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

The heavy anxiety arising from the impending separation did not dissipate with the arrival of night. Instead, it fermented into a more complex and somewhat uneasy longing in the private space where they were alone.

More than ever, Shen Yan needed to confirm Kalander's existence and feel that real touch to dispel the chill in his heart caused by the impending separation.

The kisses were unusually urgent, and the embraces were exceptionally forceful, as if they wanted to meld the female insect in their arms into their very bones and blood, and follow her to that distant star field.

At first, Calander responded gently as always, indulging his master's unusual passion.

They thought this was just another way for the other person to express their reluctance to part, and even felt happy because of this straightforward dependence.

However, Shen Yan lost control of his emotions.

That restless, unsettled spirit, along with the fear it was unwilling to acknowledge, ran rampant like a wild horse in moments of intimacy, losing its former delicacy and restraint.

Uncontrollable, broken sobs reached my ears.

The male suddenly froze.

With her head bowed and in the dim light of the night lamp, the female insect tried her best to suppress the pain, turning her head to bite her arm tightly.

Those eyes, which were always as calm as a lake, were now tightly closed, their long eyelashes wet and stuck together, trembling slightly.

Clear streaks of water uncontrollably slid down her cheeks and into her hair.

That usually upright and stoic body was now slightly hunched over, yet it was still trying to adjust its posture.

I've never seen Karandal like this before.

She was not the doting female lord who indulged him on ordinary days, nor the invincible general on the battlefield, but an ordinary female insect who felt pain and even shed tears of helplessness because of her recklessness and lack of discretion.

A chilling coldness instantly poured down from above, waking Shen Yan completely.

What did he do?!

"Wife..."

As if waking from a dream, his voice trembled with panic. He almost frantically got off the other person, carefully touching the deep teeth marks on Karandel's arm, but then pulled back as if he had been burned.

"I'm so sorry! I...I didn't mean to...I hurt you..."

So nervous he was incoherent. Looking at the tear stains on the other person's eyes and the marks he had made on their body without thinking, he was overwhelmed by immense regret and self-blame.

How could... how could you let my baby suffer like this?

Karandal slowly opened his eyes, his icy blue pupils still glistening with tears, carrying a hazy feeling of relief after surviving a catastrophe.

He looked at the undisguised panic and guilt on Shen Yan's face, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his breathing and still trembling body.

"……fine."

Her voice was a little hoarse, with a soft nasal tone from crying, yet she still tried to soothe the powerful ruler.

Shen Yan felt even more ashamed.

Like a child who had done something wrong, he gripped Karandel's hand tightly, resting his forehead against the back of their clasped hands, his voice muffled and filled with lingering fear:

"I'm sorry... I just... I'm not feeling well..."

Gently stroking the lord's lowered head, the fingertips applied a soothing touch.

"I know."

He spoke in a low voice, without blaming anyone, simply stating the facts.

"I... also can't bear to part with you."

……

After lunch, the inevitable moment of parting arrived. But after last night's loss of control and reconciliation, Shen Yan's state of mind was different.

Still reluctant to part, still worried, but that anxiety was suppressed and transformed into a calmer and more steadfast support.

Watching the female insect don her crisp military uniform, Shen Yan personally pinned the medal on her, which he had bought at an auction.

This time, he didn't say anything capricious. He simply stepped forward and exchanged a soft, lingering kiss in silence, carrying promises and expectations.

The hovercar disappeared silently at the end of the street, and Shen Yan felt as if his bones had been removed from his body.

The house seemed to suddenly become bigger and emptier.

Shen Yan closed the door, stood in the entryway for a moment in a daze, and suddenly didn't know what to do.

Karandal's military boots were still in their usual place on the shoe rack, and his spare coat hung on the coat hook. There was a noticeable indentation on the sofa cushion in the living room, where his wife usually sat.

A document, half-finished, lay spread out on the study desk; the pen cap hadn't even been put back on.

Everything is still there, except for the insects.

I walked around the room twice, but finally settled down on the sofa, next to where my wife usually sits.

001 held the nutrient solution to his mouth.

"I don't want to eat."

His voice was muffled, and he seemed listless.

001 quietly retreated, and returned a few minutes later. This time, the tray contained the male's favorite snacks, which emitted a faint sweet aroma.

The robotic arm carefully placed the snacks in front of him.

Shen Yan was already annoyed when a surge of anger welled up inside her, and without thinking, she retorted, "I just finished eating not long ago, and you're eating again? Do you think I'm a glutton?"

The spherical body froze on the spot, the little robot's optical lens flickered innocently a few times, and its voice was filled with grievance as it whispered in protest:

"But Master Insect... you barely touched your food at lunchtime."

These words hit the nail on the head, leaving him speechless. He buried his face in the cushions and tried several different positions on the sofa, but none of them felt right.

After a long while, she finally lifted her face from the cushion and muttered softly to the air:

"This is only the first day..."

Like a large dog that has been ruthlessly abandoned by its owner, its whole body exudes a sense of despair.

……

Over the next few days, the low pressure around the villa almost solidified into a tangible form.

The male has completely transformed into a salted fish that has lost all its dreams, the kind that's been sun-dried until it's rock hard.

He doesn't work, has no social life, and his only connection to this world is with Kalandall and his father and mother. So he spends most of his time lounging on the sofa in the living room, in the same position for a long time, with his eyes vacant.

001 thoughtfully held the nutrient solution to his lips, urging him several times before he reluctantly opened his mouth to take a sip.

"Master insect, you need some exercise..."

Weakly rolled over, Shen Yan buried his face in the pillow still carrying his wife's lingering scent, and mumbled in a muffled voice:

"Leave me alone, just let me rot..."

Detecting his plummeting mood index and abnormal circadian rhythms, 001 finally issued an intervention recommendation:

"Data shows that your recent physical and mental state is assessed as 'extremely lethargic,' and we recommend considering a change of environment."

"We have selected the best-rated interstellar travel groups for you."

The holographic screen lights up, displaying several picturesque tourist planets.

Lifting his eyelids, Xiongzi scanned the blue sky, the sea, the snow-capped mountains, and the grasslands with little interest, his eyes as lifeless as a dried-up pool.

Until a name popped up.

V-12 satellite relay.

His eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly.

This is a marginal planet known for its mining industry, with tourism resources so scarce that they are almost negligible, and the promotional pictures all exude a cold, hard industrial feel.

But that was the closest legal docking point to the edge of the battlefield V-73. For him now, that reason alone was enough to attract all his attention.

The heart, which had almost stopped beating, began to contract violently, as if stimulated by a weak electric current.

An absurd yet somewhat pathetic thought emerged.

Go there—

Even if they are only a little bit closer to Kalandall, on the official map, their positions will appear in the same local star system.

This behavior is incredibly foolish, comparable to a fan buying a product endorsed by their idol that they have no use for the sake of the signature on the packaging.