Chapter 33
Hilgard had come of age, but did not immediately attend the various banquets and events on the capital planet. Nathaniel and Sirius remained the active figures in the capital planet's social circles.
However, even the few blurry photos taken that day caused a huge uproar on the StarNet.
The background is likely the royal palace gardens, and the insect was probably taking the photo secretly.
Sophie Rosa, which blooms at a constant temperature all year round, is the favorite flower of His Majesty the Insect King. As Hilgard walked through the garden, the female insects who were secretly taking pictures must have been discovered, as the camera lens was pulled and shook violently.
Hilgard was also drawn to the commotion and glanced over slightly. Her long, flowing hair was woven with moonstone of the same color, revealing a section of her pale, slender neck. Her icy blue eyes seemed to be shrouded in mist when she looked over.
He slightly raised his hand, seemingly to stop the female insect guards from reacting to the stress. Because it was a snapshot, the pixelation was blurry, as if covered by a layer of moonlight, but it did not diminish the male insect's beauty in the slightest.
The female insect who had been secretly photographed cried out on the StarNet: "His Highness Hilgard is very gentle! I just came from a remote planet. Because my female father has made great contributions, I was exceptionally allowed to bring my house insect to His Highness's coming-of-age ceremony."
"Because His Highness is so handsome, I couldn't resist taking a picture. But the guards are so strict! They almost tied me up and took me to court. Luckily, His Highness noticed. Although I didn't get to speak to him, it was obvious that the guards only released me after His Highness said something!"
"I guess it was His Highness who pardoned me!"
"Thank you, Your Highness! I will always love and respect you! But—who leaked my photo? It's already spread and there's no way to take it back, so I hope everyone can see Your Highness's beauty qwq."
"The original poster is so unwilling to accept this, they must be heartbroken that they can't keep it to themselves, hahaha!"
“Completely understandable. If I were to take a private photo of Your Highness, I would keep it forever.”
"Your Highness has just passed the advancement stage and hasn't officially chosen a female ruler yet, right? I wonder which female insect will have that honor. I'm so jealous."
"Jealousy +1".
"Jealousy +10086".
"His Highness Sirius's female ruler is Marshal Celtic, so there's nothing we can do about it. But His Highness Hilgard's female insect should be careful."
The female insect rubbed her hands together, making a casual joke.
"Yes, there's a sense that His Highness Hilgard's photos are meant to be kept private."
Hidden away?
A steady, clear sound of military boots rang out. After a brief pause, the female insect, who was engaged in a heated discussion, suddenly felt a pressure, as if she were being choked. Fortunately, the pressure quickly dissipated.
"What just happened?" The female insect, under pressure, let out a long breath.
"It seems the marshal has passed away."
"We're discussing Prince Hilgard, not Prince Sirius, are we?" The female soldier was baffled. Even if the marshal was possessive, shouldn't the object of his desire be Prince Hilgard?
"The Marshal has always disliked female insects mentioning male insects during work hours," a colleague whispered, urging him to shut up.
"Don't mention it during the next work session. The Marshal doesn't seem like the kind of female insect that revolves around male insects. After all, even with all the scandals surrounding Prince Sirius, the Marshal hasn't shown any reaction."
The subordinates wholeheartedly agreed.
With Celtic and Sirius's wedding approaching, the Marshal will be stationed on the capital planet for the next three months, strictly following the military's schedule, except for one thing.
The female insects, who used to sleep directly at the military headquarters, started returning to the villas assigned to them by the military after get off work.
The villas allocated by the military occupy the best locations outside the palace, allowing them to observe or even encounter queen beetles. Many female military personnel fight tooth and nail not only for honors but also in the hope of getting a chance to contact male beetles.
—After all, male insects are extremely rare.
Unfortunately, I didn't see Hilgard even once in half a month. His brief appearance felt like an unreal dream. When I woke up, everything was no different from the past six months.
The room around me was still cold, just as it had been for decades.
