I Hate That Jerk of a Spouse - Chapter 1

“No!”

Leslie woke up with a jolt, unable to distinguish where he was. Dark red, dried blood still lingered in his field of vision.

“You cannot die, Casper.”

His fingertips seemed to still feel the cold, slick skin that had lost all trace of life. Leslie held himself tightly, and crystalline tears rolled down his cheeks one by one. His brilliant golden eyes were unfocused, and his mental domain was in complete chaos.

After a long while, Leslie noticed something wrong. The scent of rich roses, mixed with the delicate fragrance of lily of the valley and jasmine, wafted into his nose. It was sweet and intoxicating, the fragrance commonly used by aristocratic male insects.

But Casper absolutely could not tolerate this scent. On the very first day he brought Casper out of prison, Leslie had removed all sweet-scented perfumes and replaced them with calming, soothing woody aromas.

Tears blurred his vision, yet Leslie could still recognize the differences in the furniture. To prevent Casper from harming himself again, Leslie had removed all sharp objects, laid down thick carpets, and covered every sharp corner with jelly gel. He had guarded against every danger; it was supposed to be foolproof.

Yet, this exquisite and luxurious decoration style was clearly the appearance of his own bedroom before he was married.

Overcoming the tearing pain in his mental domain, Leslie raised his sweaty, trembling hand to check the terminal for the date.

Stardate 4038, October 21st.

It was the day his physiological awakening began. It was also the day before Casper was put on trial and imprisoned.

Leslie’s pupils shrank. There was no time to wonder why time had suddenly reverted by more than a year; only one thought remained in his mind:

[I can save Casper now.]

A surging heat wave rushed from his lower abdomen, spreading wantonly and igniting his blood and flesh. Sharp, fragmented pain emerged from the gaps between his bones, tormenting him.

The physiological awakening had begun. This was not the first time Leslie had faced this situation. He had endured the intense agony of his blood and bones being shattered and rebuilt in the later stages of his previous life; this early-stage pain was not enough to make him lose his sanity.

His trembling hand retrieved an injection from his spatial ring, and he plunged it into his neck without mercy. The ice-cold medication merged into his blood, slowly extinguishing the raging fire with the pumping of his heart. This was originally a medicine meant to prolong the physiological awakening period, but it could, to a certain extent, suppress the awakening process. Leslie used it exactly as a suppressant.

With unsteady footsteps, he got out of bed, took a quick shower, dressed neatly, and rushed without delay to the bedchamber of his Father and Mother, pounding on the door.

The Emperor and Empress, who were preparing to rest inside, were speechless. Forget it, the cub is more important.

As soon as Egbert opened the door, he saw his youngest cub looking anxious, pale, and covered in cold sweat. His expression sharpened: “What happened?”

Aysel welcomed his son into the room, gently brushing through the wet, matted hair to stabilize the cub’s mental domain. Under his Father’s soothing presence, Leslie calmed down and spoke clearly: “Father, Mother, General Casper was framed by insects at the Venus Restaurant, and he has been detained by the guards!”

The Emperor and Empress were shocked. Egbert immediately ordered the lockdown of the Venus Restaurant, the preservation of the scene, and sent specialized staff to receive Casper. Aysel held his son’s hand, telling him not to worry, as they would surely find the truth and clear Casper’s name.

But Leslie did not completely set his heart at ease, as his mood remained heavy. He knew that Casper had indeed harmed a male insect. Regardless of the reason, it was an indisputable crime.

Driven by the victim’s family and the royal family, the collection of evidence was extremely rapid. The head of the Gray family directly sued Casper in the Supreme Court for the crime of malicious injury to a male insect.

In his previous life, the head of the Gray family had used his government connections, and by the next day, Casper was facing trial. The defendant, Casper, was isolated and helpless. The temporary defense lawyer could not help him escape conviction due to lack of evidence, and the existing evidence directly confirmed Casper’s crime.

The judge sentenced Casper on the spot to imprisonment for the intentional injury of a male insect, resulting in permanent disability.

