Chapter 227: Tianjia Prince × Mixed-Blood Military Female (12): A "Female Lord" Outside, Serving His "Male Lord" at Home

[An-shen really knows a lot about Tianjia festivals. He even wrote about the Autumn Festival.]

[There has never been a precedent for a male member of the Imperial Family taking the lead in attending the festival, but now that the Imperial Family has withered away, if His Majesty the Emperor isn't there, it really is possible that the Prince would preside over the Autumn Festival.]

[Right, the Imperial Family has withered away. As for why it withered away, don't ask.]

[Ares actually did a good deed for once. The moment he took the throne, he turned around and purged the entire Tianjia Imperial Family. Based on that alone, he's a very qualified undercover agent (thumbs up) (Zerg seal of approval).]

[Get lost!]

[It says later that Caleb is hiding some huge secret. What could it be? Don't tell me he's really a Zerg undercover agent? That would be hilarious.]

[There can't be a foreign spy within the Imperial Family. If that were really the case, His Majesty would definitely take action. Lieutenant General Caleb would be placed under permanent house arrest and disappear from public view.]

[Lieutenant General Caleb is sincere toward the Prince. He has never harmed the interests of either the Prince or the Empire. I don't believe the Lieutenant General could be a spy.]

[Exactly. Any one of us is more likely to be a spy than the Lieutenant General.]

[That's right! We're even climbing over the firewall to read novels and send tips on the Zerg StarNet. We look way more like spies.]

[Sending tips is basically providing financial support to an enemy nation. It's over, treason! There are so many of them here—report one and you'll catch one for sure.]

[It's not that serious, it's not that serious. We're not at war right now. Things aren't that strict.]

The Tianjia didn't believe this whole "undercover agent" theory at all.

Their Lieutenant General—a Tianjia who didn't even read Zerg novels—could he possibly be a spy?

More importantly, if a quasi-S-rank Lieutenant General and commander of the Imperial Capital Military Region really was a Zerg undercover agent, that would be far too devastating for Tianjia. The Tianjia Empire couldn't afford such a loss.

The Zergs, however, insisted on stirring things up.

They felt a peculiar sense of closeness toward Lieutenant General Caleb. They thought he wasn't nearly as annoying as other Tianjia females and seemed like a normal Zerg they could actually communicate with. That was incredibly rare.

They firmly believed Caleb had some special connection to the Zergs.

Ulysses also saw the related discussions.

Even during breaks at Military Headquarters, military females could be heard casually discussing the novel and speculating about Caleb's true identity and the secret he was hiding.

Ulysses didn't care and paid it no attention.

He knew perfectly well that Caleb wasn't a Zerg undercover agent and had no connection whatsoever to the Zerg Federation military.

Something Caleb had mentioned, however, was rather interesting.

"Inherited memories from the other half of his bloodline"......

Ulysses thought back over that description °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° and formed a hypothesis.

Another person who had noticed this detail was Eugene, who had recently discovered that he wasn't "purebred."

He possessed inherited Tianjia memories as well, though they made up only a small proportion, and he hadn't paid them any particular attention before.

After learning that he was mixed-blood, Eugene began looking at things from an entirely different perspective and noticing details he would ordinarily have overlooked.

Such as the "inherited memories from the other half of his bloodline" in Lieutenant General Caleb's thoughts.

"He's mixed Zerg and Tianjia?!"

Eugene was stunned by the conclusion he'd reached.

"Who?" Ares, who had just gotten up and was putting on his clothes, looked over at him.

"Caleb. Your Lieutenant General."

As Eugene spoke, he remembered the Lieutenant General's other identity.

——He was also the Prince's husband, the Female Lord of Ares's elder brother.

Eugene's eyes widened in shock.

If this novel was true, didn't that mean the Tianjia Prince had married a mixed-blood general with Zerg ancestry?

Ares leaned over to look. When he saw the passage Eugene had found in an earlier chapter mentioning inherited memories, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Tianjia and the Zergs had been enemies for many years and didn't intermarry, so mixed-bloods were extremely rare, but they weren't completely nonexistent.

