“Master, you have received a formal banquet invitation.”
Lu Li and Aseya were enjoying their meal as usual when Yuanyuan waddled over, its round mechanical chassis humming softly.
Lu Li felt a sudden spike of curiosity. He was a complete stranger in this world, unfamiliar with its geography and its people who on earth would extend a formal invitation to him?
He accepted the invitation card. Engraved upon the surface was an elegant summons, cordially requesting the presence of the noble male Lu Li and General Aseya at a grand gala hosted by the Heinard Royal Court.
The Heinard Royal Court? Lu Li blinked, a bit puzzled. Wait, isn’t Aseya a military female belonging to the Heinard clan?
He turned his head, openly voicing his confusion to his partner.
Aseya paused, softly explaining the complex genealogy of his household.
“Master, my birth-father is the biological younger brother of the reigning Zerg Emperor Prince Eric. My other father serves as the Grand Marshal of Military Command.”
“Their union was initially arranged as a high-profile political marriage between the imperial family and the military brass. However, over the years, they genuinely grew to love one another deeply.”
Lu Li listened to the explanation, thoroughly stunned. Wow… so it turns out my fierce military wife is actually a literal little prince!
“So… Master, are we going to attend this banquet?”
To tell the truth, Aseya harbored a quiet desire to go.
“Aseya, do you want to go?”
Lu Li’s logic was beautifully simple: if Aseya wished to go, they would attend; if Aseya found it tedious, they would stay home.
Aseya hadn’t anticipated that Lu Li would hand the executive decision entirely over to him. Choosing to honor his own inner wishes, he murmured, “Master, I would like to go…”
“Then we shall go! This will be our very first formal appearance together as a couple in public.”
“I need to dress immaculately for the occasion. I absolutely refuse to embarrass my Aseya.”
As he spoke, Lu Li’s fingers were already flying across his terminal, aggressively searching the planetary network for high-end formal attire.
Aseya stared at him, his chest tightening. How could the Male Lord ever embarrass me? If anything, I can’t wait to show the entire empire how magnificent he is.
“Master is… exceptional as he is. You could never… embarrass me,” Aseya managed to state, his voice dropping to a shy whisper as he quickly lowered his head.
Completely detached from the aggressive, domineering culture typical of the Zerg race, Aseya was incredibly bashful when it came to directly articulating his affections.
It wasn’t that he doubted his feelings; he was simply intensely shy about voicing them.
Watching the subtle dip of Aseya’s head, the corners of Lu Li’s mouth tilted into a wide grin.
Lately, Aseya was becoming increasingly courageous about facing his own heart. It seemed all of Lu Li’s relentless, playful teasing over the past weeks was finally bearing fruit.
But what could he do? His wife’s blushing face was simply too adorable. Lu Li couldn’t resist the urge to keep poking at him.
“Oh? So Master is only exceptional now? Does that mean I wasn’t great before?”
With a dramatic sigh, Lu Li leaned back, pressing a hand against his chest in a picture of utter heartbreak. “Alas, it seems the depth of my affection was ultimately given to a heartless soul.”
Seeing Lu Li plunge into a dramatic performance, Aseya panicked, frantically trying to soothe his male. “No… it is not like that, Master! You… you have been perfect in the past, you are perfect now, and you will remain perfect in the future.”
Knowing exactly when to draw the line, Lu Li cut the performance short before Aseya could genuinely spiral into anxiety.
Leaning across the space, he planted a firm, resounding kiss directly onto Aseya’s cheek. “Good. As long as you know. You had better cherish me properly, understand?”
“I am so small, so innocent and naive. You need to keep a very close eye on me. Otherwise, if some predatory female steals me away, you’ll be left crying all alone under your bedsheets.”
Aseya pulled a soft napkin to wipe away the faint trace of savory oil left behind by the kiss, offering Lu Li a look of fond exasperation. “The Master would never.”
Amused, Lu Li tilted his head. “Never what?”
Aseya’s face flushed a deeper shade of crimson as he murmured, “You would never… allow yourself to be stolen away by another female.”
Lu Li continued his relentless flirting. “My, you place an immense amount of trust in me, don’t you?”
“Mm…”
Hearing Aseya’s quiet, absolute affirmation, Lu Li’s heart bloomed with pure joy. Excellent, it seems my domestic efforts over the past few weeks haven’t gone to waste.
He expertly used his chopsticks to drop a piece of sweet-and-sour rib onto Aseya’s plate. “Eat up quickly. Once we finish lunch, your Master is taking you out to buy formalwear.”
“But Master, my wardrobe is already packed with formal military dress and ceremonial attire,” Aseya countered, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
“Yes, but I don’t have a proper suit yet,” Lu Li countered smoothly.
“Then we shall secure a custom tailor for you this afternoon.” Imagining how incredibly handsome Lu Li would look draped in precision-cut formalwear, Aseya’s eyes brightened with anticipation.