At that time, Leslie was struggling through his own physiological awakening. The pain like a thousand ants eating his heart and his bones being snapped left him with no time to pay attention to the outside world. When he woke up, he was met with the news that Casper had tried to forcibly take Ritt Gray for himself out of unrequited love, resulting in the male’s severe injury and Casper’s imprisonment.

Leslie was so angry he laughed.

Casper had been able to reject him twice! Would he try to forcibly seize an A-grade male who was inferior to him in appearance, family background, and ability? What a joke!

Leslie felt that the insect who fabricated such rumors was grinding his dignity into the dust. It was a complete humiliation! But the evidence he later collected could only prove the “truth” of that absurd rumor.

Leslie’s hand, clutching the documents, trembled continuously; the rage in his brilliant golden eyes almost materialized. He refused to believe such an outcome. If the evidence could not save Casper, at least his own status and privileges could. Leslie used his high compatibility to forcibly match with Casper as his consort, bringing him out of prison.

The moment he saw Casper, Leslie could hardly believe it was him. He wished his eyes were playing tricks on him. The once-supple and glossy frost-blue short hair was now dry and withered; the once-bright and confident emerald eyes had lost their luster, like shattered jade, having lost all value.

Leslie’s breath hitched. He watched Casper stumble toward him. His legs, once strong and powerful, could not stop trembling, and stains of blood remained on his pale skin.

Before Casper could lose his strength and kneel to the ground, Leslie caught him. He took off his own fur cape to wrap the shivering Casper—who was wearing only tattered clothes—and held the broken female insect tightly in his arms.

“We are going home…”

Leslie suppressed his sobs, looking up at the sky. The thin winter sun brought no warmth, only stinging his eyes. A single tear slid down his cheek, landing on Casper’s eyelid.

The frost-cold eyelashes trembled slightly. The withered, shattered emerald eyes struggled to focus, landing on Leslie’s tearful golden eyes. His pale, cracked lips moved, but he failed to make a sound. He wanted to wipe away the tear that compromised the dignity of the prince, but he didn’t even have the strength to raise his hand.

[What a mess.]

Casper closed his eyes and buried himself silently in the warm embrace, indulging his heart one last time.

The short half-month of prison life had destroyed Casper, from body to soul. He could not accept the touch of any insect. Whether it was a female or a male, as long as one approached, he would begin to tremble pathologically. Only Leslie could make him feel at ease.

On the first day he brought Casper to the bedchamber, Leslie realized he could not stand the sweet perfumes used by male insects, so he rushed to ventilate the room and replaced the scent with a calming, light woody aroma. Casper suffered from nightmares often, so Leslie kept watch all night, releasing his spiritual power and pheromones to gently soothe him. However, Casper never said a single word to him.

Leslie did not care. He continued to accompany and soothe him patiently, trying to help Casper get better.

Their peaceful life was destroyed the moment Casper picked up a dining knife and swung it at himself. Leslie had only stepped into the kitchen to talk to a nutritionist, but his released spiritual power caught Casper’s self-harming act, and he instantly condensed a spiritual tentacle to snatch the knife away.

In that moment, Leslie’s heart stopped, and his blood felt as if it had frozen solid. He ran back to the dining room and knelt in front of Casper. Looking at Casper’s eyes—void of sorrow or joy—Leslie could no longer control himself, and tears burst from his eyes. He collapsed on Casper’s lap, sobbing and repeating, “I am sorry.”

He hated himself immensely for failing to save Casper in time. He hated himself for being too stubborn after being rejected to pay attention to Casper’s situation, and he hated himself for choosing to endure the physiological awakening alone.

If only he could have stopped Casper from going to prison. If only he could have finished his awakening earlier and picked up Casper in time. If only…

Unfortunately, there were no “ifs.” There was only regret and sorrow that eroded Leslie’s heart day after day. Leslie put away all sharp items, even wrapping the furniture’s sharp edges with jelly gel. He could not bear to let Casper go, so he kept him forcefully in this world, hoping that one day he would get better.

