Chapter 223: Tianjia Prince × Mixed-Blood Military Female (10): When It Comes to the Male You Like, You Always Want to Fight for Him

[Take notes, take notes. When a male asks you what the male you like is like, this is how you praise him.]

[Don't write this one down. Lieutenant General Caleb talked for ages, and the Prince thought he was talking about some other male. He went completely in the wrong direction!]

[Uh... move it to the mistake notebook.]

[And he even got misunderstood as being in love with a married male. Oh my god.]

[How is the Prince not a married male? It's just that he's married to Caleb himself. (Caleb with a flower in his mouth)]

[Who made that meme? You can openly make memes mocking Tianjia military officers on the Zerg StarNet now?]

[That's right, exactly like this! (The Tianjia Emperor accepting a critical mission at a dangerous moment, infiltrating Tianjia, heart belonging to the Zergs)]

[Impressive.]

[That earlier part still has something worth learning from. Lieutenant General Caleb put on the uniform he was wearing when he first met the Prince, gave the Prince a surprise, and got invited into his bedchamber.]

[But wasn't he there to stand guard?]

[Idiot! Standing guard was only the surface! The deeper meaning hidden underneath was his true purpose.]

[I've learned something. Lieutenant General Caleb really hides his depths.]

[Are you sure? It looks like the Prince was almost ready to divorce him. The Prince had already started considering how difficult it would be to dissolve the marriage. If it weren't for the fact that a member of the Imperial Family divorcing immediately after getting married would cause endless gossip, Lieutenant General Caleb would've gotten himself kicked out with this move.]

[Uh... so was Lieutenant General Caleb's move brilliant or not?]

[Fortunately, the Prince asked him directly. There shouldn't be any problems now, right?]

...

[When the Prince asked who his Female Lord was, Caleb froze for a moment, wondering whether he had heard correctly and trying to guess why the Prince would ask such a question.

In the end, however, he still answered nervously, "Me."

Metis: "?"

The Prince looked at Caleb in confusion, suspecting that Caleb was joking with him. Yet although Caleb looked nervous, he was clearly serious.

There was no possibility that Caleb had previously married another male.

For a marriage alliance with the Imperial Family, every detail of Caleb's life would have been thoroughly investigated. Something like that could never have escaped the Imperial Family's scrutiny.

Before this, Caleb couldn't possibly have been close to any male.

Right. Caleb had never been close to any male, so that unforgettable first love of his...

Although love at first sight followed by never meeting again wasn't impossible, it still wouldn't make sense for Caleb to dare talk about it so openly in front of him.

Although Tianjia females could marry multiple males, marrying a male of the Imperial Family was essentially the same as marrying into the Imperial Family. Unless he was tired of living, or so overwhelmingly powerful that even the Imperial Family had to show him respect and court his favor, it would be impossible for him to covet another male afterward.

Metis thought about it, his gaze sweeping over Caleb's face. Caleb looked at him nervously but honestly.

Could that male possibly be...

Metis suddenly sat bolt upright, eyes widening as he stared rigidly at Caleb.

"The male you like is..."

"You, Your Highness," Caleb said.

It was like a bolt of lightning splitting the clouds apart and bringing light pouring through with it.

Metis had never expected that answer—or perhaps he had guessed it but had never dared believe it.

"But... you said before that you had no intention of getting married?" Metis asked in astonishment.

"I never thought I could marry you," Caleb said quietly.

He had never imagined that the Prince would marry out, and even if he did, Caleb should never have been the one chosen.

There were so many Generals, Legion Commanders, government ministers, and great nobles. Caleb couldn't even rank among them.

He also had the stain of having served the former Tianjia Emperor on his record. It was part of his dark history. Even though outsiders believed he had been an undercover agent planted by His Majesty, Caleb himself, the Prince, and His Majesty all knew that wasn't what had happened.

No matter how he looked at it, he could never have imagined that he would be chosen, or that His Majesty the Emperor would insist on arranging this marriage for him... Perhaps it was because, compared with other Tianjia who had powerful backgrounds and complicated factions behind them, Caleb was easier to control.

