[Wait, hold on, what's going on? His Highness Xi'an decided to marry Claire when he was still a child?]
[And Claire forgot about Xi'an?!]
[Huh???]
[I said Claire had immunity from being flamed, but this is one thing I absolutely can't tolerate. Claire, how dare you?!]
[If a Male Zerg promised to marry me someday, I'd remember it for the rest of my life! For life!]
These female Zergs had already gone mad with anger.
Rage mixed with jealousy and robbed them of their reason.
Still, some were a bit calmer.
[Calm down, His Highness Xi'an was just a child back then.]
[Even if little Xi'an meant it, Claire was an adult female Zerg. He couldn't possibly take it seriously.]
[Why not? That sounds very criminal, very arrest-worthy! A life that's prison-worthy but not imprisonment-worthy is right before his eyes! Every day looks more and more like a sentence!]
[Cough... that's not what I mean. It's not that he had to do anything, but... at the very least, he shouldn't have forgotten, right?]
[Claire bears full responsibility for this. Therefore, sentence him to His Highness Xi'an!]
[How is that a punishment? That bastard Claire is just too lucky.]
[Wait? Why are registrations for the next Legion Tournament already full? The official website won't even load for me. What's going on?]
As soon as that comment appeared, the atmosphere in the comments changed completely.
[Damn it! I was wondering why no one was talking about this. You all secretly went to register, didn't you?!]
[You bunch of Tianga! Too underhanded!]
[What are you people talking about? I don't understand.]
[With reactions this slow, no wonder you don't have a Male Lord. Go play by yourselves.]
[Now every Zerg knows that His Highness likes Star Medals. If you win one in the Legion Tournament, you can please a Male Zerg and gain a Male Lord. Just imagine how fierce the competition for the next tournament will be.]
[Holy shit! You should've said so earlier!]
[The registration system has already crashed! This thing can crash? Am I really living in Star Calendar Year 7052?!]
Female Zergs wracked their brains trying to register for the Legion Tournament to obtain medals.
Male Zergs also began wondering.
Had their female Zergs ever given them medals?
Did any military female Zerg admirers who had pursued them in the past have medals?
And those military female Zergs they had previously rejected through genetic matching because psychic soothing was troublesome—weren't they supposed to be excellent? Maybe they should ask them out?
At that moment, the medal itself no longer mattered.
What mattered was what it represented.
Male Zergs had very simple thoughts:
If other Male Zergs have it, then I want it too!
Otherwise, I'd be inferior!
Meanwhile, the Genetic Matching Center suddenly received a large number of requests from Male Zergs asking military female Zergs out on dates.
The staff member responsible looked like he'd seen a ghost.
Since when did Male Zergs take the initiative to invite female Zergs out?
And military female Zergs at that!
...
【"Claire..."
Buried in Claire's arms, Xi'an hugged him tightly and softly called his name.
He was grateful to Claire, heartbroken for him, and liked him so much.
The affection and joy in his heart made him unable to resist rubbing against the female Zerg.
But Claire was so warm.
Even though his pheromones carried such a cold feeling, his embrace was warm and cozy.
His body was amazing too.
Even through the bathrobe, Xi'an could feel the firm, resilient muscles underneath.
It [N O V E L I G H T] felt so comfortable pressed against him.
Rub once.
Rub again.
Before he realized it, he had rubbed against him many times.
Claire had just gone through a deep psychic soothing and was sleeping soundly.
But a military female Zerg's biological clock, coupled with the strange furry thing wriggling around in his arms, woke him up.
The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling.
Then he realized there was a Male Zerg in his arms.
Faint Male Zerg pheromones lingered around him.
They weren't strong enough to trigger his body's instincts. Instead, they brought an astonishing feeling of satisfaction and tranquility.
His mind had never felt so relaxed.
It was so comfortable that it felt like returning to his eggshell as a child.
Even though Claire had never experienced it before, he knew this was the state after receiving psychic soothing from a Male Zerg.
This scene resembled those ridiculous female-male romance novels where a female Zerg accidentally spent a night with a Male Zerg.