Both nations had a custom of taking eggs found on battlefields back home and raising them as citizens of their own country. Although the number of such eggs was negligible compared with the overall population, they genuinely existed, and there was consequently a possibility of mixed-blood offspring being born.

First-generation descendants possessed the inherited memories of the other species. They usually had great difficulty adapting to a country whose social structure and ideology were entirely different, often living painful lives and rarely accomplishing much. Most spent their lives in obscurity.

If they were fortunate enough to marry and have second-generation mixed-blood offspring, those descendants would possess inherited memories from both sides, which could leave them feeling deeply divided about many things.

But under the influence of the education and social environment they had grown up with, they could distinguish what was considered "right" and "wrong" in that country. They understood better how to adapt to the species around them and could go much farther than their parents had.

By the third generation, they were essentially fully assimilated. Very little of the other species' inherited memories remained, so they no longer had much effect.

These mixed-bloods could enter all kinds of professions in either Tianjia or Zerg society—military females, doctors, educators...... A very small number might even become high-ranking generals.

The possibility that Caleb was of mixed Zerg ancestry surprised Ares, but after thinking it over carefully, he realized it wasn't impossible.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with being mixed-blood. If someone had been born and raised in Tianjia, both parents were registered as "Tianjia," and they both served Tianjia, then they were Tianjia.

He believed his imperial brother would be able to accept that as well.

Or rather, perhaps a mixed-blood was actually more suitable for his imperial brother.

There might be some objections among the public, but the impact wouldn't be significant.

At its core, Tianjia was an extremely strength-worshipping species. Power reigned supreme.

As long as Lieutenant General Caleb was strong enough to command the respect of his subordinates, no one had any right to criticize him.

Ares reread this part of the chapter twice. He still found it interesting, and it gave him a sudden sense of clarity.

No wonder the atmosphere between Lieutenant General Caleb and his imperial brother had always seemed so strange.

So he was mixed-blood.

Seeing that Ares didn't appear particularly bothered by the idea, Eugene volunteered:

"Let me tell you a secret. I'm mixed-blood too."

Ares: "??!"

Ares stared wide-eyed at the bright, uninhibited Male Zerg in front of him.

What part of him looked mixed-blood?!

From the tips of his hair to his toes, every inch of him radiated the unruly nature of a Zerg male!

Ares didn't believe him.

Unless Carl called him "Female Lord." Then perhaps he could consider it......

Consider whether Carl's brain had broken.

......

[Just what was Caleb hiding from him?

Throughout the days of the Autumn Festival, Metis quietly observed Caleb.

During the festival, he needed to travel between multiple planets and attend celebrations on several major worlds.

Caleb remained by his side, responsible for his security. They stayed in the same rest cabin aboard the spacecraft, or in the same state guesthouse whenever they stopped somewhere.

Twice, minor trouble was caused by remnants loyal to the former Tianjia Emperor, but Caleb's subordinates dealt with both incidents before they ever reached Metis.

Caleb took his safety extremely seriously and stayed beside him every step of the way.

Metis was quite happy with this arrangement.

Metis searched online for what males and females did together during their leisure time. Apart from egg-making activities, several interactive games caught his attention.

"Want to play a game?"

Metis asked Caleb while their spacecraft was traveling.

The spacecraft was protected by guards during transit, with military ships escorting it. This was the safest part of the journey and there was nothing Caleb needed to worry about, so he agreed.

But what the Prince brought out was a Zerg romance game.

And it was the latest Zerg game to enter open beta. It was extremely popular.

Caleb looked at the Prince in surprise.

Was it really appropriate for a dignified Imperial Prince to secretly play a Zerg game?

Caleb was both astonished and conflicted.

Metis gave him a reassuring smile. "It's nothing. It's only a casual game. No Tianjia is going to report us for this."

"Come on. We'll play together online and randomize our identities and backgrounds."

Metis logged into the game first.

