Chapter 174: Stolen Bliss: A Secret Happiness That Belonged Only to Him

"I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose. I wasn't secretly pulling your clothes aside to peek."

An Ruo's face burned crimson with embarrassment. His head felt so hot it was practically steaming.

"It's alright."

Ulysses raised a hand and straightened his robe.

Though An Ruo couldn't tell exactly what he'd adjusted.

It was still showing an alarming amount of skin.

Looking up at him, Ulysses said,

"If you like it, you can keep pulling it."

An Ruo blinked.

"Hm?"

Was Ulysses treating him like a little hatchling who enjoyed playing with people's clothes and belts?

The great villain really had the makings of an excellent parent.

But An Ruo absolutely couldn't bring himself to shamelessly act like a hatchling at twenty-something years old.

...Although, by Zerg standards, someone his age could still be considered one.

Seeing that An Ruo had no intention of tugging at his clothes again, Ulysses reluctantly drew the robe closed and stood up.

An Ruo happened to glance over just as he adjusted it.

Ulysses had pulled the robe a few times himself.

The black silk stretched until it was almost transparent.

Everything beneath was plainly visible.

Too seductive.

Blushing furiously, An Ruo quickly looked away.

Then he suddenly remembered...

He had spent the entire night sleeping against Ulysses.

The sensation had been unmistakable.

With only that thin layer of fabric between them, it had felt almost identical to direct skin contact.

Only smoother.

Lowering his head, An Ruo buried his face in his palms and rubbed them over his cheeks, trying to throw away all those chaotic thoughts and clear his mind.

He got up, preparing to climb out of bed.

Ulysses knelt beside the bed and began putting shoes on him.

From An Ruo's angle...

The view was extremely distracting.

Having never been taken care of like this before, he was completely at a loss.

"You don't have to... I can do it myself..."

He really wasn't a little hatchling anymore.

But before he'd even finished speaking, Ulysses had already slipped the shoes onto his feet.

All An Ruo could awkwardly add was,

"...Thank you."

"It is only natural for a female Zerg to serve a male."

Looking up at him from where he knelt, Ulysses said,

"You don't need to feel pressured."

Half-kneeling in front of him like that, he looked ready to attend to his every need.

There was no way An Ruo wouldn't feel pressured.

Afterward, they entered the washroom.

Ulysses once again prepared all of An Ruo's toiletries in advance, handing each item directly to him.

He even brushed his hair.

Standing behind him, the tall black-haired female lowered his eyes in concentration as he carefully combed through the long hair that had become messy during sleep.

The fingertips brushing through those strands carried unmistakable tenderness.

The Marshal actually knew how to do things like this...

What a terrible society the Zerg had.

Just what had it forced female Zergs to become?

Even a "male Zerg" with no marital relationship had to be cared for this attentively.

An Ruo fumed.

...

Wait.

I wrote this novel.

An Ruo fell silent.

When writing, he had never paid excessive attention to the background setting.

As long as the couple was appealing and the story entertaining, that was enough.

Only after truly living inside this world did he realize...

Those tiny background details had become part of a living reality.

And that reality was astonishingly cruel.

Yet the Zerg living within it didn't need pity from an outsider.

They had adapted to this world.

They lived by their own rules.

After a moment's hesitation, An Ruo quietly said,

"In the future... you don't have to do these things for any male Zerg anymore."

He had already climbed to the very top.

There was no need for him to bow his head before any male ever again.

"...Alright."

Ulysses nodded.

"I'll only do them for you."

An Ruo blinked.

"...Is that really the point?"

He wasn't trying to monopolize Ulysses' service!

Before he could say anything else, Ulysses asked,

"Would you like me to help you get dressed?"

An Ruo immediately declared he could manage on his own, gently pushed him outside, and shut the door.

Well...

If Ulysses insisted he'd only do these things for him...

Then so be it for now.

At least that meant he wouldn't be mistreated by other male Zergs.

Besides...

An Ruo would never bully Ulysses!

Opening his spatial button, he took out a fresh set of clothes and changed by himself.

His storage contained countless outfits.

Far more than he could ever wear.

All of them had been gifts from military female Zergs.

When An Ruo stepped back outside, Ulysses' gaze lingered on his clothes for one extra second before silently committing them to memory.

"Breakfast is ready."

"We'll eat first."

"After that, we still have some time."

"We can visit the souvenir shop."

"You've always liked places like that."

"Then I'll use my spatial ability to take you back to the Military Region."

As Ulysses explained the schedule, An Ruo obediently nodded the whole way through.

Only then did he notice...

At some point, Ulysses had already changed clothes.

His hair had also been neatly arranged.

While An Ruo had been changing...

Ulysses had gone elsewhere, washed up, and changed outfits.

Were female Zergs all this hardworking?

They really made use of every single second.

Breakfast featured different dishes from the previous night.

The porridge An Ruo had especially liked was still included.

Both meals had been excellent.

Good food naturally put him in a good mood.

Cheerfully, An Ruo followed Ulysses into the souvenir shop.

