I Hate That Jerk of a Spouse - Chapter 7

Tsk, what a piece of trash. Not letting me eat, yet demanding my effort.

The barbed vine whip landed again and again on the bloody, pale back. Despite the agonizing pain, the victim tried to endure it, but irrepressible trembling and muffled groans escaped him. These sounds felt inches away under Casper’s heightened senses.

The figure was too similar, the short, frost-blue hair identical. In a trance, Casper felt as if he were the one enduring such humiliating punishment.

Leslie frowned, looking down from the floor above. The sight of Riter Gray whipping his submissive insectoid servant made him feel nauseous.

His own femme parent had been born with innate deficiencies and genetic flaws, yet his masc parent had always treated him with the utmost tenderness and care. Even after his genes were repaired, that gentle devotion never changed. In their home, corporal punishment was non-existent.

Only the incompetent would choose such a method to vent their frustrations.

[Tsk, what a loser.]

Feeling the rise and fall of the chest beneath his hands quicken, Leslie made an instant decision. He turned Casper’s body around and cupped his face, pressing his own lips against the pale ones.

The rich, sweet scent of wild roses enveloped Casper, gently but firmly insulating him from the lingering smell of blood.

The overly beautiful intimacy of lips and teeth pulled all of Casper’s attention back to the present. Before him, he saw shimmering, silver-white eyelashes trembling, and soft, fair cheeks tinged with a faint flush.

That’s right: this time, his Highness was by his side.

Casper was exceptionally passionate today. He kept clinging to Leslie, begging for pheromones.

Leslie, face flushed, let Casper guide his hands. Starting from the neck, Casper led them to stroke his frost-cold skin, now slick with glistening sweat, inch by inch. Breathing, heartbeat, and the contraction of muscles were all transmitted to Leslie’s brain through his palms. Finally, Casper pressed Leslie’s hands against his lower abdomen. Never before had Leslie felt their intimacy so directly.

Casper’s fair toes curled, and a crimson flush spread rapidly from his cheeks and earlobes across his entire body.

Leslie was so embarrassed he wanted to curl up, but he was held fast.

With a gentle yet irresistible force, the only place he could hide was in Casper’s arms, forcing him to bury himself even deeper into Casper.

Even though his entire body was stained with the rich scent of wild roses and his gestation sac was full of pheromones, Casper still felt it was not enough.

He wanted Leslie to leave more marks on him, to cover up all the ugliness.

“Your Highness, bite me.”

In Casper’s eyes was a hunger and sorrow Leslie could not comprehend. Bewitched by that tearful gaze, Leslie lowered his lips to the fragile neck that his femme companion had voluntarily exposed.

Densely packed, shallow red marks spread from the neck until they covered all the frost-white skin.

From day until night, Leslie had not managed a single bite of food.

He had only wanted to comfort his frightened femme consort, only to be taken advantage of.

Casper’s fierce yet pitiful demeanor made it seem as if this were the last time he would ever receive pheromones.

It was not as if he had said he would not give them! He just wanted to order a meal and eat first! As for staring at him with such pathetic, aggrieved eyes and holding him so tightly he could not leave?

Leslie’s heart softened as he watched him, and he indulged Casper time and time again.

The result of being too soft-hearted was that Casper was stuffed full, while Leslie was still hungry.

It was truly unreasonable. He was starving, yet he still had to put in the effort.

While waiting for the hotel to deliver their meal, Casper carried Leslie to the bathroom to wash up, nipping and grinding gently against the tender flesh of his neck.

It did not hurt; it was just a slight, tingling itch.

Leslie bit back at that small patch of skin in frustration. When he let go, he saw a bright red patch and felt a pang of guilt, immediately licking the spot for him.

Casper’s hand, which had been washing his long hair, froze.

The soft, tender tongue licked the “wound” that did not hurt at all. Each stroke seemed to graze the scars on his heart, washing away the putrid, filthy blood bit by bit, before leaving a kiss full of cherish and love.

Casper embraced Leslie even tighter. With slightly unfocused eyes, he watched their hair drifting joyfully in the water under the warm light.

The pale golden light plated the silver-white long hair, holy as the light radiating from an angel holding a cross, descending to the mortal world to sow love and hope.

His Highness was a bug who was far too soft-hearted.

He had saved him from prison when he was broken and crippled due to youthful infatuation, carried his filthy, wretched self home, comforted him patiently during his nightmares and terrors, stayed up all night watching over him, and would show such intense self-reproach and sadness whenever he noticed those long-scabbed wounds.

He had not fallen in love with Leslie in a single day.

That love had lain dormant for a long time, finally breaking through the soil and growing wild while he was in prison undergoing torture, becoming the courage that supported his survival. It stretched its branches and leaves during their day-to-day companionship, bearing fruits of selfish desire.

