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Chapter 6: The Chosen Hostage

Ethan struggled to remain calm, but his voice trembled more and more. He couldn't accept the terrifying prospect awaiting him. His eyes filled with tears, brimming with pain and pleading.

"The journey is long and perilous—can I even survive to reach there? There are countless traps in a foreign land; I could be falsely accused, harmed, tortured to death. My whole life, I would only be a slave to the royal family of Helios. This journey offers me only two paths: humiliation or death."

He choked on his words, almost suffocating in the intensity of his emotions. Ethan knew he was not just begging for his life but also for the compassion of the father he revered. His heart surged with a sense of helplessness and despair.

"Father, I am also a prince, your son. How can you let me live in disgrace, trampled by the royal family of Helios? How can you abandon me like this?"

Ethan's words pierced the king's heart like daggers, each sentence laden with fear and indignation. He hoped, even a little, that his father would change his decision, that there would be another way that wouldn't push him into danger.

The king, seeing Ethan still overwhelmed with emotion, tried to gently advise, his voice warm but full of authority:

"Ethan, you must understand that as members of the royal family, we must always place the nation's interests first. In my heart, there is no pain greater than sending you to the enemy, but to preserve our kingdom and ensure peace for our people, I have no other choice. This is the price our royal family must pay, the sacrifice you must make. Please understand my heart."

The king looked sternly at Ethan and continued with suspicion:

"Was the accident last time not a coincidence? Did you stage it to avoid your duty to the Kingdom of Helios?" His voice grew cold and angry.

Ethan looked up at his father in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief and pain.

"Father, do you doubt me?" His voice trembled, filled with both outrage and sorrow.

"Father, how can you think I would do something so despicable?"

He looked directly at the king, his voice resolute:

"I swear on my life to prove my innocence! It was entirely an accident!"

The king’s eyes were full of doubt.

"To prevent any mishap, from now on, you will stay within the palace, and I will assign two more squads of guards to ensure your safety."

The queen took Ethan's hand, her voice gentle but firm:

"Be strong. We are always with you, always love you."

Although she felt sympathy for Ethan, a talented prince, the safety of her own child remained her top priority. The queen silently breathed a sigh of relief that her son would not be a hostage in a foreign land.

With a stern expression, the king decisively issued his order:

"My decision is made. In a month, when the Helios military arrives, they will escort you on your journey. Prepare yourself now."

Not giving Ethan a chance to react, the king waved his hand and left, his mood far from cheerful.

After the king and queen left, Julian Pierce, now in the body of Ethan Caelan, felt the fate of the fourth prince was so tragic. The space was silent, with only the sound of sighs and conflicting thoughts in his mind.

"Four sons, and Ethan Caelan was the one chosen to be a hostage? He seems less loved than his brothers," Julian thought, filled with doubt and confusion.

"Yet even while imprisoned, he still protected them... How pitiful! Ethan Caelan was too kind."

Julian sighed, his mind tangled with conflicting thoughts. He pondered his own plans.

"I'm not Ethan Caelan; there's no reason for me to endure this imprisoned fate. But if I escape, Ethan will be seen as a coward, guilty of treason. Can I survive with that reputation?"

He tried to recall the script, but the vague details worried him. Julian sighed:

"Haizz! I should have read the script more carefully back then. All I remember is that Ethan was commanded to go to the kingdom of Helios as a hostage, and then he would be imprisoned and threatened. A noble prince, living in luxury, with looks as beautiful as an immortal, forced to live under the control of that tyrant king..."

Thinking of this, Julian shuddered.

Julian's thoughts became increasingly complex and chaotic.

"Being the emperor's male concubine, what would that entail? I've never even dated before, let alone imagined such things! Since becoming a trainee, all my relationships have been closely monitored. Before, it was just reading scripts and acting; it wasn't real. I'm only 25."

A sense of fear crept into his heart.

"What should I do? Running away is cowardly; staying means enduring humiliation."

Julian looked out at the sky, worried.

"If it were Ethan, what would he do? Right, with his self-sacrificing nature, he would accept it as a prince's duty. After all, now I am Ethan. I have to live according to the character's personality, follow the plot, and see it as an experience."

Thinking this, Julian felt a bit more determined.

"Anyway, this isn't the real world; consider it a long-term role."

"But... oh dear, being a male concubine for a tyrant king, I can't even imagine. If I act well, maybe he'll treat me better?"

Julian smiled gently.

"Let's try living Ethan's life, facing all challenges. Maybe there's a chance to turn the tide. But still, I'm scared; being a male concubine... what a challenge, unlike anything in my acting career."

He stood up, walked out to the yard, and gazed at the sky.

"Life is unpredictable. Just yesterday, I was a movie star with a packed schedule; now I'm a prince about to be a hostage in a foreign land. Life sure knows how to test people."

Julian felt his heart lighten, as if he had found a direction for himself.

"Whatever happens, I must be mentally and physically prepared. I can't let myself be caught off guard. Ethan Caelan, you lived a noble life; now it's my turn to continue this role completely."

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