If it weren't for those photos from the StarNet, even a female insect like Celt, who never doubts herself, would have wondered if it was just an illusion caused by the rigidity of her mental sea.
The female soldier's bent index finger knuckle brushed against the male insect's clear eyes on the virtual screen, and Celtic closed his eyes deeply.
The next moment, the military communications rang, and when he opened his eyes again, his eyes were as cold as they had been for the past decades.
But this time, the decision to be made is unusual.
His Majesty the Insect Emperor's third male Insect Prince, Prince Hilgard, will travel to Akeron in half a month to discuss marriage with the Federation.
Dick's voice, unusually, carried a hint of unease: "Marshal, His Majesty the Insect Emperor has instructed that, due to the long journey and the fact that Akeron Star is located on the edge of the territory, the military shall be fully responsible for planning and ensuring its safety."
The Zerg were virtually unmatched in the universe due to their top-tier combat power. Over the course of several centuries, they expanded their original star field several times over, almost dominating the entire universe. However, their vast territory also led to the division of the empire, with a region near the northern part of the star field declaring independence three hundred years ago.
The Federation and the Empire are hostile to each other. Besides the Star Beasts that feed on the Zerg, the Federation is the Empire's enemy.
A marriage alliance?
A rare hint of ferocity flashed in Celtic's gray eyes, which he quickly concealed.
There are no restrictions on male insects marrying female insects. Cyrus is a womanizer and a philanderer, Nathaniel is a licentious madman, and most female insects have always assumed that Hilgard is about to die and are not considered. The best female insects of marriageable age have already made plans.
He considered all the eligible double-S-class females in the Empire, but forgot that there were neighbors in the north outside the Empire eyeing the males covetously.
"Who is the person to be married off to?"
Dike felt a dryness in his mouth, but he had no choice but to answer: "Based on the current intelligence, it is very likely Albert."
The moment that name was mentioned, the pressure in the office increased several times over.
“Albert—”
Celt coldly repeated the name word by word, the image of a certain female insect appearing in his mind.
"I will personally escort them."
He thought it wouldn't be that fast, but the Zerg are a race that is keen on reproduction, especially an S-class male Zerg.
The male insect that was once his private possession is now coveted by countless female insects and will belong to a neighboring insect.
Inside the royal palace.
The morning sunlight streamed through the window, and the young male insect stood in front of the mirror, its eyes slightly closed by the glare of the sunlight.
The door was gently pushed open, and the sub-female who was tidying the male insect's robes was startled and looked up. She saw the second prince, Sirius, walking over and gesturing for her to be quiet.
The submissive woman understood and stepped aside.
The noble male insect prince approached, naturally bowed, and raised his hand, intending to half-squat in front of the young male insect to straighten his slightly wrinkled white robe.
A slender hand blocked his way, stopping him from moving.
Sirius looked up and met a pair of clear, azure eyes, which had an unreal transparency in the morning sunlight.
This is a beautiful male insect, so stunning that it would leave any insect speechless, regardless of whether it is male or female.
"Sirius".
It was a cold morning, and his voice was cold too, carrying an unyielding refusal.
Sirius's fingertips twitched slightly as he slowly stood up, suppressing his momentary disappointment.
“Hill, I brought you a gift.” He took out a small, exquisitely crafted, and ornate blue brooch.
In the past, he always gave her Celtic-related gifts, which Hill didn't like seeing, but she was always happy about it.
After the gift for Celtic failed, it seemed even harder to cheer up little Hill.
Sirius bowed his head and personally placed the expensive and exquisite ornaments in the right position, then looked up at the little male insect in the mirror.
He was so young, clearly at an age of carefree exuberance, yet his eyes and brows seemed shrouded in a faint air of illness and a thin layer of icy hardness.
Sirius gently placed his hand on Hill's shoulder and said in a gentle voice, "Hill, sometimes it's good to cut your losses."
Don't make the same mistake again. You're still so young, you have the capital to try everything again.