The enormous variety of merchandise dazzled him.

Among it...

There were even copies of his novels.

The most numerous was, unsurprisingly, the one featuring Axel and Enzo.

This special Ocean Planet edition had a unique cover.

Against the backdrop of a deep blue sea, Enzo confidently piloted the submarine while Axel gazed around with sparkling eyes.

The illustration was gorgeous.

The bonus gift included an exquisite collectible card featuring the underwater suite.

Blushing, An Ruo immediately bought one.

The merfolk plushies were also incredibly adorable.

There were even realistic mermaid tails.

According to the description, wearing one allowed people to swim just like merfolk.

Apparently many young couples bought them as souvenirs.

The scales covering the important parts could even be opened.

An Ruo absolutely did not want to know how people used them.

He simply chose a chibi merfolk plush instead.

Its bright red hair and tail were especially eye-catching.

Looking at the plush in his arms, Ulysses fell briefly into thought before suddenly saying,

"Choose another one."

"The material isn't very good."

"It's made from plush fabric."

"It doesn't match the smooth texture of real merfolk."

"And some male Zergs have experienced allergic reactions after using it."

"...What?"

Even plush toys could trigger allergies?

An Ruo was astonished.

What kind of terrible materials were they using?

It looked perfectly fine.

Who would've thought it was cheaply made?

Completely convinced, An Ruo gave up on the plush and accepted Ulysses' recommendation instead.

A merfolk snow globe.

Inside the crystal sphere shimmered a beautiful ocean.

A merfolk swam gracefully through the water.

A sightseeing submarine floated nearby.

Ulysses uploaded footage of the two of them inside the submarine into the display.

The moment An Ruo saw miniature versions of himself and Ulysses appear inside the globe, his eyes widened.

It was such an incredible surprise.

The only problem...

Was their pose.

Inside the submarine, Ulysses sat in the floating chair while An Ruo leaned across him.

The interior of the globe was tiny.

The figures were equally small.

As the water swayed back and forth...

It looked suspiciously like they were engaged in some intimate activity.

Of course...

An Ruo knew they were completely innocent.

Still...

This snow globe absolutely could not be shown to anyone else.

He would have to keep it hidden in his bedroom and admire it privately.

Ulysses bought an identical globe for himself.

He gently shook it.

Ripples spread through the water.

The tiny figures inside swayed together.

"Stop shaking it!"

An Ruo didn't know whether Ulysses had noticed what it looked like.

It was simply too embarrassing.

He grabbed the female's hand, took the globe away, and placed it into his own shopping cart.

Then he solemnly informed him,

"We haven't paid yet."

"You shouldn't play with it."

"...Mm."

Ulysses obediently followed behind him.

An Ruo secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued shopping.

In the end...

He bought an entire cart full of souvenirs.

Naturally, Ulysses paid.

Spending Ulysses' money didn't hurt his conscience at all.

After all...

Part of it belonged to him anyway.

He had already handed over all of his money.

Even his Iso Coins.

Spending a little now wasn't excessive.

After the automated checkout, An Ruo stored everything inside his spatial button.

He handed Ulysses his copy of the snow globe.

Then Ulysses gently wrapped an arm around his waist, protecting him as they entered the spatial passage.

After this trip...

Ulysses had become increasingly practiced at holding him.

An Ruo also no longer found anything strange about it.

He had already grown accustomed to this level of physical contact.

Returning to the Military Region Prison, An Ruo hurried off to perform Psychic Soothing.

He quickly said goodbye before rushing away.

Like a gust of wind, he disappeared past Ulysses.

Ulysses remained standing inside the male's room.

The male had simply left him alone there without the slightest concern.

His photographs covered the walls.

A doll of him rested beside the bed.

Only his doll.

The male would never cuddle another doll to sleep again.

Ulysses gently shook the snow globe in his hand.

The water rippled.

Inside the submarine, the tiny figures swayed along with it.

Again and again...

The male seemed to press against him.

Again and again...

They appeared intimately close.

A stolen moment of happiness...

Belonging only to him.

Soon.

At first, the male had rejected physical contact with anyone.

Now...

He had gradually grown used to Ulysses' embraces.

At first...

He had only dared steal a kiss upon the male's hair.

Now...

He could kiss his forehead openly, right before him.

At first...

The male had avoided even meeting him.

Now...

They could sleep in the same bed.

The male...

Was gradually accepting him.

Perhaps...

In the not-so-distant future...

The male would also be willing to try having a female Zerg.

To mark him.

...

StarNet remained swept up in excitement over the closed beta of the virtual dating game.

Meanwhile, in one unnoticed corner of the internet...

Someone realized Ocean Planet had unexpectedly closed to visitors over the past two days and made a post asking why.

"Other attractions close periodically for maintenance, sure. But an entire planet? Does a whole planet need maintenance too?"

"Probably some important figure was visiting. Every route leading to Ocean Planet was sealed off."

"But I didn't see any VIP starships heading there. Just security patrols going back and forth."