Yet, it was frozen by the cold reality, turning into a blade pointed at his own heart.

Casper rubbed his cheek against the top of Leslie’s head, feeling deeply fortunate.

This time, his Highness had saved him in advance, so he would not be criticized for the abuse of privilege. None of the tragedies had even had the chance to begin; perhaps they could have a wonderful future.

Let Leslie continue to believe he was still the same Admiral Casper from before.

That untarnished, clean Casper.

He just did not know if he could play the role of his former self well enough.

Finally getting a bite of hot food, Leslie almost devoured it without regard for his image.

Seeing Casper in his peripheral vision, Leslie’s raised hand suddenly froze, and he switched to eating elegantly, following royal etiquette.

Casper had no such concerns.

Because he used to eat like a whirlwind when he was with Leslie in the military; now, in order to maintain his persona, he naturally had to keep his original habits.

His somewhat unrefined dining style was masked by his speed, so no one could tell.

Before Leslie enlisted, Casper had always consumed nutrient solution; it was convenient, fast, and rich in nutrients.

The point was, it was cheap.

Even though his salary at that time could have easily supported a life of extravagance, the Admiral from the slums was accustomed to frugality.

But it was obviously impossible for a precious Imperial Prince to use nutrient solution as his daily diet.

Perhaps due to some hidden psychological reason, every time they ate, Casper would go to the First Legion’s cafeteria with Leslie, watching the pampered prince pick and choose, selecting food that barely met his taste, and then struggling to swallow it bit by bit.

Now, as the Admiral, having switched to the standard meal set and still eating quickly, he looked at the prince across from him with a half-smile after finishing.

Leslie tried to feign calmness, but his slightly trembling hands and flushed cheeks always made Casper feel delighted.

Back then, Casper discovered that Leslie was different from the noble insectoids of the past.

He was actually embarrassed because his slow eating made his superior wait.

Casper was greatly astonished and took pleasure in it.

He would often tease Leslie, “Your Highness, it’s been ten minutes, and you haven’t finished yet.”

Each time, he would receive a harmless, indignant glare from the shamed prince, and then he would enjoy watching the prince hasten his speed in a slight panic.

That scene could keep Casper in a good mood for the entire day.

It was the same now.

“Your Highness, ten minutes.”

Although he had not heard that sentence for over two years, Leslie’s muscle memory was faster than his brain’s reaction.

Subconsciously, he glared at Casper, then quickly shoveled a spoonful into his mouth.

Only when he heard a soft chuckle from Casper did Leslie realize what he had just done.

His face turned bright red in an instant.

Ah, this cursed muscle memory! Why had it not vanished even after being retired for so long?

Leslie chewed on the spoon, stunned for a moment, then realized something was wrong.

Wait a minute! I am an adult now! I am Casper’s Master now! Why on earth should I still be disciplined by Casper?

Feeling his confidence return, Leslie picked up the spoon, handed it to Casper, and said righteously, “You feed me!”

That will teach you to eat so fast when you have nothing better to do!

Casper, receiving such a request for the first time, froze for a moment, then obeyed, taking the spoon and feeding Leslie with utmost clumsiness.

After a few spoonfuls, Casper understood why Leslie ate so slowly.

He did not dare scoop too much each time, afraid it would be too much work for Leslie to chew.

Sometimes, he even worried that Leslie would choke on the food if he did not chew enough.

The digestive system of a male insectoid was not as hardy as a female’s. Their bodies were fragile and delicate; their stomachs needed exercise but could not be overtaxed, and they could not rely solely on nutrient solutions to replenish necessary energy.

Raising a male insectoid was a very meticulous affair, and Casper was learning.

After they had eaten their fill, Leslie nestled comfortably in Casper’s arms to let his food settle, his slightly bloated abdomen being gently rubbed by Casper.

There was something indescribable about Casper feeding him; it made the food taste so good that he had accidentally overeaten.

Leslie lay back in Casper’s arms, reaching out to pinch a strand of his hanging frost-blue hair.

“We are leaving soon. I have booked a garden villa; it is super beautiful there.”

Initially, Leslie had thought about bringing Casper to meet more people, which was why he had booked a hotel instead of a quiet detached villa.

Who would have thought he would run into bugs from the Gray family here? It completely ruined his mood.

They had to leave! Right now!

He would not let his beautiful, romantic honeymoon be ruined by such a piece of trash.

Casper had no objections whatsoever to Leslie’s arrangements.

He did not understand travel; he just listened to everything His Highness arranged.

Listening to Leslie describe how beautiful the garden was while in his arms, Casper responded on the surface, but in his heart, he did not have much expectation.

[No matter how beautiful it is, it is not even a ten-thousandth as beautiful as you.]