An infinite future and beyond await you.
Let's look ahead a bit, my little Hill.
The young male insect in the mirror had a cold expression and answered calmly in his mind.
I know.
—To place all of life's resources on any single insect is tantamount to courting death.
——
On the StarNet, many people lamented the marriage, while others were indignant.
"The male insect princes are already rare and precious. The empire can't even distribute them all, why should it give them to the federation? If this continues, I'm going to betray the empire and join the federation."
"What's wrong with the people upstairs? The Federation is sending Albert here for this marriage alliance."
"Who is Albert? What is his background? I know he must be a top-tier female insect, but even he can't be stronger than a marshal, right?"
"It's clear that the person upstairs doesn't care about the war at all. Albert is the female son of the Federation's Chief of Ceremonies, the Federation's youngest double S-class female insect, but none of that matters. His only truly resounding title is—the terminator of Marshal Celt's 109-game winning streak!"
"Ah, I know that. Marshal Celt went on a winning streak for three years on the edge of the border, winning every battle. At that time, the military was betting on how many wins the marshal would win before it was broken. It turns out it was him, the marshal's nemesis."
“Albert is younger and is said to have a good chance of becoming the next 3S-class female insect. It seems normal that he would have the opportunity to marry His Highness Hilgard.”
"Upstairs, please don't flatter Albert. He ended the Marshal's winning streak because the Marshal was facing several star beast riots in succession, was seriously injured, and was carrying an unsolved star beast poison. Even so, Albert only managed to fight the Marshal to a draw. Yet this guy keeps marketing himself as the Marshal's mortal enemy in interstellar space. What a piece of shit!"
"And what do you mean by 'having a chance'? At his age, the Marshal is already the only 3S-class female insect besides His Majesty. Let's talk again when he truly breaks through to 3S-class!"
"Is the person upstairs a die-hard fan of the Marshal? Why are you so angry over just a few words?"
"That's exactly right! The Marshal never took Albert seriously at all. Just wait, there's a bug online named Orange who analyzed the entire battle, and it contains some previously unpublished secret information—"
"Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"That female insect suddenly stopped updating half a year ago. She has liked the marshal for many years. I hope nothing unexpected has happened to her?"
The StarNet has a powerful dissemination capability. Because it concerns the marriage of Marshal Celt and His Highness Hilgard, it has stirred up a wave on the StarNet, with countless onlookers and curious onlookers flooding into his homepage.
Soon, the female soldier who was just watching the drama unfold realized something was wrong.
"This is incredibly detailed! I used to work in the military's propaganda department, and even the details at three minutes and fifty-two seconds are something my department didn't have! What kind of insect could obtain such secret information? It can't be some nobody!"
"My God, a full 1,800 days! This bug actually celebrates every single anniversary. But what's October 28th?"
"Marshal's birthday? Commemoration of enlistment? Or promotion anniversary? Why can't I find it at all?"
Finally, one insect suggested: "Is this the time when this insect fell in love with the marshal? I've heard that some male insects with sensitive and fragile hearts really enjoy celebrating various anniversaries."
"Pfft, we all completely respect the Marshal, but isn't it a bit too far-fetched to imagine that a male insect has secretly liked the Marshal for 1,800 days?"
"That's a male insect! How could he possibly be so willing to offer himself up like this—"
"Stop dreaming. Stop reading those 'male insects fall in love with me' stories online. Marshal Celt has been the number one male insect in the list of female insects most feared for many years. Even his marriage to Prince Sirius was due to his outstanding achievements, not because of any particular insect."
"That's right. The marriage alliance scared Prince Sirius so much that he developed a genetic disease. Four years ago, there was even a rumor that the system matched a date with the marshal, and that male insect was so scared that he was sick for half a year before he escaped the disaster."
"She's probably just a female insect who admires the marshal, but I'm curious why she stopped updating half a year ago. What happened?"
