A is in StarCraft, just disembarked from the Zerg Prince spaceship.

***************

......

The Insect King slammed the soup cup in his hand onto the coffee table next to him, splashing a few drops of murky soup and emitting a strong odor.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

With just the right amount of sincerity and concern, Speaker Vika stepped forward and knelt before the throne with an extremely humble posture.

His red hair fell down, obscuring the expression in his eyes.

He lowered his voice, his words carrying a hidden barb, a sharp edge, precisely striking the Insect King's sensitive nerves:

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health. The Crown Prince is still young and does not yet know how to maintain the rule of our imperial family. However, the Crown Prince has not abandoned the empire; he has merely been temporarily misled by the foreign race..."

He paused at just the right moment, leaving behind a suffocating silence.

Then, as if speechless at the Crown Prince's actions, he could only offer a consolation: "This is precisely where you are needed to turn the tide. Can you bear to see the most sacred bloodline of Liernia tarnished? If the next heir to the empire carries foreign blood, how will history judge this ruler?"

He spoke with such sincerity that it seemed he was truly thinking about the future of the Crown Prince and the Empire.

They are also adept at discerning and sowing discord.

By belittling the Crown Prince and elevating the Insect King, they hit the Insect King where it hurts.

The Insect King's heart was instantly drawn to them.

The Insect King looked at Invica's drooping red hair with displeasure.

Did he not know that Invica was stirring things up? He did.

But this is an open conspiracy by Invica.

With the Queen of Insects dead and the Crown Prince still young, the Emperor of Insects temporarily assumed the throne.

Now that the Crown Prince is grown up and can inherit the throne at any time, what will happen to the Insect Emperor? It's impossible for the Crown Prince to inherit the throne and the Insect Emperor to still be sitting in his father's seat, right?

Now that the Crown Prince has ascended the throne, the Insect Emperor will not only lose the rule of the empire, but will even lose his position as Insect Emperor.

Suddenly, they went from being rulers to being ignored by everyone.

Therefore, the Insect King urgently needs to find various reasons and faults of the Crown Prince to delay the date of the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne.

Previously, the crown prince was not yet married; now, although the crown prince is married, he has chosen a woman from a different ethnic group.

No, not satisfied, not suitable, then force the Crown Prince to change it.

If the crown prince is not reformed, he cannot inherit the throne. This dispute can drag on for several more years.

But can they now contend with the Crown Prince's faction? Does he not want to control the Crown Prince? He simply can't.

All you do is stir up trouble, and once you've stirred things up, you have no way to resolve the situation.

......

Speaker Invika knelt quietly on one knee with his head bowed.

He wasn't in a hurry at all.

Unless the Insect King is stupid, he will definitely make the same choice as them; there is no other option.

Didn't he know that the Insect King couldn't control the Crown Prince? He did know.

The Crown Prince is now very powerful, and even if they all joined forces, they could not do anything to him.

So what can we do? We can only seek help from outside.

The Insect King is now helpless and can only rage in vain.

So when Vika suggests that Orion wants to attach himself to her after some time, the Insect King will not only not refuse, but will also see Orion as a lifeline.

Everything was under the control of Speaker Invika.

As expected, the Insect King couldn't think of a way to control the Crown Prince, and angrily scolded them, "Get out!"

He hates being reminded of his own incompetence.

Speaker Invika immediately bowed his head: "I have caused Your Majesty a great deal of distress today. I take my leave. I hope Your Majesty will take care of your health, for the future of the empire still depends on you."

He stood up, grabbed Sevisma who was still standing there wanting to say something, and quickly pulled him outside.

"His Majesty--"

Invica practically dragged her brother away from the council chamber.

The heavy door closed silently behind them, shutting out the dazzling sunlight and the decaying, rotten atmosphere within.

The council chamber was located inside the palace, a secret location. The outer corridor had no windows, and the light only came from warm yellow wall lamps, which suddenly dimmed the light, making it secluded and hazy.

Sevisma was dragged several steps by her brother: "Brother, why won't you let me continue? The Insect King is angry. If I say anything more now, he will definitely—"

They walked out of the palace gates.

The heavy doors closed slowly behind him, and Speaker Invika stopped in the thick shadow cast by the palace gates.

The palace gates closed with a dull thud.

The sunlight shone on the open square in front of the palace, just enough to envelop Sevisma, who had just stepped out of the palace gates' shadow.

His brand-new Xiongbao Association uniform shone brightly in the strong midday sun, making him look spirited and energetic.

Speaker Invika remained expressionless.

The sunlight drew a sharp line between light and shadow on the ground just a step in front of him.

He turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on his younger brother's face, which was illuminated by the light and was filled with confusion.

Speaker Invika suddenly raised a hand to cover his forehead and eyes, leaving only his hard jawline and tightly pursed lips visible.

"Because the Insect King isn't stupid either."

"What?"

"Sevisma, I've always taught you to be smarter. If you're not smart enough, then talk less. It seems like you've forgotten all that."

"I didn't! Brother!"

"You can. If you can't control yourself, then leave the central star again and go back to our Fire Ant Clan's ancestral lands."

Speaker Invika coldly replied, "What kind of time is this? I finally managed to get you back. Do you think we can still act recklessly and without restraint like before?"

"But I just—"

If you talk back again, I won't care about you anymore.

"...I'm sorry, brother."

Speaker Vika then withdrew his stern gaze.

How could the Insect King be so stupid? He could disguise himself so well and successfully deceive the previous Insect Queen to become the Insect King. What kind of naive and innocent person could he be?

Did he really not know that the two of them were manipulating power?

No, he knows.

However, the Insect King is a male ruler who usurped the throne. All his honors are closely related to the privileges of male insects, as well as to their royalist parliament and male protection association.

He was naturally bound to them; he had no other choice.

There is an established blood feud between him and the Crown Prince. If the Royalist Parliament and the Xiongbao Association completely collapse, don't expect the Crown Prince to treat him kindly. The Insect Emperor can only go to hell with them.

Who told the Insect King to use a deception against the previous Insect Queen from the very beginning?

The grave mistake has been made; no one is willing to risk seizing power and gamble without paying the price.

......

After warning Sevisma not to speak or act recklessly, he sent him home, and Speaker Invika also returned to his residence.

In stark contrast to the glitz and glamour of the Hsiung Pao Association Chairman's residence, the Speaker's residence, far from the city center, is cold, imposing, and silent. Its gates are usually closed, and every brick exudes a cold indifference that keeps people at a distance.

After passing through the spacious front hall where you could hear the echo of your own footsteps, you stepped into a long, dark-carpeted corridor with portraits of past patriarchs hanging on the walls on both sides.