I Hate That Jerk of a Spouse - Chapter 8

Carlos caught a familiar scent on Casper: a cold, damp smell, as if something were quietly rotting in a dark corner.

They could not encounter sunlight that was too bright, for under such light, they would slowly decompose and vanish.

Carlos suddenly felt breathless. He clutched the shirt over his chest, trying to relieve the sharp, stabbing pain in his heart with external pressure, forcing open a small gap to breathe.

Carlos was not skilled at making conversation with unfamiliar bugs, but Casper was Leslie’s spouse, and the person Leslie cherished most, second only to his family.

He did not want to see Leslie sad. He needed to be brave once, to attempt to save Casper, and in doing so, save himself.

“General Casper…”

When those jade eyes, devoid of any emotion, turned toward him, Carlos no longer felt fear.

He only felt a profound sense of sorrow.

“For Leslie’s sake, could you please try to live on?”

The frozen look in Casper’s eyes developed a tiny crack, only to settle back into silence a moment later.

“Your Excellency need not address me as General. The military has already suspended me.”

Carlos had heard rumors of this. In his previous life, Tapuya had mentioned it while they were drinking. He had also spoken of Casper’s near-collapse and Leslie’s almost frantic search for proof and his subsequent retaliation.

But those were tragedies that only occurred in the Star Calendar year 4039. There was still time; they could still be saved.

He was not entirely clear on the details of what had happened, but based on Casper’s current state, he could reasonably deduce that Casper’s deteriorating mental state was likely the catalyst for all the tragedies. If they intervened in time, perhaps they could change the outcome.

Taking a deep breath, Carlos gathered his courage and persisted. “That will not happen, General. Leslie will handle everything. I am sure you will be reinstated.”

Casper’s gaze flickered. Seeing an opening, Carlos continued his persuasion. “Have you ever considered letting Leslie perform a mental synchronization for you? If you want to return to the military, it would be best to have a stable mental state.”

Casper’s eyes dimmed. With such a broken mental domain as his, would His Highness not be disgusted if he saw it?

Seeing that brief spark of expectation in Casper’s eyes vanish instantly, an idea struck Carlos. “Ah, General, are you worried about Leslie seeing memories he should not?”

It was inevitable that one would encounter fragments of memory during a mental synchronization, and the memories of military soldiers were particularly violent and bloody.

But Carlos felt that Leslie would not be afraid. Leslie had never been afraid of Casper.

“My… my experiences are not exactly pleasant.” Casper spoke with great understatement. They were far from not pleasant; they were utterly horrific.

The obscure, dark, bloody, and cold thoughts and memories. He feared even speaking of them would soil Leslie’s ears, let alone let his Highness see them firsthand.

What kind of noble background could a commoner who climbed up from the lowest rungs have? Tactics against enemies were not always conducted on the front lines; there was plenty of assassination and manipulation. The missions that high-born military soldiers refused to take were handed to them, the friendless, powerless commoner soldiers.

In war, life is the most worthless thing of all. Especially the lives of lowly bugs.

Carlos began to understand the situation.

Casper felt his past was tainted and feared frightening Leslie or causing him to feel disgust. Meanwhile, Leslie thought Casper was unwilling to accept him and kept a distance, which is why he refused the mental synchronization.

Both bugs were too cautious, which was why they could never truly open their hearts to each other.

Carlos felt deeply grateful for his decision. Thankfully, everything could still be saved.

“That is not true, General. Leslie’s idol filter for you shattered long ago. No matter who the real you is, he can accept it.”

“He loves all of you, not just a partial version of you.”

Carlos had watched Leslie’s attitude toward Casper change from the beginning. Whenever Leslie had feelings, he could not share with his father or mother, he would tell them to him and Tapuya.

From the glorious, triumphant Casper, to the harsh Casper on the first day of enlistment, to the earnest and responsible instructor Casper, they had watched Leslie fall in love little by little, watched him lose himself, watched him suffer setbacks, and watched him muster the courage to pursue again.

The fleeting admiration of his youth had settled over time into a flowing river of light, with every grain of stardust telling a story of love.

“You should not doubt the depth of this love.”

Carlos looked at Casper with extreme earnestness and disapproval.

Casper read a deeper meaning in that sincerity. He lowered his gaze to his own clean palms, where the warmth of that touch seemed to linger.

After a long silence, he finally looked up and gave Carlos a look of gratitude. “Thank you, Your Excellency.”

Carlos beamed with a sweet, happy smile.

“[This time, don’t let it slip away again.]”

With Leslie and Carlos chatting in the living room, the two spouses left behind had to find company in each other.

Ingvar poured a glass of wine for Casper and leaned against the railing, sipping his own.

“Before long, the General will receive some good news.”

Ingvar swirled his glass, his tone light, his purple eyes meeting Casper’s.

Casper did not care much for the political affairs of their kind, but Ingvar had just been talking with Leslie, and things that benefited Ingvar were likely to benefit Leslie as well. So, he gave Ingvar a nod.

Ingvar did not mind Casper’s coldness; this General had always been this way.

As expected, he looked better like this: stiff and stoic. That completely shattered look from before was truly an eyesore.

Ingvar took a sip of the golden wine, his purple eyes downcast and deep.

“[If even Casper can escape a tragic fate, then perhaps the ending for Carlos and me will be different, too.]”

