Chen Nian obviously missed the target this time. The sniper rifle’s scope has a parallax effect, requiring precise focusing and calculations based on the reticle to determine the target’s distance. For someone like Chen Nian, who was handling a gun for the first time and couldn’t even get the stance right, hitting the target would have been a miracle. Even Shavri had practiced for several days before he slowly found his technique.

But Chen Nian was quite happy. Experiencing new things always brings joy, and in the current context of humanity fighting against primordial creatures, who wouldn’t want to be a cool warrior?

The scene of Shavri assisting Chen Nian with shooting almost caused a small commotion. From the initial verbal guidance to hands-on corrections, and finally, he even suspended himself above the Omega, using his chest to cushion the recoil. Every interaction between the Crown Prince and the Prince Consort was so affectionate that it made onlookers’ hearts race. Even the military academy students were stirred up, feeling a rare sense of youthful admiration and cheering them on.

Moreover, the Prince Consort was the only son of Marshal Chen Wei, and now he was on the training ground, personally trying out shooting. Just thinking about it was exciting.

Chen Nian stood up, brushed off the grass clippings on his clothes, and said, “You can continue training; I won’t disturb you.” 

“Okay.” Shavri watched Chen Nian return to the shade, steadying his mind and adjusting his stance. However, he still felt the lingering sensation of being bumped by the boy’s back, and Chen Nian’s muffled grunt echoed in his mind. 

Shavri couldn’t help but wonder what Chen Nian meant by that last comment, “not bad.” Was he satisfied with the cushioning effect of his chest, or was it something else? After all, Chen Nian hadn’t hit the target.

Lost in his thoughts, Shavri’s training session quickly came to an end after just over an hour. The results of this class were quite good. 

Shavri went to change clothes, having worked up a sweat. To avoid Chen Nian’s disdain, he quickly took a two-minute shower. By the time Shavri and Antonio emerged from the changing room, Chen Nian was already bored, playing with some picked-up bullet casings in the hall.

In the depths of the drawer of the nightstand in the White Tower lay a brass bullet casing that Shavri had initially given to Chen Ci to test him. 

Seeing that Shavri was finally done, Chen Nian put away the bullet casing, casually pocketing it, and stood up. Usually, after class, Shavri would have lunch with Antonio before heading back, but today, with Chen Nian tagging along, even though Shavri didn’t want to let Chen Nian and Antonio interact too much, he still asked, “Want to have lunch together?”

Chen Nian nodded, “Sure.”

Antonio chuckled, “Should I say that it’s my honor to have lunch with two princes?”

Seeing this, Shavri suddenly regretted asking. He could have just taken Chen Nian back to the palace directly. 

Shavri and Antonio had always eaten in the cafeteria at the training ground, but now that Chen Nian was with them, they specifically requested a private room. Upon hearing that the Prince Consort was coming, the cafeteria chef prepared their lunch.

Chen Nian and Shavri sat side by side, with Antonio across from Shavri. The three of them chatted while eating, or rather, it was mainly Antonio and Chen Nian chatting, while Shavri quietly listened.

Antonio asked Chen Nian, “After following us for a whole morning of classes, are you feeling a bit tired?”

“Not really. I actually didn’t understand much and didn’t do much either,” Chen Nian paused and smiled, “Usually, no one talks, so I’m quite happy to be out today.”

“You can often have Shavri take you out in the future,” Antonio said with a smile, “Last time I invited you to the Ring Sea Base, you said to wait a few days. Do you want to go now?”

“Um.” Chen Nian felt a bit embarrassed, “I wasn’t in a good mood that day. To be honest, I felt bad after refusing, and I even troubled you two to come to the White Tower to invite me.”

Antonio replied, “Why be so polite among friends? Whenever you want to go, Shavri and I are always available.”

Shavri wanted to join the conversation, but seeing the two of them enjoying their chat, he felt a bit out of place. For the first time, he thought Antonio was talking too much; couldn’t he say a little less?

Amidst the laughter and chatter, Chen Nian had to keep an eye on his manners. In front of others, he had to eat elegantly. After switching identities with Chen Ci, Chen Nian had brushed up on many royal etiquette rules, and he was doing quite well.

However, pretending and putting on airs was exhausting. If it were just him and Shavri, he wouldn’t have to worry so much. But correspondingly, the fun he could have would also be greatly reduced.

Now it seemed that Antonio had already half-fallen into his trap, completely deceived by the facade he presented. Chen Nian knew that such a playboy usually had a strong sense of confidence and wouldn’t easily doubt too much. After all, he had been around Omegas for a long time and considered himself a hunter.

The existence of information gaps would give Antonio a huge illusion, making him think that the Prince Consort, who had lived in an environment lacking love, could be easily moved by him. 

Why not let him be a bit more certain? 

Chen Nian cut into the tender steak on his plate, moving his leg forward under the table, and “accidentally” bumped into Antonio’s shoe diagonally across from him. 

Antonio immediately looked up, first glancing at Shavri, who was focused on his meal, realizing it wasn’t Shavri, and then shifted his gaze to the side. 

Chen Nian was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting to kick Antonio. He had a brief moment of distraction, then pretended to calm down and lowered his head, cutting the steak with more force. 

Antonio initially thought it was just an accidental bump, but a few seconds later, his foot was kicked again in the same way. 

The force was light, full of testing meaning. 