Whatever the truth behind it was, Caleb was immensely grateful and fortunate that this marriage had happened, giving him the opportunity to remain by the Prince's side.

Metis understood what he meant.

Because Caleb had never imagined he could marry him, he had never intended to marry at all.

If Metis had directly told him that day that the marriage would be with him, Caleb might have agreed immediately, and none of what followed would have happened.

But... Caleb actually... liked... him?

Metis almost lost the ability to think. Even his psychic fluctuations seemed to stutter in broken segments.

How could Caleb like him? Since when?

He had called him a dazzling light, a tenacious plant. He had said seeing him made his heart ache and made him want to protect him...

Even during dinner, Metis kept glancing at Caleb's face.

Sometimes he was confused, sometimes astonished, sometimes happy, and sometimes he remembered that Caleb had never once voluntarily come to his room after their marriage, which only made him even more puzzled.

Whatever the case, they were sleeping together tonight, in his bedchamber.

Caleb was more restrained than usual. When he lay down on Metis's bed, he moved with extreme care, as though this weren't a bed meant for sleeping but some extraordinarily soft and precious object.

For the first time, Metis took the initiative to lean over and kiss him. Caleb immediately wrapped his arms around him in return, his movements careful and cherishing.

Golden hair spilled downward. As their breaths mingled, Metis asked him, "When did you start liking me?"

"A long time ago. Exactly when... I'm not sure myself."

A trace of reminiscence appeared in Caleb's eyes, only to become hazy again as the Prince leaned closer.

"A long time ago?" Metis thought about it. It hadn't actually been that long since Ares ascended the throne, which meant it must have happened before then.

"When I was inside the golden birdcage?"

Metis asked.

Hearing the Prince mention the golden birdcage, Caleb immediately looked at him, afraid the memory would make him sad. Only after seeing no unusual expression on his face did Caleb slowly nod.

"It really was back then..."

This was yet another thing the Prince had never expected, but after thinking about it carefully, it somehow made sense.

From the very beginning, Metis had believed Caleb wanted something from him. That was why Caleb kept bringing him food and medicine, secretly shielding him from the wind, giving him little warming objects that radiated heat, and doing so many other things.

Metis had assumed Caleb was planning to obtain something enormous from him eventually—that he wanted Metis to offer up his own body.

But Caleb never brought it up, while Metis's debt to him kept growing larger and larger, making Metis increasingly anxious.

Later, Metis had even thought that if Caleb finally asked him for something, he might as well give it to him. Caleb could hold his hand, touch his waist, hug him, even kiss him. Metis could also give him some pheromones.

Going any further would have been difficult... not because the birdcage was impossible to enter, nor because the surveillance was impossible to deal with, but because if Caleb truly dared to have a physical relationship with him despite Chaos's prohibition, he would have needed to be prepared to risk his head.

Yet right up until the very end, Caleb never asked him for anything.

Even after Metis left the birdcage and Ares took control of the Imperial Palace, Caleb still made no requests. If Metis hadn't personally asked Ares to spare him, Caleb hadn't even intended to plead for his own life.

This kindness that Metis could never understand had continued all the way into their marriage, until Caleb finally told him that he liked him.

So it had actually been because he liked him?

He had asked for nothing while Metis was in the cage. He had asked for nothing after Metis became a Prince. He had even asked for nothing after they were married.

Wasn't a female's affection... supposed to mean taking something from a male?

Metis couldn't understand Caleb's way of loving a male, yet at the same time, he vaguely felt as though he had touched upon something.

That night, he took the initiative for once. Caleb sank deep into the mattress of the palace bed, and his muffled moans sounded especially pleasant, while the firm muscles of his powerful body offered an entirely different kind of pleasure.

Caleb sank into the Prince's pheromones. The sweet fragrance of flower nectar mingled with the distinctive scent of lime, creating a sweet-and-sour aroma that left him dizzy with intoxication, his mouth watering, unable to get enough.

His mind was hazy, and he couldn't understand why the Prince was in such a good mood tonight.

Was it because Caleb had said he liked him? Probably... not?

Then perhaps it was because they were in the Imperial Palace, inside the Prince's bedchamber, on the Prince's own bed. Compared with the estate, the Prince was more familiar with this place and preferred doing it here.