Casper quietly left a kiss on the top of Leslie’s hair.

The aircraft landed in the pre-planned clearing. Leslie ran off first, standing in the middle of the blooming, vibrant garden, opening his arms to Casper.

“Casper! Is it not super beautiful?”

Bathed in the bright sunlight, the male insectoid wore a sweet smile. His exquisite face was exceptionally charming against the backdrop of the delicate, pink-purple flowers. His silver-white hair, swirling as he spun, was covered in specks of light, and his completely open embrace invited others to enter.

“Yes.”

Casper answered, somewhat dazed.

[Yes, it is very… very beautiful.]

This place was on the other side of the planet; when that side fell into darkness, this place would just be beginning to be bathed in the morning light.

They cast aside the night and plunged into the light.

Driven by an inexplicable emotion, Casper picked up Leslie and spun in a dance amidst the morning light and the fragrance of flowers.

This time, a smile completely free of gloom appeared on his face.

After they had finished playing, Leslie stood softly on the ground, tidying his messed-up clothes.

Just then, a small point suddenly lit up in his spiritual domain.

A sweet, soft voice sounded. “Leslie?”

The familiar voice, unheard for a long time, made Leslie feel pleasantly surprised. “Carlos?!”

An even more surprised voice came from the other side. “Wow! It really is you! Do not move in the garden, I am coming to find you!”

Not long after, a garden sightseeing vehicle drove up. A small, cute male insectoid jumped off before the vehicle had even stopped, giving the black-haired femme driver a heart attack.

“Leslie!”

The male insectoid with grapefruit-pink hair threw himself straight at Leslie, his tea-brown eyes full of joy.

“Long time no see, Carlos.”

As the two male insectoids happily caught up, the two femme insectoids looked at each other, both seeing the same annoyance in the other’s eyes.

It was the same annoyance of having their Master being snatched away.

Leslie finally detached himself from the joy of the long-awaited reunion and introduced the bugs to each other.

Ingvar Tarloch, an important member of the judicial agency, reached out his hand to Casper, his face wearing a flawless, noble, gentlemanly smile. “Nice to meet you.”

Casper shook his hand with an expressionless face and replied, “Nice to meet you.”

Both bugs touched and withdrew immediately, pulling their hands back quickly.

Leslie had wanted to take Carlos inside to play, but as soon as they sat down, Ingvar called out to him.

“There are some important matters I need to discuss with your Highness. I wonder if your Highness would do me the honor?”

Ingvar glanced covertly at Casper, successfully making Leslie frown.

Leslie instructed Carlos and Casper to rest in the living room for now, while he went upstairs with Ingvar to discuss business.

The two bugs left in the living room looked at each other, and Carlos quietly moved a little further away from Casper.

It is a bit scary.

A moment later, Carlos noticed something was not right. After Leslie left, not only was there no expression on Casper’s face, but it seemed even his vitality had vanished.

He sat there quietly, like a stone statue, silent and dead.

Familiar death energy radiated from Casper, to which Carlos was incomparably sensitive.

He frowned deeply.

Upstairs, Ingvar got straight to the point; he valued this opportunity highly.

“Admiral Casper was unjustly imprisoned because of the Gray family. Perhaps your Highness would be interested in some of the Gray family’s deeds.”

In the previous life, Ingvar had witnessed with his own eyes how much Leslie valued Casper.

This Imperial Prince had spared no reputation to force a match with a convicted femme insectoid who was already in prison, searching for evidence through every possible channel in an attempt to clear Casper’s name.

It was just that the Gray family had done their work far too cleanly, and Leslie had acted too late to catch them in the act.

But things were different now.

They had the advantage of rebirth; the sheer information gap was enough for them to topple the Gray family, this malignant tumor.

The current Gray family had not yet had time to destroy all the evidence; their chances of winning were high.

Relying on Leslie’s hatred for the Gray family, he believed that Leslie would agree.

When Ingvar spoke his first sentence, Leslie’s pupils contracted into dangerous vertical slits.

His spiritual power swept across, and he quickly confirmed that Ingvar also possessed memories of the previous life.

One side had information, the other had power. They quickly reached a consensus, with the common goal of eradicating the Gray family.

Ingvar, pressed to the point of being unable to breathe by the spiritual power, revealed a smile, his purple eyes flashing with ambition.

“Then, happy cooperation, your Highness.”

Leslie looked at him coldly. “You know what should be said and what should not.”

Ingvar’s rebirth exceeded Leslie’s expectations; he could not be sure if Casper would also recover his memories of the previous life, but he would try his best to avoid any triggers.

Ingvar naturally knew, and he would not use Casper’s tragic experiences as leverage to threaten Leslie.

Submissively accepting Leslie’s spiritual shackles, their cooperation was reached.

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