I Hate That Jerk of a Spouse - Chapter 13

Being by your side is already a gift; though clumsy, the temptation is…

The honeymoon was over. On the journey back, Leslie lay flat against Casper in a foul mood.

“What is wrong?”

Even the most subtle fluctuations in emotion did not escape Casper, let alone such obvious unhappiness.

His frost-white, sinewy fingers combed through the silver-white hair again and again, sending a light, tingling sensation from the scalp down through Leslie’s entire body.

The Prince, having fully undergone his physiological awakening, was exquisite and radiant. Even with a gloomy expression, his extreme beauty remained undiminished, adding instead a touch of fragile charm.

Leslie buried his head in the shoulder and neck area, which was overflowing with the scent of mint. He was stained with that cool, crisp fragrance, yet he felt cold and hollow inside.

“I do not want to go back.”

The frost-blue eyelashes appeared almost pure white under the cool-toned lights, half-veiling his gaze so that one could not tell where his eyes were fixed.

Resting his chin against that fair, tender skin, Casper narrowed his eyes. He did not want to return to the Capital Planet either. The experiences of the past half-month had been far too relaxed and wonderful. Every memory of these fifteen days glittered in his mind, outshining all the memories of his first half-life.

Just thinking about the daily routine of being ruthlessly exploited by his femme parent made Leslie heave long, drawn-out sighs.

“I do not want to work, I do not want to attend meetings, and I do not want to face a group of workaholics.”

To this day, Leslie could not understand why there were insectoids who loved working, just as he could not understand why military females treated sparring sessions like diplomatic exchanges.

The last time a family conflict occurred, it was because his femme parent was so obsessed with official duties that he neglected his masc parent. In the end, his sulking masc parent simply moved into the femme parent’s office, either to help out or to force the parent to rest.

The strategy was: if you cannot beat them, join them.

Only the young Leslie, left alone at home, was the one who ended up hurt.

It was not as if it were a matter of life and death, so why were they in such a rush to handle it? The work would never be finished.

When Leslie first started dealing with political affairs, he acted with a serious and responsible attitude. He finished everything promptly and submitted the proposals and reports to his femme parent.

As a result…

Along with the praise came a massive bonus of extra work.

Looking at the hundreds of documents that had instantly appeared in his terminal, Leslie wanted to flip the table and quit right then and there.

Was his femme brother not an insectoid? Why were they pouncing on him, a minor, to do all the work?

After just once, Leslie learned his lesson. He would not submit anything until the final deadline. If asked, he would simply say it was still being refined. Even if he finished the work, he would rather slack off in the office than submit it early!

When he was a minor, he could still pout and act lazy with good reason, but after officially holding his coming-of-age ceremony, those leisurely days were gone.

Being crowned meant power and status, but it also came with royal responsibilities.

As a cub, Leslie could stall and slack off, but as an adult member of the royal family holding formal power, he had to be responsible to the Empire’s subjects; everything had to be perfect, efficient, and precise.

Furthermore…

A cold light flashed in his brilliant, flowing golden eyes. His round pupils contracted and elongated for a second, presenting a cold-blooded, inorganic quality.

The Gray family’s power was entrenched throughout the Empire, and pulling one hair would affect the whole body. A Prince without real power could not deal with this tumor, nor could he handle the subsequent aftermath.

He could leave it to his father and brothers, of course, but Leslie was not happy with that. He would rather exhaust himself to personally gift this abominable family a bloody feast.

The male insectoid’s powerful mental strength caused thousands of thoughts to flash by at faster-than-light speed. In an instant, Leslie had organized his emotions. He did not miss the fact that Casper’s body had suddenly stiffened after his words.

Hm?

Leslie looked up in disbelief, meeting the gaze Casper had not yet managed to retract.

There was a hint of desolation and a hint of dejection. It was fleeting. The jade eyes were covered by a calm layer of ice, yet one could still faintly glimpse the dense cracks beneath the smooth surface.

That was right. Female insectoids were generally workaholics. Leslie sometimes even felt that work was enough for them, and they did not even need a master; one could refer to his femme parent for specifics.

However, it was impossible for Casper to return to the First Legion for work right now.

One insectoid was forced to take leave but yearned for work, while the other was forced to face a mountain of tasks with no holiday. The contrast was so tragic that Leslie almost lost his composure.

“You want to go back to work?”

When Leslie said this, he was full of resentment. He had a holiday and did not want to take it. That was really going too far!

Casper knew he should not have shown his expectation and longing. The current situation was already good enough; he should not be greedy. But he truly could not think of anything else to do with his spare time.

A life free from worry about food and clothing, peaceful and harmonious, sounded even more wonderful than a cub’s fairy tale, yet he inexplicably felt hollow and barren. Having lost everything, he could only pray for the mercy and charity of his master. But how long could someone as worthless as him enjoy this favor?

“Yes!”

Leslie ground his teeth in anger.

Ah, he actually dared to say it!

Did he know what kind of life he was living now? It was the life he had dreamed of! A divine life where he could sleep until the sun was high, travel everywhere, and be absolutely leisurely and relaxed!

Even with this, he did not cherish it, and his head was full of that miserable life where he was busy day and night with not a second of entertainment!

What an ungrateful, jerk of a female insectoid!

Casper, having been glared at fiercely by Leslie, felt no fear. He had never been threatened by Leslie. In his eyes, the beautiful Prince had almost zero offensive power; his way of expressing anger stopped at widening his watery, brilliant golden eyes to glare at him, and he did not even know how to curse. After this happened many times, Casper even lost his initial defenses, leaving only pure appreciation.

The male insectoid, whose little face was flushed red with anger, was truly so beautiful that one could not look away.

But this kind of secret appreciation could not be shown on the surface. It was not that he was worried about the Prince’s retaliation; he was just afraid that Leslie would die of anger on the spot.

Re-recognizing his current status, Casper’s mind raced, and he quickly made up his mind.

His pale lips landed on the flushed corners of his eyes, lightly brushed against his fair cheeks, and finally stopped at the trembling earlobes. Imitating a scene from a movie he had accidentally glimpsed while at the adjutant’s office, Casper clumsily tried to seduce his master.

“Master, can you give me the job of a personal guard?”

“You do not need to pay me. Being by your side is already the greatest gift.”

It was his first time doing such a thing, and Casper inevitably felt a twinge of guilt, but it soon vanished. Even though he had used some tactics, he had not lied.

It could not be denied that he was using Leslie’s current affection for him to plan for his future, but becoming a guard who could stand guard over Leslie day and night was something he was truly happy to do.

Trust had a longer shelf life than affection.

An insectoid with value would not be abandoned immediately even if they lost their favor; this was a retreat he was planning for himself.

The Second Prince, who had been obsessed with chasing stars and studying training since he was a child, had never been seduced. This was his first time, and it was so straightforward and explicit that he almost fell instantly, with absolutely no power to resist.

Feeling the dampness on his earlobes and catching a glimpse of Casper’s equally red and burning ears, he withdrew as if scalded, not daring to look again.

He buried his head in the crook of his neck, which was soaked in the cool, minty fragrance, and took a deep breath, but it did not relieve any of his heat; instead, it intensified it.

Perhaps it was that title, “Master,” perhaps it was that sentence full of deep affection that was almost a confession, or perhaps it was just because it was Casper.

That was why he could not refuse.

Embracing the warm, soft bundle, the sweet and rich wild rose pheromones overflowed uncontrollably, filling the gaps in their embrace. A voice, sweeter and softer than the pheromones, then rang out:

“Alright!”

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