"Go check the ratings! Ocean Planet's merfolk sightseeing attraction finally lost its perfect score! Someone left an anonymous one-star review."

"Anonymous. One star. And it happened while the planet was closed to the public..."

"It's really hard to guess who left that review."

"No idea exactly who, but someone capable of reserving an entire planet and shutting down all nearby flight routes... actually failed on a date?"

"Anything's possible. Remember when that Legion Commander publicly confessed to the Governor? The Governor completely ignored him, then turned around and married that infamous female military colonel. Their °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° hatchling's already grown up."

"It's impossible to understand what male Zergs are thinking. But if someone can fail even at an attraction with a one hundred percent success rate..."

"...there's definitely something wrong with them."

"Wait."

"They didn't lose to marine life, did they?"

"Breaking news! Influential VIP reserves entire Ocean Planet for a romantic date... only to lose to a fish!"

The anonymous negative review sparked quite a bit of online discussion.

Even so...

Most people's attention remained fixed on the game.

After finishing Psychic Soothing, An Ruo returned to his room.

As he organized the souvenirs, he opened a game livestream beside him, glancing at it every so often.

Philor had started streaming.

Taking advantage of the fact that his Female Lord wasn't nearby, he secretly asked the audience:

"How do I trick a military female into revealing confidential information?"

The viewers solemnly declared that military females would never leak secrets...

While enthusiastically offering suggestions.

"Tie the female up and give him a beating."

"A military female wouldn't confess that easily. Unless you're a master with a whip."

"If you're trying to extract secrets, torture isn't the way."

"I recommend using your good looks instead."

"With Lord Philor's face, victory is guaranteed!"

"By the way... whose secrets are you trying to steal?"

At that moment, General Cyril walked into the room.

Philor hurriedly hid the livestream interface.

Cyril noticed something was off but didn't investigate further.

Whenever he'd caught his Male Lord staying up late reading novels, he'd reacted with exactly the same guilty panic.

Nothing unusual.

The family's Female Attendant logged in as well.

The moment he connected, he eagerly came running over.

Cyril suspected the other party's in-game identity was actually a Heavenly Garuda spy.

When questioned...

The other flatly denied it.

Without another word, Cyril tied him up and decided to conduct a proper interrogation.

His main purpose in coming here had simply been to inform Philor.

After all...

The one being interrogated was his Female Attendant.

His Male Lord deserved to know.

The real spy, Philor, nervously bit his fingers.

He immediately volunteered to watch.

Trembling, he followed behind Cyril.

Previously, to avoid domestic disputes, Philor had converted his third identity card into a shared account that every member of the household could use.

Whoever happened to be home simply logged in with it.

Entering the temporarily constructed interrogation room, Philor wasn't surprised in the slightest to discover the tied-up female was the brown-haired principal.

If it'd been anyone else in the family...

His Female Lord never would've been so ruthless.

Sigh.

This one simply wasn't very popular with his Female Lord.

Even though he knew he wasn't liked...

He still couldn't resist provoking him.

And he couldn't win in a fight either.

Philor often had to secretly help him out a little, just to keep him from being bullied to death by his Female Lord.

Come to think of it...

In most Zerg households, things worked the opposite way.

Violent male Zergs abused Female Attendants.

The Female Lord quietly stepped in behind the scenes to protect and support them.

So why...

Was everything reversed in his own family?

The brown-haired Female Attendant had suffered injuries on the battlefield.

His healing ability wasn't very good.

Normally, Cyril restrained himself and rarely laid a hand on him.

The advantage of the game, however...

Was that nobody was actually injured.

"Still refusing to confess?"

"It seems you'll have to suffer a little."

Cyril calmly selected an instrument of torture.

The principal grinned playfully while secretly shooting pleading looks toward his Male Lord behind Cyril.

The real spy, Philor, could only helplessly avert his gaze.

...If they're interrogating him...

...then they won't interrogate me.

In the end...

They failed to extract anything.

"What a stubborn mouth."

"Even now you won't admit you're a spy."

Cyril regretfully put away the torture devices.

The principal, who had nearly laughed himself to death throughout the entire ordeal, protested,

"...I really am not one!"

Cyril remained convinced he possessed the greatest spy potential.

Too many lies.

Completely untrustworthy.

Philor hurried over, helped him down from the interrogation chair, and gently patted his back.

The Female Attendant looked at him resentfully.

"You weren't going to save me?"

"You just let him bully me?"

Philor guiltily looked away.

"...But you looked like you were having fun laughing."

Did I have any choice?!

Who wouldn't laugh after getting strapped into a tickling machine?!

...

Later, the adjutant logged into the game.

Cyril casually asked whether his in-game identity happened to be a spy.

The adjutant answered,

"No."

Cyril nodded.

"Alright."

And that was the end of the matter.

Watching this unfold through the livestream, a certain principal stared blankly.

"...???"

Was that fair?

The difference in treatment was way too obvious!

It was time to pack his bags...

And become a star pirate instead.