A female insect who had been following this account for a long time finally spoke up: "He replied to a post half a year ago, meaning that he was going to be with the insect he liked, maybe they got married."
A moment of silence.
After a long while, someone typed: "Did he disappear after marriage? Maybe he met a rather demanding male lord."
"I hope so..."
But what kind of good male lord could make the once lively and happy insects disappear without a trace? All the insects felt sad.
With such heavy hearts, the insects forwarded the message, and one particularly compassionate female insect even forwarded it to the military.
If this insect likes Marshal Celtic so much, wouldn't letting Marshal Celtic see it fulfill the insect's wish?
Because of the recent upheaval, the female insects in the propaganda department had also heard about it. With sympathy for the insects facing an uncertain future, the insects in the propaganda department submitted their report again.
Through this relay of efforts, the promotional material was eventually submitted to Lieutenant General Dick.
The marshal had countless military affairs to handle, and the non-urgent ones were usually delegated to several adjutants.
—A mandarin orange.
The seemingly innocent male insect prince even had a simple name, as if one could glimpse his pure nature.
But was it really just an accident that it ended up in his hands?
Or is this yet another meticulously planned approach and scheme, for some unknown purpose, to sow discord between the Marshal and Prince Sirius after clearly sensing the impending battle for the Insect Emperor, or is there something else going on?
Lieutenant General Dick was in a difficult position; with the Marshal and His Highness Sirius's wedding imminent, there shouldn't be any more unnecessary problems.
However, I always felt that the marshal would want to see this document.
After a three-hour internal struggle, he chose to put the matter aside for a short time. Although he knew that the decision should be left to the marshal, his personal feelings prevented him from making a choice.
Choosing Prince Sirius is the best decision at present, not only because he nearly destroyed Prince Hilgard, but also because—
Dick gradually became more determined.
Celt devoted all his limited time to his work. StarNet's public opinion was handled by a dedicated department, so he didn't need to pay attention to it and was unaware of the turmoil that had occurred on StarNet.
As with every time in the past six years, young Hill's surging love always vanishes without a trace, like ripples disappearing into the water.
In mid-November of Star Calendar 7568, with the permission of His Majesty the Insect Emperor, the Starbound Boundary set sail from the capital star and began its journey to Akeron.
The Imperial Spaceport is perpetually swept by vast winds, and starships from outer space land here one after another, bringing with them all sorts of wonders and knowledge from the universe.
At this moment, a starship with a pure silver-white body and a cold, gleaming sheen, marked by a base of blood-red rain and two halberds pointing upwards, is ready to set sail.
The female insects lined up in neat uniforms, trying to show off their heroic bearing, hoping to win the favor of some male insect.
Even after suppression and dilution, the pheromones of S-grade male insects spread over a wider area compared to those of ordinary male insects. The pheromones of adult male insects are more intense, and female insects nearby begin to breathe slightly rapidly.
“Marshal,” Dick rushed over, first bowing deeply to Hilgard, then frowning, “His Highness Nathaniel requested to stay in the core module, which is Hilgard’s cabin.”
Of course, there were more than just that one cabin in the best location in the core area, but Nathaniel only wanted something purely symbolic.
Dick's voice wasn't low; Hill, who was boarding the starship, could hear it.
The male insect did not stop; its soft, well-fitting white robe was fluttered by the wind blowing through the airport.
His gaze was extremely calm, as if he were listening to something insignificant.
Celt's sharp features remained unmoved, faithfully carrying out His Majesty the Insect Emperor's order: "Maintain the status quo."
Hilgard slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a faint, almost imperceptible sneer, but the curve was so faint that it was quickly blown away by the wind.
When he was the favored prince Hill, he wasn't even worthy of meeting the esteemed Prince Nathaniel, even after he had been humbled to the dust and pressed under the desk—
He turned and left.
At that moment, Celtic suddenly remembered that rainy night when he had finished relieving himself and ordered Dick to take the male insect away. The little male insect's wet eyes suddenly widened.
