Chapter 78
“Rank A,” Hesen slowly read out the two words, a glint of cunning flashing in his light brown eyes. “I originally thought there was a problem with his advancement and that his rank was unstable, but it turns out he never actually went through the second advancement.”
Hilgard's talent was extraordinary; his mental strength had already reached A-level at a young age. Hessen, as the Queen of Nathaniel, had secretly investigated him. Due to his physical limitations, he only had two options: to reach S-level or to die.
It's still Grade A. No wonder Albert made his decision so quickly in the end. He simply couldn't afford to gamble on a Grade A male insect with physical defects.
In other words, Hilgard neither failed nor succeeded; he somehow extended his advancement time.
Hesen suddenly raised his eyes, his back hunched: "Is today the thirteenth day since he and Marshal Celt arrived on Nuka?"
“Yes,” Brandon replied, “the greening stage is nearing its end, with only the final mark remaining.”
“Wilson only passed the message to me today,” Hessen said slowly as he sat back down, sneering sarcastically. “What is he trying to do? Isn’t Albert his most beloved daughter?”
“Speaker Wilson means he’s willing to go deep into Nuka to avenge Albert, but you have to go with him,” Brandon frowned. “He should be silenced by us if he enters the Imperial territory and disrupts Hilgard’s advancement.”
“Heh,” Hessen’s lips curled into a half-smile, “old man.”
"So, General, are we really going?"
"You're not willing?" Hessen looked up, keenly catching the fleeting hesitation on Brandon's face.
"After all, that's Hilgard, the son of His Majesty the Insect Emperor, and the Lord doesn't seem to dislike Prince Hilgard that much..."
Hessen listened gently to his subordinate's reasons for hesitation, seemingly able to understand his feelings at that moment.
“Brandon, when I married the male insect, His Majesty the Insect Emperor only had Prince Nathaniel as his male insect. The female was chosen according to the criteria for selecting the future Insect Emperor.”
"So your initial goal was the position of the Insect Emperor?" Brandon asked hesitantly.
Hesen slowly shook his head: "No, I mean, the competition was very fierce. I was just one of several female candidates at the time, and I didn't have much of an advantage."
Hesen was born into nobility, with a duke as his female father. He himself was of a high enough rank, and although he lacked combat skills, he relied on his own abilities to climb up to the top ranks of the military at a young age. However, such a resume did not give him an absolute advantage among the female insect candidates.
It's easy to imagine how fierce the competition was back then.
“I took the initiative to pursue Prince Nathaniel before His Majesty the Insect Emperor made his choice, thus gaining an advantage for myself.”
Before the arranged marriage, he took the initiative to woo Nathaniel and boldly tried premarital sex with him, while those foolish worms who only knew how to wait were ruthlessly kicked off and failed to win Nathaniel's favor.
"From that time on, I knew that everything had to be earned through my own efforts."
“Brandon, waiting here won’t do any good. Besides,” Hessen slowly turned the wedding ring on his left ring finger, “I promised the King that the crown of the Insect King would only fall on his head.”
Nathaniel could have anything he wanted, except for the fact that he had to compete with his brothers for the title of Insect King. When he was pursuing Nathaniel, he promised to make the crown of Insect King fall on Nathaniel's head.
Her Majesty the Queen's three female princes are not so outstanding, and Isidore, the Queen of Cyrus, is just an indecisive female insect and not worth fearing. His only true enemy has always been the Celt.
By interrupting Hildegard's ascension at the last moment, even if Hildegard survives, he will never be able to compete with Nathaniel. As for Celt, what use is a female insect that cannot protect her male lord?
Without S-grade pheromones, he would meet his death sooner than Hilgard.
"As for the risks?" Hessen shook his head, his gentle voice almost seductive, "There are risks in everything you do, and the greater the risk, the sweeter the fruits of victory you will taste."
“As for Wilson…” Hessen chuckled softly.
"He's just an overconfident old worm. Once he enters the empire's territory, do you think we can decide whether he lives or dies?"
——
Nuka Star.
A thousand lakes will have a thousand different scenes. Sometimes Hill will look forward to tomorrow, anticipating the surprises Celt will bring him. Other times he will fear tomorrow, because the deadline for the greening period is approaching.
Beside the lake were vast grasslands. Baxter somehow learned that he had once longed to ride horses and used this to win his favor. In fact, it was a rumor that came from Nathaniel.
Six years ago, Nathaniel of Nuka Star led a large number of female soldiers to capture Pegasus, which resulted in a shortage of female soldiers when the Star Beasts attacked. Somehow, it was rumored that he went to capture Pegasus because he liked it.
But Celt did satisfy his curiosity about horses for a moment, capturing untamed wild horses in the primeval forest.
Such agile, unrestrained, and wild beasts were forced to lower their heads.
Celtic had him sit in front of the horse to feel the wind as he galloped, kissed him on horseback, and loosened his clothes in the vast wind.
