He, The Scumbag, Has Turned Over A New Leaf. - Chapter 3

“Yo, eating, are we?”

Ess sauntered into the living room. Upon spotting the group at the dining table, his eyes lit up with mischievous intent. He sat at the head of the table, slapped the invitations onto the surface, and said, “Ivan, you have to bring our Marshal Tuovis to this banquet!”

Although Ess was addressing Ivan, his eyes were locked firmly on Tuovis, who was busy taking care of Arie’s meal.

Ivan did not answer immediately. He set down his chopsticks in a measured manner, stood up, and walked around to the other side of the table. He picked up the two gilded invitations and studied the embossed lettering thoughtfully. “The annual interstellar auction?”

Ess, unfazed by the lack of an immediate answer, seized the opportunity. “Yes! I heard there are many incredible things up for grabs. Besides, you just got married and have not come out to hang out with us in ages. Why not take this auction as an excuse to come out and have some fun?”

Ess stood up as well, leaning in close to Ivan to whisper, “I guarantee you will be satisfied!” He then glanced toward the calm-faced Tuovis and scoffed, “You should also bring your newlywed Lord Consort along so everyone can see what he is like. It is usually not easy to get a glimpse of the Marshal, after all.”

As he spoke, Ess walked over to Tuovis, looking him up and down and clicking his tongue repeatedly.

Tuovis remained expressionless, but Arie was startled by Ess’s rude, blatant gaze, losing interest in the food he had been enjoying.

Ivan set the invitations back down and replied, “Understood. You can head back now.”

Ess was unhappy to be dismissed. He pulled his gaze away from Tuovis and teased, “Ivan, this is not very friendly of you. Are you prioritizing romance over friendship? Or is the Marshal so formidable that you are already afraid to come out and play? Hahahaha.”

On the surface, this might have sounded like friendly banter, but Ivan sensed an underlying tone.

First, the original Ivan would have detested this forced marriage. If he had harbored any affection for this disgraced Marshal, he would not have beaten him half to death on their wedding night and locked him in a confinement room for three days.

Second, although Ess’s tone was playful, the underlying implication was: “Ivan, what is going on with you? Are you henpecked?”

Unfortunately, the Ivan of today was not the Ivan of yesterday. Although he detected the malicious undertone in Ess’s teasing, he gave nothing away.

He walked up, grabbed Ess’s arm, and led him toward the door with a smile. “Brother, let me tell you, being afraid of my Lord Consort is out of the question. Just wait, I will definitely attend this auction. You wait and see; it will be a good show. See you at the auction.”

Ivan dragged Ess all the way to the main entrance. Before Ess could react, Ivan slammed the villa door shut, waved goodbye to the stunned Ess, and deleted the information of all irrelevant insects from the villa’s security system.

“Hey!”

Ess was sent out in a daze. His mind, dulled by years of alcohol and hedonism, did not dwell on the matter, as his objective of delivering the invitations was met. He sauntered away just as aimlessly as he had arrived.

Ivan finished updating the system and returned to the dining table.

Lotte had departed at some point, leaving only Tuovis and Arie. Arie had finished his meal, so Ivan told Xiao Yi to take the little male insect to watch a movie to aid his digestion.

With the lightbulb gone, Ivan sat back down. Seeing Tuovis eating as if nothing had happened, he probed, “Do you have a grudge against him?”

Tuovis had assumed that by remaining silent and uninvolved, he would avoid being drawn into anything. He did not expect Ivan to notice, and his heart skipped a beat. He immediately put down his chopsticks and moved to kneel, only for Ivan to catch him and support him just in time.

“Hey! Is kneeling a habit in the military department?” Ivan felt a bead of sweat on his brow. If Tuovis continued to be so fearful and terrified of him, how was he ever going to save his own skin?

Tuovis was forced back into his seat by Ivan, feeling incredibly anxious.

Seeing Tuovis sitting properly, Ivan spoke again: “You do not need to be nervous. I am just asking; Ess seemed to have an opinion of you.” To lower Tuovis’s defenses, Ivan picked up his chopsticks again, treating the conversation as casual small talk.

Tuovis looked conflicted, seeing that Ivan was genuinely interested in the question.

He had met Ess before because his red hair was too conspicuous, and because Ess had been a blind date arranged by his former military superior.

However, after weighing his options, Tuovis decided not to mention that incident.

“No.”

Ivan paused mid-sip of soup. He felt Tuovis was not being entirely truthful, but they were not close enough yet for him to confide in him. He could understand why Tuovis would withhold information.

“That is good. Here, try this soup again; it is quite delicious.” Ivan scooped a bowl of fish soup and handed it to him.

Tuovis accepted it with trepidation. “Thank you, Master.”

Ivan offered a polite smile and stood up. “Eat slowly. I am going upstairs.”

“Yes.” Tuovis stood to see him off.

Ivan turned and left, the smile dropping from his face.

