Who understands? The aloof female ruler always flirts without even realizing it.

Maintaining that almost submissive posture, Shen Yan was like a beast that had finally found its way home but was still fearful, greedily absorbing this fragile connection.

He could sense that the initial stiffness of the female insect's body was dissolving at an extremely slow pace, a silent acquiescence.

After a long while, Karandal finally moved.

She didn't push the boy away, but broke the silence with a low, hoarse voice: "...Get up."

Like a pardon.

Carefully raising his head, Shen Yan tried to stand up, but due to the lack of blood supply to his brain after kneeling for a long time, a strong dizziness and blackout suddenly struck him.

With his knees aching, he slumped forward uncontrollably, like a puppet with its strings cut.

The expected pain of falling to the ground did not come.

In the instant his body swayed and his face drained of blood, the female insect instinctively grabbed his body as he was about to fall.

The weight pressed firmly on his body, and Shen Yan's breathing became rapid and shallow.

too close.

You can clearly see the suddenly pale lips and unfocused pupils.

"A powerful ruler?"

Karandal's voice was tense without him even realizing it, supporting the body in his arms that had suddenly lost its strength, his eyes filled with urgency.

It took Shen Yan several seconds for the black mist in front of him to gradually dissipate. He then found his cheek pressed against the other person's neck, panting heavily like a dog due to lack of oxygen.

It was clear that Karandel's neck was very sensitive; every breath sprayed over it would cause him to tremble slightly uncontrollably, and the skin there would turn an unnatural red.

"I'm so sorry..."

His voice was weak and tinged with embarrassment.

Suddenly... I feel a little dizzy...

He didn't let go; in fact, the hand supporting his back tightened slightly, bearing most of the boy's weight. Those usually calm and composed eyes were now filled with a serious scrutiny.

"How long has it been since you had a normal meal?"

Recalling Shen Yan's previous drunken state and his current obvious symptoms of low blood sugar, Karandal frowned deeply.

"I haven't eaten much these past few days..." Her voice trailed off.

The female insect said no more, and half-carried, half-lifted Shen Yan to the sofa and made him sit down.

Then he quickly walked to the locker, took out several high-energy nutrient solutions, and deftly opened one of them and handed it to Shen Yan's mouth.

"Drink it." The tone was concise and commanding, leaving no room for refusal.

Shen Yan took his hand and quickly sucked on the viscous liquid.

The high-energy nutrient solution didn't taste very good, but as it flowed into my empty stomach, it brought real warmth and a gradual return of strength.

When one nutrient solution was finished, Karandal tore open a second one and handed it over.

Having regained some strength, he subconsciously reached out to take the second one, but his eyes inadvertently swept over his wife's beautiful, well-defined hands, and he inexplicably stopped.

He continued drinking the food his wife fed him.

The dizziness and weakness were quickly subsiding. Looking up at Karandel's profile, which had been expressionless but was no longer cold, she seemed to have finally mustered the courage, her voice soft and tentative:

"Can I...sleep here tonight?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he keenly noticed that the female insect's back tensed up instantly.

"What's wrong?"

Deliberately slowing his pace, Karandal spoke each word like a tiny icicle: "Was Locke... unsatisfied with you last night? So much so that you need me today, Your Excellency?"

These words were like a poisoned dagger, precisely piercing Shen Yan's heart, which had just begun to recover. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and a surge of hurt welled up in his eyes.

No! That's not what I meant.

He retorted hastily, raising his voice slightly.

"And there's nothing between Locke and me! He came at me in the bar, and I pushed him away immediately! I swear!"

In desperation, he didn't care about being tactful anymore; his voice trembled slightly, tinged with a desperate and aggrieved attitude.

Why are you so determined to push me away?

"I just want to be with you! Only you! No one else! Not Locke, not any other female insect sub-female! I... I've already blocked all of Locke's contact methods!"

As if to increase credibility, he even subconsciously reached for his personal computer, his movements as flustered as a large dog that had been wrongly accused and was eager to find evidence.

Its non-existent ears and tail seemed to droop, and its eyes were filled with an anxious plea: "Believe me! Look!"

Seeing the other person's eagerness to prove himself, the sarcasm in his heart faded a bit. It wasn't jealousy; it was just a habitual way of using sharpness to protect himself.

The overly serious reaction of the powerful ruler made him feel that what he had just said was a bit too much.

Seeing that Kalandel remained silent and only looked at him, Shen Yan felt even more uncertain. His voice lowered, thick with nasal tone and disappointment: "Don't overthink it, I'll leave..."

That's what he said, but his feet seemed nailed to the ground, and he didn't move an inch, staring at the other person expectantly, waiting for the final "verdict".

Looking away, Karandal stopped staring at his pitiful state, turned and walked towards the bedroom, leaving behind only a single, emotionless sentence:

"what ever."

These two simple words sounded like heavenly music to Shen Yan's ears. A surge of overwhelming joy welled up inside him, almost making him jump up on the spot, but he managed to hold it in.

He rubbed his sore nose vigorously and quickly followed the female insect into the bedroom like a little shadow.

The hangover, the crying, and the emotional rollercoaster I just experienced left me feeling sticky and uncomfortable all over.

He scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "Um... I'm a bit dirty, could I... borrow your bathroom to take a shower?"

Karandal was taking a spare pillow out of the cabinet when he heard this. He paused for a moment, but without turning around, he simply gave a faint "hmm" in agreement.

Feeling like he'd been granted a pardon, he immediately slipped into the bathroom that connected to the master bedroom. The warm water washed over him, instantly making him feel much more refreshed, as if some of the effects of the alcohol and his fatigue had been washed away.

He let out a comfortable sigh.

However, when he turned off the water and reached for a towel, he suddenly froze—

It's empty! Apart from a dark gray towel, there are no clothes to change into on the shelf!

I was so focused on taking a shower that I completely forgot about this!

I definitely can't wear those dirty clothes anymore.

Am I supposed to go out wearing this towel? But it only covers the front, not the back...

After hesitating in the bathroom for a long time, I finally mustered up the courage to carefully open the door a crack, peeking out half of my still-dripping head towards the bedroom, my voice barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz:

"Ka, Kalandel... um... I... I don't have any clothes to change into..."

Karandal sat on the edge of the bed, seemingly working on something on the light screen, and looked up at the sound. Seeing the wet, evasive head peeking through the crack in the door, a faint hint of understanding and... helplessness flashed in his icy blue eyes.

He put down his personal terminal and took out a set of his own dark cotton pajamas from the closet. He walked to the bathroom door, paused for a moment, and then reached out to push the door open.

The bathroom was filled with steam, carrying the fresh scent of shower gel. Shen Yan huddled behind the door, only half of his body visible. His smooth skin was flushed pink from the steam, his wet black hair clung to his forehead, and his eyes darted around.

...It's unbelievably beautiful.

His gaze lingered restrainedly on the area above the other person's collarbone as he handed over the pajamas, his voice as steady as ever: "I only have my own clothes, so please make do with these."

"Th-thank you!"

After delivering the clothes, Xiongzi was about to leave when, in the action of receiving the clothes, his body leaned forward unconsciously, his foot slipped, and more of his body parts, which had been hidden by the door, were exposed.

Although the bathroom was foggy, Karandal couldn't help but catch a glimpse of more—a sleek waist and abdomen, straight legs, and…

They're quite capable...

"You...you shouldn't look!" Shen Yan's entire face and neck turned bright red.

He quickly looked away, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily, and a slight, unnatural blush spreading across his ears.