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

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

......

Human Federation, Alliance Director's Residence.

Today, Orion was invited to the Alliance Commissioner's private residence to have dinner with the Commissioner's family.

I wonder what kind of trouble the Alliance Director will cause this time, but at least it'll give him room to maneuver again :).

Orion stepped off the hovercar and looked up.

As the sun sets, the sky is a heavy gray-blue, filled with stars and the moon. The sea breeze caresses the scenic boulevard along the coast, and the tide rises, lapping against the sand with each wave.

The Alliance Director's private vacation villa is built on the coast, the only one of its kind for kilometers around. It has a massive silhouette, a vast area, and is constructed of white stone, a glass mansion. Warm yellow light shines through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and landscape lights are turned on in the courtyard and along the avenue, making it brightly lit.

A holiday villa built by the sea.

It gave him a sense of familiarity. On the central planet of Lyrnia, his Rock Palace was also built on the coast.

Unfortunately, he has been gone for thirty years, and his rock palace has fallen into ruin.

Orion scanned several tiny, almost imperceptible spots of reflection high up on the building.

Camera.

At this moment, everyone's attention is focused intently on him.

After the announcement was made inside, a butler in uniform immediately came out with some waiters to greet him and respectfully led him through the empty front hall into the villa.

Since the banquet was not yet fully prepared and it was not yet the traditional banquet time, he was first invited into the study to have tea with the Alliance Director.

The Alliance Director was already waiting in his study.

Today he was dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, with a neatly folded silk handkerchief peeking out from his breast pocket. Although his hair was as white as snow, his back remained straight, like an old tree that could not be eroded by wind and snow.

The Alliance Director warmly extended his hand: "Your Highness Orion, welcome to my humble abode."

Orion extended his hand to shake his, smiling, "Your Excellency, thank you for inviting me to visit."

"No, please have a seat." The Alliance Director gestured for him to sit down at the reception table.

After they were both seated, the butler served tea.

High-quality black tea is served in a bone china teacup as thin as a cicada's wing, its color resembling molten gold at sunset, with an orange-red hue.

It looks good. Orion took a bite with satisfaction.

It's acceptable.

His gaze fell on an old book lying open on the corner of the coffee table.

It was a collection of poems, Shakespeare's sonnets.

The paper is yellowed and fragile, and the illustrations on it are painted with intricate and gorgeous mineral pigments. It is a love poem.

Orion's fingertips gently brushed over the richly colored illustration on the page.

The Alliance Director saw this and smiled, "Your Highness Orion, you're also interested in poetry collections?"

"also?"

"These are books my wife reads. Please excuse my poor taste; a stay-at-home wife likes to read things about love and romance."

Orion smiled but did not comment on it.

He turned and said, "I'm not so much interested in poetry as I'm interested in human emotions. Poetry is a passionate emotion that transcends words and reaches the soul. I'm very interested in whether the emotions that humans claim can transcend life and death are true or false."

"Oh? I'd love to hear more." The Alliance Director was very supportive.

Orion said unhurriedly, "In the marrow of Liernia flows the blood of the passionate. Especially the females. Our souls are inextricably linked to our partners, like twin stars sharing a gravitational core. This bond is unbreakable, yet fatally fragile. Once the chosen male dies, the heart of the female with whom she has made a life pact will shatter."

He smiled slightly. "It's not a metaphor, Your Excellency. It's a physical, irreversible shattering. We call it broken heart syndrome, a medal that lasts until death."

"We female and male insects share a destiny-bound connection. Living and dying together is not merely a poetic vow. So I'm curious, since humans don't have this connection, do you truly possess this kind of unwavering love until death?"

The Alliance Director didn't immediately respond; a glint of insight flashed in his eyes. "Could you elaborate on this connection in Liernia?"

Orion seemed not to understand, his expression unchanged, still smiling, as he emphasized: "The life of a female insect, from the moment she is marked, is inextricably intertwined with that of her male, like twin star orbits, sharing destiny, honor, and disgrace. If the male insect unfortunately perishes, then no matter how powerful or high-ranking his female insect may be, his heart will shatter as well. This is a grief originating from the very source of life, an inviolable law etched into our genes. There are no exceptions."

The Alliance Director remained unmoved: "No exceptions?"

"No exceptions."

Fool, how could there be none? You can live without feelings. But would I tell you that?

The Alliance Director slowly brought the tea to his lips and took a sip.

"To live and die together..." The Alliance Director put down his teacup and slowly savored the four words.

"What an awe-inspiring bond."

He raised his eyes to look at Orion, probing, "Your Highness, as the Second Prince of the Empire, with such a prestigious status, you should also have a chance to vie for the throne, shouldn't you?"

Orion raised his eyes, meeting the Alliance Director's gaze frankly: "How could I be worthy? Your Excellency may not know, but our Crown Prince is a once-in-a-century military star of the Empire. His prestige has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Now, the Crown Prince's faction is at its zenith, and no one in the Empire can afford to be unaware of his power. With the Crown Prince in the lead, any attempt to seize the throne is nothing but wishful thinking."

A brief silence fell over the study. The only sounds were the crackling of the fireplace flames licking the firewood and the faint murmur of the garden fountain outside the window.

The Alliance Director sat in a large chair, one elbow resting on the coffee table, leaning slightly forward.