Caleb raised his arms and embraced the male above him, holding the Prince tightly as he felt their bodies entwined together.

His body was warm all over. His gestational sac had been filled by the Prince. Perhaps there would be an egg.

Caleb thought hazily.

They were the same rank, which made it easier for them to have an egg.

Tianjia had contraceptive measures, and it was generally the female who decided whether to use them.

If a female had clear plans for his future career and intended to focus on advancing professionally first, he would use contraception.

Caleb, of course, had no intention of doing so. The Prince had never mentioned it either, so Caleb simply acted as though the matter didn't exist and accepted his pheromones every time.

He hadn't thought about hatchlings beforehand, nor had he dared think too far into the future.

But if it were a hatchling belonging to him and the Prince, Caleb would give him everything.

Metis was entangled with Caleb until morning. He kissed Caleb, then went to bathe in an excellent mood.

Believing the other person didn't like you and knowing that he did like you made doing it feel completely different.

Even though it was still Caleb, the experience he gave Metis felt entirely different.

Previously, Metis had simply lain there and let Caleb do as he wished, cooperating but never taking the initiative.

But after learning that the male Caleb liked was him, Metis constantly wanted to make him feel better and happier. He became more proactive and put far more effort into it.

His former aversion to physical contact between males and females had long since been thrown to the back of his mind.

He liked cuddling with Caleb.

When Metis emerged from the bathroom, Caleb had already sat up.

The usually cold and silent black-haired military female sat on the bed with an unusually blank and dazed expression, as though he still hadn't recovered from the shock.

Metis found this version of him rather novel.

A powerful military female looking dazed and absent-minded was actually rather cute.

Because it was Caleb, everything about him looked good.

"You can sleep a little longer," Metis told Caleb.

Hearing that, Caleb raised his eyes toward the Prince. His previously dazed gaze became clear in an instant.

There was no reason for a male to go to work while the female remained lying in bed asleep.

Caleb got up to wash, but the instant he stepped out of bed, his body abruptly froze.

Something flowed downward.

He stiffened instantly.

Metis looked at him in confusion, his expression carrying both concern and inquiry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Caleb tightened his muscles, restrained his pheromones, and said with a rigid expression, "I'll wash up first. Afterward, I'll accompany you to the dining room for breakfast, then escort you to your office."

Although Metis wanted Caleb to rest longer, he also wanted to spend more time with him. After some internal conflict, he agreed.

Caleb threw on a piece of clothing and walked past him. Metis caught a faint fragrance.

Caleb's pheromone scent was very subtle, like the night breeze beside a lake, or morning dew.

Metis disliked water. It reminded him of unpleasant experiences.

Caleb's scent was the exception.

It was the kind of scent that could make a male feel safe at night.

At the dining table, Metis told Caleb about the Autumn Festival.

The Autumn Festival was a traditional Tianjia holiday celebrating harvests and victories, an important festival combining agricultural and military traditions.

Every year's Autumn Festival was presided over by a member of the Imperial Family.

This year, the Tianjia Emperor wasn't here, so Metis, as the Imperial Prince, could only preside over it in his place. He hoped Caleb would accompany him.

Caleb was already married to him and therefore also belonged to the Imperial Family. It was perfectly normal for them to attend festival events together.

The celebrations weren't held only on the Imperial Capital Star. Metis would need to travel to several planets, and his safety also required Tianjia protection.

Caleb was the commander of the Royal Guard, responsible for protecting members of the Imperial Family.

No matter how one looked at it, Caleb should accompany him on the trip.

Caleb naturally agreed.

The Prince's safety was extremely important. Caleb could only feel at ease if he personally took responsibility for it.

Moreover, attending the festival together meant they would appear before the public as a married couple. They could also travel aboard the same spaceship, stay in the same room, and have plenty of time together.

The period while His Majesty the Emperor was away was critically important.

Caleb wasn't entirely without desires of his own.

He hoped that during this time, he could leave the Prince with a good impression of him, make the Prince develop at least a little affection for him, and establish a closer bond between them...

When faced with the male he loved, even the most ordinary female would want to fight for him.

...]