Chapter 271: Still Taking the Medicine?: Not Using Contraception Means Trying for an Egg

An Ruo hesitated and agonized over it for a while before bringing the matter up.

“Wouldn't it be too early to send him out on his own now? He's still young and inexperienced. Shouldn't you keep him by your side and train him for a while longer?”

In the original novel's setting, the Female Zerg protagonist and the main antagonist had an extremely complicated relationship.

The Marshal was the one who had shown him the way—his guide, his mentor, the commanding officer he had once followed unwaveringly, the beacon he had looked up to.

That relationship had lasted for a very long time and left an indelible mark on the Female Zerg protagonist.

Until he watched the Marshal go to extremes with no possibility of turning back, and saw all the flaws concealed beneath the enormous benefits brought about by the Marshal's policies, as well as the two completely contradictory emotions of unease and fanaticism permeating society as a whole. Under the Marshal's leadership, the Zerg Federation had grown stronger than ever before, but it had also been stretched taut like a string, at risk of snapping at any moment.

He had struggled for a long time in self-doubt and anguish, not knowing what he should do, until the Male Zerg protagonist forcibly dragged him out of it. In the end, he decided to change everything together with him.

And from that moment onward, the Marshal he had admired and followed, the Marshal who had been like a teacher to him, became an opponent he had to defeat, a towering peak he had to overcome.

An Ruo believed that this time, everything that happened later would never happen again.

But the earlier parts still could!

That close, almost teacher-and-student relationship between the Marshal and the Female Zerg protagonist; all those years of instruction and cultivation, treating him sometimes like a student and sometimes like a younger brother; the way the protagonist had followed in his footsteps, pursuing and looking up to him.

How could such an important core stage be missing?

It was also crucial to shaping the Female Zerg protagonist's personality.

Of course, it would actually be fine if the protagonist left Capital Star now.

An Ruo had never believed there was only one choice in a Zerg's life, nor that everything had to proceed according to the plot of the original novel. There were many roads in the world, and every one of them held the possibility of something wonderful. Even if they headed in a completely different direction, that was still their own choice.

It was just that the plot had suddenly collapsed right before his eyes...

As the author, his first instinct was to try to save it.

And he also wanted to know what had caused this change.

Meeting An Ruo's gaze, Ulysses rubbed the side of his teacup and said thoughtfully,

“You think very highly of him, and you want me to train him personally, is that right? Then... I'll keep him by my side, train him properly, and personally guide him.”

Ulysses had already thought of numerous ways to instruct and train his personal guard.

An Ruo hadn't expected Ulysses to agree after only one sentence. He hadn't even gotten the chance to persuade him. He started feeling a little bewildered, even wondering whether Ulysses was being a little too easygoing.

After all, this concerned the reassignment of one of his personal guards and could practically be considered a military and political matter. Yet Ulysses, as the Marshal, didn't mind An Ruo interfering at all, and was so easily swayed that he agreed the moment An Ruo said something.

An Ruo suddenly felt uncomfortable. For one thing, he had interfered in military affairs. For another, this felt a little like whispering into his lover's ear and influencing his decisions from the pillow.

An Ruo struggled with how to tell Ulysses that he didn't actually have to listen to him.

As the Marshal, Ulysses was the one who should make these decisions. An Ruo didn't think someone who merely wrote books should have that kind of influence.

Ulysses saw the conflict between his brows. Even though he knew the male might not mean it that way, once his emotions rose, they could easily affect his judgment.

So, appearing perfectly calm, he asked, “Do you want to marry him and bring him home?”

He added, “How about taking him as a Female Attendant?”

“Huh???”

An Ruo looked up in astonishment and saw Ulysses wearing a smile that didn't reach his eyes, while the dark aura behind him seemed ready to engulf everything.

Only belatedly did he smell the sourness of jealousy.

While growing nervous, he also breathed a long sigh of relief, finally understanding what the problem was.

Ulysses was jealous.

This was An Ruo's first time encountering something like this. While surprised that even the Marshal could experience such down-to-earth emotions, he also suddenly felt that they really were a couple.