He said, "Crown Prince Callorius's power and prestige are indeed awe-inspiring. However, His Highness has a human crown princess. Human life is very fragile."

They exchanged a glance, and they both understood each other's meaning.

Orion married Ferdinand, the only son of the Alliance Director. The human political party was willing to cooperate with him to eliminate the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince, so that Liernia and Earth would still be one family, while ensuring the Alliance's absolute dominance.

Fortune favors the bold. The Alliance Director is willing to take the gamble.

The female Lyrnia's nature is to live and die together, signifying that Orion can never abandon Ferdinand, making it a stable cooperative relationship.

At the same time, this nature revealed a way to kill the crown prince.

If Gao Tian can be killed, the Crown Prince will die with him. The position of Queen of Insects will then be taken over by Orion, and his son will be able to replace Gao Tian as the Insect Emperor.

It is highly feasible.

Such immense wealth is enough to make someone a gambling addict.

If they don't gamble, the future Queen of Insects will be the Crown Prince, and the Insect Emperor will be Gao Tian. The rise of the military is a foregone conclusion, and the Alliance has no way to stop it.

Of course, the Alliance Commissioner may not truly believe that Orion loves his son, but with the connection between the female and male insects, what difference does it make whether Orion truly loves him or not? He still needs an insect queen.

The female insects of Lyrnia are so kind; they're much better than the omegas of the Human Federation who are always ready to rebel.

I wonder if this female insect instinct can be transplanted. If we could transplant it into the omegas of the Human Federation, what a wonderful world that would be!

......

The Alliance Director personally took out a bottle of top-quality whisky with an almost faded label from the constant-temperature liquor cabinet in the corner of the study, and also took out two crystal square glasses.

Two square glasses were placed in front of Orion and him, and ice cubes fell to the bottom of the glasses with a crisp clinking sound.

The amber-colored liquor, like molten liquid gold, gushed out, enveloping the ice.

A strong aroma of wine wafted through the air.

He handed one of the cups to Orion.

Orion rose gracefully and accepted the wine glass.

"So, Your Highness, have you decided on the specifics of the operation? The time? The location? How can we ensure everything goes smoothly?"

Orion gently swirled the amber liquid in his glass, watching as half of the ice melted.

"Wait until they are separated. There will always be times when the Crown Prince is not around, and the Crown Princess, Major General Gao Tian's military status means that he will be going out on missions. The Crown Prince cannot always accompany her, so take advantage of this time—."

Orion gave the Alliance Commissioner a look and silently made a throat-slitting gesture.

"But even if the Crown Prince is not present, he must have left behind a large number of female guards to protect the Crown Princess, right?"

"Rest assured, I will take care of or deal with the female guards around him. The rest will require you to complete this final and crucial step."

"We're here?" The Alliance Director asked, somewhat surprised.

"Capture him alive, or bring his body. It would be better to capture him alive; with the Crown Prince's personally signed abdication document, it would be more legitimate." Orion leaned closer.

"this......"

"It's not easy to appoint a foreign insect emperor to our royal family. Those old-fashioned ministers and nobles even oppose the current crown princess. The current crown princess gained an advantage in promoting diplomacy, which is why she was able to become the crown princess. His Excellency Ferdinand will also need to make some contributions if he wants to become the new crown princess."

The Alliance Director hesitated for a moment: "But what if it doesn't succeed?"

"You must understand that great things always come with risks. Usurping the throne certainly carries enormous risks. I will not force you; the decision to do it or not is yours to make."

Orion was in no hurry, his gaze fixed firmly on the Alliance Commissioner's face: "I can do it myself, but this time I'm deliberately leaving it to you and Ferdinand. This will be the undeniable foundation of merit for His Excellency Ferdinand when he ascends to the throne of the Insect Emperor, a merit that will be recognized by the entire Empire."

He put pressure on the Alliance Director.

This is a favor, a road to heaven paved for Ferdinand. If you don't accept it, you'll never have another chance like this.

The Alliance Director pondered for a long time.

Indeed, the risks are high, but the rewards are also high.

Whether they do it or not is their own choice; they need this credit to solidify their position in the new policy system.

They might even get bigger opportunities in the future because of this achievement.

For example, if the queen dies and the crown prince is too young, the emperor will succeed to the throne.

The Alliance Director has made up his mind.

He clapped his hands, his face full of praise: "Your Highness has considered everything thoroughly."

Orion handed the glass forward.

"Clink!" The two clinked glasses.

The alliance director smiled and said, "This pledge of allegiance will surely satisfy you."

Orion smiled and said, "I look forward to that day coming soon."

......

"Knock knock knock".

Three polite knocks came from the heavy, carved wooden door of the study.

"Come in."

Ferdinand walked in.

He looked radiant, young, handsome, and charming today.

"Father, Your Highness Orion, the banquet is ready. Mother sent me to invite you both to take your seats." Ferdinand addressed him as Commissioner of the Alliance, but his eyes were filled with nervous anticipation as he looked at Orion.

The Alliance Commissioner and Orion put down their glasses without any apparent change in expression; Orion even smiled at him.

Foolish little male dog.

The Alliance Director said, "Understood, Ferdinand. Go tell your mother we're coming."

Orion stood up, straightened his suit, and smiled. "The banquet is about to begin, Your Excellency. Let's go downstairs too, so as not to keep Madam and His Excellency Ferdinand waiting."