In that instant, he could see that the male insect wanted to stay. What would he do if he stayed? Staying would only disrupt the marriage alliance with Sirius, something Celt could never tolerate.
Hilgard's figure had disappeared into the long corridor.
——
"That wretched worm, Celt! He actually rejected me and chose Hilgard instead, you damned bug—"
The sounds of frantic smashing and looting came from a small villa area near the core module. Nathaniel was extremely arrogant as a Zerg, and since he couldn't compete for the core area, he simply stayed away from there and chose the best location among the starship villas.
Several female insects lay prostrate on the ground, some as slaves and others as servants, each wearing a black restraining ring around their neck to prevent them from harming the male insects in extreme circumstances.
Under the male's tyranny and madness, the female insect exposed her weaknesses, allowing herself to be whipped and beaten. Fortunately, the male insect had limited stamina, and the delicate princess collapsed on the sofa, panting heavily after being beaten until she was exhausted.
Hessen calmly rose to his feet. In this villa, only the female ruler was qualified to stand before the male ruler, and only Hessen was unafraid of Nathaniel's rage.
Even though the Queen had injuries on her back in her rage and loss of reason, Hesen pulled his clothes back together, calmly sat down on the sofa, and brushed away the blond hair that was sticking to Nathaniel's forehead due to sweat, revealing his deep and handsome face.
Both the Insect Emperor and the Insect Queen were beautiful insects, and their sons were all beautiful in their own unique ways.
“If Your Highness needs more, we can send another batch.” Hesen was the most exemplary female monarch, and it was precisely because he almost perfectly conformed to the etiquette of a female monarch that he became the female monarch of Nathaniel when he was the only male.
Even when he himself was being whipped, he still fully considered the male insect's thoughts.
"What's the use of whipping you?!" Nathaniel roared. "Does that make you stronger than Celt?!"
He could take advantage of any female insect that did not comply with Nathaniel's wishes, but Celt was different. He would soon be the queen of Cyrus, and the ownership of the female insects would not belong to him, but to the male insects who were of equal nobility to him. He would be unable to retaliate.
"Now not only that bug Sirius, but even that greenhorn Hilgard is starting to defy me."
Nathaniel's voice was filled with rage: "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
He certainly had reason to be angry and resentful. Of the three male insect princes of His Majesty the Insect Emperor, he was an A-rank prince and was already a chosen one of heaven, but then Sirius and Hilgard were born one after another.
Six years ago, Sirius successfully broke through to become an S-class male insect. Today, six years later, Hilgard has become the second S-class male insect, while he remains at A-class. This is a great disgrace.
The male insect, panting heavily, suddenly opened its eyes wide and stared directly at its female: "Hesen, no matter what, ruin this marriage!"
Before marriage, he could get anything he needed by telling his female father; after marriage, he could get anything he needed by telling his female husband. He had developed this habit.
“My lord, His Highness Hilgard has no connection with us. Half a year ago—” Brandon, kneeling on the ground, spoke in a low voice, enduring the pain.
Nathaniel's brow furrowed, seemingly annoyed and about to erupt, but Hessen calmly said, "Brandon, this is not something you need to know. What the Lord wants is what we need to consider how to do for him."
"Go down and receive your punishment."
Nathaniel's anger, which had been surging again, subsided slightly. Like a lion whose fur had been gently stroked, he calmed his mane before it bristled.
"Master, are you thirsty?" The female ruler, Hesen, gently took the water cup from the mechanical insect and brought it to the mouth of the male insect who had been cursing for a long time.
——
The Starbound is the Empire's largest warship. It was originally a gift from the Insect Emperor to the Insect King for his interstellar travels, but it was not favored by the Insect King. Therefore, it was later used for occasions such as state visits and was normally managed by the military.
After boarding the starship, Hilgard refused a series of arrangements made by the military and went to the core module to rest, citing fatigue as the reason.
drop--
As the hatch closed, the young male insect could no longer hold on and had to grab the cold hatch.