It was exhausting, utterly exhausting, to play these games of deceit, whether with his so-called friends or his Lord Consort.

Sigh.

In the days that followed, Ivan shut himself inside the villa, using his light-brain to learn everything he could about the current state of the interstellar world.

Thanks to the convenience of the interstellar age, although Ivan had not met his fox friends in person, the 360-degree virtual images presented by the light-brain allowed him to learn everything about every insect Ivan knew.

No more worrying about slipping up!

Since Tuovis had been stripped of his official rank, he did not need to go to work, leaving him with little to do during these days at the villa.

Initially, because he did not know what kind of game Ivan was playing, he tried to stay in his bedroom, rarely coming out. Aside from mealtimes, they hardly ever crossed paths.

However, Arie was a child who could not endure loneliness. After figuring out the structure of the villa, he begged Tuovis to take him out to play every day.

Tuovis naturally could not bear to refuse his younger brother. However, his dismissal had been inexplicable, and he had only been released because of the marriage, so he dared not wander around at will. Furthermore, with his S-rank spiritual perception, he could feel that several waves of people had been monitoring the villa outside for the past few days.

Anxious, Tuovis squatted down to comfort his brother, who was busy pulling up weeds. “Arie, wait a little longer, okay? In a few days, brother will take you out to play.”

“Mm, okay.” Arie squatted on the ground, staring at a row of weeds he had pulled up, looking dejected.

Tuovis stroked Arie’s head helplessly, his heart aching.

On the second floor of the villa, Ivan stood by the window, staring at the large and small figures squatting in the garden.

“Greatest handsome insect in the universe! Your custom-made clothes have arrived!”

Xiao Yi’s bizarre voice came from behind him. Ivan’s mouth twitched. He grabbed Xiao Yi’s round white head and changed the title in the system settings.

Finally free of that humiliating nickname, Ivan exhaled and went downstairs to try on the clothes.

He had specifically ordered these clothes for the auction. The original owner’s wardrobe was far too flashy; Ivan preferred wearing t-shirts and shorts at home. But for the auction, he needed to dress formally. After Ess left that day, he had Xiao Yi order two formal suits.

“Hmm, not bad.” Ivan felt quite satisfied as he picked up a white suit.

“Young Master, everything you wear looks good,” Lotte praised from the side. He noticed a black suit on the bottom that did not match Ivan’s measurements and asked in disbelief, “Young Master, whose is this?”

“Oh, this? It is for Tuovis. He is coming with me, so he cannot show up without a decent outfit.”

Lotte felt a surge of gratification. His young master finally knew how to care for his Lord Consort, and the Old Master’s spirit could finally rest in peace. He smiled. “Yes, indeed.”

“He is in the courtyard; call him in to try it on.”

As luck would have it, Tuovis walked in with Arie just as Ivan finished speaking.

Children have short memories. Arie had already forgotten the unpleasantness from the beginning and was gradually getting used to Ivan. Aside from mealtimes, he rarely saw Ivan, but upon seeing him now, the little face that had been gloomy from being unable to go outside immediately brightened.

“Big Brother!”

Arie let go of Tuovis’s hand and ran toward Ivan. “Big Brother, what are you doing?” He hugged Ivan’s calf, tilted his head, and looked up at Ivan with sparkling golden eyes.

Ivan put down the clothes and picked Arie up, explaining with a smile, “Trying on clothes. Your brother and I are going out to play tomorrow, so we have to wear beautiful clothes.”

“Going out to play? Can you take Arie with you?” Arie’s small face was full of longing.

The smile in Ivan’s eyes deepened, but he said slowly, “No, you cannot.”

Arie had been full of anticipation, but upon hearing this answer, he felt wronged and his mouth pouted instantly. “Wuuu, why?”

With Ivan’s prankish intent satisfied, he went to rub the child’s soft golden hair, but Tuovis immediately scooped Arie up.

Tuovis had been on guard the moment Ivan picked up Arie. When the child started to fuss, he immediately took him into his arms. Seeing the look of surprise on Ivan’s face, Tuovis held Arie against his chest, lowered his head, and apologized, “Master, Arie is ignorant. Please do not hold it against him.”

Ivan looked at Tuovis’s tense expression and said helplessly, “I was just teasing him.”

Whether Tuovis believed him or not, Ivan picked up his own suit and pointed to the remaining one. “Go try it on. If it does not fit, have Uncle Lotte take it to be tailored. Arie has been in the house for so long, he must be stifled. We are going to the auction tomorrow, so let Uncle Lotte take him out to play while we are there.”

With that, he walked away.

Tuovis stood in the center of the living room holding Arie, his expression unreadable. Lotte nodded slightly to Tuovis and went to prepare lunch.

“Brother, can I go out and play tomorrow, then?” Arie, unaware of the complexities between the adults, heard that he could go out and blinked back his tears. He asked softly while tucked in Tuovis’s arms.

Tuovis stroked Arie’s back, staring at the expensive suit by the sofa, and nodded. “Mm.”