And not just any Male Zerg, but an incredibly kind one who even performed psychic soothing while sleeping with him.
Claire had never believed in such stories.
Soon, he remembered.
He was married.
This wasn't a one-night stand.
He and Xi'an...
Were married.
Claire lowered his head.
All he saw was a fluffy red head.
And somehow, his own heart seemed to become fluffy as well.
It felt like a dream...
Xi'an noticed Claire waking up. His secret rubbing froze, and he hurriedly pulled away, pretending nothing had happened.
"Ahem, you're awake? Eat first or eat..."
Catching sight of Claire's bathrobe collar, loosened open by all the rubbing, Xi'an nearly bit his tongue and said the wrong thing. He hurriedly changed his words.
"I mean... should we do morning exercise first?"
Military Zergs all had a habit of exercising in the morning.
Usually before breakfast.
Claire's mind hadn't fully woken up yet.
Instinctively, he answered,
"Morning exercise."
Thus, Xi'an dragged him out of bed and into the walk-in closet to change clothes.
This was their first morning after marriage.
Xi'an had many things he wanted to say to Claire.
And at the same time, he wanted to temporarily forget all of them and quietly enjoy their married life.
His walk-in closet was huge, filled with countless custom-made outfits.
Actually, he'd barely worn most of them.
After becoming a military Male Zerg, he'd rarely had opportunities to wear anything else.
But he had never lost the habit of buying things.
Xi'an picked out a set of training clothes and handed them to Claire.
Naturally, they were his clothes and didn't fit Claire.
But that wasn't a problem.
High-end training suits adjusted themselves according to the wearer's body.
Even if they were torn apart, they could repair themselves.
Perfect for female Zergs who blew apart their clothes while fighting and spreading their wings.
Holding the training suit, Claire met Xi'an's eyes.
He actually had his own clothes.
When he'd been in extreme psychic danger, he'd frequently destroyed things unconsciously, so he'd packed most of his belongings into spatial buttons.
But Xi'an asked,
"Do you need me to leave?"
Claire immediately answered,
"No!"
They were already married.
How could a female Zerg changing clothes after marriage ask his Male Lord to avoid him?
He had already ruined their wedding night.
He couldn't allow things to become even worse.
Claire directly removed his bathrobe and changed into the training clothes.
Xi'an had intended to politely turn away, but...
Wow—
What an incredible body.
He raised a hand to cover his burning face, his eyes sparkling excitedly.
Claire was tall, broad-shouldered, and broad-backed.
His muscles were strong and beautiful.
His chest muscles were huge, making his waist appear especially narrow.
And lower down...
Xi'an covered his face and looked downward, only to discover with regret that Claire had already gotten dressed.
Receiving the Male Zerg's resentful gaze, Claire paused and reflected on whether he'd done something wrong.
...】
The female Zergs reading the chapter couldn't hold back anymore.
[That idiot Claire! Can't he be a little sexier? His Male Lord was watching! Why did he get dressed so fast?!]
[You expect him to flirt? Don't forget, this is the ultimate monster who could fly a mecha while leaking and not even glance toward the Male Zerg!]
[His Highness Xi'an's expression was so cute, and Claire was blind as a bat!]
[He puts on clothes faster than taking them off before bed. Is he in a hurry to lay eggs? Oh right, he didn't even take off his clothes last night. And he doesn't even have eggs to lay.]
[At this rate, who knows if he'll even be carrying an egg within a hundred years.]
Others focused on different things.
[His Highness likes this type of body? Should I train my chest bigger?]
[Waist ratio is important too. Noted, noted.]
[Fashion changes too fast. Slender female Zergs were popular before, and now after losing weight I have to gain muscle again. Sigh.】
...
【Seeing Claire finished dressing, Xi'an picked out a training suit for himself as well.
The entire time, Claire didn't dare raise his head.
A female Zerg's acute hearing allowed him to catch every sound of fabric brushing against skin.
Unable to see anything, his imagination ran wild.
Actually...
He couldn't imagine much.
His limited imagination could only form a blurry outline.
Yet that alone made him unbearably restless.