Antonio almost instantly grasped the implication. He looked at Chen Nian in disbelief, only to see the boy’s pale neck and ears had turned red, and the restless foot under the table quickly retracted like a snail touched by a tentacle. 

This reaction was simply too cute, and Antonio almost laughed out loud in his heart. 

Sure enough, everything was just as he imagined. Years of insensitivity to pheromones and Shavri’s indifference had deeply hurt Chen Ci’s heart. He was in the prime of his youth, such a top-tier beautiful Omega, yet he had to endure the torment of living like a widow. 

He also wanted a gentle and caring Alpha who could look after him. 

Antonio didn’t know which moment had touched Chen Ci’s heart, but in his view, he clearly hadn’t even used his full strength yet, and the little Omega was already unable to contain himself. 

A smile crept onto Antonio’s lips as he casually picked up his cup, extending the foot that Chen Nian had touched, glancing at Chen Nian’s reaction from the corner of his eye. 

He nudged the tip of the boy’s shoe, deliberately grinding it lightly, as if carrying an indescribable sentiment, yet he could only maintain restraint. 

Chen Ci… Chen Ci had no reaction. 

Maybe he hadn’t made his intentions clear enough? 

Antonio increased the pressure. 

At that moment, the foot he was gently rubbing suddenly pulled back, and Shavri looked up, confused. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked. 

Antonio was momentarily stunned, realizing that he had been teasing Shavri’s foot all along. No wonder Chen Ci didn’t react! 

But he had clearly reached for the direction where Chen Ci had just pulled back! How could he end up touching Shavri? 

Shavri: ? 

He looked at Antonio, then at Chen Nian beside him. 

“Nothing,” Antonio said, feigning calmness. 

Really nothing? 

Shavri furrowed his brow in suspicion. Faced with his brother’s teasing-like accidental foot touch, he ultimately said nothing and continued to eat. 

He felt that something bad had happened, especially since he was sitting on the couch with Chen Nian, which was now shaking like a mini earthquake. 

As the source of the tremors, Chen Nian was desperately holding back laughter, to the point where his hands were shaking. 

If it weren’t for the presence of others, he would have wanted to slap his thigh and laugh out loud. 

It was too funny! How could something so hilarious happen! 

But in Antonio’s eyes, Chen Nian suddenly seemed to be engulfed in immense panic, even his expression became tense, and his fingers trembled uncontrollably. 

This expression made Antonio feel even more heartbroken. 

Chen Nian was holding back laughter to the point of internal injury, and just as he was about to burst, he stood up and softly said, “I need to go to the restroom.” 

Shavri stood up to give Chen Nian a way out. As Chen Nian left the private room, he quickly walked to the restroom, unable to hold back any longer, and finally burst into laughter. 

After Chen Nian left, Shavri and Antonio in the private room fell silent for ten seconds. 

Shavri sighed inwardly and put down his utensils, “Wait for me a moment.” 

He left the private room and walked toward the restroom. Just as he reached the door, he heard Chen Nian’s uncontrollable laughter. 

At that moment, the restroom was empty, and Shavri leaned against the door, raising his hand to knock. 

Standing in front of the sink, Chen Nian heard the sound and turned to look, still wearing a smile that hadn’t faded. 

“What are you laughing at?” Shavri asked. 

Chen Nian glanced down, noticing the black mark on Shavri’s shoe, his voice trembling, “Guess.” 

Shavri wasn’t stupid; from Antonio and Chen Nian’s reactions, he could guess the general idea. 

He felt a bit helpless, but more than that, he was filled with an indescribable anger. 

Anger that Antonio had secretly tried to seduce Chen Nian behind his back. 

In his eyes, the boy was Chen Ci’s identity, and she was his fiancée! 

He was sitting right across from him! 

He couldn’t understand how he and Antonio had known each other since childhood, with over a decade of friendship, and how Antonio could do such a thing? 

Even if Chen Nian had done it on purpose, if Antonio didn’t have that kind of intention, it wouldn’t have turned out this way. 

Chen Nian noticed Shavri’s gloomy expression and had almost laughed enough. He rubbed his somewhat stiff cheeks, stepped forward, and patted Shavri’s shoulder. 

“No need to thank me.” 

Shavri knew what he was referring to. 

Chen Nian continued, “It’s not a big deal unless you only have this one friend, then that would be a bit sad.” 

The comforting words seemed to have little effect. 

Shavri took a deep breath and said, “What do you think of Antonio…” 

“Just playing around,” Chen Nian replied casually, “Although it’s quite interesting, I can’t look up to an Alpha who sneaks around behind his brother’s back.” 

Shavri pursed his lips, temporarily skipping over this headache-inducing topic, and asked, “How does your arm feel?” 

The recoil of the sniper rifle is quite strong, and since it was Chen Nian’s first time using it, his arm would definitely be numb from the shock. 

“It’s fine, just a bit weak.” 

Shavri reached out and pressed down hard on a spot on Chen Nian’s shoulder blade. 

Chen Nian almost cried out in pain. Just as he was about to ask Shavri what he was doing, he found that after Shavri released his grip, both of his arms felt a rush of blood, and the soreness eased significantly. 

“How about now?” 

“Much better.” Chen Nian moved his arms, “Next time, can you give me a heads-up? At least let me be mentally prepared.” 

A hint of a smile finally appeared in Shavri’s eyes. He fell silent for a few seconds and softly said, “Let’s head back.”