It was a very novel experience.

He got up and sat beside Ulysses, pressing close against him. A little apprehensive yet also a little happy, he hugged Ulysses's arm and explained,

“It's nothing like that. There won't be any Female Attendants, now or ever.”

An Ruo was human. He had never even considered such things.

Besides...

“I pay attention to him because he's the protagonist of one of the books I wrote before,” An Ruo said.

Just as expected.

Ulysses had already suspected as much, so he wasn't surprised to receive this answer now.

As for the God's promise that there would never be any Female Attendants, on one hand Ulysses thought that promises made by a “Male Zerg” couldn't necessarily be taken seriously, since a Zerg's nature could change at any time. On the other hand, he thought that the God wasn't actually a Male Zerg.

He truly found it difficult to imagine the God who had created everything entering into a marital relationship with a weak little Zerg.

A sudden tangle of complicated, restless emotions rose inside Ulysses. The thought made him think of himself, bringing with it a fleeting sensation of losing control.

But he quickly suppressed those emotions and focused on the present.

“The novel's protagonist... Is he from that book connected to me?”

Ulysses asked.

Of all the God's known books, the one Ulysses knew least about was precisely that one—the book that had never been published among the Zergs, yet had practically created this entire world.

It was also the book in which he was the “antagonist.”

“Yes.” An Ruo nodded. Ulysses was always extraordinarily perceptive. After being surprised by him so many times, An Ruo was beginning to get used to it.

Ulysses understood now as well.

The other protagonists could be put aside for the time being. This one was his most important opponent.

Ulysses recalled Helios's abilities and performance and was somewhat surprised that he had eventually managed to reach such heights.

A protagonist capable of opposing him, the “antagonist,” and even defeating him in the end could by no means be ordinary.

That made Ulysses view him in an entirely new light.

He looked forward to seeing Helios's future performance and wanted to see just how high he could climb.

But before that, Ulysses would properly instruct, discipline, and train him.

Ulysses already had an idea.

An Ruo secretly studied his expression and felt as though the Zerg in front of him had ten thousand wicked ideas running through his head.

But he quickly decided that it had to be his imagination.

Although Ulysses had been called the “antagonist” in the original novel, his actual way of doing things was extremely upright. He followed the path he himself believed in, so righteous that it almost became sinister.

He must have seen it wrong. How could he misunderstand Ulysses like that?

An Ruo snuggled closer to Ulysses, feeling guilty about that fleeting thought.

Ulysses also raised an arm and wrapped it around the male pressed against his side, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being able to be close to him without restriction. It filled him with pleasure and satisfaction.

An had already been released from prison. From now on, he would live together with him.

That alone was enough to make Ulysses temporarily stop thinking about that special protagonist and postpone giving the protagonist any particular attention.

An was the most important. Everyone else could wait.

Ulysses took An Ruo's hand and began telling him about the Marshal's residence... about their home.

Selerus was still there. The old estate had already been restored, and his female parent had proposed moving back there. However, according to regulations, he still had to live under the supervision of family for at least another half month. That was also what Ulysses himself wanted, so he had persuaded him to stay.

Perhaps the God would also be willing to see some familiar Zergs.

The letters and book collection could be placed directly into the collection room that had long since been prepared. There was still enough room for everything at present, and the space could be expanded later.

The God had already left prison and moved into the Marshal's residence. If the God wanted, they could hold a banquet, invite many Zergs, formally announce the matter to the outside world, and meet some familiar Zergs as well.

General Cyril was close to giving birth, but if it was a banquet held for “An-shen,” he would definitely bring his Male Lord. Then there were Speaker Cassian and his Male Lord Aira, who absolutely wouldn't miss such an opportunity. That one was an obsessive fan of An-shen. And there were many, many others...

But given An's personality, he definitely wasn't good at dealing with such lively occasions and might not want to hold a banquet at all.

So the most important thing now was for him to rest properly and settle in first.

Ulysses brought An Ruo back to the Marshal's residence.