“Ah, but there’s a catch: I want to wear matching couple’s attire with my First Husband.”
“Does my Ci jun not wish to step into the venue wearing coordinating outfits with me?”
“When the time comes, every single guest at that banquet will know with absolute certainty that I am your male. My person will be explicitly branded with Aseya’s label. Do you not like the sound of that?”
Lu Li spun his web of words, dripping sweet temptation right into Aseya’s ears.
I want it. I want it more than anything.
The guests attending this royal gala would comprise the absolute pinnacle of high society noble lords, decorated commanders, and influential figures. To step before that crowd with Lu Li explicitly bearing his personal mark, draped in coordinating formal attire…
In Zerg society, such a display was practically unheard of. No self-respecting male would ever willingly subject himself to being labeled as the “property” of a female spouse.
The mere mental image caused a profound, overwhelming wave of euphoria to crash through Aseya’s chest.
He wished he could warp reality and immediately materialize at the gala, locked arm-in-arm with Lu Li in their matching garments.
“Then Master, let us depart for the design studio this afternoon without delay.”
Aseya was officially incapable of waiting.
Lu Li offered him a deeply indulgent, affectionate smile. “Of course. Let’s go.”
Once their meal concluded, the two made a swift beeline across the city, eventually pulling up before a sleek, minimalist storefront.
“Aseya… is this the studio where we’re commissioning our formalwear?” Lu Li inquired, a touch of skepticism lacing his voice.
Lu Li had originally mapped out a highly rated, elite boutique he found on the planetary network. However, Aseya had intercepted the plan, mentioning he knew an exceptional designer and desperately wished to patronize his establishment instead.
Naturally, Lu Li wasn’t about to deny his wife’s specific request.
And so, they had arrived.
In fairness to Lu Li’s skepticism, the individual standing inside the studio looked less like an elite fashion designer and significantly more like an avant-garde hair stylist.
To put it mildly, the Zerg standing before them was… profoundly unique.
Aseya stepped forward, introducing the eccentric figure to his partner. “Master, this is a close personal friend of mine. You may address him as Ciel.”
The Ciel in question currently sported a magnificent, gravity-defying mane of shifting, rainbow-colored hair. Whatever his natural biological hair color was remained an absolute mystery to science.
Lu Li begged for forgiveness internally, he had genuinely never encountered a Zerg of this specific variation before.
A rainbow bug?
“Ciel, this is my Male Lord, Lu Li.”
Catching sight of Lu Li, a flash of profound shock rippled across Ciel’s features. Based on his historical understanding of Aseya’s psychological profile, if the general wasn’t completely, utterly head-over-heels in love with this male, he would have sooner jumped into a black hole than introduce him to his inner social circle.
After all, Aseya’s historical aversion to males was legendary.
Possessing an aggressively extroverted personality, Ciel didn’t wait for Lu Li to process his appearance before lunging forward, enthusiastically grabbing Lu Li’s hand in a tight shake. “Hello, hello! It is an immense pleasure, Lord Lu Li! I am Ciel, an elite fashion artisan!”
Before Ciel could even warm up the handshake, a freezing, dangerously lethal glare from Aseya pierced straight through his skull. He sheepishly let go of the male’s hand, retreating half a step.
“You’re here to commission formalwear for the upcoming royal gala, correct? Please, let me know what aesthetic profiles or design languages you generally gravitate toward.”
To be frank, Ciel and Aseya possessed entirely antithetical personalities. Lu Li found himself deeply fascinated by the mystery of how these two polar opposites had managed to forge a friendship in the first place.
Focusing back on the design parameters, Lu Li voiced his core requirement. “Could you engineer a set of matching couple’s formalwear for us?”
Matching couple’s formalwear? Ciel blinked, the concept striking him as entirely novel.
It wasn’t surprising that he found it novel. In this world, a male consenting to wear casual matching shirts with a female was a rare phenomenon; to explicitly request coordinating, unified haute couture for a high-society royal gala was practically unprecedented.
It appears Aseya has genuinely managed to secure a male who treasures him beyond measure, Ciel mused, a wave of warmth settling in his chest.
He immediately flashed a brilliant smile, his voice bursting with enthusiasm. “Naturally! It would be my absolute honor. I must inform you, the two of you will officially be the very first couple to commission matching formalwear in the entire history of this boutique.”
Lu Li raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. “There have been no historical precedents before us?”
Ciel offered a candid, factual shake of his head. “Fewer than few. Most males operating within high society believe that merely allowing a female spouse to escort them to a venue is already the pinnacle of generosity and loss of face.”
So… he and Aseya were going to be the absolute trailblazers.
Lu Li’s gaze softened as he looked over at his general. He swore to himself, right then and there, that he would utilize every resource at his disposal to ensure Aseya became the happiest, most fiercely cherished military female in the entire universe.