Since the Prince wanted to play, Caleb would naturally cooperate. Forget merely playing a Zerg game—even if the Prince wanted him to publicly reveal his identity......

Caleb logged in and stared in astonishment at the identity the game had randomly generated for him.

He was a Tianjia military female with Zerg ancestry. He had married into the family of a superior officer's male son. When he met the male he had married, he was supposed to address him as......

"Male Lord......"

The words slipped instinctively from Caleb's lips when he saw the blond male standing in the garden.

Metis turned around in surprise and met Caleb's eyes.

Wasn't he getting into character a little too quickly?

Metis was surprised, but he still smiled and played along.

"From now on, outside this house you're still my 'Female Lord,' but inside this home, I'm your Male Lord."

"Yes, Male Lord."

Caleb accepted the arrangement remarkably well and obediently agreed.

The premise of this game was far too peculiar.

With their in-game identities as an excuse, he could do many things according to his true desires.

After accepting the premise, Caleb even felt strangely relieved.

Following the game's instructions, Metis ordered Caleb to massage his shoulders and legs, telling him that if he did a good job, he would consider giving Caleb the reward he wanted.

Caleb immediately got to work. He very seriously massaged the Prince's shoulders, then crouched beside him to massage his legs.

Instead, it was Metis who felt uncomfortable.

His beginner mission required him to discipline Caleb, but Metis felt that making Caleb do these things was far too bullying.

He was happy to have physical contact with Caleb, but he didn't want Caleb to feel wronged either.

Caleb had barely massaged him for long before Metis called a stop.

"All right, that's enough. It's time for me to give you your reward."

Caleb paused slightly, not expecting to receive it so quickly. Although he was still somewhat reluctant to stop, he withdrew the hand resting on the Prince's leg, knelt in front of him, voluntarily parted his knees, and raised his eyes toward the Prince as he waited for his reward.

For Caleb, this was a challenge as well.

His Tianjia blood influenced him, making it difficult for him to expose a vulnerable side of himself before a male.

But the one before him was the Prince.

The sovereign to whom he had pledged his loyalty.

The male he loved.

He was willing to submit to him.

Caleb's very soul seemed to tremble, yet his body remained perfectly upright as he knelt.

Metis was startled by Caleb suddenly dropping to his knees.

Wasn't that a little too smooth?

And......

Was that really necessary?

Metis hurriedly looked at the options provided by the beginner tutorial.

Basic reward: touch his face and head.

Intermediate reward: tug at him and take control of him.

Advanced reward: step on him and allow him to release pheromones.

Special reward: allow him to bite and bestow pheromones upon him.

As expected of a Zerg game.

Metis stared in stunned disbelief.

He didn't even dare examine the later options too closely and chose only the most basic reward.

He raised his hand and stroked Caleb's head, feeling the texture of his short black hair, then touched his face. When Caleb turned his head and leaned into the touch, Metis's fingertips trembled in surprise, and he hurriedly told him to stand up.

The beginner mission was complete, and they received their reward.

Metis didn't have time to check what the reward actually was. He quickly pulled Caleb to his feet and made him sit down in a chair.

"That was just a game mission. Don't be angry," Metis explained to Caleb, then added, "If you don't like it, we can stop playing."

"I'm not angry......"

The sensation of the Prince's touch still lingered on the top of Caleb's head and along the side of his face. His mind was almost completely blank, his very soul trembling, but......

It had felt very good.

He looked at the Prince and almost wished they could do it again.

But at the same time, he noticed his own mission completion rating.

It was very low.

That meant he hadn't performed well.

Thinking back over it, Caleb also felt that there were many things he hadn't done properly. A low rating was only natural.

He hoped the Prince would give him another chance.

Meanwhile, Metis received a new mission.

It was an outing mission.

He needed to attend an event together with Caleb, where he would have to properly play the role of the "Male Consort" in public and serve Caleb in his role as "Female Lord."

Metis's expression went blank for a moment.

He was supposed to......

Serve......

Caleb?

......]