Casper’s silence made it difficult for Leslie to breathe. He tried to take Casper out for fresh air, removing the inhibitor that restricted his insect-stripe energy, but Casper’s panicked reaction forced them to return halfway, requiring much soothing. Feeling stifled, he accepted an invitation from Taboya to drink and drown his sorrows.

When he returned home, he was greeted by Casper’s cold corpse. Because of his one moment of negligence, Casper had directly triggered his insect-stripe energy to end his own life, putting an end to his endless suffering.

That night, there was a light snow that melted before it even touched the ground. Even though winter was coming to an end, he had not been able to wait for spring.

Leslie woke up from the blood-stained nightmare, gasping for breath, drenched in cold sweat. The familiar heat flowed through his body, looking for an outlet to erupt.

Leslie skillfully retrieved an injection and drove it into his neck, feeling the raging desire within him reluctantly subside.

Today was the day of Casper’s trial. There could be no mistakes.

Leslie took a cold shower, extinguishing the last spark of heat, his mind calm and plotting. If he could not help Casper escape conviction, he had one final resort. This time, even if he had to give his all, he would save Casper.

Unlike the lopsided situation in his previous life, this time, Leslie notified his Father and Mother immediately, preserving the evidence that had previously been destroyed. The royal lawyer was commissioned to defend Casper, and the guards, under orders, did not dare to use private torture on him.

Sitting in the jury box, Leslie looked at Casper, who appeared clear-headed, proud, and possessed vibrant emerald eyes in the arena; his eye sockets felt incredibly sore.

How long has it been?

How long had it been since he last saw a Casper so spirited?

It is good, he is still alive.

Casper, wearing an inhibitor, had already foreseen his ending. He was not afraid; the moment he made his move, he had accepted the result of being imprisoned or even sentenced to death. Even if he died, he would not let that despicable male insect have his way.

Casper looked up at the jury box and quickly found Ritt Gray. The look in his eyes was like looking at trash, filled with disgust.

Ritt Gray was trembling with rage. He swore that he would make this arrogant, base-born female insect pay the price for his inability to have descendants.

Then, Casper’s gaze froze on the silver-haired male. Before he could be surprised that the Second Prince was sitting in the jury box, he acutely noticed that Leslie’s face was unusually pale, his neck covered in cold sweat, seemingly enduring great pain. Yet his eyes were a piercing red, brimming with tears that were about to fall.

Casper, who had been calm, felt an inexplicable panic. He had never seen the usually proud and arrogant Leslie look this fragile. His heart suddenly felt as if it had been pricked by a needle. He suddenly could not accept his predetermined tragic fate, simply because Leslie might cry.

For the first time, Casper regretted his impulsiveness. He should have found a quiet, secluded place to deal with that scum instead of taking revenge on the spot.

Leslie watched the lawyers on both sides fight, arguing desperately while silently calculating the time. He knew that even the best royal lawyer could not completely absolve Casper. Even if it were categorized as self-defense, the possibility of being accepted by the judge was very low.

After all, that was an A-grade male. In the universal concept of the Zerg race, no female would reject the mating invitation of an A-grade male. Even if the male used high-concentration pheromones to induce and force the issue, and even if the female was unwilling, the public would only think the female was ungrateful. No one would blame a male who wanted to fulfill his reproductive obligations and leave behind excellent genes.

Therefore, from the beginning, Leslie had made the worst preparations. He would not accept a reduced sentence; he would not accept the possibility of Casper going to prison, even if the price was himself.

Just before the judge was about to make the final ruling, the rich scent of wild roses swept across the entire court, nearly causing a riot among all the females present. The female personal guards, who had already taken inhibitors, stood guard around the Second Prince, preventing the out-of-control females from approaching. But even the guards, being too close to the source of the outbreak, could not help but reveal fangs and vertical pupils.

It was too fragrant, too sweet. Even with the inhibitors, they were almost triggered.

Leslie was momentarily dazed by the sudden rush of heat. He pinched himself hard to regain his sanity. He raised a trembling hand to point at Casper in the center of the court, his voice, choked with pain, sounding in the ears of all:

“I want him.”

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