Not wanting to dwell on such heartbreaking images, Ingvar shook his head, deciding to find some amusement in Casper.

“Hey, General, would you like to learn some tricks on how to please your male spouse?”

The moment he finished speaking, Ingvar was satisfied to see Casper turn his head instantly.

Leslie brewed a pot of flower tea and ate the cookies Carlos had made, sharing his honeymoon plans.

Getting carried away, Leslie looked at Carlos with confusion. “Why did Ingvar take you out to play? Is he not usually busy with work?”

When Carlos first married, he had told them that Ingvar was always busy with work and rarely came home.

Now he was actually taking vacation time to bring Carlos out to play? That was odd.

Carlos looked at the small rose petals unfolding in his cup and whispered, “Well… this is actually a divorce trip. Once it is over, we are getting divorced.”

Leslie: “!”

Carlos offered a faint, bitter smile. “I was reaching above my station anyway. What does not belong to me should not be held onto forcefully; it just saves everyone the embarrassment.”

Leslie did not know what to say. Finally, he asked, “The divorce was it your idea, or Talosi’s?”

He had started using the surname.

If it were Carlos’s own choice, he would respect it, but if Ingvar Talosi dared to be picky, he guaranteed the Talosi family would be erased from the upper circles entirely.

“It was my proposal. Ingvar might feel guilty, which is why he took leave to take me on this trip, but honestly, it was not necessary.”

Carlos looked somewhat dejected; his typically warm and sweet tea-brown eyes rippled with bitterness.

That was what arranged marriages were like: no feelings, each playing their own game. Family cooperation and shared interests ensured the stability of the marriage, provided there were no emotions involved.

Saddened for a moment, Carlos pushed those negative emotions aside; he did not want Leslie to worry too much.

“Leslie, why do you not perform a mental synchronization for Casper? His mental state is quite poor.”

Leslie grew unhappy at the mention of this. He gnawed on a small biscuit, looking fierce yet aggrieved. “He does not want to! What can I do?”

A gentle touch came from above, and Leslie looked up to meet Carlos’s encouraging eyes. “Try one more time. What if it succeeds this time?”

Perhaps the shock of the usually timid and shy Carlos finding the resolve to ask for a divorce had shaken him. Leslie hugged Carlos, drawing a bit of courage and strength from him. The memories of countless past failures surfaced in his mind, only to be shattered and vanish without a trace.

Leslie’s voice was muffled. “Oh… then I will reluctantly try one more time.”

He then snapped a biscuit with a fierce expression. “If Casper refuses again, there will not be another time! Hmph!”

Carlos lifted his teacup to hide the smile tugging at his lips.

How could there be no next time? It would just be a period of standing by before he inevitably started trying again.

Because Leslie had traveled across half the planet to get to the garden, he had not slept the previous night and felt quite drowsy after lunch.

He pulled Casper onto the bed, yawned lazily, and curled into a warm embrace. Before long, Leslie was asleep.

Casper did not have the habit of taking naps, so he stayed quiet in the dark room, counting Leslie’s breathing and heartbeat.

The rhythmic, soft sound of breathing filled the quiet, warm room. Feeling the scent of wild roses lingering around him, Casper felt a rare sense of drowsiness.

He gently pulled the warm body in his arms closer to his chest, loosely wrapping his arms around Leslie. He buried his chin in the soft, fluffy hair and slowly closed his eyes, drifting into sleep.

Leslie was jolted awake by the feeling of being squeezed tightly.

The arms wrapped around his waist and back had tightened, pressing him firmly against the other. The chest in front of him was tense and rigid, digging into him painfully.

Hearing the chaotic and rapid heartbeat against him, Leslie drew a sharp breath. He worked with difficulty to slowly extract his arms from the confinement.

Experience told him he could not startle Casper in this state, nor could he force him awake.

Leslie cradled Casper’s cold, sweat-drenched cheeks, pouring out his soothing pheromones without reservation, and leaned close to Casper’s ear to whisper his name.

“Casper… Casper, wake up!”

“The dream is fake, do not get trapped inside.”

Casper remained trapped in the nightmare, unable to pull himself out.

Until he tasted blood in his mouth. Unlike the usual thick, nauseating taste, this time it was sweet, mixed with the scent of wild roses.

His eyelashes, wet with cold sweat and tears, slowly lifted. The first thing Casper saw was Leslie’s pale face.

Feeling the foreign object in his mouth, he instinctively licked it, then saw Leslie’s brows twitch in pain.

Casper released his grip instantly, his trembling hands carefully removing the filler he had bitten into, which was meant to prevent him from injuring himself.

It was two blood-stained knuckles.

In that instant, Casper’s heart sank, almost stopping entirely.

Leslie noticed his frozen gaze and tried to pull his hand away, but his wrist was gripped so tightly he could not budge.

Helpless, he could only use his other hand to gently stroke Casper’s hair, soothing him. “It is alright, just put some repair fluid on it and it will be fine.”

Once he said that, Leslie retrieved the repair fluid and applied it; the wound healed within moments.

He showed Casper his finger, now as smooth and white as jade, as good as new. “Look, all better.”

But those two blood-stained knuckles remained burned into Casper’s retina: pale, fragile, and torn.

He could no longer hold it back. He buried his face in Leslie’s chest and sobbed uncontrollably, like a child who had done something wrong and could not forgive himself.

“Your Highness!”

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