Then, on horseback, on the grasslands, in the treetops, anywhere, they would entwine intimately. Sometimes Hill would feel ashamed, and when climbing across the wilderness, he would be so ashamed that he would not want to look at the sky, but would turn his head to the side.
Then, unexpectedly, his eyes met those of a marmot that peeked out of its burrow and stared at him curiously.
The animals of the wilderness had never seen a strange species before, and their clear, questioning eyes saw right through him.
Hill's cheeks flushed with an indescribable heat. She wanted to cover her eyes in shame, but Celtic grabbed her cheeks and pinned her wrists above her head.
—You can only see me.
His possessiveness would be amplified at such times, not only physically, but also in terms of gaze and thought, not allowing them to be separated for even a moment. If they were separated, Celtic would exhaust him to the point where they could only feel each other.
Celt cultivated vast fields of Blue Clytons beside a lake, a turquoise-blue brocade of flowers that bloomed everywhere Hill could see.
Hill once asked him why, and Celtic replied, "Because it looks like the color of your eyes."
Sophirosa is the pheromone of Cyrus. Only a very small part of his pheromone has a faint floral scent. The vast expanse of Sophirosa has never touched his heart. He only feels that the female insects are chasing after pheromones.
When Celt finished speaking, he would kiss his eyes again and again, licking away the tears at the corners of his eyes, until Hill fell asleep contentedly from the kisses.
On the penultimate day, Celtic built Hill a room that was entirely made of mirrors.
The ceiling, floor, and walls were all made of mirrors, and countless mirrors reflected Hill's current appearance, every inch of his skin, every tremor, every gasp, no matter where he looked, he could not escape it.
Hill was terrified when she first saw him: "What are you doing?"
"I like it, don't I?" Rather than the anger of breaking the mirror, I like how my eyes become clearer and brighter when I look at it.
“Who said that? I don’t like it at all…” Hill closed her eyes in resistance.
Celt didn't say anything more, but seemed to smile. He kissed every corner of his body, and when Hill couldn't bear it and opened his eyes, his unfocused gaze was reflected in the ceiling. He turned his head away as if to escape, but saw Hill in the wall opening his lips and making a disgusting sound.
He wanted to lower his head, but the reflection of what Celtic was doing was so clear, so very close...
It seems so close, like in the mirror world, there's another Hill being possessed by Celt. There are countless Celts in the mirror, and no matter where you look, you can't escape them. And countless Hills in the mirror are all being possessed by Celt...
His ankle pressed against the cold mirror, gripped tightly by a burning hot hand, and it seemed as if another hand was reaching out from the mirror and firmly holding his ankle.
"No, don't look at me..."
He couldn't help but let out a choked sob, and as soon as he made that sound, Celtic looked over, and countless Celtic reflections in the mirror looked over as well. Those burning gazes enveloped him from all directions; he had been seen...
The details in the mirror were crystal clear; he couldn't escape being forced to see them clearly, to see details he himself was unaware of. His legs were so tense; Celtic's skin tone was so distinctly different from his own...
He didn't want to look, but he couldn't help but be engrossed in it until Celtic picked him up and pressed him against the mirror.
He whispered in his ear in a low voice, "Don't you like watching?"
No, I don't like watching... Don't watch...
But he could no longer make a sound; his throat felt dry, and even his voice was swallowed up.
Hill was so sleepy that it was difficult for her to even open her eyes before she was gently coaxed to sleep.
That night, Celtic held him in his arms and slept in the same position as he had for the past ten days.
Perhaps because he was too tired, Hill's tail hook fell out. Celtic grasped the tail hook, its dark blue color gleaming coldly.
Its tail hook is beautiful, a deep blue and clear, with sharp edges, but it is slightly short.
Celtic's eyes darkened, as if he had thought of something.
When he first saw Hill's tail hook, he thought the male was too low-level and therefore not long enough. He comforted the little male, but he didn't expect it was because he hadn't gone through the second promotion and was a juvenile male.
Since that incident, Hill has never brought out his tail hook again, probably because the sensitive and proud little male insect remembered that he said it was short.
Hill is such a highly sensitive and demanding little male that even unintentional words can make him feel uncomfortable for a very long time.
And myself—
A sinister glint flashed in Celtic's eyes, followed by a sigh.
During this period, it may seem like every step is bringing me closer to you, but in reality, every step is a countdown.
Celt took the sharp tail hook into its mouth, and the wet and hot mouth completely enveloped the tail hook. Hill's waist stiffened and a tingling, itchy sensation surged up.
He gave a soft hum, but did not protest. Instead, he unconsciously hugged her tighter and tighter.
Young male insects often feel insecure, and holding their tail hooks makes them feel more secure.
He liked it; he liked being held with his tail hook in his mouth and then being kissed and shown affection the moment he woke up.
It's just that I missed it for far too long.
This was their last night sleeping together in each other's arms.
Everything will be answered tomorrow, if it can't be marked yet—
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