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

Without much thought, Shen Yan's slender fingertips swiftly landed on the "Confirm" option, without the slightest hesitation.

"Invitation accepted—"

The system notification sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet bedroom. He casually closed the light screen, letting the ornate invitation interface fade away before his eyes.

A few months ago, he would have scoffed at such a banquet.

When the spoiled males get together, they seem to have no other topics to discuss besides comparing their family backgrounds, flaunting their wealth, and the number of females they have.

Beneath the glitz and glamour lies hypocrisy and boredom; even the air is thick with nauseating vanity.

Even now, he still feels a deep aversion to that kind of atmosphere.

however……

Their gazes softened unconsciously, quietly turning towards the tightly closed door. The alloy door blocked their view, but it couldn't separate the two hearts that were drawing ever closer.

Because of Karandal's existence, he was no longer a bystander in this world, no longer able to arbitrarily distance himself from everything.

He started a family and became truly connected to the world.

Having decided to take root here as "male insect Shen Yan," it becomes a natural choice to actively integrate into this social class, maintain necessary insect interactions, and build one's own information network.

This is not submission, but a clear-headed understanding based on reality; he needs these resources.

As my thoughts raced, considering whether or not to bring a companion, the answer came almost instantly.

Without Karandal.

The decision was made with absolute certainty.

It's not that I think the female ruler is not presentable; on the contrary, his Calander is too dazzling.

Once he appears at the banquet, he will surely become the focus of everyone's attention. He absolutely cannot allow his precious treasure to suffer the disdainful or scrutinizing gazes of those noble male insects, or to have those dark, scabbed scars of the past exposed.

"Just show up and I'll be back."

……

Inside the Locke family's castle hall, the chandeliers hanging high in the dome cast cold, white light onto the smooth, mirror-like obsidian floor, yet they could not dispel the stale and oppressive atmosphere in the air.

The family, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, still maintains a dazzling appearance on the outside, but its true glory has long been captured in the mottled murals and the glory of its ancestors.

The internal decay is like moss growing silently in the dark corners of a wall, yet it is everywhere.

A tense and serious meeting is underway to decide the fate of the family's "useless" members.

Locke knelt in the center of the hall, her long, silvery-white hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall, obscuring most of her expression. Only her straight back stubbornly maintained the last vestige of dignity befitting a female soldier.

On both sides of the long table sat members of high standing within the family. They were dressed in luxurious silk gowns and adorned with a dazzling array of exquisite jewelry, their eyes cold and numb, as if scrutinizing a commodity awaiting sale.

"waste!"

The male patriarch, Locke's biological father, who sat in the main seat, suddenly slammed the expensive bone china teacup in his hand at Locke.

Scalding hot tea mixed with shards of broken porcelain exploded on his silver hair and military uniform, the dark tea stains spreading rapidly. A sharp shard grazed his neck, leaving a small bloodstain.

His body tensed almost imperceptibly, a burning pain spreading along his nerves. Yet he remained kneeling, without even raising his hand to brush the tea leaves off his shoulder.

"Silverlock".

"Back when you were competing for the position of general, your entire family was paving the way for you, but you couldn't even beat Karandal, who came from a garbage planet."

"Even though everything went smoothly when we tried to get close to that SS-rank official, it all ended in failure."

"You've completely disgraced the family!"

The patriarch's voice, distorted with rage, echoed through the empty hall:

"Military power, status, the favor of male insects—you can't grasp any of them. Look at yourself now, a complete waste! Besides this skin and the fertility of S-class female insects, what use are you to the clan?"

The cold words were like a whip soaked in salt water, lashing Locke's already numb nerves again and again. The surrounding family members maintained a polite silence, a silence that was more suffocating than any accusation.

"We no longer expect you to become His Majesty's consort through a proper marriage and secure long-term, stable protection for the family."

"Although you are useless, your S-grade superior genes should not be wasted."

The father's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion. He surveyed the entire room, his gaze sweeping over every indifferent face, and finally announced the final verdict against Locke.

"The day after tomorrow, there will be a banquet held at Lanjing Palace for noble men, and most of the powerful and influential figures of the Imperial Star will attend."

"I will send you in as a plaything. Your task will no longer be to win the favor of some male..."

He paused deliberately, allowing the cruelty in his words to fully penetrate the ears of every listener:

"You must conceive successfully... and this is just the beginning."

"As long as your body can still bear children, and as long as the family needs more and better heirs to continue the bloodline and restore its glory, this is your only and continuous duty. Until... your value is completely drained."

This blatant declaration has completely torn away the last veil of pretense.

He is the most outstanding S-class female insect of this generation, and the heir to whom the family has poured resources and placed high hopes, expecting him to occupy a high position in the military and bring glory to the family.

Now, all these expectations and upbringing have been distorted into a judgment on his final worth because of his own incompetence. He is no longer the pride of the family, or even an independent individual.

In the eyes of his clan, he was not a spirited young lieutenant general, but merely a tool marked as an "S-class reproductive vessel." His sole purpose was to continuously produce high-quality offspring, using his bloodline to perpetuate the so-called glory of this decaying family.

He slowly raised his head, his face slightly pale.

Those eyes, which always seemed to radiate a smile, were now filled with a stagnant calm and seriousness. She opened her mouth, as if wanting to refute something, but her throat felt as if it were being tightly choked by something invisible, and she couldn't utter a sound.

He was already prepared to sacrifice for his family, but being so bluntly and systematically declared to be a domesticated animal, existing only for reproduction, still crushed his dignity.

However, the family head's supremacy instilled in him since childhood, the deep-rooted obedience, and the heavy shackles of "responsibility" weighing on his shoulders prevented him from having any thoughts of resistance.

In the deathly silent hall, under the gaze of countless indifferent eyes, he slowly lowered his head again, and with all his might, forced out a response from deep within his throat:

"Yes, Father Xiong. I... understand."

The sound was so soft it almost disappeared into the air.