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

For Shen Yan, these past two months have felt like being immersed in warm, gentle honey, with every breath filled with contentment and happiness.

In the afternoon, the male lay lazily between the female's legs, his fingertips twirling and playing with her icy blue hair.

The continuous pleasure in his body and mind, the overflowing spiritual energy due to this satisfaction, and the warm golden light unconsciously wrapped around Karandel, like a warm and cozy blanket in winter.

They were close by, but the atmosphere was warm and sweet, and he did not enjoy his wife's gift.

"You came home an hour later than usual yesterday..."

Her voice carried a hint of coquettish nagging as Shen Yan looked up at her: "Are you annoyed by me?!"

The accusation was completely baseless, yet he spoke with such conviction.

Karandal had just finished a remote meeting and was relaxing on the sofa when he heard this. His fingertips naturally ran through the lord's soft black hair, gently combing it.

"That's not true."

He responded in a low voice, his voice filled with indulgent helplessness, his icy blue eyes filled with gentle warmth as he gazed at the other person's face, which held a sly smile.

Shen Yan refused and rolled over to lie on his back, an angle from which he could clearly see his wife's lowered eyelashes and slightly moving Adam's apple.

The nimble tail hook silently emerged from behind, like a soft vine seeking refuge, playfully wrapping around Karandel's neck and defiantly rubbing against his chin.

"Will you dare to do it again next time?" He raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with a hint of smugness, as if he had mastered some winning formula.

A slight feeling of suffocation came from my throat, but it wasn't uncomfortable; in fact, it was pleasant.

Without struggling, the female insect's lips seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly upwards for a fleeting moment. Letting the hooked tail entwine her, she responded softly, with a hint of indulgence:

"Stop messing around, I won't do it again."

This compliant answer made Shen Yan even more smug. The tip of his tail swayed slightly again, but he didn't rush to retract it.

The air was filled with an unspoken intimacy and trust.

Karandal leaned down, nose to nose, so close they could hear each other's breaths, as if trying to silence the mouth that always teased him with a kiss.

Just as her moist lips were about to fall, the military personal terminal on her wrist emitted a sharp, rapid, and extremely penetrating buzzing sound.

This is the exclusive notification tone for the highest-level military orders, and no delays or oversights are permitted.

Both insects froze simultaneously.

Shen Yan clearly felt the muscles in Karandel's waist and abdomen tighten instantly beneath his palm.

The warm and beautiful atmosphere was shattered by this sudden sound.

As the female insect straightened up and hastily swiped open the light screen, her usually calm and steady ice-blue pupils contracted rapidly as she quickly read the information, all her soft lines replaced by a cold, sharp edge.

An ominous premonition seeped into my limbs like ice water.

Shen Yan propped herself up, her voice involuntarily tightening: "...What's wrong?"

He closed the terminal and looked up at the male ruler, his expression as calm as ever, but the tight lines of his lips betrayed a hint of heaviness.

"Latest mission."

"The alien nest on the edge of the planet V-73 has recently become unusually active, and the military has dispatched me to lead a team to encircle and suppress it."

"The fleet will assemble tomorrow afternoon."

These brief words were like solid ice thrown into Shen Yan's heart lake, instantly sobering him up and making him realize what Kalandall was about to face.

That wasn't an exercise or a patrol; it was a real, deadly battlefield, in the most unstable and difficult-to-support border region of the empire.

He stopped speaking, and simply buried himself deeper into the female insect's embrace, holding her tightly with all his might.

Those silent actions contained a thousand words.

There is a deeper understanding, unspeakable worries, and a painful realization that one must let go and allow him to fulfill his mission.

"how long?"

"It depends on the situation."

The female insect answered, her gaze falling on Shen Yan's slightly tense face.

"I will come back as soon as possible."

He added in a low voice, his words brief and concise, yet they represented a very serious promise to him.

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Yan suddenly looked up and blurted out a sentence almost without thinking: "...Can't we use a different kind of insect?"

The moment he finished speaking, he froze.

He saw a clear look of surprise flash across Karandall's eyes.

Regret immediately welled up inside me.

What nonsense are you spouting? The mobilization of the Imperial fleet is no child's play.

Moreover, having witnessed firsthand the gleam in Karandal's eyes when he returned to the military, it was he who proactively pushed this butterfly back into the vast universe that belonged to it.

The battlefield is the destiny and duty of a general.

I had been mentally prepared for this day to come, and I kept reminding myself not to become a shackle that binds the other person...

But... I never expected this day to come so soon.

It happened so fast that he didn't even have time to savor the warmth that was within his reach, so fast that he thought these blissful days could last a little longer.

The reluctance was like a fine vine, which had quietly wrapped around Shen Yan's heart before he could react, making it hard for him to breathe, which is why he lost his composure and asked such a childish and unreasonable question.

She quickly lowered her eyelashes, concealing the complex emotions churning within her eyes. When she looked up again, she had forcibly suppressed her resentment, and her tone returned to normal, only her speech was slightly faster, carrying a hint of trying to cover something up:

"...Never mind what I said."

His fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of Kalandel's clothes, tightening until his knuckles turned white. He muttered something under his breath, as if explaining, or perhaps speaking to himself:

"I just... didn't expect it to be so fast."

Her words were filled with obvious grievance and disappointment, shattering her feigned composure.

The heavy spiritual energy seemed to sense its master's emotions, hovering listlessly and completely losing its vitality.

Xiongzi tried to catch his breath, and when he looked up again, he had already managed to force his usual slightly roguish smile, although there was still a lingering sadness in his eyes.

"Please be careful."

He stood up, stretched seemingly casually, and walked over to his wife, straightening her already neat shirt collar, his fingertips lingering on the cool silver collar button.

"Then tomorrow at noon..."

His dark eyes stared directly into the female insect's eyes, and his voice softened slightly: "Have lunch with me before you leave?"

This was not a command, but a plea filled with affection.

Kalandel looked at him, and something seemed to be churning in the depths of his icy blue eyes, turning into a deeper tenderness.

He raised his hand and gently rubbed his knuckles against the male ruler's cheek, the gesture carrying undisguised intimacy.

"it is good."

Without offering any empty words of comfort, the female insect simply leaned forward and placed a gentle and precious kiss on Shen Yan's forehead.

It has a slightly cool touch, carrying the unique crisp scent of Calander, yet it contains deep affection.

The warm afternoon sun was still there, but it seemed to be covered by an invisible veil.