In the morning, Yi Xuan woke up at the rare hour of noon. For some unknown reason yesterday, Yi Xuan had softened his heart and agreed to Mislert’s request to stay at his place for the night. The excuse given was quite flimsy, fear of the dark and feeling unsafe going home, but Mislert had played the pathetic card so well that Yi Xuan’s defenses crumbled completely.
“Master, good morning! A Master who sleeps early and wakes up early is truly amazing!”
Mislert, who had returned from work at noon, brought the last dish out from the kitchen. Seeing Yi Xuan walk downstairs, he complimented him without batting an eye.
Well, here was another little detail where Mislert had Yi Xuan wrapped around his finger.
“Cough, cough. Good morning. Back from work?” Yi Xuan rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Yes. Master, please come and eat. Today I prepared everything you like.”
After placing the dishes on the table, Mislert pulled out a chair for Yi Xuan. Once Yi Xuan was seated, Mislert returned to the kitchen to wash his hands again, as they were still coated in oil from the cooking.
His slender waist was accentuated by the apron strings, and his long, elegant fingers dipped into the water. The scar on his left hand had mostly healed, leaving only a pink mark on his palm, adding to his raw, masculine appeal.
Yi Xuan sat in the chair, but his gaze could not bear to leave Mislert’s waist. The pink apron suited him perfectly, and as he watched, he became entranced, his hand moving on its own to pull out his terminal and open the camera.
Click. The moment was frozen in the terminal’s gallery. In the kitchen, hearing the sound, Mislert subconsciously turned his head, tilting it slightly in confusion.
However, Yi Xuan had not put his camera away yet. Click. The innocent, bewildered look on Mislert’s face was captured as well.
“Master?” Mislert, hands still in the sink, turned around and called out softly, bewildered.
“It is nothing. Pay no mind to me.”
Yi Xuan lowered his head, fidgeting with his terminal, and secretly saved the two photos.
Excellent. A precious snapshot of the aloof female Zerg instantly transforming into a gentle, wifely spouse had been recorded!
After lunch, Mislert had to head back to work, so Yi Xuan, having nothing better to do, sent a communication request to Mo Er.
“Wow, how rare! You are actually messaging me before 3:30 PM. Don’t tell me you haven’t slept yet? It is only 12:00 PM now.” In the video, Mo Er was still at the dining table, with Yarman serving him dishes.
“Still eating? Come over to my place in a bit. Don’t we have to go to the palace later? We naturally need to wake up earlier.” Yi Xuan lay on his lazy sofa, feeling incredibly relaxed.
“It seems you received the news, too? I will come right over. Let’s have Dian pick us up outside,” Mo Er said, picking up a vegetable from the edge of his bowl. “This is my first time going to the palace, which should be interesting. Are you nervous? I wonder why the Zerg Emperor wants to see us?”
“It is just about Dian. The Emperor only has one male son, and that position will likely be his eventually. We are his only two friends, so he probably just wants to check on the situation. What else could it be?”
“I have not even reached adulthood, so I cannot intervene in family business yet. You also just reached adulthood not long ago and haven’t been in charge of family affairs for very long. Surely the Emperor isn’t summoning us to test the attitudes of the Alfred and Gilbert families toward Dian as the future leader, right? It couldn’t be, right? No one would actually worry about that, would they?” Yi Xuan spoke with a playful, teasing expression, flicking his hand.
“Yi Xuan, has anyone ever told you that you are truly asking for a beating?” Mo Er looked at the incredibly smug Yi Xuan and fell silent for a moment. A dark, weary line appeared in his mind; he was utterly speechless.
His original nervousness had vanished, replaced by a dull, inexplicable sense of stifled frustration in his chest.
“Oh, so what? Are you going to hit me?” Yi Xuan made a playful face and laughed.
Mo Er: No. I do not know this guy.
One has to admit, the palace lives up to its name. Even before entering, one is awestruck by the towering walls outside. Unlike the ancient palaces of Earth, this palace incorporated elements of technology, though it retained an overall classical charm. It was said that the palace had existed for a long time, evolving through generations of modifications.
“Wow! I had only seen these high walls from the outside. This is my first time coming in!” Mo Er followed beside Xu Shize, marveling at everything within the walls.
“Your reaction is way too exaggerated. Can’t you just look up the general layout online?” Xu Shize ruffled Mo Er’s fluffy hair.
“That is not the same! Seeing it on the internet is nothing like seeing it with your own eyes. Besides, I haven’t paid attention to this before!” Mo Er shook his head, brushing Xu Shize’s hand away.
“Dian, do you know what the Emperor wants to talk to us about?” Yi Xuan followed behind, asking the two who were playing around in front.
“How would I know? Father didn’t tell me. He only said to have you two come in to see him today.” Xu Shize turned his head, shrugging to indicate he had no clue either.
“Do you want to come hang out at my place after you finish talking?”
“I invested in a couples’ amusement park a few days ago. Do you want to go together?” Xu Shize suddenly asked.
“You said it yourself, it is a couples’ amusement park. What are the three of us supposed to do? Are you planning to engage in a threesome?” Yi Xuan asked with a strange expression.
“No! Who wants to do that with you? Am I that kind of person in your eyes? Even if it is a couples’ amusement park, friends can go play together, right?” Xu Shize found the suggestion shocking and deeply off-putting.
“Then I am not going. But give me two tickets later; I have my own plans in a few days,” Yi Xuan said, resting his chin in his hand.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Have you fallen in love? Planning to go with that person of yours?”
“Who was it that said the wise do not fall in love, and female Zergs only waste your time? Why have you fallen so quickly?” Xu Shize asked with surprise.
“? Yi Xuan, do you like that green tea Zerg?”
“No, that guy is extremely manipulative. You need to be careful; watch out for him scamming you out of your body and heart. An innocent, underage male Zerg like you is easily swindled by an adult female Zerg until you have nothing left!” Mo Er leaned into Yi Xuan and whispered cautiously.
“Pfft, hahaha! Underage male Zerg and adult female Zerg, Mo Er, what kind of comparison is that?”
Xu Shize was doubled over in laughter at Mo Er’s comment, while Yi Xuan felt a headache coming on.
No, this is all nonsense, right?
Mislert is only in his thirties. In this Zerg race with an average lifespan of five hundred years, he was barely an adult. How could he possibly be called old?
“Stop making ridiculous comparisons. He is a good Zerg, so just stay out of it.” Yi Xuan helplessly ruffled Mo Er’s hair.
“Hey, hey, hey! Stop messing up my hair. The styling is ruined! Fine, fine, whatever. Just don’t come crying to me when you get scammed by that green tea Zerg later.” Mo Er protected his head, dodging Yi Xuan’s wandering hands.
But his words sparked a memory in Yi Xuan.
In the original novel, the first person the divorced Yi Xuan went to for comfort was Mo Er. Could this kid actually be right?
No, no, everything is different now. The events from the novel should not happen again.
Although the Zerg history spanned hundreds of thousands of years, the palace style was similar to that of ancient Earth. After walking for about half an hour and seeing all the scenery along the way, the three finally arrived at the imperial study used for deliberations.