He knew perfectly well that after An went out even once, he wouldn't want to move afterward and would need a long period of solitude to recover his energy. Traveling from the prison to the Marshal's residence counted as going out, not to mention that moving house was such a major undertaking.

Ulysses was extremely cautious about this, afraid that An wouldn't adapt well to this “change of nest,” and tried to minimize the changes as much as possible. He crossed all their outings and dates for the month off the schedule and arranged absolutely nothing, not even activities inside the Marshal's residence, leaving the male plenty of time to recuperate and settle down.

StarNet had already exploded over the news about the Psychic Soothing device, but Ulysses merely glanced at it and ignored it, leaving everything entirely to Speaker Cassian and the relevant departments.

Throughout the entire process, he paid close attention to An's needs, taking meticulous care of him without disturbing him excessively.

He had even prepared himself for the possibility that he wouldn't be able to stay overnight on the first night.

But in reality, An invited him instead.

Ulysses could barely keep the corners of his mouth from rising.

He went ahead to prepare. This was An's first night living here, and he wanted to do better.

By the time An Ruo finished washing up and climbed into bed, Ulysses still hadn't come over.

He was a little sleepy, but he was still looking forward to tonight. From now on, they would live together and sleep together. Their life of cohabitation was beginning.

It had honestly never occurred to him that they might sleep in separate rooms.

Among the Zergs, the Male Lord and Female Lord of a household usually had separate rooms and only slept together when the Male Zerg wanted it. But in An Ruo's mind, they were lovers living together.

They were even lovers in the passionate stage of their relationship who had finally managed to live together after being separated for so long. Why would they sleep apart?

This was exactly the time to deepen their relationship.

An Ruo secretly kicked his feet beneath the covers, unable to hide his excitement. Then he quickly sat up again, patted down the quilt, smoothed out the wrinkles, and tidied himself up as well.

Something suddenly occurred to him, and he turned to look at the warm water that had been prepared in advance on the bedside table.

That medicine... did he still need to take it?

He had already left prison, so the restrictions he had originally imposed upon himself were gone.

But An Ruo had never thought any further ahead than that, nor was he sure what Ulysses thought.

And not using contraception was the same as trying for an egg.

An Ruo picked up the glass, feeling its warmth against his palm as he considered the matter.

In the end, he decided he should ask Ulysses first.

An Ruo lowered his head and took a small sip of warm water to moisten his lips before setting the glass back down.

When Ulysses entered, the first thing he noticed was the glass that had been touched. His gaze darkened, but he quickly pulled himself together. Then he noticed that only a small amount of water was missing, though that alone wasn't enough for him to determine anything.

It wasn't until he kissed the male's lips and tasted no trace of bitterness that Ulysses finally dared to be certain, almost beside himself with joy.

He confirmed that his perception hadn't been wrong.

The male was actually afraid of taking medicine. Every time he took it, he needed to mentally prepare himself. Even after putting the medicine and water into his mouth, he still needed another moment of psychological preparation before he could force himself to swallow. It often left a bitter taste in his mouth, after which he needed several more mouthfuls of water to wash it away.

Ulysses had wanted to take the medicine himself instead, but the male refused. Even if Ulysses took it beforehand, the male would simply take another dose himself.

A Female Zerg's sensitive sense of taste, together with the amount of water missing from the glass, was enough for Ulysses to reach a conclusion.

The male hadn't taken the medicine.

He was willing to give him an egg!

Ulysses could barely contain the joy in his heart. He pushed the male down onto the pillows, leaned over him in excitement, and kissed him.

An Ruo had absolutely no idea what was happening and stared at him wide-eyed in astonishment as he was kissed.

He hadn't even discussed with Ulysses whether they were going to continue using contraception from now on, so why was he suddenly...?

An Ruo pressed his hands against Ulysses's chest, trying to push him up a little, only to discover that he couldn't move him at all.

Ulysses was far too enthusiastic today, as though he wanted to devour him whole.

An Ruo thought hazily, and in the end, the hands that had been pushing against him instead tightened around the front of Ulysses's clothes, his fingers sinking into the hard muscle beneath.