“Hill—”
Bright, who had been following Hill, quickly helped the sick male insect up. The short journey to the starship seemed to have exhausted all of the male insect's strength, causing him to almost fall to the ground and only be able to stand up with the help of other insects.
His long, silver hair cascaded down with his movements, and his fingers, which were braced against the cabin door, trembled slightly.
“Turn off the health monitoring device.” Hill’s voice was so low and faint that it was almost impossible to hear what he was saying unless you listened very closely.
“Don’t worry, I activated the StarNet jammer the moment we came in, so it won’t trigger an alarm.” Bright helped Hill walk into the room.
Bright, being a male insect, wasn't very strong, but fortunately Hill was so weak that he was able to support him as he slowly moved forward.
Too far from the bed in the bedroom, they could only stay on the soft sofa for the time being. Bright seemed to have expected this, and without even looking for warm water, he took out the medicine and fed it to Hill.
After the medicine was administered, Hill's chest was still rising and falling very weakly. Bright's hand holding the medicine was still trembling, and he couldn't help but say, "If there is no relief in fifteen minutes, I will go and call the doctor."
Hill couldn't open his eyes and only slightly squeezed the back of his hand. Fortunately, as time passed, the male insect's breathing gradually became long and steady after the agonizing fifteen minutes.
Bright finally breathed a long sigh of relief and began taking Hill's temperature and recording his condition, which was then encrypted and sent to the highly confidential medical team.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the medical insect came over for a routine check-up.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, a well-balanced and exquisite dinner for male insects was served. His Highness Hilgard tried a couple of bites of each dish, eating very little. After the meal, there was a side of highly nutritious animal milk and desserts that male insects love, but Hilgard did not eat a single bite.
At 6 p.m., the male insect, having cleaned itself, fell into a deep sleep, but it slept restlessly, occasionally waking up.
At 8 p.m., the medical bug came again for a routine check-up, and Bright was asked to leave the room, but the lights were never turned off.
At 10 p.m., Hilgard woke up for the fifth time. Perhaps he had a slight fever, he propped himself up to get a drink of water. The water glass by his bedside was empty. Instead of calling for the robot bug or the female guard bug, he got up and went to the living room to get water himself.
Even with his bathrobe covering him, one could see that he was trembling slightly. The core area's cabin was specially built by His Majesty the Insect Emperor for His Majesty the Insect King, offering a view of the entire universe. This magnificent design had now become a form of torture for the male insect.
He moved forward with difficulty, taking a full ten minutes to cover a distance of less than fifty meters.
When he finally arrived, he silently supported his forehead and remained silent for a long time. His long hair fell down and covered his face, so no one could see his expression at that moment.
At 10 p.m., the male insect was exhausted and breathing heavily.
The seemingly seamless metal door of the male insect's room slowly and silently opened a gap, and a tall and strong figure steadily walked out from the dark passage.
He had a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.
From 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., he stared at the male insect on the monitor for a full seven hours, not missing a single expression or body movement.
The female insect moved forward step by step, from darkness to light, her face becoming clearer inch by inch. The rich pheromones of the male insect almost enveloped him, and the powerful footsteps of the trained female insect were almost inaudible.
Finally, he stood by the male insect's bed, his large, hot palm outstretched, the insect patterns on his arm faintly glowing, revealing the turbulent undercurrents beneath the female insect's calm exterior.
He stroked the male insect's cheek.
“Hill…”
Bright light shone on the deep and hard features of the female soldier, whose Adam's apple bobbed slightly as she uttered the name with a sigh.
One hundred and ninety-three days later, he once again touched a living, warm male insect.
—His male insect.
Author's Note:
The beautiful character designs are on the pre-order cover! You can see them by opening the author's page! [Lower-eared bunny head] A sly, peeping gaze; the Marshal's lack of official rank and status is so frustrating, he can't even openly look at Baby Hill! [Starry eyes]
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