The powerful leader was tough on the outside but soft on the inside; the aloof major general fell fo

When Duke Joly heard that Cenli had recovered, just as General Derek had said, he was very pleased and summoned Cenli back to the ducal palace that very day.

At a glance, all of Duke Jolai's female servants, and even female slaves, were present, demonstrating the importance he placed on the matter.

"Have you really fully recovered?"

When Duke Jolai saw Cen Li, his gaze first swept over Cen Li's legs, which were still in good condition, and then returned to Cen Li's face, where he nodded secretly.

"Yes, Father."

Upon hearing this, Duke Jolai smiled with satisfaction.

Cen Li was his only A-grade male insect offspring; the others were mostly B or C-grade insect offspring, not as eye-catching as the A-grade ones.

Even Duke Jolai himself was only Rank B, which shows how rare high-ranking male insects are.

Before Cen Li's accident, he was always the best candidate for inheriting the title in Yue Lai's mind. Not only was his mental strength level excellent, but he was also born to the female ruler and had a noble status.

However, there was no precedent in the family for someone with a disability to inherit the title, and Jolai had wavered at times, but he was happy with the current situation.

"How could Cen Li possibly stand up?!"

A sharp sound suddenly rang out among the insects.

Miha's gaze was fixed on Cen Li, or more precisely, on his now perfectly intact legs.

His face contorted for a moment, and when more than a dozen eyes turned to him at the same time, he realized with a start that he had unconsciously blurted out everything on his mind.

Seeing this, Renzo immediately tugged at Mihalyu's arm, forced a perfect smile, and looked at the displeased Duke of York to defend his insect cub.

"Mihai was so surprised to see that Cen Li was in good health that his mind went blank and he couldn't even speak properly."

After all these years of trouble, it's quite unexpected that it's suddenly cured.

Renzo smiled kindly, his voice drawn out, and asked Cen Li naturally, "How was this illness cured?"

Led by Renzo's words, the insects looked at Cen Li again.

Cen Li shook his head with a cold expression, and they all said they didn't know either, but it was just so inexplicable.

No one questioned the veracity of Cen Li's words.

Aside from Renzo and Mihajlovic, they exchanged a glance and both saw the question in each other's eyes.

That potion was extremely precious and could evade the detection of the Imperial instruments. It was only by spending a lot of money and using the royal family's insect lineage that Renzo managed to establish a connection with the Federation.

That medicine had no antidote.

How exactly did Cen Li become so good?

Moreover, West Asia didn't tell them about such an important matter beforehand!

What the hell is he good for?!

The insects on the dining table each had their own thoughts.

Cen Li noticed that Xi Ya's body was trembling. He turned his gaze and saw that Miha Wu was staring at Xi Ya with a gloomy face, stabbing the meat on his plate with his fork in frustration, as if it were hitting some insect.

West Asia didn't dare to lift her head; her head was almost buried in her rice bowl.

Cen Li leisurely withdrew his gaze, showing no intention of rescuing Xiya, and put the interstellar-grown vegetables into his mouth.

It is said that this was cultivated by the only S-class male insect in the Empire. He also researched other delicacies, such as ice cream and milk tea, and created a craze for interstellar cuisine.

It is very popular with pampered male insects that value the taste of their food.

But when Cen Li heard this, he thought, "Isn't this something that can be found on Earth?" He suspected that the so-called gentle and polite male insect with black hair and black eyes was also from Earth, just like him.

Duke Jolai hadn't stopped smiling all night, and even suggested holding a celebratory banquet for Cenli, scheduled for seven days from now.

Ashel sat at the end of the table, eating quietly. Amidst the occasional chatter of the others, his lonely figure stood out, like a forgotten insect.

In the blink of an eye after the meal, Cen Li could no longer see Xi Ya. Looking around, he found that Renzo was also gone.

……

"Why didn't you report such an important matter as Cen Li's recovery?!"

Sia followed Renzo with her head down and neck hunched.

Once they reached a quiet, insect-free spot, Renzo turned around and launched into a tirade of abuse.

Mihawu stood to the side, arms crossed, and glanced down at West Asia, his eyes narrowing.

"You wouldn't have betrayed us, would you?"

Sia, under the watchful eyes of the two insects, couldn't speak her bitterness: "How could I betray you? My brother is still in your hands; I would never do such a thing!"

"It was the Lord... His body recovered overnight, I didn't even have time to inform you."

"Overnight?"

Renzo and Mihajlovic exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with suspicion.

Sia was eager to distance herself from the situation: "Yes, that's exactly it!"

Renzo didn't really believe that this timid sub-female would turn against him, he murmured.

"Could it be that Cen Li discovered something? This potion has no antidote, and we didn't encounter this situation when we conducted experiments with insects before..."

Sia said, "I'm not sure if the male has discovered anything, but he's been much more distant from me lately, and instead he's been favoring that female soldier, Ashel!"

"The powerful ruler even delegated most of the authority in the mansion to Ashir, and I had no access to his daily meals. Ashir was also unwilling to cooperate with us."

Speaking of Ashler, Renzo said bluntly, "Ashler is indeed a problem. If it weren't for him, Cen Li's recovery might never have happened."

Miha's eyes darted around, a sinister smile creeping into them: "Father, leave Ashir to me! I'll make Cen Li completely despise him; he won't be an obstacle to us."

Renzo scrutinized Mihajlovic's face for a moment.

He knew that this little bug had wanted to get his hands on Ashir before, but he hadn't succeeded in the end.

It's just a female insect; if Mihalyu wants it, let him have it.

Renzo nodded, not forgetting to give some instructions.

"Be mindful of boundaries."

The two insects' back-and-forth conversation was overheard by West Asia.

He stood there uneasy, his mind in turmoil, wondering whether he should tell the powerful ruler about this.

When Cen Li saw Xiya again, his face was still slightly pale, and his pupils trembled for a moment.

Xiya walked to Cen Li's side and whispered, "My lord, I didn't say a single word that I shouldn't have."

Cen Li glanced at him, and Xi Ya felt uneasy under his gaze.

He said hesitantly, "Lady Renzo still wants me to continue monitoring you."

Cen Li hasn't finished what he wanted to do yet, and he doesn't plan to alert the enemy for the time being.

"Do as they say."

Cen Li's answer immediately calmed Xi Ya's tense heart. He patted his chest and repeatedly assured him, "Don't worry, my lord, I will not betray you."

After thinking about it, Xiya ultimately decided not to tell the male ruler what he had overheard.