He couldn't keep thinking like this.
Otherwise he'd dirty the clothes Xi'an had given him.
Claire closed his eyes tightly and forcibly cut off his thoughts, making himself think about something else.
Everything from the previous night surfaced in his mind, and the heat on his face immediately vanished.
His performance had been awful.
A female Zerg who made such a mess should've been thrown directly into the punishment room.
Xi'an was simply too kind.
He actually let him go to the training room for morning exercise instead of sending him to the punishment room.
Perhaps it was because his psychic domain still hadn't fully recovered.
No matter what, he owed the Male Zerg an explanation.
"Your Highness, I..."
Claire spoke.
Xi'an raised his eyes in displeasure.
"Still calling me 'Your Highness'?"
Claire's breathing paused.
He understood what Xi'an meant.
But...
Could he really?
He rolled that special word around on his tongue twice before carefully speaking.
"Male Lord."
Xi'an nodded with reserved satisfaction.
Though he suppressed the curve of his lips, the smile in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
With light steps, he walked over and adjusted Claire's clothes.
"Go ahead. What did you want to tell me?"
"Last night, I didn't kick you on purpose... nor was I unwilling to sleep with you..."
These words should've been confessed while kneeling and begging forgiveness.
But Xi'an's hand was still resting on his shoulder.
Claire could only force himself to speak while standing.
He was slightly taller than the Male Zerg.
When he lowered his head, his lips nearly brushed Xi'an's ear.
Xi'an's ear tingled slightly, and he tilted his head away.
Of course he knew Claire hadn't done it intentionally.
He'd stopped caring about that long ago.
Compared to that kick, Claire's own condition worried him far more.
"I know. I saw your inner psychic landscape."
Just mentioning it made Xi'an's mood sink.
Those scenes had been too tragic.
Merely seeing them had left his face pale and his limbs cold.
And Claire—
As the one who had personally experienced everything, and who relived that day over and over in his psychic landscape—
How much pain and pressure had he endured?
Xi'an hugged Claire and buried his face in his neck, feeling the warmth of his body.
Whole and intact.
Yet utterly shattered.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Xi'an felt both heartache and grievance.
"When I was burning up during my advancement, everything you did for me... why didn't you tell me?"
Claire stiffened.
His mind was full of the soft sensation of the Male Zerg hugging him.
Only after a moment did he understand what Xi'an meant, causing him to become even stiffer.
"You already know?"
His voice was hoarse.
He desperately recalled his state back then.
It definitely wasn't pretty.
Under the influence of pheromones, he'd been covered in blood, hideous and miserable.
His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.
Dryly, he said, barely knowing what he was saying,
"Bringing you safely back to the military district was my responsibility. You didn't need to know the details... I apologize for dirtying your mecha."
By the end, his shoulders drooped in defeat.
Xi'an had nearly cried.
Hearing that, he became so angry he bit him.
He was heartbroken and devastated.
And Claire's concern was that he'd dirtied his mecha???
That bite broke Claire's ear.
Male Zerg saliva also contained pheromones...
Xi'an was violently shoved away.
Claire's body slammed heavily into the transparent wardrobe behind him.
His face was flushed red.
His breathing became rapid.
His entire body tensed.
"Claire?"
Xi'an panicked.
He had always paid attention to controlling his pheromones.
But he'd forgotten about his saliva.
When a Male Zerg bit and injured a female Zerg, pheromones entered directly into the bloodstream.
The effect was far more intense.
It could make a female Zerg enter heat instantly.
And their compatibility was extremely high.
It was nearly impossible for Claire to resist Xi'an's pheromones.
Especially with the relationship between them...
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable..."
Xi'an apologized repeatedly and hurried over.
The moment his hand touched Claire's arm, a violent tremor surged through the body beneath the protective training suit.
His hand was slapped away.
Claire's breathing became even heavier.
His entire body was soaked as though he'd been fished out of water.
His legs weakened so much that he almost couldn't stand.
His body slid down the wardrobe.
His sanity hung by a thread, but he was still desperately resisting something.
"No... no, I can't... can't..."
...】