis, then," Ren said to the Dragon Queen, removing the privacy ward from the room."Yes, of course, Chairman Ren," the Dragon Queen replied with a smile, back to her usual persona now that the privacy ward was gone and anyone could hear them talking in the room if they strained their ears. "I look forward to meeting you and your Fang.""Likewise," Ren replied politely, and stood up."Incidentally, Chairman Ren," the Dragon Queen said as she stood up as well. "What does your partner think of our Dragon Nation?" she asked curiously.Ren smiled softly. "Fang adores the Dragon Nation," he said quietly. "The first time we came here, he fell in love with your country, Your Majesty. He often says that somehow, whenever he comes to the Dragon Nation, it feels to him as if he is coming home."The Dragon Queen's smile froze on her face at Ren's words. Tears sprang into her eyes.Ren hurriedly put up a privacy ward again."Sorry," the Dragon Queen mumbled, wiping her eyes. "I got a little emotional upon hearing that.""Don't worry about it," Ren replied.The Dragon Queen fixed her sharp eyes at Ren. "Does Fang really feel that way?" she asked softly.Ren nodded. "He does," he replied quietly. "That's why I rushed to buy that villa the first time we were here."The Dragon Queen smiled tearfully. "I'm glad," she said in a low voice. "I am so glad"Ren remained silent."If if Fang wants the throne of the Dragon Kingdom, he can have it, too," the Dragon Queen said suddenly.That startled Ren. "But what about his sister?" he asked. "It won't be very fair on her, right?"The Dragon Queen shrugged. "My daughter also has a right to the throne of the Valley Kingdom. We can offer that one to her," she said lightly. "I don't think that she will begrudge her little brother this much."Ren raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you just say that you had no plans of letting her know that she was your niece and not your daughter?" he asked.The Dragon Queen sighed. "I want to do right by Fang," she said softly. "I don't know what we could do to make up for that child's suffering""We should ask Fang what he wants to do first," Ren pointed out. "Besides, he is only eighteen now. And you are quite young yourself. There is no hurry for any of us to rush into anything."The Dragon Queen smiled slightly. "Well, that's true," she murmured. "And the Valley Kingdom needs to be dealt with first."Ren nodded seriously. "I should be able to drive the company owned by the family of the current empress of the Valley Kingdom into bankruptcy without any chance of recovery and take it over by the end of next month," he said.The Dragon Queen shook her head. "Let me help you with that, and let's do it by the end of this month," she said. "I'll have my son use his influence in the Star Nation as well to get us some help from there, too. And my daughter can pull her weight in the Snow Country not many people know about this, but she is dating the son of the president of the biggest company in Snow Country, and they often discuss business. I don't think she will mind lending a hand for her own family, especially when it will benefit a lot of people in the long run. No one is unaware of the unethical practices that are carried on in the name of business by those guys!"Ren was stunned for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. It was good to have powerful relatives, he thought!It was only in the flight back home that Ren remembered that he had completely forgotten to discuss the business deal that he was supposed to have finalised during his visit to the Dragon Nation.But it didn't matter anyway, he thought to himself. He was going to tell Fang everything.And Ren did exactly that. Fang was already home by the time Ren returned, and after a quick dinner with the babies, the two of them quickly tucked the babies in and retired to their bedroom."How was the deal?" Fang asked Ren once they were alone.Ren shook his head. "We didn't discuss the deal at all," he said. "Actually, the Dragon Queen and I had to discuss some personal matters, and they relate to you."Fang's gaze sharpened immediately and it didn't take a genius to guess that he was remembering the first time they had met the Dragon Queen and how she had made a pass at Ren!How could Ren not gauge what his beloved Fang was thinking?So Ren immediately wrapped his arms around Fang and pulled him into a hug. "Don't make that face, my big darling," he whispered in Fang's ear. "It has to do with your background and what happened with the seventh prince of the Valley Kingdom recently."Fang froze. "You went to speak to the Dragon Queen about my background?" he asked Ren, confusion written all over his face. "Why would you do that? What has she got to do with me?"Ren caressed Fang's face with gentle fingers. "It has everything to do with you," he said softly. "You are a prince born to two royals one from the Valley Kingdom and one from the Dragon Nation."Fang scoffed. "Did you eat some weird stuff when you were in the Dragon Nation today?" he asked Ren, peering at his face.Ren shook his head. "It's the truth," he said. "Wolf found out a lot through his investigations, and I went to confirm what I could with the Dragon Queen. She is your paternal aunt, by the way and remember how she flirted with me the first time we met her? Turns out that she recognised you because you look like your parents, and she was testing my devotion to you by making that offer. Since then, hasn't she been one of our biggest supporters? It didn't make much sense to me until now."Fang frowned. "What are you saying?" he murmured, disbelief written all over his face.Ren sighed and started narrating everything from the beginning he took Fang through everything Wolf's investigations, what they had found out and what they had speculated, and his discussions with the Dragon Queen and the gaps in knowledge that they were able to fill up with her help and the few questions that still remained unanswered. The only part that Ren edited out was the part about the seventh prince of the Valley Kingdom and the current empress of the Valley Kingdom having visited the Orchid Orphanage a few years ago and met Fang.Fang didn't say anything for a long time. Then, he asked in a shaking voice the very same question that Ren had wanted to avoid. "The two people who we were not able to catch last year," Fang murmured in a very soft voice, almost a whisper that Ren had to strain his ears to listen to. "Were they the seventh prince of the Valley Kingdom and the current empress of the Valley Kingdom?"Ren could only pull Fang into a hug again and reply in the affirmative.Fang trembled violently in Ren's arms, and Ren could only soothe him down by rubbing his back with gentle motions.It took a long time for Fang to calm down, and Ren's heart ached for his beloved.In the end, Fang gathered himself remarkably well."What would you like to do now, my big darling?" Ren asked quietly. "I will support you and help you achieve whatever you want, no matter what it is," he promised in a solemn voice.Fang looked at Ren for some time and then said quietly, "I don't want to be the monarch of any place."Ren had kind of expected this. But still, he wanted to check if Fang was really not interested in the throne of either the Valley Kingdom or the Dragon Nation, or if he was simply denying it because he thought he would inconvenience Ren if he chose to take over a country."Are you sure about this, Fang?" Ren asked quietly. "Why don't you think about it for a while and then tell me? There is no hurry to decide anything immediately. The Dragon Queen your aunt still quite young and in the pink of health so there's no worry on that front.. And as for the Valley Kingdom, you have a free rein."
