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

Meanwhile, in the next room, Locke, after a deep, dreamless sleep, finally woke up slowly in the early hours of the morning.

The moment his consciousness returned, the unfamiliar environment made his body tense instinctively for a moment, and his light golden eyes sharply scanned his surroundings in the dim light.

But then, memories flooded back, and realizing she was absolutely safe, the female insect's tense nerves slowly relaxed.

His throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, and he desperately needed water, so he gently lifted the blanket and slowly sat up.

The aftereffects of the mental agitation and disorder still linger; my head aches intermittently, but it's much better than the sharp, almost unbearable pain I experienced before.

Using the faint glow of the ever-burning neon lights of the capital city outside the window, he groped his way out of bed and walked unsteadily toward the door.

Locke knew it was impolite to wander around someone else's house like that, but he was so thirsty that he couldn't stand it. Since there was no water dispenser in the guest room, he had to get water from the coffee table in the living room.

I carefully turned the doorknob, trying not to make a sound.

The hallway was quiet, with only a faint light shining through the crack in the master bedroom door. The male and female seemed to be awake, but there was no sound coming from next door.

This made him more cautious, and he tiptoed downstairs toward the living room.

However, after taking only a few steps, subtle sounds and faint aromas of food wafted from the semi-open dining area.

Locke paused, instinctively looking towards the source of the sound.

Under the warm yellow lights of the restaurant, Shen Yan and Karandal were sitting at the table eating a late-night snack. To be precise, Karandal was eating a late-night snack.

The female insect was wearing only a silk nightgown, and her long, ice-blue hair was a little messy, obviously she had just woken up. In front of her was a steaming bowl of milk custard, which emitted an enticing sweet aroma.

And Shen Yan...

Locke's pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively held his breath.

The gentleman who always appears refined and gentle in public is now patiently feeding his partner with a small spoon in one hand.

The other hand, with its distinct knuckles, was not idle either. It was slipping inside his partner's robe, slowly and suggestively moving up and down his smooth back.

The male was pressed very close to the female, almost half-embracing her, and whispered in her ear, his hot breath spraying onto her sensitive earlobe and neck.

Shen Yan's voice was deep and hoarse, carrying lingering desire and intense doting, clearly audible in the quiet of the early morning:

"Baby, you have a good appetite. You've been getting hungry a lot lately..."

His fingertips occasionally traced suggestively across certain sensitive points on his spine, causing Karandel's body to tremble slightly, his movements slowing as he ate his steamed egg custard, emitting soft, delicate moans.

"A mighty ruler..."

The female insect's voice was tinged with embarrassment and a soft pant after being teased. He turned his head away, seemingly trying to avoid her overly hot breath, his cheeks flushed.

"Stop fooling around..."

"What's going on?"

The male chuckled, not only failing to restrain himself but also taking advantage of the situation by gently nibbling at the reddened earlobe, his movements becoming even more unrestrained, even showing a hint of moving downwards.

"After feeding the upper body, shouldn't the lower body also be fed...?"

The rest of the words were drowned out by even more intimate kisses.

Just then, Shen Yan seemed to sense something, his kissing motion paused slightly, and his gaze swept sharply toward the shadows where Locke was.

Locke was shocked, as if struck by lightning, and froze on the spot, unable to move.

He clearly caught the fleeting displeasure and sharpness in the male's eyes, as well as the icy blue eyes that instantly turned to astonishment and embarrassment when Kalandel followed his gaze.

Six eyes met.

The air was deathly still.

Feeling as if he had been stripped naked and thrown under a spotlight, Locke felt all his blood rush to his head, and his vision blurred.

He saw Kalandel quickly tighten the collar of his robe, and he also saw Shen Yan's hand slowly withdrawing from the Empress's clothes, its intentions obvious.

The immense embarrassment and awkwardness felt like ice water had been poured over my head, instantly chilling me to the bone.

As if burned, Locke abruptly lowered his head; the dryness in his throat had long been replaced by a burning sense of shame.

Almost instinctively, he staggered around in a disheveled state, not even bothering to drink water, and rushed back to his room as fast as he could.

The door clicked shut.

He leaned against the cold door, breathing heavily, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.

It wasn't the shyness of catching someone in the act; he was already numb to physical intimacy, and even had a bit of a fear of such behavior because of the unpleasant experience.

At that moment, he felt nothing but utter embarrassment and shame.

Not only was she an unwanted third wheel, but she had also just ruined the intimacy between the couple.

Logically, they should have had a sweet night undisturbed by insects, but the sudden appearance of outsiders interrupted even their midnight snack, and may even have... affected more people.

The male's clearly unsatisfied gaze and Karandal's fleeting embarrassment... both reminded the female how obstructive and tactless his presence was.

Locke barely slept through the rest of the night.

The scene he had just witnessed kept replaying in his mind: Shen Yan's natural and unpretentious manner of serving, his undisguised tenderness and love, and Kalandel's complete trust and surrender.

He had long known that Shen Yan was different from the other male insects.

From the initial arranged marriage by the Empire, to Shen Yan's protection of Kalander in the bar, and the helping hand extended to him at Lanjing Palace, all of these made him clearly realize that...

Unlike other noble male insects, this male does not regard female insects as appendages or playthings.

But he didn't expect the other party to go this far.

At home, Shen Yan would actually put aside all the airs of a male insect, personally feeding him, giving him massages, and even... the way he stroked the pregnant belly, the tenderness in his eyes, clearly showed that he placed Kalandel in a supreme position.

In this relationship, the female insect is the one who is cared for, served, and pampered, while Shen Yan is willing to be in a subservient position.

This completely overturned Locke's entire understanding of male-female relationships.

In his world, the male is always the supreme ruler, and the female's obedience and service are taken for granted.

Amidst the shock, a deeper, more profound bitterness and sadness, which even he himself was unwilling to admit, quietly crept into his heart.

Locke recalled his hastily submitted, yet laughable and futile, marriage application.

At that time, he simply hoped to find a powerful ruler who wouldn't be too violent and might allow him to retain some of his work.

I never dared to hope for... such feelings, such treatment.

I never expected to miss out on someone like this...

The seamless and inseparable atmosphere between Shen Yan and Kalandel made him realize how ridiculous and presumptuous his past attempts to seduce males in front of female insects had been.

There was absolutely no gap between them that any outsider could get in.

This realization made Locke feel utterly ashamed.